Buzzy Books

Usually, I like to leave a little something extra ‘til the end, but I’m excited about what I’m sharing with you this month, so I’m leading with it, plus it’s on point. Some of you may have heard of Bookshop.org, a socially conscious alternative to Amazon that supports local, independent bookstores. Well, did you know that Canada now has its own alternative to Amazon or Indigo? One that brings independent bookshops to the fore while also making it possible for you to shop at any Canadian independent bookstore that’s on board. Well, we do, and it’s called Booksellers.ca*. Be sure to check it out.

Obviously, ordering and buying directly from your fave local bookstore is still the best way to support them. But say they don’t have the book you want in stock? Or you’re looking for something niche that you only find at a little bookstore somewhere in Ontario? Booksellers.ca is the way to go. I’ll also be using it for ATK Reads' affiliate links going forward, and I’m slowly working my way backwards, adding links to old recommendations. What does this mean for you? If you choose to buy one of the books I recommend using my affiliate link, I’ll get a little pocket money.

And now onto some of the buzziest books of the season: 

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
This is perhaps the buzziest of all the buzzy books this spring, and sometimes when a book is as hyped as Yesteryear, it doesn’t live up to expectations. While I wouldn’t say that’s the case here, I would say the book is not what I expected from the whole “tradwife influencer goes back in time to pioneer days and has a rude awakening” premise. Yesteryear is a dark book with an unlikeable and potentially unreliable narrator. As one of the ‘angry women’ Natalie delights in baiting on her social media, I was both fascinated, appalled, and disturbed by this book. Yesteryear stays with you once you’re done, as you keep pondering its plot twists and big reveals, and parsing out what actually happened. The novel tackles a lot of topics, possibly too many, so it doesn’t go as deep as I would have liked into its takes on white Christian nationalism and divisive US politics. I would be fascinated to read a tradwife’s review of this book, but I haven’t found any online yet. Whatever you think of the book, I can almost guarantee you will not be tempted to become an influencer after reading this. 

This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
Is TSMSYL a thriller? A romance? A mystery? It’s pretty much all three, and it’s a lot of fun. I ‘read’ the audiobook and it felt like listening to a radio play in the very best way. The two protagonists, Joy and Benny, are narrated by Julian Whelan and Sean Patrick Hopkins, respectively, and sound effects are deployed to reinforce the story to great effect.  In keeping with the theme of online fame, Joy and Benny are the hosts of a super-popular podcast – TSMSYL, where they share survival stories, and they’re also best friends (who've never been romantically involved). But when Joy and her husband Xander disappear under mysterious circumstances, Benny is in the frame. Told in dual timelines – Benny trying to make sense of Joy’s disappearance in real time, and Joy’s memoir detailing her life in the lead up to that disappearance – this is a gripping, compelling read, and things take satisfying, unexpected turns. All the reviews say to listen to the audiobook if you’re an audiophile, and I’d definitely agree, but I also want to revisit the book in physical form in a few months. 

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash
If you like absurdist novels about quirky, chaotic families with precocious children, and distinct shades of Wes Anderson, you’ll like Lost Lambs. To continue the conceit from above, are there terrorists? Yes. And an open marriage? Yes. And a cult. Also yes. I was worried it might be a bit too precious when I started reading the book, but I’d soon fallen for the irreverent, wacky, rambling plot. Each member of the dysfunctional Flynn family – parents Bud and Catherine, who are experimenting with open marriage (not a spoiler), and daughters Abigail, Louise, and Harper (my favourite) –  has their own story arc that all culminate in the take down of a corrupt billionaire, with the most excellent name of Paul Alabaster. There’s also a great cast of fully fleshed out supporting characters, who you can’t help but root for. This is a shortish book and a quick read, hence this recommendation is a bit shorter than those above, mainly because I can’t say much more without spoilers! 

*Booksellers.ca is the English companion site to Leslibraires.ca, which has been operating this way in Quebec and French-speaking Canada for over 15 years, so they may be new on the English block, but they have lots of experience in this space. 

Adapted from Josh Bernoff:

AI use statement:

I, Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit, a human, wrote every word of this post. 

I used AI tools for grammar checking, but used my judgment to select from its suggestions and implement them (or not).