Vancouver Island author’s sophomore novel is “a tightly plotted, ambitious work of historical fiction that has fast-paced thriller elements and, at other times, the makings of a slow burn romance.” —Jessica Poon reviews The Last Secret, by Maia Caron (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2024) $25.00 / 9780385688826
Reissued edition of the acclaimed, award-winning volume also reflects on the pandemic and MAID.—Jodi Lundgren reviews In the Slender Margin: The Intimate Strangeness of Death and Dying, by Eve Joseph (Vancouver: Anvil Press, 2023) $22.00 / 9781772142150
Atmospheric and poetic writing supports a striking novel that follows an aunt and niece on a perilous, uncertain journey. —Bill Paul reviews Bad Land, by Corinna Chong (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2024) $24.95 / 9781551529592
‘Bill Arnott is different: he’s looking around. And what does he see? Not what I would see. In the middle of reading this book, I thought, Let’s look around on a walk like he does.’ Sheldon Goldfarb reviews A Perfect Day for a Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, on Foot
by Bill Arnott (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2024) $24.95 / 9781551529639
“That’s what Adderson does best: placing her characters in unsettling situations and then introducing them to a variety of possibilities.” —Bill Paul reviews A Way to be Happy: Stories, by Caroline Adderson (Windsor: Biblioasis, 2024) $22.95 / 9781771966221
Terrific essay collection covers agri-business, beans on toast, a century-old family recipe for trifle, gender politics, potatoes, and a whole lot more.
—Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Hearty: On Cooking, Eating, and Growing Food for Pleasure and Subsistence, by Andrea Bennett (Toronto: ECW Press, 2024) $24.95 / 9781770411
In this touching poetic novel, a pair of exes are accompanied by simmering grief and guilt as they journey from southern Ontario to Tofino. —Jessica Poon reviews Moon Road, by Sarah Leipciger (Toronto: Viking, 2024) $26.00 / 9780735249691
“Reynolds calls for more education about the history of colonialism in schools and universities, which is fair enough, although Canadian historians have been writing on the subject for, oh, about fifty years.” Robin Fisher reviews Canada and Colonialism: An Unfinished History by Jim Reynolds (Vancouver: Purich Books, 2024) $32.95 / 9780774880947
“Crossing the River is the author’s personal journey of atonement – coming to terms with her birthright of white privilege. The book gives voice to a different narrative of Canada’s history and offers personal insight into the meaning of reconciliation.” Sage Birchwater reviews Crossing the River: An Unsettling Memoir by Sandra Hayes-Gardiner (Calgary: BixBooks, 2023) $20 / 9781777296759
“A whole tradition of poetry met postmodernism in him, as he has achieved what he set out to do—carry it forward, weave it in, pass it on to us, and then let us swim on upstream, as his hands lift away.” —Harold Rhenisch reviews Poems Selected and New, by D.C. Reid (Victoria: Ekstasis Editions, 2023) $25.95 /8781771714129
“Howard White, the founder of Harbour Publishing and author of Raincoast Chronicles, is well qualified to write this updated edition of his popular guide to B.C.’s Sunshine Coast. He has lived there since childhood in the 1950s and has travelled to every nook and cranny of the jagged coastline, visiting all the unique communities along the way.” Ron Verzuh reviews The Sunshine Coast: From Gibsons to Powell River (Third Edition)
by Howard White, photography by Dean van’t Schip (Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing, 2024) $36.95 (hard cover) / 9781990776809
Debut story collection balances “visually rich absurdity … and the general malaise of youth with admirable, poetic flair.” —Jessica Poon reviews Hello, Horse: Stories, by Richard Kelly Kemick (Windsor: Biblioasis, 2024) $22.95 / 9781771966078
“If this all sounds like a soap opera, rest assured, However Far Away is an understated, nuanced portrait of complicated relationships.” —Jessica Poon reviews However Far Away, by Rajinderpal S. Pal (Toronto: House of Anansi, 2024) $24.99 / 9781487012540
“The book is also unique in that it provides first-person accounts from a socially and ethnically diverse group of professionals, including several chapters penned by women who openly share their lived experiences in a changing professional environment.” —Ryan Mitchell reviews The Role of Canadian City Managers, edited by Michael Fenn, Gordon McIntosh and David Siegel (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2023) $44.95 / 9781487552329
“The book suggests that future efforts should prioritize rebuilding Lytton with a strong focus on sustainability and resilience. This involves implementing policies that address the root causes of vulnerability, such as historical injustices and environmental degradation.” Amy Tucker reviews Lytton: Climate Change, Colonialism and Life Before the Fire by Peter Edwards and Kevin Loring (Toronto: Random House Canada, 2024) $36 / 9781039006157
The trio of cases of a sleep-deprived, hard-drinking ‘terrible detective’ also reveal a man “in a modern world that he seems not to fully understand nor relate to.” —Logan Macnair reviews Stasio: A Novel in 3 Parts, by Tamas Dobozy (Vancouver: Anvil Press, 2024) $22.00 / 9781772142266
“As our current news media make painfully clear, claims and counter claims over national boundaries often lead to devastating violence. It is a prompt to reflection, therefore, to consider the border disputes in the past, distant world of this book.” Theo Dombrowski reviews Arctic Patrol: Canada’s Fight for Arctic Sovereignty by Eric Jamieson (Qualicum Beach: Caitlin Press, 2024) $28.00 / 9781773861333
The closing novel of the McBride Chronicles tetralogy mulls over past and future as it introduces a host of contemporary social issues. —Vanessa Winn reviews Tomorrow, by Valerie Green (Surrey: Hancock House, 2024) $24.95 / 9780888397843
A meister with horror tropes, a debut novelist turns terror-at-home into a mind-bending, spine-tingling entertainment. —Zoe McKenna reviews We Used to Live Here, by Marcus Kliewer (New York: Atria/Emily Bestler Books, 2024) $34.99 / 9781982198787
In an illustrated history of the Pacific Northwest, the venerable Columbia River recalls the ups and downs of its 20-million-year lifespan. —Ron Verzuh reviews The Heart of a River, by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes (illustrated by Nichola Lytle) (Victoria: Rocky Mountain Books, 2024) $25.00 / 9781771606998