LOLA 2026 Reading Recommendations from our Patrons

As part of Love Our Local Authors Month, we asked our patrons for some NL book recommendations and WOW did you answer the call! Check out these amazing local books to add to your TBR. This list includes print, eBook, and audiobook copies of the titles where available.

These titles were also recommended and are available in the catalogue but aren't displaying in this list due to technical issues (search for them by title in the catalogue):

Blinders: A Crime Thriller
Chirp's Large Day
Bizzie Tizzie is gonna be Everything from A to Z
Newfoundland and Labrador Lullaby
The Best Christmas Ever
Joshua the G.O.A.T.

Updated April 30, 2026
Newfoundland & Labrador Public Libraries NLPL Local Reads
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The saltbox olive
Antle, Angela
Paper Book
Through the as-yet-untold story of Newfoundland soldiers in Italy during the Second World War, The Saltbox Olive is an evocative tale of the complex interactions between past and present, told through one woman's search for the truth of her family's mysterious past. Caroline Fisher sets...
Message in a bottle : ocean dispatches from a seabird biologist
Hogan, Holly (Biologist)
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE 2023 BMO WINTERSET AWARD * FINALIST FOR THE 2023 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FOR NONFICTION * SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 SCIENCE WRITERS AND COMMUNICATORS BOOK AWARD * SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 LANE ANDERSON AWARD From the heart of the Labrador...
Message in a bottle : ocean dispatches from a seabird biologist
Hogan, Holly (Biologist)
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE 2023 BMO WINTERSET AWARD * FINALIST FOR THE 2023 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FOR NONFICTION * SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 SCIENCE WRITERS AND COMMUNICATORS BOOK AWARD * SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 LANE ANDERSON AWARD From the heart of the Labrador...
Message in a bottle : ocean dispatches from a seabird biologist
Hogan, Holly (Biologist)
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE 2023 BMO WINTERSET AWARD * FINALIST FOR THE 2023 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FOR NONFICTION * SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 SCIENCE WRITERS AND COMMUNICATORS BOOK AWARD * SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 LANE ANDERSON AWARD From the heart of the Labrador...
Random passage
Morgan, Bernice
Paper Book
A new edition of Bernice Morgan's classic, best-selling family saga. Forced to flee England, the Andrews family books passage from Weymouth, England to unknown prospects, only to discover a barren, inhospitable land at the end of their crossing: a fresh start in a distant country, New Found Land....
Random passage
Morgan, Bernice
Paper Book
A new edition of Bernice Morgan's classic, best-selling family saga. Forced to flee England, the Andrews family books passage from Weymouth, England to unknown prospects, only to discover a barren, inhospitable land at the end of their crossing: a fresh start in a distant country, New Found Land....
Barry Squires, full tilt
Smith, Heather
Paper Book
It's 1995. Twelve-year-old Finbar (Barry) Squires wants desperately to join the Full Tilt dance troupe. Led by Father O'Flaherty, the Irish Step Dancers are the most sought-after act in St. John's, Newfoundland. Having watched Riverdance twice, Barry figures he'll nail the audition. With...
Barry Squires, full tilt
Smith, Heather
Paper Book
It's 1995. Twelve-year-old Finbar (Barry) Squires wants desperately to join the Full Tilt dance troupe. Led by Father O'Flaherty, the Irish Step Dancers are the most sought-after act in St. John's, Newfoundland. Having watched Riverdance twice, Barry figures he'll nail the audition. With...
Barry Squires, full tilt
Smith, Heather
Audiobook
Barry Squires, Full Tilt takes readers on a romp through the streets of St. John's and into the Squires household, a place where tragedy strikes but love prevails. Derry Girls meets Billy Elliot with an East coast twist. It's 1995. When the Full Tilt Dancers...
The woman in the attic
Hepditch, Emily
Ebook
On the coast of rural Newfoundland, Hannah Fitzgerald's mother has lived her life in near total isolation. When Hannah returns to the lonely saltbox house to prepare her mother for the transition into assisted living, her childhood home is anything but welcoming. Dilapidated from years of hoarding...
