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!
And So Forth
by
Morris Panych
When the curtain falls on the life of a bitter, self-absorbed actor, he leaves behind two resentful children—Sophie and Ambrose—and one final act of cruelty: his entire estate bequeathed not to them but to his office geranium, Henrietta. Under the dutiful care of his accountant and executor, Martin, the plant thrives while his heirs plot to destroy it and claim what they believe is rightfully theirs. But for the narrator, at least, death is only an intermission. What follows is a surreal and darkly comic odyssey of nonstop reincarnation as the actor’s consciousness stumbles from one absurd existence to the next, moving through a kaleidoscope of strange forms and creatures. Each transformation strips away another layer of vanity and delusion, forcing him to confront the wreckage of his life and bringing him one step closer to the kind of human he never really got a chance to be. Witty, mordant, and unexpectedly tender, And So Forth is a meditation on ego, regret, and the impossibility of making a graceful exit when the play goes on without you.
Track Changes
The Origin Story of Canadian Music on the Internet (1990-2010) by
Cam Gordon
Track Changes: The Origin Story of Canadian Music on the Internet (1990–2010) is the first book of its kind to document a cultural revolution in Canada, one now buried under broken URLs, corrupted hard drives, and discarded cell phones. Long before streaming services, viral hits, AI, and social media, the internet was already reshaping Canadian music. Spanning two pivotal decades, this book chronicles this transformation. Track Changes covers the rise of mailing lists, BBS communities, fan-built websites, MP3 blogs, e-commerce platforms, digital radio stations, music news websites, and other innovations that completely changed how artists reach audiences and how fans discover music. It also explores how the internet contributed to the collapse of major Canadian retailers, music magazines, mass market radio, and other corners of Canada’s cultural infrastructure. Drawing on original interviews, archival research, and vivid first-hand accounts, Track Changes tells the story of the early digital pioneers, artists, entrepreneurs, label heads, bloggers, and fans who used fledgling online tools to build communities, grow businesses, and shape careers. All this was done at a time when the internet’s impact was still very much TBD. Follow Track Changes on Instagram at @trackchanges_ca
Emma's Electrical Services
by
Rosemary Cescolini and Amanda Cescolini
Emma the Electrician answers a call from a family whose blow dryer has suddenly stopped working . . . and there is smoke coming from it! After Emma rushes over to help, she investigates to find out what happened and how she can fix it. Naomi is fascinated with Emma and her work as an electrician. Eager to learn, Naomi decides to tag along with Emma to understand what an electrician does and how Emma is going to solve their electrical problem. Naomi asks Emma a lot of questions and even lends a hand with the repair! Come along with Naomi as she learns about this exciting and helpful trade and how trailblazing women like Emma are breaking barriers and making a difference in their communities.
The Long Way Home
by
Michael Murphy
After years away, Ragnar returns to his home of Oslo, Norway, with a pregnant Sayiina. Wanting to retire from sailing, set his roots down, and raise a family, he finds gainful employment as Oslo’s new harbor master. But trouble soon finds him when his authority is challenged by the notorious gangs infesting the docks of Oslo. Unpredictably, his return also reignites an old family feud with a sea witch, and drops Ragnar and Sayiina in the midst of the ancient Norse practice of seidr magic. During these perilous times, Ragnar must fight both sword and sorcery so both he and Sayiina can survive in his native land. Join Ragnar on his final quest to find out where he belongs, a place he can call home.
What Kind of Dog Are You?
Nacho's Neighbourhood Walk by
Elena McBride
When Nacho sets out on his morning walk, he has no idea who he will meet today! Will it be a new doggy friend? When he encounters new creatures in his neighbourhood, he greets them all with the same question: What kind of dog are you? Nacho is surprised to discover that not all his friends are dogs like him. What animals will he meet on his walk? Join Nacho as he learns about the other animals that live in his neighbourhood. You just might meet a friend you recognize, too!
Vector Surge
by
Diana Dzioba
It is the year 2040, and the world has changed forever. In the near dystopian future, climate change and illness have devastated humanity, leaving few habitable safe havens and even fewer resources for survivors. With the world divided into tenuous alliances, conflict is not just unavoidable. It’s a promise. Eve wakes up injured in the medical unit of Vector Surge, one of the remaining alliances in the Atical safe land. Eve has no memory of who she is or where she came from. She later learns that she was spared a grisly death in the dead zone—a no man’s land between alliance bases—by Vector Surge members who found her. With a murky past, she’s met with scrutiny and suspicion by all but Olivia, a nurse practitioner who spends her days treating the injured and saving lives. With an undeniable attraction blooming between the two women, Eve questions if the past really matters, and if she could leave it behind for her newfound family. Yet Vector Surge’s enemies are at the alliance’s doorstep, threatening to unravel everything Eve’s built. As the alliance suffers attacks from all directions, Eve must decide what’s more important: uncovering her past or protecting her present.
Lucy's Fantastic Flying Adventure
by
Pauline Chan
Lucy is not an ordinary bear. She is a sun bear with a talent unusually rare. Her head sparkles when ideas appear. One day, Lucy has a brilliant idea to invent a flying machine named Marvel. Together, they embark on a fantastic adventure flying over the rainforest. Their first stop is Crazy Ear Town, where hungry Crazy Ear Giants live and not a single tree is found. When the land turns green once again, Lucy meets a crew of animals, including an orangutan, a pygmy elephant, a gigantic prawn and a colugo. With her new animal friends by her side, Lucy sets out on her biggest adventure yet, searching for a family of pangolins kidnapped by red-hatted crooks. Join Lucy on her fantastic flying adventure as she introduces children to endangered forests and animals through whimsical rhymes, while also touching their hearts with this important lesson: We always protect our friends and homes, and we must do the same for animals.
The Phalarope's Journey
A Spiritual Memoir by
Lloyd Guerin Jr
When Lloyd Guerin Jr.’s beloved wife and soulmate, Betty, passed away after forty-two years of marriage, grief left him searching: How could love endure beyond death? The Phalarope’s Journey is a tender, courageous memoir of love, loss, and spiritual transformation. Woven from journal entries, letters, memories, dreams, and Christian mysticism, this is a deeply personal testament to a sacred partnership forged through faith, passion, suffering, and joy. With poetic grace and spiritual insight, Lloyd invites readers to walk alongside him through the mystery of grief and the unexpected moments of grace that follow. From the shared joys of family life to the heartbreak of saying goodbye, from the stillness of spiritual retreat to the revelations of butterflies on the Camino de Santiago, The Phalarope’s Journey is both a love story and a soul’s pilgrimage. At its heart is a call to community and an affirmation that only within the cauldron of belonging can suffering be transformed into new life. Named for the author’s mythical sailboat, The Phalarope’s Journey becomes both vessel and metaphor, a means of navigating the vast inner seas of memory and meaning. As each chapter unfolds, it charts new waters: some familiar, others unknown, all part of the unfolding mystery of a life shared and a soul reshaped. In tracing one man’s path through grief and grace, this memoir holds a mirror to the reader’s own longings—for connection, for healing, and for a love that transcends even death.