Catherine Coles
Coles’ Notes
The Dewey Divas and Dudes is a group comprised of extremely well-read representatives from eight different publishing houses. The idea was borne out of a program at Toronto Public Library – each spring and autumn the library would invite half a dozen publishing insiders to present the highlights of their upcoming releases to library staff from across the entire system. While all library workers should know the obvious, commercially successful titles and authors (ahem James Patterson), there was an appetite for knowledge about the hidden gems of the publishing world – debut authors, quiet bestsellers and other fun, under-the-radar reads to suggest to patrons. The Dewey Divas and Dudes have now become a regular fixture at library conferences and their “picks” are as interesting and varied as ever. The following are ten (of many) books they have listed as must-reads being released this spring.
In At Last Count by Claire Ross Dunn, Paisley Ratchford is trying to keep it together, but her world is about to be turned upside down. In six weeks, the Toronto apartment building she lives in will be demolished. Thirty-nine years old, with nowhere to go and no one to turn to, she tries to regain possession of her childhood home on Lennox & Addington’s own Amherst Island.
Set in a wealthy Parisian suburb, The Caretakers by Amanda Bestor-Siegal is an emotionally riveting debut told from the point of view of six women, and centered around a group of au pairs, one of whom is arrested after a sudden and suspicious tragedy strikes her host family.
In Fifty-Four Pigs by Phillip Schott, a lighthearted mystery with an incredible sense of place, a swine barn explodes near a lakeside Manitoba town, putting veterinarian Dr. Peter Bannerman on a collision course with murder and a startling conspiracy.
Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum is described as an epic adventure following three generations of women who work together and travel through time to prevent the Chernobyl disaster and right the wrongs of their past.
Walking the Bowl by Chris Lockheart is a heartrending true story for readers of Behind the Beautiful Forevers. It follows the lives of four street children in 21st century Zambia, whose lives are drawn together and forever altered by a murder that echoes through the capital city.
Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild, a debut thriller perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Jessica Knoll, tells the story of the most likable murderess you will ever meet.
In Such Big Dreams by Reema Patel, a savvy former street child working at a human rights law office in Mumbai fights for redemption and a chance to live life on her own terms.
The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting is an intricately plotted novel that has already received wide acclaim in Europe. It tells the story of Edvard and starts at his family’s tree farm in Norway, where he was raised by his grandfather.
In The Naked Don’t Fear the Water by Matthieu Aikins, an extraordinary true story, an acclaimed young war reporter chronicles a dangerous journey on the smuggler’s road to Europe, accompanying his friend, an Afghan refugee, in search of a better future.
For readers of Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, What is Written on the Tongue by Anne Lazurko is described as an emotionally-moving historical novel about finding morality in the throes of war and colonization.
You can reserve these highly anticipated titles from your branch of the County of Lennox & Addington Libraries.