My sisters and I had a tradition as children, one we kept going long after we were grown up! Each Christmas, we gave each other a book, on the clear understanding that we were allowed to read each of them, sometimes in advance!
Prowling the bookshelves of a local bookstore to a background of carols and the scent of fresh pine tickling our noses should never be hurried. A tip of the hat to that excellent bookstore, Different Drummer in Burlington, for making my browsing such a pleasure.
These are my suggestions for books that will make great reading for each family member. There is some rhyme, but much less reason to these choices of close to a dozen ‘good reads’, colourful, entertaining, informative, scary, or just plain fun.
The majority are Canadian authors, with a sprinkling of Australian and American writers.
Top books for children
BOARD BOOK:
The Cow Said BOO!
Author: Lana Button
Illustrator: Alice Carter
‘A stuffed-up cow, a rogue bedsheet, and a silly refrain.’ This silly read in playful rhythm will have small listeners chiming in as well as chuckling at the watercolour illustrations by Alice Carter of Ottawa. Tough enough to be handled by tiny fingers, as well as wipeable, this amusing book by this well-known Burlington author is sure to make every storytime lively.
Suggested Retail: $14.95
PICTURE BOOKS:
While You Sleep
Author: JENNIFER MARUNO
Illustrator: Miki Sato
What happens while we sleep? Fantastical dreams and magic in order to prepare for the coming day, that’s what!
Soothing rhythming couplets by this Burlington author and collage art illustrations created using paper, textiles, and embroidery silk by Toronto illustrator Miki Sato, conjure up a comforting dream world bound to make bedtime a pleasure.
Suggested Retail: $22.95
THE DIGGER DANCE
Author: Judy Ann Sadler
Illustrator: Yong Ling Kung
I simply could not resist this one; a grandmother tells her grandson that diggers can dance! But the diggers are parked because it is raining. The two decide to bake until the skies clear, and the boy discovers that baking and diggers have a lot in common—a wonderfully whimsical tale with illustrations by Torontonian Yong Ling Kang that bring the rhythmic text to life.
The author lives in London, Ontario.
Suggested Retail: $19.95
Top Book for Grades: 9-12
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts
Author: Joyce Grant
Illustrator: Kathleen Marcotte
This is undoubtedly a book for today’s tech-savvy kids, a veritable go-to helpline for navigating what they see and read on the internet.
What is the difference between real journalism and ‘fake news’?
Even more importantly, how to tell one from the other.
An invaluable resource conveyed in manageable chunks of text accompanied by playful illustrations by American Kathleen Marcotte.
Joyce Grant is a Humber College professor who lives in Hamilton.
Suggested Retail: $19.99
What the Dog Knows
Author: Sylvia McNicoll
This well-crafted story is about a girl and a dog who get the chance of a lifetime for a do-over.
It is the worst summer Naomi has ever known. Her dog, Diesel, has died, her dad has lost his job, and her parents are splitting up. And because the family is broke, Naomi must babysit when what she wants to do is have swimming lessons.
The twist is that Naomi and her beloved dog die – hence the chance to do a lifetime do-over – and thus learn about loyalty, love and trust.
Widely recommended, but I would add a caution; the premise might be tough for some families, even in the capable hands of this well-known Burlington author.
Suggested Retail: $13.99
Top book for young adults
BLOOD DONOR
Author: Karen Bass
Jo McNair is barely a minute after curfew, yet her parents lock her out with no money and nowhere to go.
In this short but powerful story, Jo walks into a trap and finds herself held captive with other teens, then drugged and forced to donate their blood.
This YA thriller will certainly get pulses racing and intrigue even the most reluctant reader, as well as shining a light on the dangers faced by impressionable teens.
Karen Bass is an award-winning author living in Hamilton.
Suggested Retail: $10.95
Top books for adults
FICTION
THE SLEEPING CAR PORTER
Author: Suzette Mayr SUZETTE MAYR
We need to mention this year’s winner of the prestigious Giller Prize because this slim volume deserves all the plaudits it is receiving.
The book explores the life of a black sleeping car porter on cross-Canada runs in the early 1900s.
A gay man who yearns to be a dentist but must instead cater to unruly guests and self-important actors and witness seances with almost no sleep during the four days run.
Mayr has six novels to her name and lives in Calgary.
Suggested Retail: $20.00
BEACH BLONDE
Author: John Lawrence Reynolds
And now for a tough, gritty page-turner, as one would expect from this prolific Burlington author (born and brought up in Hamilton, the ultimate Canadian city of gritty).
Beach Blonde reunites readers with Josie, the resourceful heroine of a previous book Beach Strip.
This sequel has Arden released on bail after serving time for breaking the neck of the man who assaulted his sister.
Finding work at a bar on the beach strip with his former cellmate no less, life begins to take a turn for the better until. . . now find out what happens next in what many say is a nod to Elmore Leonard.
Suggested Retail: $29.95
The Dickens Boy
Author: Thomas Keneally
If you know someone who reveres Charles Dickins, consider placing this engaging tale under the tree. It is based on that paterfamilias’ habit of dispatching his sons to faraway places, in this case, the author’s tenth child Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens, known as Plorn.
Plorn is sent to Australia, where he leads a life of rollicking adventure. Australian author Keneally is a previous Booker prize winner and a master of reimagining historical figures.
Hardcover Suggested Retail: $37.00
NON-FICTION
BIG MEN FEAR ME
The fast life and quick death of Canada's most powerful media mogul
Author: Mark Bourrie
This is the remarkable story of the meteoric rise and fall of George McCullagh, one of Canada and North America's most influential media moguls.
Now all but lost to history, McCullagh was the man responsible for combining The Globe with The Mail. Wittily written by award-winning Canadian journalist Bourrie, this book also gives us an understanding of today’s populist politics.
Suggested Retail: $24.95
AND LASTLY, WHAT COULD BECOME THE ‘SLEEPER OF THE SEASON
NASTY BRUTISH AND SHORT
Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids
Author SCOTT HERSHOVITZ
This University of Michigan professor and Rhodes scholar explores the fundamentals of philosophy with his young sons, believing young children are born natural philosophers who look at our world without assumptions and ask the questions many of us adults shy away from for fear of appearing dumb.
Quote:
‘We can’t wash our hands of (segregation) just because we aren’t responsible. We should take responsibility. Why? There’s an old common law formula: Qui sentit commodum, sentire debet et onus. It means: He who enjoys the benefit ought also to bear the burden.’
Suggested Retail: $37.00