Book Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

               A few months back while I was searching for some books to interest my special niece; I came across an interesting young adult series written by a woman named Amanda Hocking. After reading an excerpt from it I decided that it was something also worth exploring for myself. The author began her writing career without a major publisher; instead publishing her books herself electronically and after 2 million dollars in sales (which is completely unheard of for those following this path) she did finally land a publishing deal with St. Martin’s. The author has currently written over a dozen titles and many of which may well be of interest to some young (or young at heart) readers in your life.

               The title that I have just finished was called: Switched. It starts with the main character, a 17 year old Wendy Everly, recounting her particularly unpleasant and life-changing 6^th birthday party. As the novel unfolds you begin to understand more about this particular event and the motivating forces behind it. You will get sucked into a world of mythical creatures and hidden cities; forbidden love and prophecy. The story is well-crafted and filled with unexpected situations and twists. It is the first in a Troll-ogy (trilogy about trolls) and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something that will definitely entertain. Books are always a great Christmas gift…but if you want to try-before-you-buy; don’t forget to borrow a copy from the local library!

 

Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

        I am happy to report that I have just finished reading Diana Gabaldon’s eighth title in the Outlander Series: “ Written in my own Heart’s Blood.” This title takes place directly after book seven and features more of the characters, adventures, joys, and sorrows dedicated readers of this series love. But for those who aren’t interested in this series, or haven’t yet caught the reading bug for these stories; I would like to introduce you to something a little bit different.
         “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” (also available as an ebook) was published back in 2011 by Ransom Riggs (this being his first novel) and is considered to be a children’s chapter book. I read this title last year and was thoroughly impressed with the storyline, themes, and characters. I see that Tim Burton is working on a movie version of this story set to be released sometime next year…and that a sequel to this story was published this past January.
         The main character, Jacob Portman, witnesses his tall-tale-telling grandfather’s death at the hands of a hideous monster that apparently only Jacob can see. Shortly after, Jacob travels with his father to a small island near Wales which is near the orphanage that his grandfather had lived in for a time when he was a child. Jacob sets out to explore the remains of the old orphanage but instead encounters far more than he could ever have imagined. (The plot is rather twisty and complex so I won’t explain it all and ruin the magic for you!)
         If you like adventure stories with a bit of “spooky” this would be a great choice. I would recommend this title to adults, young adults, and kids alike (though some younger kids might find the book a bit disturbing…but with some parental discussion they should manage just fine!) If you want to beat the rush that will likely happen when trailers for the movie start coming out; pick up a copy today! The library or a good bookstore should be able to provide you with a copy of this amazing story.


Book Review by Diana McCarthy, Community Librarian in Falkland

Who Says Teens Today Don’t Read?! YA Book Reviews

Library Page Cameron Bridge displays

some new and notable young adult titles

     Who says teens today don’t read?! According to Publisher’s Weekly, young adult fiction is the fastest growing publication category right now. Buoyed by successful trilogies such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, books for young adults continue to gain in popularity thanks to media tie-ins. This summer’s blockbuster movie, The Fault in our Stars, for example, was based on John Green’s book of the same title; there’s the upcoming If I Stay film, based on Gayle Forman’s book as well as the much anticipated The Giver based on Lois Lowry’s classic title. Not surprisingly, young adult fiction is popular not only with teens but with adults too. The biggest demographic group buying YA titles are those ages 18 to 29. Here are a few other notable YA books to check out this summer:

Cabin Girl (Orca Currents) by Kristin Butcher
When 16-year old Bailey takes on a summer job at a fly-in fishing lodge, she gets more than she bargained for. Written by award-winning Canadian author Kristin Butcher, this Orca title, like all of those in the series, is a fast-paced read that will appeal not only to older, reluctant or struggling teen readers but also to stronger readers looking for a quick, engaging story.

Ungifted by Gordon Korman (ages 10-14)
After pulling a major prank at middle school, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is mistakenly sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students. In typical Korman style, situations are presented hilariously, and the underlying message that we all have different gifts to bring is subtle yet insightful.

