1. The Social Life of Ink by Ted Bishop
“Are we at the end of ink?” Ted Bishop asks in his Governor General’s Award–nominated book The Social Life of Ink. As our lives become more digital, it becomes more appropriate to question what purpose ink still serves. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the surprisingly fascinating and intricate history of ink can be found in the pages of this book. Bishop, a professor of English at the University of Alberta, began his quest to learn about ink after he visited a special collections library and asked to see the book on ink. There wasn’t one. Bishop believed he could spend a year writing a quick and short guide, but one year turned into five, as he was pulled deeper into the stories and social life of ink.
From ballpoint pens to gall nuts, this book covers ink’s absorbing history, including the people and cultures behind it and all its apparatuses. If you’re expecting a dry, academic text, think again! Bishop — whose previous book Riding with Rilke was nominated in 2005 for a Governor General’s Award — shares witty and strange anecdotes from the eccentric characters in ink’s story. A seasoned travel writer, he guides you with him on his adventures in the museums of Budapest to the streets of Buenos Aires. You’ll learn the many ways our modern society has been immersed in ink since its first use to how this oft-overlooked substance continues to connect and shape us. —Matthew Stepanic
2. Another Margaret by Janice MacDonald
Randy Craig — the clever and bread-pudding-loving sleuth of Janice MacDonald’s mystery series — seems to find herself caught up in murder cases a fair bit more frequently than the average person. Her sixth case, however, involves a murder from Randy’s past that may be familiar to devoted readers of the series. MacDonald’s latest thriller, Another Margaret, is a reimagining of her first, The Next Margaret, which was released in 1993 and had such a small print run that it is now more of a challenge to find than it is to solve the mystery inside.
Randy Craig fans who’ve hungered to discover their favourite amateur sleuth’s origins can now learn about the first mystery she stumbled into. The new book revolves around Randy’s 20-year reunion at the University of Alberta with a flashback to her graduate days folded in. While Randy imagines she’ll re-visit old memories and friends at the reunion, she doesn’t expect her past (and its crooked characters) to come back to haunt her. A reclusive author, a questionable suicide, and people that are never as trustworthy as they seem — all of these excellent ingredients keep you turning pages in MacDonald’s methodical mystery. —M.S.
3. The Broken Hours by Jacqueline Baker
A creaky old house, a vanishing girl clad in white, a reclusive horror writer, and that eerie sense of entering an empty room that you’re certain someone just vacated — all of these unsettling facets enclose Jacqueline Baker’s latest spooky page-turner, The Broken Hours. When Arthor Crandle answers a posting to work as the personal assistant of the now broke and ill H.P. Lovecraft, a disturbing mystery unfolds before him as he begins to uncover his employer’s haunted past.
Author Jacqueline Baker spent a great deal of time researching the iconic writer and reading his old letters in order to capture the man accurately. As she fell more into his life and universe, she says that she wrestled a bit with her own sanity like Lovecraft did, and once even felt a ghostly visit from the author while she slept. In her literary horror novel, you’ll discover — as Baker and Crandle do — that the monsters didn’t only live in Lovecraft’s stories. This is the perfect summer read, as each creepy detail that pops up will keep your eyes glued to the pages. Though the mysteries seem to be as numerous as Cthulhu’s tentacles, Baker wraps them all up tidily in a satisfying ending that may lead you to sleep with a light on. —M.S.
4. Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? by Timothy Caulfield
Stop your juice cleanse right now — Gwyneth Paltrow may be wrong about everything! In his new book, Timothy Caulfield examines the influence of celebrity culture on the health, diet, beauty, and happiness of North American society. Why do we spend ridiculous sums of money on extreme beauty regimes or the latest superfoods — and do they have any health benefits? Considering only evidence-informed research and advice in Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong about Everything?, he searches for anything to back up celebrity health and beauty claims and — unsurprisingly perhaps — finds next to nothing.
While you can expect him to burst your beauty-obsessed bubble, you’ll also laugh at the crazy lengths Caulfield goes to in order to identify and debunk the messages and myths that come from celebrities. Between reading People Magazine cover-to-cover for a year, going on Gwyneth’s goop detox, and auditioning for American Idol, Caulfield unveils the many unhealthy side effects that celebrity culture has on our lives. The book is a fascinating examination of how celebrities and the foolish things they do control our lives, and it may have you second guessing everything Dr. Oz or Gwyneth tells you to do for your “health”. —M.S.
5. 40 Below Volume 2: Alberta’s Winter Anthology by Editor Jason Lee Norman
In the history of literature (especially in Canada), you may think that we’ve said all we can on the subject of winter, from clichés of Old Man Winter to horror stories about being snowed in. 40 Below Volume 2: Alberta’s Winter Anthology, edited by Jason Lee Norman, adds new colour and meaning to winter, freshening up the tired and oft-complained-about season. The poems surprise with images of corpse flowers, orographic lift, and broken eggs, while the stories surround the life and death of an ice rink, a city’s decision to hibernate for the winter, and nightmares of Russian spies.
Fans of the first volume — which focused on stories set only in Edmonton — will find new delights and perspectives in this follow-up collection. The anthology features many of Alberta’s most prominent and celebrated writers, including Diana Davidson, Thomas Trofimuk, and Ali Bryan. 40 Below also gives space to the emerging stars of the literary scene, such as Charlotte Cranston, Erin Carter, and Lucas Warren. —M.S.
6. The Duchess Bake Shop Cookbook by Giselle Courteau
Since it opened its doors in 2009 Duchess Bake Shop has been introducing visitors and locals alike to the decadent world of French pastries. Now, for the first time ever, they are sharing their secrets! Written by Giselle Courteau (co-owner) and her incredible team, this 288-page cookbook is filled with beautiful photos, recipes and stories about the bakery and the people that work there. Over 85 recipes break down the steps and ingredients to create French delicacies, all tested by real people in real kitchens.
Started by Courteau and her business partner Garner Beggs, Duchess was conceptualized while the pair were teaching English together in Japan. An odd place to get inspired by French pastries, you may think, but according to Courteau, the Japanese were obsessed with French food, and so there were bakeries everywhere. She spent three years perfecting her macaron recipe — she would buy macarons from the Japanese/French bakeshops, bring them home, analyze the flavours, and then try to recreate them. Oh, and she did all this with only a toaster oven! The macaron is still the signature pastry at the shop and the recipe used is the one that Courteau created while in Japan. —Lindsay Shapka
