Author: Ms. Haigh

Blind Date With a Book

Ms. Haigh

Need something to do this Valentine’s Day? Come by the library and try a blind date with a book. 

You might be thinking, “What’s a blind date with a book?”… Well, we have wrapped up a number of our most popular titles and the only way you can pick your “date” is by the few word description on the front. Now you quite literally can’t judge a book by its cover. You just have to go with your gut and make a split second decision about whether or not the book is right for you.  Let us know if your date is a dud, or a complete hit!

Check out some readers finding out the true identity of their blind date books in the video below.

Alpha Reads 2017

Ms. Haigh

With the beginning of semester 2 comes the launch of our new Alpha Reads! 10 amazing titles have been chosen that include sci-fi, fantasy, realism and everything in between.

Check out the video below for some information about this year’s picks and remember to take a ballot and enter our draw every time you read one of the 2017 titles. There will be a weekly Friday draw for small prizes as well as a GRAND PRIZE draw in May. So get reading!

 

Ms. Haigh Reads – Under a Painted Sky

Ms. Haigh

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Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee is an exhilarating western filled with numerous twists, turns and near misses. Set during the California gold rush, the story follows the unlikely pairing of two young women: a young Chinese fiddle player and a runaway black slave who must fight to stay alive. Brought together by unfortunate circumstances the girls lean on each other as they begin the treacherous journey West towards safety and a potentially better life. Pretending to be boys to keep their identities hidden, the girls befriend a group of young cowboys and struggle to learn the pioneering skills necessary to stay alive. This is a book filled with painful moments of racism, the power of friendship and the difficulty of unrequited love. But most of all, it is about adventure, survival and the ability we all have to surprise ourselves with our own strength. Though the events are at times implausible, it is still a good read if you enjoy exciting stories about the Wild West.

Ms. Haigh Reads – We All Looked Up

Ms. Haigh

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In We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach an astroid called Ardor is barrelling towards Earth and has a 66.6% chance of destroying the world forever.  Told from 4 different points of view, the story follows 6 high school students as they come to terms with the possibility that their lives are over in a few weeks. With the Apocalypse looming, the main characters make the most of the little time they have left and go after the things they`ve always wanted, causing their lives to intersect in unusual ways. Suddenly the dead-beat is hanging out with the straight A student, and the star basketball player is second guessing his relationship with the popular beauty. But as they work to maintain a human connection, the world around them starts spinning out of control, with violence and destruction at every turn.

Though this story is about the end of the world, it is actually quite hopeful and is filled with lots of humour, friendship and love.

Recommended for fans of Eleanor and Park and We Were Liars.

Warning: some mature content, so recommended for 15+

Ms. Haigh Reads – The Blackthorn Key

Ms. Haigh

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The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands combines historical fiction with a little bit of fantasy and magic. It is a little bit Da Vinci Code and a little bit The Apothecary, but what matters most is that it’s a mystery that is exciting until the very end.

This story revolves around Christopher Rowe an apothecary’s apprentice in 1600s England. Note: an apothecary is similar to today’s pharmacists in that they treated illnesses and mixed medicines.

Christopher is particularly talented at solving puzzles and when his master is found murdered, it’s up to him to figure out who did it. But what he uncovers is much more complex, dangerous and magical than he could have ever imagined. As things progress he must fight, not only for what is right, but to stay alive!

 

Remembrance Day

Ms. Haigh

“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it” – George Santayaimg_2383

Remembrance day is the time for Canadians to come together to remember those members of our armed forces who died in battle and to consider the implications of war. At Alpha library we have a number of books related to the military, to help you remember the past and we have an especially good collection of books on World War I and World War II. 

Come check out the display of non-fiction books in our window for some ideas of what to read next.
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And if historical fiction is your thing, check out the fiction books in the window that take place during periods of war.

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Some of my personal favourite stories all take place during World War II:

  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak –> Narrated by “death” this book tells the story of a young German girl who steals books banned by the Nazis to learn to read.
  • The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne –> The son of a Nazi officer befriends a boy in a concentration camp.
  • City of Thieves by David Benioff –> A young man in Russia goes on the impossible task of finding eggs for the Colonel’s daughter’s wedding cake, or else he dies.
  • All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer –> Told in alternating points of view between a blind girl in German occupied France, and a young genius boy who is recruited by the Nazi’s and whose paths inevitably cross.