ALU Book Club: Further Reading After Bad Ideas

If family struggles and small towns like Preston Mills are the type of books that line your shelves…check out:No Good Asking (ECW Press) by Fran Kimmel.

One of the things we loved most about Bad Ideas was it’s complex cast of characters. No Good Asking packs the same punch, with each character in the Nyland family silently facing their own internal struggles after making a move back to the family farm in an attempt to make a fresh start. When the Nylands take in a troubled girl named Hannah, broken bonds are slowly healed, revealing just how resilient a family can be.If you’re into a bit of high-octane danger, like Jules, try: Marry Bang Kill(Goose Lane Editions)by Andrew Battershill

We’re imagining this one as recommended by Jules himself. You might not find any classic daredevil stunts, but Marry Bang Kill brings us plenty of bad ideas – along with a bit of humour. When Tommy robs the daughter of an infamous motorcycle gang and finds incriminating evidence on her stolen laptop, he becomes a marked man. The only way to stay alive? Rob the gang for enough money to make a run for it to the small, deserted island where his mother lives. Nbd…right?If Claire and Darren’s know-no-bounds love is your kind of thing, try: I Am a Truck (Invisible Publishing) by Michelle Winters.

Agathe and Réjean Lapointe are about to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. That is until Réjean goes missing, and his truck is found abandoned roadside. Only rock and roll and the insights of their Chevy dealer can restore Agathe’s hope of ever discovering Rejean’s fate. At it’s heart, I Am a Truck is a story about love and loyalty that is both funny and tender.If you felt you could understand or relate to the social expectations and personal failures of the characters in Bad Ideas, try: Giving Up (Book*Hug Press) by Mike Steeves

Through Trudy’s character, we were given a glimpse of the social pressures lurking in Preston Mills and the risk of judgement at the hands of it’s residents. Giving Up also confronts these social expectations and the acceptance of personal failures when things fall apart from the perspective of the modern couple. Heartbreaking, and yet, super relatable.* * *That’s a wrap on Bad Ideas! Catch up on the month’s happenings with our introduction to August book club, staff discussion, and interview with Missy Marston. Remember you can still pick up your own copy of Bad Ideas  until August 31st.