Okay. See you guys down there. Miss you already.

Back-to-School Sale

So, school starts September 8th this year, which gives us all a little extra time to relax, prepare, and, DUH, buy books! I, for one, have to stock up on some children’s lit in order to feel fully ready for my little students … my Percy Jackson boxed set is missing 2 books and it’s just … a whole thing. If you have your own boxed set dilemmas, or just want to take advantage of an awesome sale, head over to our store September 3rd-September 8th!

Book Release: Listening Once Again to Our Great Mother

Join Elder Bill Jones and author Karen Moe to celebrate the release of Listening Once Again to Our Great Mother: The Fairy Creek Blockades and the Life Story of Pacheedaht Elder Bill Jones. The evening will include readings from the book, discussion between the authors, and questions from the audience.

WHERE: Russell Books 100-747 Fort St, Victoria BC

WHEN: Sept 17th. Doors at 6:30, event starts at 7pm

COST: $10 basic ticket; $30 VIP ticket including signed copy of the book; 0$ Equity sliding scale ticket

Tickets available on EventBrite

About the book: An inspiring personal transformation through rediscovery of Indigenous self.

“I was lost before I was born”: the starting point of Pacheedaht Elder Bill Jones’ lifelong journey of decolonization. “You were all Indigenous once”: the starting point for ending a world based on exploitation and greed.

In 2020-2021, settlers and First Nations people held what became Canada’s largest act of civil disobedience – the Fairy Creek Blockades – in Port Renfrew, British Columbia. During this fight to save some of the province’s and the world’s last remaining old-growth forest, the protesters experienced a collective transformation and were reacquainted with our Great Mother. As Elder Bill sat in a tent during a West Coast storm at the height of the Blockades, he experienced the final phase of his personal decolonization when he had a realization that has informed his life ever since.

Weaving together the stories of Elder Bill’s personal life and those of his ancestors with Elder teachings, settler feminism, and the story of the Blockades, Listening Once Again to Our Great Mother shares wisdom that will inspire readers to reach their own self-awakening, now and for generations to come.

Staff Picks

“The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by Milan Kundera - A perennial favorite; Kundera’s most well-known work is the definition of literary fiction. Must it be? It must be.

“Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” by Shehan Karunatilaka - “Darkly funny, unique novel about a recently dead murder victim navigating the surprisingly bureaucratic afterlife. 2022 Booker Prize winning book from Sri Lankan author. “

“The Book Witch” by Meg Shaffer - “Rainy March is a proud, third-generation Book Witch, sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes real and imaginary. With her magical umbrella and feline familiar, she jumps in and out of novels to fix malicious alterations and rogue heroes like a modern-day magical Nancy Drew. When her grandfather goes missing, only the fictional detective she loves can help her solve the case.”

Moss’d In Space by Rebecca Thorne - “Is there such a thing as “soft sci-fi”? If so, this is it -- in the best possible way. This character-driven space odyssey is snarky, heartwarming, and hopeful. I enjoyed every second.”

Among Others by Jo Walton - “A re-read – I love this book more every time I read it! Mori from Among Others remains in my top ten of fictional characters I wish were my friends in real life.”

Craft Crawl

On Friday, September 25th and Sunday, September 27th, get ready for an amazing local shopping event inspired by a pub crawl, taking place in, you guessed it, your very own Victoria.

The Craft Crawl is an event where participants are invited to visit multiple craft-related businesses across Victoria and collect stamps in a passport or bingo card as they go. Each stop offers a unique experience, such as a small discount, product demonstration, workshop promotion, make-and-take activity, or featured item. RB will be participating, so be sure not to miss us!

The Craft Crawl will take place September 25th–27th! We will see you there.

Planet Earth Poetry

Planet Earth Poetry is a 30-year-old weekly reading series celebrating poets and poetry. Their season runs from September—June (with a break in December) featuring local poets and poets from across Canada.

We are honoured to host their weekly in-person events, which take place on Friday evenings in the store.

The first event of Season 31 will take place Friday September 11 and will celebrate the launch of Yvonne Blomer’s Sublime Anthology and will also include a book sale fundraiser for PEP. You can find more information about the September schedule here.

Orange Shirt Day

This year, Orange Shirt Day falls on Wednesday, September 30th. The day, as we all know, honours the children who never came home from residential schools, and by extension their families who have lived with the consequences of these losses for generations. On the 30th, please make sure to wear an orange shirt, and drop by our store to pick up some Indigenous-authored reading material — it’s important, and we’ve got lots of fantastic books to choose from.

Thanks for reading!

Well, that’s all for now. I’m going back to reading My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier … really wishing someone had once written in their journal, “Molly, my torment!” about me. Do you think it’s possible? I’m kind of trying to haunt someone. And, you know what I’m going to say — if you’re looking for your next Gothic romance, you know where to find it! We’ll see you at our store soon :-)

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.

The Russell Books Warehouse Sale is back! 📚

Our warehouse in James Bay has been filling up with books all year, and now we need to make some room!

Join us August 14–16 for our biggest Warehouse Sale yet, with thousands of books across every genre there’s a book for everyone.

📚 1 book for $5

📚 3 books for $10

📚 8 books for $20

📚 Kids’ books just $1

Whether you’re searching for your next favourite read or adding to your collection, you won’t want to miss these deals.

Bring a friend, help us clear some shelves, and we hope to see you there!

Please note this sale is at our warehouse (106 Ontario Street in James Bay, not at our main store!)

Celebrating 65 Years of Russell Books

Russell Books is proud to be celebrating 65 years in business. From humble beginnings to now being the largest used and new book store in Canada, we are proud to be firmly rooted in the hearts of Victorians and visitors from across the globe.

Russell Books Ltd. is a third generation, family-owned company founded in Montreal, in 1961. It began as a 300 square foot, one aisle, secondhand bookstore and gradually grew into the largest used, antiquarian, and new bookstore in town. In 1991, Reg Russell, the founder of the store, opened a Victoria branch with his daughter Diana and her husband Ron Depol on the 700 block of Fort Street. In 2019, Russell Books moved to bigger digs across Fort to 747 Fort Street, and moved over 500 000 books (you thought your move was hard…) to our current location. Along the way, some joker mover stacked all the books up in one place, but it just so happened to be the tallest stack of books on record, so a Guinness World Record was awarded.

What’s next for Russell Books? Maybe we’ll have a hard third-act pivot into an entirely new industry: e-Bike repair shop/matcha cafe? Veterinary hospital for ill parrots? Swedish massage and sauna haus? Maybe we should just stick to the books…

We are celebrating our blue sapphire anniversary with a sale: Everything in the store is buy-2-get-1-free* from Friday July 31st to Tuesday August 4th.
*Please note that staff are not included in this deal; we are priceless.

Staff Picks

The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI by Cory Doctorow

“Please read this book! Then make everyone you know read it. This is the first piece of writing about AI I’ve encountered that actually explains what’s going on, why, and what we can do about it. Cory Doctorow cuts through hype with characteristic charm and brevity. This is a quick read that will leave you feeling more informed and less overwhelmed.”

The Wars by Timothy Findley

“A sparse, poetic novel about the limits of human morality in warfare and the ways in which we choose to remember the young Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in the “war to end all wars”.”

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

“A haunting folktale of possession, greed, and vengeance... with PICTURES! After uprooting her life in Britain for an arranged marriage in New England, Abitha Williams must contend with her unexpected love for her new husband, the stringent and brutal morality of the Puritan community, and the demonic forces at work in the forests surrounding her farm. This book will surely keep you up at night, either from sheer terror or the inability to stop reading until you reach the gruesome finale.”

