Happy spring! The cherry blossoms are finally here, which means beautiful, sunny days spent reading in a park or on the beach. Today is also World Book Day, so we thought we’d take a minute to let you know what Options’ staff has been reading lately. Head over to your local VPL branch to check out one of these great reads!
Sheri, Educational Consultant:
My input is anything written by Richard Wagamese. (Some of my favorites are Medicine Walk, Iron Horse, Keeper and Me, Embers, to name a few…). I also recently enjoyed The Overstory by Richard Powers. This book won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 2019 and is described on Powers’ website as a “sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of—and paean to—the natural world.”
Ali, Writing Coach:
Beautifully written by Jennifer Manuel, The Heaviness of Things That Float tells the story of a nurse, Bernadette, who is on the brink of retirement after working for decades in a (fictional) remote Indigenous reserve on Vancouver Island. As Bernadette wonders what her next chapter will look like, a beloved member of the community mysteriously goes missing. The novel deals with themes of loneliness and respect and explores what it means to be an outsider. The vivid descriptions of the community, people, and landscape have really left an impact on me!
Megan, Writing Coach:
I’m currently reading My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. It’s an amazing novel; the sentences are beautifully written, and the characters feel so real. The central focus is the close, complex, and enduring friendship between two girls growing up in Naples. There are three more novels in this series that trace Lila and Lenu’s powerful relationship into adulthood. I can’t wait to read them all!
Gianluca, Educational Consultant:
I am reading Coke Machine Glow (2001) by the late Gord Downie. The book is a collection of lyrics, poetry, and prose from one of Canada’s greatest songwriters and performers. I am thankful to have seen The Tragically Hip live many times, including twice on their final tour. This text makes me miss Gord’s music, wisdom, and passion even more.
I have included the synopsis here: Coke Machine Glow is a rich, haunting collection that reveals both the public and private selves of one of Canada’s most enigmatic musicians. In poetry that is urban, gritty and political, as well as romantic, nostalgic and whimsical, Downie allows us a glimpse inside his world. With his acute and observing eye, he gives us snapshots of his life, both on the road and at home; he writes of loneliness and isolation; of longing and desire; of the present and the past; of dreams and nightmares; love lost and love of family. Ultimately, this book is about the distances that bridge and separate us.
Emily, Client Care Specialist:
My book suggestion is geared towards teen audiences; I adore the book I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. It’s a vibrant and heartfelt coming-of-age novel that makes you feel lots of emotions. I will always have a special place in my heart for this somewhat whimsical love story. Some of the lines are amazing and will stick with you for years to come.
Gabrielle, Educational Consultant:
Happy World Book Day! My two recommendations are: (1) The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and (2) Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
On Matt Haig’s website, The Midnight Library is prefaced with the following description: “Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?”
Happy reading! For more recommendations, check out our previous blogs here.
