National Network for Equitable Library Service

Only Pretty Damned is a taut noir that takes you behind the big top, revealing rough and tumble characters, murderous plots, and crooked schemes designed to keep Rowland's World Class Circus afloat for another season. When Toby, former trapeze artist turned disgruntled clown, begins seeing Gloria, a young and beautiful dancer longing for a bigger role under the spotlight, his hardboiled past resurfaces. Can he live without Genevieve, his ex-trapeze partner and lover? What ruthless actions will he take to regain his position as the headlining act?

Every year since 1904, when the ice breaks up on the North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton has crowned a Melting Queen-a woman who presides over the Melting Day spring carnival and who must keep the city's spirits up over the following winter. But this year, something goes wrong. A genderfluid university dropout called River Runson is Named as Melting Queen, and the city tears itself in two as River's reign starts to expose the dark underbelly of the city's century-old traditions.

The book surrounds the death of Annie, who is the water diviner in a small Alberta farm town. It is told for the points of view of the townspeople, and even Annie, as they react to her death and reflect on her life. The town is going through various upheavals: financial, demographic, moral. The church is being decommissioned, which leads to a confrontation between the worshipers and the bishop who is there for the last service, and who has a past with Annie that he must confront.

Set in Northern Ontario in the 1990s, this is a thrilling literary novel about two siblings coming to terms with their mother murdering their father and his mistress, and the history of abuse that fuelled her crime. It also features a rescue dog with a tragic past.

The Towers of Babylon tracks a group of hapless Millennials trying to find meaning in a world that consistently rejects them. What do you do when you have a graduate degree and are stuck working for minimum wage at a bagel shop? Or you've snagged a steady, middle-income job only to find that its plunging you into a moral abyss. Or you've (over)worked your way up into the upper echelons of the finance sector and are trying to shake off depression with brute will.

Jocey Asnong's vibrant and whimsical illustrations take readers kayaking through Cowichan Bay, surfing with starfish and sea otters at Tofino, and swimming with sea wolves in the Great Bear Rainforest. From carving through fresh powder at Whistler Blackcomb to treasure hunting at the bottom of the Salish Sea, this early concept board book in number recognition and counting is an excellent companion to Asnong's West Coast ABCs, as she continues showcasing the diverse marine mammals, ocean organisms, birds and other species that are unique to this region.

This high-interest, low-vocabulary novella is intended for adult basic education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) readers. Sometimes home is not a safe place to be. PI Anna Sweet is hired to look out for Max, a troubled teenage runaway. For Max, the woods provide safety and shelter. Until he is discovered. Max's parents declare him mentally unfit and try to lock him up. But Anna holds the secret to his freedom.

This high-interest, low-vocabulary novella is intended for adult basic education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) readers. Ottawa is in the middle of a summer heat wave and PI Anna Sweet takes on her hottest case yet. Brent Rose secretly dated three women at the same time. One of them wants to make him pay for his cheating ways. Will Anna stop Brent's tormentor in time? Or will he meet his end in the killer heat?

This critical edition delivers a unique and comprehensive collection of the works of Ktunaxa-Secwepemc writer and educator Vera Manuel, daughter of prominent Indigenous leaders Marceline Paul and George Manuel. A vibrant force in the burgeoning Indigenous theatre scene, Vera was at the forefront of residential school writing and did groundbreaking work as a dramatherapist and healer. Long before mainstream Canada understood and discussed the impact and devastating legacy of Canada's Indian residential schools, Vera Manuel wrote about it as part of her personal and community healing.

Explore the past 150 years through the eyes of Indigenous creators in this groundbreaking graphic novel anthology. Beautifully illustrated, these stories are an emotional and enlightening journey through Indigenous wonderworks, psychic battles, and time travel. See how Indigenous peoples have survived a post-apocalyptic world since Contact.