Braille Books Acquired: Winter 2020

Welcome

Welcome to Braille Books Acquired. This quarterly newsletter contains a list of Braille books recently acquired by the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA).

In this issue:

Announcements

Although the majority of these books have been published within the last 5 years, there may be some books listed here which are older, but which were only recently added to our collection. To make this clearer for you, we include the date of the print version of each book at the end of its annotation.

Bookshare

CELA offers approximately 700,000 accessible titles, many of them through our partnership with Bookshare, an accessible reading organization in the US. Bookshare’s collection includes bestsellers and popular fiction, nonfiction and books for all ages, and new Bookshare titles are being added to the CELA collection every week. Through our new platform CELA patrons can access these Bookshare titles in electronic and physical braille formats, dramatically increasing the number of braille titles available to our patrons who prefer braille.

In order to access Bookshare materials, patrons must fill out the Bookshare proof of disability form and provide proof of disability. A CNIB card can act as proof of disability, or patrons will require a signature from a certifying professional which would include a family doctor, ophthalmologist, optometrist or a low vision specialist. The form is available on our website and our Contact Centre is also able to assist you.

Holds

As part of our system upgrade, patrons are now able to remove or reorder their holds. If you access to your account on our website, you can use the options in My Account to manage your holds. The CELA Contact Centre is available to assist patrons in managing, removing or reordering their holds.

Printbraille

A selection of printbraille books is currently available to patrons. Printbraille adapts a picture book with a braille overlay and are perfect for both budding braille readers and for adult braille readers who want to read to children. Our printbraille request form can be found on our website in the Kids and Teens section. Printbraille can also be ordered over the phone with the Contact Centre. Up to three printbraille titles may be requested at a time.

Holidays

The CELA Contact Centre will be closed for Family Day on Monday, February 17, 2020 as well as Good Friday, April 10 and Easter Monday April 13.

Open Book

Open Book is CELA’s free patron newsletter. Each month Open Book is filled with book features and recommendations, news from the literary world, service tips and information about our collection, website and services. The newsletter is available by email and previous issues are available on our website. You can subscribe through the website or by calling into the Contact Centre.

Braille Books Acquired is now available by e-mail. If you would like to receive it in this format, please get in touch with the CELA Contact Centre at 1-855-655-2273, or by e-mail at help@celalibrary.ca. Thank you.

Uncontracted braille

Gay and lesbian fiction

2865418 Be my love: a novel by Kit Pearson. 1 volume of Braille (259 pages). For as long as she can remember, Maisie has spent her summers on Kingfisher Island. She and her beloved cousin Una run wild, and Maisie feels the warm embrace of her big, extended family. This summer Maisie needs that escape more than ever. But now everything on Kingfisher has changed: Una has returned from her mainland school a sophisticated young woman too mature for childish games, and even worse, she has an all-consuming infatuation with David Meyer, both an old friend and an older man. Soon Maisie finds herself playing second fiddle - jealous of Una and David's closeness, and unsure of what those feelings mean. When Maisie's greatest attempt to maintain the special magic of her friendship with Una goes up in smoke, it seems as though all is lost. But with an enormous revelation, and a heartrending intervention, Maisie may finally discover the strength she needs to find the same peace that the island has brought her within herself. Grades 5-8. 2019.

Historical fiction

2866967 Orange for the sunsets by Tina Athaide. 1 volume of Braille (341 pages). In alternating voices, friends Asha and Yesofu, one Indian and one African, find their world turned upside-down when Idi Amin decides to expel Asian Indians from Uganda in 1972. Grades 3-6. 2019.

Self help

2907474 After life: ways we think about death by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox. 1 volume of Braille (175 pages). Moving between science and culture, Wilcox takes a straightforward look at the fascinating, diverse ways in which we understand death, both today and throughout our history. Each chapter includes a brief telling of a death legend, myth or history from a different culture or tradition, from Adam and Eve to Wolf and Coyote, and ends with a section on a common theme in our thinking about death, such as rivers and birds in the afterlife, the colors that different cultures use to symbolize death, and, of course, ghosts. Grades 4-7. 2018.

Fiction for young adults

Gay and lesbian fiction

2866974 The love & lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan. 1 volume of Braille (513 pages). Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali is looking forward to going to Caltech and getting away from her conservative Muslim parents' expectation that she will marry, especially since she is in love with her girlfriend Ariana. But when her parents catch her kissing Ariana, they whisk Rukhsana off to Bangladesh and a world of tradition and arranged marriages, and she must find the courage to fight for the right to choose her own path. For junior and senior high readers. 2019.

Multi-cultural fiction

2866972 The beauty of the moment by Tanaz Bhathena. 1 volume of Braille (259 pages). After her family moves from Saudi Arabia to Canada, Susan Thomas strives to meet her parents' expectations of excellence. Malcolm Vakil is the bad boy who started raising hell at age fifteen, after his mom died of cancer. Susan wants to be an artist. Malcolm doesn't know what he wants - until he meets her. In spite of their differences - and their burdens - Susan and Malcolm fall for each other. As they drift apart and come back together, will they be able to be true to who they are? For junior and senior high readers. 2019.

Mysteries and crime stories

2908563 You owe me a murder by Eileen Cook. 1 volume of Braille (387 pages). Kim's boyfriend dumped her - and now she's stuck on a class trip to London with him and his new soulmate. Kim can't help wishing Connor was a little bit dead, even if she'd never really do that. On the plane she meets Nicki, who is more than willing to listen to Kim’s woes. When Nicki jokes about swapping murders, Kim plays along - that is, until Kim's ex-boyfriend mysteriously dies. Blackmailed by Nicki to fulfill her end of the deal, Kim will have to commit a murder, or take the fall for one. For junior and senior high readers. 2019.

2866973 Sadie by Courtney Summers. 1 volume of Braille (444 pages). Sadie's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated Colorado town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. When Mattie is found dead, and the police investigation is botched, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice. She hits the road following a few meager clues. When West McCray, a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America, hears Sadie's story, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late. For senior high readers. 2018.

School stories

2866968 The field guide to the North American teenager by Ben Philippe. 1 volume of Braille (527 pages). Norris Kaplan is clever, cynical, and quite possibly too smart for his own good. A Black French Canadian whose family just moved to Austin, Texas, Norris finds himself cataloging everyone he meets: the Cheerleaders, the Jocks, the Loners, and even the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. He's amusing himself until it's time to go back to Canada. But soon those labels become actual people: loner Liam, who makes it his mission to befriend Norris; Madison the beta cheerleader, who is so nice that it has to be a trap. And Aarti the Manic Pixie Dream Girl might be a real love interest in the making. When Norris screws everything up royally on prom night, will he be able to stop hiding behind his snarky opinions, and start living his life? For junior and senior high readers. 2019.

