The Read Local BC’s Bestseller list highlights the titles of independent, B.C.-owned publishers sold in independent B.C. bookstores. Discover a few of their picks for the month of July:

Linda Gabris, Wild Harvest BC

Linda Gabris has been venturing into the outdoors to harvest wild edibles for over 60 years. The lessons taught to her by her grandparents, of responsibility, sustainability and a connection to the land are as important today as they were then. This book shares those lessons as well as tips and practical advice in a personal, easy to-read style.

Combined with a scientific field guide, Wild Harvest BC is the perfect companion book to take with you on outdoor
adventures. Over 70 recipes ranging from Wild Cream of Asparagus Soup to Hazel’s Hazelnut Brittle will help you turn your foraging finds into delicious, hearty meals. So get out there and enjoy the bounty of Mother Nature.

Lane Winslow, Lightning Strikes The Silence

A warm June afternoon in King’s Cove is interrupted by an explosion. Following the sound, Lane goes to investigate. Up a steep path she discovers a secluded cabin and, hiding nearby, a young Japanese girl injured and mute, but very much alive.

At the Nelson Police Station, Inspector Darling and Sergeant Ames, following up on a report of a nighttime heist at the local jeweller’s, discover the jeweller himself dead in his office, apparently bludgeoned, and a live wire hanging off the back of the building.

As Lane attempts to speed the search for the girl’s family with her own lines of inquiry, Darling and his team dig deeper into a local connection between the jeweller and a fellow businessman that leads across the pond to Cornwall and north to a mining interest on the McKenzie River. Away at her police course in Vancouver, Sergeant Terrell’s favourite (former) waitress April McAvity is drawn into the case when Darling asks for her help with finding possible relatives in the city for Lane’s young charge.

Sheila Harrington, Voices for the Islands

Voices for the Islands brings together the stories and experiences of those who rose to protect areas at risk within their island communities. Narratively linked by author Sheila Harrington’s three-year sailing journey among the islands to interview more than fifty veteran conservationists, the book shares an in-depth view of local protests and the history and evolution of local conservancies from their timely emergence through legal battles and successful partnerships. It highlights how local, provincial, and national support was won, through the collaborative efforts of dedicated locals, resulting in hundreds of new protected areas and parks within one of the most at-risk ecological communities in Canada—the islands of the Salish Sea.

Beginning in the 1980s, when logging and development threatened the fragile ecosystems and natural habitats, and culminating in the creation of more than seventeen local conservancies and the Gulf Island National Park Reserve, Voices for the Islands will inspire readers to turn apathy into action and support the cause of conservation and reconciliation in an era of species extinction and climate change. Full of colour photos, maps, and fascinating first-hand stories by unsung heroes of conservation—many of whom are now elders—this book reveals how local people and grassroots movements have the power to transform the future of our precious planet.

David Beers and Andrea Bennett, Points of Interest in Search of the Places, People and Stories of BC

Take a trip across British Columbia with this enchanting collection of essays from thirty local writers.

What makes wandering the vibrant land called British Columbia really special? Encounters with locals who are ready to share, over a coffee or a beer, quirky tales and powerful truths rooted in place and time. Consider this book a meet-up with 30 such storytellers, the perfect road companion for your journey real or imagined. The Tyee is the province’s oldest and most-read independent source of online news and ideas, renowned for its range of voices on politics, culture and nature.

This anthology marking The Tyee’s 20th anniversary includes pieces published over the last two decades and includes the distinct perspectives of some of the region’s most celebrated writers, including J.B. MacKinnon, Alisa Smith, Cúagilákv (Jess H̓áust̓i), Arno Kopecky, Harrison Mooney, Michelle Cyca, Christopher Cheung, Andrew Nikiforuk, and many more, as well as illustrations by Nora Kelly. Pull up a chair and get their inside scoops on the places they call home.

Discover more B.C. Bestsellers here.