Canadian Books

An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (New York Times). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss.

In this multi-award-winning, bestselling novel, Margaret Atwood has created a stunning Orwellian vision of the near future. This is the story of Offred, one of the unfortunate “Handmaids” under the new social order who have only one purpose: to breed. In Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships, Offred’s persistent memories of life in the “time before” and her will to survive are acts of rebellion. Provocative, startling, prophetic, and with Margaret Atwood’s devastating irony, wit, and acute perceptive powers in full force, The Handmaid’s Tale is at once a mordant satire and a dire warning.

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Margaret Atwood, whose work has been published in more than forty-five countries, is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, critical essays, and graphic novels. In addition to The Handmaid’s Tale, now an award-winning TV series, her novels include Cat’s Eye, short-listed for the 1989 Booker Prize; Alias Grace, which won the Giller Prize in Canada and the Premio Mondello in Italy; The Blind Assassin, winner of the 2000 Booker Prize; Oryx and Crake, short-listed for the 2003 Man Booker Prize;The Year of the Flood, MaddAddam; and Hag-Seed. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Franz Kafka Prize, the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Los Angeles Times Innovator’s Award. In 2019, she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature.

By the end of the 2016 season, Dale Jacobs and Heidi LM Jacobs both finally admitted to themselves and to each other that they were losing interest in the Tigers and, consequently, in baseball itself―a thread that had not only connected the two of them, but brought them together with their families and with their own histories as well. They weren’t sure what they were missing, but they had an idea where it might be found: in their own backyard. Drawing a radius of one hundred miles around their home in Windsor, Ontario, Heidi and Dale set a goal of seeing fifty games within that circle in one summer, a schedule that took them across southwestern Ontario and into Michigan and Ohio, from bleachers behind high schools, to manicured university turf, to the steep concrete stands of major league parks. 100 Miles of Baseball is the story of their rediscovery of their love of the game―and with it their relationships, and the region they call home.

A unique and eerily convincing masterwork, American War takes a scalpel to American politics, precisely dissecting it to see what would happen if their own policies were turned against them. The answer: inevitable, endless bloodshed.

In a disturbingly believable near future, the need for sustainable energy has torn the United States apart. The South wants to maintain the use of fossil fuels, even though the government in The North has outlawed them. Now, unmanned drones patrol the skies, and future martyrs walk the markets. For the first time in three hundred years, America is caught up in a civil war. Out of this turmoil comes Sarat Chestnut, a southern girl born into the ongoing conflict. At a displaced persons camp, a mysterious older man takes her under his wing, and while her family tries to survive, Sarat is made into a deadly instrument of war, with consequences for the entire nation.

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OMAR EL AKKAD is an author and a journalist. He has reported from Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay, and many other locations around the world. His work earned Canada's National Newspaper Award for Investigative Journalism and the Goff Penny Award for young journalists. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, Le Monde, Guernica, GQ, and many other newspapers and magazines. His debut novel, American War, is an international bestseller and has been translated into thirteen languages. It won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, the Oregon Book Award for fiction, and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, and has been nominated for more than ten other awards. It was listed as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, NPR, and Esquire, and was selected by the BBC as one of 100 Novels That Shaped Our World.

A NEW YORK TIMES NEW & NOTEWORTHY BOOK

A history of bookshops, an autobiography of a reader, a travelogue, a love letter—and, most urgently, a manifesto.

Good bookshops are questions without answers. They are places that provoke you intellectually, encode riddles, surprise and offer challenges … A pleasing labyrinth where you can’t get lost: that comes later, at home, when you immerse yourself in the books you have bought; lose yourself in new questions, knowing you will find answers.

Picking up where the widely praised Bookshops: A Reader’s History left off, Against Amazon and Other Essays explores the increasing pressures of Amazon and other new technologies on bookshops and libraries. In essays on these vital social, cultural, and intellectual spaces, Jorge Carrión travels from London to Geneva, from Miami’s Little Havana to Argentina, from his own well-loved childhood library to the rosewood shelves of Jules Verne’s Nautilus and the innovative spaces that characterize South Korea’s bookshop renaissance. Including interviews with writers and librarians—including Alberto Manguel, Iain Sinclair, Luigi Amara, and Han Kang, among others—Against Amazon is equal parts a celebration of books and bookshops, an autobiography of a reader, a travelogue, a love letter—and, most urgently, a manifesto against the corrosive influence of late capitalism.

