SaskBooks

Presenting the best Saskatchewan books from Saskatchewan publishers

[saskbooks]

Carrying the Burden of Peace

Carrying the Burden of Peace

Carrying the Burden of Peaceby Sam McKegneyPublished by University of Regina PressReviewed by Madonna Hamel$34.95 ISBN 9780889777934 From the first sentence of his book, Carrying the Burden of Peace, author Sam McKegney poses questions big enough for all of us to embrace, questions asking for new ways to scrutinize our world: “Can a critical examination of Indigenous masculinities be an honour…

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[saskbooks]

Baby Rollercoaster

Baby Rollercoaster: The Unspoken Secret Sorrow of Infertilityby Janice ColvenPublished by Wood Dragon BooksReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$19.99 ISBN 9-781989-078587 I’ve just had the pleasure of reading the well-written, beautifully designed, highly personal and informative book by teacher/ranch wife/writer Janice Colven about her lifelong yearning to be a mother and her seven-year journey on the…

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[saskbooks]

Bread & Water

As the title suggests, Bread & Water by dee Hobsawn-Smith (@UofRPress) is about food but it's also about so much more - that which nourishes us in body but also in mind and spirit.

Bread and Waterby dee Hobsbawn-SmithPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$26.95 ISBN 9780889778115 I know dee Hobsbawn-Smith as a multi-genre writer, chef, yogi, runner, mother, and yes, as a friend. She and husband Dave Margoshes hosted me for a reading at their ancestral rural home (“The Dogpatch”) near Saskatoon years ago, and when dee was touring a poetry…

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[saskbooks]

Six Saskatchewan Bunnies

Join Six Saskatchewan Bunnies (Sharla Griffiths) as they explore familiar sites in the province!

Six Saskatchewan BunniesWritten and illustrated by Sharla GriffithsReview by Michelle Shaw$17.00 ISBN 9781999560003 It’s always fun to read a book set in a familiar place, and children, especially, love reading about places they know and can actually visit. So Sharla Griffiths’ new children book is a delight. It’s an entertaining invitation to explore the joys of summer in Saskatchewan along…

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[saskbooks]

Wake Up, Jacob!

Wake Up, Jacob! by Neil Sawatzky (@YNWP) is a cozy and colorufully illustrated tale of the similarities in the routine between a grandfather and his grandson.

Wake Up, Jacob!by Neil SawatzkyPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$14.95 ISBN 9-781988-783451 I’m a huge fan of collaborating with family members on creative projects, thus was delighted to read that Neil Sawatzky—the author of the new illustrated children’s book Wake Up, Jacob!—is the father of Heather Nickel, who owns and operates Your Nickel’s Worth…

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[saskbooks]

Landings

Take a literary tour of Iceland with poet Harold Rhenisch in Landings (Burton House Books).

Landings: Poems from Icelandby Harold RhenischPublished by Burton House BooksReview by Toby A. Welch$20.00 ISBN 9780994866967 It is very clear from page one of Landings that a piece of the author, Harold Rhenisch, will always be in Iceland. He first travelled to the island in 2009. Four years later, he served a stint as a writer in residence there. Rhenisch has been to Iceland numerous times,…

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[saskbooks]

Flowman and the Magic Mullet

Flowman and the Magic Mullet by Konn & Emily Hawkes is a fun story for children about a hockey player with a very particular hairstyle. Hockey fans young and old should have a look!

Flowman and the Magic MulletWritten by Konn and Emily Hawkes, Illustrated by Emily HawkesPublished by Emily HawkesReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$23.95 (Hardcover) ISBN 9-781777-641726 Flowman and the Magic Mullet: the title’s enough to signal readers that this is going to be a gas. Who doesn’t chuckle at the mention of a mullet? And the long-flowing locks, large eyes and toothy smile of the…

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[saskbooks]

Right to Know

Right to Know by Edward Willett (@ShadowPawPress) is an intriguing hybrid of science fiction and mystery. Can dilettante Art Stoddard save the people of the Mayflower II?

Right to Knowby Edward WillettPublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Allison Kydd$19.95 ISBN 9781989398227 If some associate prolific Saskatchewan author Edward Willett, also creator of The Worldshapers podcast, primarily with his award-winning young adult fantasy, Right to Know*proves that he also understands adult audiences. His characters have an appealing complexity, and readers can’t help…

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[saskbooks]

Let's Fly!

Take a trip through the sights (and sites) of Saskatoon with Let's Fly! by Kathie Cram and Kas Rea (@YNWP).

