A NOVEL GIFT IDEA
Pick up Canadian titles for your loved ones ... and yourself!
There’s nothing like cosying up with a great book on a long winter’s night. Following are some top Canadian titles to wrap up or snuggle up with for the holidays.
The Testaments
Margaret Atwood
Mcclelland & Stewart
As Atwood’s sequel to her 1985 dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments is set some 15 years after handmaid Offred’s final scene (in the book, not the shark-jumping Crave/hulu TV series). Three narrators pick up the threads of the story — two are young women who’ve grown up on opposite sides of the border between Canada and Gilead, and the third is an old familiar femme, Aunt Lydia.
The most hotly anticipated book of the year was an instant bestseller, a Booker Prize winner, and a top Christmas wish-list title for readers who figured that after 30 years, they could wait a few months longer to have their post-handmaid questions answered. Pair it with the 2017 edition of The Handmaid’s Tale, from Mcclelland & Stewart’s Emblem imprint. It features a new introduction from Atwood, and if you haven’t read it in a few decades, you’ll want to refresh your memory.
Greenwood
Michael Christie
Mcclelland & Stewart
In 2038, rich tourists flock to see the last stand of ancient forest on an island off the coast of B.C. It’s also home to the last surviving member of the Greenwood clan — whose entire family tree has only five leaves. Following the same trajectory as a tree’s growth rings, this enchanting story tracks the Greenwoods’ 120year history, working from the outermost circle into its centre heartwood and back again.
The Innocents
Michael Crummey
Doubleday Canada
A horrific series of tragedies on a remote northern stretch of the Newfoundland coast leaves young siblings Ada and Evered orphaned and at the mercy of their harsh environment. Relying on the family fishing boat and bare-bones life skills, the pair struggles to survive in their isolated little cove, weathering external and internal storms that threaten to destroy them as years go by.
Akin
Emma Donoghue
Harpercollins Canada
Retired professor Noah is about to embark on an 80th-birthday trip to France when he discovers that an 11-year-old nephew he never met needs an adult caretaker, pronto. So begins a multi-generational exploration of family ties and secrets, as
Noah explores his mother’s Second World War experience with help from his tech-savvy nephew. Donoghue (Room) is the author of several novels for adults, as well as family-friendly Christmas romp for young readers,
The Lotterys More or Less.
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know
Malcolm Gladwell
Little, Brown and Company
You can always count on social thinker Gladwell to serve up fresh, stimulating food for thought. The U.s.-based Canadian author of five past mustreads (The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, David and Goliath) was inspired by recent, fatal cases of racial profiling to explore how and why we make assumptions about strangers, the consequences of those assumptions, and how we can all do better. As usual, he digs deep to uncover some surprising insights. For example, assumptions based strictly on facts can sometimes paint a truer picture than a face-to-face meeting (at least if you were meeting Adolf Hitler).
Many Rivers to Cross
Peter Robinson
Mcclelland & Stewart
Yorkshire copper Alan Banks is an auld acquaintance mystery lovers are happy to see at any time of year. The 26th Inspector
Banks novel is the second instalment in a trilogy that started with 2018’s Careless Love. Once again, Banks connects the dots between two victims who seem to have nothing in common — a young boy whose body is found in a trash bin and a junkie who turns up dead in a different neighbourhood. Writer Robinson, who splits his time these days between Toronto and North Yorkshire, is expected to deliver the third book in 2020.
Elevator Pitch
Linwood Barclay
Doubleday Canada
Going down? Doomed riders plummet to the ground floor on runaway elevators three days in a row, plunging Manhattan skyscraper denizens into a state of terror. Paralyzed by fear, the city grinds to a halt as workers refuse to risk vertical rides to the office. But who is pushing their buttons, and why? Barclay (A Noise Downstairs, No Safe House) ratchets up the suspense in his latest thriller.
