Debut book publication, a novella, is composed of short episodic pieces. It describes a heinous murder and a fable-like, animal-assisted quest for a killer. The book “sketches a countervailing narrative, where catastrophic violence and the aftermath, unleashed by forces of colonization, are met by Indigenous ways of knowing and survivance,” notes our reviewer. —Dana McFarland reviews Gitwaaltk, by Crystal AJ Smith (Guelph: Porcupine’s Quill Press, 2026) $22.00 / 9781774221822
“This Story Never Made the Headlines,” “They Had to Let Go,” “Orange Blanket,” and “Crumpled Woman”: excerpts from Unresponsive, by Kelly Madden (Qualicum Beach: Caitlin Press, 2026) $22.00 / 9781773861982
In a “charming little story” that’s part of a geriatric amateur sleuth cozy mystery series (say that three times!), there’s a mystery of a locked door, which leads to further inquiries for a formidable octogenarian sleuth. —Valerie Green reviews Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu—A Fairmount Manor Mystery, by Mel Anastasiou (Langley: Pulp Literature Press, 2025) $24.95 / 97819888865799
“This is why we pick up an anthology: it’s a flight of stories to be savoured, shared with a friend or two, and to find new voices and new eyes to explore.” With that said, the collection’s Toronto-centrism, tenuous cohesion, and puzzling focus raise some questions for our reviewer. —Alison Acheson reviews Women, Walking: Notes on Lives in Motion, edited by Zahra Ebrahim and Jane Farrow (Toronto: Coach House Press, 2026) $25.95 / 9781552455203
Set in Montreal and Bangalore over a span of 63 years, a smart and emotionally resonant novel captures the life and times of “[g]uarded, imaginative, prickly, sentimental, [and] superstitious” Asha Mohan. A touch pessimistic and fatalistic, this intriguing, complex character holds the view that “the worst possible scenarios have shaped my life always.” —Alexander Sallas reviews Asha in Her Garden, by Anita Rau Badami (Toronto: Knopf Canada, 2026) $36.00 / 9780735274341
Set in Alberta, a “thoughtful and timely” debut novel offers a “story for everyone, particularly those of us who make up this messy, wonderful, sometimes dysfunctional but very necessary place we call home.” —Trish Bowering reviews Inheritance, by Jane Park (Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2026) $26.99 / 9781487013998
“Gerson does not neglect literary greats like Shakespeare, Dickens, and Longfellow, and also pays tribute to more modern writers like Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood. Although this book is a heavy academic read, themes of humour are also included to lighten the dense and weighty text.” Valerie Green reviews Literary Life After Death: Commemorations of Writers in English-Speaking Canada, by Carole Gerson (Montreal: Concordia University Press, 2026) $34.95 / 9781988111667
Debut book publication—short stories and a novella—features an elliptical style. Despite the promise of some paragraphs and the “fulsome blurbs,” the overall collection is impacted by issues related to pacing and “physicality.” —Alison Acheson reviews Mom Camp: Stories and Novella, by Veronique Darwin (Picton: Assembly Press, 2026) $23.95 / 9781998336319
A first novel by a prolific poet leaves one critic wanting less and more: “I do not understand The Oversoul Realm at all. I will offer up the possibility that I am too dumb for this book and James is a genius beyond my comprehension. I don’t think that’s it, though.”—Isabella Ranallo reviews The Oversoul Realm, by Candice James (New Westminster: Silver Bow Press, 2026) $18.99 / 9781774034330
Northern Alberta-set novel tells of a bequest of an abandoned, off-the-grid farmhouse (that must be lived in for a year before it can be sold). Who doesn’t like a challenge?!? It’s “a sweet, easy to digest summer novel about coming to understand your own ancestral history,” in our writer’s view. —Kenna Clifford reviews Wildwood, by Elinor Florence (Toronto: Simon & Schuster Canada, 2026) $25.99 / 9781668227619
“‘Always weird fiction, ghosts, aliens, all the good stuff,’ quips author Rebecca Campbell from a comfy chair overlooking Saanich Inlet. “But very much grounded in the Cowichan Valley, or on Saanich Inlet right out there.'” Trevor Marc Hughes presents an interview with fiction author Rebecca Campbell, filmed at Mill Bay.
