Amy Kay
Hooked on Books
The staff of the County of L&A Libraries are avid readers and are always eager to share their favourite books. Here is a list of some of the books we’ve recently enjoyed. This month you’ll find an entertaining new mystery series introducing a plucky Canadian heroine, a historical fantasy featuring a deal with the devil and an engaging debut novel with lots of boozy folklore.
Kelly suggests Death at the Savoy by Ron Base and Prudence Emery
Priscilla is a young, transplanted Canadian who works in the press office of the storied Savoy Hotel in London, England. This is the Savoy of 1968 full of glitz and the interesting and glamorous guests drawn to the hotel. Priscilla doesn’t drink tea but prefers champagne, wears her skirts a little too short for management’s preferences, and has had a few too many men of dubious character in her life.
The book starts quickly with a suspicious death of an Egyptian business man whose business is more illegal than legal. A housekeeper says she has seen Princess Margaret leaving the man’s room just before she discovers his body. No one believes her. When a mysterious incident happens to an up and coming politician more intrigue follows and Priscilla finds herself to be a suspect in both incidents, her job is on the line as a result, and she’s suddenly drawing even more attention than she prefers.
Madeline suggests The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by Victoria Schaub
This sweeping novel explores the haunting life of Addie Larue who has made a deal with the devil to live forever. There is a cost though, everyone she meets will forget her as soon as she leaves them and she will surrender her soul when she no longer wishes to live. We follow her in various timelines through multiple countries and multiple centuries but as time goes on being forgotten begins to feel less like a savior and more like a curse. One pivotal day she meets Henry and he doesn’t forget her. Unwilling to give up the chance to be truly remembered for the first time in so many years, she decides to stay with him and curiosity turns to love. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is as much a love story between Addie and Henry as it is a love story between Addie and her own endlessly devastating life.
Perfect for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo if you liked the characters and Before The Coffee Gets Cold if you liked the atmosphere.
Coleen suggests The Bartenders Cure by Wesley Straton
If you are curious to learn what life is like on the other side of the bar – brass, wooden or tiki – Wesley Straton’s debut takes you there – with recipes and the history behind various liquors, stirred into the chapters.
We meet Samantha or Sam, who is a bit down on her luck when she accepts a ‘trial’ bartending at Joe’s Apothecary in Brooklyn. Leaving a relationship, starting a gap year, and dealing with her stress in a very unhealthy way, Sam settles into her new community with a mix of old and new friends. Like the slow sip of a cocktail, we learn her grievous backstory, mixed with her new life at the bar. She’s a great student, (acceptance to Harvard pending) who learns the trade by studying at the local library and from her mentors, the three Dans. Along with tips and secrets of the bartending trade (snaiquiris anyone?) Sam’s trip into adulthood is muddled with indecision about her future. Like the customer’s at Joe’s – she needs to be open to advice aka bartender’s cure – and take a leap into adulting.
All of these titles can be reserved at your local County of Lennox and Addington Library or online at www.countylibrary.ca.