The Costco Connection - July/August 2013

book previews

Hot summer reads

FICTION

The Silent Wife, by A.S.A. Harrison. Todd Gilbert and Jodie Brett are in a bad place in their relationship. They’ve been together for nearly three decades, and with no children there has been little to disrupt their affluent Chicago lifestyle. On the other hand, they have little to hold it together and the cracks are starting to show. He is a committed cheater, while she lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. When it becomes clear that their precarious world could disintegrate at any moment, Jodie knows she stands to lose everything. It’s only now that she will discover just how much she’s truly capable of. (June 25)

“wheels” and a six-colour pen, Spiral Draw lets kids create fun designs and draw creatures both real and imaginary. Beaded Bands helps budding fashionistas create seven stylish bracelet designs. They can be worn stacked or solo. Bead, cord, needle, thread and a custom loom are included. (Available now)—Stephanie E. Ponder

The Secret Keeper, by Kate Morton. During a summer party, 16-year-old Laurel Nicolson escapes to her childhood tree house when she spies a stranger approaching the family’s farm. She sees her mother, Dorothy, talk to the man, and before the day is over, Laurel witnesses a shocking crime. Now, 50 years later, Laurel is a successful actress living in London. The family is gathering for Dorothy’s 90th birthday. Realizing that this may be her last chance, Laurel searches for answers to the questions that still haunt her. (Available in paperback July 16)

JUVENILE

Spiral Draw and Beaded Bands, from

The Beautiful Mystery, by Louise Penny. No outsiders are admitted to a monastery hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where 24 cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. Despite having taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singers and listeners is so profound it is known as “the beautiful mystery.” When the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery’s massive door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. (July 2)

Klutz. With the aid of a frame, a set of

The Ghost Bride, by Yangsze Choo. In this debut novel, Li Lan, the daughter of a respectable Chinese family in colonial Malaysia, hopes for a favourable marriage, but her father has lost his fortune, and she has few suitors. Instead, the wealthy Lim family urges her to become a “ghost bride” for their son, who has recently died. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Night after night, Li Lan is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, where she must uncover the Lim family’s darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family. (July 6)

Book Buyer Buyer’s pıck

Catherine Bergeron

The Fire Witness, by Lars Kepler. The third book in the Joona Linna series finds the detective inspector under internal review by the National Police for an alleged infraction. He is on leave to solve some personal business when he is called in to “observe” the investigation of a gruesome and strange murder at a youth home for wayward teenage girls. It’s not long before Joona is drawn into the disturbing case. (July 9)

THIS ISSUE’S Buyer’s Pick is the novel
The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells,
by Andrew Sean Greer. This book
tells the story of Greta Wells, whose
twin brother has died and whose
lover has left her. Her grief results in
electroshock therapy.
During the treatments,
Greta is sent to 1918,
1941 and back to the
present, and finds her
brother and lover—and
alternate versions of
herself.
This is a beautiful
story about the many
faces of love and the amazing self-
discoveries one woman goes through
while visiting her three possible lives. I
found it incredibly imaginative, very
moving and, ultimately, inspiring.