New edition of a celebrated, bestselling 2015 book features a striking cover. Relating a dream-like journey to coastal BC, the debut novel also depicts a protagonist’s troubled past and uncertain steps toward healing. The current edition “contains no supplementary materials. A missed opportunity, in my opinion,” our reviewer remarks. —Sophia Wasylinko reviews Birdie (Canadian Classics Edition), by Tracey Lindberg (Toronto: HarperCollins Canada, 2026) $22.99 / 9781443478700
“As the primary editor Deborah (Devora) Ross-Grayman explains in the book’s preface, the writings here took root as the result of meetings of the Vancouver Second-Generation (2G) Group. All of the twelve writers represented here are the offspring of Holocaust survivors (or, in one instance, a survivor himself).” Heidi Greco reviews Voices of Resilience: An Anthology of Stories Written by Children of Holocaust Survivors, by Deborah (Devora) Ross-Grayman, with Wendy Bancroft & The Writers (eds.) (The Netherlands: Amsterdam Publishers, 2026) $24.95 / 9789493418608
Sophomore poetry collection reflects a “wryness of humour and breadth of understanding.” Here is “a fine collection of finely-wrought poems in a fresh and feminist voice that is a pleasure to read,” our reviewer reports. —gillian harding-russell reviews Perfect Weather, by Jamella Hagen (Sackville: Gaspereau Press, 2026) $24. 95 / 9781554472833
“This book is a story about the past. History, of course, contains the word ‘story.’ History was for so long his story whereas this one is her story. It is the story of Florence Wilson, a woman who lived much of her life in a man’s world. But here is the thing, if history is a story does that mean that a story is history? Let’s see.” Robin Fisher reviews Bloomsbury to Barkerville: The Life of Florence Wilson, by Marion McKinnon Crook (Victoria: Heritage House Publishing, 2026) $26.95 / 9781772035643
“What is Sveva’s achievement? In visual terms, she has left a compelling body of work that is both challenging and uplifting. In psychological terms, she goes through a ‘dark night of the soul’ and achieves what was, for her, a state of enlightenment. She uses all of her knowledge of commentators on the human condition throughout the ages as signs and guide posts throughout her journey. She also draws on her extensive knowledge of the visual arts and, on occasion, paints an homage to someone who she found particularly inspiring.” Adriana A. Davies contributes the essay Sveva Caetani: From Old to New World and Back
“Darcy describes her struggles as the only woman or one of few in the corridors and meeting halls of union power. For those of us who were there, can I have an Amen, Sister; for those now used to seeing women in positions of union leadership, it could be instructive to learn how it was, not so long ago, for a woman in a union leadership position to speak truth to power – to both sides of the table.” Wendy Burton reviews Leading from the Heart: The Battles of a Feminist, Union Leader and Politician, by Judy Darcy (Madeira Park: Douglas & McIntyre, 2026) $40 / 9781771625043
“The momentary victory didn’t seem complete, though, as my marble season was forever marred. I couldn’t play my winnings without some kid declaring that any marble with defining features was once theirs and trying to lay claim.” Marcella Kyrein explores the game of marbles battlefield during her Prince George elementary school years in her essay Marbles and the Art of War.
An artist, an oligarch, an ex-resistance operative who’s 94, a family vineyard in Crete… In a thought-provoking, prettily descriptive novel, the heist elements grab and hold a reader’s attention (while that’s less true for the protagonist’s erotic awakening). —Valerie Green reviews The Angels’ Share, by Jane Bow (New York: Red Elixir, 2026) $37.00 / 9781966293309
“The sisters, oppressed by the patriarchy, whatever their orders and callings, have been the Stepford wives of Jesus, and the authors of Resisting Orders wonder if whispered dissent will succeed in protecting idealistic notions of equality and social justice through the possible dismantling of paternalistic authoritarianism during the decline of neo-capitalism.” Linda Rogers reviews Resisting Orders: Catholic Sisters Contest Their Church, by Christine Gervais, Amanda Watson, and Shanisse Kleuskens (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2025) $39.95 / 9780228023708
