Amy Kay
Hooked on Books
The Dewey Divas and Dudes are a group of extremely well read representatives from eight different publishing houses.
They present their insider picks to library staff each season, highlighting the hidden gems of the publishing world – quiet bestsellers, debut authors and other fun under-the-radar titles to suggest to library patrons. They recently hosted a session at the Ontario Library Association’s SuperConference that featured forthcoming titles that reflect our changing world. The following are five (of many) books they listed that are must-reads with an emphasis on BIPOC, LGBTQ2+ and other under-represented communities.
Jessica George’s Mamme is smart, funny, and deeply affecting. The story deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love, and the life-saving power of friendship. Most important, it explores what it feels like to be torn between two homes and cultures—and it celebrates finally being able to find where you belong.
Spanning India, Uganda, England, and Canada A History of Burning by Janika Oza is an exhilarating and profoundly moving epic novel, about how one act of survival reverberates across four generations of a family and their search for a place of their own.
Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality by Lindsay Wong is a wild, darkly hilarious, and poignant collection of immigrant horror stories. They’ll haunt and consume you—in strange and unsettling ways. Wong is a bestselling, Canada Reads-shortlisted author of The Woo-Woo, a darkly comedic memoir, of coming of age in a dysfunctional Asian family.
Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns is an electrifyingly fierce and funny social satire — a gender-flipped reboot of the iconic 1970’s film “Taxi Driver”. A ride share driver is barely holding it together on the hunt for love, dignity and financial security, until she decides she’s done waiting.
In Bad Cree: A Novel by Jessica Johns, a young Cree woman’s dreams lead her on a perilous journey of self-discovery that ultimately forces her to confront the toll of a legacy of violence on her family, her community and the land they call home. Readers of this gripping, horror-laced debut may also want to check out another Indigenous debut novel of note, The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.
Our friendly library staff can help you find more Dewey Divas and Dudes picks if you’re interested. All of these titles listed here can be reserved at your local County of Lennox and Addington Library or online at www.countylibrary.ca.