Praise for Jorge Carrión’s Against Amazon and Other Essays

“This is just the sort of book that bibliophiles—to say nothing of bibliomaniacs—will enjoy … A subtle pleasure for lovers of the printed word, even if they order books from the leviathan.” —Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Jorge Carrión’s Bookshops: A Reader’s History

“The perfect merging of love of travel and literature.”—Buzzfeed

“[Carrión’s] purpose is to celebrate bookstores. And he does so by wandering the globe in search of those that play—or have played—a special role in the intellectual and social lives of their communities. They become Carrión’s personal mappa mundi.”—New York Times

“‘Every bookshop is a condensed version of the world,’ begins Mr. Carrión’s literary and unabashedly sentimental exploration of bookstores around the globe . . . [Carrion] wanders through volume-laden aisles in Athens, Paris, Bratislava, Budapest, Tangier and Sydney, and invokes many other shops, both open and closed, telling stories about writers, readers and literary circles . . . By the end, you may feel poorly read—but well armed with titles and bookshops to visit on your own.”—Wall Street Journal

“Carrión explores the fine lines between pilgrimage destination, touristy gimmick, and decent bookshop. This is the perfect book for those who feel compelled to visit every bookstore they see.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred review)

“Excellent . . . entertaining . . . this quietly intelligent little book speaks volumes.”—Michael Dirda, Washington Post

“Sublimely entrancing . . . brilliant . . . [Carrión’s] Borgesian book—it can be opened at any point and read forward, or backwards for that matter—is not at all sad. To read is to travel in time and space, and to travel from bookshop to bookshop is an ecstatic experience for Carrión, a joy he conveys page after page.”—Maclean’s

In this bold collection of more than 100 recipes, the world of comfort food and vegan cooking collide as Lauren Toyota shares her favourite recipes and creative ways to make Philly cheesesteak, fried chicken, and mac 'n' cheese, all with simple vegan ingredients. Never one to hold back, Lauren piles plates high with cheese sauce, ranch, bacon, and barbecue sauce, all while sharing personal stories and tips in her engaging and hilarious voice. The result is indulgent, crave-worthy food - like Southern Fried Cauliflower, The Best Vegan Ramen, and Raspberry Funfetti Pop Tarts - made for sharing with friends at weeknight dinners, weekend brunches, and beyond.

A funny and fascinating tour de force from Will Ferguson, three-time winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour.

Ferguson has spent years wandering and musing across Canada and beyond. Canadian Pie includes his reflections on the lost art of crank calls, tips on how to get someone to pick blueberries out of a muffin for you, and lessons of a mini-bar ninja. There are “lost” radio scripts of a Maritime soap opera, a roundup of big objects beside the highway, and an ode to young love in Old Quebec. Read about his encounter with an aging kamikaze pilot, listen in on an interview with a pair of Canadian brothers playing semi-pro hockey in Japan, gain an appreciation of the unintentional beauty of New Brunswick’s covered bridges, learn how to pick up women (or not), join a journey on the rainforest coast of Vancouver Island, take a trip to PEI in search of someone—anyone—who will criticize Almighty Anne, and much more.

The most exciting edition yet of the world's best-selling almanac for kids! Including animals, space, inventions, history, and more, it's a one-stop shop for every curious kid!

Kids who want to know everything about everything need the National Geographic Kids Almanac, Canadian Edition. This latest edition is packed with incredible photos, tons of fun facts, crafts, activities, and fascinating features about animals, science, nature, technology, conservation, and more. Practical reference material, including fast facts and maps of every country, has been fully updated. Homework help on key topics is sprinkled throughout the book. A must-have book for curious kids!

Featuring children’s own words and heart-warming pictures, this board book, this is the perfect book for children who love winter!

‘I love winter because… ‘

This charming book combines endearing things said by children about winter with gentle illustrations of familiar animals. And from making snowmen to coming home to a mug of hot chocolate, there is plenty to celebrate!

With beautiful pictures and charming words from children - this is the perfect book to read together!

French edition.

NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES

Winner of the Toronto Book Award and the Arthur C. Clarke Award

Finalist for the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and the Sunburst Award

Longlisted for the Baileys Prize and for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

A New York Times and Globe and Mail bestseller

The international publishing sensation now available in paperback: an audacious, darkly glittering novel about art, fame and ambition, set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse

One snowy night, a famous Hollywood actor dies onstage during a production of King Lear. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time—from the actor’s early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theatre troupe known as the Travelling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains—this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor’s first wife, his oldest friend and a young actress with the Travelling Symphony caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet. Sometimes terrifying, sometimes tender, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame and the beauty of the world as we know it.