Fiction for adults

Christian fiction

2450397 To the moon and back: a novel by Karen Kingsbury. 1 volume of Braille (494 pages). Brady Bradshaw was a child when the Oklahoma City bombing took his mother from him. Every year, Brady visits the site on the anniversary to remember her. A decade ago on that day, he met Jenna Phillips, who was also a child when her parents were killed in the attack. Brady and Jenna shared a deep heart connection and a single beautiful day together at the memorial. But after that, Brady never saw Jenna again. Every year when he returns, he leaves a note for her in hopes that he might find her again. This year, Ashley Baxter Blake and her sister Kari Ryan take a spring break trip with their families that includes a visit to the site to see the memorial's famous Survivor Tree. While there, Ashley spots a young man, alone and troubled. A chance moment leads Ashley to help the young man find the girl he can't forget - Jenna Phillips. Ashley's family is skeptical, but in the end everyone comes together to support Ashley's efforts to find the girl and bring them together. But will it work? And is a shared heartache enough reason to fall in love? 2018.

Family stories

2381224 Act of will by Barbara Taylor Bradford. 18 volumes of Braille. Moving from the bleak Yorkshire Dales, to London, and on to the glamorous world of New York haute couture, "Act of will" tells the story of three generations of beautiful women: Audra, the impoverished children's nanny; Christina, who won world renown as a fashion designer; and rebellious Kyle, who chafes against her mother's success - and in whom her grandmother's spirit of duty and sacrifice is reborn. 1986.

2445147 The favoured child by Philippa Gregory. 24 volumes of Braille. A continuation of the saga of the Lacey family. The Wideacre Estate is bankrupt and Wideacre Hall is a smoke-blackened ruin. Richard and Julia, equal claimants to the inheritance, grow up in protected innocence, but as they reach adulthood they must face the dark side of the legacy. The secrets of the past cannot remain hidden forever. The truth must be known, only one can be the "Favoured Child." Sequel to "Wideacre", followed by "Meridon." 2001. 

2445021 Meridon by Philippa Gregory. 22 volumes of Braille. Set in the savage contrasts of Georgian England, it tells of a young woman's struggle to save herself from poverty and hardship - and of the price she has to pay. Passionate, sensual, committed, the story sweeps from the small towns and countryside of southern England to the sparkle and bitter wit of the drawing rooms of London. Sequel to "The favoured child." 2002.

2558405 Elmet by Fiona Mozley. 8 volumes of Braille. Daniel is heading north. The simplicity of his early life with Daddy and his sister Cathy has turned sour and fearful. Sometimes Daddy disappeared, and would return with a rage in his eyes. But when he was at home he was at peace. He told them that the little copse in Elmet was theirs alone. But that wasn't true. Local men, greedy and watchful, began to circle like vultures. All the while, the terrible violence in Daddy grew. 2017.

2449167 A sparrow falls by Wilbur Smith. 22 volumes of Braille. Sean Courtney, who made and lost 5 million pounds on the goldfields of the Witwatersrand and fought his way through the Anglo-Boer war, now makes his final appearance as soldier, statesman, and power in the land. War and bitter estrangement have lost him two sons. But when fortune brings him Mark Anders, Sean is drawn into a drama as turbulent as any in his life. Sequel to "Sound of thunder," followed by "The burning shore." 1997.

Fantasy

2866969 Black leopard, red wolf by Marlon James. 1 volume of Braille (988 pages). Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy. The band is a hodgepodge, full of unusual characters with secrets of their own, including a shape-shifting man-animal known as Leopard. As Tracker follows the boy's scent - from one ancient city to another - into dense forests and across deep rivers, he and the band are set upon by creatures intent on destroying them. As he struggles to survive, Tracker starts to wonder: Who, really, is this boy? Why has he been missing for so long? Why do so many people want to keep Tracker from finding him? And perhaps the most important questions of all: Who is telling the truth, and who is lying? Bestseller. 2019.

General fiction

2908548 The empress of Idaho by Todd Babiak. 1 volume of Braille (454 pages). Summer 1989. Fourteen-year-old Adam Lisinski is a star in his small town of Monument, Colorado. He's poised to be a starter on his high school football team, even though he's only a sophomore. He has a part-time job at Eugene's Gas Stop where he works with his best friend, Simon Kinoro. Adam would see his girlfriend, Phoebe Brandt, more if he could, but he makes do with time alone at Monument Lake after her ballet lessons. His mother, Helen, euthanizes sick animals all day at the veterinary clinic. She loves him dearly, but Adam knows she worries. And then Beatrice Cyr arrives in Monument, and Adam is distracted from everything that matters to him. He's mesmerized the second she steps out of his neighbour Marv Walker's truck, and desperate to be around her even if he's confused about what she wants or where she comes from. Soon, Beatrice finds ways to be alone with him - in the change room at Modern You, the clothing store on Second Street, at the movie theatre, in Marv's truck - and Adam's hopelessly caught between wanting to be with her and lying to everyone he loves. And when Beatrice convinces Helen to quit her job and undertake an ambitious real estate venture, Adam's forced to make an impossible choice. 2019.

2447180 The secret scripture by Sebastian Barry. 8 volumes of Braille. Roseanne McNulty faces an uncertain future, as the Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital where she's spent the best part of her adult life prepares for closure. Over the weeks leading up to this upheaval, she talks often with her psychiatrist Dr Grene, and their relationship intensifies and complicates. Refracted through the haze of memory and retelling, Roseanne's story becomes an alternative, secret history of Ireland's changing character and the story of a life blighted by terrible mistreatment and ignorance, and yet marked still by love and passion and hope. 2008.

2450497 History of wolves by Emily Fridlund. 10 volumes of Braille. Fourteen-year-old Linda lives with her parents in an ex-commune beside a lake in the beautiful, austere backwoods of northern Minnesota. The other girls at school call Linda 'Freak' or 'Commie.' Her parents mostly leave her to her own devices. So when the perfect family moves into the cabin across the lake, Linda insinuates her way into their orbit. She is drawn into secrets she doesn't understand. Linda must make a choice but can she understand what the consequences will be? 2017.

2450509 Every note played: a novel by Lisa Genova. 1 volume of Braille (429 pages). A once accomplished concert pianist, Richard now has ALS. As he becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard's muscles, voice, and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their past before it's too late. This is a masterful exploration of redemption and what it means to find peace inside of forgiveness. 2018.

2446636 Still me by Jojo Moyes. 1 volume of braille (802 pages). Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She is thrown into the world of the super-rich Gopniks: Leonard and his much younger second wife, Agnes, and a never-ending array of household staff and hangers-on. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her job and New York life within this privileged world. Before she knows what's happening, Lou is mixing in New York high society, where she meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. As Lou tries to keep the two sides of her world together, she finds herself carrying secrets - not all her own - that cause a catastrophic change in her circumstances. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself, Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you reconcile a heart that lives in two places? Bestseller. Sequel to "After you." 2018.

