Staff Picks

Jessica's pick
Can You Keep a Secret? is the hilariously self-deprecating and charmingly optimistic story of a young London woman, who in the pandemonium a near death plane experience, divulges every secret she has ever had to the passenger sitting next to her. This passenger, while at the time a stranger, just happens to be the elusive, super handsome, (American) head CEO of her corporation who will be visiting her company's branch Monday morning. The ensuing events are tragically laughable, wittily charming, and sweetly romantic, and I promise you'll never want this story to end.

Leanna's pick
In a world that is absurd – where Carnival characters and workers roam the city, the main character's fantastical thoughts verge on reality, and a flying carpet can replace a taxi – Rawi Hage challenges his readers to confront the norms of class, urban life, the immigrant experience, racism, and the treatment of the 'other'. Grit and violence coexist with beauty and love. Told from the perspective of Fly, who grew up in a circus and now drives a taxi, “Carnival is a tour de force that will make all of life's passengers squirm in their comfortable, complacent backseats” (from jacket cover). Hage's other novels – De Niro's Game and Cockroach are also in the Library.

Michael's pick
Some pig.

Michel's pick
Is it the title? The lack of hubbub around this novel (and its recent sequel, The Schooldays of Jesus) suggests it might have an unfair destiny as a "late novel" footnote in Coetzee's large bibliography. Eerie, awkward, and recalcitrant to interpretation, this coming-of-age story of post-apocalyptic refugees in a Kafkaesque land can have a way of sneaking up and working its way into your imagination.

Chelsea's pick
A murder mystery with a paranormal twist! A great book if you want something easy to read, but completely entrancing. Kay Hooper has a way of completely enveloping a reader in her world, and you can't help but be intrigued about what will happen next.

Michelle's pick
China Rich Girlfriend is a hilarious and enjoyable book. If you are interested in multicultural exchanges between Asia and North America, you will love this story. The author, Kevin Kwan, is also the writer of the international best-selling book Crazy Rich Asians.

Michael's pick
Narnia is one of my favorite fantasy worlds. This volume collects all seven novels in the series (all of which Lewis wrote in a combined 3 ½ years… compare that to Tolkien's 12 years for LotR and 50+ for The Silmarillion…) If you like fantasy, this series is a must-read.

Alison's pick
I read Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook last summer. It’s technically 3 books in 1. It’s a morally ambiguous fantasy novel where the fantasy elements come secondary to the well-written characters. The review on the back really describes it well, “like reading Vietnam War fiction on peyote.”

Jocelyn's pick
This is a multi-layered novel in which six stories are thematically interwoven. The stories span genres, including travelogue, epistolary, mystery, post-apocalyptic, and science fiction. By turns lyrical, thrilling, and terrifying, this is a novel like no other.

Connie's pick
This is the latest in The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. It is my backup read when I’m on a trip. I enjoy the interplay between humans and fairies and all the other denizens. Although I skipped some of the intervening books in the series, it was easy to slip back into his groove. The author comes up with some outrageous plots but manages to make it all come together in the end.

Jennifer P's pick
This book really placed Canadian writer Miriam Toews on the literary radar after it won the Governor General’s award for English Fiction in 2004. It’s a story told from the perspective of a teenage girl, and it explores grief and loss through humour and wit in a way only Toews can craft. It’s also written how teenage girl might think. As a result, I found it took me a moment to get into the “flow” or style of writing, but I guarantee once you are into it you’ll want to be sure every time you open the book you are in a safe place to bust a gut. Seriously, it’s so funny.

Dalene's pick
Try to pick this book up and not read the whole thing at once. I dare you.

Michelle's pick
From the publisher: "Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families. It is a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich."

Tania's pick
A page-turning mystery by Harry Potter author JK Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Cormoran Strike is a vet from the war in Afghanistan, missing part of a leg but none of his wits or bad temper.

Michel's pick
This crisp, new translation brings to life the hilarious scheming of the novel's anti-hero, Chichikov, as he tries to purchase non-existent serfs (but why?) from a lovingly depicted range of strange characters whom one might find in 19th century Russia (and perhaps 21st century Canada).

Michael's pick
In this book, one of the first novels ever written, an old country gentleman is literally driven mad by reading too many stories of chivalry and knighthood. He decides to become a knight himself – hundreds of years after they had been long gone – styling himself Don Quixote de la Mancha. Along with his neighbor/squire Sancho, he has one ludicrous misadventure after another, my favorite of which is when the deluded Don attacks a bunch of windmills thinking they're giants. There was a great (and incredibly hard-to-find) movie done in 2000 with John Lithgow as Don Quixote and Bob Hoskins as Sancho, which I highly recommend as well.

Michel's pick
This partly autobiographical novel set in 1970s Hungary explores the caring, frustrating, and sometimes abusive bond between the narrator (an emerging Hungarian writer) and her mysterious, tireless, older housekeeper.

Michael's pick
Books two to three, and the first half of book four, are the best parts of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. The Drawing of the Three in particular is one of the greatest novels of all time, detailing how Roland Deschain gets some companions to join his quest for the Tower, among them a druggie from the ‘80s named Eddie Dean, and a schizophrenic civil rights activist from the ‘60s named Odetta Holmes (who, for good measure, is also missing her legs below her knees) … did I mention the series involves time travel and parallel universes? I'm a sucker for both when it's well-done.

