Earlier this year when it was even darker than cold, I read a lot of books. At least fifty. Some were standouts, the ones you know will be well reviewed and win awards. But a great many others have stayed with me—emotional impact, beautifully crafted, fine contributions to that Canadian canon of literature. These too, deserve attention.

In case they’ve slipped under your radar, or like me, you rush into the library and choose from the racks at the front, instead of browsing an indie bookstore and asking one of the staff to chat with you about new releases, here are some that I recommend.  Not in a particular order, except that the first on the list is haunting, beautifully written with a self-deprecating humour, and took me by surprise.

 Compass by Murray Lee

God Isn’t Here Today by Francine Cunninghan

Extinction by Bradley Sommer

When I Was Better   by Rita Bozi

In the Dark We Forget   by Sandra S.G. Wong

There Are Wolves Here Too   by Niall Howell

Not the Apocalypse I Was Hoping For by Leslie Greentree

Ezra’s Ghosts by Darcy Tamayose

Then I’ll Be Famous by David Loblaw

There are so many more that I should mention, or that I know many of you would mention, but here’s a small salute to the “mid list”.