This Valentine’s Day, we’d like to celebrate love in all of its forms. The books on this list explore themes of self-love, desire, family and motherhood. Join these BC authors in navigating the complexities of relationships both familiar and unconventional, and grappling with finding love in unexpected ways.
The Mother: A Graphic Memoir by Rachel Deutsch (Douglas & McIntyre)
From the publisher: New Yorker cartoonist Rachel Deutsch desperately wanted a baby, yet she was fearful of actually being pregnant and having one. She lurched into a new identity and then missed her old one. She loved her new baby fiercely, but yearned for her previous relationship with her partner, as sleepless nights revealed the cracks below the surface of their relationship.
Coming soon! 25/03/2025
Sunrise over Half-Built Houses: Love, Longing and Addiction in Suburbia
by Erin Steele (Caitlin Press)
“Sunrise over Half-Built Houses is a piercing blade of a book—agony on one side, glinting light on the other. Erin Steele has written an unputdownable memoir that is more than a visceral journey through addiction in all its disguises: it’s a love song to language, yearning, and hope.”
—Shelley Wood, author of The Leap Year Gene
Out now!
Cottage Radio & Other Plays by Taylor Marie Graham (Talonbooks)
This collection of three plays enlists a cast of wild, strong rural women, and journeys through a wedding reception set at a high school, a post-storm family gathering, and a fireside spoken histories. Themes of community, loss and togetherness permeate each of these stories, reminding readers that each other is all we have.
Out now!
Wet by Leanne Dunic (Talonbooks)
From the publisher: In Wet, a transient Chinese American model working in Singapore thirsts for the unattainable: fair labour rights, the extinguishing of nearby forest fires, breathable air, healthy habitats for animals, human connection. She navigates place and placelessness while observing other migrant workers toiling outdoors despite the hazardous conditions. In photographs and language shot through with empathy and desire, Wet unravels complexities of social stratification, sexual privation, and environmental catastrophe.
Out now!
A Reluctant Mother by Deirdre Simon Dire (Ronsdale Press)
“A Reluctant Mother is mesmeric, wildly inventive, and hallucinatory. Sometimes hilarious. Frida, Dore’s heroine, is fierce, hardcore, full of fire, with a moral compass just steady enough to navigate nightmares and heartbreak. Here’s what it’s like to be a mother – for those who can’t, those who won’t, and those who are – whether they’re reluctant or not – giving it everything they’ve got.” – Lisa Moore, author of This is How We Love and February
Out now!
We’re Happy You’re Here by Julie Wilkins (Orca Book Publishers)
From the publisher: An inclusive and diverse celebration of the joys of preparing to welcome a child and the importance of community and family.
Many special people are involved in welcoming a new child into a family: parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, surrogates, midwives, doctors, doulas, therapists, social workers, financial planners, nutritionists, technicians and more. With inclusive illustrations depicting diverse family journeys, including single parents, LGBTQ+ parents and a variety of family structures, this joy-filled picture book invites children and their special people to explore the meaning of family, community and the beautiful mix of science, wisdom and love that brought them into the world.
Out now!
I Love Myself by Wai Mei Wong (Orca Book Publishers)
From the publisher: Even an ordinary day is full of little challenges, especially when you’re a kid… Luckily you can learn to be kind to yourself with a bit of practice.
In this sweet picture book we accompany a child through their day, from morning to bedtime, as their inner self—portrayed as a cuddly imaginary creature—supports them in their endeavors. Some are harder than others, but the positive message of the text highlights how you can love yourself through big feelings, try something different, say no, and so much more.
Out now!
The Three Sisters by Paul Yee and Shaoli Wang (Tradewind Books)
The strong relationship between three sisters and their powerful love of music triumphs over a villainous emperor in this delightfully illustrated picture book that takes place in historical China.
Out now!