These 2015 Books Aged Like Fine Wine

This is a charming, fascinating microhistory that tells the story of rain. Humans have long sought to understand and control rain—from worshipping weather gods and dancing to bring on rain, to trying to use science to predict the weather, to trying to prevent or cause rain with explosives. Barnett does a great job of incorporating science and history into this book. I read it on a couple of grey, rainy days and it was perfect. –Valerie Michael

I usually read non-fiction a couple chapters at a time between fiction. In this case, I INHALED this book. Leah’s writing is poetic and impactful. It not only placed me beside her—it crawled into me. Her journey from being a brown girl in the U.S. with a white mother, to seeking out POC, to finding her identity (in Canada after years of struggle) was heartbreaking AND beautiful, told in a voice that flowed beautifully from storytelling to a poetic narrative. It created a perfect balance for when she spoke of things like abuse, poverty, and racism. –Jamie Canaves

Disaffected teenagers with superpowers at a boarding school! This started as a webcomic, and although I think it works a little better in that format, I can’t help but love Tamaki’s humor and style. Frances, the guerrilla artist, was my favourite, but despite the cast that all gets a turn at the spotlight, this is clearly Marsha’s story. Marsha is closeted and in love with her best friend. It’s equally amusing and heartbreaking to see her criticizing her crush for being too kind and naive when clearly those are the traits that made Marsha fall for her. This is a new favourite.

Anne Garréta is part of the Oulipo, a French workshop that experiments with language to stretch what it can do (such as the novel that never once used the letter “E”). In this short book, Garréta—and her translator— take on the challenge of writing a book that never uses pronouns for its protagonist or the lover. It’s a powerful experiment that argues that gender neutrality is certainly possible, even in gendered languages. And the novel itself is compelling, telling the story of a DJ in love with a dancer, and centering this tale in a world of clubbing, music, and parties that is both freeing and isolating, addictive and pulsing.

Content warnings for death, and racism from side characters. —Leah Rachel von Essen