Highlighting Canadian Publishers

We are always pleased to collaborate with other Canadian business and are proud to display a selection from two great publishing houses: Rocky Mountain Books and Greystone Books.

Rocky Mountain Books (RMB) has grown to become one of Canada’s more vibrant, long-standing and evolving book publishers. Established to specialize primarily in guidebooks for hikers, climbers and skiers, RMB has repositioned itself for the 21st century and now successfully publishes and promotes a dynamic, growing list of provocative, engaging and award-winning books on mountain history, adventure travel, outdoor lifestyle, environmental consciousness, Indigenous culture, and contemporary photography—as well as a growing selection of bestselling books for children.

Greystone Books is a leading independent publisher of books about nature, science, health, and social issues, with a commitment to environmental stewardship. Greystone Books is a proudly Canadian owned and operated company.

Russell Books Book Club

This month our book club read ‘The Capital of Dreams’ by Montreal’s Heather O’Neill. This dark fairy tale captures the surrealism of war from the eyes of a girl on the verge of adulthood. The story is set in the fictional country Elysia in the midst of a war; a small country with a booming arts and culture scene that is nestled in Europe but forgotten about by most of the Western world. We follow Sofia, only daughter of Clara Bottom - Elysia’s version of Simone de Beauvoir - as she journeys through the war torn country on a mission to recover her mother’s manuscript which is meant to preserve Elysian society.

Written with a beautiful prose-like candour, and with O’Neill’s signature magical realism style, ‘The Capital of Dream’s’ raised a lot of questions surrounding motherhood/parenthood, class, and how one’s own identity is transformed by a war.

Ultimately, we all enjoyed the book and it’s unique way of exploring the effects of war, without it being strictly a “war story”. For most, this was their first book by this author, and many are looking forward to their next one!

For our next meeting in the fall we will be reading “Orbital” by Samantha Harvey, so stay tuned to hear all about what the Russell Books Staff thinks about it!

Read It Before You Watch It

Many years ago, some industrious little movie goblin came up with the ingenious idea of tapping into the nigh-unlimited source of plots by simply adapting (read: plagiarizing ) popular books into movies; then they wait three years, and adapt them all over again. Frightful stuff. But we can beat big Hollywood at their own game by first reading the books they used to write the scripts! Our display is… on display… at the lower-level customer service desk. Come down to browse our selection of books adapted into this summer’s hottest movies and streaming shows.
Also, some confident, charming person wrote some cute little signs, but they were written in messy whiteboard marker, so someone else with steadier hands and a better education rewrote them. Now 90% more legible!

New from our Vintage Department

This gorgeous book on Humming Birds by Mary and Elizabeth Kirby was published in 1876. You can find it and lots of other beautiful treasures of all kinds and prices in our Vintage & Collectible Display Cases. Antiquarian rarities? Modern first editions? Marbled papers and gilt lettered leather? Hunting books signed by former American presidents? A book on what to wear to your next fancy ball? We’ve got it all!

Heritage Acres Children’s Day

This year Russell Books will once again be hoisting a tent at the Heritage Acres Children’s Day on August 8th. Bring the little people in your life, slather them up with so much sunscreen that they could reflect moonlight, ride the miniature train, and then join us at the Russell Books tent for story time! Funny reading voices guaranteed!

Thanks for reading!

I sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading this month’s newsletter. As this is my first time (and likely last), I had a whale of a time writing it. I know you’re all asking: ‘Will the regular writer be back soon?’ and ‘Will the Swedish massages be booked the same way the book trades are now?’ Undoubtedly, yes.
Please join us to celebrate Russell Books 65th Anniversary, buy a book (or three), and cram every little bit of joy into August that you can. See you on the miniature train!

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.

So, the cool kid who normally writes this newsletter is off vacationing somewhere warm, which means this month’s edition is being penned by one of the old guys at the store.

That’s one of the great things about working at RB: the wonderful blend of a bunch of smart, fun, lively, youthful* staffers and a handful of us who are a little more, um, well-seasoned. It’s a healthy mix. The young ones show those of us in the grey-haired/no-haired crowd how to work our phones, and in return we tell them what it was like to watch colour television for the very first time. They also smile indulgently at dad jokes (though the smiles grow a little strained after the fifth or sixth telling).

Speaking of which, the boss came up to me the other day in the store’s Greek and Roman section.

Boss: “What are you doing?”

Me: “Shelving Greek books.”

Boss: “Euripedes?”

Me: “No, they were torn when I got here.”

Sorry. Old joke, which is what you get from an old guy. Read on. There’ll be more.

* Anyone under age 60 counts as youthful

Staff Picks

What do those awesome RB staff members suggest you read? Dana — who, BTW, is one of the very best at patiently listening to dad jokes — recommends:

The Sirens by Emilia Hart “Wow! I devoured this... a perfect combination of historical/contemporary storytelling and mystery.”

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino “A hilarious and touching story about feeling like an exile in your own home, and the fragility and resilience of life on Earth. At the same time Voyager 1 launches, a little girl with knowledge of a faraway planet is born in Philadelphia. Through a fax machine that shows up in her room one morning, Adina can communicate with her extraterrestrial relatives and report back on what humans are all about.”

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman “With sharp and exacting prose, Harpman has written a short novel that packs an unsettling punch. Both speculative dystopia, and a profound exploration of loneliness, hope, and identity.”

Kelsey’s pick: Monk & Robot by Becky Chambers

“A monk and a robot wander the world, talking about purpose and what it means to be alive. Becky Chambers writes these characters with such warmth that they feel like your close friends within pages. It offers an alternate vision of the future where humans and AI have genuine care for each other, which feels quietly radical in our world today. This story feels like a hug and a warm cup of tea, and is the perfect read for anyone who needs a little hope.”

Kelsey, BTW, is a fabulous baker who sometimes brings us cookies. Old guys like cookies.

Downtown Victoria Gift Card Giveaway

Remember when you were a kid and your distant aunt, the one who occasionally confused your name with that of the family dog, would slip a crisp new $2 bill inside your birthday card? Or maybe you’re too young for that; the banknotes haven’t been legal tender since 2001.

Back in the olden days, gifts of cash were a good way to say “I don’t know that much about you, so am resorting to a present that is practical but patently impersonal.” Then came gift cards (they began showing up in Canadian wallets around the same time the $2 bill disappeared) which were welcomed because they were more tailored to individual interests.

Ah, but what if, like your powder blue polyester leisure suit from 1977, the tailoring is of an uncertain fit? What if you don’t know which card to buy? Enter the Downtown Victoria Gift Card. It can be redeemed at a myriad of shops, restaurants, salons, spas and other businesses in the city’s core. It also sends a strong message: you recognize the value of local businesses and want to support them.

This month, Russell Books is offering a $100 Downtown Victoria Gift Card as a prize. Here are the deets (do the kids still say “deets?”):

Contest runs until end of day August 1st. Enter through our Facebook or Instagram pages (or both!)

A visit from an influential writer

We like it when famous authors drop by the store unannounced. We grow positively giddy when that author is the kind of writer who makes other writers turn pink at the ears and morph into gushing fanboys/fangirls. (Think of the way serious musicians would go gaga for Prince, or Joni Mitchell, or John Coltrane.) Some of us at RB almost managed to hold it together when Natalie Goldberg stopped in the other day. She’s the author of 15 books, including her groundbreaking 1986 classic Writing Down the Bones, which has not only sold more than a million copies in 14 languages, but is considered one of the most influential works on the craft of writing. Get your signed copies while they last.

