Summer Beach Reads

Summer Beach Reads

by | Jul 12, 2023 | Readers' Advisory

Grab one of these new releases and soak up some sunshine outdoors. Whether it’s at the beach, cottage, boat or fun road trip – all these books are a guaranteed good time.

A staff-created list with even more of our recent recommendations can be found on our online catalogue.

Book cover image of Cassandra in Reverse<br />

General Fiction – Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

This Resse Witherspoon Book Club pick is a moving family drama featuring an unforgettable autistic heroine who can time travel. A great read-alike for fans of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, and The Boys by Katie Hafner.

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Book cover image of The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise

General Fiction – The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley

A heartfelt summer road trip adventure featuring a not-to-be-underestimated elderly woman and an aimless young woman who—if they can outrun the mistakes of their past—might just have the greatest adventure of their lives.

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Book cover image of California Golden

Historical Fiction – California Golden by Melanie Benjamin

Two sisters navigate the turbulent, euphoric early days of California surf culture in this dazzling saga of ambition, sacrifice, and longing for a family they never had, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator’s Wife.

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Book cover image of Silent Came the Monster

Historical Fiction – Silent Came the Monster by Amy Hill Hearth

A chilling historical fiction account of the real life 1916 shark attacks along the Jersey Shore. Perfect for Shark Week lovers and fans of authors like Erik Larson.

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Book cover image of The Seven Year Slip

Romance – The Seven-Year Slip written by Ashley Poston

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

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Book cover image of Meet Me at the Lake

Romance – Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

This follow up to last summer’s bestselling hit, Every Summer After, sees two former flames trying to reunite years after they first fell in love. Set in Muskoka’s cottage country and the perfect beach read.

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Book cover image of Smile Beach Murder

Cozy Mystery – Smile Beach Murder by Alicia Bessette

The first book in an all-new cozy mystery series featuring Callie Padget, a former reporter turned bookshop clerk in the Outer Banks who is pulled into a deadly web of secrets when a mysterious fall at a lighthouse echoes a tragedy from her past. Don’t miss the sequel: Murder on Mustang Beach.

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Book cover image of The Melancholy of Summer

Young Adult Fiction – The Melancholy of Summer by Kalila Fuller

After her parents go on the run, a teenage girl placed in the care of a cousin she barely knows learns to trust and open up in The Melancholy of Summer, a lyrical YA contemporary coming-of-age story by Nigerian Canadian author Louisa Onomé.  ​

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Book cover image of Camp Sylvania

Middle Grade Fiction – Camp Sylvania by Julie Murphy

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’ and Dear Sweet Pea comes a hilarious and spooky middle grade summer-camp story that takes a bite out of fat camp.

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Book cover image of Sari-Sari Summers

Picture Book – Sari-Sari Summers written and illustrated by Lynn Bontigao

In this love letter to the Philippines (and to grandmothers), a young girl comes up with a brilliantly delicious way to attract customers after a heat wave leaves her Lola’s store empty.

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National Indigenous History Month

National Indigenous History Month

by | Jun 21, 2023 | Uncategorized

June is National Indigenous History Month and staff have compiled a great list of recent releases by First Nations, Inuit and Métis authors from across North America that highlight the diversity of experiences and the common need for continued acts of reconciliation.

For more recommendations check out the list curated by Library staff here or ask us in the branches for more ideas.

Cover image of True North Rising

Memoir – True North Rising: My 50-year Journey with the Inuit and Dene Leaders who Transformed Canada’s North by Whit Fraser

In this captivating memoir, Whit Fraser weaves scenes from more than fifty years of reporting and living in the North with fascinating portraits of the Dene and Inuit activists who successfully overturned the colonial order and politically reshaped Canada—including his wife, Mary Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General.

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Cover image of Truth Telling

Non-Fiction – Truth Telling: Seven Conversations About Indigenous Life in Canada by Michelle Good

A bold, provocative collection of essays exploring the historical and contemporary Indigenous experience in Canada that reveals facts about Indigenous life that are both devastating and enlightening. Essential reading for those looking to acknowledge the past and understand the way forward.

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Cover image of Unbroken

Non-Fiction – Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Sterritt

A remarkable work of memoir and investigative journalism focusing on missing and murdered Indigenous women, written by an award-winning Gitxsan journalist who survived life on the streets against all odds.

