Did you know that there are 46 independent publishers in BC? They publish an expansive breadth of literarture from poetry, novels, nonfiction, and children’s books in a wide variety of genres.
We’ve curated this booklist of top picks by some of the bookmakers themselves so you can learn more about the books our province not only has to offer, but actually makes, right here. Find your next local favourite to curl up, adventure, and cry with below.
Poetry
The Book of Z by Rahat Kurd (Talonbooks)
The Book of Z reconsiders mystical possibilities – above all, longing for divine union – found by poets within scriptural language. For a thousand years the story of Zulaykha – “the wife of Aziz” in the Qur’an – and her passion for Yusuf has been celebrated in classical and contemporary Persian and Urdu poetry, in Muslim folk traditions, and in Persian and Mughal miniature painting. At the same time, as the Biblical “wife of Potiphar” she has been just as indelibly cast as temptress in misogynistic cautionary tales and canonical Western art. Rahat Kurd writes in the vividly imagined voice of a Zulaykha who considers her Abrahamic lineage from its estranged and fragmented reality, asking what consolation human desire and divine longing might offer our shared present tense.
Out now
Novels
Rufous and Calliope by Sarah Louise Butler (Douglas & McIntyre)
In this stunning tale of love and loss, a middle-aged cartographer, suffering from memory loss and claustrophobia, hikes through the interior of British Columbia in search of a treehouse where he spent one memorable summer on the run with his four siblings.
Out now
Most Grievous Fault by Meg Todd (Nightwood Editions)
From the publishers: This is a startling story of a young mother desperate to deny her complicity in intergenerational trauma. Through unflinching and unsentimental prose, Meg Todd delivers a story about being inescapably marginalized and the complexities of the social welfare system.
Out now
I Want to Die in My Boots by Natalie Appleton (Touchwood Editions)
From the publishers: I Want to Die in My Boots is the untold story of Belle Jane, the woman who ran one of Canada’s largest cattle thieving rings in the 1920s, who brilliantly broke every taboo, took the names of five different husbands, and nearly followed the tragic end of her great hero, the outlaw queen Belle Starr.
Dark and daring, meticulously researched and mostly true, I Want to Die in My Boots is a lyrical, unconventional literary novel that gives voice to the unheard in a long-forgotten world.
Out now
Non-fiction
Beyond Blue: Stories of Heartbreak, Healing, and Hope in Postpartum Depression edited by Christina Myers & Oga Nwobosi (Caitlin Press)
Beyond Blue brings to light the hidden struggles of postpartum mental health in an honest, compassionate, and empowering collection of stories that breaks the silence and fosters hope.
Out now
Challenging Exile by Eric M. Adams, Jordan Stanger-Ross (UBC Press)
From the publishers: Challenging Exile delves into the origins, experience, and aftermath of a shameful moment in Canada’s past: the government’s attempt to exile thousands of Japanese Canadians after the Second World War.
Out now
The O’Keefes of O’Kanagan by Ken Mather (Heritage House Publishing)
The tumultuous rags-to-riches story of the famed O’Keefe ranching family.
Founded in 1867, the Historic O’Keefe Ranch offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of an early farming community in the heart of the Okanagan Valley. The O’Keefes of O’kanagan, a welcome resource for any visitor to the site, is an in-depth look into the multiple branches and generations of the family that gave the ranch its name.
Out now
The Road to Appledore by Tom Wayman (Harbour Publishing)
The book follows Wayman from Vancouver to southeastern BC’s Slocan Valley, deep in the Selkirk Mountains, and presents with his characteristic humour and philosophical insight his ensuing major shifts of perspective and knowledge. Mishaps, misadventures, and moments of delight and wonder abound in Wayman’s prose reflections on his decades of living immersed in nature and the contemporary rural—from having to deal with a bear cub in his kitchen, to engaging in a vigilante action to protect a community water system, to the quiet satisfaction of growing his own food and flowers. Wayman depicts the rural southwest of Canada in intimate detail, transporting readers alongside him.
Out now
That Gun in Your Hand: The Strange Saga of ‘Hey Joe’ and Popular Music’s History of Violence by Jason Schneider, Foreword by Lenny Kaye (Anvil Press)
This is the story of a song. Yet, it is a song that binds nearly every strand of twentieth-century American popular music. Extensively researched, That Gun In Your Hand also presents previously unpublished information about the life of Billy Roberts, a shadowy figure whose death in 2017 went unreported by all news outlets.
Out now
Flow: Women’s Counternarratives from Rivers, Rock, and Sky
by Denisa Krásná, Alena Rainsberry (Rocky Mountain Books)
Flow takes readers on an inspiring journey through the world of women in adventure sports, challenging stereotypes and celebrating the strength, resilience, and unity of women across the globe. This unique collection highlights the powerful, diverse voices of women who are redefining what’s possible in outdoor sports like whitewater kayaking, climbing, mountaineering, and highlining.
Out now
Children
Bark Twice for Murder by John Lekich (Orca Book Publishers)
From the publishers: When grieving teen Harry discovers his homeless friend and mentor Stanley has been murdered, he finds himself solving the crime with Stanley’s talking dog Waffles. The story has humour and hijinks as well as real jeopardy, suspense, and a twisty plot that will challenge and captivate readers. This is an exploration of the unhoused and homelessness, grief, and mental illness.
Out now
Celebrating Potlatches by Samantha Beynon (Strong Nations Publishing)
From the publishers: Inspired by Ts’msyen Chief William Beynon’s historic notebooks on Potlatches in the Gitxsan village of Gitsegukla, Celebrating Potlatches pairs intergenerational storytelling with beautiful illustrations to honour Indigenous traditions. From the award-winning author of Oolichan Moon and the accomplished illustrator of Be a Good Ancestor, this book recounts the 1885 Potlatch ban and the resilience of the communities who fought to keep their traditions alive.
Out now