Medicine Wheel Publishing

The past few years have seen a sustained demand for Indigenous-related books. That’s reflected in the store’s recently expanded Indigenous Studies section, its neighbouring Indigenous Artists section and a rack of Indigenous books from Vancouver Island-based Heritage House Publishing. Downstairs, our children’s area contains an Indigenous Studies section of its own.

Now there’s a new addition: a spinning rack of books from Victoria-based Medicine Wheel Publishing. Here’s how they describe themselves: “Medicine Wheel Publishing creates award-winning, culturally authentic Indigenous books, resources and tools specialized for moral and cultural education. Each book teaches a positive moral message designed to invite all children, youth and adults to engage and participate in culture with authenticity and respect.”

Come check it out or browse the titles here.

Your answers to our question: Which book do you wish you could read again for the first time?

Well, that was a delicious question that we posed to RB readers on social media, wasn’t it? And here, in the above photo, are stacked some of the readers’ answers. You can see more responses here.

At the very tippy-top of the pile: Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha. Really? Somebody wants a second first crack at reading Siddhartha? Me, I’d rather take a second shot at getting tasered (pro tip: don’t). I tried reading Siddhartha about 200 years ago when I was trying to impress somebody (it didn’t work) and found I could barely spell it, let alone wade through it.

On the other hand, I must grudgingly acknowledge that Hesse (whose name somehow lost its last “e” on the spine of the book in the photo) did win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Could it be that I was wro… wron… (sorry, old guys have a hard time getting this word out) not as right about his work as I could have been? Maybe the point of this whole second-first-look exercise is to approach a book when at a different stage of life, from a new perspective. Books might not change, but the people who read them can.

I’m still not reading Siddhartha, though.

What we have been reading lately

Speaking of the Nobel Prize in Literature, did you know that J.R.R. Tolkien was rejected for the award in 1961 because, according to jurors, his storytelling didn’t measure up?

Which brings us to the big sheets of paper pictured above. There are pages and pages of ’em in the RB break room, a running list on which staff record their recent reads and what they thought of them. In a store packed with a gazillion titles, we find this collective wisdom to be a valuable tool that — like the lists offered by Oprah or Reese or the New York Times — helps us navigate our reading journeys. Of course, unlike Oprah, Reese and the NYT (or, for that matter, the Nobel Prize jury) RB staff members are never, ever wrong. Trust us.

Thanks for reading!

Congratulations. You hung in there until the end of the newsletter. And now, just like the FIFA World Cup, it’s almost over — the difference being that you might lament the conclusion of the latter. Thanks for putting up with my incoherent rambling. Feel free to swing by the store for a dad joke.

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.

Here at Russell Books we love and appreciate Dads (some of us even are Dads!) In honour of Fathers everywhere we are holding a 1 day only Father’s Day sale June 21st. Enter on our Facebook or Instagram to win a $25 gift card to spend at the sale.

Best of the City is a great (free!) way to show your favourite local businesses some love! We are honoured to be nominated in two categories this year (‘Best New Bookstore’ and ‘Best Used Bookstore’ under the Shopping section) and we would love your vote.

You can vote here daily (yes, you can vote every single day!) until June 28th. Voters are entered to win a $200 local gift card pack. We are so grateful to be one of so many wonderful Victoria businesses included in these awards.

June is here, guys, which means that summer is calling. I was reading Carson McCullers outside today in the park, in actual shorts and sandals. Legs exposed, feet, etc. Unfortunately, I was not approached by an attractive stranger who coincidentally had the EXACT same reading taste as me, and cool tattoos, and a sort of ratty/alternative/skater-esque sense of style. Instead, I fell asleep and left a charming pool of saliva on my arm and picnic blanket. So, June is not off to a romantic start for yours truly. BUT it is a month to celebrate love in all its many beautiful forms … so I’ll get in the mood soon. I’ll see you guys down there — staying awake!! I promise :-)

Picks for Pride Month

Well, looking at this lovely display makes me very proud of my fellow RB staff members’ taste in books. Jeanette Winterson, Douglas Stuart and Benjamin Alire Sáenz are some of my all-time fave authors, and, in honour of Pride Month, you should definitely give their books a read. Also, I mean, if you’ve watched Heated Rivalry (I say IF because I know that some people may choose to spend their lives underneath literal rocks in a hobbit-like way, which I am totally open to/accepting of, but that would be the only way you could’ve missed out on Shane/Ilya … seriously), you should definitely give Rachel Reid a try. Come down to our store ASAP to check these out!!

Indigenous History Month

June is also Indigenous History Month, which means it is a time to celebrate the rich contributions that Indigenous peoples have made, and continue to make, to Canadian society. If you’ve been meaning to try out some Indigenous authors, June is the month to do it — so head on over to RB to check out our awesome display (pictured above)!

Father’s Day

Father’s Day is always a hard day for me, because I always write my dad a card, and it is so IMPOSSIBLE to put into words how truly amazing he is, and how much he has shaped me/influenced me/inspired me throughout my whole life. I really believe I got one of the best ones ever (i.e. dads), and it is so cool that we get to share our love of reading with each other … and RB itself, of course. I love you, Dad — I couldn’t ask for any better than you <3

Pictured above are some of the RB dads (my dad not included, as he is helping my sister move … a dad job since time immemorial!).

Staff Book Club

In May our staff book club dug into ‘Villian Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies’ an unusual, macabre, and provocative novel by author Lindsay Wong. We unearthed some opinions that you’ll be dying to hear!

​A quick, spoiler-free synopsis: This novel follows a family of three Chinese-Canadian women, Locinda, her sister Samantha, and their grandmother Baozhai. At the opening of the book Lo has signed a contract with a company that promises to find a husband for her; the problem is that they specialize in corpse marriages, a traditional Chinese practice that brings good fortune to those unlucky enough to die single.

Why is a twenty-something woman willing to be buried alive? Why does her grandmother keep all those shoes in her house that she never wears? What was that in Samantha’s hair? This authentic, disturbing, and biting prose had some of us put the book down entirely, but for those that kept with it it (re)animated some lively discussion in our book club – read on! If you dare...

​Many of our readers did agree that the beginning of the book was disorientating and a bit confusing. The mise-en-scène style throws you right in with Lo as she is going through orientation with the Joyful Coffin & Co. Matchmaking service, climbing into closed-caskets for several hours next to a recently exhumed corpse. Lindsay Wong hits you right away with the tone that will carry the book – and it was too much for some of our club. While it served as the ‘present’ of the novel, many of us agreed that the sections of the book with the Joyful Coffin & Co. seemed to be the weaker parts. The flashbacks to Lo’s life before she agreed to be a corpse-bride are where the bulk of the story takes place, and felt stronger.
​The opening also drops a lot of information very quickly, and is unapologetic if much of it is unfamiliar to the audience – this is confirmed by the footnotes, written in Lo’s voice, which refuse to dilute or alter the story to help manage the readers’ expectations. These footnotes felt very like Ms. Wong’s own voice and we appreciated how raw and strong her opinion came through.

​Authenticity is a very big theme of the book. Lindsay Wong’s life is mirrored in the trajectory of Locinda’s movement from Vancouver to New York, to attend graduate school and live with her grandmother in an impoverished apartment. Lo is a struggling writer seeking to find her place and worth while dealing with the pressures of her family, the alienation of being Chinese-Canadian, and being unemployed.
​Other major themes include the struggles of immigrants, the strained relationships between family, the resilience of women and what they have to do to survive. ‘Villain Hitting’ has us thinking of topics like human trafficking, sex-work, and how historically women and children, especially of non-white communities, were commoditized; and we haven’t even touched the mythic and supernatural elements of the book.

​Overall those of us that read on until the end found this book’s darkly witty, jarringly unfamiliar, and wickedly emotional tone to be very worthy and fun.

