If you’re an adult who sometimes misses going back to the classroom and being given a stack of books to read, or if you’re just in need of a new literary adventure, there are several new releases to check out this fall. Michael Varty, of Perfect Books Ottawa, was on CTV Morning Live on Friday to discuss some new books you can check out right now. “A lot of these are early fall releases and we have them in the store now and I just brought a good selection of newish kind of books,” he said. Here are some of Varty’s picks for great fall reads. “A Truce That Is Not Peace” by Miriam Toews “This is a memoir and it’s about a formative event in her life and how it reflects her writing and everything. It’s a tremendous book; very beautifully written,” Varty says. “Valentine in Montreal” by Heather O’Neill This was a serialized novel that was published in Montreal and it’s almost a love letter to Montreal. It’s illustrated by her daughter (Arizona O’Neill). There are some lovely illustrations in it. Heather will be appearing at our Ottawa writers’ festival pretty soon, too,” said Varty. “Burning Down the House” by Jonathan Gould “We have a book that’s a history of the Talking Heads, Burning Down the House. The early years, the formative years, I love the Talking Heads. It’s by music journalist Jonathan Gould and it’s excellent,” says Varty. “Katabasis” by R.F. Kuang “This is the major release this year. She is an excellent writer. This is in the fantasy genre,” Varty explains. “The Little Frog’s Guide to Life” by Maybell Eequay “The Little Frog’s Guide to Life is a lovely, heartwarming book with inspirational illustrations. It’s lovely, and very warm feeling,” says Varty. “Mother Mary Comes to Me” by Arundhati Roy “Again, this is another writer’s memoir of her formative years. Arundhati Roy is a Booker Prize winning author, and this is basically why she became a writer,” Varty says. “Universal” by Alex Neve “This is about human rights, and he was at Amnesty International,” says Varty. Other books on Michael Varty’s list of great fall reads include: Upcoming Writers’ Festival appearances Heather and Arizona O’Neill (“Valentine in Montreal”): Sept. 9 at St. John the Evangelist, 154 Somerset St. W., 7 p.m. Miriam Towes (“A Truce That Is Not Peace”): Sept. 16 at St. John the Evangelist, 154 Somerset St. W., 7 p.m. Michael Redhill (“The Trial of Katterfelto”): Oct. 22 at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St., 8 p.m. Eimear McBride (“The City Changes Its Face”): Oct. 26 at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St., 4 p.m. Alex Neve (“Universal”): Oct. 26 at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St., 8 p.m. Details and tickets are available at https://writersfestival.org/
