Vancouver Public Library and V.I.A. have teamed up to help you discover new reads, hidden book gems and surprising literary finds. Check back every couple of weeks for the latest reading recommendations from the experts at Vancouver’s library.
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It's been a long wait for fans of Gilmore Girls. After eight years, the series is being revived on Netflix this week. For each year fans have had to wait for this joyous occasion, VPL's reading experts bring you this list of eight must-read books – complete with a cast of memorable eccentrics and small town quirkiness.
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
Author Elizabeth Strout delivers what is considered by many to be one of the best portrayals of a mother-daughter relationship in modern fiction. The story of Amy and Isabelle begins in a small New England mill town, where everybody knows everybody else’s business. Sound familiar? For a single mom and a teenage daughter trying to fit in and rebuild trust in each other, "things get complicated," as Loralei and Rory would say. Disquieting and beautiful.
The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty
Evelyn Bucknow's learned a lot from the school of hard-knocks. Even at the tender of age of ten, Evelyn remains ever faithful and firmly optimistic as the daughter of a single mother who struggles to get her act together in small-town Kansas. The influence of open-minded teachers allows Evelyn to chart her own path while staying true to her family and the community’s blue-collar roots. This is a coming-of-age tale with enormous heart.
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
Eligible reimagines the lives of Jane Austen’s four Bennet sisters, ailing father and meddling mother in modern-day Cincinnati. When Liz and Jane fly home from New York to tend to their father, Mrs. Bennet sees the perfect opportunity to marry off Jane when she spots handsome Chip Bingley on the reality show, Eligible. Meanwhile, Liz must deal with the care of their father and his difficult doctor, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Clever and sparkling.
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
One of the most charming aspects of Stars Hollow is its colourful cast of residents. In this Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Miles Roby – a recently separated manager of the local grill – is trying to figure out how his life derailed. Even in the bleakest moments, Miles is determined to secure a better future for his sensitive teenage daughter and himself. A very human portrayal of small-town America.
How to Write A Novel by Melanie Sumner
Precocious teenager Aris (Aristotle) Thibodeaux is struggling to keep her overloaded, widowed mother and emotionally needy younger brother from completely falling apart. When she comes across a copy of How To Write a Novel in 30 Days!, she thinks she's found the solution. She sets out to write a bestselling novel using her quirky family as material, and balance school and her mother’s faltering love life.
Saving Montgomery Sole by Mariko Tamaki
Montgomery Sole, the teenage daughter of lesbian mothers and the president of her school's mystery club, can’t escape the fact that her somewhat atypical situation makes her stand out. Her anxiety grows when an outspoken ultra-conservative preacher and his teenage son moves to her California small town. Monty and her friends notice strange and unexplained things are happening, and Monty discovers the greatest mystery of all lies within herself. This story is offbeat and moving.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Fanatics of Gilmore Girls will remember that episode when Rory was reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. At the centre of this classic tale about overcoming adversity is young Francie Nolan, who lives in the hard-scrabbled immigrant neighbourhood of Brooklyn before the First World War. Francie’s love of reading and imagination offer escape, and a tree buried in the cement courtyard of a three-story walk-up stands as a symbol of resilience and survival in the most unlikely circumstances.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Eighth-grader Bee must assume the role of the adult when her genius architect mother disappears before a family trip to Antarctica. Bee digs into emails, invoices, bills, articles and public records to make sense of her mother’s supposed breakdown and the world that seems to be crumbling around her. Witty, clever, absurd at times and bittersweet – a perfect pairing with Gilmore Girls.
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