Bottomfeeder, by Taras Grescoe (HarperCollins)

The latest tome by Montreal-based international traveller Grescoe is a must-read on the dawn of barbecue season, though it’s just as likely to turn your stomach as it is to whet your appetite. Bottomfeeder in an infinitely well researched cautionary tale concerning the state of the fishing industry today, which let me tell ya, is just as horrifying as any other industry out there. Constructed like a tour around the world, from New York to England, India and Japan, and featuring a rogue’s gallery of pitiful characters nearly wiped out by man for the sake of gustatory exoticism (monkfish, orange roughie and Chilean sea bass, to name a few), this is the sort of book we should all act on, lest it become too late. (IT)

Break on Through, by Jill Murray (Doubleday Canada)

It twists and turns, spins and hops. Break on Through is a hip-hop right of passage. Nadine "Lady Six Sky" Dumont is a high school breakdancer whose life is shattered when her parents move from downtown Toronto out into the suburbs. She’s alienated from her friends, pissed off at her parents and unwilling to give the students at her new high school a chance. To Nadine it seems like everyone is trying to undermine her passion for dance, but nothing is going to keep her from competing in the breakdance showdown… even if she does have to grow up a bit along the way. (MJS)

Guantanamo’s Child, by Michelle Shephard (John Wiley and Sons)

Guantanamo’s Child tells the sad and remarkable story of Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr. The 15-year-old was arrested in 2002 after he was accused of throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. Marine. Shephard, who’s the Toronto Star’s National Security reporter, has been covering Khadr’s story since his capture, and paints a telling portrait of the child soldier and his family of Jihad sympathizers. Always engaging, this is an excellent primer for anyone interested in getting beyond the paranoid hype that led to the incarceration of a boy. (MJS)

An Apple a Day, by Joe Schwarcz, PhD (HarperCollins)

This incredibly informative look at the myths, misconceptions and truths about the foods we eat by the famous McGill University researcher starts off by criticizing us all for our sheep-like behaviour when it comes to nutritional trends. Just because you read that soya is good doesn’t mean you should eat tofu at every meal! The key is balance. An Apple a Day, however, helps us be more informed about that balance by giving us the lowdown on what foods are best for what conditions and why. A fascinating read for the food obsessed, perfectly timed for the most fruitful season. (IT)

The Prodigal Tongue, by Mark Abley (Random House Canada)

If the evolution of the English language is your thing, you’ll love this book, in which Abley explores how English is being transformed via the language’s explosion into Asia, blogger talk and hip-hop culture. Although Abley doesn’t predict where the language’s future will stand, he does make a compelling case about the worldwide influences that are affecting the vernacular as we know it. Abley employs his wit and travel experience to create an inspiring study of 21st-century linguistics. (MJS)

Awkward and Definition and Potential, both by Ariel Schrag (Simon & Schuster)

I’ll admit it, I’m a comic snob. Reams of purported "graphic novels" cross my desk that amount to little more than poorly drawn meandering thoughts of self-obsessed people, so when California kid Schrag’s two books crossed my desk, I wasn’t immediately convinced. A few pages into the childishly drawn Awkward and Definition, though, had me hooked: It turns out these are literally the thoughts of a child, drawn when the author was all of 14 years old. Both it and its follow-up, Potential (created when she was 16), are incredibly insightful, emotionally pregnant works, and most interestingly, they gain maturity in terms of both aesthetic and thematic control at a practically alarming rate. These works were rereleased on the dawn of Schrag’s latest release, Likewise, coming in the fall – I can’t wait. (IT)

Sex Detox, by Ian Kerner, PhD (HarperCollins)

Though the very idea might seem quite scandalous, renowned sex therapist Kerner makes a good argument for cutting out sex for a while. And not just for people going through difficulties of one sort or another, either as a couple or solo, both of which he addresses – no, the idea is that just like how after a fast, food tastes so sublime, taking a break from your sexual status quo can have the effect of recharging you, giving you time to reflect about habits you have, and shifting your focus back onto the sheer pleasure of doing the do. All good in theory, and the book’s an effortless read, but I didn’t go and try it out or anything. I’ll let you take the plunge. (IT)

Otherworld Uprising: Shary Boyle, with essays by Ben Portis, Josée Drouin-Brisebois and Sheila Heti (Conundrum)

The art of Toronto’s Shary Boyle is unparalleled in its pixie-sized beauty, weirdness and intensity. Local publisher Conundrum has beautifully captured her unique and world-renowned vision in print in this most gorgeous book, the biggest and most ambitious Conundrum output yet. The full-colour, high-gloss quality of this large monograph was imperative for the full appreciation of the delicate, fleshy tendrils of Boyle’s semi-pornographic porcelain sculptures and the electric hues of the paintings. The texts, by three excellent art writers, shed light on and historically contextualize Boyle’s work, which is quickly becoming recognized as among of the most interesting the country has to offer. Fantastic in every sense of the word. (IT)

Au Pied de Cochon: A Cookbook from the Celebrated Restaurant, by Martin Picard (Douglas & McIntyre)

Give this super-fun album-style cookbook to any friend who’s got a summer birthday, because even if he can’t hold his own in the kitchen, the rollicking stories told by wacky Quebec chef Martin Picard are worth the price of purchase. With an introduction by none other than Anthony Bourdain, this culinary adventure recounts how Montreal’s most famous "cuisine québécoise" resto came to be, and delves deep into the philosophies of its bad-boy founder. Few people are as passionate about ingredients and the sensuality of eating as Picard, and with its over-600 photos, this album puts the term "food porn" to shame. Foie gras hamburger, anyone? (IT)

See part two of Hour’s summer reading special next week