St. Albert Gazette Great Reading

Book picks as published in the May 22, 2019 St. Albert Gazette. For more great reads, check here.

Normal peopleNormal people : a novel

By Sally Rooney

In Rooney’s highly anticipated second novel Connell and Marianne grow up in the same small town in rural Ireland. The similarities end there; they are from very different worlds. When they both earn places at Trinity College in Dublin, a connection that has grown between them lasts long into the following years. This is an exquisite love story about how a person can change another person’s life.

 

Machines like meMachines like me : and people like you : a novel

By Ian McEwan

Set in 1980s London, the story revolves around Charlie: young and reckless, and in love with his upstairs neighbour, the enchanting Miranda whose hidden, murky past hangs between them. He has spent his inheritance on the acquisition of one of twenty-four highly developed new robotic humans – named Adam or Eve, each one beautiful, strong and clever.

St. Albert Gazette Great Reading

Book picks as published in the May 15, 2019 St. Albert Gazette. For more great reads, check here.

BabelBabel : around the world in twenty languages

By Gaston Dorren

Babel whisks the reader on a delightful journey to every continent of the world, tracing how these world languages rose to greatness while others fell away and showing how speakers today handle the foibles of their mother tongues. Witty, fascinating and utterly compelling, Babel will change the way you look at and listen to the world and how it speaks.

 

why religionWhy religion? A personal story

By Elaine H. Pagels

Why is religion still around in the twenty-first century? Why do so many still believe? And how do various traditions still shape the way people experience everything from sexuality to politics, whether they are religious or not? In Why Religion? Elaine Pagels looks to her own life to help address these questions. A provocative and moving account from one of the most compelling religious thinkers at work today.

Joanne’s Mystery Picks

613qnxr1gol._sx316_bo1204203200_THE FRANGIPANI TREE MYSTERY by Ovidia Yu

It is 1936 in the Crown Colony of Singapore and sixteen year old Su Lin would appear to be disadvantaged by some. Childhood polio has left her with a limp and coupled with the loss of her parents to typhoid when she was young, she’s considered “bad luck”. But Su Lin is smart, resilient, and determined to make a life for herself that does not include “domestic captivity” and an arranged marriage.

When the Irish nanny to the daughter of the Acting Governor dies mysteriously, Su Lin is offered the position. Her natural curiosity and perspicacity lead her to probe into the circumstances of the death of Charity Byrne where she forms an alliance with Chief Inspector Thomas LeFroy who is in charge of the case.

The tone of this novel is so reminiscent of Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series, where Su Lin could easily be an older version of Flavia. Both are refreshingly delightful sleuths. If you enjoyed the tales of Flavia, you’re sure to enjoy Su Lin’s adventures, too. Her next one is The Betel Nut Tree Mystery.

3 Daggers
Joanne gives this “3 daggers out of 5”

Weekend Picks

NHL Playoffs Ed.

This year’s playoffs have been nothing but bananalands! Here’s a couple of beauties that you can take home with you this weekend if the conference finals are not enough!

Enjoy,

Tough Guy: The Bob Probert Story

An intimate portrait of legendary NHL tough guy Bob Probert, told through exclusive interviews with his family, friends, teammates, and rivals, featuring game footage, news reports, and never-before-seen home movies.
Explores a small Canadian mining town’s eccentric obsession with its legendary junior hockey team, and how the team and the community thrive off one another.

St. Albert Gazette Great Reading

Book picks as published in the May 8, 2019 St. Albert Gazette. For more great reads, check here.

Cat & Nat's Mom truthsCat & Nat’s Mom truths : embarrassing stories and brutally honest advice on the extremely real struggle of motherhood

By Catherine Belknap and Natalie Telfer

Hilarious best friends Cat and Nat created a massive online community of moms by sharing their ultra-real and just a bit R-rated dispatches from the mom trenches. Fearless crusaders against the perfection myth and all the gluten-free, sugar-free baking it entails, Cat and Nat assure you that you’re already doing a great job, making this an essential companion for moms everywhere.

 

I see life through rose-colored glassesI see life through rose-colored glasses : true stories and confessions

By Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

The New York Times bestselling mother daughter duo are back with more hilarious, witty, and true tales from their lives. Whether they are attempting to hike the Grand Canyon, setting up phone calls with their dogs, or learning what “adulting” means, Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella are guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and appreciate the funniest moments in life.