Best Reads 2023 at BCIT Library: Best New Books

"When an Australian butcher with a very unaristocratic mien and accent comes forward claiming to be the long-lost missing heir to a British title and estate, the resulting court case becomes a divisive cause célèbre in Victorian England." From NPR

"How unfortunately ironic that this gripping investigation into a catastrophic 2016 Canadian wildfire was published at exactly the moment when...record-setting fires...scorched over 70,000 square miles.... John Vaillant...examines an earlier, comparable disaster. The Fort McMurray wildfire, known locally as “the Beast,” caused billions of dollars in damages and displaced tens of thousands of people. Vaillant takes readers back into the deep history of the boreal forests before thrusting us into the Beast’s fiery heart. Fire Weather is a report from the front lines of environmental cataclysm and a prediction of what more will surely come." From NPR

"If you’ve ever felt out of place in the hardware store or felt too intimidated to ask for help while lost in an aisle filled with power tools and screws, may I please introduce Mercury Stardust, the Trans Handy Ma’am? Mercury’s book is an extension of her fantastic social media videos. She’s a sparkly mix of pep talk, practical knowledge (replacing a toilet seat!) and whimsy (um, hello, cat-shelf tutorial?!)." From NPR

"Nine-year-old Elsa witnesses the slaughter of her reindeer – a hate crime against the Indigenous Sámi community – and is threatened into silence by the killer. But when he strikes again a decade later, she is ready to take down both the killer and the criminal justice system that allowed him to terrorize her people with impunity. This coming-of-age thriller explores themes of white male entitlement, rural despair, generational trauma, colonialism and gatekeeping." From NPR

“Elizabeth Lim’s specialty is fairytales with an East Asian focus, pairing good against evil but not shying away from darker, complicated characters or a non-obvious female hero. Her Radiant Curse is an origin story with complex world-building, and I savored the richness of the writing from beginning to end.” From Elle

Prize winner. "In An Immense World, Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, welcoming us into previously unfathomable dimensions - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals. Showing us that in order to understand our world we don't need to travel to other places; we need to see through other eyes." From Royal Society

"Breathless is the story of the worldwide scientific quest to decipher the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, trace its source, and make possible the vaccines to fight the Covid-19 pandemic." From Royal Society

"Molecular Biologist Nicklas Brendborg takes us on a journey from the farthest reaches of the globe to the most cutting-edge research to explore everything the natural world and science have to offer on the mystery of aging." From Royal Society

"Award-winning Shard engineer and broadcaster Roma Agrawal deconstructs our most complex feats of engineering into seven fundamental inventions: the nail, spring, wheel, lens, magnet, string and pump. Each of these objects is itself a wonder of design, the result of many iterations and refinements. Together, they have enabled humanity to see the invisible, build the spectacular, communicate across vast distances, and even escape our planet." From Royal Society

"Conjuring lost worlds, ancient species and ever-shifting ecologies, this exhilarating new book is a mesmerising encounter with fourteen flying species: from the first fluttering insect of 300 million years ago to the crested pterosaurs of the Mesozoic Era, from hummingbirds that co-evolved with rainforest flowers to the wonders of dragonfly, albatross, pipistrelle and monarch butterfly with which we share the planet today." From Royal Society

"The remarkable untold story of how a group of sixteen determined women used the power of the collective and the tools of science to inspire ongoing radical change. This is a triumphant account of progress, whilst reminding us that further action is needed." From Royal Society