Ghost and horror stories

2445252 The silk factory by Judith Allnatt. 12 volumes of Braille. Rosie Milford inherits a house in an old silk factory after her mother’s death and moves there with her young children. The discovery of a shocking truth about her own childhood fills her with distrust and fearfulness. Then she starts seeing a strange child, wandering in the garden. In 1812, orphan Beulah Fiddement works as a bobbin winder and has secrets that her master would go to any lengths to get. Beulah’s story of guilt and bravery will echo down two centuries and change Rosie’s life as she struggles to overcome the hand of her own past and find redemption. 2016.

2444884 Florence & Giles by John Harding. 8 volumes of Braille. 1891. In a remote and crumbling New England mansion, 12-year-old orphan Florence is neglected by her guardian uncle and banned from reading. By night, she sleepwalks the corridors like one of the old house's many ghosts and is troubled by a recurrent dream in which a mysterious woman appears to threaten her younger brother Giles. After the sudden violent death of the children's first governess, a second teacher, Miss Taylor, arrives, and immediately strange phenomena begin to occur. Florence becomes convinced that the new governess is a vengeful and malevolent spirit who means to do Giles harm. Against this powerful supernatural enemy, and without any adult to whom she can turn for help, Florence must use all her intelligence and ingenuity to both protect her little brother and preserve her private world. Followed by "The girl who couldn't read." 2010.

Historical fiction 

2445141 Sword song by Bernard Cornwell. 12 volumes of Braille. The year is 885, and England is at peace, divided between the Danish kingdom to the north and Alfred's kingdom of Wessex in the south. But the Vikings have arrived to occupy London. It is a dangerous time and it falls to Uhtred, half Saxon, half Dane, a man feared and respected the length and breadth of Britain, to expel the Viking raiders and take control of London for Alfred. Sequel to "Lords of the North," followed by "The burning land." 2007.

2445142 The burning land by Bernard Cornwell. 14 volumes of Braille. In the last years of the ninth century, King Alfred of Wessex is in failing health, and his heir is an untested youth. The Danes, who have failed so many times to conquer Wessex, smell opportunity! First comes Harald Bloodhair, a savage warrior leading a Viking horde, who is encouraged to cruelty by his woman, Skade. But Alfred still has the services of Uhtred, his unwilling warlord, who leads Harald into a trap and, at Farnham in Surrey, inflicts one of the greatest defeats the Vikings were ever to suffer. This fifth volume tells of the final assaults on Alfred's Wessex. Sequel to "Sword song," followed by "Death of kings." 2009.

2444885 Death of kings by Bernard Cornwell. 12 volumes of Braille. King Alfred is dying and his passing threatens the renewal of warfare to the island of Britain. Alfred wants his son, Edward, to succeed him but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north. Sequel to "The burning land," followed by "The pagan lord." 2011.

2451424 Mothering Sunday by Rosie Goodwin. 16 volumes of Braille. It's 1884 and 14-year-old Sunday Small has been in the Nuneaton workhouse since she was abandoned at birth. The regime is cruel, but Sunday has the lovely Miss Beau who comes in every week to teach the inmate children their letters, and her dear little friend Daisy. She's attracted the unwelcome attention of the workhouse master, who will stop at nothing to get her alone. It's time for Sunday to strike out alone in the world. Followed by "The little angel." 2017.

2445229 The other Boleyn girl by Philippa Gregory. 24 volumes of Braille. When Henry VIII tires of pretty young Mary Boleyn, her powerful family instructs her to promote her sister, Anne, as a replacement. But Anne Boleyn, newly returned from the French court, intelligent and spirited, doesn’t agree to be Henry’s mistress, only his wife. Pitting the king’s desperation for an heir against his powerful advisors, Wolsey, Cromwell and Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, what Anne brings about will change the course of a country’s history. Sequel to "Three sisters, three queens," followed by "The Boleyn inheritance." 2011.

2421404 The Boleyn inheritance by Philippa Gregory. 12 volumes of Braille. The year is 1539 and the court of Henry VIII is increasingly fearful at the moods of the aging sick king. With only a baby in the cradle for an heir, Henry has to take another wife and the dangerous prize of the crown of England is won by Anne of Cleves. She has her own good reasons for agreeing to marry a man old enough to be her father, in a country where to her both language and habits are foreign. Although fascinated by the glamour of her new surroundings, she senses a trap closing around her. Sequel to "The other Boleyn girl," followed by "The taming of the queen." 2006.

2908543 Daisy Jones & The Six: a novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 1 volume of Braille (517 pages). Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it's the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she's twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she's pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend. Bestseller. 2019

2908541 The gown: a novel of the royal wedding by Jennifer Robson. 1 volume of Braille (643 pages). London, 1947: Burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation in spite of their nation's recent victory. Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers in the Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell, have forged an unlikely friendship. Their bond, along with their hopes for a brighter future, are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth's wedding gown. Toronto, 2016: Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan come to possess the priceless embroideries, so similar to the exquisite motifs that embellished the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding more than sixty years before? Bestseller. 2019

2450598 Bachelor girl: a novel by Kim Van Alkemade. 1 volume of Braille (697 pages). When the owner of the New York Yankees baseball team, Colonel Jacob Ruppert, takes Helen Winthrope, a young actress, under his wing, she thinks it's because of his guilt over her father's accidental death - and so does Albert Kramer, Ruppert's handsome personal secretary. Helen and Albert develop a deepening bond the closer they become to Ruppert, an eccentric millionaire who demands their loyalty in return for his lavish generosity. New York in the Jazz Age is filled with possibilities, especially for the young and single. Yet even as Helen embraces being a "bachelor girl" - a working woman living on her own terms - she finds herself falling in love with Albert, even after he confesses his darkest secret. When Ruppert dies, rumors swirl about his connection to Helen after the stunning revelation that he has left her the bulk of his fortune, which includes Yankee Stadium. But it is only when Ruppert's own secrets are finally revealed that Helen and Albert will be forced to confront the truth about their relationship to him - and to each other. Inspired by factual events. Bestseller. 2018.

Humorous fiction

2430747 The showrunner by Kim Moritsugu. 1 volume of Braille (410 pages). Rising-star showrunner Stacey McCreedy has one goal: to leave behind her nerd-girl origins and become a power player - like Ann Dalloni, her former mentor and current producing partner. Ann, meanwhile, is feeling her age and losing her mind. But she'll be damned if she cedes control of their hit primetime TV show to Stacey. After Ann hires Jenna, a young actress hoping to restart her stalled career, as an assistant, the relationship between Ann and Stacey deteriorates into a blood feud. Soon, Jenna must choose whom to support and whom to betray to achieve her own ends. And Stacey will find out if she possesses the killer instinct that's needed to stay on top. 2018.

