NewsRadio Bookshelf top 24 reads of 2024

Here is a list of the top 24 reads of 2024 from the NewsRadio Bookshelf, covering some of the best in Vancouver, B.C., and Canadian non-fiction, history, and current affairs.

Justin Trudeau on the Ropes: Governing in Troubled Times

It’s no secret the popularity of the Trudeau government has taken a beating in recent months. With a general election expected by October 2025, will the prime minister answer the bell? Or will he stay down for the count? Those are the questions journalist and political pundit Paul Wells raises in his latest book.

Atrocity on the Atlantic: Attack on a Hospital Ship During the Great War

It was an attack once described as “the very worst thing that Germany has yet done at sea.” Toronto-based author and freelance journalist Nate Hendley sheds new light on a forgotten, yet pivotal, chapter in our history.

A Map of the New Normal: How Inflation, War, and Sanctions Will Change Your World Forever

“There is no turning back to the world we once knew. It no longer exists.” That ominous warning is contained in the fifth and latest book from former CIBC World Markets chief economist turned bestselling author Jeff Rubin.

Untold Tales of Old British Columbia

Historian Daniel Marshall feels B.C.’s place in the Canadian story is often given short-shrift – be it in the written record, but especially in the way it is taught. His latest book, in its own small way, tries to set that record straight.

No Means No: From Obscurity to Oblivion

From 1979 until their break-up in 2016, No Means No did things their own way, commercial success be damned. Now, the story of the legendary B.C. punk rockers is being told in a new book by Jason Lamb and Paul Prescott.

At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage

Few people know the power of words quite like Carol Off. As a career journalist, including 16 years as the host of As It Happens on CBC Radio, words were her stock in trade. In her latest book, she attempts to take back six terms she says have been “hijacked, weaponized, and semantically bleached” by extremists.

Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel

In these climate-conscious times, “flight shaming”— a global movement to stigmatize air travel — has become a thing. Short-term accommodation websites like Airbnb are also increasingly blamed for exacerbating our housing crisis. So, can tourists and the industry that supports them be vindicated? Author Steve Burgess aims to find out in his new book.

Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life

Pierre Poilievre, if the public opinion polls are to be believed, is poised to become Canada’s next prime minister. But who is he? Where did he come from? And what motivates him? Author Andrew Lawton aims to answer those questions — and more.

Shadows of Tyranny: Defending Democracy in an Age of Dictatorship

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to be a dictator but “only on day one.” Author Ken McGoogan looks back at the rise of dictators like Adolf Hitler during the first half of the 20th century and what can be learned from them.

Out of Darkness: Rumana Monzur’s Journey Through Betrayal, Tyranny, and Abuse

Rumana Monzur likes to say she lost her sight but gained her vision. In 2011, the Vancouver woman made headlines around the world when, on a return trip to Bangladesh, she was left blinded by a vicious attack by her then-husband. Today, she is the subject of a powerful new biography by author Denise Chong.

My Fighting Family: Borders and Bloodlines and the Battles that Made Us

Morgan Campbell is a journalist and broadcaster who often explores the intersection of sports, race, business, politics, and culture. Now, he is turning the lens on himself in his debut memoir. It’s a book about family, race, and growing up in a country with as many definitions of being Black as there are Black people in it.

Our Crumbling Foundation: How We Solve Canada’s Housing Crisis

Journalist, broadcaster, and author Gregor Craigie has been reporting on the housing crisis for more than 25 years. It has been the dominant topic of conversation in British Columbia for as long as he has lived here. So, what is to be done? Can we look to other places for solutions? Those are some of the questions Craigie poses in his latest book.

Surviving Vancouver

Michael Kluckner has been writing about Vancouver and its vanishing heritage for 40 years, becoming, in his words, “a harsh critic of the city’s willingness to clearcut itself, the way settler culture did with the forests that stood here in Indigenous times.” His latest book continues that work decades later.

My Day with the Cup: NHL Players Tell Their Stories About Hometown Celebrations with Hockey’s Greatest Trophy

Winning the Stanley Cup is only the beginning, according to broadcaster and author Jim Lang. In his latest book, Lang argues it is the offseason that provides the most satisfying moment for each member of the winning team.

Never Boring: The Up and Down History of the Vancouver Canucks

Despite coming close in 1982, 1994, and 2011, the Vancouver Canucks have never won the Stanley Cup. Now, author and retired sportswriter Ed Willes looks at the “sometimes thrilling, often infuriating, and always fascinating” story of the team.

Slumach’s Gold: In Search of a Legend — and a Curse

Somewhere hidden in the rough mountainous terrain around Pitt Lake, some 45 kilometers east of Vancouver, it’s believed there is a creek filled with gold nuggets. Myth links the location of this creek to an Indigenous man of Katzie heritage named Slumach, who, legend has it, laid a curse upon the mine to prevent anyone else from finding it. Now, the tale is being retold in a new book by Brian Antonson, Mary Trainer, and Rick Antonson.

Vancouvered Out: A Novella

The rising cost of living and sky-high rents are often cited as reasons why people leave BC. That is something former Vancouverite Norman Nawrocki knows all too well. Now, our seemingly never-ending housing crisis is fodder for the Montrealer’s 17th and latest book.

A Perfect Day for a Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, On Foot

Much has been made about Vancouver’s natural surroundings, but it can also be a very walkable city. And what better way to get to know the city than on foot? That is the thinking behind a new book by author Bill Arnott.

Pictures on the Wall: Building a Canadian Art Collection

He is best known as the founder and chairman of Polygon and for the art gallery in Whistler that bears his name. Now, Michael Audain is out with a new book that explains how, over seven decades, he amassed a distinguished and diverse collection of Canadian and international art – including the largest private collection of Emily Carr artwork in the country.

Standing at the Back Door of Happiness (And How I Unlocked It)

David Roche calls himself an inspirational humourist. The Sunshine Coast-based author and public speaker was born with a vascular malformation. His second and latest book is all about finding and nurturing a positive sense of himself and encouraging it in others.

Worlds Fastest Man: The Incredible Life of Ben Johnson

It was arguably the greatest moment in Canadian sports history — for about 36 hours. On September 24, 1988, Ben Johnson ran the 100-meter final at the Seoul Olympics in a record-setting 9.79 seconds. However, he would be forced to give back his gold medal after testing positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. Now, author Mary Ormsby has revisited the Johnson saga to cast the events in a new light.

A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream

Marc Garneau was the first Canadian in space and later served as Transport Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Now semi-retired, the 75-year-old is looking back at what he calls a most extraordinary ride in a new memoir.

Traitor By Default: The Trials of Kanao Inouye, The Kamloops Kid

Kanao Inouye is one of only two Canadians ever to face prosecution for war crimes. In his role as an interpreter for the Japanese Army during the Second World War, he tortured prisoners of war and civilians. But it was high treason, not war crimes, that saw him marched to the gallows. Now, author Patrick Brode looks at the strange, little-known case of this B.C.-born war criminal.

The Carbon Tax Question: Clarifying Canada’s Most Consequential Policy Debate

On Sept. 12, Premier David Eby dropped a bombshell: his government would get rid of British Columbia’s consumer carbon tax if the federal government also removed a requirement for provinces to enforce their own carbon pricing rules. Now, author Thomas F. Pedersen looks at the history of B.C.’s signature climate policy and its possible future.