My favourite part is near the end in “Jeanne Dark comes of age on the prairie,” when the poet uses lines written by other poets to kickstart her own lyrical responses. It is a creative collaboration that softens earlier edges and champions the female experience. It is wholly satisfying to read.

Katherine Lawrence’s latest book of poetry is peppered with lines so breathtaking it demands that the reader pause, take a beat, and reread. Perhaps out loud. This only happens with the most resonant of poems. This only happens with a poet as accomplished and practised as Lawrence. Black Umbrella is highly recommended for seasoned poetry readers and for those who are just beginning. This collection will find a home in your heart; it will bring you home to your own memories.

The Winter-Blooming Tree is a tender account of the Koehl-Niederhauser family as they manoeuvre through life changes, deal with miscommunications, and heal from past hurts. Can this family of three find a way to start over?

Saltus, by Saskatchewan author Tara Gereaux, is a triumph. The prose is smooth, the dialogue crisp, and the tension so thick you won’t want to put this book down until the very last page.

I have rarely been so moved by a piece of fiction. The story is not only compelling, but Gereaux brilliantly and compassionately puts flesh to each and every character. By the end, I knew and loved each one (despite being frustrated by their actions) so deeply that I kept expecting to bump into them at the gas station, or at the local Smitty’s. This is a book that will stay with me for a very long time.