A Los Angeles Times standout book of the season
A National Post best cookbook of 2020
Featured by Eater Seattle, Seattle Times, National Post, Globe and Mail, CBC News, CTV News, and the Boston Lanka Network
"This vegetable and seafood-heavy book has recipes for all the classics . . . I would plead for as a kid . . . It’s a technique-heavy book, full of reliable instructions and gorgeous, nostalgic photographs.” —Epicurious
Ruwanmali Samarakoon-Amunugama's childhood memories of visits to her parents' homeland in Sri Lanka were filled with colourful trips to the market, lively, happy meals with her extended family, and long, scenic car rides from the capital of Colombo, past tea estates and farmers' stalls, into the hill country around Kandy. In Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves, Ruwan shares the rustic, tropical flavours of these Sri Lankan visits—sweet pineapple and mango, bitter gourd, toothsome cashews, spicy chili pepper, tart lime, and many more—in recipes designed with North American home cooks in mind.
She introduces the three pillars of Sri Lankan cuisine: coconut milk, rice, and spice, and walks readers through the steps to make the two foundational Sri Lankan curry powders (roasted and unroasted). She also goes into detail on specialty products—like goraka, pandanus leaves, tamarind, and young jackfruit—always with attention to using ingredients available in North American grocery stores.
With lush food photography and styling, hand-drawn illustrations, heirloom photos and ephemera, Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves is an invitation to a way of cooking and a family of traditions from the country known as "the Pearl of the Indian Ocean."
Ruwanmali Samarakoon-Amunugama learned to cook Sri Lankan food from her mother and grandmother. Her knowledge of South Asian foods and ingredients has been further enhanced by numerous trips to Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia. Born in Mississauga, Ontario, Ruwan graduated from Simon Fraser University and has lived in British Columbia, Alberta, Ottawa, and Washington state.
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A Los Angeles Times standout book of the season
A National Post best cookbook of 2020
Featured by Eater Seattle, Seattle Times, National Post, Globe and Mail, CBC News, CTV News, and the Boston Lanka Network
"This vegetable and seafood-heavy book has recipes for all the classics . . . I would plead for as a kid . . . It’s a technique-heavy book, full of reliable instructions and gorgeous, nostalgic photographs.” —Epicurious
"Samarakoon-Amunugama sets the scene . . . lays out the foundation of [Sri Lankan] cuisine . . . makes it clear where substitutions might be acceptable and where they are not . . . [and] her careful instructions and adaptations for North American cooks culminate rewardingly in the recipes." —Los Angeles Times
"All the 65 recipes in Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves are inspired by her mother and grandmother, a tribute to an unhurried time when food was cooked with a lot of thought, with a lot of love. . . there is a thoughtful intent to give her North American readers an understanding and insight into the island’s cuisine, its origins and influences—the Portuguese and Dutch elements that have enhanced it as well as cooking tips and recipes, all woven with memories." —Sri Lanka Sunday Times
"A lush trove of thoughtful, economical advice for adapting [Sri Lankan cuisine] to North American pantries. Vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will find much to enjoy in this collection. Whether cooking for a crowd or a few, celebrate familiar fall flavors during this unusual holiday season, and find delicious solace in the winter squash, the crab curries, the elegant, topping-laden Fancy Yellow Rice and the simply divine Coconut Roti." —Shelf Awareness
"[Samarakoon-Amunugama] pays homage to her mother’s homeland, expounding on the abundance of fish around the flora-flush island in the Indian Ocean that inspired its seafood dishes, and fruits and veggies from the hill country of the Central Province that produce memorable vegetarian curries." —Seattle Times
"Taking a long flight somewhere to enjoy new cultures and foods is not, for obvious reasons, in most of our current plans. We’re staying close to home and looking forward to the day that we can travel like that again. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get a big bite of what that journey might be like. That’s how I felt when reading . . . Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves." —Times Colonist
A book of recipes from the author of the Grape Series memoirs that will transport you to a rustic French cottage surrounded by vineyards, no matter where in the world your kitchen might be.
For years readers of Laura Bradbury's bestselling Grape Series memoirs have been clamouring for the secrets behind all the mouthwatering meals described in the stories about her life in Beaune, Burgundy. Together with her friend, photographer and cookbook author Rebecca Wellman, Laura shares recipes that have been handed down through her husband Franck's family or passed on by French friends and neighbours, and that now feature regularly on the menu at her house.
