Age Group:
Adult

Genre:
Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Dystopia, Adventure, Classic, Horror, Social Commentary

Summary:
John Hammond aspires to build an amusement park like no other in the world. An amusement park featuring real live animals. But not just any ordinary animals. Hammond’s stocking his park with biologically engineered prehistoric dinosaurs and species ranging from the docile brachiosaurus to the deadly velociraptor.

But before Hammond can open his park, worried investors demand that the park gets endorsed by professionals. So Hammond invites paleontologist Alan Grant and paleobotanist Ellie Sattler, along with the famed mathematician Ian Malcolm. In fact, Hammond is so sure his park will be a money-making hit that he invites his two young grandchildren Tim and Lex.

What begins as a fascinating, mind boggling trip for the group, turns into a nightmare when an unexpected storm and a sabotaging computer programmer (Dennis Nedry) leave the island without any security mechanisms. Soon the group must race for cover from the ruthless T-Rex and evade detection from the wiley velociraptors. They’re sure to be in for a wild ride.

My Thoughts:
A frighteningly realistic tale, Chricton’s nearly prophetic novel warns of a future in which biotechnological advances, in the hands of greedy capitalists, threaten to wreak havoc on the planet.

Dinosaurs have always been a topic that fascinated me and I remember watching Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and being both thrilled and terrified by the prospect of dinosaurs come to life to terrorize humans.
Spielberg made many changes to the novel when he directed the 1993 megahit film adaptation. These changes make for one heck of an awesome movie. And after reading both the novel and watching the movie, I must say the movie still reigns supreme with me.

Try it out for yourself! Borrow Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park the movie from your local Vaughan library today!

Age Group:
Adult

Genre:
Autobiography, Canadian, Non-Fiction

Summary:
In her revealing autobiography, multi-million dollar recording artist Shania Twain takes readers back to her humble beginnings in her hometown of Timmins, Ontario. Twain chronicles her earliest years, beginning with her troubling, poverty-afflicted childhood and following her slow but progressive rise to fame.

Twain is raw and unapolegetic, sharing with the reader her parents’ abusive relationship, the often horrific conditions her and her siblings lived in, and the untimely death of both her parents in a tragic car accident. Twain even shares with us the betrayal of her 14-year long marriage to Mutt Lange and how she learned to love again. A Canadian icon, Twain’s memoir is as much a celebration of her struggles as it is of her huge and unexpected international success.

My Thoughts:
Enthralling from the start, Shania’s earliest years are the most captivating in From This Moment On. And wow, what a childhood it was! Living with domestic violence in substandard conditions and being moved from house-to-house, Shania shares with us a life of instability, poverty and deep dysfunctionality. Shania certainly worked like a dog for her much earned success and unlike many other pop artists, did not reach fame until her late twenties.

The first half of this book is certainly the best and it was hard to put down. Twain is a surprisingly good writer. The feel of Canadian culture, especially those cold Canadian winters, really hit home with me. I felt the book did lag a little in the second half, when Shania starts experiencing mainstream success, but overall this did not detract from the readibility of the book.

Fans of Shania and her music will certainly be interested to learn more about the life of this Canadian icon. Borrow From This Moment On from your local Vaughan library today!

Age Group:
Young Adult

Genre:
Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, GLBTQ, Mental Health, Social Commentary

Summary:
J’s not your average 17-year-old. He’s always felt like he didn’t quite fit in. Born female, but indisputably a male at heart, J struggles to embrace his true identity in this coming-of-age novel by author Cris Beam.

I am J is one of the few novels that takes on the challenges of being a transgendered youth. We see J come to terms with himself as he struggles to maintain relationships with both his parents and his best friend Melissa. J’s friends and family are at once understanding, but also troubled and confused about J, unsure that they can ever accept him for who he is. All that J wants to do is start his life over as a man. He finds solace in his photography and anxiously awaits the day he can start taking Testosterone. J is a believable youth, whose inner struggles and perseverance will resound with any teenager, regardless of gender orientation.

My Thoughts:
I am J is a unique, groundbreaking novel on a topic that deserves much more consideration in the popular media. There are so few transgendered voices in modern literature. As the mother of a transgendered youth, Beam felt she needed to share the experiences of these often alienated children. Beam succeeds in providing a glimpse into the challenges of living on the fringes of society.

While the subject matter of the novel is important, I felt the plot lagged at times. The pacing is also a little muddled, tending to jump through time without any segues. But despite these minor flaws, Beam’s book is a crucial addition to any GLBTQ library, providing a voice to society’s most marginalized children.

Borrow I am J from your local Vaughan library today!