Simcoe Reads

6 Libraries. 6 Books. 1 Winner.

Select Simcoe County libraries squared off again this year for a host of great reads. Public libraries from Barrie, Essa, Innisfil, Midland, New Tecumseth, and Ramara were all in on the fun! Picture of 6 librarian champions holding their book selections

The Grand Finale was hosted by Ramara Public Library at Udney Community Centre this year. Congratulations to Midland Public Library for bringing home the prize this year with their book Moon of the Turning Leaves.

Simcoe Reads 2025 will start up again early in the summer next year. We will be welcoming more partners to the collaboration and the books are sure to be fabulous!

Click on the drop-down menus below for more information on previous years, the books and their champions.

Simcoe Reads 2024

Champions and Books

Simcoe Reads 2024 was an amazing success. With 6 amazing Simcoe County Libraries participating, the selection of books and champion representation was second to none!

For more information on each library's champions and the books they represented, see below:

Barrie Public Library

Picture of Amy Couser Cover of book has red background with large black printed title and an image of a butler’s arm holding a tray

Champion: Amy Courser

Book: Mindful of Murder

Author: Susan Juby

About Amy:

Amy is a City of Barrie Councillor and member of the Barrie Public Library Board of Directors.

About the Book:

Mindful of Murder takes us on a journey with 3 butlers, 4 guests and a week to remember as family descend on the Yatra Institute, a spiritual retreat on Sutil Island. The goal? To fulfill the last wishes of its owner and determine who is the most suitable heir. But did the owner die of natural causes or is there something more sinister at play?

Essa Public Library

Picture of Stephanie Cryer Cover of book

Champion: Stephanie Cryer

Book: And Then She Fell

Author: Alicia Elliot

About Stephanie:

Stephanie is a teacher-librarian in New Tecumseth.

About the Book:

And Then She Fell follows Alice, a young Haudenosaunee mother who goes through a kind of looking glass, as she deals with postpartum depression and married life away from her family and traditions. It’s a story of difficult truths, told with humour, horror and a bit of surrealism.

Innisfil ideaLab & Library

Picture of Barbara Love Cover of book has blue background with shapes of blueberries and the title in yellow print

Champion: Barbara Love

Book: The Berry Pickers

Author: Amanda Peters

About Barbara:

Barbara Love is a proud Innisfilian, mother of three and grandmother of five. She is a retired nurse, a retired Professor from McMaster University in the School of Nursing, and recently served on the RVH Board of Directors for ten years. She has published and given national and international presentations in the areas of paediatric oncology, standards of care, resilience, hope, and competency.

About the Book:

The Berry Pickers is a captivating novel about a young Mi’kmaq girl’s disappearance and the trauma, search for truth, and unwavering love that results from this mysterious circumstance.

Midland Public Library - Winner of Simcoe Reads 2024!

Picture of Kevin Cascagnette Cover of book has moon setting in a grey sky

Champion: Kevin Cascagnette

Book: Moon of the Turning Leaves

Author: Waubgeshig Rice

About Kevin:

Kevin is a versatile professional in the creative industry, hailing from Midland, Ontario. With expertise in graphic design, art direction, and photography, Kevin brings a fresh perspective to his projects. He has a successful photography business and is dedicated to community service. As a proud Indigenous individual, Kevin adds a unique viewpoint as he represents Moon of The Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice.

About the Book:

In Moon of the Turning Leaves we are reunited with Evan Whitesky and his community in northern Canada, who he has led off the reservation following a mysterious permanent blackout and subsequent anarchy. As the community revives their Anishinaabe traditions, this is a story of endurance, strength, Indigenous identity, and rebirth.

New Tecumseh Public Library

Picture of Cass Sigler Cover of book has poppies in the background, a female figure in front the the title in white print

Champion: Cass Sigler

Book: Into the Bright Open

Author: Cherie Dimaline

About Cass:

Cass Sigler is a non-binary and queer hairstylist who has lived, worked and volunteered in Alliston since 2012, and been a small business owner since September 2019. Cass is passionate about creating safer spaces and providing more accessible hair services to marginalized communities, specifically the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. In their free time, you can find them reading, gaming or creating.

About the Book:

Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline, is a queer reimagining of The Secret Garden, where an orphaned girl is sent to live in the Georgian Bay wilds and discovers family secrets both wonderful and horrifying.

Ramara Public Library

Picture of Sherry Lawson Cover of book has a white background representing birchbark with bead work on top

Champion: Sherry Lawson

Book: The Strangers

Author: Katherena Vermette

About Sherry:

Sherry never meant to ever be an author. Turning fifty convinced her to leave a record for her children and grandchildren. Sherry’s stories take us through a chaotic childhood and instances as a young adult of outright racism. There are tears and laughter, just like in real life.

About the Book:

The Strangers is a staggering intergenerational saga that explores how connected we are, even when we’re no longer together—even when we’re forced apart.