“The sisters, oppressed by the patriarchy, whatever their orders and callings, have been the Stepford wives of Jesus, and the authors of Resisting Orders wonder if whispered dissent will succeed in protecting idealistic notions of equality and social justice through the possible dismantling of paternalistic authoritarianism during the decline of neo-capitalism.” Linda Rogers reviews Resisting Orders: Catholic Sisters Contest Their Church, by Christine Gervais, Amanda Watson, and Shanisse Kleuskens (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2025) $39.95 / 9780228023708
Accompanied by vibrant illustrations, an early chapter book tells of new girl Feebee as she joins a figure skating club. It’s a sweet, well-told tale. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Feebee’s Magical Figure Skaters’ Tea, by Cathalynn Cindy Labonté-Smith (illustrated by Serena J. Trinder) (Gibsons: independently published, 2026) $15.00 / 9798257852671
“Wiley wonders in her memoir who she might’ve been if she hadn’t been ripped away from the only life she’d ever known in Taiwan, versus raising herself in Vancouver. If her parents had known that life would remain stable in Taiwan, would they make the same choices for their children, or were they thinking of their grandchildren and great grandchildren as well?” Cathalynn Labonté-Smith reviews The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street, by Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho (Madeira Park: Douglas & McIntyre, 2026) $24.95 / 9781771624794
An author of thrillers changes tack, with winning results: “Of course, hilarious mystery novels are not an invention of the post-Covid era, but, given the seemingly instant transition the world has made from a pandemic to geopolitical chaos, this round has come at an opportune time. And, as much as any other country, Canada needs more humour. Nay’s Kirby Crime Crackers are a promising addition to the roster of comedic detective female gumshoes.” —Ginny Ratsoy reviews All Rise for Murder, by Roz Nay (Toronto: Viking, 2026) $26.95/ 9781037801877
“George is one of those raconteurs. The first half of Barefoot Gringo jumps from one zinger to another, all of them the kind of crowd pleaser recognizable around the social leveller of a table crowded with glasses and almost invisible through smoke.” Harold Rhenisch reviews Barefoot Gringo, by George Bowering (Vancouver: On Point Press, an imprint of UBC Press, 2026) $26.95 / 9780774890786
A novel’s pensive narrator, a museum curator smitten with the realms of art history and ideas, recalls her childhood, marriage, and quest for personal alchemical gold. A slim book with many literal questions and much philosophizing, it left our reviewer wanting less as well as more. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews The Alchemy of Paradise, by Susannah M. Smith (Halifax: Invisible Publishing, 2026) $24.95 / 9781778430855
With the sudden appearance of silent, prismatic alien orbs (that have transdimensional capabilities), humans react to yet another crisis. “Despite the narrative scope, and the frequently metatextual, multilingual nature of the story it weaves, The Coffin of Honey remains staunchly humanist, entertaining. It begs for a read, and then another,” exclaims our reviewer. —Kenna Clifford reviews The Coffin of Honey, by Geoffrey D. Morrison (Toronto: Coach House Books, 2026) $24.95 / 9781552455180
“A quick online search of Vancouver-based detective fiction turns up several other Vancouver-based private eye mysteries. Sam Wiebe, J.T. Seimens, A.J Devlin, Elizabeth Bowers, and others are prominent. Regrettably, the online lists I saw were missing the creative pen of Roy Innes. A correction is in order.” —Ron Verzuh reviews The False Creek Murder: An Inspector Coswell Mystery, by Roy Innes (Edmonton: NeWest Press, 2026) $23.95 / 9781774391389
Bounding across the centuries—1983, the 2090s, 2586—a debut novel begins with a lonely girl, a budding computer coder. From there, an eclectic, compelling story unfolds. “It’s raw, tragic, and fearful to a degree that’s sometimes difficult to look at, and has a sneaking vulnerability that draws you in bit by bit until it is nearly too much to bear. Yet, more often, it is earnest, hopeful, and intensely heartfelt,” our reviewer says. —Zoe McKenna reviews Homebound, by Portia Elan (Toronto: Scribner Canada, 2026) $26.99 / 9781668206225
“Richard Stursberg’s Lament for a Literature suggests there is a causal link between the parlous financial state of Canadian publishing, a less robust Canadian literature, and a consequent decline in Canadian national culture. All of that, he says, can only be slowed by immediate government protective action.” Richard Butler reviews Lament for a Literature: The Collapse of Canada’s Book Publishing, by Richard Stursberg (Toronto: Sutherland House, 2026) $19.95 / 9781998365753
Set in Canada and Japan, a debut novel traces the unsteady and occasionally wayward development of Maggie, a student artist no longer making art. In Japan, Maggie’s social circle is a problem in more ways than one. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Welcome to Sunny Town, by Théodora Armstrong (Calgary: Freehand Books, 2026) $24.95 / 9781997534112