Threatened by Eliot Schrefer (ages 12-16)
An African boy living on the streets of Gabon escapes his jailer by heading into the forest with a scientist who is not entirely what he seems. They've come to study chimpanzees, but when the scientist disappears, the boy must fend for himself — and then join forces with the chimps to save their habitat from unwelcome intruders.  This action/adventure/survival story has received a lot of critical acclaim.

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (recommended for older teens due to subject matter)
This graphic novel by Canadian cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki is a coming of age story that would appeal to older teens, particularly reluctant readers since there is not a lot of text. Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It’s her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there too, like the younger sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose’s mom and dad won’t stop fighting, and Rose and Windy find themselves tangled up in a tragedy in the small town. It’s a summer of secrets and heartache…and ultimately hope.

By Elena Doeble, Head Librarian at the Westbank Branch

Book Review: Starting Now by Debbie Macomber

       Last week I was spending some time checking up on my favorite authors looking for any new titles that may have snuck through and been published without my noticing… and I found a title by Debbie Macomber called “Starting Now” that had been published back in April of 2013. To my delight I had not in fact read it (I am very paranoid about this right now…) and began picking it up to read a couple of pages whenever I had a few minutes.

         The story focuses on a woman who has spent her life trying to attain a partnership in a law firm and who suddenly finds herself unemployed, packing on some excess poundage, and in serious need of a lifestyle re-evaluation. As she begins to navigate this new life without the debilitating demands of her career; she learns what truly gives her life meaning and joy. It is by no means a truly enlightening novel (the messages in the story are important but predictable) but the characters and storylines are enjoyable. It is a perfect “weekend-away” or “beach-read.” For those who are familiar with this author- it is a part of the “Blossom Street” series.

         So if you are looking for a nice and gentle story that you can pick up and read quickly, or one you want to savour slowly over a week or two- this might be one to try. Copies are available at the library and I am quite certain you can find it for your e-reader/e-device, or at a local book store. It is not necessary to have read any of the other titles in the series- but if you enjoy it there are several others you can try!

Book Review by Diana McCarthy, Community Librarian for Falkland

National Aboriginal Day Book Recommendations

Saturday, June 21 is National Aboriginal Day, so this month I thought I would recommend some great local First Nations authors that I’ve enjoyed reading recently:

I See Me by Margaret Manuel

This baby book is filled with images of baby eating, sleeping and playing. Little ones love to see pictures of other babies! A PDF file of all the words in Okanagan (Sylix) is also available for download at Theytus Books (www.theytus.com). Margaret Manuel was born in Kamloops, raised in Merritt, and is of Okanagan and Shuswap heritage.

Dancing with the Cranes by Jeannette Armstrong

This is a gentle story for families about love, loss and the circle of life. Chi’s momma is expecting a baby, but Chi is having a hard time being happy about it. Chi misses Temma (her grandma), who has passed away. Chi’s momma and daddy help Chi understand life and death as part of nature. Armstrong’s language evokes beautiful imagery and, as a nature lover myself, I loved the descriptions of the cranes’ migration. Jeannette Armstrong is from the Okanagan Nation and was born and raised on the Penticton Reserve. We have many of her books at the Library, including Slash, which is recognized as an important work of literature and studied in high schools, colleges and universities. Illustrator Ron Hall is an Aboriginal artist of Okanagan and Thompson ancestry and is a member of the Osoyoos Band.

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

I loved this novel, a Canada Reads selection in 2013. Saul Indian Horse is dying in a hospice. He looks back on his life as a northern Ojibway, when as a young boy he was taken forcibly from the land and his family and sent to a residential school. Salvation comes for a while through his incredible gifts as a hockey player. But in the harsh realities of 1960s Canada, he battles obdurate racism and the spirit-destroying effects of cultural alienation and displacement. Although from the Ojibway Wabasseemoong First Nation in northwestern Ontario, Wagamese now lives, writes and teaches in Kamloops. His newest book, Medicine Walk, was just released in April 2014 and you can find copies of it on the Library’s Quick Reads (7 day loan) shelf! 

