The nomination period for the August 2021 Adult and July & August 2021 Jr. lists is happening now! Create or log in to your CataList account to access a plethora of library-oriented features, including the “Recommend” button visible on Loan Stars-eligible titles.

Watch this space or sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when the lists are released.

The top books chosen by Canadian library staff

July 2021 Adult List

Sign up for our mailing list
  1. While We Were Dating
    by Jasmine Guillory
    Berkley
    Jul 13, 2021
    FICTION / Romance / Multicultural & Interracial
    Hardcover

    Description

    Two people realize that it’s no longer an act when they veer off-script in this sizzling romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory.

    Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama he’s trying to ignore and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star, Anna Gardiner, however, it’s hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she’s also down to earth and considerate, and he can’t help flirting a little…

    Anna Gardiner is on a mission: to make herself a household name, and this ad campaign will be a great distraction while she waits to hear if she’s booked her next movie. However, she didn’t expect Ben Stephens to be her biggest distraction. She knows mixing business with pleasure never works out, but why not indulge in a harmless flirtation?

    But their light-hearted banter takes a turn for the serious when Ben helps Anna in a family emergency, and they reveal truths about themselves to each other, truths they’ve barely shared with those closest to them.

    When the opportunity comes to turn their real-life fling into something more for the Hollywood spotlight, will Ben be content to play the background role in Anna’s life and leave when the cameras stop rolling? Or could he be the leading man she needs to craft their own Hollywood ending?
    MORE
  2. Falling
    by T. J. Newman
    Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
    Jul 06, 2021
    FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense
    Hardcover

    Description

    “Stunning and relentless. This is Jaws at 35,000 feet.” —Don Winslow
    Falling is the best kind of thriller…Nonstop, totally authentic suspense.” —James Patterson
    “Amazing...Intense suspense, shocks and scares...Chilling.” —Lee Child
    “The perfect summer thriller. Relentlessly paced and unforgettable.” —Janet Evanovich

    You just boarded a flight to New York.

    There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.

    What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.

    For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.

    The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.

    Enjoy the flight.
    MORE
  3. The Forest of Vanishing Stars
    by Kristin Harmel
    Gallery Books
    Jul 06, 2021
    FICTION / Historical / World War II
    Hardcover

    Description

    The New York Times bestselling author of the “heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism” (People) The Book of Lost Names returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis—until a secret from her past threatens everything.

    After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.

    Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author whose writing has been hailed as “sweeping and magnificent” (Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author), “immersive and evocative” (Publishers Weekly), and “gripping” (Tampa Bay Times).
    MORE
  4. Not a Happy Family
    by Shari Lapena 'Canada'
    Doubleday Canada
    Jul 27, 2021
    FICTION / Thrillers / Psychological
    Paperback

    Description

    The new domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and Someone We Know who has sold more than 7 million copies of her books worldwide.

    In this family, everyone is keeping secrets--especially the dead. Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there. And they don't come much richer than Fred and Sheila Mercer. But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mercers are brutally murdered the night after Easter dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated.

    Or are they? Each child stands to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their capricious father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did one of them snap after that dreadful evening? Or was it someone else who crept in with the worst of intentions? It must be. After all, if one of your siblings was a psychopath, you'd know.

    Wouldn't you?
    MORE
  5. For Your Own Good
    by Samantha Downing
    Berkley
    Jul 20, 2021
    FICTION / Thrillers / Psychological
    Hardcover

    Description

    “Wonderfully dark, twisty and compelling.” B.A. Paris

    "A slick and chilling thriller, leading readers on a dark, sinuous journey through the halls of Belmont Academy—the type of place where you’re never sure who to trust, or who to fear."—Megan Miranda

    “Dark, sly and delicious...totally original—and totally compelling.”—JP Delaney

    USA Today
    bestselling author Samantha Downing is back with her latest sneaky thriller set at a prestigious private school—complete with interfering parents, overeager students, and one teacher who just wants to teach them all a lesson…


    Teddy Crutcher has won Teacher of the Year at the prestigious Belmont Academy, home to the best and brightest.

