In reading mode: waiting for the end of the world

; DAY

Prix Médicis 2022, The Thirteenth Hour above all has some wonderful hours of reading in store for us. 

It's always nice to be surprised or disturbed by a book. In general, this is a sign that it is off the beaten track or that it is particularly well written. Here, we have both: an original story and a magnificent pen often tinged with humor. 

Farah, 16, is the only teenager in the Church of the Thirteenth Hour, a millennial congregation whose masses always end with a sonnet by Nerval. Being the daughter of the man who founded this atypical religious group very versed in poetry, it's not as if she had the choice to be a part of it or not. That said, she's not complaining. On the contrary. She has boundless admiration for her father and over the pages, she will explain to us all the reasons. 

Family portrait

In Farah's life, there is basically only one shadow on the board: she never had the chance to know Hind, her mother. A week after his birth, Hind would indeed have taken to their heels. Why and where to go? Farah has no idea. But by dint of asking questions right and left, she hopes to be able to find out one day… 

It is therefore above all through the story of Lenny, her father, that we will understand a little better what kind of woman Hind was and what kind of relationship he had with her. A surprising love story that gives this book a unique color.

Emmanuelle Bayamack-Tam at a signing

While in Montreal as part of the Salon du livre, Emmanuelle Bayamack-Tam will be signing on November 26 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and November 27 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at booth 901.

< h3>ALSO READ THIS WEEK

The chance of a lifetime

Even if this novel is signed John Grisham, do not expect here a new legal thriller. That said, there is no shortage of action. Originally from Sudan, Samuel Sooleymon will succeed in joining a university basketball team … in the United States. His dream ? Become a superstar so she can bring her family to America. You guessed it, you have to be a basketball fan to appreciate this book.

Midnight, last limit

In this 23rd opus of the series dedicated to him, Jack Reacher will see the ring of a former student of the West Point military academy in the window of a pawnshop. Since it's not the kind of jewelry you get rid of easily, Reacher is convinced that there is a sordid story behind it. True, and you better have strong nerves to find out what it's all about! 

The incredible visual encyclopedia of history< /p>

With this kind of book in your hands, it is impossible to get bored. From the birth of humanity to the climate crisis, including the invention of pottery, the golden age of imperial China, the crusades, the industrial revolution, the beginnings of aviation or the cold war, a very fascinating book that is also aimed at young people.

Aperitif with Marc Dupré

In addition to making a name for himself on the music scene, Marc Dupré is one of the founders of Cherry River, a microdistillery established in Magog. As a result, he shares here with us 50 very varied cocktail recipes for aperitif time, without forgetting the canapés and appetizers that will accompany them. With the holiday season fast approaching, a book that could be very practical!

Chills guaranteed

The diagonal of the queens

Nicole O'Connor and Monica Mac Intyre, the heroines of this new Werber, could hardly be more different from each other. Nicole, daughter of a wealthy Australian sheep farmer, cannot stand loneliness for a single moment and needs the gaze of others to feel like she exists. As for Monica, who leads a much more modest life in New York alongside her mother, it's the others she can't stand. In fact, people disgust her. Definitely. 

These girls have one thing in common: both are very good at chess. So much so that they will compete in Reykjavik for the title of junior women's world champion. 

Let the party begin

No, you will not be told which of the two will win. But what we can reveal, on the other hand, is that from that day on, they will wage a merciless war. And the older they get, the more their strategies and dreams of revenge will tend to go beyond the chessboard…to the four corners of the planet. 

As always with Werber's novels, you really learn all sorts of interesting things along the way. This allows us to appreciate the story of Nicole and Monica in a different way, sometimes a little too far-fetched.