‘Swept away’ upon a river
“What a wonderful story! I loved it from cover to cover:” librarians top recommendations
With the Loan Stars program, librarians across Canada vote on the book titles coming out each month that they believe should be available in the country’s library systems. Here are the top titles for December:
1. Once Upon a River, Diane Setterfield, Doubleday Canada
2. A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy, Alex White, Orbit
3. A Murdered Peace, Candace Robb, WW Norton
4. North of Dawn, Nuruddin Farah, Riverhead Books
5. Broken Ground, Val McDermid, Grove/Atlantic
6. A Star-Wheeled Sky, Brad R. Torgersen, Baen
7. The Three Secret Cities, Matthew Reilly, Gallery Books
8. Say What You Mean, Oren Jay Sofer, Shambhala
9. David Tamarkin, Little, Brown and Company
There are, unusually, no Canadian titles on this month’s top picks. And, also unusually, there are only nine titles instead of 10.
That’s because the number 10 slot — the title of which I can’t mention here because it’s no longer a Loan Star — was taken by a book mistakenly labelled a new title when it was actually a reprint.
About Once Upon a River, one librarian said: “What a wonderful story! I loved it from cover to cover. This is what they mean when they say ‘swept away’ by a book.” — Anna Rowe, Brantford Public Library.
A Murdered Peace struck a chord: “Great characters, captivating story!” — Malcolm Barker, Greater Victoria Public Library
Say What You Mean might be the perfect read heading into the new year: “A great in-depth yet accessible approach to the intersections of mindfulness and non-violent communication.” — Allana Hiscock, Greater Victoria Public Library
Loan Stars’ monthly lists of the top 10 upcoming books are voted on by library staff across Canada and organized by BookNet Canada and the Canadian Urban Libraries Council.
More information is available at loanstars.ca. Deborah Dundas is the Star's Books editor. She is based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: debdundas.