Welcome to the Non-AI Heat Index of Great Summer Reads for ’25 Part 1
It brings me great joy to bring you fifteen fabulous reads for this summer. I cover the gamut, from thrillers to poetry, and there really is something for everyone – and maybe there’s more than one thing for everyone.
It’s always so inspiring to see the breadth of work on the CanLit scene, and I hope you’ll enjoy this list as much as I enjoyed putting it together.
STARTING WITH FOUR GREAT READS FROM GALLEON
A Canadian publisher that I’m really loving right now is Galleon Books, with Editor Lee Thompson at the helm. I haven’t met a Galleon book that I haven’t loved and here are a four of my favourites so far.
MIDWAY
BY BRENT MASON (GALLEON BOOKS)
Midway by Brent Mason was the first book that I reviewed on my new Substack site, A Turn of Phrase, and the all-important first line immediately grabbed me: The remnant asphalt heat still shimmers at 3 a.m.
And what followed were powerful and immediate insights into the quiet, broken world where “the shine is off in the wee hours; there is no value, no pretending.”
The book is lyrical, powerful, visceral, vivid, expansive, microcosmic and magnificent. I loved the fight for survival. The all-too-real struggle to make a buck, punishing mind and body to the point of surrealism, the determination to make it through the night, to hang on, to hang in there, to ride it out.
The moments where “there’s no indulging of self now, no wallowing in the mud of insignificant things such as pain, hope, fate or fault. … All that matters is that the flaps are up, the lights are on, the music is loud, the cotton candy is twirling, and the Clown gate is open.” Those moments of release, of oblivion, of the endless, aching needing, wanting, failing, trying, tormented self.
Then there’s the way we are with others, how we fit in, how we don’t. “Wyatt had forgotten what that felt like. To be a local. The wind had come out of the sail of their conversation. The long day felt like so much more, as though the last four months had funnelled down to now, to this spent conversation at a table in a bar with a stranger who was no stranger at all somehow.”
The simple, quintessential longing: “All he wanted was everything he didn’t have.”
The book, like its title, is set in the midways of various towns, and while the setting is a far cry from the suburban 9–5, or urban hipsters, or confident greedy focused capitalists, the power struggles, the inner demons, the ghosts from the past and the Lord of the Flies moments are relevant and true for everyone trying to hustle a buck in today’s topsy-turvy world.
BOOM ROAD
BY SHAWN LAWLOR (GALLEON BOOKS)
Another winner by Galleon is Boom Road by Shawn Lawlor.
A sensual, atmospheric and memorable read, with beautifully written characters. I loved the insights into the various POV’s (all of which were gracefully and seamlessly executed). I really loved going down east and going back in time to 1982 and hanging out with Jackie O’Connor, a stalwart man among men. With his strong moral code, his band of friends and his loved ones, this book reminded me of the film Goin’ Down the Road, but Boom Road brings its own cast of characters that will have you rooting for them all the way.
Boom Road taps into all your senses; you’ll crack up laughing out loud, and then just as quickly your heart will snap in two. Boom Road will also keep you guessing all the way.
NACHZEHRER
BY NELSON KEANE (GALLEON BOOKS)
Another powerful Galleon read is Nachzehrer by Nelson Keane. Nominated for the 2024 NB Book Award for Fiction, this unforgettable book about WWII took me back to The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, which won the Booker Prize in 2014.
In case you’re wondering, in German folklore, a Nachzehrer (after-devourer or devourer after) is a type of undead creature, a ghoulish vampire who comes to life after a violent or accidental death, particularly suicide, and are driven to consume the living.
Nachzehrer is the life story of Gerald Kurt Paine, an extremely likeable fellow who suffers enormous tragedy and hardship at the hands of a cruel Kommandant at the Plotzensee Prison in WWII.
Keane’s novel is as much about great adventure as great hardship, as well the aftermath of confidently following youthful conviction and coming face-to-face with the best and worst of human nature.
The novel is gripping, disturbing and vivid and at times, it’s even humorous. Nachzehrer is a thoroughly worthy read and it’s the kind of book you read in segments because there’s a lot to process, but even as you step away you’re wondering what’s going to happen next and if our hero will survive. Because, despite his flaws, Gerald Kurt Paine is a deeply heroic man and, were it not for the war, there’s no doubt he would have enjoyed a wonderful, joyful success of a life.
THE ART OF FORGIVENESS
BY CHRIS BENJAMIN (GALLEON BOOKS)
The next Galleon treasure is The Art of Forgiveness by Chris Benjamin. I absolutely loved this collection of eight linked stories about three boys growing on the outskirts of Halifax. Vividly imaginative, powerfully insightful and thoroughly real from start to finish, this 128-page book packs a solid punch in the best possible way.
