We are beyond excited to be officially open to the public at our new location at 263 Duckworth Street! Stop in to check out our new space and browse our selection of books (and beat the summer heat in our air conditioning!).

Along with our full selection of Breakwater Books, we are proud to also feature books from some of our local publishers friends: Boulder Books, Memorial University Press, and Running the Goat Books & Broadsides. Keep checking back, as well, while we work on featuring other local books and authors!

Although we're still enjoying the summer weather, we're getting ready to launch our Fall 2025 releases at Breakwater — and our first is just one month away! Plus we're still celebrating the release of our final Spring title: Fly on the Wall: The Best of Kevin Tobin.

We haven't slowed down with events this summer, either! And we are gearing up for an even busier August — stay tuned for the places you can catch us throughout the city this month!

Read on for more exciting updates from Breakwater Books!

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 first Fall titles to hit the shelves this September!)
From The Vault (not-to-be-forgotten backlist features!)
Photo Album (catch up on the latest happenings!)
Keep Connected (follow us on social media!)

NEW RELEASES & UPCOMING EVENTS

Fly on the Wall doesn’t just collect the best of 40 years of Kevin Tobin’s editorial cartoons for The Telegram (The Evening Telegram when he began); it tracks 40 years of Newfoundland and Labrador’s history: politics, social movements, sports, celebrities, boondoggles, feel-good stories, schemes, emergencies, and triumphs, all seen through the lens of a keen, satirical, and no-holds-barred fly on the wall. Inside you’ll find many familiar faces and events, from Joey Smallwood and Danny Williams to Muskrat Falls and the pandemic—all skewered, marinated, and ready to BBQ. Tobin’s cartoons not only capture current events as they happen along with the colourful characters involved; they also bring to image and word the true nature of Newfoundland and Labrador’s famous sense of humour. Readers of The Telegram will be familiar with Tobin’s tiny flies, sketched into the corners of his cartoons since the early days—a symbol for the cartoonist himself, a fly on the wall of Newfoundland and Labrador life: watching, listening in, waiting to cut through the buzz.

Available now on our website and at select local bookstores!

 

SAVE THE DATE

August 7th: Karl Wells will be reading and signing books during an event at Lanes Retirement Community from 7:00PM-8:30PM!
August 7th: As a treat on the eve of the Winterset in Summer Festival, join Breakwater author Elizabeth Murphy for a special Book Club event at Sandy Cove Hall at 7:00PM (registration required). Elizabeth's novel, The Weather Diviner, was long-listed for the 2025 BMO Winterset Award!
August 8-10th: Check out the full lineup of Winterset in Summer 2025 here, and get your tickets! BMO Winterset Award Winner Susie Taylor will be in conversation with Angela Antle, and Noreen Golfman will host a Breakwater Book Breakouts panel featuring Monica Kidd, Rod Moody-Corbett, and Willow Kean. Also, Breakwater author Ashleigh Matthews will be in conversation with Marjorie Doyle and Sara Power!
August 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th: We're partnering with the Majestic Theatre for their Stories and Songs series at Theatre Hill Cafe and Bar! Each Saturday in August at 2:00PM, enjoy readings from local Breakwater authors coupled with performances from local musicians! See below for additional details.
August 19-24th: There are still some tickets available for this year's Writers at Woody Point Festival! Breakwater authors Bridget Canning and Angela Antle will be featured! Check out the events and grab tickets here.
September 17th: Join us at The Rooms for a conversation between powerhouse female authors, featuring Angela Antle, Heidi Wicks, and more! Stay tuned for a link to reserve tickets!
September 20th: Celebrate the launch of Fly on the Wall with Kevin Tobin at The Newfoundland Embassy! Stay tuned for more details!
September 24th: Yvonne Rumbolt-Jones will be a guest at Politics and the Pen, hosted by the Writer's Trust of Canada, at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa!

 

BIG NEWS

Extended Summer Hours!

We are excited to be open for extended hours this summer to welcome you into our store! Check out our opening hours below, and drop by to visit us while enjoying the many other pleasures that Downtown St. John's offers in the summer (we're just steps up from the Pedestrian Mall!)

A Seal of Salvage shortlisted for the 2025 Sunburst Award!

After the longlist announcement in June, we're even more thrilled that A Seal of Salvage was recently named to the shortlist for the 2025 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic! The winner will be announced in the Fall.

Discover the rest of the shortlist here!

 

BREAKWATER BUZZ

Want to know more about our books, our authors, and what to read next? We have new reviews and new interviews to dig deeper into the story behind your favourite recent reads:

Karl Wells has been in high demand for interviews and appearances! Check out this interview on Tom Power's podcast, PowerTalk, and this interview with Joan Sullivan for Newfoundland Quarterly!

Yvonne Rumbolt-Jones was a guest on a live webinar for Municipal Mondays, hosted by Dr. Deatra Walsh and presented by Make Your Mark NL. Yvonne discussed her memoir Just Around the Corner, and municipal politics as a stepping stone for further leadership. Watch a recording of their conversation here! It’s a story of grit, growth, and finding purpose close to home.

Catch up on this feature of Here by Heidi Wicks, written by Lynette Adams for CBC News!

