The Butterflies and Aliens Library of Literary Eccentricities and Rarities

View Original

Small Press Saturday: Nimbus Publishing

Covers for Maud Lewis 1, 2, 3 and Read Talk Play by Shanda LaRamee-Jones and Carol McDougall. Book models courtesy Owl’s Nest Books.

Happy Saturday!

We are heading out to the east coast of Canada today to say “hello” to Nimbus Publishing. This independent press is the largest English-language publisher east of Toronto and specializes in content relevant to the Atlantic provinces. Which does not mean that their books are not of interest outside of the Atlantic provinces.

They publish fiction and nonfiction, including children’s pictures books, social and cultural history, nature photography, biography, sports, narrative nonfiction, humour, art, business, and cultural issues. Under their Vagrant imprint they publish fiction for adults and young adults that are Atlantic Canadian stories. Again, these stories are not just appealing to the Atlantic provinces. They lean literary in contemporary and historical fiction.

Covers for The Spoon Stealer by Lesley Crewe and The Sweetness in the Lime by Stephen Kimber. Book models courtesy Owl’s Nest Books.

Cover for As British as the King: Lunenburg County during the First World Wa, by Gerald Hallowell. Book model courtesy Owl’s Nest Books.

Just last month, their delightful novel The Spoon Stealer by Lesley Crewe won the Jim Connors Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction. It is also a Globe and Mail Canadian bestseller. The book follows Emmeline, retired and living in a small coastal town, who is a compulsive spoon stealer, and her little white dog, Vera. It is a story of family secrets, grief recovery, women’s friendships and lovable animals. This book is voice-y and delightful and I loved the older female main character! I was hooked on the writing in the first paragraph. I highly recommend it!

The Nimbus Publishing website has a ton to explore and an expansive backlist that could keep you occupied for some time. So, as we head into summer, consider some lawnchair travel with an Atlantic Canadian book, and stay safe – the pandemic isn’t over yet. You won’t regret it!

Happy Reading!

– Stacey

Pick up a Nimbus book at your local Canadian indie bookseller!

Shop Local