2436046 When life gives you lululemons: a novel by Lauren Weisberger. 1 volume of Braille (589 pages). Welcome to Greenwich, CT, where the lawns and the women are perfectly manicured, the Tito's and sodas are extra strong, and everyone has something to say about the infamous new neighbor. Let's be clear: Emily Charlton, Miranda Priestly's ex-assistant, does not do the suburbs. She's working in Hollywood as an image consultant to the stars, but recently, Emily's lost a few clients. She's hopeless with social media. The new guard is nipping at her heels. She needs a big opportunity, and she needs it now. Karolina Hartwell is as A-list as they come. She's the former face of L'Oréal. A mega-supermodel recognized the world over. And now, the gorgeous wife of the newly elected senator from New York, Graham, who also has his eye on the presidency. It's all very Kennedy-esque, right down to the public philandering and Karolina's arrest for a DUI - with a Suburban full of other people's children. Miriam is the link between them. Until recently she was a partner at one of Manhattan's most prestigious law firms. But when Miriam moves to Greenwich and takes time off to spend with her children, she never could have predicted that being a stay-at-home mom in an uber-wealthy town could have more pitfalls than a stressful legal career. Emily, Karolina, and Miriam make an unlikely trio, but they desperately need each other. Together, they'll navigate the social landmines of life in America's favorite suburb on steroids, revealing the truths - and the lies - that simmer just below the glittering surface. Bestseller. 2018.

Multi-cultural fiction

2867015 Celestial bodies: Sayyidat al-qamar by Jūkhah Ḥārithī. 1 volume of Braille (370 pages). In the village of al-Awafi in Oman live three sisters. Mayya marries after a heartbreak. Asma marries from a sense of duty. Khawla rejects all offers while waiting for her beloved, who has emigrated to Canada. "Celestial bodies" is the story of the history and people of modern Oman told through one family's losses and loves. 2019.

2450332 Ayesha at last: a novel by Uzma Jalaluddin. 1 volume of Braille (582 pages). Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn't want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid, who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices and dresses like he belongs in the seventh century. When a surprise engagement between Khalid and Hafsa is announced, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and his family, and the truth she realizes about herself. But Khalid is also wrestling with what he believes and what he wants. And he just can't get this beautiful, outspoken woman out of his mind. 2018.

2450142 Home fire by Kamila Shamsie. 8 volumes of Braille. Isma is free. After years spent raising her twin siblings in the wake of their mother's death, she is finally studying in America. But she can't stop worrying about Aneeka, her beautiful, headstrong sister back in London. Their brother, Parvaiz, has disappeared to prove himself to the dark legacy of the jihadist father he never knew. Then Eamonn enters the sisters' lives. As the son of a powerful British Muslim politician, Eamonn has his own birthright to live up to or defy. Is he to be a chance at love? Women's Prize for Fiction winner, 2018. 2017.

Mysteries and crime stories

2404555 Lone wolf by Linwood Barclay. 12 volumes of Braille. Newspaper writer, family man, and reluctant hero Zack Walker has stumbled onto some dicey stories before, but nothing like what he's about to uncover when a mutilated corpse is found at his father's lakeside fishing camp. As always, Zack fears the worst. And this time, his paranoid worldview is dead-on. While the locals attribute the death to a bear attack, Zack suspects something far more ominous - a predator whose weapons include arson, assault, and enough wacko beliefs to fuel a dozen hate groups. Then another body is discovered and a large supply of fertilizer goes missing, evoking memories of the Oklahoma City bombing. 2006.

2446268 The flight attendant: a novel by Chris Bohjalian. 1 volume of Braille (584 pages). Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She's a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police -- she's a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home -- Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it's too late to come clean, or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did? 2018.

2431627 The trap by Kimberley Chambers. 16 volumes of Braille. The Butlers are the kings of the East End, Vinny and Roy are the apple of their mum's eye. Queenie knows they can play dirty, but when it comes to family they look after business and make her proud. But Vinny seems to have crossed the wrong person and his cards are marked. And with the brothers joined at the hip, Roy may just be in the firing line too. One bloody night sets Vinny on the path of desperate vengeance, but will the Butlers emerge stronger than ever, or is the East End code of honour as good as dead? Followed by "Payback." 2013.

2412351 Payback by Kimberley Chambers. 14 volumes of Braille. Family. They're supposed to watch your back, not stab you in it. When the enemy is one of your own, the payback is twice as hard. The Butler brothers are the Kings of the East End, and their motto is 'what goes around, comes around.' In their world, family counts; so when the truth about Vinny's cousin's death comes to light, it rocks the Butlers to the core. One by one, Vinny's friends and family are turning against him. Then, the unimaginable happens - Vinny's little daughter Molly goes missing. She's the one chink of light in all their lives, and the one they'd commit murders to bring back. But is it already too late for that? Sequel to "The trap," followed by "The wronged." 2013.

2445251 The wronged by Kimberley Chambers. 16 volumes of Braille. Vinny Butler has used his time in prison well: to plan the downfall of all who've wronged him. Vinny's brother Michael may think he's the top dog running the family business, but it won't last when Vinny finds out how good his brother's got it. Meanwhile, Vinny is incensed when he finds out that Joanna had a baby in secret while he was in prison, but that's nothing compared to his anger when he finds out who the father is. The Butlers are at war, and they're taking everyone down with them; it's all going to end in flames. Sequel to "Payback," followed by "Tainted love." 2015.

2445158 Tainted love by Kimberley Chambers. 16 volumes of Braille. It’s the 1980s and although the East End’s heyday is over, one family still rules the manor. Michael and Vinny Butler have always provided for their own and made sure business stopped at the front door. But the old ways are changing. Women and children are fair game and nothing can protect them. Bella's dark secret has the power to destroy the Butler brothers' bond once and for all. Meanwhile, Little Vinny's past is about to catch up with him. Sequel to "The wronged," followed by "Backstabber." 2016.

2450108 Port mortuary by Patricia Cornwell. 14 volumes of Braille. Kay Scarpetta has been training at the Dover Port Mortuary, mastering the art of 'virtual autopsy' - a groundbreaking procedure that could soon revolutionise forensic science. And it is not too long before these new skills urgently need to be put into practice. A young man drops dead, apparently from a heart condition, eerily close to Scarpetta's home. But when his body is examined the next morning, there are stunning indications that he may have been alive when he was zipped inside a pouch and locked inside the cooler. Sequel to "The Scarpetta factor," followed by "Red mist." 2010.

