October 4, 2024
New Fiction
Haunted by Kat Martin – 1898: Robbery, prostitution, and violence are commonplace in the fabulously rich copper mining city of Jerome. But a brutal murder sets the stage for a series of strange events that will echo far into the future. 2024: Jenny Spencer’s Copper Star Saloon and Hotel is one of the best-loved attractions in the popular tourist destination, but eerie occurrences in the newly renovated wing are souring business. Cain Barrett, the wealthy owner of the nearby Grandview Hotel, has his eye on Jenny. He’ll help her any way he can, but Cain has problems of his own. A brutal murder at the Copper Star, entries in a dusty journal, and ghostly sightings at both hotels…is the connection a figment of Jenny’s imagination, or a threat to her life? And who is causing trouble for Cain? As they work tougher to solve the mystery, Cain vows not to let anything, or anyone-living or dead-stand between him and the woman he has come to love.
The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak – Despite their strained relationship, when Gia Rossi’s sister, Margot, begs her to come home to Wakefield, Iowa, to help with their ailing mother, Gia knows she has no choice. After her rebellious and at-times-tumultuous teen years, Gia left town with little reason to look back. But she knows Margot’s borne the brunt of their mother’s care and now it’s Gia’s turn to help, even if it means opening old wounds. As expected, Gia’s homecoming is far from welcome. There’s the Banned Books Club she started after the PTA overzealously slashed the high school reading list, which is right where she left it. But there is also Mr. Hart, her former favorite teacher. The one who was fired after Gia publicly and painfully accused him of sexual misconduct. The one who prompted Gia to leave behind a very conflicted town the minute she turned eighteen. The one person she hoped never to see again. When Margot leaves town without explanation, Gia sees the cracks in her sister’s “perfect” life for the first time and plans to offer support. But as the town, including members of the book club, takes sides between Gia and Mr. Hart, everything gets harder. Fortunately, she learns that there are people she can depend on. And by standing up for the truth, she finds love and a future in the town she thought had rejected her.
The Last Secret by Maia Caron – Ukraine, 1944: As the world around her is ripped apart by war and infiltrated by Nazi soldiers, Savka Ivanets works as a medic for the Ukrainian resistance, stitching wounds by day, stealing supplies by night, and dodging firefights between the SS and Soviet partisans. When her husband, Marko, a reluctant member of the Waffen-SS, forces her to deliver coded messages to an underground bunker, she’s terrified. But when her mission doesn’t go as planned, and her son, Taras, is kidnapped by the KGB, Savka fears she’ll never see him again. Salt Spring Island, 1972: For Jeanie Esterhazy, the world, with its whispers and curious eyes, is too much to bear. Ever since the horrific accident that left her badly scarred, Jeanie, unable to remember anything about that awful day, has pulled away from society, utterly isolated. Then a mysterious stranger appears at her house, and Jeanie suddenly begins having flashbacks about the night of her wedding – flashbacks that hold answers to the questions she’s had for years; flashbacks that make her realize the world around her is not as it seems.
New Non-Fiction
Who We are by Murray Sinclair – This is Murray Sinclair’s story – and the story of a nation – in his own words, an oral history that forgoes the trappings of traditional memoir to centre Indigenous ways of knowledge and storytelling. As Canada moves forward into the future of reconciliation, one of its greatest leaders guides us to ask the most important and difficult question we can ask of ourselves: Who are we? For decades, Senator Sinclair has fearlessly educated Canadians about the painful truths of our history and our nation’s ongoing injustices. He was the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba, and only the second in Canadian history. He was the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and remains one of the country’s foremost moral voices. And now, for the first time, he shares his full story – and his full vision – with readers. Drawing on Senator Sinclair’s unique experiences, and his perspectives on Indigenous identity, fundamental rights, and justice in Canada, Who We Are examines the roles of history, resistance, and resilience in the pursuit of forging a path forward for all Canadians. Through this investigation, Who We Are reveals Senator Sinclair’s life in a new and direct way, exploring what has shaped him as an Anishinaabe man, father, and grandfather.