Chandler's Picks:
Playground by Richard Powers
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Playground follows the intertwined lives of Todd Keane, a white legacy student, and Rafi Young, a Black scholarship student, who form an unlikely bond over their shared love of a 3,000-year-old board game at an elite Chicago private school. Their friendship endures many challenges, including both falling for Ina Aroita, a worldly girl with a background on naval bases across the Pacific, until a betrayal sends each of them on divergent paths. Rafi retreats into literature, Ina into art, while Todd rises to become a tech billionaire behind the social media empire Playground, which is reshaping the world with its AI innovations. However, as illness begins to ravage Todd’s brilliant mind, he reflects on his lost friendships and the life he might have had. Their stories converge on the island of Makatea, where ambitions and past loves clash amid plans for a futuristic floating city. Spanning continents and exploring themes of connection, competition, and loss, Playground is Powers’ most expansive exploration of human relationships and the systems that connect them.
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Why we chose this: How can I not be excited for new Richard Powers?! From the author of The Overstory (if you haven't... go read it), this book was originally described to me as 'The Overstory but the ocean instead' and frankly that was enough to have me over the top excited. Power's prose are evocative and sublime and he's a master storyteller. Surely this will be great.
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Release date: September 24, 2024
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Juiceboxers by Benjamin Hertwig
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About this book: Juiceboxers follows sixteen-year-old Plinko as he navigates basic training before returning to high school in the fall. Feeling disconnected from his family, he moves in with an older soldier and forms an unlikely friendship group with three other soldiers: the towering Walsh, the welcoming Abdi with Somali immigrant parents, and the brash, unpredictable Krug. After 9/11, as the military gears up for war in Afghanistan, Plinko and his friends face a future that will change their lives forever. Inspired by the author's own experiences as a soldier in Afghanistan, the story weaves Plinko’s journey from basic training to the battlefields of Kandahar and back to Edmonton, exploring themes of masculinity, friendship, trauma, and recovery amidst the complexities of militarism and white supremacy.
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Why we chose this: The Canadian soldiers who fought in Afghanistan are often an afterthought for Canadians. This novel explores who we ask to fight and what the impact of that sacrifice is on their lives.
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Release date: September 3, 2024
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The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
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About this book: The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife tells the story of Fred, an incredibly kind eighty-two-year-old who finds himself alone, broke, and nearly homeless. His luck changes when he is mistakenly assumed to be the grumpy Bernard Greer and takes his place in a nursing home. Fred now enjoys warm meals and shelter, as long as he can keep up the ruse and Bernard doesn’t show up. Meanwhile, Denise Simms, a caregiver at the facility, is struggling with her unhappy marriage and her daughter's health issues. Burned by her unfaithful husband, Denise is determined to never be deceived again. As Fred’s acts of kindness raise Denise's suspicions about his true identity, their lives intertwine, leading to revelations that help them both rediscover joy, purpose, and the meaning of family. This heartwarming and insightful novel explores themes of grief, forgiveness, and redemption, all wrapped in a humorous and feel-good narrative.
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Why we chose this: For lovers of A Man Called Ove or How To Age Disgracefully, a funny, perceptive and clever novel about aging, forgiveness family and grief. I love a store filled with joy that helps us understand our own life, one with beautiful characters, and the right mix of laughter and introspection.
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Release date: September 10, 2024
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Jessie's Picks:
Hi, It's Me by Fawn Parker
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About this book:Â Fawn returns to her late mother's farmhouse, where she stays in her mother's bedroom, now occupied by four women who live by an unusual set of beliefs. Grieving deeply, Fawn grapples with her compulsive behaviours and self-doubt as she faces the reality of her mother's death. Tasked with sorting and disposing of her mother's belongings, Fawn instead becomes obsessed with archiving her mother's writings, searching for meaning and connections that might help her understand the enigmatic woman her mother was. Parker's novel is a powerful exploration of grief, the relationship between the living and the dead, and the physical and emotional weight of loss. Hi, It's Me is a strikingly original and emotionally charged narrative that delves into the profound and often painful process of mourning.
