BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
'Spaz' introduces Walter Finch, an ungainly kid who survives his cloying suburban childhood to make it only as far as the local mall, where he rises through the ranks to become manager of a shoe store. Unlike his other childhood friends, who either flee suburbia or remain as resigned fixtures, Walter is content with his lot and finds the shoe store a perfect environment in which to pursue his grander ambitions. As he delves further into his passion for shoe design, alone in his apartment at night, Walter comes to believe that if he can design the perfect woman's shoe, he will ultimately find the perfect foot to fit it. He becomes convinced that this path will lead him to his princess. His mission becomes all-consuming and plunges Walter into a separate reality: his own fairytale. As things spin out of , Walter's eventual salvation arrives in an unlikely form, should he choose to recognize and accept it. 'Spaz' is a skewed spin on the tale of Cinderella, a complementary follow-up to Bonnie Bowman's first novel, 'Skin', with its elements of 'Beauty and the Beast'. Shoes figure prominently in this novel, and the protagonist views them as both his nemesis and his salvation. They begin his story, he believes they will end it, and they do. Shoes represent every step of his journey.
" 'Spaz' really is terrific. Bowman demystifies the aberrant. As in her debut novel, 'Skin' (which I loved when I read it a decade ago), her themes are ugliness and beauty and how the bodyis the engine for desire. If that makes 'Spaz' seem too serious, don't worry. It's jolly fun." - Uptown Magazine (Winnipeg)
"In this sly story of a misfit visionary, Bowman assembles a beguiling cast of characters, striking a perfect balance between the completely outrageous and the completely true-to-life. This is a novel that never stops entertaining." - Lynn Coady author of 'The Antagonist' and 'Mean Boy'
Bonnie Bowman's debut novel, 'Skin', won the inaugural ReLit Award. Her writing has been published in 'subTerrain', 'The Vancouver Review', 'Reader's Digest', and in the anthologies 'Exact Fare Only I' and 'Body Breakdowns'. Bonnie is also a songwriter, journalist, freelance writer and has been a finalist for the Western Magazine Awards. She was born in Toronto, where she now lives after a longish stint in Vancouver. 'Spaz' is her second novel.