Sabrina's pick
A fun and fluffy read for lovers of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice! In this modern retelling, Liz Bennet is a magazine writer living in NYC with her sister Jane, a yoga instructor. When their father has a heart attack, the two elder Bennet sisters return home to Cincinnati to help and become embroiled in Bennet family chaos. Mr. Bingley is now Chip Bingley, the star of Eligible, a reality dating show, and Mr. Darcy, still standoffish, is a neurosurgeon. Eligible is a quick read – perfect for the beach or the bus!

Sarah's pick
The emperor of Annur has been assassinated and his daughter and two sons are determined to find who did it. Join Kaden the monk, Valyn the Kettral soldier, and Adare the Minister, as they attempt to uncover the truth about their father's death.

Tania's pick
Jumping between 1920's Hollywood and the old Canadian West, this Governor-General Award-winning novel is a compelling read that doesn't skimp on story or sparkling prose. The excesses of old glamour Tinseltown are juxtaposed with the beauty and brutality of early Canada in a tale of greed, power and the stuff that dreams are made of.

Corey's pick
I heard one of the stories in this collection read on The New York Fiction podcast. The reader was David Sedaris and the story was "Leopard" - this reminded me in many ways of my childhood and David's style of speaking/reading is hilarious. The other stories are melancholy but "fun" in their own way.

Tania's pick
A time-shifting novel that explores the age-old question: Is youth the father of man? How do our experiences mold us into the people we eventually become, and does the process ever stop?

Sarah's pick
The first book in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is a great example of a stereotypical, cheesy fantasy novel – and I mean that in the best way possible. It takes you on an epic journey with all of the magic, swords, and mythological creatures you could ask for. If you are a fan of fantasy – especially Tolkien – I'd highly recommend this book.

Michelle's pick
If you like the first movie Fifty Shades of Grey, you should not miss the third and final installment of the Fifty Shades series: Fifty Shades Freed. Some scenes were filmed in Vancouver. I watched the movie first, but reading the novel after gave me a better understanding of enjoyable storytelling. Feel free to give it try. It is a relaxing choice in summer holiday!

Sarah's pick
If you're looking at this book you have most likely watched the 1999 cult classic, directed by David Fincher. As is often the case, the book is far better than the movie – and it is also much, much darker. Regardless of whether or not you have watched the movie, I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Jennifer G's pick
More than a decade after publication, this remains one of my favourite books by a Canadian author. Mistry’s writing style is clear and accessible while being profoundly corporeal. It completely transports the reader to another time and place, Bombay in the mid-70s. The four main characters are true. They are fallible and lovable overcoming extreme tragedy and hardship while maintaining threads of humour and hope.

Trevor's pick
Guy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian treasure. Before beginning his career in writing fantasy, he helped edit Tolkien’s Silmarillion, and then he created the Fionavar Tapestry. Loosely based on Norse Myths this is still the only series I could just not put down as I found myself being pulled further and further into this world with every chapter. Sure it is the tale of 5 U of T students pulled into this fantasy equivalent of Raiders of the Lost Ark – the action and twists just don’t stop. Truly a gem.

Karin's pick
Tassie's first year at College is complicated by romance, an adoption gone awry, and her brother's choice to join the military. This sad, funny, and powerful book shows how 9/11 can deeply affect ordinary lives.

Karin's pick
Can conjoined twins lead separate lives? Read this warm, sad, funny book about two very different personalities facing life and death together.

Michael's pick
A dystopian novel written long before they were all the rage, The Giver is about a twelve-year-old boy named Jonas. In this future, everyone is monitored in the vein of 1984, and people have been genetically engineered to be unable to experience pain and suffering – but they also cannot experience or even understand things like love and empathy. Without giving anything away, things change for Jonas in a fairly dramatic fashion, and his struggle to deal with his newfound knowledge forms the central conflict of the book.

Connie's pick
This is a humorous novel about Greek gods and goddesses living a human existence. A witty and innovative plot makes this unlikely premise work. When humans have doubts about the existence of immortal beings, how does that affect their well-being? How do they cope with their new circumstances? Well, you will have to read this book in order to find out… It was perfect light reading during a recent trip, where I was able to put it away and then take it out, easily resuming from where I had left off, chuckling to myself while on the plane.

Connie's pick
This read was a lot of fun and also endearing. The perspective is from someone who would be “classified” as overweight. The main character is a successful career woman with a lot of chutzpah. But her path to happiness is not a straight line and this tale is littered with good intentions, failed relationships, and heartache. I not only found myself entertained, but also found some of my perceptions altered and challenged.

Trevor's pick
Possibly the funniest book about the First World War. Schweik is a good-hearted buffoon who through an ongoing ridiculous series of events goes from Prague to the Eastern Front. Loved by readers and banned by armies around the world, it is just darn fun.