I’ve got a puppy running around inside my head. His name is Ollie. Sometimes my puppy is quiet, curious, or scared. And sometimes he gets excited . . . too excited!

Ollie’s emotions can get overwhelming for both of us, so I use my breath, words, and actions to calm myself—and my puppy—right down. Do you have a puppy inside your head, too? Puppy in My Head helps children identify and deal with anxiety in an age-appropriate comic-style format.

The third title in the beloved and bestselling Ice Chips series by acclaimed authors Roy MacGregor and Kerry MacGregor and illustrator Kim Smith, featuring a vibrant and diverse cast of characters and inspiring hockey greats

Would you play on a team with your worst enemy?

Lucas Finnigan and his friends on the Riverton Ice Chips know a thing or two about time travel—at least, they’ve been learning. The magical flooding of their beloved hometown rink has already whisked Lucas, Edge and Swift into the past to meet Gordie Howe and Sidney Crosby when those hockey greats were just kids. That’s how they learned about the roots of the game, and about how far practice can take them . . . but this time?

When goalie Swift is invited onto an all-girls hockey team but refuses to join forces with Chips’ rival Beatrice Blitz, Lucas decides that their only option—even as Swift’s sister, Sadie, guesses their secret—is to leap through time once again.

Pretty soon Lucas, Swift and Sadie find themselves smack in the middle of the Calgary Olympics. A determined young hockey player known as Chicken is in desperate need of new teammates to compete in an Olympic-style match. But do the Chips have what it takes to help Chicken’s team get back in the game and win? And will winning be enough to change Swift’s mind about the new team back home? With a clever lesson from their new friend—who’ll go on to become one of Canada’s best-loved Olympic hockey players—anything is possible.

New from the author of The Slasher Killings and The Odyssey of John Anderson, Patrick Brode’s multi-volume The River and the Land is the first authoritative survey of Windsor-Essex history to be published since the 1950s. With sections on the impact of Confederation, Windsor’s role in the American Civil War, its leadership in street- car manufacturing, and the cultural tensions that existed between its primary immigrant groups—French, English, Irish, Scottish— Volume One charts much previously undocumented territory, and explores the region’s history to the turn of the century. Intelligent, thorough, compelling, and readable, The River and the Land is guaranteed to set a new bar for area historians, and will be adopted as a standard reference for decades to come.

One of CBC Books’ Canadian Nonfiction to Read in the Fall • A Tyee Best Book of 2023

We need community to live. But what does it look like? Why does it often feel like it’s slipping away?

We are all hinged to some definition of a community, be it as simple as where we live, complex as the beliefs we share, or as intentional as those we call family. In an episodic personal essay, Casey Plett draws on a range of firsthand experiences to start a conversation about the larger implications of community as a word, an idea, and a symbol. With each thread a cumulative definition of community, and what it has come to mean to Plett, emerges.

Looking at phenomena from transgender literature, to Mennonite history, to hacker houses of Silicon Valley, and the rise of nationalism in North America, Plett delves into the thorny intractability of community’s boons and faults. Deeply personal, authoritative in its illuminations, On Community is an essential contribution to the larger cultural discourse that asks how, and to what socio-political ends, we form bonds with one another.

Chef Michael Smith keeps cooking real with over 100 simple recipes packed with healthy, wholesome ingredients!

Real food is easy to make, delicious and good for you. Michael Smith, a passionate advocate for healthy homemade meals enjoyed around the kitchen table, knows what it takes to keep cooking simple and chock-full of natural, wholesome ingredients. In Real Food, Real Good, Michael shares more than 100 brand-new recipes with ingredients that are great choices for a healthy lifestyle.

Real Food, Real Good is a fantastic way to approach everyday cooking—simple, good-for-you food. Full of fresh flavours and whole foods, you’ll feel great starting your morning with dishes like wholesome Coconut Waffles with Lime Mango Yogurt, Veggie Skillet and Ancient Grain Granola Parfaits with Maple Blueberries and Yogurt. Inside you’ll also find plenty of soups, salads and main dishes like Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Soup, Roast Chicken and Kale Hand Pies, Root Vegetable Beef Stew, Zucchini Chia Lasagna and Beefy Lentil Meatloaf. And, best of all, there’s always room for the occasional treat when eating real food, whether it’s Whole Wheat Honey Cookies or Mocha Squares with Dark Chocolate Ganache. Real Food, Real Good includes Michael’s quick and easy strategies, tips and common homemade staples to help you keep your cooking delicious and full of real food every day!