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Spring Preview: 20 books I can’t wait to read in 2019

By Deborah Dundas Books Editor Fri., Jan. 18, 2019

The new year started with a new Marie Kondo series on Netflix helping people purge the things in their home that don’t give them joy. Well, I’ve got bad news for her. This spring’s new crop of books are clamouring to be read: stories from experienced and new writers, promising a wide array of perspectives and voices. From women’s fiction to social justice, short stories to mysteries, immigrant stories and tales of escape, books that explore we live in. We’ve picked some of the ones we think should join your to read list — we think they’ll get noticed, and give you joy.

January

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Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by , Doubleday , 640 pages, $36.50 (DOUBLEDAY CANADA) The Golden Tresses of the Dead, Alan Bradley (Doubleday Canada, Jan. 22) This is the final book in the Cobourg- born writer’s Flavia de Luce series of mysteries, He’s had a heck of a story — starting to write only after retirement to fulfil a lifelong dream, and then being published around the world. Many readers will be sad to see Flavia go.

Reproduction, Ian Williams (Random House of Canada, Jan. 22) Ian Williams is a prize-winning poet who now lives in Vancouver — but he grew up in Brampton. Reproduction, a novel, is a love story set in the burbs and explores how families are invented; hint: they’re not always a matter of blood.

Also this month, you might want to check out Leila Slimani’s new novel Adele (Penguin) about a sex-addicted woman in .

February

Days by Moonlight, Andre Alexis (Coach House, Feb. 19) Fifteen Dogs, the winner and bestseller, was the second in this “quincunx” series of books by Alexis that explores different book structures (pastoral, apologue and mystery. This penultimate one’s a road trip and promises to be just as entertaining and enlightening as the other three he’s so far completed.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf , Marlon James,(Riverhead Books, Feb. 5) James won the Man for his last work, A Brief History of Seven Killings. In this new, much different, book James creates what his publishers are calling an African — a compelling and detailed mythological, fantasy world, but set in Africa. It’s the first in what he’s called his Dark Star trilogy. The story starts with a band of mercenaries hired to find a missing child.

The Homecoming, Andrew Pyper (Simon and Schuster, Feb. 26) Pyper’s been sending chills up our spines since his debut novel Lost Girls came out 20 years ago. Since then he’s thrilled audiences around the world with his smart psychological thrillers such as The Demonologist; in his latest, he explores how our memories can both define and betray us.

The Art of Leaving, Ayelet Tsabari (HarperCollins, Feb. 19) Her debut collection The Best Place on Earth won awards; now the Canadian-Israeli writer’s memoir in essays tells of her travels around the world in search of belonging, family and love.

"Don't Label Me" by Irshad Manji, St. Martin's Press, 320 pages, $24.99 (ST. MARTIN'S PRESS)

Don’t Label Me: An Incredible Conversation for Divided Times, Irshad Manji (St. Martin’s Press, Feb. 26) Manji has been a unique and outspoken voice for years — she grew up mostly in Vancouver, lived in Toronto (I first met her in her TVO days), moved to the U.S. and now resides in Hawaii. She has an irrepressible curiosity and a sharp and humorous take on issues of gender and race. This conversation, for example, is with her dog — and it shouldn’t be missed.

"A Girl Named Lovely" by Catherine Porter, Simon and Schuster, 288 pages, $24.99 (SIMON AND SCHUSTER)

A Girl Named Lovely: One Child’s Miraculous Survival and My Journey to the Heart of Haiti, Catherine Porter (Simon and Schuster, Feb 26) This story began when the Toronto Star sent Porter to cover the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. She began a campaign to support a girl, Lovely, and Star readers pitched in. For the next five years she went back to Haiti 17 times, reporting on Lovely’s journey, what happened to her and where she is now, and how Porter (now a journalist with ) traversed the fraught line between being a journalist and wanting to help as a humanitarian.

A few other notable titles out this month include Chop Suey Nation by Ann Hui (Douglas & McIntyre), part road trip, part look at the history of Chinese restaurants — and the people who run them — across Canada. And a collection of essays, Black Writers Matter (University of Regina Press), edited by Whitney French, offers a cross- section of points of view from established writers and newcomers, and Cecil Foster’s They Call Me George (Biblioasis), a fascinating history of Canada’s Black train porters.

March

A Mind Spread Out on the Ground, Alicia Elliott (Doubleday Canada, March 26) Haudenosaunee writer Elliott has published non-fiction pieces across North America. This first book provides a person take on the treatment of Native people. The last essay, “Extraction Mentalities” is dubbed a “participatory” essay — interspersed are moments to stop and ask yourself questions, with space, even, to write your answers. The idea being, these essays are a starting point for exploration and dialogue.

How A Poem Moves , Adam Sol (ECW, March 12) He takes us through how to read a poem — and, leading up to poetry month in April, it provides a gateway for some of ust to discover a new pleasure, and others of us to take a closer look at the poetry we love. "Immigrant City" by David Bezmozgis, HarperCollins, 208 pages, $27.99 (HARPERCOLLINS)

Immigrant City and other stories, David Bezmozgis (HarperCollins, March 12) He writes TV and film as well as prize-winning short stories and novels. He’s won the Toronto Book Award and his last book, the novel The Betrayers, was nominated for a Giller Prize. In his new book, Bezmozgis returns to short stories for the first time in more than 10 years; the titular story from his last collection, the acclaimed Natasha and Other Stories, has been made into a film to be released in May.