2866971 Look alive twenty-five: a Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich. 1 volume of Braille (437 pages). Stephanie Plum faces the toughest puzzle of her career in the twenty-fifth entry in Janet Evanovich's bestselling series. There's nothing like a good deli, and the Red River Deli in Trenton is one of the best. World-famous for its pastrami, cole slaw, and for its disappearing managers. Over the last month, three have vanished from the face of the earth, and the only clue in each case is one shoe that's been left behind. The police are baffled. Lula is convinced that it's a case of alien abduction. Whatever it is, they'd better figure out what's going on before they lose their new manager, Ms. Stephanie Plum. Sequel to "Hardcore twenty-four." Bestseller. 2018.

2450337 The secret place by Tana French. 20 volumes of Braille. The photo shows a boy who was murdered a year ago. The caption says, 'I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.' Detective Stephen Moran hasn't seen Holly Mackey since she was a 9-year-old witness to the events of Faithful Place. Now she's 16 and she's shown up outside his squad room, with a photograph and a story. Even in her exclusive boarding school, in the graceful golden world that Stephen has always longed for, bad things happen and people have secrets. The previous year, Christopher Harper, from the neighbouring boys' school, was found murdered on the grounds. And today, in the Secret Place - the school noticeboard where girls can pin up their secrets anonymously - Holly found the card. Sequel to "Broken Harbour," followed by "The trespasser." 2014.

2908542 The perfect couple: a novel by Elin Hilderbrand. 1 volume of Braille (644 pages). It's Nantucket wedding season, also known as summer. The sight of a bride racing down Main Street is as common as the sun setting at Madaket Beach. The Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: the groom's wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate. But it's going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony, and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash interviews the bride, the groom, the groom's famous mystery-novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, he discovers that every wedding is a minefield and no couple is perfect. Bestseller. 2018.

2450154 Western approaches by Graham Hurley. 12 volumes of Braille. Jimmy Suttle has finally tired of the relentless struggle against the rising tide of crime in Portsmouth. Surely a job in the West Country will offer some respite? Soon he is investigating the murder of a long-distance rower in the small town of Exmouth. Followed by "Touching distance." 2013.

2450150 Touching distance by Graham Hurley. 12 volumes of Braille. Jimmy Suttle has barely got his feet under the desk at his new job. Having flown in the face of his superiors on his first big case he now finds himself trying to track down a random, hugely skilled killer before another innocent dies and before the media tear the force apart. Sequel to "Western approaches," followed by "Sins of the father." 2013.

2450164 Sins of the father by Graham Hurley. 12 volumes of Braille. A rich old man, Rupert Moncrieff, is beaten to death in the silence of his West Country waterside mansion, his head hooded and his throat cut. His extended family are still living beneath his roof, each with their own room, their own story, their own ghosts, and their own motives for murder. And in this world of darkness and dysfunction are the artefacts and memories of colonial atrocities that are returning to haunt them all. Sequel to "Touching distance," followed by "The order of things." 2015.

2449151 Bluebird, bluebird: a novel by Attica Locke. 1 volume of Braille (469 pages). When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules - a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger, knows all too well. Deeply ambivalent about growing up black in the Lone Star state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him home. When his allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark, where two murders - a black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman - have stirred up a hornet's nest of resentment. Darren must solve the crimes - and save himself in the process - before Lark's long-simmering racial fault lines erupt. 2017.

2450412 The escape artist by Brad Meltzer. 1 volume of Braille (692 pages). Her body was found on a plane that mysteriously fell from the sky as it left a secret military base in the Alaskan wilderness. Her commanding officer verifies she's dead. The United States government confirms it. But Jim "Zig" Zigarowski has just found out the truth: Nola is still alive. And on the run. Zig works at Dover Air Force Base, helping put to rest the bodies of those who die on top-secret missions. Nola was a childhood friend of Zig's daughter and someone who once saved his daughter's life. So when Zig realizes Nola is still alive, he's determined to find her. Yet as Zig digs into Nola's past, he learns that trouble follows Nola everywhere she goes. Nola is the U.S. Army's artist-in-residence, a painter and trained soldier who rushes into battle, making art from war's aftermath and sharing observations about today's wars that would otherwise go overlooked. On her last mission, Nola saw something nobody was supposed to see, earning her an enemy unlike any other, one who will do whatever it takes to keep Nola quiet. Together, Nola and Zig will either reveal a sleight of hand being played at the highest levels of power or die trying to uncover the U.S. Army's most mysterious secret - a centuries-old conspiracy that traces back through history to the greatest escape artist of all: Harry Houdini. Bestseller. 2018.

1899880 Bullseye by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge. 4 volumes of Braille. As the most powerful men on earth gather in New York for a meeting of the UN, Detective Michael Bennett receives intelligence warning that there will be an assassination attempt on the US president. The intelligence suggests that the Russian government could be behind the plot. Tensions between America and Russia are the highest they've been since the Cold War. The details are shadowy, and Bennett finds false leads and unreliable sources at every turn. But if the plotters succeed, the shock waves will be felt across the globe. Sequel to "Alert," followed by "Haunted." Bestseller. 2016.

Romance

2445166 BR78151 Summer at the Cornish cafe by Phillipa Ashley. 10 volumes of Braille. Demi doesn't expect her summer in Cornwall to hold anything out of the ordinary. That's until she meets Cal Penwith. An outsider, like herself, Cal is persuaded to let Demi help him renovate his holiday resort, Kilhallon Park. Working side by side, they grow close, but Cal has complications in his past which make Demi wonder if he could ever truly be interested in her. 2017.

2448885 Bound by duty by Diane Gaston. 8 volumes of Braille. Tess Summerfield's life is changed forever when she's rescued from drowning by the mysterious Marc Glenville. Forced to shelter with him in a deserted cottage, she spends the night wrapped in his arms for warmth. When they are discovered the tongues of the town start wagging, and Marc knows the only way to silence them is to marry Tess. But his duties as a spy soon tear Marc away from the marriage bed. Followed by "Bound by one scandalous night." 2015.

2448889 Bound by one scandalous night by Diane Gaston. 10 volumes of Braille. On the eve of battle, Lieutenant Edmund Summerfield rescues mysterious Amelie Glenville from attack by marauding soldiers. They spend the night together but their scandalous actions have one inescapable consequence. The illegitimate son of an aristocrat, Edmund won’t consign his unborn child to the same fate, so he offers Amelie marriage. Can these two strangers turn their convenient marriage into something real? Sequel to "Bound by duty," followed by "Bound by a scandalous secret." 2016.