Charming, educative, and attractive, an eclectic trio of picture books focus on an array of topics that will keeps young readers coming back for more. “If you are looking to expose a young reader in your life to a text that is informative but not didactic, deep but lively, and fun but not frivolous…,” read on. —Ginny Ratsoy reviews Just A Minute: Why Humans Tell Time, by Kirstie Hudson and Monique Polak (illustrated by Paige Stampatori) (Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2025) $29.95 / 9781459840621; Gander: The Town That Welcomed the World, by Nikki Bergstresser (illustrated by Reilly Fitzgerald) (Oakville, Plumleaf Press, 2026) $24.95 / 9781997872047; and Monarch, by S.E. Hume (illustrated by Jessica Bromley Bartram) (Toronto: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2026) $24.95 / 978155455069
“While Robson’s personality is overshadowed by the unilateral authority of Sir James Douglas, or the eccentric intensity of Amor De Cosmos, Antak posits that he was just as formative in the shaping of BC. Indeed, as a social and political reformer, Robson played a driving role in the establishment of a distinctly Canadian brand of liberalism on the Pacific coast. While Antak never makes the comparison, his portrayal of Robson paints a picture of something like a Gladstone of the Pacific.” Matthew Downey reviews John Robson: British Columbian, by Ivan E. Antak (Victoria: Tellwell Talent, 2025) $25 / 9781834184142
A “diluvial narrative” that flows with references to and musings on Arendt, Woolf, Barthes, Derrida, Cixous, and many others, a novel presents “a history of disappeared locution and a locational archive”: “Overflowing and magically disappearing, Robertson’s indelible river meets Mark Twain’s Mississippi and James Joyce’s Liffey.” —Michael Greenstein reviews Riverwork, by Lisa Robertson (Toronto: Coach House Books, 2026) $24.95 / 9781552455173
“Much of this restoration work laid out in Nature-First Cities, is happening in real-time with municipalities creating sustainability master plans, and nature-based development in partnerships with residential developers among others. The final chapters of the book detail the process for bottom-up land stewardship, joining individuals, neighbours, and community groups.” Ryan Mitchell reviews Nature-First Cities: Restoring Relationships with Ecosystems and with Each Other, by Cam Brewer, Herb Hammond, and Sean Markey (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2024) $39.95 / 9780774868648
“With a new book scheduled to be released in the fall, author and curator emeritus at the Royal British Columbia Museum Robert D. Turner is continuing his chronicling of British Columbia’s history of rail and steam. The Steamer SS Moyie: The Biography of the Sweetheart of Kootenay Lake, A Continuing Story Beginning in 1898 is being assembled by Harbour Publishing…” Trevor Marc Hughes presents an interview segment with historian Robert D. Turner.
“These are the dichotomies of human experience: keeping grudges, granting forgiveness; making up lies, trying perhaps to undo them; dealing with the miracles of new life or of death. All of them are here, encapsulated in five amazing stories, ones you may perhaps never forget.” —Heidi Greco reviews Like a River Divides the Earth: Five Stories, by Dora Dueck (Calgary: Freehand Books, 2026) $22.95 / 9781997534204
“Robin Ward, a graduate of the celebrated Glasgow School of Art and respected architectural critic and author, does justice to that inheritance. He has added to the comprehensive yet accessible guidebooks he has written singly or collaboratively, including on Victoria and Vancouver, in this province. The photography is excellent and selection of buildings and civic statuary or artwork both astute and appropriate to exploring the built environment of Canada’s one-time leading metropolis.” Rhodri Windsor-Liscombe reviews Exploring Montréal: 151 Best Buildings, by Robin Ward (Madeira Park: Douglas & McIntyre, 2026) $29.95 / 9781771624619
“The title of the book, Reconciling, demonstrates the ongoing process of reconciliation and meaning of Larry’s journey through life. The book opens with a description by co-author Scott Steedman of Larry Grant, ‘…a short, weathered man of eighty-five years… an Elder of both the Vancouver Chinese community and the Musqueam Indian Band.’ Steedman asked Larry if he was interested in writing his life story one day. It took eight years, starting in 2017.” Kenneth Favrholdt reviews Reconciling: A Lifelong Struggle to Belong, by Larry Grant, in conversation with Scott Steedman (Toronto: ECW Press, 2025) $26.95 / 9781770417984
Whether “stuck in a forever summer” in the city or mentally revisiting a “home landscape of spruce and willow, rabbit and moose, blueberry and fireweed” (as well as “taps that don’t bring water”), a writer showcases a craving for comfort and certainty in a debut book of poems. —Joanna Streetly reviews Spruce to Cedar, by Lasänmą (Picton: Brick Books, 2026) $23.95 / 9781771316705