Michael's pick
I've read probably a little over half of Dickens's books, and this is far and away my favourite (as well as the one Dickens himself apparently considered his best work). Chronicling the life of one Philip Pirrip ("Pip") from childhood to adulthood as he pursues his ladylove in Victorian London, it's full of everything one would expect from Dickens: colourful characters, plot twists, and great humor.

Michael's pick
Forget The Stand – Stephen King's The Dark Tower is his masterpiece. While the series really gets going in the second volume (The Drawing of the Three), The Gunslinger introduces the reader to a unique fantasy world, one inspired as much by Clint Eastwood westerns of old as it is by J.R.R. Tolkien. In it we are introduced to Roland, the world's last gunslinger, as he pursues a dark figure he knows only as the Man in Black. This is just a part of Roland's quest for the eponymous Dark Tower, though just what the Tower is and why Roland is seeking it are up to the reader to find out…

Tania's pick
Paris of the early 20th century became a haven for black musicians looking to escape the crushing culture of segregation and American race relations. Finding a knowledgeable and appreciative audience as well as some breathing room to be human, these scions of jazz made great strides in the development of their art thousands of miles away from the USA. Paris Blues explores the historical scene while Half-Blood Blues takes a fictional stroll down similar streets.

Michael's pick
One of my favourite Dickens novels, Hard Times contains probably the best examples of Dickens's ability to pick brilliant names for his characters. Among them are Thomas Gradgrind, who is uninterested in anything involving the imagination and only wants "facts," Sissy Jupe, a young girl who comes under his care and (of course) is completely unable to comprehend any of the "facts" Gradgrind prizes; and of course, there's my personal favourite, the character who wins the prize for BEST. NAME. EVER. Mr. McChoakumchild (and he's a teacher, natch). If all that isn't enough to strike your whimsy, I don't know what will.

Michael's pick
While I think this book is great, one of the best in the series, it does have one problem with it. Namely, Voldemort's plan veers heavily into Dr. Evil territory. Seriously, there are a million ways he could have got what he wanted without resorting to such an overly elaborate plan. Having a theatrical villain may be a well-established storytelling convention ... but it's still kind of cheesy when you think about it. (To borrow a line from Harrison Ford when they were filming Raiders of the Lost Ark, "Why not just shoot the guy...?" Or Scott Evil from Austin Powers: "I can go get a gun from my room. Bam! Done."

Also, obligatory quote from a great meme: "HARRY, DID YEH PUT YER NAME IN THE GOBLET O' FIRE???"

Michael's pick
The best - and darkest - part of the Harry Potter series.

Michael's pick
A modern classic that will rightfully stand the test of time, this is the first book in the series. If you love fantasy you’ll love this book; if you don’t love fantasy, you’ll still probably love this book.
Fun fact: in the UK the book was originally published as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but it was changed to The Philosopher’s Stone when it came out in North America. (Which actually makes more sense, since there are legends of the philosopher’s stone.)

Sarah's pick
The third book in the Mistborn trilogy. At this point in the series you might think you know what’s happening and how this book will end. Hint: you don’t.

Tania's pick
Nick Hornby's eminently readable novel about life in a record store. With vinyl earning more than free streaming services in 2015, this tale seems more relevant than ever.

Jessica's pick
There are so many layers of cool to this book, it's hard to know where to begin! But we can start by adding an Air Corps as key military players in the Napoleonic Wars, with the exception that airplanes are replaced by something so much more awesome: Dragons!!! And not the stereotypical fire-breathing dragons with anger management issues, but ones that are just like you and me. They talk, like to read, LOVE concerts and fireworks, and are loyal to fault to their "captains" (aka handlers and partners for life). And they think the idea of "property" is pretty ridiculous if it involves them not being able to eat a farmer's cow.

But besides the unique and twisty storyline, what makes this book truly exceptional is the enchanting kinship cultivated between the newly hatched dragon Temeraire and his handler, Will Lawrence, a former Navy officer made Aerial Captain. Their partnership will be as life-altering as this book is fascinating.

Michael's pick
The prelude to The Lord of the Rings. If you haven't read it, to borrow a phrase from an old professor of mine - "Do it tonight!"
Fun fact: Tolkien somewhat randomly wrote the book's opening line, "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit," on the back of a student's exam he was marking. Must not have been a very interesting exam...

Corey's pick
This "gay zombie" story is utterly shocking and uniquely disgusting - and impossible to put down. Not for the faint of heart!

Shawna's pick
A play that gets funnier each time you read it. Pour a cup of tea and grab a couple cucumber sandwiches as you dive into Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy of errors that is never short of wit!

Alison's pick
A tale of three children living in 1930s and WWII era Chinatown in Vancouver struggling to find their identities as Chinese-Canadians.

Alison's pick
This 2004 debut novel presents an alternate 19th-century, Napoleonic Wars England. It is based on the simple premise that magic once existed in England and has returned with two men, Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange, but Clarke draws on traditional English faerie tales and myth to create a sinister backstory to this story of the rivalry between two magicians.

Tania's pick
Perfect summer reading! A creepy carnie setting, enough of a mystery to satisfy, and that page-turning Stephen King style – all in a compact 282 pages.