    He says his wife couldn’t be more proud—though no one has seen her in a while.

    Teddy really can’t be bothered with a few mysterious deaths on campus that’re looking more and more like murder or the student digging a little too deep into Teddy’s personal life. His main focus is pushing these kids to their full academic potential.

    All he wants is for his colleagues—and the endlessly meddlesome parents—to stay out of his way. If not, well, they’ll get what they deserve.

    It’s really too bad that sometimes excellence can come at such a high cost.
    MORE
  6. A Boring Wife Settles the Score
    by Marie-Renee Lavoie 'Canada'
    Arachnide Editions
    Jul 06, 2021
    FICTION / Humorous / General
    Paperback

    Description

    The eagerly anticipated sequel to the critically beloved and bestselling Autopsy of a Boring Wife finds the saucy and ever-appealing Diane, now turning fifty and with the wreckage of her marriage behind her, setting off on a new hilarious journey for romance.

    A Boring Wife Settles the Score marks the return of Diane, the raunchy and entertaining heroine of the prize-winning and bestselling Autopsy of a Boring Wife. Despite the end of her marriage, Diane still has plenty of love to give. Determined not to waste her days — that’s just not her style — she finds a job in a daycare and solace in cocktails with her best friend, Claudine, who convinces Diane her love life is not over. Diane wants romance and sees no reason why she shouldn’t have it, but she soon discovers, in her typically chaotic and hilarious manner, that for a woman approaching her fifties the task is not so simple as it is for a man.

    MORE
  7. The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives
    by Kristin Miller
    Ballantine Books
    Jul 20, 2021
    FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense
    Paperback

    Description

    Meet the trophy wives of Presidio Terrace, San Francisco’s most exclusive—and most deadly—neighborhood in this shrewd, darkly compelling novel from the New York Times bestselling author of In Her Shadow.

    Mystery writer Brooke Davies is the new wife on the block. Her tech-billionaire husband, Jack, twenty-two years her senior, whisked her to the Bay Area via private jet and purchased a modest mansion on the same day. He demands perfection, and before now, Brooke has had no problem playing the role of a doting housewife. But as she befriends other wives on the street and spends considerable time away from Jack, he worries if he doesn’t control Brooke’s every move, she will reveal the truth behind their “perfect” marriage.

    Erin King, famed news anchor and chair of the community board, is no stranger to maintaining an image—though being married to a plastic surgeon helps. But the skyrocketing success of her career has worn her love life thin, and her professional ambitions have pushed Mason away. Quitting her job is a Hail Mary attempt at keeping him interested, to steer him away from finding a young trophy wife. But is it enough, and is Mason truly the man she thought he was?

    Georgia St. Claire allegedly cashed in on the deaths of her first two husbands, earning her the nickname “Black Widow”—and the stares and whispers of her curious neighbors. Rumored to have murdered both men for their fortunes, she claims to have found true love in her third marriage, yet her mysterious, captivating allure keeps everyone guessing. Then a tragic accident forces the residents of Presidio Terrace to ask: Has Georgia struck again? And what is she really capable of doing to protect her secrets?
    MORE
  8. The Other Passenger
    by Louise Candlish
    Simon & Schuster
    Jul 20, 2021
    FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense
    Paperback

    Description

    The “queen of the sucker-punch twist” (Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author) and author of Our House weaves a suspenseful thriller about a commuter who becomes a suspect in his friend’s mysterious disappearance. Perfect for fans of the unputdownable page-turners by Christina McDonald and Lisa Jewell.

    It all happens so quickly. One day you’re living the dream, commuting to work by ferry with your charismatic neighbor Kit in the seat beside you. The next, Kit hasn’t turned up for the boat and his wife, Melia, has reported him missing.

