BC publishers have a smorgasboard of incredible books coming out this spring. We’re looking forward to lots of great reading this season and wanted to highlight a handful of titles for you, too. If you’re anything like us, you’ll have a hard time waiting until these books hit the shelves at your local independent bookstore.
Fiction
Sodom Road Exit by Amber Dawn
Arsenal Pulp Press | March 2018
The second novel by Lambda Literary Award winner Amber Dawn: at once a compelling family melodrama and a lesbian supernatural thriller. Having loved the gritty and magical Sub Rosa, I’m really looking forward to Amber Dawn’s sophmore novel.
Hider/Seeker: Stories by Jen Currin
Anvil Press | March 2018
I personally love when authors explore new genres, so I was excited to see award-winning poet Jen Currin’s debut fiction collection is to publish this spring. Hider/Seeker is a collection of stories about addiction and meditation, relationships and almost-relationships, solitude and sexuality. Described as “almost purposely unsatisfying but unflinchingly honest in their portrayal of relationships, particularly the book’s LGBTQ+ characters.”
It Begins in Betrayal: A Lane Winslow Mystery by Iona Whishaw
TouchWood Editions | April 2018
The fourth book in what the Globe and Mail proclaimed “a terrific series” by “a writer to watch.” Lane Winslow is an amateur sleuth and a retired intelligence officer who moved to Canada after WWII.
Beautiful Communions by Des Kennedy
Ronsdale Press | March 2018
Des Kennedy is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, author, and environmental activist. With short chapters and point of view shifting among the characters, Beautiful Communions is a story of compassion, forgiveness, and the intimate connectedness of birth and death.
Little Fish by Casey Plett
Arsenal Pulp Press | April 2018
Casey Plett won a Lambda Literary Award for her story collection, A Safe Girl to Love, and this is Plett’s debut novel. In Little Fish, a trans woman learns her grandfather may have been trans himself and she grows increasingly drawn to the lost pieces of her grandfather’s life, becoming determined to unravel the mystery of his truth.
One Good Thing by Rebecca Hendry
Brindle & Glass | April 2018
Rebecca Hendry’s debut novel, Grace River (Brindle & Glass), was published in 2009 and her short story “Jesse Beautiful” was nominated for the 2003 Journey Prize. Set in Yellowknife’s historic Old Town in the 70s, One Good Thing explores both abandonment and belonging in the life of a young woman.
Nonfiction
Dunmora: The Story of a Heritage Manor House on Vancouver Island by Valerie Green
Hancock House | December 2017
Although technically already out, we’re including Dunmora because we’re very excited about the reinvigoration of Hancock House Publishing. This book describes a heritage house on Vancouver Island that was built in 1922 by the May family, who initially enjoyed a simple, pastoral existence on the peninsula in the days when wealthy families hired faithful Chinese servants, gardeners, and nannies. The book includes tales of famous visitors, its use as a military base and film set, as well as various visiting celebrities and gatherings.
A Matter of Confidence: The Inside Story of the Political Battle for BC by Rob Shaw and Richard Zussman
Heritage House | April 2018
A breathtaking behind-the-scenes look at the dramatic rise and fall of Christy Clark’s BC Liberals, the return to power of the NDP, and what it means for British Columbia’s volatile political climate going forward. The authors have all the political writing chops you could want for a book like this: Rob Shaw has covered BC legislature as a reporter and columnist since 2009, and Richard Zussman is a former legislative reporter for CBC, covering BC provincial politics since 2014.
All Together Healthy: A Canadian Wellness Revolution by Andrew MacLeod
Douglas & McIntyre | April 2018
Award-winning author and journalist Andrew MacLeod tackles the pressing issue of health and public policy in Canada, including a ton of conflicting information about how to be healthy (from fad diets to celebrity-endorsed regimes).MacLeod writes for The Tyee and his previous book, A Better Place on Earth (Harbour, 2015) won the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness.
Couchsurfing in Iran: Revealing a Hidden World by Stephan Orth
Greystone Books | April 2018
A modern-day glimpse into the surprising reality of life in Iran, award-winning author Stephan Orth spends sixty-two days on the road in this mysterious Islamic republic to provide a revealing, behind-the-scenes look at life in one of the world’s most closed societies. Although his experience was limited by available English-speaking hosts on Couchsurfing.com, he was shown incredible hospitality by 22 hosts, skipping the guidebooks and tourist attractions. This travelogue should be a very refreshing perspective on a private country and culture, and Greystone will be publishing Couchsurfing in Russia in the fall.