​Special thanks to Jack Knox, our in-house liaison célèbres, who sent Lindsay Wong our group photo and commendations for the rousing read.

Our next Staff Book Club pick, as selected through our extremely advanced, high-tech voting system (pictured above) is ‘The Capital of Dreams’ by Canadian author Heather O’Neill. Our staff will be meeting to discuss it on July 15th. Stayed tuned to find out what we think of that one!

Jack Knox Fundraiser for Kids Cancer

Before coming to Russell Books, Jack Knox used to write a newspaper column. That column led to the publication of four books, two of which were bestsellers nominated for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour (the other two, he points out, weren’t nominated for a damn thing).
From June 1–20, Russell’s will devote the proceeds of the sale of those books to the Island Kids Cancer Association, a small, frontline charity that helps the families of Vancouver Island children who have been diagnosed with cancer.
The timing is linked to the June 16-18 End2End relay, which will see a team of cyclists ride from Victoria to Port Hardy and back non-stop to raise money for IKCA. No, Jack is not riding -- but he will be in the bookstore to sign his books from noon to 4 on Sunday, June 7.

Iona Whishaw Signed Copies

A big thank you to Iona Whishaw for dropping by and signing copies of her latest book, “A False and Fatal Claim”, and her entire Lane Winslow series!

You can come in and get autographed copies while supplies last!

The Poet Laureate Podcast

We are honoured to sponsor the most recent episode of The Poet Laureate Podcast hosted by the current poet laureate of Victoria, Kyeren Regehr. If you are a poetry fan and haven’t listened to it yet we highly recommend it!

In this searching and generous episode (Season 2, Episode 2), host Kyeren sits down with poet, memoirist, teacher, and the inaugural Poet Laureate of Victoria, BC, Carla Funk. The conversation moves through poetry, the daily work of a creative life, and remaining awake to the world. Together they explore Carla’s practice of “hunting beauty in common places,” the role of wonder and listening in her writing life, and the ways memory, inheritance, humour, and hope move through her work.

Check out their website for all the episodes and more information about the podcast. Happy listening!

Thanks for Reading!

Well, I’ve got to get back to my report card writing. It feels distinctly non-creative, and it does keep me from my more literary pursuits. I’m feeling discouraged that I’m already two years older than Carson McCullers was when she wrote her first book. Don’t even get me started on S.E. Hinton. Do you guys think I’ve grown stagnant in my artistry? Am I wasting my potential? Do you sort of cringe reading my writing, due to its earnest/overwrought nature? Sorry. Not my journal. Not my journal. I’ll chill out. Love you guys. Thanks for listening. And I’ll see you next time <3

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.

Welcome to your favourite part of the month! When RB posts their newsletter! Please don’t protest. I’m feeling fragile. If you have any teachers in your life, give them a hug at some point this month. May is truly insanity for those of us shaping the minds of the next generation — spring concerts, track and field season, overheated classrooms, trying to finish up the curriculum … I’m losing the plot. Anddd there is a SEGUE. Because you know who hasn’t lost the plot? The fantastic authors that we carry on our shelves. Really hope you come by the store to check them out this month. I might not be there, because I am drowning … but you’ll feel my spirit. Love you guys. Sorry if that was too soon.

Victoria Day Weekend Sale!

What better way to celebrate Queen Victoria than a Buy 2, Get 1 Free saleeeee! I just looked up “Did Queen Victoria read books”, and it turns out that she really liked Jane Eyre and the poetry of Wordsworth and Tennyson. I’m not going to lie, my research was not extensive on that, so that could be totally false. But come by our store May 15th - 18th! We’ll see you there.

Event: Colin Varner

Join us on Saturday, May 16th for a book signing by Collin Varner! Who even knew there were 200+ species of plants in Greater Victoria alone?? Come by our store to find out more. Seriously. Do it.

Asian Heritage Month

Did you know? May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada — so it’s our time to recognize the long-standing contributions of people of Asian descent to Canadian culture and history. Some of my personal favourite Asian Canadian characters include Madeleine Thien and Kim Thúy — definitely check them out if you get a chance this May!

Red Dress Day

May 5th in Canada is a national day of awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. This day raises awareness for the high rates of violence committed against Indigenous women and girls. Over 63% experience physical or sexual violence at some point throughout their lives — and so, on this day, and every day, they deserve our solidarity. Pictured below are many examples of Indigenous-authored novels and stories that feature Red Dress Day themes.

Mother’s Day

It’s almost Mother’s Dayyyy! And guess what. We would never have had “Pride and Prejudice” or “A Complicated Kindness” or “Great Expectations” or … you get it. Without mothers. Without their mothers. Do you get what I’m trying to say? The gist is that they’re insanely important. To just everything. Go appreciate yours today — and, of course, appreciate them extra on Mother’s Day. We love you, moms!!! And I love you to my mommy, who is reading this because she reads all my newsletters!! <3

(These beautiful pop up cards are made by freshcut paper)

New from our Vintage & Collectable Dept.

There is no unabridged version? Inconceivable!

Exciting news! We recently acquired these two rare editions of "‘The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, The “Good Parts” Version’. The work is a 1973 fantasy romance novel by William Goldman. It is metafictionally presented as an abridgment of a longer work by the fictional S. Morgenstern with Goldman’s commentary asides throughout. The book was adapted into a popular 1987 film. We have had many customers over the years insist they want the unabridged version (which doesn’t exist).

Pictured is the first paperback edition (what do you think of that cover!?) and a first hardcover edition (this is the first time we have ever had it in stock!)

You can check these and lots more treasures out next time you are in the store (they are in the Vintage & Collectable Display Case by our top floor customer service). Browse more collectable items from our cases here.

TC10K

Pictured below are some beloved members of the RB team running the TC10K! (Did you know we have a team every year and have for many, many years?!) Reading and running can go together, you know. The words start with the same letter, for one. Also, what better way to recover from a run than with some gentle literary analysis? Marathon then “War and Peace”, anyone??? Jk. Unless? ;)

New Shelves

Um…. this. just. in. As if we didn’t already have enough books in our store?? Just kidding. No such thing as “enough”. Duh. Anyway. RB is adding new shelves and filling them with vintage and collectable books above our top floor customer service desk. Come check them out!!

Thanks for Reading!

Hopefully you’re not still feeling uncomfortable after I told you that I love you. I’m okay being Laurie if you’re Jo, though. Please enjoy these last pics of the gorgeous/cute/smart/awesome RB staff. Be glad I’m not in any of these, because I look like a shell of my former self at the moment. I’ll check back in with you in June — things will be looking up, I’m sure.

See you then :-)

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.

Like T.S. Eliot once said, “April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land …”. Now, as I gaze out my open window, I find it hard to identify any cruelty in the glorious rays of sunshine streaming through it. A cruel April seems like an oxymoron to me, but I also don’t know much about poetry. What I do know about is how to enjoy the freaking spring SUN with a good book in my lap, an anonymous piece of driftwood under me, cold sand between my toes, a ponderous half-smile on my face … And. Yeah. My life is super cinematic in my head. It’s okay if you skipped over that. Read on for more interesting musings on local events, sales, etcetera.

Indie Bookstore Day is April 25th!

This Saturday, April 25th, we are celebrating the 200+ independent bookstores across Canada — and yeah, you guessed it, RB is one of them. We know that stores like ours are under threat due to major conglomerates that rhyme with Bamazon and Zindigo, so we really appreciate days like these that celebrate our coolness and encourage everyone to support their local independently-owned bookshop.

Buy 2, Get 1 Free SALE

In honour of Indie Bookstore Day, we are offering buy 2, get 1 free in store April 24th to 27th.