Nature Power: In the Spirit of an Okanagan Storyteller by Harry Robinson; compiled & edited by Wendy Wickwire

This second edition features stories of the shoo-MISH, or “nature helpers" that assist humans and sometimes provide them with special powers. The concept of nature power is central to most Native cultures and is based on the understanding that a form of spiritual energy animates all things in the natural world. Robinson’s short stories capture the oral storytelling tradition. One of my favourite stories, “You Can’t See Me, But Just Listen,” tells of a man who goes hunting and hears a voice predicting future development. Robinson was a highly respected Okanagan elder who spent his life in the Similkameen Valley. He was one of the Okanagan people’s greatest storytellers.

Stories from Westbank First Nation Women and More Stories from Westbank First Nation Women
These DVDs, produced by Rick Sagayadan in cooperation with BC Museums Association, look at the role of Aboriginal women, whose voices are often under-represented. The first DVD includes a tribute to the late elder, Lala San Pierre, for her contributions to the preservation of cultural and traditional practices, especially through oral storytelling.

Part two celebrates the strength and fortitude of four generations of First Nation women, many of whom have faced the challenges of raising families while trying to make a living under extreme circumstances. Both films emphasize the vital role indigenous women play in maintaining cultural and traditional practices within their communities.

Be sure to ask at the Library for other recommended reads by local First Nations authors!
Check out these booklists on the ORL Catalogue for more recommendations:
        ORL Reads - Okanagan First Nation history, stories & legends
        ORL Reads - Kids - First Nations Books

  ORL Reads – ResidentialSchools

  ORL Reads – First Nations of Canada

  Theytus Books – Celebrating 30 Years

 

Learn more about National Aboriginal Day here.


Recommendations by Elena Doebelle, Librarian at Westbank Branch

Book Review: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

     Recently I picked up a copy of the title “Still Missing” by Chevy Stevens. I had read the synopsis for this story online and immediately placed a request for this title to come in for me at the library. When I opened the book and began reading I had a feeling that I had read something like it already...yeah, because I had already read this story a few years ago. So don't worry if this happens to you sometimes- I am 34 years old and this is certainly not the first time it has happened (nor will it be the last I'm sure.)

     I happily spent a few minutes skimming through the book, reliving the storyline, characters, and plot. I remembered too much of it to bother re-reading it, but enjoyed flipping through it and refreshing my memories. This story was recommended to me by one of my library customers (Thanks again) and I really liked it!

 

     Set in Vancouver Island (the author's stomping grounds) it tells the story of a female Realtor who is abducted and held for many months before managing to escape. The story focuses on this time in her life as well as how she handles her life after (with a few plot twists and turns to keep things interesting and exciting.) If you like a good thriller and don't mind some colourful language and descriptions of sexual abuse, this could be an enjoyable book for you.

 

     In many respects it reminded me a bit of “Room” by Emma Donoghue; but I found it to be a bit less “heady.” Chevy Stevens has several other books that I will be exploring in the coming months; including one due to come out on June 17th of this year called “That Night.” You can place your name on the request list now at the library – stop by the branch, give me a call, or give it a try online! At least we can all be confident that it will be one book we haven't already read!

Review by Diana McCarthy, Community Librarian, Falkland Branch

 

Book Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

     There has been a lot of buzz about The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (2012).  Another first novel, this one's plot is unusual & unpredictable, but ultimately very captivating.
     Harold is a retired sales representative, married, & living a quiet, unfulfilled life in a small English town. He is an ordinary man, one who does not voice his feelings, who plods on whatever life throws his way. A letter from a former work colleague, telling him that she is dying, but wanting to say goodbye, sets the rest of the story in motion. Harold replies. When he goes out to post the letter at the mailbox at the end of the road, he unwittingly, (at first), starts a long journey by foot, without returning home. As the result of a chance encounter, he convinces himself that his 600 mile journey will help his old friend survive. He carries nothing, walking in “yachting” shoes. His journey becomes a pilgrimage, a tale about the journey being more important than the end itself. Along the way he ponders his life, his marriage, his relationship with his son, all of his past. He meets a wildly varied cast of characters who help him see his life in an entirely new light. His voice alternates in the novel with that of his wife, Maureen; we see her struggles as she also undergoes a transformation as the result of Harold's “unlikely pilgrimage”.
     It is a well written story about faith, persistence, hope, redemption, second chances, & opening oneself to the world. The Daily Mail (UK)'s reviewer said “It's a deceptively simple novel about the anguish of regret, the importance of faith, and the redemptive power of love...humorous, moving and profound...one of the best books you'll read this year”.
    