The Missing Millionaire: The True Story of Ambrose Small and the City Obsessed With Finding Him
Katie Daubs
Mcclelland & Stewart
It looked like Ambrose Small was going to have himself a merry little Christmas in December 1919. The owner of Toronto’s Grand Opera House struck a deal to sell his chain of theatres for more than $1 million and took the money to the bank. But after making the deposit, Small vanished, leaving his family and fortune behind. Daubs uses new and archival information from police, newspapers and descendants of the major players to deliver a fast-paced crime story about a case that’s as cold as they come.
The Forest City Killer: A Serial Murderer, A Cold-case Sleuth, and a Search for Justice
Vanessa Brown
ECW Press
A late homicide detective’s files and statements from witnesses provide chilling details about a series of murders in London, Ont., in the 1960s. Writer Brown grew up in London and she was shocked to discover how close to home many of the crimes hit. Fascinated by both solved and unsolved cases, she set out to investigate a rash of murders that may have been the work of one killer — one who might still be alive today.
Murdered Midas: A Millionaire, His Gold Mine, and a Strange Death on an Island Paradise
Charlotte Gray
Harpercollins Canada
American adventurer Harry Oakes raked in a massive fortune after striking gold in 1911 in northern Ontario, becoming a founding citizen of the mining town of Kirkland Lake. But he’s not the only gold-digger who figures prominently in this real-life mystery. By 1943, he had been dubbed Sir Harry Oakes, and he was living large in the Bahamas, hobnobbing with royalty and investing a bundle in island development schemes. That is, until he was murdered in his own bed. Suspicion fell on the European playboy who had eloped with Harry’s teenage daughter, but despite a sensational public trial, nobody was ever convicted of the crime — largely thanks to a botched investigation set in motion by then-governor of the Bahamas, the former King Edward VIII. Prolific biographer and historian Gray offers up a likely suspect, but it remains a murder mystery for the ages.
Scotty: A Hockey Life Like No Other
Ken Dryden
Mcclelland & Stewart
Hall-of-fame Montreal Canadiens goalie and acclaimed author Ken Dryden (The Game) looks at the long and storied life and career of Scotty Bowman, considered the greatest coach in hockey history, with the most Stanley Cup wins. Immersed in hockey from the age of 14, Bowman has had a front-row (or standing room) view of players from Maurice (Rocket) Richard to Sidney Crosby. He scouted a 13-year-old Bobby Orr, watched Gordie Howe develop from age 17, coached Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux, and kept his hand in post-coaching as an adviser.
The Fundies: The Essential Hockey Guide from On the Bench
Olly Postanin and Jacob Ardown
Penguin Random House
Former minor league coaches and Youtube stars Postanin and Ardown share “crucie” tips on all the hockey fundies (fundamentals) on and off the ice, from the lowdown on lettuce and lip sweaters to top corns, hippies (hip checks) and grocery sticks — along with tongue-in-cheek advice on tillies, richies and strategies for winning seasons and post-game cellies.
My Life
Teemu Selanne with Ari Mennander Harpercollins Canada
The Finnish Flash made quite the splash during his rookie NHL season with the Winnipeg Jets, scoring 76 goals and recording a whole whack of assists on his way to winning the coveted Calder Memorial Trophy as the year’s top rookie. In his book, he shares memories, personal stories and photos from a 21-year career that took him from Winnipeg to Anaheim, San Jose and Colorado.
No Days Off: My Life with Type 1 Diabetes and Journey to the NHL
Max Domi
Simon & Schuster Canada
As the son of NHL player Tie Domi, Max Domi always dreamt of following his dad to the big league. He hit a major bump at the age of 12 when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, but the dream didn’t die. He pulled up his socks and accepted that it would take an extra dose of grit, determination and discipline to conquer dual challenges — diabetes and the competitive hockey world.
Fascinated by both solved and unsolved cases, (Vanessa Brown) set out to investigate a rash of murders that may have been the work of one killer — one who might still be alive today.
Pat St. Germain