Gingerbread , Helen Oyeyemi (Penguin Canada, March 5) Reviewers and readers alike get excited when a new book by this British is coming out. Her imagination and storytelling abilities and her ability to merge contemporary and classic folk stories make for wonderful, if often unsettling, reading, even as she’s taking a look at social and political issues. In her latest book, a family recipe for gingerbread is mashed with the place of gingerbread in folk tales.

The Secret Wisdom of Nature , Peter Wohlleben (Greystone, March 5) To everyone who’s read the first two books in the German author’s Mysteries of Nature trilogy — and they number in their legions, witness bestseller lists around the world for The Hidden Life of Trees and The Inner Life of Animals. This one’s about the inter-connectedness of nature: “Wolves are a wonderful example of how complex connections in nature can be. Amazingly enough, these predators are able to reshape riverbanks and change the course of rivers” reads the book’s first line. How can you stop there?

Also of note this month: Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams (Gallery/Scout Press, March 19).

April

Shut Up You’re Pretty , Tea Mutonji (Arsenal Pulp Press, April 1) This is the first book in an imprint that features Vivek Shraya as editor. The imprint focuses on work by new and emerging Indigenous or Black writers, or writers of colour — and so her choice of Tea Mutonji’s debut story collection is one we’ll all want to take a look at. "Fatboy Fall Down" by Rabindranath Maharaj, ECW Press, 272 pages, $19.95 (ECW PRESS)

Fatboy Fall Down, Rabindranath Maharaj (ECW, April 9) You might remember this Trinidadian-Canadian writer’s dystopian 2010 novel The Amazing Absorbing Boy or last year’s Adjacentland; this one’s a bit of a change-up. It tells the story of a man’s search for meaning in a difficult life, and his hope of making a place of his own.

This is poetry month, and there are some marvelous new volumes out: Jay MillAr’s I Could Have Pretended to be Better Than You and Stuart Ross’ Motel of the Opposable Thumbs, both from Anvil Press; Arielle Twist’s Disintegrate/Dissociate (Arsenal Pulp Press) and Karen Solie’s The Caiplie Caves (House of Anansi); in fiction is veteran writer Susan Swan’s The Dead Celebrities Club (Cormorant) and British writer Ian McEwan’s Machines Like Me (Knopf Canada, April 23).

May

Bina, Anakana Schofield (Knopf Canada, May 14) First things first: this is pronounced Bye-na, NOT Bee-na. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, Schofield has one of the most unique, most compelling voices in fiction. Her first book Malarky won the Amazon First Novel award; her next, Martin John, was published internationally and shortlisted for the Giller. I can’t wait to hear the voice of her newest character, in a book that’s being described as a “novel in warnings.” "Me, Myself, They" by Joshua M. Ferguson, House of Anansi, 304 pages, $22.95 (HOUSE OF ANANSI)

Me, Myself, They: A Non-Binary Life, Joshua M. Ferguson (House of Anansi, May 7) Ferguson was the very first person in Ontario to have a non-binary gender designation — an X — on their birth certificate. This memoir chronicle’s Fergusons journey of transformation, including experiences with gender conversion therapy, bullying and depression, and, ultimately, transformation and self-acceptance.

June

Amy Jones, Every Little Piece of Me (McClelland & Stewart, June 4) Jones’ books win tons of awards, sure, but they’re also on the bestsellers lists because they’re fun and readable. It’s a sweet spot you don’t always come across. This is a family saga — where the family is on a reality TV show trying to run a B&B — set in small-town Nova Scotia.

The Last Resort, Marissa Stapley(Simon & Schuster, June 4) Stapley’s fiction for the thinking woman has made her a writer for all seasons. Last February she came out with her second novel, Things To Do When It’s Raining (hmmm, curling up with an immersive read might be one) and this June she’s out with The Last Resort. I foresee it on plenty of beaches and hammocks. "Frying Plantain" by Zalika Reid-Benta, House of Anansi, 272 pages, $19.95 (HOUSE OF ANANSI)

Frying Plantain, Zalika Reid-Benta (House of Anansi, June 4) One of the rare debut short story collections to make it onto must-read lists. This one is set in Toronto’s Eglinton Ave. West neighbourhood of Little . In the stories Reid-Benta straddles the divide between being Canadian and being part of her community. This promises to be a heartfelt look at cultural expectations and Black identity.

Also coming out in June is House Divided, ed. Alex Bozikovic, Cheryll Case, John Lorinc, and Annabel Vaughan (Coach House, June 11) using Toronto’s housing crisis as a case study to look at innovative ideas to keep our cities accessible. I always look forward to books where Lorinc is an editor — I always learn new ways to think about the city I live in.

Look forward to other books in the second half of the year, including ’s (September), Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys (July), and Paul Seesequasis’ Blanket Toss Under the Midnight Sun (fall) to name just a few.

Correction - January 20, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly referred to Joshua M. Ferguson as the first person in Canada to have a non-binary gender designation on their birth certificate.

Deborah Dundas is the Star's Books editor. She is based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: debdundas

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