Gerry, Long and Drew are beautiful, oddball, intense misfits that will break your heart into a hundred little pieces. The stories are so moving that you want to rush in and save the boys from themselves, their families and from their lives.
Benjamin’s love and compassion for his characters shines in every sentence, and the secondary characters are just as strong as Gerry, Long and Drew.
I very much hope for a sequel because, more than anything, I want to know what happens next. I fear that the outcomes might not be rosy but when is life ever roses without thorns? I loved the compromises made in exchange for fleeting joys and necessary survival – but at what cost?
ONTO POETRY, BECAUSE OF COURSE, THERE MUST BE POETRY!
Poetry is the purest, most visceral scalpel with which the most talented writers dissect life and I’ll start with Cactus Gardens by Evelyn Lau.
CACTUS GARDENS
BY EVELYN LAU (ANVIL PRESS)
It’s nearly impossible to describe the extraordinary succulent beauty of Cactus Gardens. Lau eternalizes the dramatic beauty of our ripest moments and then with equal skill plunges the reader to the ashen dust of mortality.
It’s a good collection to read during the summer, to revel in the cotton candy and the lime, because the power of some of Lau’s insights might bring too heavy a weight in a long, aging winter.
I preferred to linger on the jujube candy poems, the plump and juicy ones, than face the reality in “Cloudburst”:
at the grocery store the cashier glanced up
after scanning your items, keyed in “Seniors’ Discount”.
So soon? Now the talk was about
what we would leave behind –
unpaid bills, manuscripts, storage lockers
stuffed with dust-covered junk.
Lau walks the knife edge of disaster but in “Lucky,” I loved this:
The miracle is what lies ahead –
roosters strutting the side of the road, canyons
of lime rainforest, clouds of monarchs pestering
the raspberry thistles. Hibiscus, plumeria,
shooting stars beyond the palm trees.
Perhaps, in the end, life is no more than our own private rendition of The Salton Sea (the fourth and final section of the collection), once resplendent, then toxic and destroyed but that’s too awful a way to look at things and these poems aren’t that.
The Salton Sea tracks Lau’s doomed relationship with W. P. Kinsella (mentioned only in the book as Lau’s relationship with a much older, established writer) with mesmerizing clarity and emotional dexterity and in sum, these poems are a record of “Every vanishing moment of your happiness.” (from “Paradise”).
The accuracy of this collection made for a stunning, sometimes uncomfortable read, but it’s all absolutely brilliant throughout.
I truly loved “Floored” and I’ll end with this:
In the end, you went grey—
a whitewashed oak, scraped and sanded,
a silver fox. The floor was aspirational,
floated in from a glossy magazinewhere everyone wore Ralph Lauren
and lived on Martha’s Vineyard.Love it or hate, it would be yours for life.
This collection is a keeper. It’s a reminder of sunshiny days, and it’s a warning but also it’s a how-to guide about enjoying the moments of shiny light and symmetry, even if they come via a borrowed apartment. Because what do we truly own anyway?
FROM THE BEAUTY OF POETRY, TO THE HORRORS OF… WELL, HORROR!
LOWFIELD
BY MARK SAMPSON (NOW OR NEVER PUBLISHING)
As a fan of true horror, and a fan of Mark Sampson’s writing, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Lowfield and it was everything I hoped and expected – and then some!
I’ve always thought that horror writers possess an uncanny ability to see that which lies beneath, the pulsating darkness that threatens to destroy the sunshiny lives of average folk just going about their days, the darkness waiting to pounce on the morally weak, the tired, the flawed and the vulnerable.
The battles of good and evil are waged daily, and I sometimes feel as if the supernatural events in true horror are metaphorical representations of the wars that, sooner or later, each of us will face. Perhaps it won’t get to the point of the supernatural in our lives, but if you read Lowfield, you’ll see that it’s not possible to escape from your past. And what of nature versus nurture and the bad seeds we were born with, to start?
While paying homage to the horror trope, Sampson forges a novel with hallmarks of his own: He delivers an idyllic steamy summer in Prince Edward Island, with cinematic imagery and characters that immediately draw you in, some fascinating history and, as the novel is set in 1995, it was a great blast from the past.
Sampson brings the horror to life in vivid and unforgettable ways, and I applaud his sensational creativity in brandishing the creepy, the evil and the tentacled.
Lowfield is, quite simply, a great read! And I’ll never be able to eat eggplant again.
And while I’m here, I have to give a shoutout to another Mark Sampson book because it’s one of my all-time faves!
ALL THE ANIMALS ON EARTH
BY MARK SAMPSON (BUCKRIDER BOOKS)
About the book:
To solve the world’s depopulation problem, scientists have developed a process known as “pullulation,” which transmogrifies birds and mammals into humanoid form. When a terrible accident occurs, the once desolate planet Earth’s population quadruples overnight with the appearance of strange new beings known as “Blomers.”
