Banana Capital: Stories, Science, and Poison at the Equatorby Ben BrisboisPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$34.95 ISBN 9781779400345 Dole. Chiquita. Del Monte. These banana empires are household names, and as a frequent consumer of bananas, I read Banana Capital: Stories, Science, and Poison at the Equator, by Montreal academic Ben Brisbois, with great interest. Frankly, though I’ve consumed a bunch o...
Selected Writings: Six Years of Philosophyby Leighton D. PeartPublished by Pete’s PressReview by Toby A. Welch $21.99 ISBN 9781069345967 I love little books like this. They are great to throw in your bag and pull out when you have a fewmoments. Or devour it in one sitting. Either way, it’s a win-win situation as Selected Writings is a thought-provoking read. Selected Writings is sixty-eight pages long. It is made...
Dog and Moonby Kelly ShepherdPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$19.95 ISBN 9781779400383 Quirky contradictions, interconnectedness, and more swerves than the North Saskatchewan—Kelly Shepherd’s Dog and Moon delivers an audacious selection of poems that’ll make you think and possibly cheer, thanks to wordplay concerning the natural world, domesticity, etymology, poetry workshops (“Describe snow to...
Let Us Be Trueby Erna BuffiePublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Sally Meadows$24.99 ISBN 9781998273065 As an award-winning documentary filmmaker, Erna Buffie has put her strengths of visual thinking and stellar storytelling to excellent use in her recently re-released debut novel Let Us Be True. Originally published by Coteau Books in 2015 and a finalist for both the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction and the Eileen McTavish Sykes Aw...
Restoring Relations Through Stories: From Dinétah to Denendehby Renae WatchmanPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$35.95 ISBN 9781779400031 The striking cover photo of Renae Watchman’s Restoring Relations Through Stories: From Dinétah to Denendeh features green aurora borealis dancing above the natural monolith Tsé Bit’a’í (the Rock with Wings), Watchman’s “maternal family’s hometown landma...
Gold Rush on the Prairiesby Roderick E. MacDonaldPublished by Roderick E. MacDonaldReview by Toby A. Welch $30.00 ISBN 9781069362704 Gold Rush on the Prairies is a must-read for all history enthusiasts, especially those interested in the olden days of southern Saskatchewan. The amount of time, effort, and research that went into Gold Rush on the Prairies is obvious from the first page. This was clearly a passion projec...
Tales from the SilenceEdited by James BowPublished by Endless Sky BooksReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$26.99 ISBN 9781998273225 James Bow spawned a stellar idea for an anthology. The fantasy and science fiction aficionado and communications officer (most Canadian writers have a day job) not only created a fictional universe, “Silent Earth,” he also bravely invited ten other sci-fi, fantasy and YA writers to share this post-apocalyptic ...
Metis Matriarchs: Agents of TransitionEdited by Cheryl Troupe and Doris Jeanne MacKinnonPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Michelle Shaw$34.95 ISBN 9781779400116 As I read Métis Matriarchs, I couldn’t help thinking of the old adage that history is written by the victors. Or, as the editors Troupe and MacKinnon put it: ”Until recently, historical scholarship of the Canadian Prairies has privileged the masculine…” T...
Where the Cherries End Up: A Memoirby Sandra RamberranPublished by Wood Dragon BooksReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$19.99 ISBN 9781990863769 “You have not lived until you have shared a staff room with ten other women, sharing information about male genitals …” British-born Sandra Ramberran writes in Where the Cherries End Up: A Memoir. This quote exemplifies the brazen author’s honesty and matter-of-fact confessions in her tell-all...
Nobody from Nowhere: A Story of Leadership, Resilience, and Legacyby Dale W. BottingPublished by Benchmark PressReview by Sally Meadows$24.95 ISBN 9781927352526 There are so many nuggets of wisdom about leadership–and indeed life itself–in Dale Botting’s mesmerizing book Nobody from Nowhere, it’s hard to know where to begin. Both a memoir and career guide, this book challenges outdated views of what many people think leadership ...