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Cover image of The Berry Pickers

Fiction – The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

A stunning debut by a vibrant new voice in fiction, The Berry Pickers is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma and the persistence of love across time. This story follows one Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia that is haunted for decades after their youngest child mysteriously disappears one summer in 1962 when they’re visiting Maine to pick blueberries.

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Cover image of Grandmother Begins the Story

Fiction – Grandmother Begins the Story written by Michelle Porter

Award-winning author Michelle Porter makes her fiction debut with an enchanting and original story of the unrivaled desire for healing and the power of familial bonds across five generations of Métis women and the land and bison that surround them.

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Cover image of Funeral Songs for Dying Girls

Young Adult Fiction – Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline

After inadvertently starting rumors of a haunted cemetery, a teen befriends a ghost in this brand-new young adult novel exploring Indigenous identity from the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of The Marrow Thieves series.

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Cover image of Indigenous Ingenuity

Juvenile Non-Fiction – Indigenous Ingenuity by Deidre Havrelock and Edward Kay; illustrated by Kalila Fuller

Spanning topics from transportation to civil engineering, hunting technologies, astronomy, brain surgery, architecture, and agriculture, Indigenous Ingenuity is a beautifully designed, interactive nonfiction work that celebrates North American Indigenous thinkers and inventions. Perfect for fans of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.  ​

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Cover image of Rabbit Chase

Juvenile Graphic Novel – Rabbit Chase by Elizabeth LaPensée; illustrated by KC Oster

Anishinaabe culture and storytelling meet Alice in Wonderland in this coming-of-age graphic novel that explores Indigenous and gender issues through a fresh yet familiar looking glass. This tale tells the story of Aimée, a non-binary Anishinaabe middle-schooler, who helps Trickster Rabbit track down dark water spirits and save the land from the Evil Queen.

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Cover image of Smile so Big

Picture Book – Smile so Big by Sunshine Quem Tenasco; illustrated by Chief Lady Bird

This special story, from award-winning Anishinabe activist Sunshine Quem Tenasco and artist Chief Lady Bird, introduces readers to concepts of self-acceptance, self-empowerment, and recognition of the unique beauty that comes from within as a magical mirror helps a young girl understand her true beauty.

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Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

by | May 26, 2023 | Readers' Advisory, Reading

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and staff have compiled a great list of recent reads that highlight ways to check in on your mental health or read about other people who are also struggling. Above all remember it’s okay to not be okay and there’s no shame in asking for help!

A staff-created list with even more of our recent recommendations can be found on our online catalogue.

Cover image of Radical Love

Memoir – Radical Love: Learning to Accept Yourself and Others by Zachary Levi

Radical Love combines witty, touching, and powerful commentary with relatable illustrations to help you on your own path toward mental wellness. With vulnerability and humor, Zac relates the valuable lessons and insights he’s learned so that you can rise from the ashes of trauma and pursue a meaningful life of gratitude.

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Cover image of Tell Me What You Want

Non-Fiction – Tell Me What You Want by Charlotte Fox Weber

Written with warmth and compassion, full of dramatic, intimate, and moving personal stories, and based on careful research as well as firsthand observations. For fans of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and Group, this inspiring and moving exploration of the twelve fundamental psychological needs we all share goes behind the closed doors of therapy to guide us in navigating our deepest longings.

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cover image of Generation Dread<br />

Non-Fiction – Generation Dread by Britt Wray

Climate and environment-related fears and anxieties are on the rise everywhere. As with any type of stress, eco-anxiety can lead to lead to burnout, avoidance, or a disturbance of daily functioning. In Generation Dread, the author seamlessly merges scientific knowledge with emotional insight to show how these intense feelings are a healthy response to the troubled state of the world.

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Cover image of Feelings: a story in seasons<br />

Graphic Novel/Memoir – Feelings: A Story in Seasons by Manjit Thapp

Articulating and validating the range of feelings we all experience, this is a book that allows us to feel connected and comforted by the experiences that make us human. Told over the course of a year, the author shares the ups and downs of her feelings across all four seasons, from the highs of spring and summer to the lows of winter.

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Cover image of Adelaide

Fiction – Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler

With unflinching honesty and heart, this relatable debut from a fresh new voice explores grief and mental health while capturing the timeless nature of what it’s like to be young and in love—with your friends, with your city, and with a person who cannot, will not, love you back.

