Staff Picks
At FriesenPress, we celebrate each and every book we help our authors publish. Here are some of our team’s recent favourites – happy reading!
Dreamonition
A Binnie Story by
Thomas P Howie
It begins with a dream. The year is 1987, and eleven-year-old Binnie Burgess has been enjoying living with the Warrens, her foster family, and exploring her idyllic new hometown of Cherryton, Kent. Following the tragic deaths of her parents when she was just two years old, Binnie is finally settling into her life. But then one night she wakes from a dream that feels entirely too real, and she starts to question everything. What does it mean that she seems to travel through time in her sleep? Could it actually be possible that she has the ability to influence past events? When Binnie and her foster family take a day trip to Dover Castle, she has the shocking realisation that she was, in fact, the “young local girl” who warned British troops of the French armada’s invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. Amid train rides through the English countryside, brushes with Guy Fawkes and plots against the future King of England, visions of mysterious monuments, and astonishing revelations about Binnie’s past, Dreamonition builds to a crescendo: Binnie must decide who she can trust with her secrets, learn to understand her superpower, and journey sixty-one years into the future—before it’s too late.
Fridays with Heather
55 Art Projects for Dementia Care by
Hetty van Gurp
From mosaic stained-glass mirrors and sun catchers to cling-film art and plasticine creatures, Hetty van Gurp provides imaginative and practical ideas that go far beyond the typical “join the dots” type project. Illustrated throughout, Fridays with Heather: 55 Art Projects for Dementia Care contains step-by-step instructions for projects that use household and other easy-to-find materials to create art that is simple, open-ended, engaging, and fun for all involved. Fridays with Heather: 55 Art Projects for Dementia Care is a response to the rapidly growing number of people with dementia, and research showing that creativity has a positive impact. It is also an intimate account of Heather’s dementia journey—the author’s sister-in-law and friend—and the Fridays they spent and still spend together making art.
Gritty City
An Oral History of Winnipeg Hip-Hop Music: 1980-2005 by
Nigel Webber
Gritty City is a love letter to Winnipeg, a prairie metropolis born out of rebellion, a river city marooned in the middle of a continent. Maybe there is something in the water that makes us different... Gritty City is the first book to tackle the history of Winnipeg hip-hop, treating it not as a passing fad or a subgenre of rock, but as its own distinct and significant culture and artform. Much like the city itself, hip-hop locally was born out of struggle, out of the intense racism that plagued elements of Winnipeg for much of the 1980s. As the culture blossomed and gained acceptance, slowly but surely the community became more and more prominent, leading from the DIY ‘90s to the heyday of the early 2000s. Gritty City traces this timeline from the early 1980s to 2005 in an oral history format, making it seem like you’re just sitting around with your cousins and their friends as they reminisce. Featuring over 100 voices of Winnipeg rappers, producers, DJs, promoters, and community members, Gritty City is a one of a kind chronicle of an important but until now unknown chapter in Canadian music history.
Nemesis Spawned
by
James W. Lackie
Alexander Cadeyrn is no hero . . . but he is destined for greatness. His ruthless father, Saelen—one of five immortal avatars and Lloryca’s creator—has ambitious plans for his son. He knows that Alexander is fated to touch a rare metaphysical phenomenon called a schism and inherit its deific power and he wants to use his son’s power to subjugate the entire universe. Unbeknownst to Saelen, however, the other avatars have already set efforts in motion to sabotage his nefarious plans. As Alexander awaits the moment when he must claim the power he’s been promised, he is thrust into a Lloryca scarred by centuries of war. He seeks to unite the clans and become their king but he knows that he must overcome his own sociopathic tendencies to do so. He clings to the moral teachings of his beloved surrogate father, Owen, but cannot resist the siren call of violence in the guise of ambition and vengeance. Saelen, for his part, only encourages Alexander’s sadistic nature, knowing that it will only aid his ascension. Will Alexander curb the malevolence in his soul that undermines his hopes to become a hero? Will he overcome the machinations of those who would make him their puppet? Will he restore balance to a world soaked in blood and shattered by reckless ambition . . . or merely tip the scales even further? Nemesis Spawned, the first book in the Reflections of Shadow trilogy, is an epic fantasy tale that weaves a multi-dimensional exploration of sociopathy into elements of classic myth, visceral horror, and cosmic/elemental power.