Let’s Fly!: A Dragon’s Quest in SaskatoonWritten by Kathie Cram, Illustrated by Kas ReaPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$14.95 ISBN 9-781988-783697 Writer Kathie Cram and her illustrator Kas Rea have crafted a new book that celebrates Saskatoon through the adventures of two unlikely – and likeable – new friends, an inquisitive chickadee and a hopeful baby…

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[saskbooks]

apart

apart: a year of pandemic poetry and proseEdited by Courtney Bates-Hardy and Dave MargoshesPublished by Saskatchewan Writers’ GuildReview by Toby A. Welch$24.95 ISBN 9780968845172 I have a hunch that as our lives return to a more normalized state, this book will become even more powerful. When Covid is a distant memory, the stories will take us back to this time filled with chaos and…

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[saskbooks]

Resistance

Resistance: Righteous Rage in the Age of #MeToo, edited by Sue Goyette (@UofRPress) is a powerful collection of poetry, and "an act of artful activism".

Resistance: Righteous Rage in the Age of #MeTooEdited by Sue GoyettePublished by University of Regina PressReview by Elena Bentley$24.95 ISBN 9780889778016 “[E]very woman has these / stories / or worse / even if they don’t / realize / it yet.” Poems written in response to the 2016 Jian Ghomeshi verdict fill the pages of Resistance: Righteous Rage in the Age of #MeToo, edited by Griffin Poetry…

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[saskbooks]

Bee A Friend

Bee A Friend (@YNWP) brings author Kerry Sather and David Mark back together for a charmingly-illustrated and heartwarming story about "beeing" a good friend.

Bee a FriendWritten by Kerry Sather, Illustrated by David MarkPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$19.95 ISBN 9-781988-783673 Saskatchewan’s seen a veritable hive of activity in children’s book publishing this summer – I’ve reviewed four titles – and one fun-filled book that’s joined the shelves is the illustrated hardcover Bee A Friend, penned by Kerry Sather…

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[saskbooks]

Ride, Gabe, Ride

Ride, Gabe, Ride by Wilfred Burton, illustrated by Lucille Scott (@YWNP) takes young readers along on a thrilling hunt with famed Metis statesman Gabriel Dumont.

Ride, Gabe, RideWritten by Wilfred Burton, Illustrated by Lucille ScottPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$14.95 ISBN 9-781988-783680 Got to love it when a writer takes a compelling historical event and transforms it into an illustrated children’s book that will both educate and entertain young readers. That’s exactly what Saskatchewan Métis author,…

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[saskbooks]

Water Sight

Travel to Wales for a tale of magic and intrigue with Water Sight by Marie Powell, Book Two of the Last of the Gifted Series (Wood Dragon Books).

Last of the Gifted, Book Two: Water Sightby Marie PowellPublished by Wood Dragon BooksReview by Allison Kydd$18.99; ISBN 978-1-989078-29-7 (softcover) Those encountering the world of a Marie Powell fantasy for the first time with Last of the Gifted, Book Two: Water Sight will be impressed by her confident storytelling and vivid characterizations, especially because she combines history and…

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[saskbooks]

Day I Discovered a Dinosaur Bone?!, The

Go another thrilling adventure with the Barnyard Boys in the children's book "The Day I Discovered a Dinosaur Bone?!" by M Larson, illustrated by R Ghosh.

The Day I Discovered a Dinosaur Bone?! (Adventures of the Barnyard Boys)Written by M Larson, Illustrated by R GhoshPublished by M Larson BooksReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$12.99 ISBN 978-1-9992683-0-5 Many children of a certain age go through a “dinosaur phase” – a period when they’re passionate about the magnificent creatures that roamed the earth 70 million years ago. I remember taking my own…

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Girl from Dream City, The

Learn more about writer Linda Leith in her memoir, The Girl from Dream City (@UofRPress)

The Girl from Dream City: A Literary Lifeby Linda LeithPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Michelle Shaw$21.95 ISBN 9780889777859 One of the joys of reviewing books is that I’m constantly discovering fascinating lives and original stories. Linda Leith is new to me, but her book is so interesting that she quickly drew me into her narrative. The Girl from Dream City is a small book,…

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Mechanic's Wife, The

Noted children's book author Marion Mutala tries her hand at a peppy, fun detective novel in the Saskatoon-set The Mechanic's Wife.

The Mechanic’s Wifeby Marion MutalaPublished by Millennium MarketingReview by Toby A. Welch$14.95 ISBN 9781777371302 The cover of The Mechanic’s Wife is what initially drew me in. Illustrated by Olha Tkachenko, it is a vibrant illustration of two women with an older model blue GTO between them. Things get even better once you crack the book open. We immediately delve into the life of DD, a…

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