Books for Perspective, Books for Escaping, and Swoony Romance Picks

February can be a tough slog at the best of times, and this [gestures helplessly at the state of the world] is far from the best of times, AND YET. Perusing the titles featured below, you might notice that they're considering so many of the same questions we're currently grappling with as a society, and offering some helpful suggestions: historical perspective, reconsiderations of beauty, even the possiblity of escape for a while.

We're also excited to share our Spring Fiction preview, featuring all the wonderful novels and story colletions you're going to be falling in love with during the first half of 2025.

And speaking of falling in love, romance fans should note our list of swoony picks from author Ellie K. Wilde, just in time for Valentines.

Sending all the bookish love to you. xo

Books on our Mind This Time

Book Cover It Must Be Beautiful To Be Finished

Articles in this Edition

Most Anticipated: Our 2025 Spring Fiction Preview

Here is the fiction you're going to be falling in love with in the first half of 2025, including books by faves like Jack Wang, Uzma Jalaluddin, Madeleine Thien, and Linwood Barclay, and also so many exciting debuts.

Start Swooning: Love Stories for Valentines Day

Romance writer Ellie K. Wilde, author of the sports romance ONLY IN YOUR DREAMS, recommends several swoony stories just perfect for the season of LOVE.

8 Novels and a Short Story About the Second World War

Jack Wang, whose debut novel is THE RIVETER, recommends other great books about WWII, which is still inspiring essential stories even 80 years on.

Perfect Winter Mysteries

"I’ve always thought that mysteries and a winter weekend go together like cancelled social obligations and a thermostat setting your dad would never approve of," writes Anna Dowdall, whose latest novel is THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE, as she recommends great gripping books to curl up with.

9 Books You Can Judge by Their Covers

Kate Gies, author of the new memoir IT MUST BE BEAUTIFUL TO BE FINISHED, knows that while you can't tell a book by a cover, with some books you actually can!

The Chat with Ken McGoogan

Master history teller Ken McGoogan talks to Trevor Corkum about his latest book, SHADOWS OF TYRANNY, about the ways in which history rhymes, what readers can learn from stories of those who resisted authoritarians in the 20th century, and how Canada needs to step up as a nation to defend global democracy.

Finding Courage, Kindness and Curiosity Through Other Points of View

Gabrielle Goldstein, author of the middle grade novel WALTRAUT, recommends other great books about cultures intersecting and connecting, and how much we can learn from each other.

DELICIOUS Picture Books About Food

Secondary school teacher Spencer Miller shares buffet of terrific picture books all about food, including bannock, roti, a certain secret sauce, and more!

Exclusively for Members

Groovy Giveaway: A gripping mystery set in London during the Swinging '60s!

In the aftermath of a party, blackmail, betrayal, and murder ensue, entwining the guests in a web of deceit and danger. Once again, Priscilla Tempest, plucky head of the Savoy’s press office, finds herself at the heart of the intrigue. The mysterious events even draw the attention of the Queen, hinting at a conspiracy that reaches the highest echelons of society. Is the curse real, or is something more sinister at play? CURSE OF THE SAVOY, as sparkling as a Buck’s Fizz, promises celebrity gossip and scandal along with twists and turns that will delight readers until the very last page.

The Riveter: A cross-cultural love story set against the Allied invasion of Europe in World War Two

Vancouver, 1942. Josiah Chang arrives in the bustling city ready to serve his country in the war against fascism, but Chinese Canadians are barred from joining the army out of fear they might expect citizenship in return. So, Josiah heads to the shipyard to find work as a riveter, fastening together the ribs and steel plates of Victory ships. One night, Josiah spots Poppy singing at a navy club. Despite their different backgrounds, they fall for each other instantly and begin a starry-eyed romance that lasts until the harsh reality of their situation is made clear. Determined to prove himself, Josiah takes a train to Toronto where he’s finally given the chance to enlist. After volunteering for the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and jumping into Normandy on D-Day, he must fight through the battlefields of Europe to make it back to the woman he loves.

A Cold War-era story about the nature of love, and the memories we cling to

East Berlin, 1982. When Greta meets Henry, she is smitten. An engineer on a work visa from Britain, Henry offers Greta a taste of the world beyond the Iron Curtain. For Henry, Greta is simply perfect, her lively and inquisitive nature adding a vital spark to his everyday life. But Henry can’t stay once his visa expires, and Greta is forbidden from going beyond the Berlin Wall, however they know how they feel about each other, so when Henry proposes, Greta accepts—and is given permission to start a new life with Henry in England. And for a time, everything is perfect. Until, one day, Greta walks out of their Oxford home, leaving a simple note behind. Decades later, Henry still has questions. Greta loved him, and he loved her. So why did she leave? How well did he really know his wife? When a young mother visits Henry’s antique restoration shop, she unknowingly brings with her a clue that sends Henry on a journey to find out what happened to the love of his life all those years ago.

