Aug 09, 2020
Staff Picks – Book Lover’s Day 2020
We all have a uniquely valuable role in life. But many of us, even if satisfied with that role, often wonder what it would be like to live in a different place, work at a different job, or even be a completely different person. For brief moments, books release us from the constraints of our own reality. They take us beyond our world and into someone else’s real or an imaginary one.
At HighStreet Accommodations, we believe there is something undeniably special about reading. So over the past week, in celebration of #FavouriteBookDay we’ve asked our staff to answer: What is their favorite book? And the responses we received are a treat to read.
Sally Fitzpatrick | Resident Experience Associate
My favourite children’s book that I’ve read to my daughter: Piggy Bunny, Rachel Vail the story of a little piglet named Liam who wants to be the Easter Bunny when he grows up.
For children who put on a cape or a tutu, who dream of being someone or something different, Piggy Bunny offers a reassuring and fun opportunity to believe in themselves.
My favourite classic: Wuthering Heights, it has so much melodrama. Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847 under her pseudonym “Ellis Bell”.
My favourite guilty pleasure: Sing the Four Quarters by Tanya Huff a fantasy/mystery novel. It makes it so easy to turn my brain off.
The story goes that only those born with the gift could learn to Sing these spirits of earth, air, fire, and water into doing their bidding
My favourite book that I read as a child: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I must have re-read this book well over 50 times.
Generations of children have treasured the story of Sara Crewe, the little girl who imagines she’s a princess in order to survive hard times at Miss Minchins London boarding school.
Jordan Varley | Sales Manager
My favourite book is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
The Name of the Wind, also called The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One, is a heroic fantasy novel. It is the first book in the ongoing fantasy trilogy The Kingkiller Chronicle, followed by The Wise Man’s Fear.
Alice Szeto | Office Assistant
One of my favourite books is The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
The Old Man and the Sea is the story of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life.
Mary Morrison | Vice President, Growth Initiatives
Is my favourite so far in 2020 is Where the Crawdads Sing by Della Owens. I’ve spent much time in the south and this is such a tortured, gorgeously written read of resilience and grit.
When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens. Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder.
Arielle Charuk | Resident Services Coordinator
My favourite book has to be A Piece of Cake: A Memoir by Cupcake Brown
A Piece of Cake is unlike any memoir you’ll ever read. Moving and almost transgressive in its frankness, it is a relentlessly gripping tale of a resilient spirit who took on the worst of contemporary urban life and survived it with a furious wit and unyielding determination.
Josi Brajnovic | Housekeeping Manager
I love Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald the most. It is dark, but a very beautiful work of art.
Set in the south of France in the late 1920s, Tender Is the Night is the tragic tale of a young actress and her complicated relationship with the alluring American couple. Lyrical, expansive, and hauntingly evocative, Tender Is the Night was one of the most talked-about books of the year when it was originally published in 1934, and is even more beloved by readers today.
If you’re a book lover, chances are that you’ve experienced reading to be a rejuvenating activity that renews your energy and elevates your mood. Numerous book lovers have testified that reading gives them purpose, helps them persevere through difficulty, and unlocks parts of themselves they didn’t even know existed. For all of the reasons, reading makes us feel optimistic and tenaciously alive.
