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Red Deer Reads titles narrowed down to five

Red Deer Public Library
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Mayor Tara Veer cast her vote to help choose the next Red Deer Reads book on Saturday at the city’s Let’s Talk event at Parkland Mall. She chose Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors and Trailblazers Who Changed History, by Sam Maggs, for the next community-wide book club.

Red Deerians have a decision to make — which of the five finalists in Red Deer Reads should the community to read.

On Saturday the top five books were revealed at the City of Red Deer’s Let’s Talk event at Parkland Mall. Now citizens have to vote to determine the title will be read in the third annual community-wide book club.

The five books include We’re All In This Together by Amy Jones; Fishbowl by Bradley Somer; Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbeack; Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors and Trailblazers Who Changed History by Sam Maggs; and Juliet’s Answer: One Man’s Search for Love and the Elusive Cure for Heartbreak by Glenn Dixon.

People have until May 26 to cast their vote at any of the Red Deer Public Library branches, Red Deer College Library, or online at www.rdpl.org.

To be nominated the books had to be written by a living Canadian author so the writer can attend a Red Deer Reads event in the fall.

The finalists were chosen for their ability to be read by any age, from teens to older adults, to bring together as many people from the community as possible.

Briana Ehnes, adult services manager at downtown branch, said the finalists also had to have a wow factor and be a great conversation starter.

“Something about the book that makes it unique or makes it stick in your memory after you’ve read it, or perhaps is on a controversial topic or is particularly insightful or humorous,” Ehnes said.

Copies of the final five titles are available at all the branches.

She said five copies of each book are included in the express collection at the downtown branch, and the Dawe and Timberstone branches both have three copies of each title. These nonrenewable copies will be loaned out for two weeks so they can get into as many hands as possible.

Each branch also has copies in their regular collection that can be on loan for three weeks. Those can be renewed if no one has placed a hold on them.

Ehnes recommended people go online to rdpl.bibliocommons.com to search for the titles to find out which branch has copies available.

A total of 25 floating copies were also handed out on Saturday.

“For three years now we’ve given out floating copies to random people in the community and asked them to pass it along so that lots of people are able to read one of the five finalists,” said Library CEO Christina Wilson.

“We continue that tradition once we pick the final book.”

szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com