“If you have dreams of going offshore for an extended voyage, this is the book for you. It’s a well-written, at times poetic, true account of what it takes to traverse the mighty oceans.” Marianne Scott reviews Cape Horn Birthday: Record-Breaking Solo Non-Stop Circumnavigation, by Peter Freeman (Melbourne, FL: Seaworthy Publications, 2018) $26.95 / 9781948494045
“A book like One Thousand and a Night stands or falls on the portrayal of its main character, and Lyalya passes every test. She is strong and forthright, brave and opinionated, resilient and optimistic, and it’s hard not to feel just a little in awe of her, just the way her niece does.” —Ryan Frawley reviews One Thousand and A Night as Told by Larissa, Construction Shock Worker, by Marina Sonkina (Gananoque: Guernica Editions, 2025) $25.00 / 9781771839662
“Two Pigs did make me smile, I noticed; while reading the slim volume, I guffawed at least once. In contrast, ‘The Three Pigs’ is sturdy and practically-minded. It sharpens my awareness of brick as an advantageous building material.” —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Two Pigs, by David Bouchard (illustrated by Christine Battuz) (Vancouver, Midtown Press, 2025) $21.95 / 9781988242606
In a Vancouver-set debut novel, “an unsettling story about victimization and forgiveness,” 29-year-old Crystal and her teenage daughter Becky struggle on the long winding path of their lives. The “restrained and understated” writing anchors a harrowing account of precarity. —Bill Paul reviews Most Grievous Fault, by Meg Todd (Madeira Park: Nightwood Editions, 2025) $24.95 / 9780889714984
Sharing a focus on Chinese Canadian war efforts, a pair of strikingly illustrated picture books tell layered stories that would serve well at home and in the classroom. —Alison Acheson reviews Endgame: The Secret Force 136, by Catherine Little (illustrated by Sean Huang) (Oakville: Plumleaf, 2023) $22.95 / 9781738898244 and Reach for the Sky: How Two Brothers Built an Airplane in Chinatown, by Evelyn Sue Wong (illustrated by Sarah Ang) (Oakville: Plumleaf, 2025) $22.95 / 9781738898244
“Through her honest and open diary entries the reader learns details of her mental health struggles, early career moves, the court trial of her abuser and, how she ran away from the painful memories and shame to Ottawa, and her ever-present state of loneliness.” Cathalynn Labonté-Smith interviews co-authors Susan Aglukark and Andrew Warner and reviews Kihiani: A Memoir of Healing (Toronto: HarperCollins Canada, 2025) $36.99 / 9781443472944
A lovely, poetic, and musical novella traces a homeward journey of two Canadians to Ireland. The story offers enchantment for any reader: “This book would make particularly excellent reading for anyone planning a trip there, as well as those interested in Irish history or ancestry.” —Trish Bowering reviews Looking for Cornelius, by Diana Hayes (Eugene: Resource Publications, 2025) $21.00 / 9798385250332
“Author George Abbott meticulously researched this disturbing political past to shed light on that legacy as governments and First Nations continue the quest for truth and reconciliation partly through land claims negotiations.” Ron Verzuh reviews Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now, by George M. Abbott (Vancouver: UBC Press [Purich Books], 2025) $29.95 / 9780774881159
Stylish novel that’s funny without trying, where “characters bleed into a procession reminiscent of reality show fuelled by primitive desires”: “Pools has no shortage of sex, drugs, and bored rich people. Forget about sentiment or ayahuasca-induced epiphanies. Prepare for a good time, follow up with a shot of Nietzsche.” —Jessica Poon reviews Pools, by Martin West (Vancouver: Anvil Press, 2025) $22.00 / 9781772142440
A “surrealist and bizarre” (and hallucinatory) debut novella—set in a cheerless, labyrinthine bunker—shows great appeal in concept. Yet, the book’s realization and editorial slackness limit the book’s overall credibility. —Zoe McKenna reviews The Firmament, by Adam Parker (Middletown: Alien Buddha Press, 2025) $16.99 / 97898287359348
“But mostly we see people alone, like the guy sleeping in a van or the haunting shot of two young women divided by a bus shelter pane, each intent on their phone. Why are we so alone, DeCroo’s poems wonder, and in one of them he hopes he will find a face that will provide the answer.” Sheldon Goldfarb reviews Night Moves: The Street Photography of Rodney DeCroo, by Rodney DeCroo (Vancouver: Anvil Press, 2025) $40 / 9781772142396
Clashing politics and unexpected romantic feelings animate a socially conscious novel set in Winnipeg during an era of social disruption and economic disparity. Plot twists “keep readers interested in this study of home-front class differences.” —Ron Verzuh reviews The Bittersweet Year, by Barry Potyondi (N.p.: Holand Press, 2025) $16.49 / 9798297500709
Breakage-and-mending is a theme in an adroit and accomplished volume of poetry that delves into family history and unsettles romantic notions of settlement. —Harold Rhenisch reviews What is Broken Binds Us, by Lorne Daniel (Calgary: U Calgary Press, 2025) $18.99 / 9781773856391
“In his debut memoir, A Precarious Enterprise: Making a Life in Canadian Publishing, Scott McIntyre invites readers into the various corners of Canadian publishing. He revisits his early days at McClelland & Stewart … before outlining the tumultuous beginnings, storied ups and downs of growth, and eventually the ending of his own publishing house—Douglas & McIntyre.” Natalie Virginia Lang reviews A Precarious Enterprise: Making a Life in Canadian Publishing (Toronto: ECW Press, 2025) $39.95 / 9781770418196
A late entrant to the teeming dystopia subgenre with adolescent protagonists, a novel shows potential and emotionally powerful scenes, but is marred by weak characterization and a “generic dystopia fill-in-the-blanks” structure. —Isabella Ranallo reviews Slice the Water, by PP Wong (Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2025) $26.00 / 9781773104447
A creepy forest, lake, and cabin—not to mention abusive foster parents—are just part of the memorable scenery in a clever, atmospheric thriller with a slightly gothic feel. Here’s a debut novel with “a ripping good story.” —Trish Bowering reviews The Guest Children, by Patrick Tarr (Toronto: HarperCollins Canada, 2025) $24.99 / 9781443473958
“Simpson tells this story of development with pride. She loves her city and presents it in bright light. Along the way, she touches lightly on Okanagan history as a whole.” Harold Rhenisch reviews The Kelowna Story, by Sharron J. Simpson (Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing, 2025) $38.95 / 9781998526208
In a non-linear and associative collection of poetic assemblages, a writer ponders an impressive assortment of ideas: from the afterlife and everyday life to queer masculine desire, settler culture, and the natural world. —Brooke Lee reviews The Idea of an Entire Life: Poems, by Billy-Ray Belcourt (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2025) $25.00 / 9780771014017
With all the hallmarks of an thriller, a debut novel features action, moments of comedy, manly men, double-crosses, intriguing secondary characters… and a somewhat forgettable protagonist. —Isabella Ranallo reviews In Spite of Thunder, by Thomas Mark McKinnon (Vancouver: 1083899 B.C, 2025) $24.95 / 9781069647405
A Vancouver-set debut crime novel, a “very enjoyable, fast-paced thriller that does not disappoint,” entangles a psychologist in a suspected suicide case. A whole school of red herrings ensues. —Valerie Green reviews Hired Gun: Uncovering Buried Secrets, by Bill Koch (Altona: Friesen Press, 2025) $30.49 / 97810368329448