collection development
-
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb My rating: 4 of 5 stars I rate Wally Lamb’s other two books as some of my all-time favourites. The Hour I First Believed has his usual depth into emotional hell (which I love!) but it was not something that I could read all in one sitting.…
-
Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway
Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m not sure why I never read this book when it first came out, but I just found it this year. It is an incredibly moving story of what it was like to attend a residential school. More importantly, it made…
-
The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric
The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric My rating: 4 of 5 stars Transported me in time and space to an unfamiliar world where brothers are very very mean to sisters. In this patriarchal place, the female protagonist has to do her utmost to survive her brother’s bizarre tastes. This book is kind of…
-
Triptych by J.M. Frey
Triptych by J.M. Frey My rating: 5 of 5 stars Triptych’s exploration of heteronormativity touched me in places that I didn’t even know existed. The characters and their relationships make the sci fi problems Frey creates, very real and very relevant to the human reader. It is a very brave first novel, and I found…
-
Under My Skin by Charles de Lint
Under My Skin by Charles de Lint My rating: 3 of 5 stars This Young Adult fantasy begins in Santa Feliz, California in present day. The story unfolds through two voices, Josh and Marina, who are best friends. In this school year, each character has become a Wildling, a shapeshifter from human to animal form.…
-
Darkest Light by Hiromi Goto
Darkest Light by Hiromi Goto My rating: 5 of 5 stars This Young Adult fantasy is a sequel to Goto’s Half World, which was nominated for numerous awards in young adult fantasy. Half World is a kind of purgatory where people go who haven’t resolved events in their lives. The first book introduced one such…
threadbare beauty 