Ayesha At Last

One of my favorite Jane Austen spin offs yet, a Muslim Pride and Prejudice set in modern day Canada. Ayesha has set aside her dreams of being a poet so she can focus on teaching and paying back her uncle for the college loan he gave her. When her younger cousin has her dreams set on being an event planner she enlists Ayesha to help her... only to abandon her at the meetings, leaving Ayesha to pretend being her cousin, Hafsa. Khalid is a conservative Muslim and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his mother happy. When she insists on an arranged marriage; his heart isn't in it until he realizes that Hafsa, the event planner, might be the one his mother is trying to set him up with. What ensues is a comedy of errors and heartbreak. A thoroughly enjoyable take on a classic storyline. Unique, playful, and romantic; Uzma Jalaluddin is an author to look out for!

The Call of the Wild

Honestly, the best part about this book was that it was narrated by Jeff Bridges. I love animal books but I feel as if I really would have enjoyed this much more in my youth. The Call of the Wild tells the story of Buck, a mixed breed dog who is stolen from cozy home and his lush life as a house dog to be taken up north to be a sled dog during the Yukon Gold Rush. Buck quickly acclimates to the tough life and sets himself apart from the other dogs with his strength, smarts, and cunning. Told entirely through Buck's perspectives, this was one of the first popular books that had an animal as a narrator. To me the most interesting parts were about the wilderness, the scenery, and the people; it was a fascinating time during the late 1800s! Even though it is a little violent, this is a great kids book, especially for animal lovers!

Bear

Thanks to this wonderful Buzzfeed article, https://www.buzzfeed.com/maribackpack/is-marian-engels-1976-novel-bear-the-most-ridic-1eyhw, I found myself hopelessly intrigued by this Canadian bestselling bestiality erotica. So like a responsible librarian I placed it on hold and read it in one sitting. This book almost defies description. Only in Canada could a book about a lonely librarian taking on a bear as a lover become a bestseller and win major literary awards. I mean, to be fair, it was written well and there weren't too many bear on girl action scenes but still. My God Canada, what is going on! Although, I got duped into reading it so maybe they're onto something. For fans of Canadian ridiculous, bear lovers, and bestiality loving librarians.

Baygirl

This is one of the most touching , funny, and poignant coming of age stories I've read in a quite some time. Kit hasn't had an easy childhood, her father is an AWFUL drunk, he screams, yells, breaks things and has never provided a warm and loving life for Kit or her mother. When a two year ban on fishing is imposed, her father loses her job and Kit and her family are forced to move out of beautiful idyllic Parson's Bay into the city with her uncle. She has to leave behind her beloved Nan, her best friend, and her mentor.

Once in the city Kit has a hard time adjusting, she can't afford new clothes and must go to school looking like a bumpkin, in no time at all the kids are calling her "baygirl." As if that weren't bad enough her unemployed father starts drinking even more and gets her mother fired from her part time job by showing up drunk to her work. With nowhere to hide, Kit starts to visit the crazy old British neighbor next door, Reginald, and befriend him. Slowly things start to get better, she gets a friend, a wonderful boyfriend who writes her poetry, and her uncle starts to make an effort at getting out of his depression. But throughout all this her father never puts down the bottle. What will it take him to quit? How can she love a man that she has no respect for?

The story takes a dramatic twist at the end, but it doesn't leave you wanting. It's a truly marvelous book that
address issues such as: alcoholism, friendship, redemption, and above all forgiveness. A great debut young adult novel by Heather Smith, I eagerly await reading her future writing endeavors.