New Nonfiction

Fake News: Understanding Media and Misinformation in the Digital Age edited by Melissa Zimdars and Kembrew Mcleod

“What is fake news? Is it an item on Breitbart, an article in The Onion, an outright falsehood disseminated via Russian bot, or a catchphrase used by a politician to discredit a story he doesn't like? This book examines the real fake news: the constant flow of purposefully crafted, sensational, emotionally charged, misleading or totally fabricated information that mimics the form of mainstream news. Rather than viewing fake news through a single lens, the book maps the various kinds of misinformation through several different disciplinary perspectives, taking into account the overlapping contexts of politics, technology, and journalism.” -Amazon

Saving Us: A Climate Scientists Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe

“In Saving Us, Hayhoe argues that when it comes to changing hearts and minds, facts are only one part of the equation. We need to find shared values in order to connect our unique identities to collective action. This is not another doomsday narrative about a planet on fire. It is a multilayered look at science, faith, and human psychology, from an icon in her field.” -Amazon

The Boy Who Followed His Father to Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield 

“In 1939, Gustav Kleinmann, a Jewish upholsterer in Vienna, was seized by the Nazis. Along with his teenage son Fritz, he was sent to Buchenwald in Germany. There began an unimaginable ordeal that saw the pair beaten, starved, and forced to build the very concentration camp they were held in. When Gustav was set to be transferred to Auschwitz--a certain death sentence--Fritz refused to leave his side. Throughout the horrors they witnessed and the suffering they endured, there was one constant that kept them alive: the love between father and son.” -WorldCat

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Steven Laffoley

“In the summer of 1896, an old schooner sailed from Boston to Argentina with twelve people on board. A few days into the journey, the captain, his wife, and the second mate were all murdered–with an axe. And no one on board saw it happen. And so begins another in-depth crime investigation by writer Steven Laffoley, as he travels the tough streets of Halifax to the courtrooms of Boston in search of a killer.” -Publisher

The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather

“The incredible true story of a Polish resistance fighter’s infiltration of Auschwitz to sabotage the camp from within, and his death-defying attempt to warn the Allies about the Nazis’ plans for a ‘Final Solution’ before it was too late.” -Amazon

Happy Halloween

For those looking to dive into the spookiest season with a good book, here are some recommended titles that will put you in the mood for Halloween.

Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

“Seventeen year old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. Between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life. Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.” -WorldCat

White Smoke by Tiffany Jackson

“Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper.

The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its . . . secrets. That’s only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there’s a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone.

But ‘running from ghosts’ is just a metaphor, right?

As the house closes in, Mari learns that the danger isn’t limited to Maple Street. Cedarville has its secrets, too. And secrets always find their way through the cracks.” -Amazon

It: A Novel by Stephen King

“Welcome to Derry, Maine. It’s a small city, a place as hauntingly familiar as your own hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real.

They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they are grown-up men and women who have gone out into the big world to gain success and happiness. But the promise they made twenty-eight years ago calls them to reunite in the same place where, as teenagers, they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city’s children. Now, children are being murdered again and their repressed memories of that terrifying summer return as they prepare to once again battle the monster lurking in Derry’s sewers.” -Amazon

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

"Quinn Maybrook just wants to make it to graduation. She might not make it to morning. When Quinn and her father move to a tiny town with a weird clown for a mascot, they're looking for a fresh start. But ever since the town's only factory shut down, Kettle Springs has been cracked in half. Most of the town believes that the kids are to blame. After all, the juniors and seniors at Kettle Springs High are the ones who threw the party where Arthur Hill's daughter died. They're the ones who set the abandoned factory on fire and who spend all their time posting pranks on YouTube. They have no respect and no idea what it means to work hard. For the kids, it's the other way around. And now Kettle Springs is caught in a constant battle between old and new, tradition and progress. It's a fight that looks like it will destroy the town. Until one homicidal clown with a porkpie hat and a red nose decides to end it for good. Because if your opponents all die, you win the debate by default." -Book Jacket

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins 

“It’s been almost a year since Makani Young came to live with her grandmother and she’s still adjusting to her new life in rural Nebraska. Then, one by one, students at her high school begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the body count rises and the terror grows closer, can Makani survive the killer’s twisted plan?” -Amazon

Happy Halloween

For those looking to dive into the spookiest season with a good book, here are some recommended titles that will put you in the mood for Halloween.

Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith 

“Halloween is near, and Hughie Wolfe is volunteering at a new rural attraction: Harvest House. He’s excited to take part in the fun, spooky show—until he learns that an actor playing the vengeful spirit of an 'Indian maiden,' a ghost inspired by local legend, will headline. Folklore aside, unusual things have been happening at night at the crossroads near Harvest House. A creepy man is stalking teenage girls and young women, particularly Indigenous women; dogs are fretful and on edge; and wild animals are behaving strangely. While Hughie weighs how and when to speak up about the bigoted legend, he and his friends begin to investigate the crossroads and whether it might be haunted after all.” -Amazon

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

“Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack -- who has already killed Bod's family.” -WorldCat

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

“A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here -- one of whom was his own grandfather -- were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow -- impossible though it seems -- they may still be alive.” -WorldCat

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel by Ransom Riggs and Cassandra Jean 

“When Jacob Portman was a boy, his grandfather regaled him with stories of his fantastic life at Miss Peregrine's home during the Second World War, even sharing photos of the remarkable children with whom he resided. As Jacob grew up, though, he decided that these photos were obvious fakes, simple forgeries designed to stir up his youthful imagination. Or were they...?

Following his grandfather's death - a scene Jacob literally couldn't believe with his own eyes - the sixteen-year-old boy embarks on a mission to disentangle fact from fiction in his grandfather's tall tales. But even his grandfather's elaborate yarns couldn't prepare Jacob for the eccentricities he will discover at Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children!” -Amazon

Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

“Years before Dorothy and her dog crash-land, another little girl makes her presence known in Oz. This girl, Elphaba, is born with emerald-green skin - no easy burden in a land as mean and poor as Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. Still, Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters Shiz University, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz's most promising young citizens. But Elphaba's Oz is no utopia. The Wizard's secret police are everywhere. Animals - those creatures with voices, souls, and minds - are threatened with exile. Young Elphaba, green and wild and misunderstood, is determined to protect the Animals - even if it means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance. Ever wiser in guilt and sorrow, she can find herself grateful when the world declares her a witch. And she can make herself glad for that young girl from Kansas." -Publisher

New French Fiction

 

Cupcakes et claquettes by Sophie Rondeau

“Après son solo réussi au spectacle de fin d'année, Lili a été promue dans le groupe avancé. Tout en continuant le programme de danse-études, elle voit son histoire d'amour avec Grégory s'aventurer sur un terrain glissant. Serait-elle jalouse ? Au collège, Clara découvre le plaisir d'écrire des poèmes entre deux expériences culinaires. Elle accepte même de publier certains textes dans le journal étudiant. A condition, bien sûr, qu'elle puisse utiliser un nom d'emprunt... Tout va pour le mieux, jusqu'au jour où son cahier d'écriture disparaît ! Ainsi se poursuit la première année du secondaire de Lili et Clara Perrier, des jumelles qui sont loin d'être pareilles.” -Amazon

Intra-Muros by Sonia K. Laflamme

“Entre les murs du luxueux quartier privé Côté Soleil, la vie est en apparence calme, paisible et sans tracas. De grandes villas et des jardins luxuriants abritent des résidants triés sur le volet par Robert Martin (le président de Future Engineering). Les citoyens évoluent dans un cocon imperméable aux drames de la Cité. Pourtant, malgré la haute sécurité et la fortification des lieux, l’inimaginable se produit : Kim Nguyen est retrouvé mort dans la piscine de la famille Martin. L’inspecteur Sarto Duquette est chargé de mener l’enquête et bien que les riches propriétaires de la communauté espèrent sincèrement que le tueur vienne de l’extérieur, l’inspecteur en est moins certain. Charel Martin, une adolescente courageuse et perspicace, va tenter d’aider son père. Qui a bien pu déjouer les dispositifs de sûreté ? Et si le véritable danger se trouvait intra-muros ?”-Amazon

Juliette à Hollywood by Rose-Line Brasset

“Juliette n’en croit pas ses oreilles. De toutes les destinations possibles, jamais elle n’aurait espéré partir pour Hollywood! Comme dans ses rêves les plus fous, elle s’imagine déjà croiser de grandes vedettes. Sur place, elle se lie d’amitié avec Julia. La jeune fille travaille comme vendeuse dans une boutique de vêtements, mais aspire à devenir actrice. Au fil des jours, Julia parle de sa vie dans la capitale du cinéma et dévoile des facettes plus sombres de cet univers de paillettes et de talons hauts. Juliette commence alors à se poser de nombreuses questions : est-elle belle? Et assez mince? Serait-elle plus heureuse si elle vivait une vie comme dans les films? Dans ce 10e tome, Juliette prend conscience de la tyrannie de la beauté… À la fin du roman, un carnet de voyage, Sur les pas de Juliette, attend les globe-trotters en herbe. Ils auront aussi accès à une carte de la ville ainsi qu’à une foule d’informations sur Hollywood.” -Amazon

