Add these books by B.C. authors to your reading pile
As spring comes our way, so do plenty of new books, writes Dana Gee. And the output of B.C. writers is as abundant as daffodils this time of year. Here are just five titles you may want to add to your to-be-read pile.
The Vicar Vortex
By Vince Ditrich Dundurn Press Out now
The third and final instalment in the Tony Vicar trilogy from Vancouver Island writer Vince Ditrich sees our hero battling the boredom of regular, everyday life. After rebuilding his hotel and bar, Tony realizes the gig isn't all it's cracked up to be. The daily grind of a business owner is sitting on his psyche like a full keg of beer. But this is Tony Vicar, and as soon as he is in calm waters a storm blows up — and it's a doozy as evil Serena, free from criminal charges, returns to town.
Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit: A Novel
By Nadine Sander-Green House of Anansi Press Out April 16
Originally from Kimberley, Nadine Sander-Green won the 2015 PEN Canada New Voices Award for writers under 30. Her new book follows a shy, 24-year-old reporter named Millicent who moves to Whitehorse to work for a daily newspaper on its last legs. While there, and as winter sends the Yukon into darkness, Millicent begins a relationship with a middle-aged filmmaker who lives in an old school bus in a big-box store parking lot. Surprise, surprise, the dude goes from charming to controlling. Soon, Millicent's agency is undermined, and she is forced to decide between standing up to her abuser or staying put.
The Long-Shot Trial: An Arthur Beauchamp Thriller
By William Deverell ECW Press Out May 28
A new book by William Deverell is always worth mentioning. The Pender Island writer's latest thriller moves back and forth through time. Beginning in 1966 and running to the present day, the novel is written in memoir form as Arthur Beauchamp recalls the trial that made him famous many, many years ago. This book is based on the real-life trial of a housemaid innNorthern B.C. who murdered her abusive employer. Fun fact: In the trial, the woman was defended by Deverell who, before writing award-winning fiction, was a journalist, criminal lawyer and political activist.
Reside: Contemporary West Coast Homes
By Michael Prokopow Figure.1 Out in May
In these pages, the West Coast modern style of residential architecture is the star. Historian and curator Michael Prokopow, with photos from Emma Peters, explores how the 34 houses profiled on its pages fit in our world — and how the style has left its mark on the world. At the very least, this book offers a daydreaming opportunity as you turn the pages and ponder which one of the stunning homes would best suit you.
Playlist: A Profligacy of Your Least-Expected Poems
By Michael Turner
Anvil Press
Out in June
The Vancouver author, who is most known for his punk novel Hard Core Logo, is back with a new offering that is described as being modelled after the American folk music revival songbooks of the 1950s and '60s. It is done as a “two-part writing system that begins with the songbooks' contextual introductions and ends with the songs — or in this instance, poems — to which they refer.” Further description calls the writings protest poems. But whatever the titles or descriptions are, Michael Turner, who was a touring musician, tends to deliver works that favour the beat of a different drummer.