Literary

From the snowy mountains and harsh landscape of Alaska comes The Snow Child. Inspired by the Russian fairy tale of the same name, the novel follows elderly couple Mabel and Jack who, upon suffering the ultimate tragedy—the loss of their child—escape their friends and family, move to the middle of nowhere, and attempt to make […]

Brandon Galloway is an exterminator living in a depressed Ontario town, whose life consists of killing a six pack and trying to care for his schizophrenic mother. That all changes when he meets Melanie Blaxley after spraying her apartment for bedbugs. Melanie has a penchant for getting blackout drunk, having unprotected sex with strangers and […]

Over seven summers in the 1980s, a couple of kids named Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos painstakingly recreated Raiders of the Lost Ark in its entirety on Super-8 film, utilizing crude homemade special effects and a cast of neighbourhood kids. The often-tortured production is lovingly chronicled in Alan Eisenstock’s book, which plays out like a […]

No one can claim that Davy Rothbart, of NPR’s This American Life, is inexperienced when it comes to love. My Heart is an Idiot, the most appropriately titled autobiographical essay collection ever, is a road trip through the USA and Rothbart’s unfortunate dating history, peppered with random adventures. Stories like “Ninety-nine Bottles of Pee on […]

For many readers, the plot of Thermae Romae is more than enough to incite either a great curiosity or simply a brow arched in disbelief. This award-winning series follows Lucius, an ancient Roman bath architect who finds inspiration for his work from Japanese bathing technology and tradition via unexpected teleportation to modern day. The book […]

David Suzuki’s latest book explores everything from climate change conspiracy, the economy’s impact on the environment and society’s dependence on oil. Everything Under the Sun is collection of essays and newspaper columns Suzuki published in recent years. This format makes the book an easy read, and Suzuki doesn’t fill the pages with too much scientific […]

As the coming apocalypse looms, I want to read more books about plagues, mass panic and government abuses of power. So I know what to expect, I guess? Emily Schultz’s The Blondes delivers a cool end of days story with a feminist edge. Hazel Hayes finds out she’s pregnant with her married professor’s baby, just […]

Julie Wilson refers to herself as a “literary voyeur.” Her first book—a curious collection of over 80 microfictions—is the poetic result of observing what she calls “exhibitionists,” public readers. Concentrating on readers seen on the TTC, Wilson composes short fictions inspired by nothing other than the book in question and a short physical descriptor, explaining, […]

Known as one of the best of its kind in its native Japan, Girl Friends is the story of budding love between two female classmates. The slow burn of their relationship feels refreshing when so many love stories rush into romances with unbelievable haste. It’s a charming story of friendship, school life and social acceptance, […]

“I am a complete and total fuckup. Which is exactly why I am equipped to write this book and tell you how to live.” This quote comes from a chapter called “How to Fail,” in memoir-writer extraordinaire Augusten Burroughs’ (Running with Scissors) newest book, This is How. Focused on how to survive the un-survivable—from deadly […]

For fans of his great CBC Radio show, Wiretap, Jonathan Goldstein’s I’ll Seize the Day Tomorrow is a perfect dose of Canada’s most lovable sad bastard. The book is Goldstein’s musings and daily interactions for the year leading up to his 40th birthday. Like Wiretap, I’ll Seize the Day Tomorrow showcases his sardonic humour and […]