Bisous & Brioche features classics like vinaigrettes, madeleines, crêpes, crème fraîche, tarts, cassoulet, coq au vin—dishes whose names alone will warm the heart of any Francophile. The recipes are served up with anecdotes about their arrival in Laura's life and are accompanied by Rebecca's sun-soaked photos of market visits, meal prep, and lazy lunches in the vineyard.
Laura Bradbury is the author of the novel A Vineyard for Two and the bestselling Grape Series memoirs, which recount how she followed her heart and found l’amour in the Beaune region of France. Laura, her husband Franck, and their three daughters divide their time between Victoria, BC, and Villers-la-Faye in Burgundy where they own and manage three vacation properties.
Rebecca Wellman is a photographer who has specialized in food and lifestyle photography, recipe development, and food styling since 2007. In 2017, Rebecca released First, We Brunch, a book of recipes and stories from Victoria’s best-loved breakfast joints. Rebecca lives in Victoria, BC, and is a frequent contributor for Vancouver Island’s EAT Magazine.
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"With its celebration of French essential cooking and stunning photography, this beautiful book should be a fixture of any Francophile kitchen."—Lindsey Tramuta, author of The New Paris and The New Parisienne
"An exceptional cookbook filled with simple but elegant recipes that dispel the myth that French cooking is complicated. The recipes and descriptions are a revelation. The mysteries of French cuisine, SOLVED! I think this book might actually improve my marriage." —Janice MacLeod, New York Times bestselling author of Paris Letters
"A feast of a book, chock full of authentic, mouth-watering recipes as well as insider hints and tips to inspire new and seasoned cooks alike. Bon appétit!" —Fiona Valpy, bestselling author of The Dressmaker’s Gift
"Fans of Bradbury's Grape Series will delight at the chance to bring a little bit of French flavour to their tables. Bisous & Brioche brings together recipes handed down through generations with the stories behind them. If you can’t share a glass of wine in Bradbury's Burgundian kitchen as she prepares a meal for you, this is the next best thing." —Mardi Michels, author of In the French Kitchen with Kids
Boat lovers of all ages and people who enjoy the scenery of BC’s coast will delight in this charming gift book, a worthy addition to books about BC’s art history.
In the course of his career, one of BC’s most beloved painters, E. J. Hughes (1913–2007), depicted paddle wheelers, steamships, fishing boats, and car ferries. Now The E. J. Hughes Book of Boats brings many of his coastal paintings of boats together in one handsome volume—a book for art lovers and boating enthusiasts alike.
Robert Amos is the official biographer of E. J. Hughes, and works with the participation of the Estate of E. J. Hughes. The Book of Boats follows the success of his two geographically-based volumes, E. J. Hughes Paints Vancouver Island (2018) and E. J. Hughes Paints British Columbia (2019). This new compendium features never-before-seen sketches and photographs accompanying full-page illustrations of some of the artist’s finest works.
Robert Amos has published eight books on art, including E. J. Hughes Paints British Columbia and E. J. Hughes Paints Vancouver Island, and was the arts columnist for Victoria’s Times Colonist newspaper for more than thirty years. Amos was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1995 and is an Honorary Citizen of Victoria. He lives in Oak Bay, British Columbia with his wife, artist Sarah Amos.
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"Amos . . . brings a lightness of touch to the selection, pairing fully-fledged paintings next to preparatory sketches and watercolour studies. The effect is both humble and fascinating, offering a look into the creative decision-making of the artist." —The Tyee
"A colourful, outstanding introduction to E. J. Hughes’ paintings. A great Christmas gift." —Marianne Scott, Pacific Yachting
"Comprehensive . . . E. J. Hughes has slowly reached a prominent status in Canadian art, and it is a well-deserved and hard-earned reputation. A growing number of books on Hughes attest to the public's interest in his work. The E. J. Hughes Book of Boats is a valuable and attractive addition to this library." —Gary Sim
"It's just lovely . . . [the cost] is unheard of for a nice collection of art. And who doesn't want to curl up . . . by a fire and flip through a nice art book and be reminded of the nice place we all get to live?" —Adam Craik, Russell Books
"Meticulously researched and vividly drawn, Orphans of Empire brings to life the half-forgotten world of early British Columbia. This is an immersive, shimmering novel." —Steven Price, author of #1 nationally bestselling By Gaslight and Giller-shortlisted Lampedusa
In Grant Buday's new novel, three captivating stories intertwine at the site of the New Brighton Hotel on the shores of Burrard Inlet. In 1858 the serious and devoted Sir Richard Clement Moody receives the commission of a lifetime when he is sent to help establish "a second England"—what is now British Columbia. In 1865 Frisadie, an eighteen-year-old Kanaka housemaid, who is more entrepreneur than ingénue, arrives in New Brighton from Hawaii. She convinces Maxie Michaud to purchase the hotel with her, and it soon becomes the toast of the inlet. In 1885 Henry Fannin, a young, curious embalmer and magnetism devotee, having struck out in London and San Francisco, arrives in New Brighton and promptly falls in love with a tragic woman he hears crying on his first night at the hotel.
