CALGARY BESTSELLERS
FICTION
1. The Forgotten Ones
Steena Holmes. A novel where the search for truth is defined by secrets and lies.
2. Jonny Appleseed
Joshua Whitehead. In returning to the ‘rez’ for his stepfather’s funeral, a young sex worker must come to terms with the fragmented identities of his past.
3. Life’s Inception
Rebekah Raymond. Third in the Calgary author’s Life series.
4. Frankenstein in Baghdad Ahmed Sandawe. In the U.S.-occupied Baghdad, a young man stitches up corpses for proper burial, but when one goes missing he suspects he has created a monster.
5. Based on a True Story Elizabeth Renzetti. A satirical novel about celebrity culture.
6. The Italian Teacher
Tom Rachman. The son of a famous artist seeks his own legacy.
7. Lincoln in the Bardo
George Saunders. Based on the death of Abe Lincoln’s young son.
8. The Alice Network
Kate Quinn. Thirty years after a betrayal tore apart her all-female spy network in the Second World War, a woman investigates after an American claims to know the name of the betrayer.
9. The Underground Railroad Colson Whitehead. Depicting the historical stretch of safe houses and secret routes as a literal underground rail line, this novel traces two people who escape slavery and travel its route.
10. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis
Lydia Davis. The definitive collection of the master of short, funny, and original stories.
NON-FICTION
1. Shrewed: A Wry and Closely Observed Look at the Lives of Women and Girls
Elizabeth Renzetti. Essays on feminism and femininity.
2. U Thrive
Daniel Lerner and Alan Schlechter. From the professors teaching NYU’s most popular elective class, Science of Happiness, a fun, comprehensive guide to thriving in college and beyond.
3. Mad Blood Stirring: The Inner Lives of Violent Men Daemon Fairless. A look at male violence from an author who admits personal violent tendencies.
4. The Concubine’s Children Denise Chong. Documenting her grandmother’s move from China to Canada, Chong reveals a touching and harrowing family history of survival and success.
5. How to Smoke Pot (Properly)
David Bienenstock. A modern guide to this most revered herb with interviews, charts and illustrations from the experts in the field.
6. Road Soda
Kara Newman. The ultimate guide for on-the-go cocktail making, with tips and recipes from cocktail expert Kara Newman.
7. 50 Things to Do with A Penknife
Matt Collins. Detailed step-bystep illustrations in the age-old, yet newly popular, art of whittling.
8. How to Be an Asshole of Calgary
Kris Demeanour. A practical, satirical, guide on how to be a disruptive and undesirable citizen.
9. Egg on Mao: A Story of Love, Hope and Defiance Denise Chong. The story of Lu Decheng, who famously defaced a public portrait of Chairman Mao.
10. The Inner Life of Animals Peter Wohlleben. Following the hugely successful The Hidden Life of Trees with insightful stories into the emotions, feelings, and intelligence of animals around us.