When George Orwell’s 1984 was first published in 1948 its bleak view of the future was regarded as science fiction. This film does an impressive job in showing us just how far along the path towards Orwell’s vision of a dystopian future we are. 

Jayme’s Pick: Interrupting chicken by Stein, David

This essential addition is a cozy and hilarious version of quality time and the worthiness of a good argument.

Melani’s Pick: Revenge of the tipping point : overstories, superspreaders, and the rise of social engineering by Gladwell, Malcolm

An absorbing look at how social epidemics start and how the few can impact the many – for worse or for better. In parts fascinating and alarming.

Melani’s Pick: A Useful Woman by Darcie Wilde

A regency mystery series with just enough edge to keep things interesting. Compelling characters, lots of regency detail, and a hint of romance.

Melani’s Pick: The Bookseller At the End of the World by Ruth Shaw

A fun memoir about a woman who grows up in New Zealand in a quirky household, lives and works on a variety of boats throughout her life, and shares stories of the characters who visit her remote bookshop. Heartbreak, humour, and altogether engaging.

Sonal’s Pick: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Myron, Vicki

Dewey’s story of being a treasured staff supervisor of 19 years at the library in Spencer, Iowa will surely warm the hearts of all pet lovers who read his miraculous story from being abandoned in the book drop at 8 weeks old in the dead of winter to being the main star attraction for the library. 

I like books that teach useful skills, even more so when they are well written. Tristan Gooley shows how to use clues from nature to navigate the great outdoors and to use these sills alongside more conventional methods of navigation, in a way that will enhance  your appreciation of nature and improve your natural sense of direction

Alan’s Pick: I, Claudius : from the autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, born 10 B.C., murdered and deified A.D. 54 by Robert Graves

This book follows the rise to power of Claudius, a minor member of a Roman aristocratic family who becomes Emperor by chance following the Assassination of  Caligula. Often ridiculed because of his stutter and physical disabilities Claudius proves to be a shrewd and capable Emperor who faithfully records the excesses and intrigues of the ruling class. 

David’s Pick: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground, & Ripley’s Game by Patricia Highsmith

These thrillers can be read in isolation, as snapshots of a sociopathic personality; but the trajectory of Ripley’s pathologies across all three novels is also fascinating to track. Chilling stuff.

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David’s Pick: Blanket : A graphic novel by Craig Thompson

A sweet, sad coming-of-age story in which Thompson bares his personality in ways that are a little uncomfortable at times. A classic of the autobiographical graphic novel world.

Maria’s Pick: The secret of secrets : a novel by Dan Brown

From the author of Fleishman is in Trouble, this dark comedy traces the aftereffects of a kidnapping on a severely dysfunctional wealthy family. Some very razor-sharp observations about the pathologies of the overly rich and lots of bleak hilarity.

David’s Pick: Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel

A change of pace for Bechdel, this is a fantastical and funny look at the absurdity of the life of a media star and would-be goat farmer, loosely based on her life but with everything turned up to 11.

Mark’s Pick: The Odyssey by Homer, Translation by Stephen Mitchell

If you have not read Homer’s classic The Odyssey and you are looking for an easy read in contemporary English it is worth trying the Stephen Mitchell translation. Mitchell makes this great ancient Greek epic flow like a good novel!

Sonia’s Pick: Freewater By Amina Luqman-Dawson

As early at the 1700s plantation runaways escaped enslavement by hiding in maroon communities deep in the swamps and forests of the American South. Amina Luqman-Dawson brings this incredible history to life within a vibrantly realized setting and with a memorable cast of characters whose lives are shaped by, but not defined by, slavery.

This month I have really enjoyed reading “A Scots Quair “ by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. This celebrated trilogy of novels is set in North East Scotland. The trilogy follows the life of the female protagonist, Chis Guthrie, from her childhood spent working the land, to life in the factories of the nearby city, through the carnage of the Great War and hard times of the Great Depression. Often humorous and vivid in its use of language, the trio of novels make a profoundly moving portrayal of a rural community undergoing rapid change.

David’s Pick: Sucker Punch by Scaachi Koul

This chronicle of the breakdown of Scaachi Koul’s marriage is equal parts hilarious & heartbreaking. But her style and ruthless self-scrutiny make it work.

Karen’s Pick: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

The lives of five completely disparate main characters gradually weave together as they all in some way encounter the book within the book: Cloud Cuckoo Land by the ancient Greek writer Antonius Diogenes. An ode to books, libraries, and caring for other people.

