Booksellers recommend: December 2022

Initiative Booksellers recommend responds to the request of readers eager for suggestions. Every month, a commission made up of fifteen booksellers, after many passionate and fascinating discussions, determines a selection of five books. Essays, comics, novels for children or for adults, from here and elsewhere, these five books are sold in bookstores that are members of our network. This initiative is an excellent opportunity to promote books that are considered particularly valuable, as well as to emphasize the essential role of your bookseller. Here is the December election.

Revenge of the Librarian
Tom Gauld (alto)

Is there anything more wonderful than someone who manages to appeal to our intelligence, our silliness, our general culture, our most beautiful as well as our most evil feelings, our thirst for fun, inventiveness, beauty, humor and poetry, all without histrionics, into an original and diverse way and in a format that fits wonderfully into a Christmas stocking? Asking a question is a bit like answering it. If you liked it You’re all jealous of my jetpack, In the kitchen with Kafka or Smoky theory department, you already know you’ll like this one too. If you haven’t, it’s probably because you haven’t read them yet, but don’t worry: it’s never too late to do the right thing!
Philippe FortinMarie-Laura (Jonquière) bookstore

Extraordinary forgotten T.3: They were America
Serge Bouchard and Marie-Christine Lévesque (Lux)

There is something deeply moving about reading this last volume The forgotten extraordinary. Not only is this work the swan song of Marie-Christine Lévesque (who, as the publisher reminds us in the preface, was fully involved in the process of writing the manuscript), but every page of this book exudes boundless love and admiration for the first peoples of America. Since Serge Bouchard dedicated part of his life to getting to know the culture and history of these great nations, it was only natural to close the adventure with the exploits of Donnacona, Anadabijou, Membertou, Tesswehas, Élisabeth Montour, Pontiac, Kondiaronk and many more.

It’s also an emotion to see Serge Bouchard following in the footsteps of the great Eduardo Galeano. Freely inspired in its form by Remembering the fire, They were America could fit between the pages of this masterpiece of Uruguayan literature to see only fire. A literary dedication that delights without common sense cooling fan from Galeano that I am.

And as if we have no reason to love this book, it is richly illustrated by artist Terry Randy Awashish, Atikamekw Nehirowisiw a native of Opitciwan. (To find out to go.)

Much more than a call to put these unparalleled peoples back at the center of our national history, They were America is a reminder that First Nations have shaped Quebec and will continue to shape it for years to come.
Gabriel GuerinPantoute bookstore (Quebec)

Arboretum
Collective (MultiWorlds)

How can we define wood? That’s what Arboretum he tries to answer. This book, rich in photos and pictures of all kinds, is presented in the form of an index representing the types of trees according to the composition of the forest, but also the ecosystems in which they develop. The book deals with the presentation of individual varieties, closely examining the various characteristics presented. In addition to the concepts of botany, it also integrates concepts related to geography and history. Arboretum is a sumptuous work that helps to think about the forest.
Susie LevesquePoint de suspension bookstore (Chicoutimi)

Boy with upside down feet
Francois Blais (Fidesz)

Nothing much is happening in Saint-Sévère and Adrienne, 14, would rather be in Trois-Rivières with her new friend Léonie than waste her time at the back of the queue with her little neighbor who is a slightly invasive 11-year-old. But when Joey, said the neighbor, disappears one summer morning, Adi becomes worried, especially when she receives a not-so-reassuring text message from an anonymous person who says they know where she is, and who says they know her, Elle. Léonie comes to join her, the two girls go in search of Joey, and little by little, Adi remembers a rather malicious former imaginary friend she played with when she was 8 years old. Would he come back for revenge? François Blais’ posthumous novel is made up of everything his readers love about him. Clever and very well constructed, this book for teenagers is also enjoyable (and scary!) for adults to read. The paranormal agrees with the more down-to-earth reality of adolescence, which the author understands very well. An excellent novel to enjoy before you rush because it will be the last.
Veronique TremblayVaugeois bookstore (Quebec)

Domain of rest
Emmanuelle Riendeau (Le Noroît)

“Tomorrow is a long-term project / When you know what to live / Contains torture” Sa Domain of rest, Emmanuelle Riendeau talks about the conflicting feelings she felt after the death of her father, a man she allowed to disappear after years of abuse. If the legacy of her alcoholism follows her, she still refuses to use this collection to try her father. In a way, the author honors him by drinking her last drink with him, poking her nose at the society that dictates what we should and shouldn’t do: “One more bullet / To the health of the dead / One more bullet / Cheers / What hasn’t killed us yet “
hyacinth ridgeMonet bookstore (Montreal)