The Night Watch

By:  Sergei Lukyanenko

Recommended by:  Richard Haines

Why Recommended:  I enjoyed the Harry Potter books, but especially loved the darker, more mature slant of the later books, when life was harder and you believed that any character could die.  I love vampire books, even the ones when vampires aren’t “evil” but have more complex characters.  Well take those things that I love, and a whole lot more, dump them in the middle of Moscow, and you have The Night Watch, the most interesting and original take on the modern mythology of magic I have ever read.  In an utterly unbelievable way, Lukyanenko weaves a world of vampires, werewolves, and wizards in a world of cellphones; and as human as they are, the vampires never sparkle, ever.

The Lost Symbol

By:  Dan Brown

Recommended by:  Matt Stewart

Why Recommended:  Another fantastic thriller from Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol is right on par with Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code.  Once again featuring Harvard symbology expert Robert Langdon, Brown’s novel is full of all the mystery and suspense readers have come to expect.  A very entertaining read.

L’Odyssee

By:  Homer

Recommended by:  Dominique Cruchet

Why Recommended:  C’est une lecture fondamentale qui enseigne aux élèves les principes de la mythologie grecque. De plus c’est en relation directe avec la lecture en classe.

19 Minutes

By:  Jodi Picoult

Recommended by:  Suzanne Walker

Why Recommended:  This book really makes you think about how students are sometimes treated by their peers and how this affects their lives.

The Poisonwood Bible

By:  Barbara Kingsolver

Recommended by:  Catherine MacDougall

Why Recommended:  A Baptist minister moves his family to the Congo in 1959.  This story covers 30 years of this family and the Congo’s rich history.  Each chapter is told from a different family member’s perspective.  Beautifully written, a wonderful international novel.

The Pilot’s Wife

By:  Anita Shreve

Recommended by:  Kim Mason

Why Recommended:  Interesting, full of suspense, and touches the reader’s heart.

Tears of the Giraffe

By:  Alexander McCall Smith

Recommended by:  Kim McBurney

Why Recommended:  Easy going detective story with inside glimpse of another culture (Africa) including relationships.

A Spy’s Life

By:  Henry Porter

Recommended by:  Kim McBurney

Why Recommended:  Entertaining, fast moving spy novel (but not too complex to follow).

Island

By: Alistair MacLeod

Recommended by:  Adam Gauthier

Why Recommended:  A collection of short stories that really capture life in Atlantic Canada.  The stories are all interesting and the writing is rich with detail.  A must read.

Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult

By:  Jayanti Tamm

Recommended by:  Catherine MacDonald

Why Recommended:  A fascinating look into the life of someone born into a cult and her eventual disillusionment with her spiritual leader.

Dreams from My Father

By:  Barrack Obama

Recommended by:  Anna Dunphy

The Heretic’s Daughter

By:  Kathleen Kent

Recommended by:  Anna Dunphy

Swelling Land

By:  David Sanborn Scott

Recommended by:  Philip Pierlot

Why Recommended:  An amazing and very thought-provoking look at issues of energy, global warming, and practical, real solutions that can be done based upon the idea that we actually have abundant, clean energy and the technology to tap it.  An easy read, meant for anyone, not just people with technical or extensive environmental knowledge.

The Celestine Prophecy

By: James Redfield

Recommended by:  Gena Riggs

Why Recommended:  Philosopy wrapped up in a suspense filled thriller, this book will linger in your memory for years.  A must read for those looking for meaning in a complex world.

Outliers

By:  Malcolm Gladwell

Recommended by:  Dylan Mullally

Why Recommended:  This book questions why some people are successful, while so many more never reach their potential.  An easy read, it argues that success is often the result of advantage.  If you are someon who enjoys reading about the concept of culture, and enjoy trivia, then this is a must read.  Pro hockey players, Bill Gates, Mozart, and others are subjects of this author who grew up in rural Ontario.

The Mists of Avalon

By:  Marian Zimmer Bradley

Recommended by: Charity Becker

Why Recommended:  A beuatiful story about the women of the Arthurian legend.

The Shadow of the Wind

By:  Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Recommended by: Brenda Brydon

Why Recommended:  This book is about a very independent boy who happens upon the last copy of a particular book, no others exist in print.  He discovers the mysterious circumstances surrounding the book’s publication and subsequent disappearance.  As the mystery unfolds and becomes more dangerous, the reader becomes involved in the boy’s relationship with his father, his adult friends, and his romantic interest.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

By:  Katherine Howe

Recommended by:  Catherine MacDougall

Why Recommended:  A PhD student is trying to choose her disseration topic and clean out her grandmother’s house.  She finds a name, Deliverance Dane, hidden in the house.  After researching the name, she discovers that it was a woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.  The connection between the two families is told from both women’s perspectives.  History, mystery, romance, and the supernatural.  This book has it all.

The White Tiger

By:  Aravind Adiga

Recommended by:  Catherine MacDougall

Why Recommended:  A man’s ambition to rise above his expected place in society puts him into some touching, humorous, and dangerous situations.  See how far he will go to gain money, success, and respect.

The Last Lecture

By:  Randy Pausch

Recommended by:  John Munro

Why Recommended:  Professor Pausch writes about his life and dealing with the knowledge of his impending death from advanced pancreatic cancer.  “Celebrate the dreams we all strive to make realities.”