National Network for Equitable Library Service

Whether it’s a middle-aged man travelling to Mexico in search of a troubled sister or a thirty-something restaurant manager trying desperately to hold her life together, this stunning debut collection of interconnected stories unerringly charts the emotional journeys of a wonderful cast of characters, none more charming, interesting or endearing than the woman who lends her name to its title.

Donna and Raymond would be the first to admit their 25-year union wasn’t perfect. But despite all its various blemishes, their life together works, or at least it did until one frigid November night, in a field just a few miles from home, one reckless act throws their lives into a tailspin. Donna is willing to follow a winding path to peace, and turns to her friends and community for help. Raymond, on the other hand, takes a more bare-knuckled approach to life, and believes he’ll solve his own problems, one punch or elbow at a time.

A heartbroken derelict. An abruptly idealistic executive. A father trying to reconnect with his daughters. Three men inhabiting the same neighbourhood with completely divergent lives come together in a collision that will leave each of them changed forever. In his debut novel, Michael Knox evokes, in cinematic prose, a glimpse of the complexity of the suburban, and a meditation on disaster and masculinity. Harshly Purring presents a poetic and brutal look at isolation and disaster, both self-inflicted and otherwise, and the ways in which human beings struggle to survive it.

Christian McPherson’s exciting new novel is a portrait of a woman coming unglued after devastating events send her spiraling out of control. Between popping pills and drinking vodka, Julie Cooper tries her best to do what she has always done: carry on. But when the line between what is real and what is imaginary becomes blurred, a psychotic breakdown lands her in a mental hospital. She desperately needs to get out if she has any hope of saving herself.

Willa Wellowby’s house has been overrun by monkeys. They’re ballet dancing, playing the bagpipes, listening to the Beatles, and causing mayhem and destruction all over the house and yard. And the more Willa asks them to leave, the more havoc they wreak. She calls the police, the RCMP, the FBI, and Scotland Yard to get rid of these monkeys…but when the Mounties finally show up, it’s Willa who’s in trouble! First published in 1992, There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen won the Canadian Children’s Book Centre Mr. Christie Award for Best Canadian Children’s book, ages 8 and under.

Andrew's mother, Marion, works for Epsom Electronics, a security company that makes high-tech spy gear to keep world leaders safe. When she goes missing on the eve of a G8 summit in Halifax, Andrew and his father work desperately to find her. Luckily, Andrew and his best friend, both thirteen, are no strangers to danger, and they follow Andrew's instincts-which run directly counter to the instructions his father gave him. When the two friends are nearly caught in a huge explosion at Citadel Hill, Andrew realizes his mother could be in even deeper trouble than he thought.

On an October night in 1899 the body of a well-regarded city councilman is found floating under a Halifax wharf. Detective Inspector Culligan Baxter embarks on an investigation that leads from the waterfront, through the city's streets, and out into the surrounding countryside. Aided by the young but surprisingly astute Kenny Squire and an odd assortment of barkeeps, petty thieves, and prostitutes, Baxter's sleuthing takes him into the station's back files and along a path of connections and corruption, linking some of the city's most prominent businessmen.

Matthew loves to play games with his friends and share his toys with them. But most of all he loves to share the special treasures that remind him of his First Nations culture. Perhaps his favourite treasure is the medicine pouch that his grandfather made especially for him. This is where he keeps many of his other treasures, including the sacred herbs his mother gave him. Matthew uses the herbs to remind him to be grateful for everything that nature gives us. Another special gift is the eagle feather from his father.

A new collection of ghost stories from every corner of New Brunswick.Pull up a seat and listen closely-storyteller Steve Vernon has another collection of classic, bone-chilling tales to tell. Steve takes readers from one end of New Brunswick to the other, unearthing dark tales of strange happenings along the way-from the headless ghost that haunts those who pass through Johnville's covered bridge, to the spirit of a murdered man that guards long-buried treasure at Wolf Point.

The wind is howling and a full moon is in the sky-it must be time for more chilling tales from storyteller Steve Vernon. Spanning the length and width of Nova Scotia, these 25 blood-chilling yarns make perfect campfire fare. Some stories are so terrifying that they have been told far and wide, such as the Ghosts of Oak Island or the haunting of Esther Cox. Others, including the Murder Island Massacre and the Caledonia Mills Spook, might be lesser known, but are no less scary.