Celebrating Milestones!

We've made it to July, which marks one year in Breakwater's new downtown storefront! We've also passed the halfway mark into 2026, and are looking ahead to how we will celebrate and share with you our Fall book releases. After a season of awards and critical acclaim for our titles, July has been about connecting with our team and community, and we couldn't be more grateful. Read on to hear about how we're spending the rest of our summer!

In this issue:

-New Releases & Upcoming Events (what's out now and where to catch us!)
-Big News (exciting updates!)
-Breakwater Buzz (reviews, interviews, and more!)
-Have You Heard? (the latest on Breakwater in our community!)
-Coming Soon (our next Spring releases about to hit shelves!)
-Featured Titles (find your next great read!)
-Photo Album (catch up on the latest happenings!)
-Keep Connected (follow us on social media!)

NEW RELEASES & UPCOMING EVENTS

From the award-winning author of Some Good and Some Good: Sweet Treats, Some Good: Healthy Comforts redefines the idea of “comfort foods” to bring recipes that are both good for the soul and nutritious and healthy for the body.

Some Good: Healthy Comforts is a gluten-free and dairy-free cookbook that is sure to bring you comfort and bliss. Written by Newfoundland-born, award-winning cookbook author and nutritional consultant Jessica O’Leary, this cookbook is the third in her Some Good series. With 80+ recipes, the book offers a great variety of comforting dishes, from warming soups to satisfying mains and delightful desserts. Staying true to Jessica’s brand of “nutritious food with amazing flavour,” these recipes all deliver a delicious experience with a healthy twist.  

Available for pre-order now on our website!

SAVE THE DATE

-August 2nd, 8:00PM: Celebrate the launch of Taking Down Names with author Bridget Canning (and friends!) at The Ship! There will be readings, conversation with Bridget, and book signing! 
-August 6th - 9th: Winterset in Summer, the annual literary festival in Eastport, Newfoundland, is back for another year! The festival will feature multiple authors, including many Breakwater authors, in conversations and presentations throughout the weekend. Visit their website for details, and check out these panels featuring Breakwater authors:
--Thursday, Aug. 6th, 7PM: Winterset in Summer Book Club with Susie Taylor (Vigil), hosted by Angela Antle (The Saltbox Olive)
--Friday, Aug. 7th, 1:00PM: Panel "Newfoundland History: Now and Then, Here and There" featuring Karl Wells (Openly Karl)
--Friday, Aug. 7th, 8:00PM: Winterset in Summer x Riddle Fence Flash Fiction Winner Trudy Morgan-Cole (Beyond the Brightening Sea)
--Saturday, Aug. 8th, 10AM: Panel "Changing Families, Changing Homes" hosted by Michelle Porter (Approaching Fire)
--Saturday, Aug. 8th, 8PM: BMO Winterset Award Finalists and Gala featuring Angela Antle (The Saltbox Olive) and Debbie McGee (Cautiously Pessimistic)
-August 8th, September 12th, and September 26th: We're kicking off a returning series in partnership with Theatre Hill Bar & Café! Over three Saturdays in August and September, visit the café to be treated to an afternoon of STORIES & SONGS! More details to come!
-August 18th - 23rd: Continuing the run of phenomenal literary festivals on the island, Writers at Woody Point runs at the end of August in Gros Morne National Park! Check out their website for a full schedule. Here's some highlights featuring Breakwater authors:
--Aug. 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd, 9:30AM: Coffee chats with visiting authors each morning, hosted by Angela Antle (The Saltbox Olive)
--Thursday, Aug. 20th, 4:00PM: New Voices with Diedre Halbot (Little Spoons)
--Friday, Aug. 21st, 4:00PM: Pub Reading with Elizabeth Murphy (The Weather Diviner)
--Saturday, Aug. 22nd, 4:00PM: The Des Walsh Experience (The Moon Shone Bright)
--Saturday, Aug. 22nd, 8:00PM: Readings by Mark Critch & Elizabeth Murphy (The Weather Diviner)
-September 16th, November 4th, and December 2nd: Stay tuned for more details on the Breakwater Reading Series in partnership with The Rooms! We're bringing local authors together in conversation on a variety of topics throughout the Fall!
-October 28th: Save the date for Breakwater's Fall Launch — more details below!

BIG NEWS

Fall Launch on the Horizon!

Breakwater Books will be holding the second of our two annual seasonal launches on October 28th! All of our Fall season authors will be gathered to read from their works, and give you an exciting preview of what our final releases of 2026 have to offer!

Featuring authors E.G. Hynes, Trudy J. Morgan-Cole, Eleanor Dawson, Kevin Major, and Tina Chaulk, plus special guests and appearances to be announced later. 

The event will be held at the Spirit of Newfoundland space, 208 Gower Street, St. John's. Mark the date in your calendar, and we'll see you there!

Breakwater Team Update!

Rebecca Roberts joined the Breakwater team in 2024 as Marketing Manager, and through her admirable work and dedication, has now been promoted to Managing Editor of Breakwater Books! We are so pleased to have Rebecca as part of our team and want to celebrate her progress as she takes on new responsibilities at Breakwater. Congratulations Rebecca!

Breakwater Books also recently welcomed our new Finance and Office Manager. Replacing Norma Noseworthy who retired in June, Dawn White has joined our team and we couldn't be more thrilled to have her onboard. Welcome, Dawn!