2448890 Bound by a scandalous secret by Diane Gaston. 10 volumes of Braille. The pleasure-seeking Marquess of Rossdale has little interest in his birthright and even less in finding a bride. So he comes up with the perfect plan to survive the Season unscathed; he will fake an engagement to a most unsuitable girl. Outspoken Genna has no wish to marry. Agreeing to be Ross's temporary fiancée will grant her freedom for a little longer. But with every kiss, both Ross and Genna must face up to what they really desire, a true match. Sequel to "Bound by one scandalous night," followed by "Bound by their secret passion." 2016. 

2908572 The mister by E. L. James. 1 volume of Braille (723 pages). London, 2019. Life has been easy for Maxim Trevelyan. With his good looks, aristocratic connections, and money, he's never had to work and he's rarely slept alone. But all that changes when tragedy strikes and Maxim inherits his family's noble title, wealth, estates, and all the responsibility that entails. It's a role he's not prepared for and one that he struggles to face. But his biggest challenge is fighting his desire for an unexpected, enigmatic young woman who's recently arrived in England, possessing little more than a dangerous and troublesome past. Reticent, beautiful, and musically gifted, she's an alluring mystery, and Maxim's longing for her deepens into a passion that he's never experienced and dares not name. Just who is Alessia Demachi? Can Maxim protect her from the malevolence that threatens her? And what will she do when she learns that he's been hiding secrets of his own? Bestseller. 2019

2392038 Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley. 1 volume of Braille (775 pages). 1759. The North American colonies of Britain and France are pulled into war, and the loyalties of many New York merchants, who have secretly been trading with the French for years, are divided. When captured French officers are brought to Long Island to be billeted in private homes, it upends the lives of the Wilde family. Lydia Wilde, struggling to keep the peace in her fracturing family following her mother’s death, has little time or kindness to spare for her unwanted guests. And Canadian lieutenant Jean-Philippe de Sabran has little desire to be there. But by the war’s end they’ll both learn love, honour, and duty can form tangled bonds that are not broken easily. In the present day, Charley Van Hoek comes to Long Island to be the new curator of the Wilde House Museum. She doesn’t believe in ghosts, but as she starts to delve into the history of Lydia and her French officer, it becomes clear that the Wilde House holds more than just secrets. Bestseller. 2018.

Science fiction 

2450616 Last Jedi by Jason Fry; based on a story by Rian Johnson. 1 volume of Braille (538 pages). New heroes emerge to take up arms against the First Order: Rey, the orphan strong in the Force; Finn, the ex-stormtrooper who stands against his former masters; and Poe Dameron, the fearless X-wing pilot. All have been drawn together to fight side-by-side with General Leia Organa and the Resistance. But the First Order's Supreme Leader Snoke and his merciless enforcer Kylo Ren are adversaries with superior numbers and devastating firepower at their command. The champions of light may finally be facing their extinction. Their only hope rests with a lost legend: Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Bestseller. 2018.

Short stories

2908544 To build a fire and other stories by Jack London. 1 volume of Braille (812 pages). Gathers stories about the Klondike Gold Rush, Alaskan winters, miners, immigrants, outcasts, lepers, Mexican Revolutionaries, and the mentally ill. 1986.

2865445 Shut up you're pretty: stories by Téa Mutonji. 1 volume of Braille (194 pages). In this story collection, a woman contemplates her Congolese traditions during a family wedding, a teenage girl looks for happiness inside a pack of cigarettes, a mother reconnects with her daughter through their shared interest in fish, and a young woman decides to shave her head in the waiting room of an abortion clinic. These punchy, sharply observed stories blur the lines between longing and choosing, exploring the narrator's experience as an involuntary one. Tinged with pathos and humour, they interrogate the moments in which femininity, womanness, and identity are not only questioned but also imposed. 2019.

Westerns

2448555 The desert crucible by Zane Grey. 10 volumes of Braille. The collapse of one of the stone walls of Surprise Valley where the gunman, Lassiter, Jane Withersteen and young Fay Larkin have been imprisoned for the last ten years, results in their capture by a hooded Mormon. The price extracted for Lassiter's and Jane's life is the immediate marriage of 15-year-old Fay Larkin to the mysterious, cruel, hooded Mormon leader. John Shefford, a defrocked minister from Illinois, embarks on a quest to rescue the prisoners. This is the uncensored version of "The Rainbow Trail," as the author intended it to be published. 2003.

Non-fiction for adults

Biography

2908565 The golden boy of crime: the almost certainly true story of Norman Red Ryan by Jim Brown. 1 volume of Braille (304 pages). Dubbed the Jesse James of Canada, Norman Red Ryan was infamous in the 1920s and '30s until he was gunned down in an attempted robbery in Sarnia, Ontario. Ernest Hemingway wrote about Ryan's escape from Kingston Penitentiary for the Toronto Star, Morley Callaghan based a novel on him and stories of Ryan and his crimes filled newspapers and airwaves. One of the first Canadians to be granted parole, he was held up by Prime Minister R.B. Bennett as a model of rehabilitation and became a regular guest at Toronto police picnics. All the while, however, Ryan was continuing a crime spree on the side. Jim Brown, filmmaker and CBC Radio host, tells the incredible true story of Red Ryan, a larger-than-life criminal whose fame and legend were much encouraged by the media - he was the Kardashian of the time - and whose story endures. 2019.

2908546 Son of a Critch: a childish Newfoundland memoir by Mark Critch. 1 volume of Braille (610 pages). What could be better than growing up in the 1980s? How about growing up in 1980s Newfoundland, which as Mark Critch will tell you, was more like the 1960s. Critch takes us to where it all began in this tremendously funny and warm look back on his formative years. Growing up in a (very) small town wasn't easy, and Catholic school was a confusing setting that prompted many unexpected adventures. And when your father is the local radio personality, and your mother can't stop talking at all, life at home is always entertaining. 2018.

2403936 Lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings. 1 volume of Braille (708 pages). Takes us deep inside Gordon Lightfoot’s world, from his idyllic childhood in Orillia, the wild sixties, and his canoe trips into Canada’s North to his heady times atop the music world. Jennings explores the toll that success took on his personal life - including his troubled relationships, his battle with alcohol and his near-death experiences - and the extraordinary drive and tenacity that pulled him through it all. Rich in voices from fellow musicians, close friends, Lightfoot’s family and the singer’s own reminiscences, the biography tells the stories behind some of his best-known love songs, including “Beautiful” and “Song for a winter’s night,” as well as the infidelity and divorce that resulted in classics like “Sundown” and “If you could read my mind.” Bestseller. 2017.