Do yourself a favour & take a walk with Harold.

Diana Inselberg is a retired librarian and resident of Enderby, who has worked at various Okanagan Regional Library branches.

Book Review: The Light Between Oceans: Visually Stunning and Emotionally Harrowing

     The Light Between Oceans (2012), a first novel by Australian writer M.L. Stedman, has become a bestseller since its publication last year. Stedman is a lawyer who now lives in London, England.
     This novel is a visually stunning & emotionally harrowing love story with a moral dilemma at its centre. It is set initially on a fictional remote island off Australia in the years following WWI. A lighthouse keeper & his wife, Tom & Isabel, find a boat washed ashore after a storm, with a dead man & 2-month old infant in it. Isabel, childless, has had 2 miscarriages & has just buried a stillborn child. The rest of the novel deals with what happens after they decide to raise the child as their own, a decision which alters the course of their lives & affects the lives of many others. An emotionally complex story, you are made to feel the same inner conflict as Tom & Isabel. I guarantee you will have trouble putting it down.
     Stedman gives detailed descriptions of the inner workings of a lighthouse & what life in a remote lighthouse was like. But it is her creation of very difficult scenarios, with many grey areas, which make the novel so compelling & suspenseful until the end. To her credit, the author has resisted the temptation of resolving the story in an overly tidy fashion.  Every character has had to make tough choices.
     A great first novel & a great read. It is no surprise that Dreamworks motion picture studio is in the process acquiring the rights to the book.

Diana Inselberg is a retired librarian and resident of Enderby, who has worked at various Okanagan Regional Library branches.

Book Review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian will Capture Your Heart

     It’s been a long time since a fictional character captured my heart as much as Arnold Spirit does in "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian". Arnold (closely based on the author, Sherman Alexie) is an intelligent and determined Native American boy growing up in the Spokane (Washington) Indian Reservation (“the rez”). A caring teacher and the fateful discovery that his eagerly anticipated geometry textbook is so out-of-date that it once belonged to his 44-year-old mother convince Arnold that he must do whatever it takes to avoid the fate of his parents and many of their friends; a fate defined by poverty, alcoholism, and despair. This is not to be the fate for Arnold, just as it wasn't for Alexie.
     Sherman Alexie has written several books, poems, and a screenplay collaboration about his experiences as a Native American; most of them award winners. Although his writing focuses on the feelings of powerlessness of many Native Americans and their struggles against racism, Alexie writes with such a unique candour and humor that he is a pleasure to read. A great example of his style is this description of his sister's funeral: "How do we honor the drunken death of a young married couple? HEY, LET'S GET DRUNK!"
     His story is filled with powerful and moving moments of laughter and love which he expresses through the cartoons that he loves to draw because "words are too limited. But when you draw a picture, everybody can understand it." He draws as a way of reaching out to a world beyond the "rez" - a world with more opportunity and chances for happiness. Those closest to Arnold have intelligence, talent, and promise of their own but lack his determination to break free of the “ugly circle” that is the fate of too many of the people he sees around him on the reservation. “You start believing that you’re poor because you’re stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you’re stupid and ugly because you’re Indian. And because you’re Indian you start believing you’re destined to be poor…and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
     What could be a sad story is kept from being so thanks to the charming vocabulary and exceptional humor of 14-year-old Arnold. It is a story of hope told from the point of view of a young person full of promise and the courage to fulfill a fate of his own choosing. The illustrations by Ellen Forney also give the story a humorous and hopeful tone. Her depiction of Arnold with his nerdy looks are exactly right and the reader loves him both for his precocious personality as well as his vulnerable appearance. The most wonderful image of all is the one we are left with at the end of the story; Arnold is happy for now on the "rez" and happy also in his certainty of a future in a wider world.

Review by Kendra Runnalls, Community Librarian at the Revelstoke Branch of the ORL

It's a Marathon - Diana Gabaldon Keeps You Reading!

