March Book Bug!

Some of my favourite recommendations to share are the ones that come from other readers.

This one came from across the desk and immediately piqued my interest with its intriguing title and premise: Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated by James Goodhand.

A lifetime ago, Ray “Spike” Thorns was a well-regarded caretaker on a boarding school's grounds. These days, he lives the life of a recluse in a house rammed with hoarded junk, alone and disconnected from family or old friends. When his next-door neighbor drops dead on Spike's doorstep, a case of mistaken identity ensues: according to the police, the hospital, the doctors—everyone—Spike is dead. Spike wants to correct the mistake, but when confronted with those who knew him best, he hesitates, forced to face whatever impression he's left on the world. It's a discovery that brings him up close to ghosts from his past, and to the only woman he ever loved. Could it be that in coming face-to-face with his own demise, Spike is able to really live again?

Books about finding meaning through mortality are timeless. Others include The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg, about a man who forges relationships in unexpected after the loss of his wife, or The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer, where a lonely death doula is inspired by a feisty client to live life more fully.

You can request these books at the library in print, digital, or audio formats, or go online to find them through our catalogue: http://library.brucecounty.on.ca/