Food for the Journey: A Life in Travelby Elizabeth J. HaynesPublished by Thistledown PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$24.95 ISBN 9781771872690 Calgary novelist and short fiction writer Elizabeth J. Haynes has just published a new book, and this time it’s an essay collection. Food for the Journey: A Life in Travel is the kind of book I can really sink my teeth into. As I read these engaging essays about the author’s far-flung travel...
The Dark King Swallows the Worldby Robert G. PennerPublished by Radiant PressReview by Toby A. Welch $25.00 ISBN 9781998926152 This book drew me in immediately with the title – The Dark King Swallows the World. How could a royal leader swallow the entire world? What a claim! I couldn’t wait to crack the book open and dive in. The Dark King Swallows the World is the story of Nora, a preteen girl whose brother dies in...
From the Ground Up: An Anthology of New FictionEdited by Annabel TownsendPublished by Pete’s PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$21.99 ISBN 9781069000965 Annabel Townsend loved the “From the Ground Up” theme of Regina’s Cathedral Village Arts Festival (2024) so much, she used it as the theme for an anthology featuring ten Regina area fiction writers. Townsend—a writer, editor, publisher and former bookstore owner—held a “Bat...
Theories of Everythingby Dwayne BrennaPublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Brandon Fick$22.99 ISBN 9781998273294 In less than 180 pages, Dwayne Brenna’s short story collection, Theories of Everything, takes readers around the globe into disparate eras and unique voices, inviting them to sample a little bit of everything. More than most short story collections, which often contain similar settings, characters, and themes, Theories of ...
Fierce, Fabulous, and Fluid: How Trans High School Students Work at Gender Nonconformityby LJ SlovinPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$32.95 ISBN 9781779400505 To write the academic text Fierce, Fabulous, and Fluid: How Trans High School Students Work at Gender Nonconformity LJ Slovin (the Martha LA McCain Postdoctoral Fellow at the Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto)...
Charged!: The Dangerous and Misguided Promise of the Electric Vehicleby M.G. BucholtzPublished by Wood Dragon BooksReview by Toby A. Welch $21.99 ISBN 9781990863677 I’ve always been wary about how so-called experts have pushed consumers to purchase electric vehicles over gas powered modes of transportation. Logically I can’t wrap my head around it. After all, running an electric vehicle takes electricity, a resource that requi...
Walking Upstreamby Lloyd RatzlaffPublished by Thistledown PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$19.95 ISBN 9781771872706 Saskatoon’s Lloyd Ratzlaff—essayist, former minister, walker in wild places—has released his first poetry collection, and wow. I know this man and have long believed that poetry lives in him; I’m grateful his mostly contemplative poems—alive with water, birds and creatures—have found a deserving home in Walkin...
Helloby David CarpenterPublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Brandon Fick$34.99 ISBN 9781998273270 Hello is the first book of fiction I have read by Saskatchewan writer, David Carpenter, after having read two of his nonfiction books, Courting Saskatchewan and The Education of Augie Merasty. His versatility and credentials are well established, but in spite of that, I imagine his work still does not get the level of praise and attention ...
Books and the City: Psychogeographical Wanderings Around Toronto’s Independent Bookstoresby Annabel TownsendPublished by Pete’s Press, The Wandering SeriesReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$24.99 ISBN 9781069000996 It’s entirely wonderful to finish a book and immediately recognize that the author could be your new best friend. Annabel Townsend is a British-born, Regina, SK writer, and her nonfiction title Books and the City: Psychogeogr...
The Lavender Childby Harriet RichardsPublished by Shadowpaw Press RepriseReview by Toby A. Welch $24.99 ISBN 9781998273201 The Lavender Child is a beautifully unique and creative story with unforgettable characters and a plot that keeps readers intrigued. I wasn’t surprised to learn that this powerful read was a winner of the Saskatchewan Book Awards First Book prize when it was initially published. If you are like me and wond...
