Ira R. Andrews, Garden of Life (Books N' Baskets For You) $14.95

Produced by his own gift basket and publishing company, Books N' Baskets For You, Garden of Life is a collection of Ira Andrews' regular gardening columns, originally published between 1990 and 1997 in The Guysborough Gazette and The Journal. Written in an informal, engaging tone, Garden of Life is chock-full of tidbits about gardening in Guysborough County. The latter part of the book focuses on how he grew a relationship with his wife. If you've ever wondered where to plant fennel, what kills tansy ragwort, how to garden on-line, what to do with all that rhubarb... then this book is for you.

Ira Andrews has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, and many years experience with his own garden.

Susan Goyette, The True Names of Birds (Brick Books) $12.95

Deeply centred in domestic life, the poems of The True Names of Birds are informed by a muscular lyricism. The first book-length collection from a voice that has captured the attention of Canadian poetry readers for the last half-dozen years, this book is full of poems that push the limits yet always remain true to their roots.

Sue Goyette grew up on the South Shore of Montreal and now lives in Cole Harbour with her family Ryan, Robyn and Scott and their cat, Lizard. The new poetry editor at Pottersfield Portfolio, her writing has appeared in The Antigonish Review, Arc, CV 2, The Fiddlehead, Grain, The Malahat Review, Poetry Canada, TickleAce and the anthologies Breathing Fire, Vintage '93 and '98 and the forthcoming The Banff Writing Studio 25th Anniversary Collection.

Kim Kinrade, Beneath the Plains of Abraham (Picasso Publications) $9.95

A charismatic Quebec separatist leader rigs a high-tech referendum to achieve a "yes" vote. With military help from a right-wing French president and against the wishes of its own citizens, the fledgling Quebec republic launches a series of terrorist acts including sabotage and murder, sparking military unrest on the Canada-Quebec border. Prime Minister Jason Alexander Carruthers invokes the War Measures Act, and must rally demoralized Canadians, defeat the Quebec military, and prove to the people of Quebec that the referendum was rigged. This fast paced thriller is sure to be a hit with action enthusiasts looking for a story set close to home.

Author of the national bestseller Icebreak, Dartmouth resident Kim Kinrade was born and raised in Kimberley, British Columbia, near the Canadian Rockies. He holds a degree in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, and has worked as a professional musician and freelance tour guide. He lives with his wife Heather, a Canadian Coast Guard electronics technician, and his four children. His next book, The Millenium Man, will also be available soon from Picasso Publications.

Mark Parent, Spirit Scapes (Northstone Publishing) $19.95

Alternative medicine, the new physics, Gaia, near-death experiences, the New Age, fundamentalism, revivalism, feminist and liberation theology -- everywhere we turn, new ways of thinking about the divine, about the Earth and the cosmos and our place in it, are surfacing like bubbles from some subterranean spring. Clearly, North Americans have embarked on a spiritual quest. This book provides an overview and analysis of nine of the most significant spiritual movements of our time, and shows their potential to influence both contemporary religion and society.

A keen observor of religious issues, Mark Parent has published numerous articles in several religious periodicals and, in 1993, a book entitled Enigmatic Answers. Mark is minister at Pereaux United Baptist Church and teaches in the Department of Continuing Education at Mount Allison University. Haligonian by birth, adopted into Port Williams, Mark Parent moved to Bolivia, South America at an early age and spent his formative years in Oruro and La Paz. Mark and wife Catherine have three children, Jeremy, Meaghan, and Kaitlyn.

Heidi Priesnitz, Tangled with Leaves (The Boiling Kettle Press) $18.00

With beauty and precision, the thirteen stories that make up this collection take the reader from funky bookstores, Indian diners and Volkswagon shrines to quiet country roads, open fields and the secret banks of shrunken rivers. Heidi Priesnitz's voice is infused with strength and optimism, making Tangled with Leaves an exciting new collection.

Heidi Priesnitz writes from a deep fascination with human relationships and behaviour, with clear lyricism, a poet's sense of rhythm and flow, and a gentle balance of vulnerability and joy. Heidi lives in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Andrew Steeves, Cutting the Devil's Throat (Goose Lane Editions) $12.95

To play "Cutting the devil's throat," hold a round stone as if you were going to skip it across the water, but throw it straight up into the air. Done properly, it produces no splash, but only a hollow gulp. The poems in Cutting the Devil's Throat create the persona of a young man cutting through darkness to light, finding a way to live a sane, useful life through modest yet deliberate daily action.

Andrew Steeves writes in the tradition of Douglas Lochhead and Eric Trethewey. His ghazal suites, short lyrics and longer narrative poems use clean, precise language to open loopholes of vision in a confusing, often threatening world. Andrew is co-publisher of The Gaspereau Review and Gaspereau Press, and lives in Wolfville with his wife Karen and their two children.