Happy 2026! We're so excited to come to you with our first newsletter of the year and to kick off our season of Winter releases! We started the year with a bang with the release of our long-awaited and highly-anticipated Field Guide to Newfoundland and Labrador, and our season is only going to ramp up from here.

If you made a New Year's Resolution to read more books (especially local books!), we can help you with that! Visit our website or drop in at 263 Duckworth Street to kick off your 2026 reading list on the right foot.

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 Winter releases about to hit shelves!)
Featured Titles
From the Vault
Photo Album (catch up on the latest happenings!)
Keep Connected (follow us on social media!)

 

We have new hours for a new season! Our storefront at 263 Duckworth Street will be open Monday to Friday from 10:00AM to 5:00PM, 10:00AM to 6:00PM on Saturdays, and 12:00PM to 5:00PM on Sundays! 

 

NEW RELEASES & UPCOMING EVENTS

After many years in development, Field Guide to Newfoundland and Labrador has finally hit shelves! This guide adds to a rich canon of guidebooks to the natural world of Newfoundland and Labrador, and is perfect for those visiting for the first time, or anyone looking to enrich their knowledge of this wonderful province. Containing over 900 full-colour photographs and illustrations, this is the most comprehensive guide of its kind on the market today! No stone is left unturned.

A rich and informative guide to the common—and uncommon—beauty of the province.

Compiled and edited by Memorial University biologist Michael Collins and professor Derek Wilton, with contributions from over twenty renowned experts, the guide is accessible, durable, perfectly sized, and indexed for ease of use in the field.

You’re ready. Now explore

Available now on our website and at our Duckworth Street store!


SAVE THE DATE

January 29th, 7:00PM: Maggie Burton will be reading from Chores as part of the NLBA EJ Pratt Family Poetry Prize Shortlist Readings at Bannerman Brewery!

January 30th, 7:00PM: The NLBA Award Ceremony will be held at Colonial House, where the winners of the EJ Pratt Family Poetry Prize and the Newfoundland & Labrador Non-Fiction Award will be presented!

 

BIG NEWS

CELEBRATING NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR BOOKS!

The Newfoundland & Labrador Book Awards, presented by WritersNL, are back, this year with a focus on Poetry and Non-Fiction! We're delighted to see two Breakwater titles long-listed for the EJ Pratt Family Poetry Prize: Chores by Maggie Burton, and Total Party Kill by Craig Francis Power!

Not only that, Chores has moved on and been named to the shortlist as well! Short-listed authors for both the EJ Pratt Family Poetry Prize and the Newfoundland & Labrador Non-Fiction Award will be reading during an event on January 29th at Bannerman Brewing. The Award Ceremony will take place on January 30th at the Colonial Building. Find our more information from WritersNL here.

Congratulations to all nominated authors and publishers!

 

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:

-Check out Atlantic Books' list of new Atlantic books to start 2026! Two of our latest crime reads made the cut: Six for Saint-Pierre by Kevin Major and The Hunt by Nick Wilkshire.
-All Lit Up published their team's reading goals for 2026, and we spotted a familiar title: Vigil by Susie Taylor! Check out the full post here.
-The Literary Review of Canada's latest issue of their newsletter, Bookworm, featured an excerpt from Six for Saint-Pierre! If you haven't already been convinced to pick up the latest instalment in Kevin Major's Sebastian Synard mystery series, this teaser will convince you!
-The Quill & Quire Spring Preview lists for 2026 are out! Find Little Spoons on the Fiction list, and Drew's Secret Talent on the Children's Picture Books list.
-Check out this feature of Field Guide to Newfoundland and Labrador in the Memorial University Gazette!
-Looking for extra content to add to your TBR list this January? Check out this Press Playbacks feature article on All Lit Up where we highlight six of our backlist titles that we think you should be reading right now! Don't sleep on Melt by Heidi Wicks, Even Weirder Than Before by Susie Taylor, Some People's Children by Bridget Canning, The Weather Diviner by Elizabeth Murphy, The Blue Moth Motel by Olivia Robinson, or Eyes in Front When Running by Willow Kean!
-Listen to the editors and contributors of Field Guide to Newfoundland and Labrador on CBC's The Signal with Adam Walsh!