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Cover image of Forever is Now

Young Adult Novel-inVerse – Forever is Now by Mariama J. Lockington

A poignant and lyrical young adult novel-in-verse about a Black teen coming of age in an anxiety-inducing world that tackles teen activism, agoraphobia and the Black Lives Matter movement.

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Cover image of Chaos Theory

Young Adult Fiction – Chaos Theory by Nic Stone

A gripping romance about two BIPOC teens: a certified genius living with bipolar disorder and a politician’s son who is running from his alcoholism and grief. This is a gut punch of a novel about about living with grief, prioritizing mental health, and finding love amid the chaos.

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Cover image of Living with Viola<br />

Middle Grade Graphic Novel – Living with Viola by Rosena Fung

Forest of Reading nominated debut author, Rosena Fung draws on her own early experiences with anxiety and the pressures of growing up as the child of Chinese immigrant parents to craft a personal story that explores mental health, cultural differences, and the trials of middle school.

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Cover image of Iveliz Explains it All

Middle Grade Novel-in-Verse – Iveliz Explains it All by Andrea Beatriz Arango; illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez

A powerful and compassionate, novel-in-verse debut that navigates mental health, finding your voice, and discovering that those who really love you will stay by your side. The author does an excellent job exploring PTSD, grief, therapy, medication and suicidal ideation in a young child in this incredible #ownvoices story.

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Cover image of Dark Cloud

Picture Book – Dark Cloud by Anna Lazowski; illustrated by Penny Neville-Lee

In this sensitive picture book, symbolic imagery perfectly captures how depression can look and feel as a little girl visualizes her depression as a way of learning to cope. The lyrical text and expressive drawings provide young children with a way to understand and talk about their own feelings. The repetition in the text and the visual narrative pull readers in, making this an excellent read-aloud pick to spark discussions about feelings.

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Autism Acceptance Month

Autism Acceptance Month

by | Apr 28, 2023 | Children & Families, Readers' Advisory

Check out these great books about and by neurodivergent authors or characters to help get a better understanding of the wide range of Autism experiences this April as we embrace the shift from Autism Awareness to Autism Acceptance.

“Many self-advocates for autism spectrum disorders view their neurology as a difference in thinking, not something that needs to be cured. Self-advocates ask for acceptance and support, not isolation. Like everyone, those with autism want acceptance for both their strengths and weaknesses.

Acceptance calls for society to meet children and adults with autism where they are and to make room for them. The word “acceptance” asks that we see autism not as a disease, but as a natural difference in neurology.

Acceptance of these differences is what leads to a happy life, not a cure. The Autism Society, a group of parents and doctors, has also called for the name change, citing that stigma against individuals with autism is often the biggest barrier to self-actualization.” – Quoted from the online article: Why April Is Autism Acceptance Month, Not Autism Awareness Month by K. M. Kovalcik, published March 14, 2023)

A staff-created list with even more of our recent favourites can on our online catalogue.

Book cover image of The Winter Knight

Fiction – The Winter Knight by Jes Batis

A propulsive urban fairy tale/detective story with queer, trans and neurodiverse heroes that asks what it means to be a myth, who gets to star in these tales, and ultimately, how we make our stories our own by a talented queer autistic Canadian writer and teacher.

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Book cover image of Dyscalculia

Memoir – Dyscalculia by Camonghne Felix

A powerfully moving memoir about one woman’s lifelong struggle with mental health, depression and suicidal ideation. This book has great bipolar II representation and discusses the nuanced differences between ADHD and dyscalculia – a learning disorder that affects a person’s ability to understand numbers-based information and math.

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Book cover image of Unmasking Autism

Non-Fiction – Unmasking Autism by Devon Price

A deep dive into the spectrum of Autistic experience and the phenomenon of masked Autism, giving individuals the tools to safely uncover their true selves while broadening society’s narrow understanding of neurodiversity.

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Book Cover image of Little Victories

Memoir/Graphic Novel – Little Victories by Yvon Roy

A beautiful visual exploration of the highs and lows experienced by a parent learning how to adapt to his son’s autism. Faced with a challenging road ahead, the author uses creative flair and ingenuity in order to connect with his son, enabling him to reach his fullest potential and prepare him for the transition into adulthood.

