Fresh On Our Shelves

This gripping memoir begins with a woman escaping a violent attack, unaware she’s fleeing the man about to commit the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history. With raw honesty, it traces years of manipulation and intimate partner violence, and the long road toward reclaiming a voice that had been systematically silenced. More than a personal story, it challenges how society treats survivors and exposes the gaps in support systems meant to protect them. A harrowing, courageous, and deeply necessary read.

Borrow The First Survivor: Life With Canada's Deadliest Mass Shooter by Lisa Banfield

This is a love story—but not the kind that promises a tidy ending. It explores a friendship that deepened into a powerful, destructive romance shaped by addiction, longing, and emotional reckoning. Through heartbreak and self-confrontation, the narrative asks what happens when love becomes a cage rather than a refuge. It’s an intimate meditation on desire, loss, and the hard-won freedom that can follow devastation.

Borrow All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert

Set against a backdrop of sudden loss and global shock, this memoir weaves grief, friendship, love, and survival into a luminous tapestry. The author reflects on losing her closest friend on her wedding day, then facing further trauma less than a year later. As she mourns both a beloved person and a former version of herself, she also celebrates artistic lineage, chosen family, and enduring devotion. The result is tender, searching, and quietly powerful.

Borrow The Flower Bearers: A Memoir by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Dating may look glamorous in Hollywood, but behind the scenes, it’s just as messy, awkward, and human as anywhere else. Drawing on real-world matchmaking experience, this book reveals the habits and blind spots that sabotage connection, and how to break them. Along the way, it offers practical advice wrapped in entertaining stories you’ll instantly recognize. Whether you’re dating, avoiding dating, or meddling lovingly in someone else’s love life, there’s plenty here to ignite insight.

Borrow Your Last First Date: Secrets From a Hollywood Matchmaker by Jaydi Samuels Kuba

Told by a survivor whose identity was long hidden from the public, this memoir confronts abuse, betrayal, and the devastating cost of silence. It exposes how fame and power allowed exploitation to continue unchecked, while the adults and systems meant to protect a child failed spectacularly. Writing with clarity and strength, the author reclaims her story on her own terms. It’s painful, brave, ultimately empowering, and a reminder to always believe and protect the vulnerable.

Borrow Who's Watching Shorty? Reclaiming Myself From the Shame of R. Kelly's Abuse by Reshona Landfair 

What if the economic system we’re told is inevitable is actually designed to benefit only a few? This provocative book argues that many familiar economic “fixes” are not neutral tools, but mechanisms that reinforce inequality and limit democratic control. By unpacking how economic authority became shielded from public scrutiny, it invites readers to question long-held assumptions. It’s a bold, challenging call to imagine a different kind of economic future.

Borrow Escape From Capitalism: An Intervention by Clara E. Mattei 

This upbeat cookbook is all about feeling good without spending hours in the kitchen. Packed with quick, approachable recipes, it’s designed for busy lives and flexible diets, with vegan swaps and air-fryer options throughout. From energizing breakfasts to speedy suppers and make-ahead meals, everything is built around simple ingredients and everyday cooking. It’s a joyful, low-stress approach to healthy eating that fits real life.

Borrow Clodagh's Happy Cooking: 100 Easy, Speedy, Healthy Recipes for Good Mood Food by Clodagh McKenna 

If traditional budgeting has never worked for you, this refreshingly practical guide takes a different approach. Instead of forcing rigid rules, it shows how to build financial stability by working with your natural habits. Using simple systems that create clarity and reduce anxiety, it helps you manage money without giving up everything you enjoy. The focus is on sustainability, confidence, and progress that actually sticks.

Borrow The Money Habit: The Worry-free Way to Financial Independence by Mike Michalowicz

Why do some people instantly feel “in sync” while others don’t—and why does it matter so much? This fascinating exploration explores the science behind human connection, revealing how our bodies and emotions subtly align with others. Drawing on research and everyday examples, it shows how moods, behaviours, and even health can be contagious. It’s an eye-opening look at the hidden forces shaping our relationships, from friendships to workplaces.

Borrow Why We Click: The Emerging Science of Interpersonal Synchrony by Kate Murphy

Even the most devoted moms can feel overwhelmed by guilt, anxiety, and anger—and this compassionate guide meets those feelings head-on. With warmth and understanding, it reframes self-criticism as a signal rather than a failure. Through practical exercises and gentle insights, it helps readers build self-trust and emotional resilience. The message is clear and reassuring: you’re not broken, and you’re not alone.

Borrow When Good Moms Feel Bad: An Empowering Guide for Transforming Guilt, Anxiety, and Anger Into Compassion, Confidence, and Connectedness by Jessica Tomich Sorci