A good book can be the perfect solution to a blustery start to spring.
Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think, by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler – Breaking down human needs to water, food, energy, healthcare, education, freedom – meet innovators and industry captains making tremendous strides in each area.
At Hawthorn Time, by Melissa Harrison – Selected as a best summer read in The Observer, the novel follows a couple’s rural retirement and the boredom of a local boy amid the ancient stories of the English countryside.
A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson – The wondrous companion to Atkinson’s bestseller Life After Life, this novel tells the story of Ursula Todd’s beloved younger brother Teddy – would-be poet, RAF bomber pilot, husband and father – as he navigates the perils and progress of the 20th century.
Girl at War, by Sara Novic – A powerful debut novel about a girl’s coming of age – and how her sense of family, friendship, love and belonging is profoundly shaped by the Balkan War, and her immigration to America.
Lonely Planet’s Wild World, by Lonely Planet – My current favourite coffee table book, this gorgeous collection of full-page photographs, carefully curated by Lonely Planet’s photography experts, brings the world’s wildest corners into your home.
Pleasantville, by Attica Locke – A tense, sophisticated political thriller about African-American history, Pleasantville is Locke’s third novel.
The Secret Chord, by Geraldine Brooks – New York Times bestselling author Geraldine Brooks traces the arc of King David’s journey from obscurity to fame, from shepherd to soldier, hero to traitor, beloved king to murderous despot and into his remorseful dotage.
Silence, by Shusaku Endo – Soon to be released as drama directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Liam Neeson, a 17th-century Portuguese missionary in Japan, sustained by dreams of martyrdom, ministers to outlawed Christians until Japanese authorities capture him.
Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances, by Neil Gaiman – This third collection of short fiction by the award-winning, bestselling author includes previously published pieces of short fiction -- stories, verse, and a very special Doctor Who story written for the 50th anniversary of the series in 2013.
Vegetarian India: A Journey Through the Best of Indian Home Cooking, by Madhur Jaffrey – Award-winning chef and author, Jaffrey shares the delectable, healthful, vegetable- and grain-based foods enjoyed around the Indian subcontinent.
Sarah Isbister is the Children & Family Literacy Librarian at the Oak Bay branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library