You Taught Me
by
Talina Papazian
Follow a group of six children with disabilities who make the most out of every day. As the children paint, garden and blow bubbles, readers learn that valuable life skills, such as determination and patience, make life more meaningful for us all. This book is a testament to the fact that children have so much to teach us, if we only listen.
No Safe House
by
Jan Garnett
Kathleen (Kot) Cafferty is an optimist, a dedicated professional, and rather fond of control until she is suddenly swept into the RCMP’s Witness Protection Program with only her dog for company. When the safe house becomes anything but, Kot realizes that her life depends of disappearing somewhere beyond even the police’s knowledge. She paddles into the Salish Sea at night and hides until the need for supplies forces her to land on one of the islands on the horizon. On Atticus Island Kot finds work, friends, and a measure of security, but still looks forward to returning to her “real life,” even when a global celebrity with lifelong roots on Atticus takes a keen interest in her. When Kot discovers a young girl living secretly in the island’s decommissioned lighthouse she is torn between the law and the need to protect the fragile safety that each of them has found. Meanwhile, detectives achieve a breakthrough in their investigations into deadly drug smuggling through the Port of Vancouver, uncovering a link to events on Atticus Island. After a stranger appears on the island who is openly hunting for Kot her survival rests on the resourcefulness of her friends and, ultimately, on the not-so-rare altruism of another species. No Safe House was short-listed for the Crime Writers of Canada’s 2023 Best Unpublished Manuscipt award. Reviewer’s comments included: “. . . an ambitious and lyrical novel that takes its time to draw together disparate threads and characters into a transcendent whole;” and “. . . exquisite description, superb dialogue, and a complex and topical plotline.”
The Rose Bird
A Mother's Perspective on Loving and Losing Her Daughter to Fentanyl by
Helen Davies
The Rose Bird is a personal account of what goes on behind closed doors in a family coping with severe mental illness. Told as only a mother can, this is the true story of loving and losing a daughter affected by mental illness and addiction. Although author Helen Davies begins the story with the fentanyl-related death of her twenty-three-year-old daughter Katie on the streets of Kitchener, Ontario, The Rose Bird is really a tale about resilience and a family cherishing and supporting a daughter and sister in an impossible situation. By sharing the story of raising Katie through both good times and bad, Helen highlights how mental illness and addictions can affect any family, and the dearth of resources available before a situation hits a crisis point. As Helen watches her spirited, creative, animal-loving daughter slowly get drawn into life on the streets, she shares the frustration and isolation of fighting to save Katie, and the devastation this brings to her and her family. This is a book for anyone who is going through or has gone through a similar journey, or those supporting someone travelling this road. It shares the highs and lows of loving someone no matter what, and the growing need for policy change and better community resourcing. It is also an important reminder that every person affected by mental illness or addictions has their own story and is someone’s child, sibling, or family member.
Albert Einswine is One Smart Pig
by
Heather Bradley
Meet Albert Einswine, a clever pig with a big heart and an even bigger plan! When Farmer Harold is taken away in an ambulance, the animals must figure out how to care for themselves. But no one is sure what to do. And when five o’clock rolls around, Cameron, the autistic border collie, doesn’t have his dinner, and five o’clock is his dinnertime! Albert comes up with a plan for all the animals to work together to keep everyone happy and full. They will plant a garden, share their food, and work together to keep the farm running. But will Albert’s plan work? Will Farmer Harold come back to a happy, well-fed farm? Will Cameron get his dinner at five o’clock each day? Join Albert and his barnyard friends on an adventure filled with friendship, teamwork, and problem solving.