Celebrate with audiobooks!

Celebrate with a chance to win 12 FREE audiobooks!

Okay, so I have historically been a snob when it comes to audiobooks, but I did recently start listening to a Sarah Waters novel and … it was life-changing. It was life-changing, okay? I could do the dishes while listening, and drive to work while listening, and … I just get the hype now. I think that if Virginia Woolf had had access to audiobooks, she would have taken full advantage … so why shouldn’t we? And if you want to enjoy an audiobook while supporting your local Indie bookstore (instead of a massive corporate platform that may or may not rhyme with Shmaudible), Libro.FM is the way to go!

Libro.FM shares profits from your audiobook purchases with your chosen Indie bookstore (including us!), giving you the power to keep money within your local economy. They are a proud Social Purpose Corporation, Certified B Corp™, and 100% employee-owned. All audiobooks from Libro.FM are DRM-free, which means you own your files permanently, allowing you to move them to any device without restriction. Their library contains over 600,000 titles, featuring expert recommendations and curated picks from actual booksellers.

This Indie Bookstore Day, we’ve partnered with Libro.fm to give one winner 12 FREE audiobooks on Bookstore Day! Visit our store on Saturday, April 25th and search our shelves to find the hidden Golden Ticket!

And even if you don't find the ticket, you can still get some free stuff -- use the code BOOKSTOREDAY to get TWO bonus audiobook credits when you start a new one-credit per month membership. Remember to choose yours truly as your local bookstore!

April is Poetry Month

Poetry Month might just be our favourite holiday of the year. Forget Christmas! Give me a whole month dedicated to those famously inscrutable creatures, the Poets! (Just kidding. We love Christmas around here!) But poetry is also pretty great and we love that there is a whole month dedicated to this sometimes unappreciated genre. We have TON of fun poetry events happening in store this April -- read on for details!

Poems While You Wait

It's National Poetry Month, so be prepared to experience poetry in the wild!

POEMS WHILE YOU WAIT: a Public Poetry Experience at Russell Books, sponsored by City of Victoria - Local Government as part of National Poetry Month.

How would you like a poem written just for you, or for a loved one, on an old-fashioned typewriter, by real published literary poets? All of this while you peruse the astonishing shelves of Russell Books! Be sure to show up at 1pm to sign up for your original poem!

Yvonne Blomer : Saturday April 11th: Yvonne Blomer was the 4th poet laureate for the City of Victoria and has published a cycling memoir and six books of poetry, most recently Death of Persephone: A Murder (Caitlin Press). She lives on the territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) speaking people in Victoria, BC. She has edited three water-focused, eco-poetry anthologies, Sublime: Poems for Vanishing Ice is the latest.

Fatima-Ayan Malika Hirsi : Saturday April 18th: Fatima-Ayan Malika Hirsi is a Black mother who spends time with forests and waters on ancestral T’Sou-ke lands. Her work strives to instigate action in service to world-building, social change, and collaboration. She is the author of the chapbooks EVERYTHING GOOD IS DYING and Moon Woman. Her first full-length poetry collection, DREAMS FOR EARTH, is available now from Deep Vellum. Fatima has also written over 1000 poems on her typewriter at festivals and events!!

Staff Picks for Invertebrates Signing

Join us on April 19 for a book signing with our very own manager, Zoe Dickinson! Zoe will be here from 1-3 pm signing copies of her new poetry collection, Staff Picks for Invertebrates, which is all about, you guessed it, RUSSELL BOOKS! This is peak Indie bookstore here, guys: quirky staff, hilarious customer requests, various avian incursions, and tons of the behind-the-scenes gems from the last decade of Russell Books history. Zoe will also be distributing free home-made baked goods, which our staff can attest are extremely delicious. Come on down and grab a cookie and a book -- how else are you going to find out if you're in there?

Planet Earth Poetry

PEP is bringing some extremely exciting poets to RB this month. As always, doors are at 7 p.m., and you can also sign up for the open mic if you arrive at that time as well. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming this month

Friday April 10th - Elizabeth Bachinsky, Louie Leyson, Garth Martens

Friday April 17th - Brandi Bird, Leanne Dunic

Friday April 24th - Rob Mclennan, Phoebe Wang, Anna Yin

For more info on these events visit the PEP website

Staff Book Club

Last month, the Russell Books Staff Book Club met to discuss Sally Rooney’s sophomore novel “Normal People”. The team displayed a wonderful array of reactions to the book: from annoyance and rage, to nostalgia, to admiration. Some even finished the novel and immediately went to buy every other Rooney book we had in store. Much discussion focused on the quality of her characters; we didn’t agree on much, but that is perhaps the beauty of the book itself. As an exceptional prose stylist, Rooney deftly examines the concepts of normality and goodness, her messy, heart-wrenching duo demonstrating the spectrum of both and, by extension, the complexity of human connection.

Through our highly sophisticated voting system using cutting edge technology (see below), our staff selected “Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies” by Lindsay Wong for our next Book Club read. This first novel by the Vancouver author is a story about “a young woman who signs her life away in the ancient Chinese tradition of corpse marriage” in what is described as “a wickedly hilarious novel about ambition class and the burden of being an impoverished model minority.”

Check out our previous Staff Book Club reads and what the staff thought about them here.

Thanks for Reading!

That’s all for now, dear readers. I’ve got to get back to my first April read, and I’m sure you do too. I am currently reading “The Snowman” by Jo Nesbo, and frequently getting so freaked out that I have to go to the window and make sure that I don’t, in fact, live in Oslo and that the first snow of the winter has not just fallen. Thank God it’s April, and that I’m not an unhappy housewife living on a remote chicken farm. Is that relatable?

C u next time :-)

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.

Hello March :-)

March, for me, brings to mind a certain beloved book character. She is a symbol of pushing boundaries, of women moving beyond their traditional roles in society, and, truly, of the many different lives that are possible for women everywhere. It’s the independent, brash, passionate Jo March, of course! Duh! In the spirit of Women’s History Month, I won’t dwell on that one scene in the new Little Women movie … where Timothée is crying and you can actually feel his yearning through the screen … Um. Anyway. This is a month for Women, with a capital W, and I’m a woman, btw, so if you don’t keep reading this newsletter it’s an affront to us all. No pressure. See you down there!

Spring Sale!

We are baaaack with another classic Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale. As the sign says, it is always the item of lesser value that is free. We’ll see you at our store soon.

International Women’s Day

On March 8th, the world celebrated women! Women are so strong, cool, and important. They are many, many adjectives — and never just one. Chances are you know more than one truly fantastic woman, and chances are they wouldn’t say no to some celebration. Pictured below are two of the owners of the store (mother and daughter). Not pictured, but incredibly appreciated, are all the other amazing women who are fundamental to the operation of Russell Books, those that make up such a vital part of our book-loving community, and of course all of the female authors, illustrators and publishers who are responsible for so many of the books we love! We <3 you all.

Women’s History Month

In the UK, the United States and Australia, Women’s History Month is celebrated every March. In Canada, we celebrate it in October, to coincide with Persons Day. Women are just SO. COOL. That’s why we need multiple months to recognize them all! Come check out our WHM display — Mary Wollstonecraft and Audre Lorde are two absolute must-read female authors, who have personally changed my perspective on the female plight. So, in honour of the awesome women you know (and you already automatically know one, because, duh, it’s me), read a female author this month!

Staff Picks for Invertebrates

Have you ever wondered what's going through your bookseller's mind? Well, now's your chance to find out. RB’s very own beloved manager, Zoe Dickinson, has a brand-new book out! Zoe is an award-winning poet whose work is deeply rooted in the Pacific coastline and human relationships with nature. Staff Picks for Invertebrates is her debut full-length collection, and many of the poems take place right here in Russell Books! Who knows, you might even be in one — pick up a copy to find out!