The woman in the attic
Hepditch, Emily
Paper Book
On the coast...
Hollow bamboo : a novel
Ping, William
Paper Book
AMAZON FIRST NOVEL AWARD SHORTLIST THOMAS RADDALL ATLANTIC FICTION AWARD SHORTLIST BMO WINTERSET AWARD SHORTLIST DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD LONGLIST NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE TELEGRAM AND WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The hilarious and heartbreaking story of two...
Hollow bamboo
Ping, William
Ebook
AMAZON FIRST NOVEL AWARD SHORTLIST THOMAS RADDALL ATLANTIC FICTION AWARD SHORTLIST BMO WINTERSET AWARD SHORTLIST DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD LONGLIST NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE TELEGRAM AND WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The hilarious and heartbreaking story of two...
Terror Nova : an anthology of Newfoundland inspired horror
Terror Nova : an anthology of Newfoundland inspired horror
The colony of unrequited dreams
Johnston, Wayne
Paper Book
Wayne Johnson's epic portrait of passion and ambition, set against the beautiful, brutal landscape of Newfoundland. A mystery and a love story spanning five decades. In this widely acclaimed novel--hailed as a modern classic--Johnston (award-winning author of Jenny's Boy...
The colony of unrequited dreams
Johnston, Wayne
Paper Book
Wayne Johnson's epic portrait of passion and ambition, set against the beautiful, brutal landscape of Newfoundland. A mystery and a love story spanning five decades. In this widely acclaimed novel--hailed as a modern classic--Johnston (award-winning author of Jenny's Boy...
The colony of unrequited dreams
Johnston, Wayne
Ebook
Wayne Johnson's epic portrait of passion and ambition, set against the beautiful, brutal landscape of Newfoundland. A mystery and a love story spanning five decades. In this widely acclaimed novel--hailed as a modern classic--Johnston (award-winning author of Jenny's Boy...
The ewe who knew who knit you
Kansala, Cara
Paper Book
This magically illustrated story celebrates the power of friendship and kindness and teaches us to be proud of the things that make us unique. When the warm winds summon the woollies of the world to the land of ice and fire, Lämmin the lamb sets out on an adventure to find out who she is...
Mrs. Brown's kitchen : measure with your heart
Brown, Heather (TikTok creator)
PLEASE NOTE: Digital version of book may not display properly on older devices, please preview before purchasing.Mrs. Brown's Kitchen began on TikTok in October 2021 without any intention and no concept of how big it would become. What started as sharing food images, with trending music, turned into...
Mrs. Brown's kitchen : measure with your heart
Brown, Heather (TikTok creator)
Paper Book
Mrs. Brown's Kitchen began on TikTok in October 2021 without any intention and no concept of how big it would become. What started as sharing food images, with...
The good women of Safe Harbour
French, Bobbi
Ebook
Winner 2023 Newfoundland Reads  Longlisted for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award Longlisted for the 2023 Leacock Medal Award Finalist for the 2023 Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction Finalist for the 2023 Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award  An...
The good women of Safe Harbour
French, Bobbi
Paper Book
Winner 2023 Newfoundland Reads  Longlisted for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award Longlisted for the 2023 Leacock Medal Award Finalist for the 2023 Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction Finalist for the 2023 Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award  An...
The good women of Safe Harbour
French, Bobbi
Paper Book
Winner 2023 Newfoundland Reads  Longlisted for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award Longlisted for the 2023 Leacock Medal Award Finalist for the 2023 Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction Finalist for the 2023 Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award  An...
Ship moms : true tales of love and lust at sea
Winsor, Jen.
Lust, love, and pregnancy--hidden from the luxury and leisure of cruise ships, the lives of crew members play out below deck. Ship Moms is a collection of these beautiful, complicated, behind-the-scenes true stories of crew members and the babies they brought into the world. The...
