The Mystics of Mile End

Listening for patterns in the chaos” is the overarching theme of Sigal Samuel’s debut novel, a four-pronged narrative about the mysteries of the universe set in the titular Jewish Montreal neighbourhood. With a style reminiscent ... Read More »

May 21, 2015 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Empire of Deception: From Chicago to Nova Scotia – The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation

By Dean Jobb

Leo Koretz was the Bernie Madoff of the 1920s. The son of immigrants from Central Europe, Koretz was a Chicago lawyer turned financier who amassed a considerable fortune by convincing insufficiently diligent investors to bankroll ... Read More »

May 19, 2015 | Filed under: History, Memoir & Biography

The Carbon Bubble: What Happens to Us When It Bursts

By Jeff Rubin

When Stephen Harper went all-in on his gamble that Canada could become a world-leading oil producer, he set the country up for international environmental pariah status. He also, argues Jeff Rubin, made a dramatic and ... Read More »

May 14, 2015 | Filed under: Politics & Current Affairs

Boring Girls

By Sara Taylor

The literary debut by Toronto singer-songwriter Sara Taylor (who fronts the band the Birthday Massacre) follows a teenage girl’s struggle to fit in, her discovery of metal music, and involvement in a band – oh, ... Read More »

May 11, 2015 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Gracelessland

By Adam Lindsay Honsinger

Set in 1978, the debut novel from Toronto writer and teacher Adam Lindsay Honsinger begins with perhaps the most poorly planned caper in recent literary memory. Armed with only bolt cutters, bananas, and a typewriter, ... Read More »

May 11, 2015 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Dogs and Underdogs: Finding Happiness at Both Ends of the Leash

By Elizabeth Abbott

Admirers of Toronto writer Elizabeth Abbott’s non-fiction may be surprised by her new book. While her previous titles – including A History of Marriage and Sugar: A Bittersweet History – were characterized by academic exuberance ... Read More »

May 7, 2015 | Filed under: Health & Self-help

★ Butterfly Park

By Elly MacKay

Owen Sound, Ontario, artist and author Elly MacKay caught our eye with her debut picture book, If You Hold a Seed (Running Press Kids/PGC) in 2013. Since then, MacKay has kept busy, releasing her second ... Read More »

May 5, 2015 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

★ Harmless

By James Grainger

“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon.” Dr. Seuss’s quip might well serve as an epigraph for James Grainger’s superb debut novel. This taut, timely tale keenly dissects the ... Read More »

May 4, 2015 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

★ Outstanding in the Rain: A Whole Story With Holes

By Frank Viva

Every actor, the cliché goes, wants to direct. And if an actor becomes famous and powerful enough, chances are that desire will be fulfilled – whether or not talent in front of the camera translates ... Read More »

April 30, 2015 | Filed under: Picture Books