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Why we chose this: 2024 seems to be the year of novels that focus on grief and loss, from the Booker prize to the Giller list, this has been a consistent theme. I'm a fan of the more emotional stories, ones that explore the hard parts of life and this is no different. Hi, It's Me is profound and moving, exploring the layered edges of grief and how we process difficult phases of our life.Â
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Release date:Â September 17, 2024
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The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk
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About this book: Olga Tokarczuk revisits the themes of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain with a dark twist. Set in September 1913, just before World War I, the story follows Mieczysław, a tuberculosis-stricken student who arrives at Wilhelm Opitz’s Guesthouse for Gentlemen, a sanitarium in what is now western Poland. The residents, obsessed with status and the looming possibility of war, gather daily to drink a hallucinogenic liqueur and engage in heated debates on topics like monarchy versus democracy and the existence of devils. However, as unsettling events begin to unfold in and around the guesthouse, a sense of dread envelops the men. Mieczysław, in his quest to uncover the mysteries both within and beyond the sanitarium, finds himself confronting sinister forces that have already marked him as their next target.
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Why we chose this: I love Olga Tokarczuk! When I saw that she was coming out with a new novel, I knew that I had to read it. Tokarczuk is a master of atmosphere and scenery, she creates unique worlds that mesh a blend of genres with incredible skill. She masterfully blends horror, comedy, folklore, and feminist parable to create an engaging and addicting story.Â
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Release date: September 24, 2024
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Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell
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About this book: In Cebo Campbell's debut novel a cataclysmic event removes all white people from America, leaving behind a post-racial society. The story follows Charlie Brunton, a Black professor at Howard University who was wrongfully imprisoned in the past, and his estranged daughter, Sidney, who has been living in isolation after the event. Sidney, after losing her step-family, seeks out her father for the first time. Together, they embark on a journey through the transformed landscape of America, now dominated by Black culture, as they grapple with their identities and the profound changes in their world. The novel explores themes of race, community, healing, and self-discovery in a world where the meaning of being Black is redefined.
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Why we chose this: I picked this up on a whim from a pile of books a couple of months ago and I am so incredibly glad that I did. Campbell makes a stunning debut with a story that is so incredibly unique, I truly can't think of another novel that comes close to comparing to it. I love reading something new and special, this was a breath of fresh air in a period where I was bored with the books that I had been reading. I spent the week after reading it talking to all of my friends and family about it, a great read!
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Morgan's Picks:
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-Grimstone by Sophie Lark
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About this book: Remi Hayes feels like her life is falling apart: her fiancé cheated on her, her brother Jude is a constant annoyance, and the dilapidated mansion she inherited from her uncle might be haunted. Renovating Blackleaf Manor seems impossible, especially when she’s blackmailed by Dane Covett, the dangerously attractive doctor next door and Grimstone’s most eligible bachelor—despite rumours that he murdered his wife. Remi doesn’t want to believe the gossip, especially after Dane patches up her injury and shares a kiss that leaves her reeling. But as the renovation takes a violent turn, Remi must figure out whether Dane is haunting her nights or protecting her from something far worse.
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Why we chose this: Sopie Lark writes the perfect easy read, makes you wanna relax all day till the book is done. One of the higher anticipated books of mine to read since I loved Brutal Prince!
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Hollace's Picks:
The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
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About this book: Every hundred years, the gods play games with mortals, and this time, I’m caught in their deadly contest. As a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves in Zeus' patron city of San Francisco, I’ve always tried to avoid the gods' attention—until I cross paths with the worst of them all: Hades. For the first time, the unpredictable King of the Underworld has entered the Crucible, a brutal competition where gods choose mortal champions to fight for the throne of Olympus. Somehow, Hades picks me—a sarcastic nobody burdened by a curse—as his champion. And every time he calls me his, my heart stumbles in a way I can’t afford. Now, I’m left to wonder: am I just a pawn, bait, or something more to this dangerously alluring god? Hades has more secrets than stars in the sky, and he’s playing by his own rules. But in this game, one thing is certain—Death will win at any cost.
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Why we chose this: A greek mythology inspired fantasy that has an intense challenge aspect and an intriguing romance plot. Should be a great read for all fantasy lovers.
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Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver-
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About this book: Skylar Stone, a chart-topping country singer with a string of bad press, escapes to the rugged mountain town of Rose Hill to find peace. But on her first day, she collides with Weston Belmont, a charismatic and irresistibly handsome single dad whose little boy and girl quickly steal her heart. West is a shameless flirt with an addictive charm, and their wild, impulsive connection throws Skylar’s plans off course. He’s the first person to support her unconditionally and make her feel truly loved, even as her celebrity life looms over them. Skylar knows settling down with a small-town horse trainer seems impossible, but her heart insists she's finally where she belongs. Yet, she fears that her past might tear them apart, and while West wants her to stay, Skylar knows all too well that you don’t always get what you want.
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Why we chose this: Elsie Silver writes the perfect romance books. They are fun reads with great characters and never fail to make me smile. This is a very anticipated follow up to Wild Love, one of my favourites of the year so far!
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