Endearing, funny, and highly evocative of time and place, Orphans of Empire celebrates those living in the shadow of history's supposed heroes, their private struggles and personal agendas. Readers who loved Michael Crummey's Galore and Eowyn Ivey's To the Bright Edge of the World, will love this vivid novel of arrivals that prods at the ethics of settlement.
Grant Buday is the author of the novels Dragonflies, White Lung, Sack of Teeth, Rootbound, The Delusionist, and Atomic Road, the memoir Stranger on a Strange Island, and the travel memoir Golden Goa. His novels have twice been nominated for the City of Vancouver book prize. His articles and essays have been published in Canadian magazines, and his short fiction has appeared in The Journey Prize Anthology and Best Canadian Short Stories. He lives on Mayne Island, British Columbia.
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An exciting debut novel told in connected short stories that captures the diverse and complicated networks of people who stretch our communities—sometimes farther than we know.
Set in the cities, reserves, and rural reaches of Alberta, Katie Bickell’s debut novel is told in a series of stories that span the years from 1990 to 2016, through cycles of boom and bust in the oil fields, government budget cuts and workers rights policies, the rising opioid crisis, and the intersecting lives of people whose communities sometimes stretch farther than they know.
We meet a teenage runaway who goes into labour at the West Edmonton Mall, a doctor managing hospital overflow in a time of healthcare cutbacks, a broke dad making extra pay through a phone sex line, a young musician who dreams of fame beyond the reserve, and a dedicated hockey mom grappling with sense of self when she’s no longer needed—or welcome—at the rink.
Always Brave, Sometimes Kind captures a network of friends, caregivers, in-laws, and near misses, with each character’s life coming into greater focus as we learn more about the people around them. Tracing alliances and betrayals from different perspectives over decades, Bickell writes an ode to home and community that is both warm and gritty, well-defined and utterly complicated.
Katie Bickell emigrated from England to northern Alberta in 1990. Her fiction has been published in the Tahoma Literary Review and Alberta Views and her essays have appeared in WestWord Magazine, HERizons Magazine, and on The Temper. Chapters from Always Brave, Sometimes Kind have received the Alberta Literary Award’s Howard O’Hagan for Short Story, the Writers Guild of Alberta’s Emerging Writer Award, and won the Alberta Views Fiction Prize. Katie lives in Sherwood Park, Alberta, just outside of Edmonton.
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An inspiring and timely collection of stories about migration, written from twenty women’s perspectives.
Somewhere is an inspiring collection of stories about migration. Written from twenty women’s perspectives, it brings a refreshing and uniting voice to this compelling and trending topic. More people are likely to be migrating now than at any other time in history, and this is set to increase as climate change and political unrest pushes even more people to relocate. The implications of migration, especially for women, are often unknown, unheard, unspoken. From the fleeing refugee to the political and economic migrant, a broad range of migration by people of many cultures, ethnicities, and beliefs is shared in this book. Identity, belonging, assimilation and alienation are some of the key topics in this sometimes sad but also joyful book. Treasures of wisdom and heartfelt honesty are found in the stories. The book will give the reader hope, encouragement, or insight into a globally relevant subject on a personal level rather than through distant, abstract news stories. Somewhere encourages open-mindedness and is filled with stories that will likely have a strong impact on the reader.
Lorna Jane Harvey is a British, Canadian, and Swiss writer currently located in New Zealand. She has written or edited several books including the novel Jet Black Stones and the book Beverley in 50 Buildings. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, and a Masters in Communication and Applied Linguistics.
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