Now human, or at least human-like, Blomers bring with them certain talents based on their forebears: foxes are mathematically inclined, blue jays are visually artistic and gophers are courageous and strong. But with these aptitudes come a predilection for a free and open sexuality and a tendency toward violence among their own kind. Humans are at best bemused and at worst horrified by the Blomers’ bizarre behaviour.
Buttoned-down human resources manager Hector Thompson hates two things: change and science fiction. Finding himself in the middle of both, Hector must embark on a road trip across North America to reckon with the full impact of pullulation and what responsibilities he has to the rapidly changing society in which he lives.
My Review:
Quite simply one of my favourite books ever. A hilarious, profound and highly original tale that harkens back to the dynamics of George Orwell's Animal Farm but spins a perfectly timed tale of love, art, politics and, as an added bonus, offers an extremely funny exploration of the role of corporate HR. And, of course, there are the animals!
I realize now that my little review didn’t do justice to the book so if there’s one takeaway, it’s for you to grab a copy of this book, along with Lowfield, and enjoy a bumper read of SampsonLit! I loved the setting, the characters, the plot and exposition of human nature.
TWO THRILLERS WITH REAL MOTIVE
Death on the Island by Eliza Reid and Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon came to me by way of an invitation to moderate a panel at MOTIVE on 28th June, which is not to say I wouldn’t have read these books but I generally prefer to read small-press publications. That said, I struck gold with these two.
DEATH ON THE ISLAND
BY ELIZA REID (SIMON & SCHUSTER)
Let’s start with Death on the Island. Canadian-born Eliza Reid is the former first lady of Iceland, where she’s lived for over twenty years and her love of Iceland is evident in this wonderfully atmospheric novel. It’s an entertaining story, a combination of the films Murder at the End of the World and The Menu, both of which I loved, but this story brings much more.
I recently watched a BBC documentary about a chef in Iceland who forages seaweed for a Michelin star restaurant, and while Skel (in the novel) was a fictitious restaurant, it was a lot of fun to read about angelica, which is like a wild celery. And the Flaming Viking sounded like great; house-spiced rum, birch-bark liqueur and traditional Icelandic brennevin or ‘burning wine,’ which in South African terms is a drink we fondly refer to as white lightning or wits blitz.
Apart from the scenery and the food, the Nordic noir, Agatha Christie–styled plot was a lot of fun because of the diplomatic angle, of which Reid would have had a lot of first-hand experience. Apparently, diplomats’ spouses are dubbed “trailing spouses,” which was a fun fact. There’s also a novelist in the book and he was a great character and while I won’t give away any spoilers, it was very entertaining to read the lengths to which he’d go to get published.
ONLY ONE SURVIVES
BY HANNAH MARY MCKINNON (MIRA)
Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon is about an all-girl pop-rock band, The Bittersweet (which is a great name) and not only are these gals cool, funny, flawed, deep and fascinating, they are SO mean! Who doesn’t love a mean girl, particularly when the book has the best 80s–90s soundtrack around? Plus, Hannah Mary McKinnon wrote the lyrics for The Bittersweet’s songs and maybe The Beaches, who recently won the Juno for Group of the Year 2025, and who are mentioned in the book, will feature the songs? That would be a neat twist!
I immediately thought I’d figured out which of the mean girls was the one to survive but, with a whole host of twists and turns along the way, I was right but I was also wrong.
Only One Survives is the kind of book you just can’t put down because it keeps you guessing all the way and it’s fun to live vicariously in the world of just-about-to-be-famous pop stars.
Both books are very satisfying reads, are well thought out, avoid the cliché of the trope and offer a great escape from life.
DEVOURING TOMORROW EDITED
BY A.G. PASQUELLA AND J.J. DUPUIS (DUNDURN PRESS)
Speaking of escaping from life, or perhaps fast-forwarding to the future, I’d be remiss not to give a shoutout to Devouring Tomorrow, edited by A.G. Pasquella and J.J Dupuis.
In full transparency, I’m one of the contributing authors to this anthology, so this isn’t a review so much as a recommendation. If you’re looking for a thoroughly unique, thought-provoking read.
Happily, this collection was recently listed on Hamilton Review of Books Bestseller List and it’s causing quite the stir on the review circuit with differing opinions on reviews faves and not so faves (which is great, right? The best of life comes down to passionate discourse and that these stories are eliciting passionate responses means that they’re succeeding.)
For example, in some reviews, my story, “Time to Fly,” tops the ratings and at other times, it gets muted praise. I’ll say this: Devouring Tomorrow is one of the most interesting, exciting collections I’ve read in a very long time and I take my hat off to A.G. Pasquella and J.J. Dupuis for editing this excellent collection, and thanks to Dundurn for publishing it. Grab a copy and join the conversation!
Stay tuned next week for part 2.