Freedom to Read Week

Late last month, libraries across Canada celebrated Freedom to Read Week. This is an annual Canadian event encouraging opposition to censorship. Led by organizations like Library and Archives Canada, it highlights various challenged books — examples of which are featured above. You’d be surprised by some of the books that have been challenged over the years in Canada — The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, for one. Also, the Gossip Girl book series by Cecily von Ziegesar?? Seriously? If I didn’t have the freedom to read about Serena and Nate’s scandals on the Upper East Side, I’d take to the streets. You’ll know where to find me if it finds its way back to a banned book list.

Gardening Event

Exciting news! You’re invited to meet garden educator/author Dan Rubin, who will be hosting a book-signing at our store on Saturday, April 4th. Drop by our store any time between noon and 2pm, and learn about tips and tricks for tending a northern garden — you won’t want to miss this one.

New from Charles van Sandwyk

We currently have copies of Vancouver fine artist & author Charles van Sandwyk’s most recent book “Fah-nama-nama-nama-lah: A Tale of One Elephant and Three Continents” available!

This book is a delightful handmade edition seven years in the making. These editions “tell the heartfelt tale of enduring love between a little boy and his childhood elephant, Fah-nama-nama-nama-la, set between the exotic, butterfly-filled streets of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Canada.” It tells the true story of the author's friend Neil Hershfield, who passed away in 2022, with the publication dedicated to his memory.

We also offer a wide selection of Charles’ beautiful, whimsical books and cards, some of which can be browsed on our website.

Cory Doctorow

Thanks so much to Cory Doctorow for a great event! There was a great turn-out and lots of interesting discussion. If you missed it, we have signed copies of his book Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It available at our store.

Thanks for Reading!

Well, back to Toni Morrison for me. Okay, fine, Toni Morrison and breaks to watch the TV adaptation of JFK Jr.’s love story with Carolyn Bessette. Oh, SUE ME. I like mindless, probably historically inaccurate, definitely nonacademic, television. FYI, though, JFK (the president one) could read 1,200 words per minute. One of the most famous speed readers of all time! In a roundabout way, then, I’ve been reflecting on the written word via this Disney+ masterpiece. Anyway. If you’re looking to up your own wpm (words per minute), you know where to go to get your practice in.

See ya there soon :-)

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.

It’s almost love day!

Guys, it’s looooove month. Anyone in love? Certainly not me! Sorry. You’re probably not exactly jumping at the chance to learn details about my personal life. BUT. The fact remains that is a time for LOVE — and what better way to show those around you that you care than with a book by their favourite author, or a biography of their favourite politician (is that even a thing?), or … you get the picture. Seriously. I’d probably fall in love with anyone who picked me up a Joan Didion I didn’t already own … or a Miriam Toews … or literally anything. A stick of gum? Just kidding. Keep your standards high, RB’ers. And your 2026 reading goals higher!

Family Day Weekend Sale

As a family owned and operated bookstore, we obviously had to do something for Family Day weekend. And, you guessed it, we are going to do our classic Buy 2, Get 1 free sale! Head over to RB on Friday February 13th till Monday February 16th, and treat your fam! Or you! Whichever. See ya there :-)

Black History Month

Every February, Black History Month serves as a time to honour the legacy and contributions of Black people across Canada. The 2026 theme is: “30 Years of Black History Month: Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations — From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries.” This theme encompasses those who fought for civil rights/social justice in the past, but also acknowledges the visionaries that are still to come. It’s a very important month to get educated, and to dive deep. What better way to do that than via books? “The Book of Negroes” by Lawrence Hill is one of my personal favourites, as well as “Another Country” by James Baldwin — if those reccs help you get started at all!

Cory Doctorow is coming to Victoria!

So cool!! Cory Doctorow is coming to our store! In case you haven’t already heard of him, Cory is a Canadian-British blogger and journalist, who has also written several works of fiction and non-fiction — including Little Brother and In Real Life. Come by our store on Wednesday, March 4th for an interesting conversation with a highly celebrated Canadian author! You won’t regret it :)

This event is free — however, due to limited space, it is ticketed. The tickets are currently all claimed but you can join the waitlist here.

Book Launch: Democracy’s Second Act

Come join Richard Johnson and Simon Pek on February 25th for the launch of “Democracy’s Second Act: Why Politics Needs the Public”. With all that’s going on in the world, let’s tap into some optimism about the future! Register here.

Blind Date With a Book

Now, I don’t know about you, but I am seriously intrigued by the book cover that reads, “Should humans even exist???”. Like. What? I mean, before seeing this display, I totally thought we should. Right? BUT, it seems to me that some of these “blind dates” might have me questioning some things. I want to know about 2 vastly different perspectives of Paris. I want to fall in love with my life. And if you concur, come by our store to pick up a blind date of your own for $6.99. Each package contains two books, so that's TWO chances to fall in love with a story! I’ll probably see you there!

If You Love Heated Rivalry…

Now, please do NOT tell me you have not heard of Heated Rivalry. That will seriously hurt me. It is FEBRUARY, people. Love month? Remember? And if you want to get that lovey-dovey feeling, there is NO BETTER BOOK to read than the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid. Duh. We (and pretty much everyone else!) are having a hard time keeping Heated Rivalry on the shelf -- it's just that popular! We've got more on the way but in the meantime, you can make do with some other titles from the same series, or the other sporty romances featured below. Get on it!

New in Our Display Cases

Calling all Jane Austen fans! These two gorgeous editions are new to our display cases! The Pride and Prejudice is a First Edition, First Printing of The Peacock Edition from 1894, and it has black and white illustrations throughout. The copy of Emma is from 1898, and you can check it out here.

“Fancy Dresses Described or What to Wear At Fancy Balls” was published in 1896 and pairs beautifully with the vintage Jane Austen editions we posted a couple of days ago.

Staff Pick: “Dayspring” by Anthony Oliveira

This is a difficult book to classify or describe; any time I try, I am doing it a disservice or diminishing its beauty and its poetry. Ostensibly, ‘Dayspring’, as its title alludes to, concerns the life of Jesus, and a queer relationship with “The disciple whom Jesus loved.” The story occurs outside linear time, suggesting Jesus’ simultaneous existence, taking place in biblical Levant, and also in contemporary Canada (replete with mentions of ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ sheets, toonie-sized nipples, and obscure CTV series ‘The Waterville Gang’).

But it is so much more. The texts follows the remembrances and dialogues of our narrator (the unnamed disciple, but all evidence suggests that Oliveira is referring to John, the Evangelist) and Jesus, at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. There are explicit descriptions of intercourse and many... fluids (if you are squeamish or easily offended, this book WILL be offensive). Despite the risque, this book is bountiful with poetic pages, deeply moving prose, and excerpts from Christian canon re-contextualizing and blending queer/devotional meanings.

I will wholeheartedly praise ‘Dayspring’ for all I am worth – this is a book that I have waited for: one that challenges me with its ideas, its lexicon, its cultural, literal, and biblical references. I sat with the book and a laptop next to me so I could look up frequently unfamiliar words or authors. Oliveira’s scholastic pedigree is well on display but he avoids sounding stuffily academic. This is a masterpiece of the written word, and despite my effusive gushing (*wink wink*) it is wholly inadequate to serve how brilliant this book is.

‘Dayspring’ is entirely, excuse the pun, enrapturing.

Thanks for Reading!

