Honourable mention by the 2016 Whistler Independent Book Awards Nelly Nasah grew up in a culture obsessed with decoration. In her native country, straight lines are anathema. Letters are hand-written into anthropomorphic shapes. Even heart monitoring machines are covered with colourful mosaics. So when Nelly arrives in Washington, D.C. she has a mission-to make the Internet beautiful. She lands a job as a graphic designer in Georgetown, and gets to work trying to inspire her colleagues-aloof boss Jack, talkative middle-aged Ashley and Don Juan-wannabe Ralf-to greater heights of...

"Frakash was a garden gnome who thought that magic was boring" So begins a story of irresistible charm, beautifully written and illustrated by Elen Ghulam. Do you miss bedtime stories from your childhood? The Adventures of Frakash in the Land of the Geekmeisters is a funny tale that your loved one can read to you. Although there is no reason why a child shouldn't read it-there is no profanity and nothing explicit, this story is aimed at adults. Frakash wanted to become a computer programmer and so he sneaked into the office of a software company to blend it with those he calls...

Thaniya Rasid grew up in the Middle East dreaming of becoming a surgeon. Now living an ordinary life as a mother, wife and a hospital lab tech in Vancouver, Canada, she garners unexpected fame as youTube's Queen of Hummus when her video demonstrating the recipe goes viral. How could blending chickpeas in a food processor generate so much excitement? And how could her life have ended up so far away from all her expectations?

To make sense of the unlikely events that have brought her to this place, Thaniya turns to food, curating memorable eating experiences of her life, searching for...