“A true standalone gothic fantasy, What Wakes the Bells is full of blood and guts, action, and of course, romance”: for YA readers, a striking debut. —Myshara McMyn reviews What Wakes the Bells, by Elle Tesch (New York: Feiwel & Friends, 2025) $26.99 / 9781250322807
In a “brilliant work,” poems “attest in every moment to the strength that new ancestors, new techniques, and new understandings brought to British Columbia by migration.” —Harold Rhenisch reviews Tabako on the Windowsill, by Hari Alluri (Kingston: Brick Books, 2025) $23.95 / 9781771316491
One “long poem that weaves anecdotal vignettes—snapshots of life in the Kootenays—with agonistic and nostalgic introspection,” the elliptical volume examines the social fabric, gendered identity, and nature. —Joe Enns reviews Country Music, by Zane Koss (Fredericton: Invisible Publishing, 2025) $22.95 / 9781778430633
Vunt and Oldo—squabbling sidekicks, current quest-mates, accidental traffickers—arrive in a town where wizards (power-hungry or deranged) vie for supremacy. With time travel thrown in, a charming maximalist tale grows a little overwhelming. —Sophia Wasylinko reviews Henchmen, by Matthew Hughes (Seattle: Amazon, 2025) $19.99 / 9781927880463
With vicious bare-knuckle fights, illicit booze runs, and bloody tussles with Al Capone’s goons, a veteran crime novelist gives the career of Huck Waller an immense, though gritty, appeal. —Ron Verzuh reviews Dirty Little War: A Crime Novel, by Dietrich Kalteis (Toronto: ECW Press, 2025) $26.95 / 9781770417960
“Andruff is proud of his own successes and those of his family since their arrival in Canada as refugees in the 1920s. He is not boastful. Rather, Andruff’s goal is to demonstrate the struggles and achievements of refugees.” Duff Sutherland reviews The Russian Refugees: A Family’s First Century in Canada, by Michael Andruff (Vancouver: Heritage House, 2022) $26.95 / 9781772034196
Early poems of an established poet aren’t without their charms, even though they reveal an apprentice writer still finding her voice. —Carellin Brooks reviews Untamed: Lyrics and Erotics. by Eva Kolacz (Victoria: Ekstasis Editions, 2024) $23.95 / 9781771715621
“Lazarus researched hundreds of historic documents related to the disaster, retrieved personal letters from the families of those who had been on the ship, and investigated the reports of the inquiries held into the catastrophe.” Ian Kennedy reviews Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck by Eve Lazarus (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2025) $26.95 / 9781551529738
Freshly returned to Vancouver, PI Dave Wakeland strives to keep cynicism and despair at bay as he investigates the Houseboat Massacre. Sam Wiebe’s latest excels in all the right ways. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews The Last Exile: A Wakeland Novel, by Sam Wiebe (Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing, 2025)
$24.95 / 9781998526086
“While the essays in this volume are multi-vocal, the predominant voice is of the scholar. The language is complex and heavily cited. These authors are, for the most part, scholars speaking to each other in the expected and specialized language of the academy.” Wendy Burton reviews Making Space for Indigenous Feminism, 3rd edition by Gina Starblanket (ed.) (Halifax: Fernwood Publishing, 2024) $40 / 9781773635507
“Robinson’s book, unlike the purpose of those who vilify her, is not about demonizing the other. It’s about self-scrutiny — for us.” Stephen Hume reviews Truth be Told, by Selina Robinson (Self-published, 2024) $30 / 9781069165107
A debut collection of “spare, sharply focused” and “intensely male” short stories depicts a “world of physical work, training for it, engaging in it—or suffering from its absence.” —Theo Dombrowski reviews Cane Wood: Based on True Stories, by Stephen L. Howard (Altona: Friesen Press, 2025) $13.49 / 9781038326300
For the second chapter of a book series, an author captivates with a tale of quests and schemes and unexpected friendships… and a chatty rabbit who steals scenes. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Bernard and the Blackguard, by Maureen Young (illustrated by Stephanie Stasiuk Monk) (Alton: Friesen Press, 2025) $15.99 / 9781038324955
In their wide-ranging interview Lorna Crozier and Laurence Hutchman discuss the grasslands of southwest Saskatchewan, Carl Jung, the poet’s early inspirations (and later ones), Adrienne Rich, a feminist “vow to to live differently,” and Sinclair Ross.
“Gumboots in the Straits is a book of poignant nostalgia, even romance, evoking the BC coast as experienced by men now in their 70s and 80s. It was a special time and place of beauty, serenity, opportunity, and adventure for those attracted to the sea, boats, and closeness to nature.” Tom Koppel reviews Gumboots in the Straits: Nautical Adventures from Sointula to the Salish Sea, edited by Lou Allison with Jane Wilde (Qualicum Beach: Caitlin Press, 2024) $26 / 9781773861548
“But Archibald – author Graeme Menzies uses his given name rather than his surname – is vocally against the plundering and abuse of the First Nations his ships encountered. In fact, he befriended them during his two round-the-world voyages that brought him to the west coast of Vancouver Island.” Ron Verzuh reviews Bones: The Life and Adventures of Doctor Archibald Menzies, by Graeme Menzies (Dunbeath, Scotland: Whittles Publishing, 2024) $23.95 / 9781849955911
In the latest instalment, a plucky “Canadian kid from a middle-class family” meets larger-than-life characters from the heyday of ’60s London. The bodies really pile up too. —Ron Verzuh reviews Curse of the Savoy: A Priscilla Tempest Mystery, Book 4, by Ron Base and Prudence Emery (Madeira Park, BC: Douglas & McIntyre, 2025) $19.95 / 9781771624381
“Citra vividly captures contemporary life for young people. The fact that it’s rural life makes little difference really: urban, suburban, or rural, our existence now is complicated.” —Alison Acheson reviews Like a Bird, by Becky Citra (Toronto: Second Story Press, 2025) $15.95 / 9781772604177
Debut novella offers a “heartfelt embrace of iconic werewolf lore, a tragic but charming peek at wholesome male friendships, and a careful balance between horror and humour,” but is overly influenced by its source material. —Zoe McKenna reviews A Canadian Werewolf in Montana, by W. K. Shephard (Altona: Friesen Press, 2025) $11.99 /9781038319982
“Wilson-Raybould’s approach—based on learning, understanding, and acting—clarifies complex issues surrounding Indigenous justice and colonial history, making them approachable for readers of all backgrounds, including newcomers.” Amy Tucker reviews True Reconciliation: How to be a Force for Change, by Jody Wilson-Raybould (Toronto: McLelland & Stewart, 2024) $22 / 9780771004407