They Left Us Everything by Plum Johnson (Toronto, Ontario)

An absorbing memoir of grief, growth, and decluttering. Plum Johnson must deal not merely with the legacy of her difficult, ill-matched parents, but is handed the burden of disposing the seemingly endless contents. A story of love, loss and legacy.

One Day in August: The Untold STory Behind Canada's Tragedy at Dieppe by David O'Keefe (Montreal, Quebec)

One Day in August is that rare book that is able to say something new about something so familiar. Based on extensive research in official records this is historical writing at its best: engrossing, revealing and enlightening.

The Last Asylum:  A Memoir of Madness in our Times by Barbara Taylor (London,England)

Referred to as "a work of major substance and shocking honesty".  Having been admitted to Friern Hospital, a once-notorious asylum for the insane Barbara Taylor presents a moving view of attitudes towards mental illness with Friern Hospital as a backdrop to her personal journey.

And Home Was Kariakoo: A Memoir of East Africa by M.G. Vassanji

M.G. Vassanji returned in his sixties to his old neighbourhood in Dar es Salaam. From there he embarked on a journey that covered travelling over changing and often inhospitable land. He contrasts the "beggar" mentality that pervades these countries against donor celebriites that court publicity. He also brings to life the foods and people of this exotic country.

Boundless by Kathleen Winter (Montreal, Quebec)

Kathleen Winter joins an expedition through the North West passage as official trip "writer". The events of the voyage are interwoven with her childhood memories, struggles with adulthood and aging and intense engagement with fellow travelers.  A beautiful and poetically told story of the impact of this unplanned voyage.