     Wow! 1344 pages in 3 weeks. Yes, I am proud to report that I am one more step closer to finishing my Diana Gabaldon marathon. Can I finish the seventh book: “An Echo in the Bone” before the upcoming release of the eighth book in June of this year? It is possible...this title boasts a measly 1078 pages...good grief! Thankfully the fate of the world, my life, or my career does not hang in the balance!

     The storyline for this series is filled with adventure, heartache, mystery, and a touch of the supernatural. The characters in the story are all wonderfully conceived and full of flaws, idiosyncrasies, and endearing qualities. Even those you want to hate you begin to love..just a little! Certainly it is enough to keep most people thoroughly entertained and focused on reading far past the time they should be snoring softly into their pillows. My husband laughs when I say “sure, just one more page,” or “be right there, just have a few pages left to read” as he knows it will be ages before I raise my bleary eyes from my Kobo reader and join him in the real world. But isn't that what many of us love about reading? The escape from reality into a world that is more exciting, romantic, prosperous, wonderful than our own? So if you are wanting an escape from your life for a few minutes – try a book. And if you feel that a Diana Gabaldon marathon isn't appealing – there are thousands of other wonderful books that could be just what you are looking for!

     So now as I begin to reach the light at the end of my reading tunnel I am feeling just a bit sad. All  readers know that reaching the end of a great story brings a feeling of accomplishment but also a measure of sadness as the magic of the story can never really be captured again. So if you have read something wonderful let me know! I should be ready in 2-6 months (finger's crossed!).

 

By Diana McCarthy, Community Librarian, Falkland

 

Book Review: The Mountain of Gold - High-seas Adventure

The Mountain of Gold (2012) is the buoyant sequel to the first novel by J.D. Davies (Gentleman Captain) that continues the valiant antics of Matthew Quinton, a young captain in King Charles II’s royal navy in 1663. This grand adventure begins when a captured Muslim pirate, who turns out to be an Irish renegade, tells Quinton a preposterous tale about a mountain of gold in Africa. King Charles, blinded by greed, does not hang the pirate but orders Quinton, his ship and the Irishman on an inauspicious expedition to Dutch-held West Africa to find the treasure.

 Before setting sail, Quinton attempts to passionately dissuade his older brother from marrying a mysterious French vixen who may have murdered her previous husbands, a marriage arranged by the king. Once out to sea, the captain’s mission is anything but straightforward—his own brother-in-law warns him that his mission to Africa must not succeed--and the complicated expedition tests his crew and England’s reputation as a maritime power to the utmost.

 Davies, a noted historian on the 17-century British navy, vividly captures the romance of high-seas adventure as well as the era’s politics, battles and tactics that shape his intrepid sea captain.

Book Review: The Religion - A Swashbuckling Epic Set Adventure!

The Religion (2007) by Tim Willocks is a swashbuckling epic set adventure that plunges readers into another world and time, a compelling tale of romance, courage and religious conflict on the island of Malta during the 16^th century. The epic story details the medieval exploits of Capt. Matthias Tannhauser, a Saxon soldier of fortune with carnal appetite and a droll irreverence, and his unlikely journey to help French countess Carla La Penautier rescue her illegitimate son now trapped in a fundamentalist bloodbath between Christian and Muslim on Malta, an island under one of the most bloody and spectacular sieges in military history.

 Mattias, Carla and their companions must not only confront the invading Ottoman empire but a rogue Roman Inquisitor who happens to be the father of Carla’s lost child. Mattias and Carla do not even know the name of the boy, taken from her at his birth twelve years ago.

 The Religion is an epic novel and the first book in an epic trilogy. It is like a panel in a Renaissance triptych and is a vivid depiction of a world on the cusp of modernity. But like all great tales the characters are richly drawn, even flawed, and this imparts a gripping quality to the epic that even transcends the plot.

by Peter Chritchley, Reference Librarian at the Vernon Branch

Go Buggy for Books at the Okanagan Regional Library!

Spring into action by reading some great nature books! 

