DORY CERNY, BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE EDITOR
I’ve already crossed a few titles off my summer list (including Tom Rachman’s The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for a cleverly written character-driven novel; and the late
st Diana Gabaldon, a guilty pleasure, for sure), but here are a handful of titles on my TBR list.
Smoke River, Krista Foss (McClelland & Stewart)
I’ve been eyeing this one since the advance copy landed in the office. Foss’s debut sounds like the perfect combination of thought-provoking exploration of political and cultural upheaval and engaging family drama.
The Book of Life, Deborah Harkness (Viking)
This one is pure beach read. U.S. author Harkness wraps up her highly popular All Saints trilogy with this long-awaited third instalment. Time travel, vampires, witches, an enchanted manuscript – what’s not to like?
Cataract City, Craig Davidson (Doubleday Canada)
To balance out the Gabaldon and Harkness, because it’s all about balance.
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green (Penguin)
Yes, really. I know that almost everyone else on the planet has already read Green’s incredibly successful novel, or seen the movie, or both (ohmigod, like, 10 TIMES!!). But when a YA book takes the world by storm, I like to wait until its popularity has reached peak hysteria before I dive in. Hence the reason I binge-read all of the Twilight and Hunger Games series back-to-back. So, yes. Really.