The perfect antidote to the toxicity of the current productivity narrative

In a world that worships productivity, creating for art’s sake is seen as romantic and nearly indefensible. For anyone who has ever struggled to honour their artistic impulses, BAD ARTIST offers an antidote to this toxic productivity narrative. This collection of essays features 21 Canadian and international writers from a breadth of backgrounds and experiences whose lives are not always proscribed by predictable work schedules or reliable support systems. They fit creating into the cracks of their lives, and through their stories show us all how to keep creating—not producing.

The memoir of a girl born missing an ear, a medical system insistent on saving her from herself, and our culture’s desire to “fix” bodies

When Kate Gies was four years old, a plastic surgeon pressed a synthetic ear to the right side of her head and pulled out a mirror. He told her he could make her “whole”—could make her “right”—and she believed him. From the age of four to thirteen, she underwent fourteen surgeries, including skin and bone grafts, to craft the appearance of an outer ear. Many of the surgeries failed, leaving permanent damage to her body. IT MUST BE BEAUTIFUL TO BE FINISHED is the story of a girl desperately trying to have a body that makes her acceptable and of a woman learning to own a body she has never felt was hers to define. In an age of speaking out about the abuse of marginalized bodies, this memoir takes a hard look at the role of the medical system in body oppression and trauma.

Riveting true crime reporting

In 2017, a jury found Will Sandeson guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Taylor Samson. A "good kid" from a good family, Sandeson was about to start classes at Dalhousie University's medical school when Samson disappeared. The trial exposed a dangerous world of drugs, greed, and misplaced loyalties—including a private investigator accused of switching sides. Sandeson was ultimately sentenced to life in prison. An updated and expanded follow-up to award-winning journalist Kayla Hounsell's earlier book on the case, SECOND DEGREE features all-new chapters and never-before-published material. Accented with 25 colour photos, this riveting work tells the powerful story of a drug deal gone terribly wrong and examines the crime, the courts, and the killer's crusade for freedom .

A new edition of Emily Carr's final writings

Written in the last two years of Emily Carr’s life, the stories collected in THIS AND THAT were buried in the BC Archives for decades after their author’s death, not published in book form until 2007. This revised edition includes five more stories and an updated introduction, and is illustrated with some of Carr’s own artwork. In these pages Carr traces her beginnings as a writer, her time at art school in San Francisco, visits to places like Nootka and Skidegate, and the early reaction to the change in both her painting style and subject matter these trips brought about.

New middle grade fiction about living between two cultures

Waltraut wants to fit in at school, but it’s not easy. Not only does her name rhyme with the ethnic slur that is often hurled her way, but no one can relate to her immigrant family and their complicated past. On weekends, however, she attends German school with friends who are just like her. As Waltraut navigates between her two worlds, she copes by reading and imagines how much easier her life would be if her name was Nancy, like the heroine of her favourite mystery series. So when her family moves to a new neighbourhood, Waltraut seizes the chance to reinvent herself. But she soon learns the price of pretending to be someone else. With support from an insightful teacher, a warm-hearted father, a tough-minded mother, and even her annoying younger brother, she embraces her true self, with all of its complexities and contradictions.

Middle grade nonfiction telling the stories of Canadians who broke barriers to reach the sky

From commercial, transport, and military pilots to search-and-rescue helicopter pilots to airplane mechanics, THE SKY'S THE LIMIT! introduces readers to inspiring contemporary aviators, including commercial pilot Captain Mohamed Samanter, Gwich'in pilot Fred Carmichael, and Kimberly Ballantyne, the first woman of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation to become a pilot. Along the way, readers will learn important context about the history of flight in Canada, including the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Black soldiers of the No. 2 Construction Battalion, military pilot Allan Selwyn Bundy—one of only two known Black Canadian combat pilots who flew during the Second World War—and many more.

An inspiring picture book celebrating Black boyhood

Using vivid imagery and verse to bring readers on a journey of self-discovery and resilience, BLACK BOY, BLACK BOY invites readers to explore legacies passed down from ancestors, embodied in today's Black men, and destined for future leaders. This moving poem honours achievements in every field, from medicine and music, to the nurturing embrace of Black fatherhood. By showcasing Canadian and American icons alongside international ones, the book universally reflects the experiences of Black boys everywhere. It affirms that the spirit and legacy of Black excellence moves beyond geographic borders and resides within each individual, inspiring pride and limitless potential.

49th Shelf is produced by the Association of Canadian Publishers with financial support from the Department of Canadian Heritage (via the Canada Book Fund) and Ontario Creates.

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