Captain Bob keeps a watchful eye on bugs everywhere in “Bug Patrol” by Denise Dowling Mortensen.  To find out if butterflies taste with their feet – just read “How Does a Caterpillar Become aButterfly? And other Questions about – Butterflies” by Melissa Stewart.  Reciting a romantic insect poem, such as “Lovebug Alone” to your favorite bug buddy is possible if you check out “BugOff! Creepy, Crawly Poems” by Jane Yolen. An early reader Spring series has “Animals in Spring” by Martha E.H. Rustad as one of its titles!

Of course, with spring comes frogs and baseball!  Join the frog family when they wake up in the spring and decide to get the other hibernating animals up too in “999 Frogs Wake Up” by Ken Kimura. Tiny tike sports fans will enjoy “Goodnight Baseball” by Michael Dael for the perfect bedtime book! Beginning readers will love the illustrations in “Springtime inBugland!” by David A. Carter where all the Bugland critters celebrate spring. 

Perhaps you are going away for Spring Break. Books to bring would be:   “Lulu and theDog From the Sea” by Hilary McKay, a chapter book;  “Paper Crafts” by Gini Holland which features gift wrap origami paper lanterns; and “The Ultimate Book of Family Card Games” by Oliver Ho.

For older creepy crawly fans, read “The Worm Whisperer” by Betty Hicks.  You can cheer on Ellison Ellis Coffey, a fifth grader, who discovers that he has a special gift of talking to bugs, and decides to use his new-found skills to enter in the town’s annual Woolly Worm Race!  Many teens will enjoy Meg Cabot’s “The Princess Present”, while others will race to read “The ForbiddenStone” by Tony Abbott. So enjoy spring and go buggy over books!

 

by Linda Youmans, Youth Collections/System Librarian

Book Review: The Secret River - Provocative and Illuminating

The Secret River (2006) by Orange Prize-winning author Kate Grenville is a provocative novel of the settlement of New South Wales by exiled British criminals. It is the illuminating story of husband, father and petty thief William Thornhill and the path he followed from the utter poverty of the slums of London to prison and finally freedom. When he sentenced to death for stealing some lumber his sentence of death is commuted to transportation to Australia with his pregnant wife, Sal, and a flock of children. 

Thornhill leads a life of convict servitude, the fate of all those transported to the new British colony, and gradually works his way through the penal system until he transforms himself into a trader on the Hawkesbury River. He regularly sails by an appealing piece of virgin soil and when he gains his freedom he and his family move onto the land, raise another rude hut and begin to cultivate corn.

But he soon realizes the British are not the first people to settle in New South Wales and he and his family forge a tenuous coexistence with a small band of Aborigines camping nearby. The uneasy relationship is shattered by violence by other settlers on the river and Thornhill is drawn into the storm against his will.

Review by Peter Critchley of the Vernon Branch

At the Library - Just in time for St. Patrick's Day!

At the Library

Welcome to this new monthly column featuring reviews, news and book recommendations from the friendly staff at the Westbank Branch of the Okanagan Regional Library. Our first guest columnist is Sondra Scott-Neeson.

Sondra moved to Peachland nine years ago from Calgary where she worked for the Calgary Public Library for 14 years. She joined the Okanagan Regional Library eight years ago, taking a permanent position at the Westbank Branch in 2009.

 

In honour of St. Patrick’s Day, I’d like to talk about some of my favourite Irish authors.

I’m from a large Irish/Scottish family all in Eastern Canada. St. Patrick’s Day has always been a month-long celebration for our family culminating with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Montreal. I can’t begin to count the number of Irish coffees consumed!

I have always enjoyed reading novels set in Ireland, especially those by author Maeve Binchy. Maeve’s stories about everyday Irish life and people really transport you to that country. I’d particularly recommend Circle of Friends which takes place in the village of Knockglen. It tells of the sins and secrets behind the lace curtains of every villager who lives on Tara Road. The saga continues with other books that feature a cast of recurring characters. Maeve Binchy passed away in 2012 and her final book, A Week in Winter was published a month later. Maeve will be sadly missed by all her fans.

