2023 is done-ish. Here are my picks!

I am obsessed with Scodellaro's pulsing, vivid writing. These stories feel like a realist fever dream sprinkled with David Lynch dust. It's become a customer favourite.

Accompanying song: My Love Mine All Mine - Mitzki

This is a glowing artefact of grief. Bailie recounts the death of 3 close family members, the loss of her sister to mental illness taking up the bulk of the book. She handles the details of their relationship with a measured mind and deep compassion and self-questioning, giving no easy answers for the more stigmatizing aspects of her sister's disorder. A must-read for anyone who loves anyone struggling.

Accompanying song: Born to be Blue - Chet Baker

I met Xenia at an art event a few days ago. They are an incredible wordsmith, and this Franglais collection plays beautifully on language, identity, place, and memory. 

Accompanying song: Melancolie - Patrick Watson, Safia Nolin

I talk about this book whenever I can. Drimonis intersperses her own family's history with the history of immigration in Canada beautifully. She makes the case for compassion towards migrants by reminding readers that, if one is not Indigenous, they have no first claim to this land.

Accompanying song: Arabe du hood en therapie - Adib Alkhalidey

This is a chilling exploration of romantic obsession gone too far. Delicious and terrifying!

Accompanying song: I Love my Boyfriend - Princess Chelsea

To quote my colleague Jules, Richard Siken is the "King of Yearning". These poems are feverish and so very hungry. Each one is a gut punch.

Accompanying song: Amore mio aiutami Version 2 - Piero Piccioni

This is a short story collection about unhappy families. Get lost in the deranged fissures of suburban, domestic life.

Accompanying song: Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead

This is a juicy novel with juicy characters. Everything is vivid and funny and so rich, that you almost forget the critique on America, class, and consumerism. I have been told Zone 1 is also amazing.

Accompanying song: Who's Lovin' You - Jackson 5

This novel is an excellent exploration of a sad character who is codependent on her addict boyfriend. Proceed with caution, you will be hurt.

Accompanying song: Beautiful Disaster (Live)

I absolutely adore how Haartman avoids mowing any mines of sentimentality or oversimplified myth that permeate the question for African descendants in the Americas: Where did we come from? In this book, she explores the paradox of this question. Along the way, she reveals the exploitation of Black Americans' pain in Accra's pacifying tourist traps, as well as the privilege Black Americans do have globally. This promise of American freedom and comfort drives many African people to leave the lands that some Black Americans clamor to return to.

Accompanying song: I Got You - Jaime Woods

A fun and funny read. Not for those who are terribly afraid of clowns. Or maybe it will cure your fear, who knows.

Accompanying song: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper

Vintage sci-fi stories for neurotic girlies (and maybe Larry David). So inventive and vivid, I absolutely loved every page.

Accompanying song: Hellbound - Dylyn