Adult Book Recommendation

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

This book has some of the same characters as Mandel's previous novel, The Glass Hotel, but isn’t quite a sequel. It can easily be read without having read the first book, but does contain some spoilers. Part of the genius of this book is the way it carefully doles out clues as to what’s going on, so I won’t say much about the plot. A young man wanders into a forest in 1912 and hears violin music and strange noises and discovers the world is not what he thought. The book is short and quick to read, with great world-building and compelling characters.

Children’s Book Recommendation

Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers and Marla Frazee

This has long been one of my favourite picture books. I received it as a gift when my first child was born, read it to both my kids dozens of times and now gift it to expectant friends. I love the message, the illustrations (which show a wide variety of family types and sizes) and the rhythm and rhyme. It is a pleasure to read aloud. The book was recently on a list of books deemed unsuitable for schools by a conservative group in Florida. Fortunately, the controversy has caused the book to skyrocket to the top of Amazon’s bestseller lists.

Behind the Scenes

Students often ask me how long it takes me to write a book. That depends, of course. Do they mean how long does it take to write a draft? Somewhere between a few hours (Sounds of the Ferry) and a year (Count Me In). Or do they mean how long to get a book ready to send to a publisher? That could take a few months or nearly a decade (I still have some manuscripts languishing on my computer that aren’t yet publishable). What is more consistent is the publishing process. It usually takes 18-24 months from the point a book is accepted by a publisher to having a physical book in my hand. Most students stare at me in horror when they hear my answer. It can literally take as long as their lifetime to make a book!