8 Recently Added Titles to Read This Weekend

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

AKA: Love, Simon - coming out in theatres March 16, 2018. 

Quick, you have time! Read this much-loved tale of 16-year-old, not-so-openly gay Simon before the movie comes out and be that person who can say they read the book first. 

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

The newest novel from our Canadian literary queen, Margaret Atwood. 

In The Heart Goes Last, Atwood takes us to the gated community of Consilience. If you sign a life contract, you can be a resident of Consilience - you'll get a job; a lovely house - you'll also have to alternate months serving as an inmate in the Positron prison system. 

In the visionary style of The Handmaids Tale and Alias Grace, Atwood does it again. 

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

From the publisher: 

"Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul."

You'll laugh, you'll cry. Soon to be a movie, starring Tom Hanks. 

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Confession time: Stephanie Perkins novels are a guilty pleasure of mine. Quirky, socially awkward characters that happen to fall in earth-shaking love with an unlikely match... What more could you want from a YA romance? 

Chasers of the Light: Poems from the Typewriter Series by Tyler Knott Gregson

You know you've seen his work before - typically as an aesthetically pleasing instagram post, all vintage type set and soul-wrenching one liners. 

Typewritten poems on found scraps of paper, blackout poetry - this poetry collection is CRAZY BEAUTIFUL and guaranteed to claw at your heart in the best way possible.

Also, pro-tip: excellent resource for instagram captions (just remember to cite your source!)

The Pain Eater by Beth Goobie

Warning: this book is heavy. This is a story about rape culture, victim-blaming, and all the reasons why sexual assault victims don't speak up. It's not a light read. But it's definitely worth reading.  

Maddy Malone is 14 when she is raped by three boys from her school. That's not a spoiler - that's the first line of the novel.  Maddy never tells anyone. A year later, one of her attackers transfers into her English class. 

At times, this book is BIG TIME overwhelming. You'll know best if this is a book for you. It's not an easy read, but it's important.

The Art of Picking Up Girls (and Other Dangerous Things) by Eric Walters

From the publisher: 

"Still reeling from a breakup with his long-term girlfriend, Graham Fox is less than thrilled to have to move to a new city and switch schools for senior year. But his decision to keep his head down and just get through the year is quickly challenged by Ethan Frost, former basketball player and trouble maker, whose talent at getting girls to go out with him is unmatched. In fact, he seems to have it down to an infallible science. Almost. Graham soon finds himself playing the role of wingman, as Ethan plunges them into a whirlwind of all-ages clubs, diners, support groups -- anywhere there's a chance to meet girls. Distracted from his own pain, Graham finds himself absorbing the "lessons" from Ethan, turning meeting girls into a game. That is, until he meets someone who challenges everything Ethan has taught him."

Every Hidden Thing by Kenneth Oppel

Picture: Indiana Jones meets Romeo & Juliet. So... yeah. 

Set in the late 1800s, down deep in the Badlands - two competing archaeologists are working feverishly, each hoping to be the one to unearth a discovery beyond anything the world has ever seen. In the mix are two teenagers - Rachel and Samuel: respective children of the two rival archaeologists.

I'm not going to lie - I want to read this one. Adventure & romance in a hot, sandy desert seems just the remedy for a cold and rainy Ladysmith weekend.