Park Bagger by Marlis Butcher
An inspiring collection of thrilling personal adventures and stunning photographs sharing the incredible diversity and profound beauty of Canada's national parks.
First Book
We, Jane by Aimee Wall
There is so much to say about Aimee Wall’s debut novel We, Jane. In a tight 200 pages, Wall’s poetic prose chronicles the complicated relationships between women of different generations and life experiences. Through these connections, readers are exposed to the complex geography of reproductive rights and to legacies of local knowledge.
Dirty Birds by Morgan Murray*
In late 2008, as the world’s economy crumbles and Barack Obama ascends to the White House, the remarkably unremarkable Milton Ontario – not to be confused with Milton, Ontario – leaves his parents’ basement in Middle-of-Nowhere, Saskatchewan, and sets forth to find fame, fortune, and love in the Euro-lite electric sexuality of Montreal.
Throw Down Your Shadows by Deborah Hemmings
What does it mean, to do the wrong thing for the right reasons? 16-year-old Winnie, the self-reliant narrator of Deborah Hemming’s taut novel Throw Down Your Shadows, is about to learn that painful lesson.
It’s summer, 2005. Winnie lives … Continue reading
Dark August by Katie Tallo
At the beginning of Dark August, 20-year-old Augusta “Gus” Monet learns that her great-grandmother Rose has died. The death of her only blood relative galvanizes Gus to take charge of her meandering life. She ditches her petty criminal boyfriend Lars … Continue reading
Man And Dog by Justin Barbour
One man, one dog, a grand adventure across the Newfoundland wilderness.
Pedestal by Gareth Mitton
My introduction to sci-fi was The Muppet Show, Pigs in Space launching me into the genre. What followed were Star Wars and Buck Rogers – anything, really, with a John Williams or Queen soundtrack. I realize that doesn’t much … Continue reading
Rainforest in Russet by Cynthia Sharp
met Cynthia Sharp at a Vancouver poetry reading. It may’ve been a gallery or a resto-pub. That part I no longer remember. What I do remember, however, is the depth of her reading, commitment to her craft. This is a … Continue reading
Skiing With Henry Knox by Sam Brakeley
Skiing With Henry Knox represents a bit of a departure for Islandport Press of Maine. This book is not written by a Mainer nor does it take place in Maine. However, Skiing With Henry Knox is really not about skiing … Continue reading
Neither King Nor Country by Alan Kay (From The Picton Gazette)
[The following article appeared in The Picton Gazette on July 15, 2019. I am reproducing the full article as a favour to the author. While I haven’t read the book myself, it does come with some great recommendations, which are … Continue reading
Acadian Driftwood: One Family and the Great Expulsion by Tyler LeBlanc
year 2020 marks 265 years since the Acadian Expulsion (Le Grande Dérangement) in 1755. Unfortunately, the outbreak of Covid-19 will likely not allow Acadians to gather together to observe this milestone year. Annually, on August 15th (the actual … Continue reading
The Imperilled Ocean: Human Stories From A Changing Sea by Laura Trethewey
How the ocean has changed in those fifty years when I first saw pictures of submarines, diving bells and giant whale sharks! Ocean Journalist Laura Trethewey updates us on its condition in her first book, The Imperilled Ocean, published by New Brunswick's Goose Lane Editions.
Lightness by Fanie Demeule, trans. by Anita Anand
According to one source, 90% of all anorexics are females. They lose a few pounds but are still not satisfied. They become obsessed with reaching the "ideal" weight, but it's a moving target, practically unattainable. Such is the case with the unnamed young woman in Lightness by Quebec author Fanie Demeule, which has been translated into English by Anita Anand.
Tacet by Suzanne Chiasson
Guernica Editions has published Vancouver author and poet Suzanne Chiasson's first novel, Tacet which at under 200 pages flirts with the novella classification, and as such, leaves more questions unanswered than answered. It is the story of Charlotte, a singer (of the cabaret type) and Theo, a twentysomething actor who works in a restaurant to pay the rent to his good friend and roommate Curtis.
Reproduction by Ian Williams
Novels, like love and family, take many forms. On every page of Reproduction, his debut novel, Ian Williams finds ways to resist and defy conventional narrative practice while constructing an audacious and uniquely challenging story that crosses generational lines. In the process, he has written a poignant, resonant tale about intersecting lives and the ways that seemingly trivial decisions can have unexpected and far-reaching consequences.