Name:       Deirdre Grace

Position:   Librarian, Energy, Environment & Business,

Coordinator, Engagement & Access

Which book did you choose?

My pick is Dodger (and his pick is me) and our pick is A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron.

 

Can you tell us why you chose this book?

I chose this book because I saw the preview for the movie, and really wanted to see it, but then there was the controversy about possible animal mistreatment during filming, and I felt like it might be better to read the book … the book’s always better than the movie anyway, right?

The book tells the story of a dog’s relationships with the people in his lives and his search for meaning and identity. It’s heartwarming and humorous, and even with a dog narrating through several incarnations it is surprisingly realistic and not corny. I love dogs and I loved this book. Dodger became part of my family when he was five years old, and I don’t know too much about his life before that – I wish he could write a book like this so I’d know more!

Name:      Mari-Anne Dansereau

Position:  Interlibrary Loans and Media Technician

Which book did you choose?

Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder

Can you tell us why you chose this book?

I liked that it was based on some true facts about women in the Olympics and the book was easy to get in to.

We’d love to hear more about the books you have read in the past. Could you share a few favorites?

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Relax, relax, relax.

Can you tell us 3 items on your bucket list?

Travel, travel and more travel.

Name: Lori Pederson, Library Coordinator – ATC Campus

Hagar Toy, Public Services Assistant – ATC Campus

Which book did you choose?

Tomboy Survival Guide by Ivan Coyote

Ivan Coyote is a celebrated storyteller. The Globe and Mail newspaper called Coyote “a natural-born storyteller” and the Ottawa Xpress once said that “Coyote is to Canadian literature what kd lang is to country music: a beautifully odd fixture.”  Ivan often grapples with the complex and intensely personal issues of gender identity in their work, as well as topics such as family, class, social justice and queer liberation, but always with a generous heart, a quick wit, and the nuanced and finely-honed timing of a gifted raconteur. Tomboy Survival Guide is a funny and moving memoir told in stories, about how they learned to embrace their tomboy past while carving out a space for those of us who don’t fit neatly into boxes or identities or labels.

Lori, can you tell us why you chose this book?

I like memoirs and fiction, particularly when the person has overcome difficulties in their lives with not fitting in to society in some way.

Lori, we’d love to hear more about the books you have read in the past. Could you share a few favorites?

Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper

One on One by Tabitha King

The Dinner by Herman Koch

Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Name:      Cathy Hyska

Position:  Learning Commons Administrative Coordinator

Which book did you choose?

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

A dazzlingly rich vision of the pain, loveliness, mystery, and promise of New York City in the 1970s.

Can you tell us why you chose this book?

This author is so very clever bringing what seem to be short stories together to form an amazing story.

We’d love to hear more about the books you have read in the past. Could you share a few favorites?

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay (available at BCIT)
All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doer (available at BCIT)
They Left us Everything by Plum Johnson (available at BCIT)
The Chosen by Chaim Potok (available at BCIT)

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Read, cook, listen to music, knit, be outdoors, and spend time with family & friends.

Can you tell us 3 items on your bucket list?

• A trip to Haida Gwaii
• A trip to visit family in Japan
• To sit in the warm sun admiring the Mediterranean Sea

Name:      Sherry Crawford

Position:  Public Services Assistant

Which book did you choose?

Here be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman

Thirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England’s ruthless, power-hungry King John. Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce by marrying the English king’s beloved illegitimate daughter, Joanna, who slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband. But as John’s attentions turn again and again to subduing Wales—and Llewelyn—Joanna must decide where her love and loyalties truly lie.

The turbulent clashes of two disparate worlds and the destinies of the individuals caught between them spring to life in this magnificent novel of power and passion, loyalty and lies. The book that began the trilogy that includes Falls the Shadow and The Reckoning, Here Be Dragons brings thirteenth-century England, France, and Wales to tangled, tempestuous life.

Can you tell us why you chose this book?

I love historical fiction. I have read a few of Sharon Kay Penman’s books and I loved them.

We’d love to hear more about the books you have read in the past. Could you share a few favorites?

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Play pool, cook, travel and read.

Can you tell us 3 items on your bucket list?

Travel to Italy, Spain and Eastern Europe.

Name:       Elizabeth Padilla

Position:   Librarian, Institutional Repository

Which book did you choose?

Sticks and Stones : Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy by Emily Bazelon.

Emily Bazelon brings readers on a deeply researched, clear-eyed journey into the ever-shifting landscape of teenage meanness and its sometimes devastating consequences. The result is an indispensable book that takes us from school cafeterias to courtrooms to the offices of Facebook, the website where so much teenage life, good and bad, now unfolds.

Can you tell us why you chose this book?

It’s important to learn that bullying is not acceptable, and remember that no one is alone, there are always others who feel the way you do. So, take heart!!

We’d love to hear more about the books you have read in the past. Could you share a few favorites?

I really loved Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis. It’s inspiring and not surprising it won the Canada Reads 2017.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I do a lot of photography, I love to capture unique moments or unusual perspectives that tell a story. Sometimes I share the photos online with friends, or I make a small photobook of a theme or event.

Name:        Alison Griffin

Position:   Liaison Librarian for Renewable Resources & Business. Collections Coordinator

Which book did you choose?

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Think Sliding Doors, but more positive – based on one fateful midnight decision. How much of life is destiny, how much is chance? Is anything meant to be?
Can you tell us why you chose this book?

I saw it recommended on a blog talking about favorite summer reads. Other books on the list were familiar and I enjoyed them, so I hope this is good too.

We’d love to hear more about the books you have read in the past. Could you share a few favorites?

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
All the Light you Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Run, knit, garden, hike

 

This year the BCIT Human Resources Dept. challenged all departments to submit their best “Pink” photo in celebration of Pink Shirt Day. What a surprise it was to find out that our submission won the grand prize of a teddy bear donned in a pink shirt and a $200 gift certificate to Chapters Indigo. Since we love books, we each hand-picked one to donate to our Popular Reading Collection which we will be featuring here on the blog. First up, meet Joanna from our Marine Campus.

Name:        Joanna Erickson

Position:    Library Coordinator, BMC Campus

Which book did you choose?

The book I picked was The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.

The Boys in the Boat is about a group of nine University of Washington students who overcome many obstacles in life to beat the odds of becoming the US Olympic rowing team for the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin, Germany.  Even though most people will know the outcome of the story before picking up this book, Daniel James Brown keeps the reader intrigued throughout the book and the individual life stories of these young men are both heartwarming and inspiring.  It also gives a fascinating account of life during the Depression in America and the political changes happening in Germany in the lead up to World War II.

Can you tell us why you chose this book?

I was introduced to this book through one of my book club members who chose it as her pick for us to read, and even though we are a group of women that rarely read sports books, we all ended up really enjoying this book!  I’ve selected this title for the Marine Campus library because I think our marine students and staff will enjoy it’s nautical themes, but I also think this book would appeal to anyone who enjoys a good human interest story and likes reading about the history of the Pacific Northwest and the world.

We’d love to hear more about the books you have read in the past. Could you share a few favorites?

Choosing favourites is so hard!  But other titles I’ve enjoyed reading are Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling, Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

What do you like most about your job?

What I like most about my job is being surrounded by books and getting to know the great students and staff at BMC!  I enjoy learning about how things work on board ships and love hearing about the adventures our students have at sea!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Being a book nerd, what I love to do most in my free time is read, but I also do really enjoy walks in the forest and gardening.

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