Sabrina's pick
Find a warm patch of sunlight to read this book in. The sci-fi future that Ishiguro paints is sad and unsurprisingly familiar.

Michael's pick
One of the greatest novels of all time, this is a book everyone should read.

Michael's pick
The final part of the Witcher saga (well, as far as the books go, anyway). Geralt vs. Vilgefortz. Ciri vs. Bonhart. A twist worthy of The Empire Strikes Back with regards to a certain character. The series goes out with a bang.

Trevor's pick
VIKINGS!!!!! After The Fionavar Tapestry, Kay started creating fantasies based on distinct historical periods. In a way these are simply period novels based on known history with new place names and a dash of magic. For the Last Light of the Sun, he takes the Viking raids on the British Isles to create a perfect summer read. Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Jessica's pick
The Last Unicorn may be one the most magical and elegantly told stories of modern times. It begins with the lands apparent last unicorn venturing from the safety of her enchanted forest to find others of her kind. Through her adventures she falls in love, learns regret, and ultimately challenges the monster that would push her family, and herself, to extinction. This is an immensely powerful book that will stay with you for years.

Michael's pick
The Witcher saga is my second-favorite fantasy series of all time, after only The Lord of the Rings. The series is centered around a genetically-mutated professional monster hunter named Geralt of Rivia, and takes place over 20+ years (though the saga "proper," books 3-7, take place over two). It is set in a cruel, dark world where non-Humans are oppressed, where the strong brutally rule over the weak, and where petty, immoral kings wage wars of conquest with one another for dubious reasons. While set against this broad backdrop, the core conflict of the series is one that is personal in nature, and can be summed up as a father trying to protect his daughter.

Chelsea's pick
Imagine living your life with no awareness of your left side… you look in a mirror and you only see half of your face. This is the life that Sarah Nickerson is now facing, as she learns to cope with Hemispatial Neglect. Left Neglected is a great book about conquering difficulties and never taking things for granted.

Dalene's pick
Time stops when Richard Van Camp tells a story, he is that captivating. His first novel, The Lesser Blessed is set in Fort Simmer, N.W.T. which is a fictionalized town based on Van Camp's home town of Fort Smith. The book was adapted to a film in 2012 and had its premiere at the TIFF.

Michael's pick
The first book in the Gentlemen Bastards series, this is an excellent fantasy novel centering on a con artist who, in the midst of his biggest score, finds himself embroiled in a web of lies, intrigue, magic, and murder.

Michael's pick
The single greatest creative work of all time. There's a famous quote from the book's initial review in the Sunday Times: "The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and those who are going to read them."
‘Nuff said.

Michael's pick
The first part of the single greatest creative work of all time. ‘Nuff said.

Michael's pick
The final part of the greatest novel of all time.

Michael's pick
My favorite part of the greatest novel of all time.

Trevor's pick
Bloody weird book. After reading Blade Runner I wanted to read more by Dick and was impressed by this weird hodgepodge of a book with the UN, land speculation, Union leaders, and a young boy who can send people into the future. Oh and of course they’re on Mars. Definitely one of Dick’s best and made me a lifelong fan.

Michael's pick
Possibly the best Victorian-era novel not written by someone named Dickens or Doyle. An old-school tragedy with parallels to the Biblical story of David and Saul, the story centers on a man who, in a drunken rage, sells his wife and daughter to another man (a rare, but not-unheard of occurrence in the countryside at the time). Years later, having sworn off the bottle and become the titular Mayor of Casterbridge, this shameful secret comes back to haunt him, even as he jealously comes into conflict with a popular newcomer to town named Donald Farfrae.

Sabrina's pick
In Middlesex, we follow the journey of three generations of the Stephanides family as they emigrate from a Greek village to settle in Detroit and its suburbs. Jeffrey Eugenides' writing brings life to the conflicted experiences of Calliope Stephanides, the main character. Middlesex is not a book that is devoured in one sitting, but best enjoyed a bit at a time, preferably wrapped up in a warm blanket on a rainy day.

Michel's pick
Dark horse Nobel-winner Patrick Modiano's best-known work, Rue des boutiques obscures (published as Missing Person in English) is the perfect introduction to his plain, but enigmatic style. High-brow, breezy and uneasy detective fiction for fans of W.G. Sebald and unreliable narrators.

Michael's pick
I was suspicious of this book for a long time. The cover was weird, I thought how they billed it as a book that tells a story around weird photographs was weird, and the author’s name was weird (and definitely made up). I eventually gave the book a shot, and was very glad I did. While the author’s initial idea may have been to write a novel that incorporates weird photographs into it, what he ended up with is so much more than that. Without giving too much away, it’s the story of a teenage boy named Jacob who is is haunted not only by his grandfather’s death, but also because he either saw or hallucinated some sort of monster near the body when he found it (troubling, either way). The book is probably the best blend of fantasy and reality that I’ve read since the Harry Potter series.

Sarah's pick
This book has some of the most brilliantly written fight scenes I have ever read, along with some of the best characters and a unique magic system. Join a band of thieves as they set out to overthrow the Lord Ruler in a mysterious world full of mist and allomancy.

