49th Shelf

3 weeks ago | 49thshelf.com | Genevieve Graham |Heidi Wicks |Trevor Corkum |Elinor Florence

An excerpt from new memoir Fallosophy: My Trip through Life with MS (Douglas & McIntyre). Fallosophy: My Trip through Life with MS is one of our marvellous giveaways running through May 2025. Head to our giveaways page for your chance to win, and to check out everything up for offer right now. *****How many times have I asked myself “how will I?” and answered “I just will”? Being diagnosed with MS is a big fucking deal, and from time to time I deserve to pay tribute to that.

3 weeks ago | 49thshelf.com | Jim McEwen |Miriam Toews |Matthew Hollett |Trevor Corkum

Here, my new book of interconnected short stories, explores community: how we relate to one another, how the troubled layers of our past affects our present lives, the heartaches that define and defy us. It’s “an ode to place, love, and collective care,” according to Maggie Burton’s kind words.  As a Newfoundlander and Labradorian, I am both fiercely protective and equally critical of my home. And so, many of the selections on this list are written by Newfoundland and Labrador authors.

1 month ago | 49thshelf.com | Trevor Corkum |Kate Braid |Tim Welsh |Kerry Clare

Finding Flora is up for giveaway until the end of May! Head to our giveaways page for your chance to win, and to check out all the other books up for grabs. *****Finding Flora is a rollicking historical novel set in turn-of-the-century Alberta about a young woman on the run from her abusive husband who uses a legal loophole to claim a homestead in the Wild West—perfect for fans of Outlawed and The Giver of Stars.

1 month ago | 49thshelf.com | Trevor Corkum |Julie Booker |Gabrielle Drolet |Robert Wiersema

This month, we’re featuring Broadview Press, an independent publisher known for its expertly edited classics and commitment to accessible, thoughtful scholarship—especially in the humanities, with a specifically Canadian emphasis. Tell me the story of your publisher and when you arrived on the scene. Broadview Press was founded by Don LePan in 1985.

1 month ago | 49thshelf.com | Trevor Corkum |Elinor Florence |Tim Welsh |Kerry Clare

The Erotics of Cutting Grass is one of our great giveaways running until the end of May. Check out our giveaways page for your chance to win and to take a look at everything else up for offer. *****What these books (listed in no particular order) have in common for me is that they all tell, with wonderful skill and insight, heartfelt stories of coping with difficult times. I love oral history—the view of History from so-called “ordinary” people’s perspective, not just the “famous” people.