Read Local BC asked the staff of the bookstore Upstart & Crow for a 2023 gift guide. They truly impressed us with a range of non-fiction, memoirs, short stories, poetry, and fiction full of deep feeling. These books will foster connection between people, to the metals in the ground beneath us, and to the gems glowing in our own journeys of self-discovery.
So, a staunch history of activism in music, a bracing dive into the aftermath of the Fort McMurray fire, or a soft landing into words about the green earth—what will you give your loved ones?
You can buy these books at Upstart & Crow on Granville Island in Vancouver or at Upstart Upstairs at Persephone Brewing in Gibsons, BC, or from other independent bookstores found through the ‘Shop Local’ button!
Crushed Wild Mint, by Jess Housty (Nightwood Editions)
FOR THE NOSTALGIC POET AT HEART
“Cúagilákv Jess Housty has written a book of poems so steeped in place (her Haíɫzaqv homelands) that you can almost taste the earth, the ocean, and the emotions that they decant with such exquisite precision. Their knowledge is breathtaking, their touch sometimes wry and mischievous, sometimes reverential. A must read.” — Ian, Upstart & Crow
Out now!
Pitfall, by Christopher Pollon (Greystone Books)
FOR THE INVESTIGATIVE JOUNALISM FAN
“With the rapid transition to electric power, the demand for new metals is ramping up. But can the mining industry avoid repeating its historic abuses? One of B.C.’s best investigative reporters dives deep to bring us answers in this essential new read about global planetary plunder.” — Robyn, Upstart & Crow
Out now!
Falling Back in Love with Being Human: Letters to Lost Souls, by Kai Cheng Thom (Penguin Canada)
FOR THE ROMANTIC SOFTIE
“This book is composed of short, poetic letters that channel the author’s anger and rage into curiosity about how to keep loving loudly. There are letters to outcasts, flaws, racists and TERFS. It’s a reminder that people who enact hurt typically act out of their own fears and hurt themselves, and it calls for the revolutionary belief that every human, no matter the harm they cause, deserves to be loved.” — Franz, Upstart & Crow
Out now!
Any Other City, by Hazel Jane Plante (Arsenal Pulp Press)
FOR THE EDGY MELANCHOLIC SOUL
Plante’s Little Blue Encyclopaedia (for Vivian) is now a cult classic in literature, as it should be! The author’s newest book, a fictional memoir of a trans indie rock musician, is a devastating, sexy, bold and moving work that celebrates art and queer love. — Zoe, Upstart & Crow
Out now!
Landbridge: life in fragments, by Y-Dang Troeung (Knopf Canada)
FOR THE ONE WHO TRULY BELIEVES THAT LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT
“Written while sustaining treatment for pancreatic cancer, Troeung’s final work is an anthology of memories: a flight from Cambodia, therapy sessions, and fraught experiences in academia. It’s a bittersweet story that recounts the past and speculates about the future, and its harrowing histories are punctuated with letters to her son, imbuing the pages with speculative hope. It feels like a loving beginning, rather than an end.” — Tomie, Upstart & Crow
Out now!
the berry takes the shape of the bloom, by andrea bennett (Talonbooks)
FOR THE FRIEND WHO IS ALWAYS UP FOR A HANGOUT
“Reading this clever and bittersweet new collection by a nonbinary writer based in qathet feels like spending time in a garden sharing secrets with a friend, listening to them riff on their mother, their exes, and the challenge of carrying a child. Beautiful poetry.” — Robyn, Upstart & Crow
Out now!
Storylines, by J Edward Chamberlin (Douglas & McIntyre)
FOR THE STORYTELLER
“’We draw comfort from our great myths, and from the storytelling of our contemporaries.’ This work is a brilliant and timely exploration of the power of stories and songs—from both the distant past and today’s news—that counters despair and disillusionment with hope and possibility.” — Zoe, Upstart & Crow
Out now!
Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast, by John Vaillant (Knopf Canada)
FOR THE CLIMATE-ANXIOUS ACTIVIST
“This timely and cinematic examination of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire is meticulously wrought, dramatically reported, and serves as a metaphor for a much wider failure of our species to stop playing with fire when it comes to our suicidal dependency on fossil fuels.” — Ian Gill, Upstart & Crow
Out now!
Atomweight, by Emi Sasagawa (Tidewater Press)
FOR THE YOUNG PERSON STRIKING OUT ON THEIR OWN
“Startling and sensitive, this is a coming-of-age page-turner about a young woman heading to university and coming to terms with her identity and sexuality in a somewhat unusual way: street fighting. A sharp debut by a wonderful young Vancouver writer.” — Robyn, Upstart & Crow
Out now!
Rise Up and Sing!, by Andrea Warner (Greystone Books)
FOR THE MUSIC LOVER
“This gorgeous new book chronicles power, protest and activism in music, sharing the ways in which musical artists have contributed to the fight for social justice. It profiles artists new and old, includes amazing playlists, and best of all, it’s the creation of an incredible local author-illustrator duo.” — Zoe, Upstart & Crow
Out now!
Throwback to last year’s gift guide for more gifting inspo!