Michael's pick
There are actually two monsters in this dark fairy tale: one real, the other not (or is it? … dun dun dun!) The book is sad, as one would expect considering the subject matter, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you’ve been feeling depressed (particularly if you’ve lost someone recently). That said, it’s very moving, and I would highly recommend it in any other circumstances.

Alyssa's pick
Prepare for a growing sense of dread as you read this short but memorable novel. Set in a small northern Anishinaabe community, this book blends culture, legend, and modern day apocalyptic fear into a neat little package.

Connie's pick
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is the first book of her “Neapolitan Novels” series. The daily challenges of two young girls, Elena and Lila, united at an early age by their mutual determination to succeed, are so empathetically described that you are immediately immersed in their struggle for an education and a better life. Their environment is an impoverished suburb of Naples after WWII where the residents strive to rebuild amidst the postwar destruction and political upheaval.

Elizabeth's pick
An unnamed protagonist gradually escalates her use of prescription medications in an attempt to sleep for an entire year and come back feeling renewed. It's weird and dark but the writing hooks you.

Tania's pick
Bite-sized reading for the beach or pool. Lounge, laugh, and feel like a smarty-pants reading Sedaris’s hilarious anecdotes.

Michael's pick
Normally, anything recommended by George R. R. Martin would be of zero interest to me, but in this case he’s right: The Name of the Wind is indeed “bloody good.” While this fantasy novel starts a little slow, it gets going soon enough, and quite rapidly becomes a page- turner. It follows the story of a young magician/wizard-in-training as he tries to track down his parents’ murderers and uncover the reason they were killed.

Connie's pick
The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is a quick, fun read. If, like me, you prefer your mysteries ‘light and humorous,’ this series is a good fit. It helps that the detective is not stereotypical. The interaction between staff and clients is most entertaining. Precious Ramotswe is a detective in Botswana where she navigates the countryside in her tiny white van. Her sleuthing produces results because she is observant and caring. The author’s knowledge of the country lends authenticity to his storytelling. It was intriguing to learn more about Botswana and its people during the course of her investigations.

Michael & CJ's pick
From Michael: This classic story tells of how a small-time con-man arrives at a mental hospital by way of faking insanity (since he figures a hospital is preferable to jail) and turns the place upside down, coming into conflict with the ruthless and overbearing nurse who runs the place. At turns funny, moving, and upsetting, this is a book everyone should read.
From CJ: Kesey's ability to create vivid characters, dialogue, and action makes for a truly memorable book.

Leanna's pick
This novel transports readers back to the 17th century, to the land that was to become Canada. Told through three main characters (a Huron warrior, a captured Iroquois girl, and a Jesuit missionary) the story narrates the historic intersection of First Nations people with colonists and missionaries. With graphic and violent detail, the wars between the Huron and Iroquois and the devastating effect of colonization is shown through the eyes of all three characters. While this technique provides readers with varying points of view and motivation, it never comes to a satisfactory or clean conclusion: nothing is romanticized, no-one can claim moral superiority.

Sarah's pick
This novel serves as an introduction to Albert Camus’s philosophy of absurdism – which is often considered to be a subsect of existentialism (although Camus dictates that his philosophy is separate). In The Outsider you will explore the mind of a man who is accused of murder, and you will learn about his thoughts on life and death. Although it explores some complex philosophy this novel is still quite funny – albeit in a dark way.

Michael's pick
If you’ve read any of the other books in the series, all you need to know is that Pippi’s legendary pirate father is in this. If you haven’t read any of the other books in the series … all you need to know is that Pippi’s legendary pirate father is in this. I don’t think I should have to say any more than that.

Karin's pick
An engrossing look at what it’s like to be a teenager and an outsider in a privileged prep school. Painful, funny, and addictive.

Trevor's pick
Great holiday read. Cool retelling of the Norse myths, which are cool by themselves, but Byatt ties these stories together so well that they are perfect for curling up by the fireplace after your exams.

Viera's pick
Excellent, interesting story. One of the required for ENGL 104.

Dalene's pick
The novel was shortlisted for a Booker Prize in 2007.

Jessica's pick
The Road, a dystopian story of a man and his son travelling across a desolate United States in search of the coast, is a portrait of humanity at its best and worst. While a work of fiction, it explains in graphic detail a very possible world of post-apocalyptic savagery and immorality where nothing is taken for granted. In stark contrast to the story’s bleak setting, McCarthy’s prose permeates grace and fluency on par with Ondaatje’s The English Patient, and at the most unexpected and heartbreaking moments radiates hope and kindness in a barren land.

Tania's pick
Want a fresh take on an old classic? This retelling of Shakespeare's doomed lovers allows you to change the plot to fit your mood. Modelled on the Choose Your Own Adventure series of yesteryear, this is the best use of public domain I've seen in forever. Fun and cultural at the same time!

Michel's pick
A novel composed of 17 thematically interconnected stories about art, creation, beauty, tradition and transcendence by the so-called "Hungarian master of apocalypse." Krasznahorkai manages to avoid the saccharine clichés that readily come with these lofty topics as he weaves in and out of richly detailed vignettes from various points in history through Persia, Japan, Greece, Italy and other locales.

