Staff Picks: 5 Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List from The Bookstore at The Whyte

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By Mabelle Carvajal, Member, Donor and Visitor Experience Coordinator

Summer in Banff has its own rhythm: long trail days, cool mountain evenings, and the irresistible pull of a good book tucked into your backpack. If you’re looking for things to do in Banff this summer, make time for a visit to The Bookstore at The Whyte.

Our staff has curated a summer reading list featuring Canadian authors, with stories that move through love, landscape, poetry, ecology, reconciliation, and the histories that shape this place.

The Cure for Drowning Loghan Paylor

“Evocative, magical and luminously written, The Cure for Drowning is not only a brilliant, boundary-pushing love story but a Canadian historical novel that boldly centres queer and non-binary characters in unprecedented ways.” Loghan Paylor’s powerfully written debut novel won the 2026 CBC Canada Reads award and was longlisted for the 2024 Giller Award- the perfect summer love story.

Buffalo Lessons Karsten Heuer

Visitors to Banff often inquire about the bison herd that roams in the national park. Once freely roaming across North America thousands of years ago, millions of bison were nearly driven to extinction by European settlers in the 1800s. Buffalo Lessons describes the enormous undertaking of reintroducing wild bison to the national park and their triumphant return. Written by the wildlife conservationist and biologist who led the project, the late Karsten Heuer, this breathtaking book describes and provides behind-the-scenes photographs of this ambitious conservation effort, one of the largest of its kind in North America.

Do It Wrong Derek Beaulieu

Derek Beaulieu is the Director of Literary Arts at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Banff’s former Poet Laureate. In Do It Wrong, he writes, “Given the meagre audience for poetry and the microscopic financial rewards, I suggest that you not only dance like no one is watching but write as if no one is reading you. Because metaphorically—and mathematically—no one is.” Delightfully playful, insightful and inspiring, Beaulieu’s book is more than a manual- it is a thoughtful appeal to the importance of generosity and community.

When the Forest Breathes Suzanne Simard

“The trailblazing scientist who pioneered the once-radical—and now broadly accepted—concept of sophisticated communication between trees returns with a book that blends rigorous science and neglected Indigenous wisdom in service of a powerful vision for the future of our forests.” Elegantly written by Suzanne Simard, a professor of forest ecology at UBC, and the author behind the popularization of the term, “world wide web”, When the Forest Breathes is part memoir, part field-based scientific findings.

Ally is a Verb Rose LeMay

Rose LeMay’s Ally is a Verb is a must-read for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of the history and perspective of Indigenous people in Canada. A CEO, speaker, coach and best-selling author, LeMay deftly challenges us to rethink the idea of allyship as an identity, and rather, as an ongoing practice.

Summer Reads Start at The Bookstore at The Whyte

Whether you’re looking for a thoughtful gift, a new perspective on the landscapes around you, or the perfect book to bring along on a summer afternoon in the Rockies, our bookstore is a beautiful place to start.

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Visit The Bookstore at The Whyte at 111 Bear Street in Banff and explore our full selection of books, gifts, and locally inspired finds. The Whyte is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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