Canadian economist Jeff Rubin’s latest book on the global economy is a compelling read, that couldn’t be more timely. Rubin’s lucid text describes the root causes of the current economic and geopolitical upheaval that are at work today and outlines how they will shape our future. A sobering read that goes beyond the headlines and political posturing of left or right.

Brenda’s Pick: Jennie’s boy by Wayne Johnston

This is a sweet, poignant, funny and touching memoir by a Canadian author. The story covers a year in young Wayne’s life within a Newfoundland family. The family dynamics rotate around his many ailments and the ways they cope…prompting a strong hug response!

David’s Pick: Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

Hilarious, scabrous, and weirdly touching, Jen Beagin’s third novel features a female protagonist who indulges in the sort of dirtbag behaviour we usually associate with men. Lots of bad choices on display here, and Beagin is a very disciplined writer with a keen instinct for character, so the jokes all land.

David’s Pick: A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez

More new Latin American horror from the dark mind of Enriquez, whose novel Our Share of Night was a staff pick last year. If you like your horror against a backdrop of social decay and can stand a few grossouts, this one’s for you.

Mel’s Pick: Miss Austen investigates by Jessica Bull

It is a truth universally acknowledged, the world will never run out of Jane Austen fan fiction. Read and enjoy!

Despite being written almost 100 years ago, this small novel has a lot to say that is relevant to contemporary life. The book is considered to be a counter-culture classic for its anti-war sentiments, descriptions of drug use and free love, long before the hippies of the 1960’s made such sentiments popular. Steppenwolf is a challenging read, but ultimately, it is a very rewarding one.

Alan’s Pick: Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell

Though less well known than his novels, Animal Farm and 1984, George Orwell’s memoir of his experiences fighting in the 1936-37 Spanish Civil War, Homage to Catalonia, contains some of his best writing. Orwell’s compelling writing style captures the spirit of the era, and brings the confusion, chaos and futility of this forgotten war vividly to life.

Brenda’s Pick: Patrick and the Whale (DVD)

Patrick Dykstra is a lawyer who worked to fund his whale photography trips until the whale visitations took over his life. His free-diving photos of whales from around the globe are incredible as are the relationships that occur from his encounters. As our knowledge of the whales of the world expands so does our empathy for their intelligence and their sense of family.

David’s Pick: And the Roots of Rhythm Remain by Joe Boyd

Joe Boyd is an American who ended up in London in the 1960s, producing Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, REM, and others, before founding the world music label Hannibal in 1980. This survey of global music is dizzying, encyclopedic, and massively inspiring.

David’s Pick: Perfect Days (DVD)

Nothing much happens in the life of a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo, but life goes on around and inside him regardless. A gorgeous contemplative film from the director of Paris Texas, Wings of Desire, and Buena Vista Social Club.

Leanne’s Pick: Paint with thread : a step-by-step guide by Emillie Ferris

This beautifully illustrated step-by-step book guides you through the process of needlepainting. Using just a single thread and one simple stitch – the ‘long and short’ stitch – you can create paintings on fabric using only thread. This book has five patterns that you can work through, each with excellent directions and pictures that show each step of the project. Ferris also includes lists of what you will need to complete each project, making this book ideal for both beginners and advanced embroiderers. As a beginner myself, I’m looking forward to completing the stunning bee picture shown on the cover of the book!

Mel’s Pick: Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan

A cozy murder mystery set in Nova Scotia- this enjoyable read is full to the brim with pirate lore, long held grudges, secret societies, some unexpected twists, and of course treasure!

Sonia’s Pick: I Wish I Could Tell You
By Jean-François Sénéchal and Chiaki Okada

With simple language and luminous grease-pencil drawings, this book explores the death of a grandmother and a child’s efforts to describe that loss in a letter. A touching exploration of grief that will resonate with both children and adults.

A clear-eyed and honest account of the past and future issues facing Clayoquot Sound and the surrounding area. It is an elegant and absorbing read, that always informs but doesn’t preach, and encourages the reader to draw their own conclusions.

David’s Pick: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Ishiguro is the master of the slowly-dawning realization, and in this one we follow a group of students at an elite boarding school who slowly unearth the true nature of their existences. A tale of misbegotten creatures told from their point of view and very effective.

Karen’s Pick: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A Science Fiction classic that feels surprisingly relevant in today’s political climate, and a must-read for any lover of actual paper books.