Jessica's pick
This is the perfect book to read after exams. It’s delightfully funny enough to make it a quick and easy read, yet culturally relevant enough to negate any feelings of guilt for reading it. The story begins with Twilly Spree, an independently wealthy eco-terrorist, who attempts to teach a Florida lobbyist a lesson on littering. But one event tumbles after another and when Twilly discovers that the future of an unspoiled island is in jeopardy, he’s resolved not to be defeated. The tailspin of events and sidesplitting characters are what makes this book shine.

Michael's pick
If you approach this expecting something similar to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, you’re going to be disappointed. Make no mistake: The Silmarillion is a masterpiece, but it’s a masterpiece of a different sort. It’s not a novel so much as it is a history book: a compendium of the events that occurred during the first and second Ages of Middle Earth. It tells of the struggle against the first Dark Lord, Morgoth (to whom Sauron was but a servant), and of the rise and fall of Númenor, from whose line of kings Aragorn is descended from. It’s well worth the read, but isn’t easy beach reading by any stretch of the imagination: you have to intellectually grapple with it. As I said, it’s a history book, not a novel.

Sabrina's pick
I first read Simple Recipes over a decade ago and just loved it! This book is made up of short stories about Canadians of Asian descent. This is not the type of book where the Asian characters have any kind of Oriental(ist) kung-fu skills or mystical beauty – Thien represents normal, daily life in Canada with a quiet and graceful realism. Her title story opens with a description of her father washing rice, a simple act that is described in simple but powerful prose. Thien won the 2016 Giller Prize and Governor General’s Literary Award for her newest novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing, but her debut work Simple Recipes shows that she is also a masterful short story writer.

Dalene's pick
Cowboys, killers for hire, romance, comedy … The Sisters Brothers had me from page one!

Michel's pick
A simple story (an old slave escapes from a plantation in Martinique, chased by a large, fierce dog) told with dense, imaginative and lyrical intensity. Fresh and mind-expanding in the best of ways.

Chelsea's pick
“Love is unbroken country. Every step ya take deeper into it changes you. Makes you more.” Richard Wagamese's captivating final novel brings the reader into a meditation with nature. This book will leave you feeling increased mindfulness and craving a hike!

Michael's pick
The middle part of Timothy Zahn's brilliant Thrawn trilogy, aka the true sequels to Return of the Jedi. Fun fact: Zahn's original idea was for the insane Dark Jedi clone Joruus C'baoth to be an insane clone of Obi-Wan, but the idea was nixed by George Lucas. As good as C'baoth is on his own … that would have been something.

Michael's pick
Although Disney's release of the mediocre The Force Awakens and franchise-ruining The Last Jedi may have relegated the Star Wars books to alternate-universe status, de-canonizing Timothy Zahn's works is a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Indeed, Zahn's Thrawn novels are so good, I consider them to be the true sequels to Return of the Jedi (and I am hardly alone in this opinion). Not only are they on par with the original films, they in many ways surpass them.

Michael's pick
When Disney bought Lucasfilm, one of the many unfortunate side-effects of it was that they threw out the “Expanded Universe” that had been around for 20 years, basically relegating it to alternate-universe status. While much of it deserved to be thrown out, that cannot be said for anything written by Timothy Zahn, whose brilliant Thrawn trilogy is on par with the original movies (and is light years better than Episodes 7-8, if you’ll pardon the pun). Four years after the Thrawn trilogy, was published, Zahn returned to the Star Wars universe with a two-parter called the “Hand of Thrawn” duology (If you’ve read the Thrawn trilogy, knowing what you now know about the Emperor’s Hand, that title should have you geeking out). As brilliant as the Thrawn trilogy is, I like this two-parter even better.

Michael's pick
The final part of Timothy Zahn's brilliant Thrawn trilogy. Along with The Lord of the Rings and Calvin and Hobbes, I try to re-read through the trilogy once a year. They're that good.
Fun fact: The name "Mara" means "bitter" - thus, Mara Jade's name means "bitter jewel." Who says there's no literary quality to Star Wars?

Michael's pick
Part two of Zahn’s brilliant Hand of Thrawn two-parter. If you’ve read the other books we have by Zahn, you know what to expect: someone who really truly gets Star Wars. The characters, both new and old, leap off the page in a way that rivals, and sometimes surpasses, even the original films.

Karin's pick
Yes- this is a dystopian novel about a flu pandemic which destroys most of the world’s population. But it is also about art, (comic books, symphonies, and Shakespeare), friendship in a time of danger, memory, celebrity, paparazzi, and survival. Communities are formed on the road, in abandoned airports or malls; some for good, others not. A beautifully written and expertly plotted book.
Survival is insufficient!

Connie's pick
In The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante, the second book of the “Neapolitan Novels,” the two girls are striving to develop their individuality in the face of insurmountable obstacles. Brilliant Lila is hemmed in by her family’s ambitions, whereas Elena is more fortunate to at least be able to ‘earn’ the grudging support of hers. These forces propel them in different directions towards achieving their goals.
The writing is lyrical: “time quiets down and the important facts slide along the thread of years…” p.336

Chelsea's pick
Jodi Picoult always delivers a compelling story while challenging readers' morals and forcing them to ask "What would I do in that situation?"

