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?

One Madder Woman by author Dede Crane is a fictional account of the life of Berthe Morisot, the only female member of the French Impressionists. It is a sweeping tale of devotion, passion, and of living one’s best life. 

Crane is a seasoned writer and it shows; she creates worlds and characters with ease. One Madder Woman is a joy to read! It is a romance, a historical novel, and an education in art all in one! Prepare to get swept away.

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.

Satellite Love  by first-time novelist Genki Ferguson tackles the big questions: What does it mean to exist? Do our actions (or inaction) have any impact? Is there life after this life? Is anyone looking out for us? These universal questions lay heavy on the hearts of our characters, and so too for the reader, but Ferguson confronts them head-on through the lens of philosophy, spirituality, and faith with charm, humour, poignancy, and thoughtfulness. This is a lovely debut with a lasting impression.  

The prose in A Reckoning is exceptional. Spalding captures the tone and rhythm of 19th century speech patterns in the American south with ease. But it is also dense. Spalding expects a level of attention from her readers. Without it, some may lose the narrative’s throughline. Still, the novel is all the richer for the author’s expansive writing. To quote Madeleine Thien’s book blurb as it appears on the back cover: “This is a beautiful and brilliant work of art…”