Melani’s Pick: Funny Story by Emily Henry

A lighthearted, laugh out loud story about love and life in a small community.

Melani’s Pick: Haida Modern (DVD)

A stunning documentary about the life and works of Haida artist, Robert Davidson.

Melani’s Pick: The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang

A characterful novel about historic San Francisco and the 1906 earthquake. Janie Chang’s vibrant description of the Chinatown community combined with Kate Quinn’s usual assortment of fantastic female characters and intriguing plot.

Simon’s Pick: Interstellar (DVD)

Interstellar is super interesting and it’s super mind-bending. It also has the most realistic black hole in all of cinema.

Simon’s Pick: A Quiet Place (DVD)

A Quiet Place is a great movie, probably in my top ten. It’s very well filmed and the storytelling is really hooking.

Sonia’s Pick: The Hidden World of Gnomes by Lauren Soloy

This joyous long-format picture book forays deeply and delightfully into the seasonal tasks and observances, as well as the individual oddities, of a wee community of gnomes who live in a happy place they call The Pocket. Through the activities of the gnomes the reader can connect with and delight in the small details that accompany seasonal change in the natural world.

This eye-opening book charts the rise of the C.I.A from its inception in 1947 through the Kennedy years and beyond. It is a ‘must-read’ for anyone interested in getting a deeper understanding of the most turbulent decade in recent American history.

Alan’s Pick: My dinner with André [videorecording]

Amusing, witty, intense at times, a classic worth watching, both for the script and the masterful performance by actor Wallace Shawn.

David’s Pick: Knife by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie: Knife (2024). Few people have survived an assassination attempt as vicious as the one that nearly took Salman Rushdie’s life in 2022. Even fewer have the skill and grace to write about it with such clarity. Not an easy read but an essential one.

David’s Pick: Seize the Day by Saul Bellow

A perfect short read, this novella compresses so much of life into a relatively small space. It’s a masterclass in portraying anxiety and frustration.

Jayme’s Pick: Tell me three things by Julie Buxbaum

Jessie, a girl-next-door type suddenly finds herself in an elite California prep school and must figure out how to navigate this new privileged world while still grieving her mother’s death. When she gets an email from an unidentified boy who calls himself “Somebody Nobody” offering to be her spirit guide to her new school, she doesn’t want to say yes—but she really needs his help. A sweet and fun teen romance, but also a pitch-perfect portrayal of the grieving process. I couldn’t stop myself from cheering for Jessie as she put her life together again.

Karen’s Pick: The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage

As it details the creation of the telegraph, from the difficulties in laying cables on the ocean floor, to telegraph romances, to secret telegraph codes, it also draws parallels between the telegraph and the internet in the impacts these technologies have had on our ability to communicate. A very readable slice of world history.

Mark’s Pick: Life with Dave & Gail by Dave Harper and Gail Fennell

This book is a very enjoyable collection of memoirs written by two local writers. The book contains very funny and insightful stories, as well as interesting memories related to local history.

Most of us learned that a bend in a river is called a “meander”.  This name comes to us from a river in Turkey, which was a popular trade route in ancient times. The Meander river was notorious in its day for its twisting, tortuous path down from the central plains to the Adriatic sea, and was mentioned in many ancient texts; amazingly, this river still flows today.

This book takes us on a slow, anecdote filled Kayak journey through modern Turkey and down the Meander river, stopping at many of the same places as Cyrus the great, Xerxes and Xenophon did so long ago.

David’s Pick : Inside Story : A Novel by Martin Amis

Amis’s last book, a memoir dressed up as a novel, containing a lot of factual information mixed in with invention. Lots in here about mortality and death, but enough crackling prose and insight to make it a rewarding if bittersweet read.

Karen’s Pick : I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy is witty, funny, and horrifying as it details, in a matter-of-fact way, the abuse she endured both from her mother and the television industry. It isn’t a tell-all, but the reader can’t escape noticing the difficult realities of our society as a whole that McCurdy examines through the lens of the entertainment industry.

Karen’s Pick : Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell

Mitchell is rightfully a Canadian classic as it explores loss, growth, family, and a sense of belonging. Rather than shy from painful topics Mitchell examines them with sensitivity and compassion.

Brenda’s Pick – Human footprint [videorecording]

It was a very engaging series with a good host, a biologist, who was interesting because he was so curious. It shows the some of the  impact that the human species has had on our world.

David’s Pick – I Must Be Dreaming by Roz Chast

David’s Pick – The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000 by Gore Vidal