Amy Kay
Hooked on Books
Do you make reading resolutions? Maybe a better questions is, are you able to keep them?! It should come as no surprise that L&A Libraries staff make reading goals. Most of us are on Goodreads and participate in their yearly reading challenge. So far, we’ve signed up to read over 500 books this year, and we’re not alone. Over 4 million people have pledged to read over 1.75 million books this year. On average, readers are pledging to read 41 books this year. How about you? At L&A Libraries we celebrate all reading, so whether your goal is to read 2 books or 200 we’re cheering you on. Here are 4 fun reads that will help kickstart your reading resolutions:
If you love historical fiction, then you’ll love The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee. Jo is fired from her job as a hat maker and knows that finding another job in 1890s Atlanta, especially because she is Chinese, is going to be extraordinarily difficult. She also feels responsible for Old Gin, the elderly man who has raised her and is now getting more and more ill. The two of them live secreted in a former Underground Railroad hiding spot under the house of one of the newspaper publishers. So Jo decides she’ll start writing an anonymous advice column. What could possibly go wrong?
If you want to try a graphic novel, When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson is the one for you. Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a refugee camp, and when an opportunity for Omar to get an education comes along, he must decide between going to school every day or caring for his nonverbal brother in this intimate and touching portrayal of family and daily life in a refugee camp. I’ve also heard the audio for this one is amazing!
If you want an audiobook to blow you away, try Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It’s the story of a rock music band in the seventies, and it’s hard to remember that it’s a novel, not non-fiction. It feels THAT real. It’s told through interviews with Daisy and Billy and other members of the band, family members and friends. It could be wildly confusing, but somehow it just works. The full cast audio version is incredible.
If you want a page turning novel, check out The Martian by Andy Weir. An edge-of-your seat debut with laugh-out-loud dialogue mixed in (avert your eyes if you’re not a fan of swearing). After a bad storm cuts his team’s Mars mission short, injured astronaut Mark Watley is stranded. Now he’s got to figure out how to survive without air, shelter, food, or water on the harsh Martian landscape until the next manned mission in four years. It’s Science Fiction with a capital S, but Weir does a fabulous job of making it accessible to non-science geeks, like me.
If you need some help reaching your reading goals, whether it’s how to fit more reading in your life, making reading more accessible or more enjoyable – we’ve got you covered! Come visit one of our branches today and talk to our helpful staff. Find information about our hours and locations on our website and place holds for any of the titles mentioned above at www.countylibrary.ca