Best Bets: For Fantasic Nonfiction

Good Mom on Paper edited by Stacey May Fowles and Jen Sookfong Lee (Book*Hug Press) 

Honest and intimate, Good Mom on Paper is a collection of twenty essays that disclose the often-invisible challenges of literary life with little ones. This collection offers solace and joy to creative mothers and asks how we can better support their work.With contributions by Heather O’Neill, Lee Maracle, Jael Richardson, Carrie Snyder, Alison Pick, Meaghan Strimas, Sofia Mostaghimi, Rachel Giese, Lorri Neilsen Glenn, Erin Wunker, Jónína Kirton, Jennifer Whiteford, Teresa Wong, Nikkya Hargrove, S. Lesley Buxton, Amber Riaz, Adelle Purdham, Harriet Alida Lye, and Kellee Ngan.But you don’t have to take our word for it: 

“This collection denounces the commonly held belief that motherhood and writing are in contradiction to one another– its existence alone is proof enough.” —Joanne Gallant, The Miramichi Reader”And then there’s Heather O’Neill, who swoops in near the book’s end to prove why she’s the reigning champion of Canadian short stories. Making the art look easy breezy as usual, “Lite-Brite Times Square” is O’Neill’s tale of being a twenty-year-old single mother desperate to escape her fate as a third-generation welfare case. “I would like to study to be a writer,” she tells her social worker. “Oh, no, no,” he says, handing her a list of realistic jobs. Her adventures in proving him wrong include a priceless memory of her young daughter distracting a CBC producer so O’Neill could sneak into an office and print her manuscript for free. The draft would become the celebrated Lullabies for Little Criminals, and if O’Neill can make such a literary miracle come true, surely there’s hope for all of us.” —Rosemary Counter, Literary Review of CanadaBuy Good Mom on Paper for 15% off (with free shipping in Canada)!

305 Lost Buildings of Canada by Raymond Biesinger and Alex Bozikovic (Goose Lane Editions)

A national bestseller, 305 Lost Buildings of Canada illustrates the legacies of theaters, hotels, fire stations, flour mills, and more — torn down, burned down, and otherwise lost. Raymond Biesinger has rendered a selection of Canada’s most iconic lost buildings in his signature minimalist style, accompanied with Alex Bozikovic’s thoughtful descriptions.But you don’t have to take our word for it:

“305 Lost Buildings of Canada reads like a nostalgic road trip. Showing you buildings and places that you might remember, spots you’ve never seen, and spaces that you wish you could have seen. Sometimes sad, sometimes shocking, this volume is a beautiful blend of story, architecture, and history.” – Falen Johnson, co-host of The Secret Life of Canada“It might be hard to feel sentimental about what we cannot see; certainly, we cannot be sentimental about what we do not know. These vignettes, stories of a time and place that hinge on a building that was often a reflection of something bigger, are an invaluable contribution to the history of settlement in Canada, the continual process of creation and recreation that shapes urbanization, and our built heritage. Biesinger and Bozikovic’s artistry is in hooking a bigger story to that of a single building, and they evoke both wonder and a sense of loss in doing so. I am glad to have read 305 Lost Buildings of Canada, and I hope to become a better city builder for it.” – Jennifer Keesmaat, former Toronto Chief City Planner305 Lost Buildings of Canada

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We hope you’ll follow along with us and our #ALUbestbets picks these next two weeks! Keep track and see all of the books on deck, right here.If you have your own accolades for these books to add, please do! Share in the comments below or on socials @alllitupcanada.