Another Irish author I recently discovered is Patrick Taylor. His Irish Country series is a great hit with readers all over the world. Patrick Taylor was born in 1941 in Northern Ireland and received his medical education there. He won many awards for research into infertility. Patrick Taylor immigrated to Canada in the 90s.  He was encouraged to write stories by his long-time friend, Kelowna writer Jack Whyte. Patrick Taylor now lives on Salt Spring Island.

If you like Maeve Binchy and Patrick Taylor I would also recommend the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr, the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton, and the Judge Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone and happy reading!

Sondra’s Irish Coffee Recipe

• Fresh brewed coffee
• 1-2 jiggers of Jameson Irish Whisky
• sugar – optional
• can of real whipped cream

Wet the rim of Irish coffee cup, dip in bowl of sugar to coat rim, add Jameson, coffee, and top with whipped cream.  Enjoy while singing When Irish Eyes are Smiling!

Did you know that the Library also subscribes to some excellent digital resources? For a traditional Irish stew recipe, check out Global Road Warrior. This database, accessed from the Okanagan Regional Library website, is a great way for travelers to learn about other countries. To visit Ireland on this database go to our website at www.orl.bc.ca. Click on “Web Resources” and then “View all eResources from A to Z” and select “Global Road Warrior.” You will be asked to enter your library card number and 4 digit PIN. Search for Ireland and access the Country Overview, Photo Gallery, Recipes, Travel Essentials and more!

 

Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series - Put it on your "To Read" List!

This month I am looking back at a series that has been around for quite some time. It is a series that has been sitting on my “To Read” list for a number of years but I haven’t had the mental fortitude to get started until this past November. The bulk of the books are about 1000 pages- so they aren’t for the faint of heart! The first novel in the Outlander Saga by Diana Gabaldon (pronounced as GAH-bull-dohn [rhymes with "stone"])is Outlander. It was published in 1991 with a new novel or related novella released every few years after. The eighth book in this series is set for publication in June of this year (and with any luck I will be ready to read it then…currently I have just started book 5.)

        For those who enjoyed George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (aka: The Game of Thrones series) this would be a series to consider trying. The storyline is generally speaking geared towards women readers (the main character is a female and it tends towards a romantic storyline) but would be enjoyed by anyone curious about things such as time-travel, stone circles, Medicinal practices of the 1700’s, English/Scottish historical events and politics. When I finished the first book I was utterly amazed at the amount of information I learned about the time period, the sheer volume of events/disasters/rescues etc., and the lack of sleep that I could function with!

        I have recently recommended books to several persons by author Deborah Harkness: All Souls Trilogy (A Discovery of Witches, and Shadow of Night [the third is due to be published this summer]) and I think that those same persons might also enjoy Diana Gabaldon’s series of books. So if you have a “To Read” list put this series on it – or if you are feeling up to the challenge pick up a copy of the first book today. The library does have regular book, audiobook, and ebook copies of this story.

Review by Diana McCarthy, community librarian for Falkland Branch

Book Review: Havana - Gritty and Bloody

Havana (2003) by Stephen Hunter is a gritty, bloody tale of tremendous power and satisfaction set in Cuba 1953, a world of vice, gambling, sex and drugs just thirty minutes by air from Miami. The Mafia runs the casinos and Meyer Lansky, the mob’s leader in Cuba, vies with the CIA and American business interests to control the Batista regime and keep the river of cash flowing. Into the cauldron steps Earl Swagger, the protagonist of three previous 1950s-set Earl Swagger novels.

 This time the ex-Marine Medal of Honor winner and legendary gunfighter is called in by the American government to serve as a bodyguard to Congressman Harry Etheridge in his investigations of New York-gangster activity at the American naval base in Cuba. The congressman is more interested in exploring the city’s culture of vice and Swagger is reluctantly drawn into a complicated plot to kill self-centered, failed baseball star Fidel Castro, intent on wresting power from the corrupt government and returning it to the people. But Swagger thwarts backstabbing countrymen, the mob and even the Russians in this excellent addition to the series.