Breaching the Peace: The Site C Dam and a Valley’s Stand against Big Hydro by Sarah Katharine Cox
UBC Press | May 2018
Award-winning journalist Sarah Cox recounts the prolonged battle, led by farmers and First Nations, to stop the cripplingly expensive and environmentally irresponsible Site C dam. This is such a pressing and important issue, as the BC provincial government recently announced they’re going ahead with Site C.
Poetry
Some End / West Broadway by George Stanley and George Bowering
New Star Books | February 2018
How can you resist dual George! A masterpiece of late style and friendship, this volume combines—literally back-to-back—two powerful new works by old masters, George Bowering and George Stanley. Bowering’s Some End is a suite of 32 poems tracking his recovery from a near-fatal cardiac arrest in 2015. Stanley’s West Broadway is a narrative/lyrical long poem, following on his other long city poems.
Love Me True: Writers Reflect on the Ins, Outs, Ups and Downs of Marriage, edited by Fiona Tinwei Lam and Jane Silcott
Caitlin Press | February 2018
In Love Me True, 27 creative nonfiction writers and 20 poets explore how marriage and committed relationships have challenged, shaped, supported, and changed them, whether the long-term partnering is monogamous, polyamorous, same-sex, or otherwise. The list of contributors is huge and exciting, including Mandy Len Catron, Jane Eaton Hamilton, Evelyn Lau, Susan Musgrave, Chelene Knight, Rob Taylor, Yasuko Thanh, Elise Partridge, Miranda Pearson, Kevin Chong, Rachel Rose, and many more. Also, the book launch will be on February 14 at Incite: A Free Reading Series—a fitting way to spend Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day).
Checking In by Adeena Karasick
Talonbooks | February 2018
Checking In consists of the major title poem (which takes up about half the book) and a series of other post-conceptual pieces that take the reader on a satiric tour through the shards and fragments of literary and post-consumerist culture. Adeena Karasick is a poet, cultural theorist and the critically acclaimed author of seven books of poetry and poetic theory. Also interesting to note that the Adeena Karasick Archive has just been established at Special Collections, Simon Fraser University.
Elemental by Kate Braid
Caitlin Press | February 2018
Elemental is a poignant, intelligent collection that asks us to look more closely at ourselves and the details that construct our rich and delicate world. Kate Braid is an award-winning poet whose career in carpentry and construction (notably as one of the few females in those professions) has also informed her creative nonfiction writing.
the bridge from day to night by David Zieroth
Harbour Publishing | March 2018
An accomplished new collection by Governor General’s Award-winning poet David Zieroth. With his characteristic humour, subtlety and ability to find transcendence in the everyday, Zieroth traces the delicate strands connecting the most minute and familiar details to the most profound mysteries, giving voice to the unknowable.
This Familiar Hunger by Laisha Rosnau
Nightwood Editions | April 2018
This Familiar Hunger are poems are memories of reclaimed history and attempts at starting over in a new place—the strength, will, struggle, and fortitude of generations of women. Laisha Rosnau’s previous three poetry collections and her novel all attracted award attention.
Children’s Books
The Journey Forward, A Novella: Lucy & Lola by Monique Gray Smith & When We Play Our Drums, They Sing! by Richard Van Camp
McKellar & Martin | February 2018
Two voices, two stories, two covers, one book. These middle-grade novellas on Reconciliation are by award-winning authors Monique Gray Smith and Richard Van Camp and will be bound together in a “flipbook” format with gorgeous cover art and interior spot illustrations by Julie Flett.
On Our Street: Our First Talk About Poverty by Dr. Jillian Roberts & Jaime Casap, illustrated by Jane Heinrichs
Orca Book Publishers | February 2018
On Our Street is a compassionate look at the complicated topics of homelessness and poverty. The World Around Us series, intended for ages 5–8, introduces children to complex cultural, social, and environmental issues in a straightforward and accessible way.
One Eagle Soaring by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd
Harbour Publishing | May 2018
Following on the success of their bestselling board book Hello Humpback!, the celebrated and award-winning authors Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd are back with One Eagle Soaring, the second volume in their exciting new series for little readers, First West Coast Books. Their previous collaboration was the award-winning and bestselling Northwest Coast Legends series of picture books.
Boonoonoonous Hair by Olive Senior, illustrated by Laura James
Tradewind Books | June 2018
In this vibrant and exquisitely illustrated picture book by award-winning Jamaican-Canadian writer Olive Senior and acclaimed artist Laura James (the team that created the bestselling Anna Carries Water), a young girl learns to love her difficult-to-manage voluminous and boonoonoonous hair.