Les aveux by Martine Latulippe

“Mia ne voit-elle pas que le beau Maxime cache quelque chose??Un nouvel élève mystérieux arrive à l’école secondaire de Mia en plein mois de janvier. Les rumeurs les plus folles courent sur son compte, mais Mia tombe sous son charme. Ses amis, les Inséparables, sont plus méfiants. Mia sait qu’elle devrait leur faire confiance. Après tout, leur amitié résiste au temps et ils forment un groupe tissé serré depuis le primaire. Pourtant, elle n’arrive pas à tout leur dire et elle n’est pas non plus prête à croire ce qu’ils lui révèlent. Quel lourd secret Maxime cache-t-il?” -Amazon

Trahie by Martine Latulippe

“Noémie n’aurait jamais pensé qu'un geste, un tout petit geste virtuel de quelques secondes à peine, pourrait bouleverser sa vie à ce point. Qui peut bien lui en vouloir ainsi?? Qui l'a trahie??Quand le réveil a sonné, ce matin-là, le cauchemar n’avait pas encore fait basculer ma petite vie tranquille. Il faisait soleil, le mois de juin était lumineux, l’école achevait, j’allais finir mon secondaire, j’étais en amour par-dessus la tête. À ce moment-là, je ne voyais pas comment les choses auraient pu mieux aller dans ma vie.J’aurais dû me méfier. Je suis tombée d’encore plus haut.” -Amazon

New Nonfiction

Amazing Atlantic Canadian Kids: Awesome Stories of Bravery and Adventure by John Boileau, James Bentley, et al.

“Celebrate the amazing accomplishments of kids from across the East Coast in this book, the first in a new illustrated series about Amazing Atlantic Canadians. Learn about incredible young people excelling as athletes and inventors, overcoming adversity and even saving lives. Includes over 50 amazing, diverse youth from history to present day and shows young readers that greatness has no age limit.” -Amazon

Colville edited by Andrew Hunter

“A book like no other. Designed to accompany an exhibition at the Art Gallery Ontario, Colville honours the iconic Canadian artist's legacy and explores the continuing impact of his work on film, literature, and music.” -WorldCat

Diwali: Festival of Lights by Rina Singh

“Critically acclaimed author Rina Singh explores her Indian roots as she tells the Diwali stories, which remind us that eventually, light will prevail over darkness. Enriched by personal stories and spiced with festive recipes, including two by acclaimed chef Vikram Vij, Diwali: Festival of Lights brings to life the holiday’s traditions, food and rituals and takes you on a journey to see how this festival is celebrated around the world!” -Amazon

Making Sense of Climate Change by Dr. Alex Standish

“An evidence-based look at the subject of climate change that gives readers an informative, scientific, and calm overview of what's happening to planet Earth.” -Amazon

Speaking Up: New Voices on War and Peace in Nova Scotia edited by Maya Eichler, Reina Green, and Tracy Moniz

“The story of Nova Scotia's history is usually presented through the lens of military history. Lost in that narrative are the less visible stories of war and peace: contemporary stories told from outside the military community; anti-militarist stories; and stories of soldiers who don't fit the white, cisgender male, heterosexual norm. Speaking Up: New Voices on War and Peace in Nova Scotia brings many previously neglected voices to the fore—voices of current members of the Canadian Armed Forces and military veterans, members of the African Nova Scotian and Mi'kmaw communities, refugees and immigrants displaced by war, historians and other academics who study war and militarization, artists who reflect on war's impact, and peace activists who vigorously protest against the militarization of the region.” -Amazon

New Realistic Fiction

A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe by Mahogany L. Browne

“A powerful, genre-bending mosaic of fiction and poetry that celebrates the humanity, grace, and resilience of teenage New Yorkers riding out the pandemic.” -Amazon

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins              

“Lydia lives in Acapulco. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while cracks are beginning to show in Acapulco because of the cartels, Lydia’s life is, by and large, fairly comfortable. But after her husband’s tell-all profile of the newest drug lord is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Forced to flee, Lydia and Luca find themselves joining the countless people trying to reach the United States. Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?” -Amazon

Just Our Luck by Julia Walton       

“Leo has always been told to stay away from Evey Paros, but after his anxiety disorder causes a fight at school, he has no choice but to ask for her help.” -Publisher

Prince of Pot by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

"Isaac loves art class, drives an old pickup, argues with his father and hangs out with his best buddy, Hazel. But his life is anything but normal. His parents operate an illegal marijuana grow-op, Hazel is a bear that guards the property, and his family's livelihood is a deep secret." -Publisher

Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta

Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She's at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant -- by the boyfriend she hasn't told her parents about, because he's Black and her parents are racist. Things are hella complicated. Weighed down by a depression she can't seem to shake, Belén helps Leti, hangs out with an older guy, and cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Leti is becoming a mother. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her? From debut author Carolina Ixta comes a fierce, intimate examination of friendship, chosen family, and the generational cycles we must break to become our truest selves." -Jacket flap