Review by Peter Critchley of the Vernon Branch

Book Review: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit was written by Jeanette Winterson when she was just 24 “during the winter of 1983 and the spring of 1984.” It was her first book and went through more than a few publishers' hands before newly created Pandora’s Press took a chance with Winterson’s self-described “experimental novel” about a gay teenage girl brought up in a fanatically religious family. Pandora was rewarded for their risk when Oranges… went on to win the Whitbread Award for best first novel after enormous sales thanks to rampant word-of-mouth but very little publicity.

In the Vintage Books edition of Oranges… Winterson gives the reader a stark review of her own novel. “Oranges is a threatening novel,” she tells us. Her purpose is to expose the “psychoses” of the church and the “sham” of the family unit. She claims these two institutions profess love as their foundation, but instead thwart love along with happiness, freedom, and individuality. Specifically, the love that is thwarted by family and church in this novel is the homosexual love between the teenage protagonist, Jeanette, and a friend that she has successfully converted to her Fundamentalist church. The reaction of Jeanette’s fanatically religious mother is extreme to say the least and involves everything from hours of interrogation by members of the church to days of incarceration and starvation.

Winterson’s novel is best described as a fictionalized autobiography. She is herself gay and had a similar upbringing – she even gives the protagonist her own name. The isolated childhood she endures in the midst of a dysfunctional family (and that is to put it mildly) and an extreme fundamentally evangelical church could be a very sad story – but isn’t.  Winterson is very funny and her style, though “experimental” as she says, and unlike anything I’ve ever read before, is absolutely delightful and makes for an easy and quick read. You will be hooked from the first few sentences…

Review by Kendra Runnalls, Community Librarian for the Revelstoke Branch

The Light of the World - a Struggle Between Good and Evil

The Light of the World (2013) is another novel almost impossible to put down. It is a riveting mystery by James Lee Burke, a master storyteller hailed by critics as possibly the best American novelist writing today in any genre. This volume is the twentieth in the author’s acclaimed Dave Robicheaux series, a book a cataloguer at the Library of Congress aptly assigned the subject heading of “Good and Evil”. 

 The struggle between good and evil lies at the heart of the Robicheaux series. Light of the World is no exception—it is a powerful, insightful study of the nature of evil. The novel opens with Robicheaux, a Louisiana sheriff’s detective, on vacation in Montona with family and friends. There they find themselves hounded and haunted by a psychopathic serial killer, Asa Surrette, a man believed to have been killed in a horrific prison van crash.

 This spells big trouble for Dave, his old buddy Clete Purcel, Gretchen Horowitz, a contract killer last seen executing her father in Creole Belle (2012) and Alafair, Dave’s daughter and the ultimate target of Surrette’s pitiless wrath.   

 

Review by Peter Critchley of  the Vernon Branch

Black History Month: Book Review of Emancipation Day

February is Black History Month in Canada!

Two books I have read recently come to mind, each based on the author's previously “unknown-to-them” family history. One is Linda Spalding's The Purchase (2012) which I may review another time. The other is Emancipation Day (2013) by Wayne Grady.

This novel features a main character, Jack, who lives his life passing as white, rejecting his own race. The author was in a library 20 years earlier researching his ancestral roots, curious about which Irish county his great-grandfather immigrated from before settling in Windsor, Ont. There he discovered in an 1890 Census that this man was not Irish at all, not even white, but instead a black African-American. His father, who had always claimed to be of Irish descent, was in fact black, but with a complexion light enough that he could “pass” for white. Grady had never been told.

Previously a prolific author of non-fiction, Grady has written his first novel based on this discovery. The novel starts during WWII when a young white girl from Newfoundland, Vivian, falls in love with a young sailor, Jack, from Windsor. The story is told in alternating chapters from Jack's & Vivian's points of view.

I will not divulge the plot, but suffice it to say that Jack keeps his racial heritage a secret from Vivian for quite some time. This may seem far-fetched, except that it really happened in Grady's family, in Canada. Set in the big-band era, this novel explores many themes: race, racial politics, shame, denial, self-discovery, love & family dynamics. Long-listed for the 2013 Giller Prize, this novel is “A haunting, memorable, believable portrait of a man so desperate to deny his heritage that he imperils his very soul.” (Lawrence Hill, author of The Book of Negroes).

Diana Inselberg is a retired librarian and resident of Enderby.