Adult Recommendations

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Andy Weir wrote The Martian, on which the hit movie starring Matt Damon was based. If you enjoyed the movie, give Project Hail Mary a try. High school science teacher Ryland Grace wakes from a coma to find himself alone on a space ship with no memory of what he’s doing there. As his memories return bit by bit, he realizes he is Earth’s last chance to save the planet from an apocalyptic event. Weir does a great job of explaining very complex physics and biology in an understandable way. Having Grace’s memories come back slowly add tension and interest for the reader. Grace gets help in his quest from a surprising character, and the humour and tenderness of their interactions was a highlight of the book for me.

Aftershock written, produced and starring Sarah Wayne Callies

This is a bonus recommendation. It’s not a book, but a narrative podcast. It is unlike any podcast I’ve listened to before—like a modern radio play with cinematic-level audio production. In this fast-paced thriller, a devastating earthquake hits L.A. and causes a new island to rise off the coast. In the aftermath, two strangers embark on a dangerous journey to the island together—but find they aren’t alone. The sound production was so immersive I felt like I was watching, not listening, and the plot twists had me on the edge of my seat right to the last minutes of the season.

Children's Book Recommendation

The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

I’ve been a huge Gordon Korman fan since I read This Can’t Be Happening at MacDonald Hall (which he published in 8th grade) at age 13. Since then he’s written close to 100 books. The Unteachables features a group of misfit kids who’ve been given up on by their school and the teacher one year away from retirement who is assigned to teach them. To begin, his attitude is even worse than the kids. But as the year goes on, through chaos and destruction, both teacher and students find a place for connection and redemption.

Behind the Scenes

I’m often asked where my ideas come from. I draw on snippets I hear and gather from all over. In Duck Days, Lauren is working on “going with the flow”, square breathing and letting insults slide off her like water off a duck’s back. My son’s kindergarten teacher used the phrase “Go with the flow”, my friend’s daughter was taught square breathing as a way to control her anxiety and a friend told me she didn’t fit the norm in high school, but she wasn’t bullied because the insults didn’t bother her—they slid off her like water off a duck. Each of those thoughts percolated inside me for years until I put them together in Duck Days.

Professional Resource

The Whistler Writers Festival is offering an All-Access Holiday Pass to the 2021 Whistler Writers Festival video recordings of readings and workshops for the month of December and January. A donation of $30 gets you more than 30 hours of programming and funds will go towards supporting our 2022 Whistler Writers Festival and Authors in the Schools program.

https://whistlerwritersfest.com/holiday/