by Tom Rachman
The opening chapter tells the story of Lloyd Burko, a newspaper’s Paris correspondent who claims to have computer problems. The problem is that he’s never owned one. And this opening story, followed by 11 more, each from the perspective of a different person involved with the newspaper, sets the tone for the book about a newspaper that’s floundering because it can’t keep up with the times. Rachman’s tale is exceptional in its depiction of true-to-life, flawed, yet likeable characters. (The Dial Press, 288 pages, $29.99) -Caroline Barlott
by Sarah Leavitt
In this sensitive yet funny graphic novel about an illness commonly experienced and rarely understood, one word jumps out the most: disintegration. Leavitt’s non-fiction story is painfully honest as it explores the disintegration of memory, language, hygiene, patience and stability when dementia strikes a loved one. This is biography at its best and most creative. (Freehand Books, 128 pages, $23.95) –Omar Mouallem
by Gayleen Froese
In this page-turner, Edmonton is filled with magicians, psychics and the paranormal. A secret society called the Embassy provides those with special powers refuge in the Alberta capital. The heart of the plot is a murder mystery, but the list of suspects includes teleporters and remote viewers. Froese’s writing style is fast-paced, to say the least. The book is so dialogue-driven, at times it reads like a screenplay. (NeWest Press, 305 pages, $19.95) –Steven Sandor
by John Vaillant
In a reversal of consequence, a Siberian tiger stalks a poacher, slaughtering the hunter in a shockingly macabre manner. Vaillant also explores the economic desperation of a disconnected people in Russia’s Far East, and the ecological repercussions of logging and tiger-hunting practices in Siberia. Similarly to his first book, The Golden Spruce, painstaking research and vivid descriptions create a picture that cannot be unseen. (Knopf Canada, 311 pages, $34.95) –Kim Collins-Lauber