"Antle's depiction of daily life in wartime is her triumph... Her abilities as an award-winning documentarian and journalist are wonderfully employed as she transforms herself into a competent and compelling novelist." Check out the rest of Robin McGrath's review of The Saltbox Olive in The Seaboard Review here!

Quill and Quire's Fall 2025 previews are rolling out! They've started with Fiction and Children's Literature — find a shoutout of The Hunt here, and a preview of Seamus and the Shiny Things here!

49th Shelf's August Summer Reading List is out, and they recommend The Saltbox Olive! Check out the list to find other great Canadian titles to add to your TBR list.

Check out Lisa Moore's review of Here by Heidi Wicks for Riddle Fence! "Wicks’ ability to bring a scene to life through attention to all of the senses is her superpower."

 

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Pride Through the Ages!

On July 12th, we partnered with St. John's Pride to celebrate Pride Though the Ages, a panel discussion highlighting authors and artists from the LGBTQ+ community who are of a certain vintage. We were so lucky to be joined by Karl Wells (author of Openly Karl), Berni Stapleton (author of love, life), and Robert Chafe (author of Two-Man Tent) in a conversation moderated by Rhea Rollmann (author of A Queer History of Newfoundland, Engen Books). Unfortunately, our fourth panelist, Shannon Webb-Campbell was forced to miss the event due to illness.

It was a fantastic and lively conversation that touched on hard topics while still celebrating joy and community. We're so thankful to the staff at the Theatre Hill Bar and Cafe for allowing us to host the event there, and to the wonderful folks who showed up on a lovely Saturday afternoon!

Stories & Songs at Theatre Hill!

We're so excited to partner with the Majestic Theatre for a new series at the Theatre Hill Bar and Cafe! Each Saturday during the month of August, you'll find a local Breakwater author reading from their work paired with a performance from a local musician -- and it is quite the lineup!

August 9th, 2:00PM: Music by Sandy Morris and Anita Best, with a reading by Maggie Burton
August 16th, 2:00PM: Music by Lady Lupin, with a reading by Angela Antle
August 23rd, 2:00PM: Music by Salt Beef Junkies, with a reading by Clayton Smith
August 30th, 2:00PM: Music by Anne Devine, with a reading by Bernice Morgan

COMING SOON!

We're looking ahead to our first Fall releases with two incredibly exciting titles coming in September! We're totally in love with the sweet illustrations in Seamus and the Shiny Things, and we can't wait for you to meet this little crow on September 2nd. And on September 16th, Ship Moms sets sail! This collection of real-life, behind-the-scenes stories from cruise ship crew members by Jen Winsor pulls back the curtain on the luxury and leisure of cruise ships.

About Seamus and the Shiny Things: Seamus is a little crow who loves shiny things, and he loves collecting them! He loves them so much he even starts stealing from his friends. At first, his treasures make him feel like a king, but as he grows hungry and lonely, he misses his pals. When trouble strikes, his friends come to his aid, and he learns a valuable lesson about sharing and friendship. Maybe the real treasure isn't shiny objects, but the love and generosity of those around him. Maybe the best, shiniest thing is his own heart!

About Ship Moms: The lives of cruise ship crew members don’t stop when they are below deck. Ship Moms is a collection of behind-the-scenes stories about the relationships that bloom between crew members and all the wonderful mixed-nationality babies being brought into the world as a result, representing nearly forty countries and ten cruise lines. Here are the stories of these ship moms—stories of their strength, their endurance, and their tenacity in making it work against all odds. Beautiful and complicated, heartwarming and heart-wrenching, this collection spills the dirt on the ship life experience, telling real-life stories about connections that result in real-life babies.   

  

FROM THE VAULT

ARCHIVE AND BACKLIST HIGHLIGHTS

In order to find The Dictionary of Newfoundland English, you'll have to stop into our new storefront at 263 Duckworth Street! This gem isn't available on our website, but it is worth the trip to our store — with over 700 pages of history and culture, it has been a staple since it was published in 1982.

From our recent backlist, Regatta: A New History by Jack Fitzgerald tells the story of the Royal St. John's Regatta from its early days up until its 200th anniversary. Although this year's Regatta was held earlier than usual to accommodate the upcoming 2025 Canada Summer Games, this is a perfect summer read to catch up on the background of this historic annual event!

From the archive: The Dictionary of Newfoundland English (available in hard and soft cover at 263 Duckworth!)

From the recent backlist: Regatta: A New History

PHOTO ALBUM

In addition to our move, we've been busy throughout the summer at Breakwater with events, signings, and appearances! Check out some of our latest photos below!

We celebrated the launch of Cautiously Pessimistic with Debbie McGee at The Ship on August 3rd! It was a wonderful evening with so many friendly faces!

Here's a  sneak peek at our new home! Hurry down to check it out for yourself!

Kevin Tobin had a hometown book signing at Beavercraft in Stephenville this past weekend! There was lots of reminiscing and catching up — and some great weather!

Contract signing alert! Michael Winsor stopped by to sign the contract for his next book with Breakwater: a follow-up to the highly successful Lost in Newfoundland! Stay tuned for release details!