The calendar might tell us differently, but it feels like summer weather has arrived. To mark the seasonal change, I asked our library staff for their suggestions of books to read when you’re putting your feet up after weeding the veggie patch, or even as an excuse to avoid garden chores for a while.
Victoria:
Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. A fast-paced, exciting book, whether or not you are a fan of sci-fi. The story follows a group of people trying to survive on a spaceship after their planet is destroyed. Told through chat logs, security camera footage, photographs and more.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Many interconnected story lines form a complex portrait of a family grappling with their relationships, culminating in a giant California party that ends with the Malibu fire of 1983. Reid does a wonderful job of illustrating her characters and the difficult situations in which they find themselves trapped.
Laura:
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. A fun summer adventure set on PEI, with amazing scenery descriptions and great characters and settings. A CBC Canada Reads contender in 2024.
Funny Story by Emily Henry. A friends-to-lovers romance. Bonus: the main character is a librarian!
The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan. A perfect read for summer days in the backyard, cold drink in hand, watching the birds. Amazing illustrations by the author.
Jenny:
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome. This book is an utter delight. Written in 1889 and still ridiculously funny and relatable. A perfect read for sunny afternoons, preferably beside a river.
The Outlander by Gil Adamson. An engrossing piece of historical fiction that follows a young woman on the run through the wilds of Alberta at the turn of the century. It would appeal to western genre lovers, but it’s also a really good story with evocative descriptions of familiar landscapes.
Margaret:
James by Percival Everett. A re-imagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of Jim (who is known as “Miss Watson’s Jim” in Twain’s novel). James is both a romping good read and a commentary on some of the darker aspects of slavery in Civil War America. Everett won a 2025 Pulitzer Prize for this novel. My book club loved it.
A Killer in King’s Cove, by Iona Whishaw. If you haven’t dipped into this mystery series set just after the Second World War in a thinly veiled Queen’s Bay on Kootenay Lake, you’re in for a treat. Lots of historical detail, a plucky heroine and a keep-you-guessing plotline.
Happy reading!
