Looking for a quick escape? Explore our staff-curated collection of compelling reads you can easily finish in a single weekend.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Natashia's Pick
Is time travel possible? It is in a tiny Tokyo café, where one particular chair allows its occupants to visit past experiences (though several rules apply).Is it for you? The physics of time travel is not addressed here; instead, four characters simply get a second chance to revisit lost loved ones. Book buzz: This English-language debut by Japanese playwright Toshikazu Kawaguchi was a bestseller in Japan.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: Inspiring Conversations on Hope, Love and Personal Growth by Charlie Mackesy - Samantha's Pick
Charlie Mackesy offers inspiration and hope in uncertain times in this book based on his famous quartet of characters, as they explore their unlikely friendship and learn poignant, universal lessons together.
Lessons From Cats For Surviving Fascism by Brittlestar - Ashley's Pick
Cats, the original masters of stealth, sass, and strategic chaos, have been teaching us survival tactics for centuries—they just haven’t been this explicit about it. Until now. Through humour, sharp insights, and unapologetic defiance, comedian Stewart "Brittlestar" Reynolds lays out eleven essential cat-inspired strategies for resisting control and reclaiming power. From staying nimble and unpredictable to demanding what you need with the confidence of a hungry tabby, each chapter is packed with lessons that are as subversive as they are practical.
Northern Spy by Flynn Berry - Jennifer D's Pick
Certain that her beloved sister did not join the IRA by choice, a Catholic BBC producer confronts impossible decisions that test family bonds, the limits of her ideals and her responsibilities as a mother.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar - Lily's Pick
In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, dwells the mysterious Hawthorn family. There, they tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honour an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. None more devotedly than the family’s latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees. But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters’ bond but also their lives will be at risk...
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini - Elisa's Pick
Presents an evocatively illustrated tribute to the tragic human realities of today's refugee crisis in the form of a father's letter to his young son on the eve of a dangerous journey.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - Emma's Pick
Setting: the small town of New Ross, Ireland, 1985 -- a place firmly controlled by the Catholic church during Margaret Thatcher's tenure as prime minister. The set up: While delivering coal to a local convent -- also allegedly a "training school" for underprivileged girls -- a devout Catholic father of five daughters (and himself the son of an unwed, teenage mother) discovers a ragged teen girl locked in a shed. Although she begs for his help, he at first demurs. Disgusted by church's continued exploitation of lower-class girls and his own complicity, he must confront the risks of going against the grain of entrenched local authorities.