2025
Great Canadian Gift Books for 2025
We stopped exchanging huge, multi-item Christmas presents with loved ones a few years back. Somehow, though, we couldn't quite break the habit of giving special gifts to close family and friends. But now, rather than blowing the budget on massive pressie piles, we take the time to carefully choose one perfect book for each person on our list.
Whether it's a richly engaging memoir, a nature tome for a wildlife lover or a lavishly illustrated art book for a fan of creativity, there's a great gift volume for everyone out there––so long as you know where to look. Here at the Vancouver Christmas Guide, we've made it easy for you by profiling some of our newly published favourites. And each of these is by a Canadian author, so you'll be supporting our hardworking homegrown writers at the same time! Keep an eye on this page going forward; we'll be adding more titles as the season unfolds.
VICTORY GARDENS FOR BEES
by Lori Weidenhammer (Douglas & McIntyre; $29.95)
Perfect for: Gardeners, nature fans and bee-lovers
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Reflecting new fields of hope in the drive to protect our natural world, this fully revised and lavishly illustrated new edition of Weidenhammer’s popular tome is jam-packed with inspiration. From garden plans to planting guides, readers will discover just how easy it is to create a green space where bees can thrive––and the fascinating chapter on Canada’s wide array of bee types will show you just who you’re trying to help.
RESTAURANT KID: A MEMOIR OF FAMILY AND BELONGING
by Rachel Phan (Douglas & McIntyre; $26.95)
Perfect for: Fans of family tales, immigrant stories and memoirs
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A quintessential Canadian story of a Chinese-Vietnamese immigrant growing up in small-town Ontario, with parents who moved here and opened a restaurant when she was just three years old. Heartfelt and moving, Phan’s account exposes her struggles with being the only Chinese girl in school––and her subsequent attempts to progress from fitting in with the expectations of others to eventually understanding and finding her own path.
BETTER THIS YEAR
Edited by JJ Lee (Tidewater Press; $24.95)
Perfect for: Fans of personal essays, real-life tales, Christmas stories
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The final volume in a three-book trilogy of original festive-themed essays collected by writer-broadcaster-instructor Lee, this page-turning edition features a full array of real-life Yuletide tales that swap the soft soap of many Christmas stories for a hearty dose of realism. None of these essays is without hope, though—it’s just not where you might expect it. Pick up the previous two volumes as well; together they’re the ideal gift for any short story fan.
THE MOTHER: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR
by Rachel Deutsch (Douglas & McIntyre; $24.95)
Perfect for: Parents and soon-to-be parents; fans of humour and personal stories
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Celebrated New Yorker cartoonist Deutsch dives into her own personal experience of being pregnant in this honest, occasionally frightening but brilliantly funny account of the ups and downs of having a baby. The real-life story is told in graphic novel form, giving full reign to Deutsch’s quirky artistic ability as well as her spot-on observational skills as she relates the rollercoaster emotions of pregnancy and parenthood.
RUFOUS AND CALLIOPE
by Sarah Louise Butler (Douglas & McIntyre; $24.95)
Perfect for: Fans of family-themed novels; stories of nature and climate change
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Rich in storytelling and coloured with evocative descriptions of backcountry B.C., this immersive novel follows cartographer Rufous Flanagan as he treks through a remote Interior region in search of his childhood summer hideaway. But as memories unfold and the wilderness closes in, long-forgotten family questions combine with the dangers of survival in a harsh realm. A gripping, suspenseful evocation of the fragility of both family and nature.
DEVELOPING GLAZES
by Mary Fox (Harbour Publishing; $44.95)
Perfect for: Potters, artists and lovers of the creative process
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A sumptuously photographed book that not only looks lovely but also includes the hard-earned wisdom of self-taught, internationally celebrated potter Mary Fox. Throughout her pioneering work, she has amassed a wealth of invaluable insights on glazing––and in this inspiring volume, she encourages readers to sidestep their nervousness about the process and join her in being creative and experimental. The results, as she’s discovered, can be liberating.
ANARCHISTS IN LOVE
by Robert Hough (Douglas & McIntyre; $24.95)
Perfect for: Fans of historical fiction, the Gilded Age, political activism
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A searing novelized account of the love story between real-life anarchists Emma Goldman and Sasha Berkman during the 1890s Gilded Age in New York City. Hough’s meticulous recreation of a politically charged era not unlike our own creates an engaging, action-packed book that charts the passion behind some of the era’s biggest ideals––and their antithetical clash with the rapacious drives of capitalism and industrialization.