Michelle's pick
This is one of my favorite authors, who is award-winning for his Chinese-Canadian heritage books. He takes us on a milestone journey of Chinese laborers building the Canadian Pacific Railway in BC.

Michael's pick
Book 2 of the Witcher saga, Sword of Destiny is the last short story collection in the series, and finishes laying the groundwork for the saga “proper” to begin with Blood of Elves. This book furthers the on-again/off-again relationship between Geralt and Yennifer, and introduces the “child surprise” hinted at in "The Question of Price" in the previous book, Princess Cirilla of Cintra (Ciri), who becomes the driving force of the saga. The stories range from the comedic ("The Eternal Fire" is particularly funny) to deathly serious (particularly with "The Sword of Destiny" and "Something More"). As usual, Sapkowski delivers excellent work.

Sabrina's pick
Spy thriller. Psychological exploration. Black comedy. War fiction. Confessional. This book is somehow all of these things. Our protagonist, a spy living a double life as an American immigrant and North Vietnamese agent, tells his story in flashback as he is tortured by a commandant. Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize.

Michel's pick
A weird book, a very weird book, a quite weird book is joyful, it is so joyful because there is boldness in it. This notoriously divisive, experimental, domestic, feminist, Cubist prose-poem hasn't lost any of its hypnotic power over the last hundred-odd years.

Michael's pick
I love The Three Musketeers. It has all the swashbuckling, romance, betrayal, and adventure you could desire. Set in France during the reign of Louis XIII, it follows the adventures of a young man named d’Artagnan, who seeks to join the musketeers (the king’s elite guard). During his adventures he meets and befriends the most famous musketeers of all, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, and seeks to thwart the schemes of the dastardly Cardinal Richelieu.

Little-known fact: there are actually not one, but *four* sequels to it (well, actually anywhere from two to six, depending how publishers treat the final lengthy volume, The Man in the Iron Mask… it’s usually split into three, but has been printed as one, four, or even five).

Mia's pick
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo was described in many reviews as being about the sex lives of three very different but very real women. In fact Taddeo explores interiority, memory, and desire in many forms, making deeply personal inner thoughts and lives of these women into a narrative that reads like a page-turning novel.

Michael's pick
Picking up where Blood of Elves left off, Time of Contempt finds Ciri being trained in magic by Yennefer, as the dastardly Emperor Emhyr var Emreis of Nilfgaard (“the White Flame Dancing on the Graves of his Foes” – I love that title!) plots the downfall of the north, and other nefarious forces look to use Ciri for their own ends.

Michel's pick
This deeply moving Catalan classic chronicles a young woman’s struggles and relationships as she matures and develops against the out-of-focus background of Franco’s rise, the Spanish Civil War and World War Two.

Michael's pick
The penultimate chapter to the Witcher saga (at least, as far as the books go). The title on the cover is a mistranslation; it should be swallow, singular (which refers to Ciri’s avian nickname). A large chunk of the book focuses on her, as she tells her story to an old man who finds her severely injured after the Rats get what’s coming to them, though in the process Ciri falls into the hands of someone even worse... Geralt, meanwhile, continues to gather colorful allies as he progresses with his rescue mission, and the stage is set for the climax...

Michael's pick
Just a fun, fun book. Many of the ideas from Pirates of the Caribbean were stolen from it (or, as a pirate might say, “borrowed.”) That said, who can blame them, as this novel defines the pirate genre the same way that Lord of the Rings defines fantasy.

Alyssa's pick
An adventure tale told from the perspective of a young slave, who has the opportunity to travel the world and seek freedom while wrestling with his troubling origins.

Michael's pick
Equally good to The Drawing of the Three is The Waste Lands, which finds Roland slowly going insane due to a certain paradox he caused in The Drawing of the Three. The book ends on the best cliffhanger since “Frodo was alive but taken by the enemy.” These two books are King’s best works.

Sarah's pick
If you've read Mistborn you probably don't need a bookmark to tell you to take this book out. If you haven't read Mistborn - you should.

Connie's pick
I am interested in reading articles and books about Africa. However, this year, while I read this book, my son and his family were living in Zimbabwe (a two-year World Vision work placement). Life in Zimbabwe is seen through the eyes of a young girl named Darling. Half of the book is about her life in Zimbabwe amid strife and poverty. She is able to get to America because her aunt lives in Detroit. Her life in America has its own challenges, of course. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

Sabrina's pick
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle was the first Haruki Murakami book I ever read and it remains one of my favourite books to this day. From the normal everyday life of Toru Okada, readers are launched into a crazy, dream-like world populated by talking cats, psychic sisters, and haunted war veterans. Murakami uses deceptively simple prose to build a twisty, sometimes deranged, and always enjoyable tale of a man trying to rescue his wife from an unknown menace. If you’re going to read one Haruki Murakami book, this is it. You won’t be able to put it down.