2422388 The boy on the beach: my family’s escape from Syria and our hope for a new home by Tima Kurdi. 1 volume of Braille (408 pages). Alan Kurdi's body washed up on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea on September 2, 2015, and overnight, the political became personal, as the world awoke to the reality of the Syrian refugee crisis. Tima Kurdi first saw the shocking photo of her nephew in her home in Vancouver, Canada. Tima recounts her idyllic childhood in Syria, where she grew up with her brother Abdullah and other siblings in a tight knit family. A strong willed, independent woman, Tima studied to be a hairdresser and had dreams of seeing the world. At twenty two, she emigrated to Canada, but much of her family remained in Damascus. As Tima struggled to adapt to life in a new land, war overtook her homeland. Caught in the crosshairs of civil war, her family risked everything and fled their homes. Tima worked tirelessly to help them find safety, but their journey was far from easy. Although thwarted by politics, hounded by violence, and separated by vast distances, the Kurdis never gave up hope. And when tragedy struck, Tima suddenly found herself thrust onto the world stage as an advocate for refugees everywhere, a role for which she had never prepared but that allowed her to give voice to those who didn't have an opportunity to speak for themselves. Bestseller. 2018.

2450595 Make trouble: standing up, speaking out, and finding the courage to lead by Cecile Richards with Lauren Peterson. 1 volume of Braille (575 pages). Cecile Richards has been an activist since she was taken to the principal's office in seventh grade for wearing an armband in protest of the Vietnam War. She had an extraordinary childhood in ultra-conservative Texas, where her civil rights attorney father and activist mother taught their kids to be troublemakers. From the time Richards was a girl, she had a front-row seat to observe the rise of women in American politics. She watched her mother, Ann, transform from a housewife to an electrifying force in the Democratic party who made a name for herself as the straight-talking, truth-telling governor of Texas. But Richards also witnessed the pitfalls of public life that are unique to women. Her experiences paint a powerful portrait of the misogyny, sexism, fake news, and even the threat of violence confronting those who challenge authority. As a young woman, Richards worked as a labor organizer alongside women earning minimum wage and learned that those in power don't give it up without a fight. Now, after years of advocacy, resistance, and progressive leadership, she shares her story - from the joy and heartbreak of activism to the challenges of raising kids, having a life, and making change, all at the same time. She shines a light on the people and lessons that have gotten her through good times and bad, and encourages readers to take risks, make mistakes, and make trouble along the way. 2018.

2448216 I'm afraid of men by Vivek Shraya. 1 volume of Braille (84 pages). Toxic masculinity takes many insidious forms, from misogyny and sexual harassment to homophobia, transphobia, and bullying. Vivek Shraya has firsthand experience with nearly all of them. As a boy, Vivek exhibited "feminine" qualities. The men in her life immediately and violently disapproved. They taught her to fear the word girl by turning it into a weapon used to hurt her. They taught her to hate her femininity, to destroy the best parts of herself. In order to survive, Vivek had to learn to convincingly perform masculinity. As a girl, she's still afraid. Having spent years undoing the damage and salvaging her lost girlhood, she is haunted by the violence of men, seldom dressing the way she wants in public. As a result she is often still perceived as male, stirring feelings of guilt and self-doubt: Am I not feminine enough? Is this my fault for striving to be the perfect man and excelling at it? "I'm Afraid of Men" is a culmination of the years Vivek spent observing men and creating her own version of manhood. Through deeply personal reflection, she offers a rare and multifaceted perspective on gender and a hopeful reimagining of masculinity at a time when it's needed more than ever. Bestseller. 2018.

2867016 Love & courage: my story of family, resilience, and overcoming the unexpected: a memoir by Jagmeet Singh. 1 volume of Braille (462 pages). Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal. Every part of Jagmeet Singh's full name reflects a part of his identity. Jagmeet - the intelligent, warm friend to the world. Singh - the great grandson of a Punjabi freedom fighter who defended his people against injustice. Jimmy - the kid who grew up on the hardscrabble streets of Windsor. Dhaliwal - the son of immigrants who chanced it and uprooted themselves in Canada for a better life. With wisdom, warmth, and compassion, "Love & courage" tells the stories behind each of those names. The son of Indian immigrants, Jagmeet Singh grew up in Windsor, and he learned at an early age that the world was not always kind. Early experiences with racism and prejudice made Jagmeet question his place in the society around him as he fought on the streets and in the classroom to carve out a safe space for himself. But while the society around him sought to bring him down, Jagmeet's family lifted him up. Whenever Jagmeet returned home bruised or battered by the outside world, his mother repeated the same words: We are all one. We are all connected. Drawing on his heritage and history, Jagmeet began to see the world through a new lens. To prove to a world that said, again and again, that he didn't have value, Jagmeet worked hard to be the best at everything he did. Martial arts, school, sports - he excelled at everything he tried. Still, he didn't want to simply push past others. He wanted to connect to them. Slowly but surely, Jagmeet learned the truth of his mother's words. As he broke down the barriers around him, Jagmeet came to define his life in two words: love and courage. Bestseller. 2019.

2908568 Defying limits: lessons from the edge of the universe by Dave Williams. 1 volume of Braille (407 pages). Dr. Dave Williams shares the events that have defined his life, showing us that whether we're gravity-defying astronauts or earth-bound terrestrials, we can all live an infinite, fulfilled life by relishing the value and importance of each moment. The greatest fear that we all face is not the fear of dying, but the fear of never having lived. Each of us is greater than we believe. And, together, we can exceed our limits to soar farther and higher than we ever imagined. 2018.

2867013 The woo-woo: how I survived ice hockey, drug raids, demons, and my crazy Chinese family by Lindsay Wong. 1 volume of Braille (516 pages). A young woman comes of age in a dysfunctional Asian family whose members blamed their woes on ghosts and demons when in fact they should have been on anti-psychotic meds. Lindsay Wong grew up with a paranoid schizophrenic grandmother and a mother who was deeply afraid of the woo-woo - Chinese ghosts who come to visit in times of personal turmoil. From a young age, she witnessed the woo-woo's sinister effects. At the age of six, she found herself living in the food court of her suburban mall, which her mother saw as a safe haven because they could hide there from dead people, and on a camping trip, her mother tried to light Lindsay's foot on fire to rid her of the woo-woo. The eccentricities take a dark turn, however, when her aunt, suffering from a psychotic breakdown, holds the city of Vancouver hostage for eight hours when she threatens to jump off a bridge. And when Lindsay starts to experience symptoms of the woo-woo herself, she wonders whether she will suffer the same fate as her family. On one hand a witty and touching memoir about the Asian immigrant experience, and on the other a harrowing and honest depiction of the vagaries of mental illness, "The woo-woo" is a gut-wrenching and beguiling manual for surviving family, and oneself. Bestseller. Winner of the 2019 Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize. Canada Reads 2019. 2018.