Well, my lovey-dovey readers, that’s all I’ve got for you today. If you’ve convinced yourself you’ve fallen in love with me via the written word alone — well, it wouldn’t be the first time, but I must sadly decline your advances. I am pledging myself to books this year, rather than a human lover. If you’d like to join me, you know where to go to get started.

See you next time! :)

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.

Happy Jan!

January is the absolute best month of the year. Is that a hot take? And are you asking why? Well, (and this may get edited out, although my editors are often quite lenient with me), it is my BIRTHDAY month, first of all. My identity will stay secret, but, yes, the RB employee that writes to you now is in fact a Capricorn woman. With that title comes a lot of responsibility — I am supposed to be highly ambitious, hyper-organized, and disciplined. Seeing as I am writing this newsletter 3 days late while failing miserably at my 2026 Goodreads goal … I am not so sure. How are your guys’ goals going? Not that you can respond. Anyway. This is not a great segue. Onto the newsletter!!

Our Favourite Reads of 2025

Get your pens and note-paper ready! Or, since we no longer live in the Dark Ages, get out your tablet/laptop/cellular device of your choice. Every year, RB staff share their top picks — their favourite book(s) of 2025. I, personally, have already added quite a few to my To-Be-Read list in the year to come. Get reading the lists below, and I’m sure you’ll find some that tickle your fancy too!

Molly’s picks of the year:

“Sex and Rage” by Eve Babitz : We love hot, hedonistic women with questionable morals!

“The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith : It’s a credit to Highsmith’s writing that you’re actually rooting for Tom throughout this book … but wow. The man is conniving in a CRAZY way. Such a fun read.

“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver : Nothing else to say except …. This was a major slay.

“Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar : A profound exploration of addiction, sexuality and religion — all done via a gorgeous, poetic prose that had me in a trance. Digestible, never self-indulgent, and so, so smart. READ IT.

“Another Country” by James Baldwin : Everyone is half in love, half suffering, half joyful, half lost … So. Beautiful. I ate it up.

“Tess of the D’Urbervilles” by Thomas Hardy: A powerful critique of the sexual double standard between men and women!!! Go off Thomas Hardy!!!

“The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray : I cried, I laughed, I wanted to reach through the page and shake/hug/scream at the characters … the mark of a true tour de force. A must-read.

Dana’s pick of the year:

“Beautyland” by Marie Helene Bertino

Tender, endearing and laugh out loud funny, I read this book at the beginning of the year and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

Adina is born in Philadelphia at the exact moment Voyageur One is launched into space. Why does this matter? Oh because she has knowledge of a far off planet and extra terrestrial family, but she looks like your regular degular (slightly jaundiced) baby girl.

A coming of age with an absolutely perfect blend of science and literary fiction, “Beautyland” achieves a certain authenticity by exploring what it feels like to grow up as a girl through an alien lens.

I laughed so hard, I cried even harder, this novel is so unique in its approach and Bertino is a witty, yet tender and fluid writer. She has become one of my favourite writers I discovered this year.

If you want a coming of age story with candor, wit, touching moments of friendship, family and the grappling of insecurity on the road to self acceptance…. READ THIS.

Brian’s picks of the year:
I’ve been fortunate to read many good books this year. There were three, however, whose big themes have left a lasting impression on me.

“James” by Percival Everett: This is a retelling of Mark Twain‘s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of Jim, the Black man who travels with Huck. Everett captures Twain’s signature humour while at the same time injecting the re-imagined James with real agency and power. It is a searing critique of the current state of race relations, particularly in the US, but broadly applicable elsewhere. It demands to be taught alongside Twain classic for years to come.

“The Deluge” by Stephen Markley: This is a dystopian novel that addresses the impact that climate change will have on society, as well as the environment. Markley’s book was published in 2023, but has predicted events that happened subsequently. The rich development of characters in this novel really propel the disquieting horror of the story.

“Question 7” by Richard Flanagan: This memoir follows much of the same terrain covered in his 2014 Booker prize winning novel, “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”, which recounted his father‘s internment in a Japanese POW camp during World War II. His father‘s improbable survival after four years in prison is a result of the war ending after the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His father returned to Australia and had a family of six children that might never have been. This is an exploration of the agony and absurdity of the human condition and it really bites. The impact of the writing of HG Wells, and literary references to Rebecca West and Anton Chekhov in this story are startling and profound.

Our Bestsellers of 2025

Curious what items our customers couldn’t get enough of? These books (and 2 bags) were our top sellers over the last year, with ‘I Who Have Never Known Men’ by Jacqueline Harpman coming in at #1!

Our Bestseller for the Month of December

These gorgeous wall maps of Vancouver Island by Jeff Clark at Clark Geomatics have been flying off the shelves!! Like, not literally. People have been paying for them. Um. You get it. But, seriously. Aren’t these amazing?? These maps are expertly designed and crafted, and are the first of their kind for the island. They encapsulate the Island’s stunning geography as it is: clearly, beautifully and without visual clutter. To keep reading about these maps, check out the Times Colonist article about them here. And, to order one for yourself, click this one!

New to Our Vintage Display Cases

We rarely get early Steinbeck editions, so it is extra exciting that we recently added all these first edition, first printings to one of our display cases! Come on down to our store to check them out for yourself — or, to browse our other modern collectable case books, visit our website.

Russell Books Water Bottles

Even more exciting news!! Brand-new colourful RB Thermoflask bottles have just dropped. Do you want to be the mysterious girl on the bus, reading a Brontë sister and cradling a water bottle with a used bookstore logo carved into its vibrant metal frame? Or do you want to be just … a person on the bus? You know? You pick.

Browse these bottles at the link here, and the rest of our RB merch here.

Planet Earth Poetry is back!

We are delighted to have PEP back for the new year! Last Friday was a great start with a fully packed house out to celebrate 30 years of Planet Earth Poetry with a special reading by all the former (and present) Creative Directors and Presidents.

You can check out what else is coming up on Friday evenings on the Planet Earth Poetry website.

Thanks for Reading!

Sorry if this has been a bit all over the place. It’s very un-Capricorn of me. And, see, if I were a more minimalistic writer, I would have ended right there. For a cliffhanger sort of ending. I’ll see you guys next time — and read Another Country by James Baldwin!!

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.

Purchase at https://www.russellbooks.com/products/gift-card/. Sale runs December 18th till December 24th.

Cards can be picked up in-store or we ship gift cards for free anywhere in the world. Please allow up to 24 hours for processing time.

*Note gift cards are currently for in-store and phone orders only

‘Tis the season! Isn’t it crazy how time just … keeps on passing? I feel like December 2024 was just yesterday, and now it’s a whole brand-new December. Okay, so that wasn’t the most profound thought. Did you want a more mundane description of mistletoe, holly berries, and gentle snowfall to beckon you into a December newsletter? But I digress. Anyway. The holiday season is now upon us. What better way to celebrate than paying RB a visit and getting all your shopping done in one place?

December Calendar

This month, we are open until 7pm for several days, in order to cater to your holiday shopping needs. The calendar of our store hours is below — we hope to see you at our store soon!

Fort Street Winter Wander

On December 11th locals can wander up and down Fort Street and visit their favourite stores for some extra-special evening holiday deals and fun. Stores are open late (until 8pm), including us, as a nod to everyone’s shopping responsibilities mounting. We really hope to see you at RB — especially since we’ll be offering Buy 2, Get 1 Free on everything in store from 5pm to 8 pm!! See you there.

New Russell Books Mugs

Duke is happy to finally have a mug for his morning coffee… and as a special Christmas treat, we’ve made Duke mugs available for purchase in store for all you lucky Russell Bookers! I’m sure someone in your life needs to look at that sweet face every morning. While supplies last! Check out some of our other RB merch here.

