I was surprised by how much I loved this collection. And while my knowledge and interest in all things mycological undoubtedly increased, it’s Gordon’s voice that resonated most. She is a gifted writer and I’ll keep following her, both online and on the page. Fungal is creative non-fiction at its best. A highly recommended read.

Apples on a Windowsill by Shawna Lemay is a love letter to art, to being attentive, to being attuned to beauty. Often funny, and at every turn insightful, this compelling collection of essays reads like a book of prayer. I devoured it slowly, savouring and meditating on each essay, usually in the early mornings when the world was still quiet, and then again in the evenings, just before bed. Now, as I re-read, I still keep my copy—the cover now softened, spine broken, each corner folded back—at the top of the pile on my bedside table, so that m

Tracking the Caribou Queen is a beautifully written memoir about growing up in Canada’s North. As a young girl, author Margaret MacPherson and her family move to Yellowknife, where her father was a school administrator and her mother a nurse during the 1960s and ‘70s. The move is a culture shock for the family, but MacPherson quickly adjusts and grows up deeply attracted to the land, to Indigenous culture and traditions, and to the people of the NWT. Yet, just as deeply, she remains separate from it. Here, the author navigates through colonial legacies, systemic racism, as well as her own role and participation in those realities.