The weather diviner : a novel
Murphy, Elizabeth
Paper Book
Set in a tragic, transformative year in an extraordinary place with larger-than-life characters, The Weather Diviner is a story of self-discovery--not just for one young woman, but for Newfoundland itself. It's 1942. With polished boots and bulging wallets, the Americans have come to...
The weather diviner
Murphy, Elizabeth
Sweetland
Crummey, Michael
Paper Book
"Crummey has written one hell of a book. . . . It's an enthralling read, hilarious and heartbreaking by turns, populated by characters who seem, on first glimpse, to be wilfully eccentric, but emerge as realistic and grounded, taking what control they can of their lives. . . . "Sweetland" is a thing...
Sweetland
Crummey, Michael
Ebook
From the award-winning, bestselling author of Galore comes another unforgettable novel. By turns darkly comic and heartbreakingly sad, Sweetland is a deeply suspenseful story about one man's struggles against the forces of nature and the ruins of memory. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp...
Sweetland
Crummey, Michael
Paper Book
"Crummey has written one hell of a book. . . . It's an enthralling read, hilarious and heartbreaking by turns, populated by characters who seem, on first glimpse, to be wilfully eccentric, but emerge as realistic and grounded, taking what control they can of their lives. . . . "Sweetland" is a thing...
Sweetland
Crummey, Michael
Paper Book
"Crummey has written one hell of a book. . . . It's an enthralling read, hilarious and heartbreaking by turns, populated by characters who seem, on first glimpse, to be wilfully eccentric, but emerge as realistic and grounded, taking what control they can of their lives. . . . "Sweetland" is a thing...
My indian
Joe, Mi'sel
Paper Book
***2022 ATLANTIC BOOK AWARDS: APMA BEST ATLANTIC-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARD - SHORTLIST*** ***2022 BMO WINTERSET AWARD - LONGLIST*** ***2022-2023 HACKMATACK AWARD: ENGLISH FICTION - SHORTLIST*** ***2022 IPPY AWARDS: MULTICULTURAL FICTION: JUV/YA - SILVER***
My indian
Joe, Mi'sel
Paper Book
***2022 ATLANTIC BOOK AWARDS: APMA BEST ATLANTIC-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARD - SHORTLIST*** ***2022 BMO WINTERSET AWARD - LONGLIST*** ***2022-2023 HACKMATACK AWARD: ENGLISH FICTION - SHORTLIST*** ***2022 IPPY AWARDS: MULTICULTURAL FICTION: JUV/YA - SILVER***
My indian
Joe, Mi'sel
Paper Book
***2022 ATLANTIC BOOK AWARDS: APMA BEST ATLANTIC-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARD - SHORTLIST*** ***2022 BMO WINTERSET AWARD - LONGLIST*** ***2022-2023 HACKMATACK AWARD: ENGLISH FICTION - SHORTLIST*** ***2022 IPPY AWARDS: MULTICULTURAL FICTION: JUV/YA - SILVER***
Otherwise grossly unremarkable : a memoir of cancer
Matthews, Ashleigh
Otherwise grossly unremarkable is the record of the near total destruction of one woman's physical and emotional self from misdiagnosis to stage three diagnosis, through treatment after treatment, and onward to recovery and survivorship.   At only 35 years of age, Ashleigh Matthews...
The wreckage
Crummey, Michael
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of River Thieves comes a sweeping novel of love crossed by the blindness of faith and fate.   In a remote Newfoundland outpost at the onset of the Second World War, the young Catholic Wish Furey meets the passionate, independent...
The wreckage
Crummey, Michael
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of River Thieves comes a sweeping novel of love crossed by the blindness of faith and fate.   In a remote Newfoundland outpost at the onset of the Second World War, the young Catholic Wish Furey meets the passionate, independent...
The wreckage : a novel
Crummey, Michael
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of River Thieves comes a sweeping novel of love crossed by the blindness of faith and fate.   In a remote Newfoundland outpost at the onset of the Second World War, the young Catholic Wish Furey meets the passionate, independent...
