History (Canada)

Reverence, diligence, duty

A “biodiverse” poet offers advice, wake-up calls, and calls to action in an inspired and passionate volume. —Mary Ann Moore reviews Hazard, Home, by Christine Lowther (Qualicum Beach: Caitlin Press, 2024) $20.00 / 9781773861241

‘A place worth fighting for’

“‘It became a philosophical/legal statement about the land. I hope it reaches out to Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences and will inform people going forward with reconciliation.’” Sage Birchwater reviews Lha Yudit’ih We Always Find a Way: Bringing the Tsilhqot’in Title Case Home by Lorraine Weir, with Chief Roger William (Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2023) $35 / 9781772013825

Radio signals and a ‘fatal flapper’

This fast-paced murder mystery with a “wonderfully wry” tone is “great fun.” It’s also an “animated and sharp” glimpse of Vancouver’s social landscape, circa 1929. —W.H. New reviews Mr. Good-Evening, by John MacLachlan Gray (Madeira Park: Douglas & McIntyre, 2024) $34.94 / 9781771623957

A ‘portrait of the artist as a young woman’

Montreal in the late 1940s is the backdrop for appealing portraits of young women navigating convention and discovering themselves. —Bill Paul reviews A Real Somebody, by Deryn Collier (Seattle: Lake Union Publishing, 2023) $15.70 / 9781662512643

‘What is credible hope, in this place?’

Highly recommended novella presents “a humane vision from an imagined future, of the potential that arises from valuing connection and collaboration in and with place.” —Dana McFarland reviews Arboreality, by Rebecca Campbell (Hamilton: Stelliform Press, 2022) $19.00 / 9781777682323

‘Reaffirming Tlingit customs and tradition’

“Tlingit participants and scholars, Kan tells us, worked together as equals and their writing is aimed at benefiting source communities through the repatriation of knowledge.” Bruce Granville Miller reviews Sharing our Knowledge: The Tlingit and their Coastal Neighbors by Sergei Kan, with Steve Henrikson (eds.) (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2023)
$60.95 / 9781496236883

‘To go north and missionize’

“In this present book, Ross has himself embarked on a mission, in the Christian sense. It has been a mission of love in which he engages in re-missionizing his own denomination to a better understanding of its historical relations with the Indigenous people whom the Northland Mission set out to reach.” Richard Butler reviews The Holy Spirit and the Eagle Feather: the Struggle for Indigenous Pentecostalism in Canada by Aaron A.M. Ross (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2023) $39.95 ISBN 9780228017660

Bad romance; epic realizations; Montreal circa 2000

A debut novel “full of both hope and despair” portrays Ines, a conflicted small town skateboarder new to the big city. —Jessica Poon reviews Late September, by Amy Mattes (Madeira Park, Harbour Publishing, 2024) $22.95 / 9780889714564

Love, politics, and toxicity in the Yukon

Image-rich debut novel sets a naive young character in a new location, job, and romance. Complex problems result. —Joe Enns reviews Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit, by Nadine Sander-Green (Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2024) $23.99 / 9781487011291

Growth from lawlessness

“The Notorious Georges is about the rivalry of the two Georges and about the founding of Prince George. It’s also about the drive to tame a wild land with organized townsites and laws, rules, and regulations that needed to be adhered to—civilization as opposed to lawless wilderness.” Steven Brown reviews The Notorious Georges: Crime and Community in British Columbia’s Northern Interior, 1909 – 1925 by Jonathan Swainger (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2023) $32.95 / 9780774869416

Brief encounters

Characters struggle with loneliness and death in a debut story collection buoyed by a hopeful tone. —Bill Paul reviews Blue Runaways, by Jann Everard (Victoria: Stonehewer Books, 2024) $23.95 / 9781738993307

Rot beneath the gloss

Sophomore story collection has “a finger firmly on the pulse of contemporary life and delivers trenchant criticisms of human foibles.”
—Candace Fertile reviews Last Woman, by Carleigh Baker (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2024) $24.95  / 9780771004148

‘A young woman from Burnaby’

“There is much to admire about Christine Sinclair. Not only is she the top international scorer of all time, but she is well-liked and respected around the world.” Valerie Green reviews Playing The Long Game: A Memoir by Christine Sinclair with Stephen Brunt (Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2023) $23.00 / 9781039004627

Too good for the NHL

“From his first organized game at age twelve, joining players two years older and scoring all three of his team’s goals in a tie match, the gifted forward became unstoppable.” Daniel Gawthrop reviews The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey by Chad Soon and George Chiang, with illustrations by Amy Qi (Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2024) $24.95 ISBN 9781459835030

Velocipedes, elephants, and other mysteries

Circus-set kids book showcases adventure, mystery, and the fight for women’s equality. —Alison Acheson reviews Ephemia Rimaldi, by Linda Demeulemeester (Toronto: Red Deer Press, 2023) $14.95 / 780889957299

Long-distance run for justice

“…the book presents a moving account of athletic and life achievement despite constant struggle to be treated with basic dignity.” Daniel Gawthrop reviews Races: The Trials & Triumphs of Canada’s Fastest Family by Valerie Jerome (Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2023) $24.95 / 9781773102900

A bounty of ‘beautiful borrowed lines’

A “joyous tribute in poetry and prose” to an esteemed poet. —Mary Ann Moore reviews Hologram: An Homage to P.K. Page, by Yvonne Blomer and DC Reid (editors) (Qualicum Beach: Caitlin Press, 2023)
$26.00 / 9781773861135

Singing ‘bout revolution

A “lively musical and political education” for readers young and old. —Ron Verzuh reviews Rise Up and Sing!: Power, Protest and Activism in Music, by Andrea Warner (illustrated by Louise Reimer) (Vancouver: Greystone Kids, 2023) $26.95 / 9781771648981

Notes on megamalls

Debut author blends memoir, mall history, and critique with a “self-effacing love letter to her hometown’s most famous institution.” —Logan Macnair reviews Big Mall: Shopping for Meaning, by Kate Black (Toronto: Coach House Books, 2024) $23.95 / 9781552454725

Darkness at Dhoon Woods

Debut horror novelist conveys the “tingle and rattle of fear” but wears his influences on his sleeve. —Bill Paul reviews Arlya, by Jack Lowe-Carbell (Victoria: Tellwell Talent, 2024) $24.99 / 9781779410979

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