The previous year brought us a host of wonderful, fun, and thought-provoking books from BC publishers, and got some much-deserved recognition from the awards gods too. We saw a number of BC titles in the shortlists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards (Weird Rules to Follow, Unbroken, Old Gods) and the BC & Yukon Book Prizes (Return to Solitude, The Acid Room, Weird Rules to Follow, The Science of Boys, Her Courage Rises, I Hope, Tree Thieves, Ben the Sea Lion, Harrowings, Cold Case BC).
We at Read Local BC had a blast bringing you engaging interviews and interesting book lists to add to your TBR. Here are some highlights.
Meet your bookseller: Upstart Upstairs
In this Meet Your Bookseller spotlight, we spoke with Zoe Grams, owner of the bookstore Upstart Upstairs in Gibsons.
Poetry books to read based on your playlist
A local poetry recommendation for you based on your top artists.
Authors in conversation: Chelene Knight and Wayde Compton
The widely acclaimed authors talk about their recent projects, breaking the rules of form, and sense of place.
Tell us a book you loved, and we’ll pick your next read
We put together a list of BC books to recommend to you based on which book you loved last. Whether you’re into gripping novels, visually-stunning nature books, or thought-provoking political non-fiction, you can find a new local book for you.
Not wanting to let stories go: An Interview with Corinna Chong
The author talks about her new short story collection The Whole Animal, investigating the unpleasantness of a situation, and teasing out the rhythms of a story.
True stories that will have you hooked
They say truth is stranger than fiction. These wild but true memoirs and nonfiction books definitely live up to that adage.
Seven BC poets on the writers they love
Rob Taylor asked our featured National Poetry Month poets to write about a BC poet who influenced or inspired them.
Listening for my breath: An Interview with Délani Valin
The author of Shapeshifters talks with poet Rob Taylor about connecting with readers, her Métis heritage, and using form to keep her writing playful.
Four BC authors on the transformative power of festivals
We asked four authors attending the Fraser Valley Writers Festival to share their stories of the first time they attended a literary festival, and what it meant to them.