SISTERS OF THE JUNGLE
by Keriann McGoogan (Douglas & McIntyre; $38.95)
Perfect for: Fans of nature, primate research and women in science
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Subtitled The Trailblazing Women who Shaped the Study of Primates, this brilliant book profiles eight women who––against huge odds––built pioneering careers in a key scientific discipline. Primatologist McCoogan expertly explores each story, from famous names such as Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey to equally accomplished scientists including Linda Fedigan and Louis Leakey. The result is a series of compelling and inspiring accounts of incredible achievement.
A PERFECT DAY FOR A WALK BY THE WATER
by Bill Arnott (Arsenal Pulp Press; $24.95)
Perfect for: Fans of urban and water-based exploring; local culture and stories
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Subtitled Exploring Vancouver’s Shores, this engaging sequel to the bestselling A Perfect Day for a Walk is a great companion for locals and visitors curious about the coastline that fringes this region. Taking readers in, on and under the water around Metro Vancouver, Arnott explores the unique cultures, histories and stories of the area, creating a brilliantly colourful read as he paddles, dives, sails and walks the area’s shoreline swathes.
THE MICROBIOME MASTER KEY
by B. Brett Finlay & Jessica M. Finlay (Douglas & McIntyre; $26.95)
Perfect for: Readers interested in personal health and wellness strategies
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Subtitled Harness Your Microbes to Unlock Whole-Body Health and Lifelong Vitality, this fascinating self-help book explores the latest research on why we should embrace microbes as the key to our wellbeing. But it’s not just a theory: you’ll also find a full gamut of practical steps showing how to adopt healthy microbiome strategies to improve all aspects of your physical and mental health.
THE ANTIFA COMIC BOOK
by Gord Hill (Arsenal Pulp Press; $24.95)
Perfect for: Readers interested in politics, protest, democracy & resistance
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This revised edition of Hill’s action-packed graphic history of global anti-fascist movements encompasses recent shocking developments such as the US Capitol attack of January 6, 2021 and Canada’s own 2022 convoy protests. A gripping and powerful account of the roots and latter-day rise of fascism around the world, this brilliantly illustrated book is also an essential and inspiring call to action showing what citizens and organizations can do about it.
JOHN HORGAN: IN HIS OWN WORDS
by John Horgan with Rob Mickleburgh (Harbour PressPress; $38.95)
Perfect for: Fans of memoirs, local politics, recent B.C. history
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This intimate, revealing and often funny memoir is the opposite of a stuffy political book. Instead, John Horgan––the popular B.C. premier who died in 2024––takes readers on an engaging journey that starts when, as a wayward youth, he sees a Tommy Douglas speech and it set him on the path to a political career. That career is explored with refreshing candour and the kind of colourful anecdotes that are rare in political memoirs.
CURLING ROCKS!
by John Cullen (Douglas & McIntyre; $26.95)
Perfect for: Curling fans and those interested in Canadian sports and sports history
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A richly entertaining read relating the eclectic story of curling in all its sweeping glory, stand-up comic and medal-winning curler Cullen gets to grips with “the roaring game” in a series of irreverent and sometimes deeply personal essays. Light-hearted but meticulously researched, you’ll learn all about major scandals, strange fashions and some of the all-time greatest matches ever played.
LETTERS TO KAFKA
by Christine Estima (House of Anasi Press; $26.99)
Perfect for: Fans of literary historic romance, feminists themes and Kafka
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A novelized account of the real-life love affair between Franz Kafka and Milena Jesenská in post-WWI Europe. Estima’s debut book weaves a page-turning story of passion that began when the married Jesenská became Kafka’s first translator. Corresponding via increasingly intimate letters, the two eventually meet––but what will happen and how will the young Jesenská choose between being a wife, a lover and an intellectual?
O CANADA CROSSWORDS: BOOK 26
by Gwen Sjogren (Nightwood Editions; $18.95)
Perfect for: Crossword and puzzle fans
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The latest edition of this bestselling crossword series offers Sjogren's signature mix of clever clues, covering everything from geography to the Olympics to nature and much more in 75 fun and sometimes fiendishly tricky puzzles. That includes 25 non-themed Canada Cornucopia crosswords––much loved by fans of her work––as well as some extra-tough puzzles to give your brain a great workout.