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Tyrant-in-chief?

“McGoogan’s histories have often focused on Arctic explorations. Favourites of mine are about the ill-fated Franklin Expedition and Mrs. Franklin’s earnest efforts to find her lost husband. This time, however, he highlights the rise of Spain’s Franco, Italy’s Mussolini, Russia’s Stalin and, of course, Nazi Germany’s Hitler.” Ron Verzuh reviews Shadows of Tyranny: Defending Democracy in an Age of Dictatorship by Ken McGoogan (Madeira Park, BC: Douglas & McIntyre, 2024) $36.95 / 9781771624244

Crime and consequence

At a glance a standard police procedural, this debut novel “offers an extra layer of depth that examines deeper truths of the human condition.”
—Trish Bowering reviews Barcelona Red Metallic, by Christine Cosack (Toronto: Second Story Press, 2024) $22.95 / 9781772603910

Companions in B.C. folk music

“…British Columbia’s Songs of the Southern Interior, has Bartlett following in the footsteps of his mentor. The journey shows what time-consuming and labour-intensive efforts are required for such a venture. Bartlett describes his new book as “a companion” to the [Phil] Thomas memoir. He has followed the pattern established by Thomas by travelling widely and actively seeking material ‘made by ordinary people, in ordinary language, for pleasure and not for profit.'” Wayne Norton reviews British Columbia’s Songs of the Southern Interior & Phil Thomas and The Songs of British Columbia by Jon Bartlett (Vancouver: Vancouver Folk Song Society, 2024) $20.00 / 9780987725523

Countering the ‘impenetrable wilderness’ narrative

“The text is an accessible reference resource that will be useful to students and budding archaeologists, field technicians working with/for First Nations communities, and any interested visitors traveling through coastal First Nations’ territories.” Bryn Letham reviews Indigenous Heritage Features Handbook by A. Mackie, R. Inglis, Qixitasu (E. White), and K. Neary (The Province of British Columbia and Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative, 2024)

The Car Ferry at Sidney, 1952, by E.J. Hughes. Courtesy National Gallery of Canada

BC Review Annual Fundraiser, 2024

A note from Richard Mackie, publisher, The British Columbia Review. *  Dear friends, supporters, and readers, On behalf of the Board of Directors and Advisory Board of The British Columbia Review, I must mention our pressing need for continuing financial support from our reading community. We make this request for private donations annually to keep the…
Read more BC Review Annual Fundraiser, 2024

An ‘ever-loud, ever-tempting world’

Debut book, a memoir, chronicles a typical middle-class suburban upbringing that’s followed by years of filling an existential “black hole” with harmful choices. —Carellin Brooks reviews Sunrise Over Half-Built Houses: Love, Longing and Addiction in Suburbia, by Erin Steele (Qualicum Beach: Dagger Editions, 2024) $26.00 / 9781773861500

‘A tipping point’

“Understanding this science, is a major step to encourage all of humanity to ‘think carefully about our options, and find a new course.'” Natalie Virginia Lang reviews Runaway Climate: What the Geological Past Can Tell Us About the Coming Climate Change Catastrophe, by Steven Earle, PhD (Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers, 2024) $24.99 / 9780865719897

Angry, admired by men, and righteous

“At times, the novel feels—and this is praise—like a couple of opinionated art students kvetching while wearing designer clothes—or latex—in Geneva.” —Jessica Poon reviews Bold Strokes, by Jane Boon (Toronto: Regan Arts, 2024) $22.00 / 9781682452288

One brutal day in Cloverdale

Enthralling, comedy-flecked murder mystery capably illustrates how a “lot can go right–and terribly wrong–in a 24-hour window.” —Caileigh Broatch reviews Bronco Buster, by A.J. Devlin (Edmonton: NeWest Press, 2024) $22.95 / 9781774391020

Canuck faithful heartbreak

“…Willes has filled in a lot of the blanks to produce a fascinating team history that gives credence to the ‘curse’ mythology.” Daniel Gawthrop reviews Never Boring: The up and down history of the Vancouver Canucks by Ed Willes (Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing, 2024) $28.95 / 9781990776892

Where is civility going?

“…this bounty of a missive both reflects on our contemporary crises and what, practically, can be done to bring health and healing to local communities again.” Ron Dart reviews Save Your City: How toxic culture kills community & what to do about it by Diane Kalen-Sukra (Toronto: Municipal World, 2024) $22.80 / 9780228810872

Shadow boxing with Stan and Joe

Memorable debut poetry collection offers “poetry of the ordinary” while also examining masculinity and personal ghosts. —Harold Rhenisch reviews Little Bit Die, by Jason Emde (Barrie: Bolero Bird, 2023) $20.00 / 9781775330073

Uplifting. Quirky. Colourful.

Flights of fancy and a motley crew of creatures: they’re only part of the many charms of two new picture books. —Ginny Ratsoy reviews What Inspires, by Alison Hughes (illustrated by Ellen Rooney) (Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2024) $21.95 / 978145983768 and My Bunny Lies Over the Ocean, by Bill Richardson (illustrated by Bill Pechet) (Halifax: Running the Goat, 2024) $21.99 / 9781998802098

Forged in Fort Simmer, NWT

With “each new offering, Van Camp reminds us of his remarkable gift for storytelling. ‘Beast’ is no exception.” —Zoe McKenna reviews Beast, by Richard Van Camp (Madeira Park: Douglas & McIntyre, 2024) $24.95 / 9781771624145

‘A good read indeed!’

Writing “evocatively with gutsy language and pacing that moves along,” this debut YA novelist also “handles the humanity of her characters with a sense of honour; they feel to be so fully-developed that they’re letting her know where they should be on the page.” —Alison Acheson reviews Devil by the Tail, by Caroline Lavoie (Winnipeg: Deep Hearts YA, 2024) $21.99 / 9781998055616

Race and class; magic and music

A veteran writer’s new novel is defined by meticulous, expansive, and breathtaking world-building. Sometimes, though, too much is too much. —Zoe McKenna reviews Blackheart Man, by Nalo Hopkinson (Toronto: Simon & Schuster / Saga Press, 2024) $34.99 / 9781668005101

Anatomy of a ‘failed utopia’

Part hippie hitchhiker’s odyssey, part draft resister’s memoir, this novel “reads like the diary of… countercultural wanderers of the 1960.” —Ron Verzuh reviews Waiting for the Revolution, by Ross Klatte (Altona: Friesen Press, 2024) $22.99 / 9781039188877

A ‘record of the poet’s life’

Marked by “verve and whimsy,” this collection portrays a “virtuous smart mouth poet” who is “gentle with humour” and “searing with insight.”
—Cathy Ford reviews Refabulations: Selected Longer Poems, by Sharon Thesen (Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2023) $24.94 / 9781772015102 

Excellent addition to the backpack

“On a recent summer hike along Vancouver Island’s Cowichan River, we enjoyed referring to Collin Varner’s flora pocket guide to keystone species, “keystone” being organisms that define and support an entire ecosystem thus filling a vital ecological niche.” Isabel Nanton reviews 50 Keystone Flora Species of Coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest: A Pocket Guide & 50 Keystone Fauna Species of Coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest: A Pocket Guide by Collin Varner (Victoria: Heritage House, 2024) $19.95 / 9781772034776 / 9781772034943

‘We slather on American mayo’

Full of “humorous observation and stylistic verve,” this collection of flash fictions and short stores is “contemporary, exuberant, and zany.” —Jessica Poon reviews The Long Swim, by Terese Svoboda (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2024) $24.95 / 9781625348074

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