    When you get off at your stop, the police are waiting. Another passenger saw you and Kit arguing on the boat home the night before and the police say that you had a reason to want him dead. You protest. You and Kit are friends—ask Melia, she’ll vouch for you. And who exactly is this other passenger pointing the finger? What do they know about your lives?

    No, whatever danger followed you home last night, you are innocent, totally innocent.

    Aren’t you?
    MORE
  9. What Strange Paradise
    by Omar El Akkad 'Canada'
    McClelland & Stewart
    Jul 20, 2021
    FICTION / Political
    Hardcover

    Description

    From the widely acclaimed author of American War: a new novel--beautifully written, unrelentingly dramatic, and profoundly moving--that brings the global refugee crisis down to the level of a child's eyes.

    More bodies have washed up on the shores of a small island. Another over-filled, ill-equipped, dilapidated ship has sunk under the weight of its too many passengers: Syrians, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Palestinians, all of them desperate to escape untenable lives in their homelands. And only one has made the passage: nine-year-old Amir, a Syrian boy who has the good fortune to fall into the hands not of the officials but of Vanna: a teenage girl, native to the island, who lives inside her own sense of homelessness in a place and among people she has come to disdain. And though she and the boy are complete strangers, though they don't speak a common language, she determines to do whatever it takes to save him.

    In alternating chapters, we learn the story of the boy's life and how he came to be on the boat; and we follow the girl and boy as they make their way toward a vision of safety. But as the novel unfurls, we begin to understand that this is not merely the story of two children finding their way through a hostile world, it is the story of our collective moment in this time: of empathy and indifference, of hope and despair--and of the way each of those things can blind us to reality, or guide us to a better one.
    MORE
  10. A Passage North
    by Anuk Arudpragasam
    Hogarth
    Jul 13, 2021
    FICTION / Literary
    Hardcover

    Description

    A young man journeys into Sri Lanka’s war-torn north in this searing novel of longing, loss, and the legacy of war from the author of The Story of a Brief Marriage.

    “A novel of tragic power and uncommon beauty. In his depiction of the processes through which history sculpts human fate, Anuk Arudpragasam achieves something akin to grace.”—Anthony Marra, author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

    A Passage North begins with a message from out of the blue: a telephone call informing Krishan that his grandmother’s caretaker, Rani, has died under unexpected circumstances—found at the bottom of a well in her village in the north, her neck broken by the fall. The news arrives on the heels of an email from Anjum, an impassioned yet aloof activist Krishnan fell in love with years before while living in Delhi, stirring old memories and desires from a world he left behind.

    As Krishan makes the long journey by train from Colombo into the war-torn Northern Province for Rani’s funeral, so begins an astonishing passage into the innermost reaches of a country. At once a powerful meditation on absence and longing, as well as an unsparing account of the legacy of Sri Lanka’s thirty-year civil war, this procession to a pyre “at the end of the earth” lays bare the imprints of an island’s past, the unattainable distances between who we are and what we seek.

    Written with precision and grace, Anuk Arudpragasam’s masterful novel is an attempt to come to terms with life in the wake of devastation, and a poignant memorial for those lost and those still alive.
    MORE
View more winners from the archive
Sign up for our mailing list

May & June 2021 Juvenile and Young Adult List

Sign up for our mailing list
  1. The Tea Dragon Tapestry
    by K. O'Neill
    Oni Press
    Jun 01, 2021
    JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical
    Hardcover

    Description

    Join Greta and Minette once more for the heartwarming conclusion of the award-winning Tea Dragon series!

    Over a year since being entrusted with Ginseng's care, Greta still can't chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. As she struggles to create something spectacular enough to impress a master blacksmith in search of an apprentice, she questions the true meaning of crafting, and the true meaning of caring for someone in grief. Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Thrown into confusion about her path in life, the shy and reserved Minette finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was always inside.