Michael's pick
The Dark Tower 4.5. This can either be read after Wizard & Glass or after The Dark Tower itself; though set between Wizard and Wolves of the Calla, King wrote this years after finishing the final volume of the series. There is a very cleverly done story-in-a-story-in-a-story, making me wonder if King was at all inspired by Inception and that film’s use of a dream-within-a-dream.

Chelsea's pick
Set in World War II Russia, this is an amazing story about the power of the human’s will to survive. This story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and is definitely a must-read.

Michael's pick
The Wise Man’s Fear is part two of Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicle, aka my favorite fantasy series written in the last ten years. Book two basically picks up where book one left off, with Kvothe on day two of telling his story, having left off when he was a teenager still at wizard school (excuse me, “The University”). However, he leaves the University early on in an attempt to win a patron, going into the service of a nobleman. Despite the change in setting, book two is just as good as the first one, as we see Kvothe grow as a person, and start his journey to greatness, though we still don’t find out what exactly happened that changed him into the beaten and broken person he is in the present day. That’ll have to wait for the final book, Doors of Stone, which has yet to be released.

Michael's pick
“Blaine is a pain and that is the truth.”
Continuing Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga, Wizard & Glass is two stories in one; the first half deals with the cliffhanger at the end of The Waste Lands, and has the best riddle-match in literature since Bilbo and Gollum’s; the second half consists of Roland telling his ka-tet of his first, tragic adventure, and how it greatly shaped him.

Michael's pick
"I’ve never dared handle it, but I’ve seen it. Felt its power … I have Black Thirteen under the floorboards of my church. And it’s come alive. Do you understand me? It’s come alive."
Part 5 of Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga finds Roland and his ka-tet continuing their journey through Mid World, by the end of which they learn of the terrible consequences of the sacrifice Susannah made in The Waste Lands to bring a certain character to Mid World from our world. To me, Wolves is the last great part of The Dark Tower.

Michael's pick
Wonder tells the story of a young boy born with a deformed face. Because of this, he has been homeschooled his entire life and not had much social interaction with other kids. The writing is excellent, and the book is split into several different parts, with each section being narrated by a different character.
While I admittedly found it a little difficult to get through at the beginning (mainly because I found it depressing), it’s well worth the read, as it gets more uplifting as it goes on.

Chelsea's pick
Maddening yet enthralling.

Jessica's pick
Have you ever contemplated about what would happen during a zombie apocalypse? World War Z will describe to you every possible scenario. It takes The Walking Dead to a completely new level, as the author uses interviews with survivors of the war to paint a global image of how the ten-year zombie apocalypse started, how it progressed, and finally how it was overcome. This book is a must read for any dystopia enthusiast. A note for the reader: the only similarity World War Z has with its movie counterpart is the title.

The Long Halloween trilogy by Jeph Loeb
1. The Long Halloween
2. Dark Victory
3. Catwoman: When in Rome

Other Batman Graphic Novels
- Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb
- Batman: Mad Love by Paul Dini
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller

1. Calvin and Hobbes
2. Something Under the Bed Is Drooling
3-4. The Authoritative Calvin & Hobbes (contains Yukon Ho! and Weirdos From Another Planet)
5-6. The Indispensable Calvin & Hobbes (contains The Revenge of the Baby-sat and Scientific Progress Goes Boink)
7. Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons
8. The Days Are Just Packed
9. Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat
10. There's Treasure Everywhere
11. It's A Magical World

This one-volume set contains all seven books:
1. The Magician's Nephew
2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and His Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

This one-volume set contains the trilogy:
1. The Black Company
2. Shadows Linger
3. The White Rose

1. The Gunslinger
1.5. The Little Sisters of Eluria (in collection "Everything's Eventual")
2. The Drawing of the Three
3. The Waste Lands
4. Wizard and Glass
4.5 The Wind Through the Keyhole
5. Wolves of the Calla
6. Song of Susannah
7. The Dark Tower

1. Legends in Exile
2. Animal Farm
3. Storybook Love

1. The Philosopher's Stone
2. The Chamber of Secrets
3. The Prisoner of Azkaban
4. The Goblet of Fire
5. The Order of the Phoenix
6. The Half-Blood Prince
7. The Deathly Hallows


Fantastic Beasts Prequels
1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Film)
1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Script)
2. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

1. The Name of the Wind
2. The Wise Man's Fear
2.5. The Slow Regard of Silent Things
3. (Not released yet) Doors of Stone

The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings
1. The Hobbit
2. The Fellowship of the Ring
3. The Two Towers
4. The Return of the King
The First Age of Middle Earth
1. The Silmarillion
2. Beren and Lúthien

1. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
2. The Hollow City
3. Library of Souls
4. A Map of Days

1. Mistborn: The Final Empire
2. The Well of Ascension
3. The Hero of Ages

1. My Brilliant Friend
2. The Story of a New Name
3. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
4. The Story of the Lost Child

The Thrawn Trilogy
1. Heir to the Empire
2. Dark Force Rising
3. The Last Command

The Hand of Thrawn
1. Specter of the Past
2. Vision of the Future

1. The Last Wish
2. Sword of Destiny
3. Blood of Elves
4. Time of Contempt
5. Baptism of Fire
6. Tower of the Swallow
7. Lady of the Lake