“The setting of Wildcraft Medicine is Clayoquot Sound where Wray gained most of her knowledge of healing plants from Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers. Her early years were spent in Powell River, then her family moved to West Vancouver where she met First Nations Medicine Woman Norma Myers, who played an important role in her education in plant medicine. As a mother, she turned to plants to for the medicinal needs of her family through childhood viruses and infections, as well as afflictions that affected the adults, as well as her pets.” Cathalynn Labonté-Smith reviews Wildcraft Medicine: In the Presence of Wonder, by Sheila Anne Wray (Victoria: FriesenPress, 2025) $43.99 / 9781039197220
“Our interviewees have been many and varied: from seasoned poet George Bowering to newcomer, Giller Prize-shortlisted author, Eddy Boudel Tan, from bestselling history author Nancy Marguerite Anderson, to acclaimed memoirist Marion McKinnon Crook. It has been a privilege for me to shake the hands of all of the interviewees of 2025, sometimes in their own homes and workspaces, and ask them about their creative process.” Interview segment producer Trevor Marc Hughes looks back on a year of The British Columbia Review Interview Series.
“My New Indian Kitchen, which Vij has written with Jennifer Muttoo, is a good read, and was easy and rewarding to cook from. An important concept he extols is to ‘cook with your heart, eat with your hands.’ ” Trish Bowering reviews My New Indian Kitchen, by Vikram Vij with Jennifer Muttoo (Vancouver: Figure 1 Publishing, 2025) $40 / 9781773272610
“Salt Spring Island-based Acken has written a cookbook both inspiring and surprisingly practical. It’s an homage to the West Coast and the foods we can incorporate into our baking.” Trish Bowering reviews Thyme for Dessert: Sweets & Treats Inspired by the Flavours of the Pacific Northwest Coast, by DL Acken, with Aurelia Louvet (Victoria: TouchWood Editions, 2025) $30 / 9781771514804
“When I think of comfort food, there are some basics: a sense of the deliciously familiar as I eat a meal that reminds me of good times past, or perhaps dishes that provide nourishment in times of difficulty.” Trish Bowering reviews Comfort Food, by Spencer Watts (Toronto: Whitecap Books Ltd., 2025) $34.95 / 9781770503809
“In fact, gratitude is something I believe was on display in this enclave in the Coastal Room at the Gibson Public Market, an appreciation for the array of literary talent on the Sunshine Coast and across the province. That was certainly the message relayed by several literary award judges at this fifth annual event.” Trevor Marc Hughes reports on the recent Art & Words Festival events held in Gibsons this past weekend.
“Vancouver-based Reuben came by her love of food and cooking from an early age, and it was a family affair. She writes, ‘I come from a family who expressed their love through food. My paternal grandparents were concentration camp survivors; they knew and felt starvation. Mealtimes became very important to them; feeding their family was the ultimate show of love…’ ” Trish Bowering reviews Eat to Love: Where Health Meets Flavor, by Mikaela Reuben (Toronto: Appetite by Random House, 2025) $32 / 9780525612148
“At a time when Canadians are cancelling their vacations to the US at a rate never before seen in history, and looking for alternatives, Pacific Palate is the answer. It’s a foodie guidebook for one of the most beautiful places in Canada. It’s an invitation to slow down, sip, savour, appreciate, ask questions, and indulge your curiosity.” Rebecca Coleman reviews Pacific Palate: Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands (2nd edition), by Don Genova (Victoria: TouchWood Editions, 2025) $28 / 9781771514262
“Milk Into Cheese brings cheesemaking to life, with Asher’s passion for teaching and his engaging style. Whether or not one agrees with his approach, these pages offer plenty of fodder for contemplation, especially regarding the politics of cheese, ideas that will hopefully spark discussion.” Trish Bowering reviews Milk Into Cheese: The Foundations of Natural Cheesemaking Using Traditional Concepts, Tools, and Techniques, by David Asher (New York: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2024) $75 / 9781603588874
“300 Mason Jars: Preserving History is a book to be treasured. Beautifully presented in colour, the delightful poems and contents of the mason jars can be savoured and preserved for years to come.” Valerie Green reviews 300 Mason Jars: Preserving History, by Joanne Thomson (Victoria: Heritage House, 2024) $34.95 / 9781772935162
“Joseph’s book is more than a field guide to plants. It reflects her philosophy and love of nature.” Kenneth Favrholdt reviews Held By The Land: A Guide to Indigenous Plants for Wellness, by Leigh Joseph (New York: Wellfleet Press, 2023) $24.99 / 9781577152941 & Held by the Land Deck: 45 Ways to Use Indigenous Plants for Healing and Nourishment, by Leigh Joseph (New York: Wellfleet Press, 2024) $19.99 / 9781577154440
“My long-conflicted relationship with mushrooms has gradually crystallized into a happy discovery of the delights of this versatile and tasty class of food.” Trish Bowering reviews the revised and updated edition of The Deerholme Mushroom Cookbook: From Foraging to Feasting (Victoria: TouchWood Editions, 2024) $40 / 9781771514392
“After cooking and baking Chef Bruno’s recipes from The Bacon, Butter, Bourbon & Chocolate Cookbook, I can confidently say that my initial instincts were right: I so enjoyed spending time with this book and making the recipes.” Trish Bowering reviews The Bacon, Butter, Bourbon & Chocolate Cookbook: Chef Bruno’s Favourite Ingredients, by Bruno Feldeisen (Vancouver: Whitecap Books, 2024) $34.95 / 9781770503335
“This is a fun and informative cookbook that will connect camp cooks to the land. Its compact size encourages novice or experienced adventurers to carry it along on their backcountry trips.” Paul Geddes reviews The Well-Fed Backcountry Adventurer: Easy Trail-tested Campfire Recipes Inspired by 1920s Mountaineers by Bryan Thompson (Toronto: Canadian Expedition Heritage Society, 2024) $7.99 / 9781068946202
“It is the story of her survival expressed through her art, her poetry, and especially through the letters she writes to her grandson telling him stories of where his ancestors came from while hoping for a brighter future for him.” Valerie Green reviews Dear Arlo: letters to my grandson
by Olga Campbell (Vancouver: Jubaji Press, 2024) $21 / 9789981291130)
“The Deerholme Foraging Cookbook proved to be truly inspiring. This book will appeal to well-established foragers, but also to those, like me, who want to think outside the supermarket norm.” Trish Bowering reviews The Deerholme Foraging Cookbook: Wild Ingredients and Recipes from the Pacific Northwest, revised and updated, by Bill Jones (Victoria: TouchWood Editions, 2024) $40 / 9781771514378
“These two authors have produced a charming, colourful book that is easy to read and understand for kids of all ages. Children will ‘soon advance from quick after-school snacks and summer picnics to breakfasts in bed and full-course family dinners.'” Valerie Green reviews Let’s Eat: Recipes for Kids Who Cook by DL Acken and Aurelia Louvet (Victoria: Touchwood Editions, 2023) $40 / 97817711514132
“All of the recipes I tried were good. I was a bit hesitant about mixing rhubarb into banana bread, but hey! It was rhubarb season, so I thought I’d try it, and my taste-testers all liked it.” Rebecca Coleman reviews The Side Gardener: Recipes & Notes from My Garden, by Rosie Daykin (Toronto: Appetite by Random House, 2024) $45.00 / 9780525612179