    Told with the same care and charm as the previous installments of the Tea Dragon series, The Tea Dragon Tapestry welcomes old friends and new into a heartfelt story of purpose, love, and growth.
    MORE
  2. Stamped (For Kids)
    by Jason Reynolds
    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
    May 11, 2021
    JUVENILE NONFICTION / People & Places / United States / African American
    Hardcover

    Description

    THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    This chapter book edition of the groundbreaking #1 bestseller by luminaries Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds is an essential introduction to the history of racism and antiracism in America


    RACE. Uh-oh. The R-word.
    But actually talking about race is one of the most important things to learn how to do.

    Adapted from the award-winning, bestselling Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, this book takes readers on a journey from present to past and back again. Kids will discover where racist ideas came from, identify how they impact America today, and meet those who have fought racism with antiracism. Along the way, they’ll learn how to identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their own lives.

    Ibram X. Kendi’s research, Jason Reynolds’s and Sonja Cherry-Paul’s writing, and Rachelle Baker’s art come together in this vital read, enhanced with a glossary, timeline, and more.
    MORE
  3. We Are All Under One Wide Sky
    by Deborah Wiles
    Sounds True
    Jun 15, 2021
    JUVENILE FICTION / Diversity & Multicultural
    Hardcover

    Description

    Children will learn to both celebrate diversity and embrace how much we all have in common.

    InWe Are All Under One Wide Sky, Deborah Wiles beautifully weaves together images from the natural world in a lovely, lyrical poem. Andrea Stegmaier’s fresh and captivating illustrations feature children from around the globe and celebrate different architecture, landscapes, and activities.

    By the end of the book, children will have internalized the message that although we are from different places, we are the same in so many ways. What we have in common is what is most important—family, laughter, love, nature, and friendship. We all share the same wide sky.

    We Are All Under One Wide Skyis a peace anthem with a timely and important message for children: to both celebrate diversity and embrace how much we all have in common.

    MORE
  4. Time for School, Little Blue Truck
    by Alice Schertle
    HMH Books for Young Readers
    Jun 22, 2021
    JUVENILE FICTION / Transportation / Cars & Trucks
    Hardcover

    Description

    Ride along to school with the #1New York Times best-selling Little Blue Truck and meet Blue's new friend: a bright yellow school bus.Beep-beep!

    Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are excited to meet a bright yellow school bus on the road. They see all the little animals lined up in the school bus’s many windows, and Blue wishes he could be a school bus too. What a fun job—but much too big for a little pickup like Blue. Or is it? When somebody misses the bus, it’s up to Blue to get his friend to school on time. Beep! Beep! Vroom!

    Also enjoy Blue’s bedtime ride inGood Night, Little Blue Truck and his trip to the city inLittle Blue Truck Leads the Way.
    MORE
  5. My Daddies!
    by Gareth Peter
    Puffin
    Jun 29, 2021
    JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Parents
    Paperback

    Description

    A funny, heartfelt picture-book celebrating same-sex parents and shared story time, perfect for introducing children to the different kinds of family in the world today.

    Set off on a series of incredible adventures with an adorable family as the stories they read burst into colourful life. Battle dragons, dodge deadly dinosaurs, zoom to the moon and explore the world in a hot air balloon, before winding down in a wonderfully cosy bedtime ending.

    The bouncy, rhyming, read-aloud text is brought to life by bestselling, award-winning illustrator Garry Parsons, illustrator of The Dinosaur that Pooped series.

    'This rhyming picture book celebrating same-sex parents is a gentle and sweet read . . . a wonderful celebration of adoption and the different shapes a family can take!' BookTrust
    MORE
  6. Animal Rescue Friends
    by Gina Loveless
    Andrews McMeel Publishing
    Jun 15, 2021
    JUVENILE FICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / Animals
    Paperback

    Description

    At the Animal Rescue Friends shelter, everyone is looking for a way to belong—kids and animals alike. From Epic! Originals, Animal Rescue Friends is a heartwarming, three-book graphic novel series filled with humor and furry friendships.

