Susan Glickman

What We Carry is a profound exploration of the weight of human history at three levels: the individual, the cultural, and environmental. From her brilliant “Extinction Sonnets”—odes to various disappearing species—to a spirited examination of everyday salutations, Susan Glickman’s range astonishes: ice storms, sugar maples, early love on the Orient Express, an archaeological dig at Mycenae. Serious but not solemn, full of linguistic and imagistic playfulness, the collection is anchored by poetic translations of Chopin’s 24 Preludes, opus 28—his most experimental and characteristic compositions. The intimacy of Chopin’s project has inspired sound-rich poems that, once again, prove Glickman’s gift for capturing the frailty of human connections in a damaged world. “First light and the last, / first love and the last.”

Alan Hustak

Old Montreal, not far from the city centre, is a historic neighbourhood in transition alive with raw energy. A compact area where the city was founded in 1642, it is today packed with museums, churches, galleries, restaurants, boutiques, boutique hotels, and entertainment venues.

A tourist destination in any season, the ambiance of its squares and waterfront park is determinedly romantic. Whether you want to ride a giant ferris wheel, go skating in winter, view dazzling fireworks from an illuminated bridge in summer, or just explore its narrow cobblestone streets to soak up four centuries of history in Vieux-Montréal, this book is indispensable.

This walking tour pocket guide is a complete revision of the bestseller published for the city’s 375th anniversary, which was recommended by Report on Business as “the perfect guidebook.”

Kenneth Orvis

‘God help us, Dent – the thing is, my daughter has become a dope fiend.’

Maxwell Dent studied law at McGill and served in the RCAF and Intelligence M-5 during the Korean War. For a private investigator, he’s as respectable as they come. No wonder then that it’s Dent Huntley Ashton summons to his Westmount mansion. A respected captain of industry, the wealthy man knows the PI can be relied upon to be discreet.

Ashton’s daughter Helen has fallen into heroin addiction, and the millionaire wants Dent to smash the ring supplying her vice, just as he took down a ring operating in Korea.

Set in 1954, the novel captures the dying days of Montreal’s reputation as one of the world’s great sin cities. The Damned and the Destroyed was published in 1962 by McClelland & Stewart in Canada and Dennis Dobson in the UK; this Ricochet Books edition marks the first print edition in more than five decades.

Christine Macgill

Every immigrant that comes to Canada has a story. This book captures ten of those stories and the remarkable resiliency and fortitude of the human spirit. In 1994 one of the worst genocides in human history took place in Rwanda—over one million people were killed in 100 days.

Each chapter in The Hope that Remains focuses on a Rwandan survivor and their journey to escape the violence and chaos that overtook their country. Two of the featured stories follow individuals who fled before the killing began and the events that caused them to flee. Both were then faced with the challenge of being outsiders looking in as events deteriorated and their families were slaughtered. The other eight survivors share their detailed and gripping experiences of trying to stay alive while trapped in a nation of killers.
Twenty-five years after the Rwandan Genocide the scars are still very real and rebuilding and coping with the trauma remains an emotional struggle. Despite their horrific pasts the survivors share feelings of hope, forgiveness, and a belief in a better future. They demonstrate the strength and courage it takes to leave the known behind to seek a better life in a new country. Their journeys to Canada contain humorous moments, thoughtful insights, and an overwhelming love and pride for the nation they now call home.