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by Brooke
Animals & Nature + Biography & Memoir + Fiction + Food & Drink + Graphica + Home & Garden + Humour + Kids + Picture Books + Psychology & Self-Help + Travel + YA Fiction / February 20, 2017
A new year means new books and we've got all of the recommendations you could possibly need! Kick the year off right with these hand-picked selections for the early spring season!
Dani Farmer
This Is That
by Chris Kelly, Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring
"Sometimes this great country of ours seems a little too good to be true. You, being Canadian, already know the wonders of Flin Flon’s tropical beaches and how to portage the Rideau Canal (with or without a protective toque) but there may be people in your life that don’t. Thankfully, the This is That: Travel Guide to Canada is both hilarious and faux-informative. You’ve heard the show on CBC, now let it guide you through our magnificent nation!"
The River
by Marc Martin
"Ever since I was a child, I’ve dreamed of sailing down a long and winding river, watching the jungles or forests or cities pass me by as I make my way to a faraway sea. I don’t know how, but Marc Martin managed to bring my childish imagining to reality. I only wish I could fall into its lush pages for real!"
Ali Hewitt
Unf*ck Your Habitat
by Rachel Hoffman
"You have until January to make room on your bookshelf for the only housekeeping and organizational book that acknowledges that you might not even remember what your bookshelf looks like under all that stuff you’ve piled on it. Or possibly even where your bookshelf is."
XO, OX
by Adam Rex, illustrated by Scott Campbell
"In this charming epistolary picture book, you and Gazelle will both fall in love with lovelorn Ox. A winner for sure!"
Judy Parker
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
by Kathleen Rooney
"We Canadians are lucky enough to have an afforable trade paper edition of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk. Lillian is a one of a kind character — an 85 year old Manhattanite who worked in the “Mad Men” era of advertising and who is walking across the rundown Manhattan of 1984. In one novel (and one walk) the reader gets a glimpse into a life that traversed the century and into the city that shaped her.”
Caraval
by Stephanie Garber
"The promise of a new fantasy novel with an original magical world, an intense and unbreakable sisterly bond and a mesmerizing romance hooked me immediately. Rights have been sold in over 25 countries, film rights were pre-empted and the early reads and reviews are spectacular. Caraval has all the hallmarks of being a sensation!"
Lorna MacDonald
Letters to a Young Muslim
by Saif Ghobash
"This is a highly readable manifesto for young Muslims written as informal letters by Saif Ghobash, the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Russia. Ghobash explores what it means to be a Muslim in today’s changing world; he seeks to make sense of the violent nature of extreme Islam and separate it from the moderate Islam embraced by the majority of Muslims today. How can moderate Muslims unite and find a voice that is true to Islam while actively and productively engaging in the modern world?"
The Edge of Everything
by Jeff Giles
"In this sci-fi fantasy debut, the first of a new series, 17 year old Zoe, reeling from her father’s sudden death and her neighbour’s mysterious disappearance, is brutally attacked and then rescued by a mysterious bounty hunter called 'X.' X is from a hell called the Lowlands and has been sent to capture the soul of Zoe’s evil attacker. As Zoe and X learn more about their different worlds, they begin to question the past and their fate. Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) found this novel, 'Gripping, utterly original, beautifully written.' Now that is an endorsement!"
Saffron Beckwith
Terms and Conditions
by Robert Sikoryak
"Wow! What an entirely crazy and brilliant concept. Sikoryak makes one of the most boring documents on the planet unputdownable."
The Night I Followed the Dog (new in trade paper)
by Nina Laden
"I loved this book when it first came out and 20 years later it is more awesome than ever!"
Ryan Muscat
An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist
by Nick Middleton
"The Principality of Sealand was declared in 1967 on an unused air defence platform in the North Sea, about 12 kilometres off the coast of England. It has a population of 27, issues stamps, coins, licence plates, passports, has a national anthem, has been invaded, and fields a football team. It is not a real country. Find out about Sealand and dozens of other non-existent countries with no diplomatic recognition in An Atlas of Countries That Don’t Exist. The book is a beautifully illustrated and fascinating compendium of weird and wonderful places, and is a perfect gift for friends and family from Christiania to Moreset to Circassia."
Noisy Night
by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Brian Biggs
"Have you ever wondered who’s making the noises you hear coming from the apartments above you? Mac Barnett, the king of the children’s picture book, has the answers in Noisy Night: sheep, opera singers, babies, and others. This fun book, beautifully illustrated in split-level spreads by Brian Biggs, is a fantastic read-along picture book for little kids."
Jenny Enriquez
The World's Best Spicy Food (2nd edition)
by Lonely Planet
"Embark on a culinary journey and explore spicy food from all over the world — then make them at home with the 100 recipes included! Because who doesn’t love food and travel? This book seamlessly combines the best of both worlds and is perfect for foodies and those afflicted with wanderlust."
The Bone Witch
by Rin Chupeco
"The first book is a new YA dark fantasy series from Rin Chupeco! You’ll find lots of necromancy, magic, and witches within these pages. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sara Raasch, and Garth Nix’s The Old Kingdom series."
Laurie Martella
The Forgetting Time (new in trade paper)
by Sharon Guskin
"The Forgetting Time is not a book that can easily be forgotten. It stays with you. It haunts you with thoughts of the after-life. I found myself so engaged with this mother’s quest to do whatever she could to help her son, who did not fully belong to her alone. Chilling. Compelling. Read it!"
Frankie
by Mary Sullivan
"Frankie will charm you. Through few words, and speech bubbles, much is expressed about building a new friendship, and learning to share.”
Cheryl Fraser
Bites on a Board
by Anni Daulter
"A perfect book to show you how to impress your guests with creative food served on unique cutting boards."
C is for Canada
by Trish Madson, illustrated by David M. Miles
"A great book for little ones to learn about Canada on our 150th birthday. A perfect addition to a Canadian’s list."
Karen Stacey
Birds of Prey
by Pete Dunne with Kevin T. Karlson
"Stunning photography, well documented and invaluable information — Birds of Prey is a superb book for all book lovers and any popular nature collection. This is much more than an identification guide. It discusses raptor ecology, behavior, conservation, and more. Another great addition to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s valued collection in the field of ornithology."
Max
by Sarah Cohen-Scali
"A must read for 14+ and adults. Originally published in France, the subject matter is WW2 Germany and the Lebensborn project, creating and defining a 'pure race.' Unlike The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, our young protagonist is not an innocent; he has been bred and trained to be the prototype of the 'exceptional people' — pure evil. The wonder of this novel and its extraordinary writing is it allows you to understand and grow to love him against all your instincts to despise him. A disturbing, thoughtful and important book for anyone interested in history, fine writing and the wish to understand a perspective other than our own. Compulsive reading, impeccably researched and utterly disturbing."
Morgen Young
In the Great Green Room
by Amy Gary
"Like so many parents before me, I read Goodnight Moon to my son daily, and still have most of it committed to memory. How amazing it is to find out that Margaret Wise Brown was so vivacious, creative and ground-breaking! 70 years after its original publication, we finally get to learn the details of this force to be reckoned with."
Mosquitoes Can't Bite Ninjas
by Jordan P. Novak
"A hilarious debut that captures the playfulness of childhood and the aggravation of mosquitoes! I have been looking for the secret to beating those little pests, and I finally have it! A perfect way to distract and retract from those annoying little bugs that buzz in all our ears."
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