    Welcome to Animal Rescue Friends, where any stray can find a friendly face—furry or otherwise. This first collection of middle-grade comics includes five tales of found family: A lonely girl living in the suburbs finds happiness with a stray pit bull; a protective mama ferret and her six kits learn to trust a shelter volunteer; a shy boy stands up for himself with the help of a strong-willed bunny; a cantankerous cat helps to mend a troubled relationship; and the shelter's unofficial mascot eventually finds a home. Perfect for animal-loving kids, this adorable comics series will inspire and uplift.
    MORE
  7. Fly, Tiger, Fly!
    by Rikin Parekh
    Hachette Children's
    Jun 15, 2021
    JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Lions, Tigers, Leopards, etc.
    Paperback

    Description

    Riku's family have all achieved something special - and Riku wants to be special too. His dream? To be the world's first ever flying tiger!

    Only Riku's friend Jim has doubts . . . Tigers don't have wings. (And Jim should know - he's a parrot!) But Riku is one determined little tiger. With help from Jim and some feathered friends, will Riku make it off the ground and into the air?

    This hilariously funny book from Rikin Parekh celebrates dreams, determination and the power of friendship. It's a must-read for any little person with BIG ambition!

    MORE
  8. I Want to Be...a Teacher
    by Becky Davies
    Random House Books for Young Readers
    Jun 29, 2021
    JUVENILE FICTION / Business, Careers, Occupations
    Board book

    Description

    Do you want to be a teacher? Open this book to find out what adventures await!

    This inspirational board book invites curious little ones to spend a day in a teacher's shoes, from getting ready for lessons to teaching art, science, and music classes. The surprise mirror at the end provides a fun, interactive bonus!

    Don't miss these other I Want to Be... books: I Want to Be... a Firefighter and I Want to Be... an Astronaut!
    MORE
  9. Llama Llama Seasons of Fun!: A Push-and-Pull Book
    by Anna Dewdney
    Grosset & Dunlap
    Jun 29, 2021
    JUVENILE FICTION / Imagination & Play
    Board book

    Description

    Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall! Join Llama and all his friends as they discover all the seasons in this push-and-pull board book! Push and pull the interactive slides to discover new pieces of the story!

    Llama Llama's in a brand-new format in this push-and-ull book. Help Llama experience all the different seasons by pushing and pulling the slides on every page! Perfect for the youngest of readers curious about Llama Llama's world!
    MORE
  10. Meet Your School!
    by Cindy Jin
    Little Simon
    Jul 27, 2021
    JUVENILE FICTION / School & Education
    Board book

    Description

    Welcome to the first day of school! Go on a lift-the-flap adventure to discover the fun surprises waiting for kids on their first day of school!

    School is in session! It’s time to begin
    a full day of fun, so come right on in!

    This shaped board introduces young readers to all the different classrooms and activities a child can look forward to at school. From a typical kindergarten classroom, to the art room, music room, gymnasium, and cafeteria, little ones can lift the sturdy flaps to reveal a bunch of fun school day surprises!
    MORE
View more winners from the archive
Sign up for our mailing list
https://www.loanstars.ca/
www.loanstars.ca
crawl=CC-MAIN-2021-25
144650
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:UWT7VABYKYF2OVNSZBQYQEANS6AMQUQG
<urn:uuid:82cd67d1-2108-4d10-b93e-4a294bb31152>
2021-06-14T22:36:08Z
69.163.131.1
text/html
sha1:VVDOXRE5XRADLI7DQ73TKE7MVKYKK5PT
<urn:uuid:10bddcc8-8d2a-4c66-957e-2c70ff9f0c62>
https://www.loanstars.ca/
response
<urn:uuid:96e3cc7c-8a0f-49ac-942f-62b254715367>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2021-25
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for June 2021
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-177.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.18 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.2-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: https://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/