Karma Brown’s The Life Lucy Knew received a 5/5 rating from The Girly Book Club!

Reviewer Sarah Doherty remarked, “The character that Brown created in Lucy Sparks was so complex and relatable… I even caught myself thinking ‘What if it were me, what if my memories are all false, too?!’”

After hitting her head, Lucy Sparks awakens in the hospital only to discover that the happily-ever-after she remembers in vivid detail—right down to the dress she wore to her wedding—is only one example of what her doctors call a false memory: recollections her mind made up to fill in the blanks from the coma. When the life Lucy believes she had slams against the reality she’s been living for the past four years, she must make a difficult choice about which life she wants to lead, and who she really is.

A warm congratulations to Tanya Talaga whose book Seven Fallen Feathers won the Indigenous Literature Award, part of the First Nation Communities Read 2018-2019 program, in the young adult/adult category.

Using a sweeping narrative focusing on the lives of seven Indigenous high school students who died in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Talaga delves into the history of this small northern city that has come to manifest Canada’s long struggle with human rights violations against Indigenous communities.

First Nations Communities Read is an annual reading program launched in 2003 by the First Nations public library community in Ontario. Selected titles are chosen with the aim to encourage family literacy, intergenerational storytelling, and intergenerational information sharing, and are written and/or illustrated by, or otherwise involve the participation of a First Nation, Métis, or Inuit creator.

We are thrilled to see Kyo Maclear’s Birds, Art, Life and James Maskalyk’s Life on the Ground Floor are 2018 Trillium Book Award Finalists!

The Ontario government established the Trillium Book Award in 1987 to recognize excellence, support marketing and foster increased public awareness of the quality and diversity of Ontario writers and writing.

A #1 national bestseller, Birds, Art, Life, follows two artists on a yearlong adventure that is at once a meditation on the nature of creativity and a quest for a good and meaningful life.

In his deeply personal book, winner of the 2017 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, humanitarian doctor and activist James Maskalyk reflects upon his extensive experience in emergency medicine.

The Toronto Public Library has launched “The List: Great Reads for Youth for 2018” via TPL Teen. They selected 100 fantastic books to make readers laugh, cry, reflect, debate, celebrate and grow. The interactive program encourages teens to watch video reviews and like their favourites. We are thrilled to see Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen and The Fashion Committee by Susan Juby made the list!

We are delighted to share that Eat, Move, Think: The Path to a Healthier, Stronger, Happier You from Chair and CEO of Medcan, Shaun Francis, is an instant bestseller!

Drawing upon the expert advice of world-renowned doctors and medical professionals, this book captures the innovative strategies of the world’s highest performers—Navy SEALs, cutting-edge researchers, professional athletes—in one handy illustrated guide to everyday healthy living.

Tanya Talaga, award-winning journalist and author, has won the 2017 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political writing for her book Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City.

The Prize is awarded annually for an exceptional book of literary nonfiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers.

From the jury:
“Tanya Talaga’s powerful book is a hard-hitting story of the realities of Canadian racism, complicity, and Indigenous suffering. It is also a testament to the resilience of the Anishinaabe families who endure the crushing impacts of historic and contemporary injustices. In spare prose and a direct voice, Talaga documents the tragedies of the lost lives of Indigenous youth while creating a compelling narrative that educates the reader on the sad history of Indigenous-White relations. This book is a crucial document of our times, and vital to the emergence of a true vision of justice in Canada.”

Kyo Maclear’s memoir Birds, Art, Life is the winner of the 2017 Nautilus Award in the newly created category of Lyrical Prose.

Now in its 20th year, this unique book award program honors, awards and promotes print books that inspire and connect our lives as individuals, communities, and global citizens.

A #1 national bestseller, Birds, Art, Life, follows two artists on a yearlong adventure that is at once a meditation on the nature of creativity and a quest for a good and meaningful life.

Glenn Dixon’s best-selling memoir, Juliet’s Answer: One Man’s Search for Love and the Elusive Cure for Heartbreak, has been shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing in the category of non-fiction.

Spurned by love, Dixon travels to Verona, Italy, to become a scribe of Juliet, Shakespeare’s fictional character, all in an attempt to understand his heartbreak. Once there, he volunteers to answer the thousands of letters that arrive addressed to Juliet, letters sent from lovelorn people all over the world who long to understand the mysteries of the human heart. The result is an enthralling tale of modern-day love steeped in the romantic traditions of eras past.

The awards are intended to encourage new or emerging writers and honor the Saroyan literary legacy of originality, vitality and stylistic innovation. The prize also engages nearly 200 Stanford alumni who participate as readers and judges.Winners and finalists will be announced this summer.

We are thrilled for Matt James who has seen great success with The Funeral, his first book as both illustrator and author. Not only has the children’s book stacked up five starred-reviews, it received a lovely mention in The New York Times piece “How Do You Talk to Children About Death? These Books Can Help.” “James has an ear at child level and beautifully and convincingly shows us children who fidget during the service and consider a mourner’s hairy ear perhaps more than they think about the deceased. But they are not completely irreverent, just children, who are full of life.”

We are delighted to share this starred review from Publishers Weekly for David Chariandy’s award-winning novel, Brother. “Chariandy imbues his resilient characters and their stories with strength, dignity, and hope. This is an impressive novel written by an author in total command of his story.”