Festival of Trees

The Bay Centre’s iconic Festival of the Trees takes place every year from November 14th until December 31st. And no that’s not Mr. and Mrs. Clause in the photo - it’s Ron and Diana DePol (Reg Russell’s daughter) who opened the Victoria location of Russell Books in 1981.

Festival of Trees Victoria is the perfect way to celebrate the season and give back to our community. Your vote supports local families that rely on BC Children’s Hospital for lifesaving care. Since 2015, Festival of Trees Victoria has generated over $1.6 million, raising critical funds for the hospital’s most urgent needs.

We are excited to have a tree included in the competition again this year, and would love your vote! The Festival is open every day, during Bay Centre hours. Bring friends, family, and a commitment to vote for RB (unless you’re really in love with another tree. But if you’re reading this newsletter, chances are you’re a die-hard fan, so seriously. Lock in. Vote for us!!).

Staff Book Club

Last month our staff book club read and discussed “Monkey Beach” by Eden Robinson, the final book on our 2025 theme of local authors and local subjects in regional settings.
The group had mixed feelings while reading this novel; it had great descriptions of rural life in a small town in Northern BC, and vivid characters, yet the story left a lot of us confused; was this really about Lisa’s missing brother and the search and rescue as we thought? Or was it Lisa’s coming of age story? The pacing also felt a little off; some parts dragged, while some important parts seemed to be wrapped up very quickly without much explanation.
We enjoyed the characters and setting, but felt the plot needed more development. Look for new books to be read by the Russell Books Staff book Club in 2026, that will follow new themes and explore new authors. And keep on reading! You can check out our previous staff book club picks here.

Staff Holiday Party

Thank you to Boomtown for hosting our RB holiday party, and, as always, a big thank you to our lovely and hard-working staff. We would not be Russell Books without you all and we appreciate you so much.

Vintage & Collectable Department

If you’re looking for something extra special for a family member, significant other or bosom pal, look no further. We’ve got collectable Brontë, first editions, signed copies, leather-bound Charles Dickens, vintage kids’ books, and TONS more. Check them out here!

Thanks for Reading!

Please feel free to re-open that Crave tab with The Holiday playing on it. I know you were mid-rom com before you started reading this. No spoilers, but a man will never cry in a sweeter way than Jude Law does in that penultimate scene. He’s a MAJOR WEEPER, and that’s what we love about him. And if you don’t get that reference, look up The Holiday immediately and get watching. You can get started on Wuthering Heights afterwards.

See you next time!

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.

Join us Friday November 28th to Monday December 1st for Buy 2, Get 1 Free on everything! We are open 9:30 - 6:00 all three days. (Sale is in-store only)

“But there is always a November space after the leaves have fallen when she felt it was almost indecent to intrude on the woods . . .” That’s a quote by L.M. Montgomery, from Anne of the Windy Poplars, and I felt like it was an apt way to describe November. It has a liminal quality, as if it’s right on the cusp of change, major transition . . . It’s quiet, almost solemn, a slowly lightening room in the early hours of the morning. Right? Sorry. Maybe no one gets what I mean. Anyway. Whatever November is to you, please don’t let it keep you from intruding on OUR woods (i.e. the bookstore). We hope to see you soon.

And now, on to a Remembrance Day piece written by a far more accomplished writer than I (Jack Knox, guys!!!! Local celeb!)

Remembrance Day

Victoria’s Gordon Quan died the other day – the last, it is believed, of the 61 local Chinese-Canadians who enlisted in the Second World War. You can find their names on a Fisgard Street plaque.

More names – 176 men, three women – are etched in the Lost Airmen of the Empire memorial at the northern edge of Victoria’s airport. They died while training there at what, in the 1940s, was Canada’s third-largest airfield.

Not a lot of other clues to Canada’s wartime past remain in Victoria, though. Not a lot of links to all the personal stories, the human stories of loss, of sorrow, of mundane life. There’s no trace of the Yates Street plant where hundreds of civilian workers, most of them women, churned out parts for B-29 Superfortress bombers. No reminder of the time the air force accidentally rained practice bombs on houses in Cordova Bay. No sense of the anguish of worried families as a battalion of Vancouver Island’s Canadian Scottish Regiment waded ashore on D-Day; within four days, one third of those soldiers would be casualties.

As we approach Remembrance Day, books can connect us to that past. From Victoria historian Mark Zuehlke’s acclaimed Canadian Battlefield Series to The Spitfire Luck of Skeets Ogilvie, in which North Saanich’s Keith Ogilvie tells his parents’ story, they can convey time, place and context. Pierre Berton’s Vimy draws on personal accounts of the First World War battle that, to some, marked Canada’s transition from colony to country. Romeo Dallaire’s Shake Hands With The Devil delves into the flawed UN peacekeeping mission he led during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. From Timothy Findley’s novel The Wars, to Farley Mowat’s memoir And No Birds Sang, to Ken Bell’s The Way We Were, a collection of Second World War photos, they remind us of Canadians worth remembering. ~Jack Knox

New Russell Books Stickers

You may recognize the sweet, canine face featured on our brand-new stickers — but in case you don’t, it’s our store mascot, Duke. We have always prided ourselves on being a dog-loving store, and this new sticker represents this philosophy. Is your laptop looking empty? Or perhaps your Owala is missing a nod to a local Victoria business? Either way, you probably need one of these.

New from our Vintage & Collectable Department

We have added quite a few treasures to our Vintage & Collectable cases and sections recently (including these gorgeous limited edition’s editions from The Folio Society). Curious about what else is in our Vintage & Collectable areas? You can browse some highlights from our cases here and find out more about the rest of the collection here. Our regular collection of clothbound editions by The Folio Society can be found here.

This very large and detailed edition of Gulliver’s Travels is a limited edition which includes an original etching signed by the illustrator. It comes in the original clamshell case and is hand-bound in vellum blocked in 22-carat gold, with vellum tips and oxford paper sides.

This gorgeous edition of The Temple of Flora is also a very large format limited edition which includes 2 loose prints with spine bound in Nigerian Goatskin. Also included in a commentary volume by Stephen Harris bound in buckram. Both volumes and prints are housed in a dark green cloth Solander clamshell box.

Staff Halloween

Look, our staff never goes halfway for Halloween. And nor should they. It’s a very literary day, when you think about the sheer number of gothic tales that have been celebrated over the years. Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca (my personal favourite), Twilight . . . What’s that? Should I not have lumped that one in with Emily Brontë? Hey. Don’t be a snob. Anyway, here is our talented staff looking even more adorable than usual in their costumes!

Costumes pictured above from left to right: Minions, Mouse and Cookie from If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, Cowboy, Flynn Rider from Tangled, Steampunk, Emily Carr, A Lost Boy from Peter Pan, Skeleton and Emo band member.

Meet the Author Event

Stop by the store Saturday November 1st from 12-3 for a signing with author and hockey player George Pesut! Further details are above — you won’t want to miss this.

Thanks for Reading!

November can be a tough month — it’s getting darker earlier, your feet may perpetually feel cold (that could just be me), and rain becomes a daily occurrence. BUT. There are books, guys. There are always books. Before Wi-Fi, before AI, before Alexa, there were cows to be milked, wheat to be harvested (?) and BOOKS to be read. Go back to the basics this November, everyone. It’s the pastoral, country ideal that we all are craving, deep down. Chaucer! Thomas Hardy! James Herriott!! Come discover them at our store.

We’re here waiting for you :)

Want to follow us throughout the month for updates, new additions and more? You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky You can also browse our stock and find more about upcoming events on our website.