Food and drink

2445080 Madhur Jaffrey's ultimate curry bible: India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, Kenya, Great Britain, Trinidad, Guyana, Japan, USA by Madhur Jaffrey. 16 volumes of Braille. With over 150 recipes, Madhur Jaffrey starts with the best curry recipes in 21st-century India, moves on to Asian curries, and even includes European curry ideas such as French curry sauces. Also included are tips for the best accompanying foods - rice, bread, chutneys, relishes and sweets. 2003.

2409177 Nigella express by Nigella Lawson. 8 volumes of Braille. Featuring fabulous fast foods, ingenious short cuts, terrific time-saving ideas, effortless entertaining and easy, delicious meals, "Nigella express" is her solution to eating well when time is short. This new book is every working mother's dream and a joy for everyone who wants to cook but can't seem to find the time. 2007.

Literature

2416697 Settler education: poems by Laurie D Graham. 1 volume of Braille (126 pages). In the stunning poems of "Settler education," Graham explores the Plains Cree uprising at Frog Lake - the death of nine settlers, the hanging of six Cree warriors, the imprisonment of Big Bear, and the opening of the Prairies to unfettered settlement. In ways possible only with such an honest act of imagination, and with language at once terse and capacious, she reckons with how these pasts repeat and reconstitute themselves in the present. Poems from this book won the 2013 Thomas Morton Poetry Prize. 2016.

2435316 Violet energy ingots by Hoa Nguyen. 1 volume of Braille (84 pages). What our lives permit us to perceive as givens, Nguyen reveals as mere conditions, inextricably tied to and guided by greater forces - from the economy to the environment, from the Mayan predictions to the menstrual cycle, from the weight of history to the burden of the future. The poems contain a sense of dis-ease, rupture, things frayed, and grief as love shimmers the edges. As grounded in the earth as in the stars, the poems are reminders of the possibilities of contemplation in every space and moment. 2016.

2419177 Silvija: poems by Sandra Ridley. 1 volume of Braille (39 pages). In a sequence of five feverish elegies, Ridley combines narrative lyric and experimental verse styles to manifest dark themes related to love and loss: the traumas of psychological suffering (isolation and confinement), physical abuse (by parent and partner), terminal illness (brain tumour and heart attack), revelation, resolution, and healing. With a blend of fervour and sangfroid, these serial poems accrue into a book-length testament to a grief both personal and human, leaving readers with the redemptive grace that comes from poetry's ability to wrestle chaos into meaning. Because of its overarching themes and serial form, "Silvija" is best read cover-to-cover, analogous to a work of fiction, rather than a book of individual or occasional poems. 2016.

2414510 Rag cosmology by Erin Robinsong. 1 volume of Braille (88 pages). In this time of ecological precarity, "Rag cosmology" is an urgent invitation to reinvent our modes of engagement with the environment we not only inhabit, but are. Refusing the lamentation that leaves us as resigned witnesses to devastation, "Rag cosmology" counters fatalist narratives with the pleasures of ecological entanglement and engagement. Tracing relationships between seemingly irreconcilable things - economy and ecology, weather and lust, bills and inner voices, wages of avoidance and wages of listening - these poems offer the intimate and lush language of thought that yearn for an imaginative reinvention of how we understand what we are part of and what we are losing. Winner of the 2017 A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry (QWF). 2017.

Native peoples

2866970 A mind spread out on the ground by Alicia Elliott. 1 volume of Braille (351 pages). In an urgent and visceral work that asks essential questions about Native people in North America while drawing on intimate details of her own life and experience with intergenerational trauma, Alicia Elliott offers indispensable insight and understanding to the ongoing legacy of colonialism. What are the links between depression, colonialism and loss of language - both figurative and literal? How does white privilege operate in different contexts? How do we navigate the painful contours of mental illness in loved ones without turning them into their sickness? How does colonialism operate on the level of literary criticism? "A mind spread out on the ground" is Alicia Elliott's attempt to answer these questions and more. In the process, she engages with such wide-ranging topics as race, parenthood, sexuality, love, mental illness, poverty, sexual assault, gentrification, writing and representation. Elliott makes connections both large and small between the past and present, the personal and political - from overcoming a years-long history with head lice to the way Native writers are treated within the Canadian literary industry; her unplanned teenage pregnancy to the history of dark matter and how it relates to racism in the court system; her childhood diet of Kraft dinner to how systematic oppression is linked to depression in Native communities. With deep consideration and searing prose, Elliott extends far beyond her own experiences to provide a candid look at our past, an illuminating portrait of our present and a powerful tool for a better future. Bestseller. 2019.

Politics and government

2865443 Power, prime ministers, and the press: the battle for truth on Parliament Hill by Robert Lewis. 1 volume of Braille (721 pages). The history of the Press Gallery is rich in anecdotes and insights about the people on Parliament Hill who have covered our leaders for more than 150 years. Mining the archives and his own interviews, former Maclean's editor-in-chief Robert Lewis turns the spotlight on the watchers, including reporters who got too close to Sir John A. Macdonald and Wilfrid Laurier, and others who kept their distance from Pierre Trudeau and Stephen Harper. The Riel Rebellion, the Pacific scandal, two world wars, the Depression, Quebec separatism, and terrorism are all part of the sweeping background to this lively account of how the news gets made, manipulated, and, sometimes, mangled. Since Watergate, Press Gallery coverage has become more confrontational - a fact, Lewis argues, that fails Canadian democracy. 2018.

2446946 The world as it is: a memoir of the Obama White House by Ben Rhodes. 1 volume of Braille (899 pages). For nearly ten years, Ben Rhodes saw almost everything that happened at the center of the Obama administration, first as a speechwriter, then as deputy national security advisor, and finally as a multipurpose aide and close collaborator. He started every morning in the Oval Office with the President's Daily Brief, traveled the world with Obama, and was at the center of some of the most consequential and controversial moments of the presidency. Now he tells the full story of his partnership, and, ultimately, friendship, with a man who also happened to be a historic president of the United States. Rhodes shows what it was like to be there from the early days of the Obama campaign to the final hours of the presidency. It is a story populated by such characters as Susan Rice, Samantha Power, Hillary Clinton, Bob Gates, and above all Barack Obama, who comes to life on the page in moments of great urgency and disarming intimacy. This is the most vivid portrayal yet of Obama's worldview and presidency, a chronicle of a political education and a record of the forces that shaped the last decade. Bestseller. 2018.

Travel and geography

2451419 Islander: a journey around our archipelago by Patrick Barkham. 12 volumes of Braille. The British Isles are an archipelago made up of two large islands and 6,289 smaller ones. Some, like the Isle of Man, resemble miniature nations, with their own language and tax laws; others, like Ray Island in Essex, are abandoned and mysterious places haunted by myths, ghosts and foxes. Patrick Barkham explores some of the most beautiful landscapes in Britain as he travels to ever-smaller islands in search of their special magic. 2017.