The agony of Bun O'Keefe
Smith, Heather
Paper Book
Little Miss Sunshine meets Room in this quirky, heartwarming story of friendship, loyalty and discovery. It's Newfoundland, 1986. Fourteen-year-old Bun O'Keefe has lived a solitary life in an unsafe, unsanitary house. Her mother is a compulsive hoarder, and Bun has...
The agony of Bun O'Keefe
Smith, Heather
Paper Book
Little Miss Sunshine meets Room in this quirky, heartwarming story of friendship, loyalty and discovery. It's Newfoundland, 1986. Fourteen-year-old Bun O'Keefe has lived a solitary life in an unsafe, unsanitary house. Her mother is a compulsive hoarder, and Bun has...
The agony of Bun O'Keefe
Smith, Heather
Paper Book
Little Miss Sunshine meets Room in this quirky, heartwarming story of friendship, loyalty and discovery. It's Newfoundland, 1986. Fourteen-year-old Bun O'Keefe has lived a solitary life in an unsafe, unsanitary house. Her mother is a compulsive hoarder, and Bun has...
Land of many shores : perspectives from a diverse Newfoundland and Labrador
Paper Book
Seeing through the eyes of others brings new perspective on the place we call home. In Land of Many Shores, writers share their perspectives about life in Newfoundland and Labrador from often- neglected viewpoints. In this collection, Indigenous people, cultural...
Creatures of the rock : a veterinarian's adventures in Newfoundland
Peacock, Andrew (Veterinarian)
Paper Book
 When you're the only veterinarian in an area that's 130 miles long and has a coast on either side, you never know what each new day might bring. A cow giving birth, a colicky horse, an aggressive lynx, caribou in need of pastures new, a polar bear in a bingo hall, a six-hundred-pound boar who...
Creatures of the rock : a veterinarian's adventures in Newfoundland
Peacock, Andrew (Veterinarian)
Paper Book
 When you're the only veterinarian in an area that's 130 miles long and has a coast on either side, you never know what each new day might bring. A cow giving birth, a colicky horse, an aggressive lynx, caribou in need of pastures new, a polar bear in a bingo hall, a six-hundred-pound boar who...
Kit's Law
Morrissey, Donna
Paper Book
It is the Fifties in an isolated outport in Newfoundland. Nothing penetrates this antiquated existence, as television, telephones, cars, even roads, elude the villagers and the only visitors are fog-bound fishermen. Here, outside of Haire's Hollow, lives 14-year old Kit Pitman with her mentally...
Kit's law : a novel
Morrissey, Donna
Paper Book
It is the Fifties in an isolated outport in Newfoundland. Nothing penetrates this antiquated existence, as television, telephones, cars, even roads, elude the villagers and the only visitors are fog-bound fishermen. Here, outside of Haire's Hollow, lives 14-year old Kit Pitman with her mentally...
February
Moore, Lisa
Paper Book
Winner of Canada Reads 2013 and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize In 1982, the oil rig Ocean Ranger sank off the coast of Newfoundland during a Valentine's Day storm. All eighty-four men aboard died. February is the story of Helen O'Mara, one of those left behind when her husband, Cal,...
February
Moore, Lisa
Ebook
Winner of Canada Reads 2013 and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize In 1982, the oil rig Ocean Ranger sank off the coast of Newfoundland during a Valentine's Day storm. All eighty-four men aboard died. February is the story of Helen O'Mara, one of those left behind when her husband, Cal,...
February
Moore, Lisa
Paper Book
Winner of Canada Reads 2013 and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize In 1982, the oil rig Ocean Ranger sank off the coast of Newfoundland during a Valentine's Day storm. All eighty-four men aboard died. February is the story of Helen O'Mara, one of those left behind when her husband, Cal,...
Mr. Big : the investigation into the deaths of Karen and Krista Hart
Lewis, Colleen
Paper Book
Mr. Big is the shocking true story of a murder investigation in Newfoundland and Labrador that forever changed the face of the Canadian justice system. On August 4, 2002,...

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