BREAKWATER BUZZ

Want to know more about our books, our authors, and what we're up to? We have new features and new content to dig deeper into the story behind your favourite recent reads:

- As you might have seen earlier in the summer, Ray Critch's debut novel, The Beltane Massacre, won Best Crime First Novel from the 2026 Crime Writers of Canada Awards! Ray and his work are highlighted in this article from CBC Books, along with authors Louise Penny and Iona Wishaw!
- Atlantic Books Today published an article diving into the authors and stories behind the finalists for the APMA Best Atlantic-Published Book Awards! This includes Breakwater authors Karl Wells (Openly Karl) and Yvonne Rumbolt-Jones (Just Around the Corner). Check out the full article here for a closer look at these amazing titles!
- Looking for a preview before you read Bridget Canning's newest novel, Taking Down Names? You're in luck! All Lit Up has published an excerpt for you to peruse on their website!
- And speaking of Taking Down Names, you can find a review of the novel on the Riddle Fence website, written by Trudy J. Morgan-Cole! Find the full review here.
- Home in Three Plays by Darren Ivany has also garnered some attention from reviewers, specifically in the Literary Review of Canada's Bookworm Newsletter. Check out the review from Nirris Nagendrarajah!
- 49th Shelf has launched their Fall Fiction Preview list for 2026, with shoutouts for Bridget Canning's Taking Down Names, Tina Chaulk's The Incident and Everything After, Trudy J. Morgan-Cole's Beyond the Brightening Sea, and Kevin Major's Seven for Scilly Cove! Check out the whole list and pick out your next reads here.
- As part of their Publisher Spotlight series, 49th Shelf chatted with Breakwater's Managing Editor, Rebecca Roberts, to learn more about our work in the literary world! Read the full feature here. 

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Out for Pride!

Given our storefront's location along the Pride Parade route, our Breakwater team and network came out in full force to decorate our sidewalk space and cheer on the parade walkers on July 19th! 

As a Queer-owned business and champion of Queer books by Queer authors, we are always proud to display our LGBTQ+ books! We had an amazing time celebrating with the crowds and participants!

And after the parade, local drag queen Mia Moore read from Drew's Secret Talent, released from Breakwater Books and D.D Sheppard earlier this year, at Pride in the Park! 

Thanks to St. John's Pride for organizing yet another amazing festival of events, and a huge thank you to everyone who came out to support. 

(Credit to Shan Leigh Pomeroy, @shan.gif, for the photo of Mia Moore!)

One Year Anniversary!

July marks one year since Breakwater opened our doors and sold our first book in our new location at 263 Duckworth Street! 

We are so happy to be back downtown, with so many amazing neighbours! It is a truly special thing to be part of our community of local downtown businesses. We know many of our friends, network, and readers have appreciated our new space, and can see the hard work and dedication we have put into making it a welcoming environment. 

If you haven't stopped in yet, please do! Take advantage of our extended summer hours to shop from the largest selection of local books under one roof!

Book Proceeds Contribute to Kelowna Women's Shelter Donation!

Glenna Turnbull, author of The Art of Getting Lost and Found, has recently donated her own proceeds from sales of the novel to the Kelowna Women's Shelter. From Glenna:

"Today I was able to make the first donation to the Kelowna Women’s Shelter. I vowed when I signed my contract...that I would donate $5 from each book sold to local women’s shelters. I was able to track at least 200 books sold here in Kelowna either via Amazon or through Mosaic Books, Indigo and my own stock, so today I gave them a cheque for $1000. The Kelowna Womens’ Shelter changed my life and I’m extremely proud to be able to thank them this way, and help them to continue helping other women."

COMING SOON!

If you can believe it, we're already looking ahead to our Fall 2026 releases!

Mom, Dad, and the Newfoundland Renaissance is our first fall release; it tells the story of the cultural movement in Newfoundland during the 1960s and 1980s, through interviews, personal histories, and detailed research. Written by E.G. Hynes, the daughter of legendary Canadian artist Ron Dynes and actress Jane Dingle, this book offers unique and exclusive insights into how Newfoundland and Labrador's iconic cultural identity came to be. 

Beyond the Brightening Sea is the eighth historical fiction novel written by Trudy J. Morgan-Cole, published by Breakwater Books. In this newest novel, we return to early Newfoundland history as English settlers continue life in the colonies while England's king is executed. The book follows four women struggling to build lives in seventeenth-century Newfoundland, seeking success in their new lives, even at the expense of one another's freedom. 

Both of these titles are available for pre-order on our website!

FEATURED TITLES

Pride Month

While Pride celebrations in St. John's are coming to a close, we can still celebrate all year round by reading LGBTQ+ books!

As a Queer-owned business with an extensive backlist of formative and impactful work by Queer writers of this province, we are proud to feature some of our newest releases for Pride Month!  

For children’s stories by Queer authors with universal themes, check out Drew’s Secret Talent and Seamus and the Shiny Things! For the autobiography of one of Newfoundland’s most prominent gay figures in media, read Openly Karl by Karl Wells! And for some fiction dealing with queer lives and stories based in NL, pick up A Temporary Grace and A Seal of Salvage! 

PHOTO ALBUM

KEEP CONNECTED

We know you love to find us in your inbox, but don't forget to keep up with us on social media too! Follow all our channels to make sure you don't miss out on any crucial book news. Be the first to get event and book announcements, author appearance schedules, reels and videos, and more!