 

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Connect with us at The London Book Fair 2026!

Our publisher and president Rebecca Rose will be attending The London Book Fair from March 10-12, 2026! To schedule a meeting, reach out to adminteam@breakwaterbooks.com.

Breakwater in The New York Post!

We're super delighted to be named in this article by Mark Ellwood in The New York Post, "Sorry, not sorry! Canada goes luxury with new lodges and artful adventures".

A special thanks to Newfoundland-based travel specialist Jill Curran for the shoutout: "Artsy, historic St. John’s is buzzing with book readings and live music when the nights are dark, she added, including at the just-opened downtown location of local publisher and store Breakwater Books."

Openly Karl added to the Stonewall Library!

In a momentous occasion, author Karl Wells presented his memoir, Openly Karl, to the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, and Library of the United States. SNMAL operates one of the leading gay archives in America and the Stonewall Library which remains the largest LGBTQ+ collection in the world. 

Two copies of Openly Karl will remain in the Stonewall archives and lending library. Breakwater Books extends our thanks to those who accepted this book on behalf of Stonewall: Mr. Robert Kesten, President & CEO of SNMAL, and Mr. Don Oravec, Chair, Board of Directors. 

Thanks to Karl Wells for the photograph! 

 

Mon Indien recognized by Communications-Jeunesse!

Mon Indien, the French translation of My Indian (Sheila O'Neill, Mi'sel Joe) from Bouton D'or and Jean-Francois Cyr has been named by Communications-Jeunesse as a top pick for readers 12-17 years old!

Congratulations to everyone involved in this wonderful translation for the recognition of their hard work! 

 

 

COMING SOON!

We're beginning to reveal the covers for our 2026 Winter season! 

The Art of Getting Lost and Found is a debut novel from Glenna Turnbull following two women, one hundred and thirty years apart, on their parallel struggles in the same small community. 

Home in Three Plays by Darren Ivany is a triad of tragicomedies exploring the darkly funny underbelly of St. John's and its unlikely anti-heroes. 

Check out our website to see what else might be coming up this season, and to pre-order your copies now! 

 

FEATURED TITLES

Be inspired for the New Year!

With a New Year beginning, we're taking a look at a variety of diverse titles that spark new ideas, new inspirations, and new beginnings! 

For the musical muse, take a look at Relics and Tunes, a combination of music and poetry from Amelia Curran.

For the child at heart, check out Seamus and the Shiny Things to remind yourself of the importance of friendship!

For the adventurer, dive into conversations on health and happiness with Health Explored from Dr. Mike Wahl.

For the emotional learner, tackle discussions on grief, love, and loss with Debbie McGee's ground-breaking memoir Cautiously Pessimistic.

For the home chef looking to expand into dairy free or gluten free, we recommend Some Good by Jessica O'Leary.

And finally, for the romantic reader, look no further than Eyes in Front When Running by Willow Kean, a story of family, love, and life's unpredictable surprises!

 

FROM THE VAULT!

Backlist and Archive

January is National Train Your Dog Month, so we’re taking a look at one of our most-loved children’s books to ask the age-old question: Why Do Dogs Sniff Bottoms? This and other classic children’s titles are available from Breakwater Books or your local bookseller!  
 

This month, Breakwater released the Field Guide to Newfoundland and Labrador – but over twenty years ago, we published Gros Morne National Park, a guidebook to the largest and most spectacular national park in eastern Canada! Check out this and other extensive guide books from local publishers at our storefront, 263 Duckworth Street!

 

PHOTO ALBUM

Our publisher and president Rebecca Rose joined (our author!) Karl Wells on his television show Point 2 Point to talk about the history of Breakwater and local publishing!

Looking ahead to our future seasons, we welcomed Eleanor Dawson and Jeanine Battcock into the Breakwater offices to sign contracts on an upcoming release for Fall 2026! 

Look what we found! Local artist (and illustrator of multiple Breakwater books) Craig Goudie decked out a local traffic box with this gorgeous book mural, inspired by the landscape and literature of downtown St. John's! What titles can you spot?

Photo credit to Angela Antle!

We're refreshing our in-store displays with titles to celebrate the beginning of a new year! Drop in at 263 Duckworth to check it out

 

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!