KPU Library: KPU Reads: Fiction

'A Delhi Obsession' is a book that you do not want to leave down, as you want to know further...also some of the tourist attractions mentioned brought back memories to me, so the book holds a special place in my travel memories."

--Yasmin J., KPU Library

"Metis author Dimaline creates a modern retelling of the traditional Rogarou stories. The Rogarou is a werewolf like beast that lurks in waiting, preying on unsuspecting victims. Following a series of unfortunate events, our protagonist Joan turns Rogarou hunter!"

--Rachel C., KPU Library

Description: At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter in this "intricate and extraordinary" Hugo Award winning novel of power, oppression, and revolution. (The New York Times).

"This is the first novel in the Broken Earth trilogy and one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. It's set in a complicated and nuanced world of environmental destruction and survival. There's prejudice and passion, magic and beauty, and human flaws and feeling. The worldbuilding is spectacular and I've truly never read anything like it. All three novels in this series won a Hugo Award...for good reason!"

-- Kelsey C., KPU Library

Description: Taken from their families when they are very small and sent to a remote, church-run residential school, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie are barely out of childhood when they are finally released after years of detention. Alone and without any skills, support or families, the teens find their way to the seedy and foreign world of Downtown Eastside Vancouver, where they cling together, striving to find a place of safety and belonging in a world that doesn't want them. The paths of the five friends cross and crisscross over the decades as they struggle to overcome, or at least forget, the trauma they endured during their years at the Mission. With compassion and insight, Five Little Indians chronicles the desperate quest of these residential school survivors to come to terms with their past and, ultimately, find a way forward.

"Nuanced with understanding, these stories will help you see the world through a more compassionate lens." -- Tracy S., Faculty of Arts
Read the full review at Tracy's book review blog, Cover to Cover (https://tinyurl.com/y223phzd)

"Read this book. Whether you're a budding environmentalist, a downright tree hugger or neither of the two, give it a go. I opened this book on holiday in Tofino, knowing I had just two days to read its 512 pages before it was due back at the public library. I thought I would give it 50 pages and if I didn’t like it, I could return it. If I loved it, I could either buy a copy or keep it a few days overdue. As it happens, neither choice was necessary because I devoured it over the two days."
--Tracy S., Faculty of Arts
Read the full review at Tracy's book review blog, Cover to Cover (https://tinyurl.com/y7vztl6g)

"I can’t recommend it highly enough. It is about the history of the Los Angeles Central library and includes a little bit of everything including a crime drama. The book brought back many fond memories of hanging out in my local library. I always knew librarians were fascinating people but this book will change many people’s minds about who works at the library."

--Gillian W., Faculty of Health

"Milkman, by Anna Burns, was awarded the 2018 Man Booker prize. Such an amazing read! Set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, Milkman is a coming–of-age story like no other. The narrator’s story is told in digressive and ruminative manner that is similar to stream of consciousness, allowing us insight into her strong and unique voice. Although set in an urban war zone, this is not a political novel. It is about sexual surveillance, conflict between a girl and her community, and the consequences of inaction and silence. I highly recommend it."

-- Diane P., Faculty of Arts

". I would highly recommend ‘The Piano Tuner’ by Daniel Mason. It’s a real page turner with the main character going from England to Asia to tune a piano in the middle of the jungle in a military camp. The book intertwines the concepts of music, love, sacrifices, war, alliances, and nature."

-- Silvana S., Future Students' Office

Description: What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales? When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius--his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse. Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic.

"This romance book takes that classic 'rivals to romance' trope and remakes it into something really special! It's laugh out loud funny, it's tender, it's racy, and it's heart-wrenching. I was so invested in Henry and Alex's relationship I found myself hollering at my book during the ups and downs. I was also surprisingly caught up in the election that takes place in this book, and evoked true emotion from me at its outcome."

-- Kelsey, KPU Library

"Someone Else’s Garden by Dipika Rai is a story about Mamta as a representative of how women are treated in traditional rural India in a fiercely patriarchal society, and how the women learn to take back their power through supporting each other. Mamta is a true hero.
This book heled me understand more deeply the struggles of the women who are brought to Canada as arranged brides and how their lives may unfold. Very enlightening. Written with amazing imagery and evocative diction."

-- Michelle I., Faculty of Science and Horticulture

"The audiobook of The Testaments by Margaret Atwood was sitting on my iPod pre-pandemic. It’s been quite some time since I read A Handmaid’s Tale; I did see the 1990 film version, but have not been watching the television series, so was wondering if I would be lost listening to this sequel. I wasn’t. Atwood’s enduringly impressive power over the English language pulls you in, and I remembered more of the original novel as the audiobook progressed. It’s no surprise this won the Booker. The actors narrating the text are also excellent. I certainly don’t want to give anything away, but will say it was a very satisfying follow up to the original novel."

--Lisa H., KPU Library

"For anyone trying to understand the American psyche [during this time of U.S. turmoil], read James Michener’s Texas, which includes an explanation of that most American of policing organizations, The Texas Rangers."

--Blair H., Faculty of Arts

"This is a book that we read in my bookclub. The story is mainly about a young slave woman, Cora, and her relentless will to escape from her bondage. It is a difficult read in that it vividly depicts the horrific treatment of African American slaves, and this may be hard for some to absorb. But this brutality was real - and still is in many ways. A reviewer in the NY Times called the book "essential to our understanding of the American past and the American present"."

-- Ulrike K., KPU Library

"[This book] puts the reader in the position of being a member of a jury deciding the fate of a young man accused of murder. I found it to be a fascinating dive into the role our cultures and privilege play in considering “facts”.

-- Laura M., Faculty of Trades and Technology