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Book cover image of Your Therapist Says It's Magical Thinking

Poetry – Your Therapist Says It’s Magical Thinking  by Sadie McCarney

An #ownvoices collection of poetry from a queer, neurodivergent Canadian poet that explores the complexities of mental health advice and history in both critical and creative ways.

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Book cover image of Jude Saves the World

Middle Grade Fiction – Jude Saves the World by Ronnie Riley

A wonderfully queer positive middle grade novel from a debut Canadian author that sees twelve-year- old Jude managing their ADHD, figuring out how to come out as nonbinary at school and to unsupportive family members and also fighting to create the first Diversity Club at their school.

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Book cover image of ADHD is my Superpower

Picture Book – ADHD is my Superpower by Sam Bernstein

This own-voices children’s book introduces readers to some of the ways that ADHD can challenge people, and some of the ways in which it can be a superpower with the hope to open readers’ minds to the strengths of neurodiverse people who think and act differently.

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Cover image of Let Me Be Me

Film – Let Me Be Me

A documentary film about the Westphal family and their autistic son Kyle’s journey for acceptance and success as he grows up to become a fashion designer, forging connections with friends and family along the way.

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Ramadan Reading Guide

Ramadan Reading Guide

by | Apr 8, 2023 | Uncategorized

Help celebrate Ramadan with this guide featuring books by and about Muslims from diverse backgrounds and countries. The word ‘Ramadan’ refers to the name of the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. In 2023, the holy month is recognized from the evening of Wednesday, March 22, 2023 to the evening of Thursday, April 20, 2023 during which fasting is observed by Muslims all over the world. A staff-created list with even more of our recent favourites can on our online catalogue.

Book cover for Evil Eye

Fiction – Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling Muslim author of A Woman Is No Man returns with a striking exploration of the expectations of Palestinian-American women, the meaning of a fulfilling life, and the ways our unresolved pasts affect our presents.

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Book cover of Much Ado About Nada

Fiction – Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin

From the Toronto-based romance and women’s fiction author of Ayesha at last and Hana Khan carries on comes a new Jane Austen inspired second chance romance that celebrates the vibrancy of Toronto’s Muslim community.

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Book cover of Brown Boy

Memoir – Brown Boy by Omer Aziz

A compelling memoir from a first-generation Pakistani-Muslim man who grew up on the outskirts of Toronto. Weaving together his powerful personal narrative with the books and friendships that move him, Aziz wrestles with the contradiction of feeling like an Other and his desire to belong to a Western world that never quite accepted him. 

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Book cover of Halal Sex

Non-Fiction – Halal Sex: The Intimate Lives of Muslim Women in North America by Sheima Benembarek

An unprecedented glimpse into the sex lives of female and gender-expansive Muslims living across Canada and the United States as recounted to Moroccan Canadian journalist, Sheima Benembarek.

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Book cover of Huda F are you?

Graphic Novel/Memoir – Huda F are you? by Huda Fahmy

From the creator of Yes, I’m Hot In This, comes a cheeky, hilarious, and honest graphic novel that asks the question everyone has to figure out for themselves: Who are you? From a Michigan based hijab wearing Muslim woman.

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Book cover of The Next New Syrian Girl

Young Adult Fiction – Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy

A debut YA novel about the unlikely friendship between two very different Syrian girls, the pressures and expectations of the perfect Syrian daughter, and the repercussions of the Syrian Revolution both at home and abroad from a Syrian American Muslim author born and raised in California.

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Book cover of Salma Makes a Home

Middle Grade Fiction – Salma Makes a Home by Danny Ramadan; illustrated by Anna Bron

Charming, creative Salma takes on big feelings with even bigger ideas as she navigates life in a new country, Syrian identity, family changes and new friendships in this engaging and heartfelt early chapter book series from an award-winning Syrian-Canadian author, activist and public speaker.

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Book cover of Moon's Ramadan

Picture Book – Moon’s Ramadan by Natasha Khan Kazi

In this debut picture book, an anthropomorphized moon smiles down on Muslims in different countries around the world as the month of Ramadan takes place. Beautifully illustrated, this book does a great job showcasing the diversity of the Muslim population and the different aspects of this Islamic holiday.

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