The CBC Books fall reading list: 51 books to check out this season

Need a good book to hang outwith this season?Check out this list of notableCanadian and international titles out right now.

Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson

Blackheart Man is a fantasy novel about the magical island of Chynchin. It follows Veycosi who is training as a griot (historian and musician) and is hoping to score a spot on Chynchin's Colloquium of scholars. When children start disappearing and tar statues come to life, it's clear that sinister forces are at play the demon called the Blackheart Man is causing trouble.

• Being a leading Black voice in sci-fi writing is a 'joyful' responsibility: Nalo Hopkinson

Nalo Hopkinson is the author of many novels and short stories, including Brown Girl in the Ring, which won the Warner Aspect First Novel Contest and was defended on Canada Reads in 2008 by Jemeni. Her other books include Sister Mine, Midnight Robber, The Chaos, The New Moon's Arms and Skin Folk. In 2021, she won the Damon Knight Grand Master award, a lifetime achievement award for science fiction.

Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey, with Leslie Jamison

Peggytells the story of Peggy Guggenheim and her rise to making her name synonymous with art and genius. From her early beginnings in New York as the daughter of two Jewish dynasties to her adventures in the European art worlds, she is forced to balance her loyalty to her family and her desire to break free from conventions and live her own original life.

• 64 Canadian fiction books to read in fall 2024

Rebecca Godfrey was an author and journalist known for her books The Torn Skirt,which was a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and the true crime story Under the Bridge, which was adapted to screen. She grew up in Canada but lived in upstate New York. Peggy is her final novel, completed by Leslie Jamison after she died.

Jamison is the Brooklyn-based author of The Empathy Exams, The Recovering, the novel The Gin Closet and the memoir Splinters.

May Our Joy Endure by Kevin Lambert, translated by Donald Winkler

In May Our Joy Endure, Cline is a celebrated architect and icon. When her first megaproject in her home of Montreal is met with harsh criticism for bringing on gentrification, she is fired as CEO from her firm. She must try to understand what exactly she is being accused of and figure out what to tell herself so that she can continue to justify her world of privilege.

• Kevin Lambert's novel Querelle of Roberval is an erotically tragic look at class struggle and sexual politics

Kevin Lambert is a Montreal-based author who grew up in Chicoutimi, Que.May Our Joy Endurewon the Prix Mdicis, Prix Dcembre and Prix Ringuet. His novel Querelle de Roberval was a finalist for numerous prizes in Quebec, Canada and France. His first novel, You Will Love What You Have Killed, won a prize for the best novel from the Saguenay region.

Donald Winkler is a Montreal-based translator. He has won three Governor General's Literary Awards for French-to-English translation.

LISTEN | Kevin Lambert discusses his debut novel on The Sunday Magazine:

The Sunday Magazine20:32Rising literary star Kevin Lambert on his debut novel and newfound success

The borough of Chicoutimi in Saguenay, Que. is probably best known to the rest of the country for its historic pulp mill... or the nearby, breathtaking Saguenay Fjord. It's a quiet, pretty place. But that peace is shattered in You Will Love What You Have Killed, the decorated and daring debut novel by Chicoutimi born-and-raised Kevin Lambert. David Common speaks with him about how his own upbringing inspired the book, and what he makes of the resonance his work is having with audiences in his home province and beyond.

All Hookers Go To Heaven by Angel B.H.

In All Hookers Go To Heaven, Mag falls for a girl while training to become an evangelical missionary. Ashamed and regretful, she leaves the Church and becomes a sex worker, hoping to break free from her repressed past and change her life. The novel details all the challenges and danger she faces as she tries to come to terms with herself, her sexuality and her faith all while trying to make a living.

Angel B.H. is a writer from Nova Scotia currently living in Europe. All Hookers Go To Heaven is her first novel.

The Weddingby Gurjinder Basran

In a Bollywood-inspired family drama,The Weddingtransports readers to Surrey and Vancouver, B.C. in the lead-up to the lavish Sikh wedding between Devi and Baby. Offering glimpses into the lives of the wedding party, guests and the event staff making it all happen, the novel is all about community, tradition and the union of two people.

• 'It wasn't a joyful process.' Gurjinder Basran discusses writing her sophomore novel

Gurjinder Basran is a writer living in Delta, B.C. Her novels includeEverything Was Good-bye, thewinner of the BC Book Prizeand the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize,Help! I'm AliveandSomeone You Love is Gone.

LISTEN | Gurjinder Basran discusses her novel The Wedding on The Next Chapter:

The Next Chapter11:58Love, drama, and extravagance in Gurjinder Basrans The Wedding

No cost is spared in the extravagant celebration that takes place in Gurjinder Basrans novel The Wedding. The B.C.-based author explores the culture and dynamics of a South Asian wedding in her latest book.

The Pages of the Sea by Anne Hawk

The Pages of the Sea tells the story of Wheeler and her older sisters on a Caribbean island after their mother moves to England to find work. As she waits for her mother to send for her, Wheeler feels alone and must navigate the tensions between her aunts who took her and her sisters in.

Anne Hawk is a writer who grew up in the Caribbean, the U.K., and Canada. The Pages of the Sea is her first novel.Shepreviously worked as a journalist, paralegal and school teacher. She is currently based in London.

I Never Said That I Was Brave by Tasneem Jamal

I Never Said That I Was Brave recounts the lifelong friendship of two women who immigrated from Uganda to Canada as children. As adults, their dynamics are constantly shifting as they grow yet feel stifled by expectations of their South Asian community.

• She ditched it all to follow her dreams, then reality came crashing in

Tasneem Jamal is a Kitchener, Ont.-based writer who was born in Uganda. She also is the author of Where the Air is Sweet and was named one of CBC's writers to watch in 2014. Her work has appeared in Chatelaine, Saturday Nightand the Literary Review of Canada. Jamal is The X Page Storytelling Workshop's writing coach and an editor at The New Quarterly.

The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley

In The Lightning Bottles, an unlikely duo of fallen rock star Jane Pyre and sullen teenage superfan Hen take a road trip to find out what happened to Elijah, Jane's bandmate and soulmate. A love letter to music and female artists who deserve the same powerful legacies as their male counterparts, Stapley wrote The Lightning Bottles to give a voice to both them and the teenagers listening to music, waiting for their lives to begin.

• Marissa Stapley's latest takes readers on a road trip to solve a rock 'n' roll mystery read an excerpt now

Marissa Stapley is a Toronto writer, journalist and author of romance, thrillers and romantic comedies. Her books include Mating for Life, Things To Do When It's Raining, The Last Resort, Lucky and The Holiday Swap, which was co-written withKarma Brown under the pen name Maggie Knox.

LISTEN | Marissa Stapley chats about her latest book The Lightning Bottles:

The Next Chapter18:53A grunge-era love story with Marissa Stapley

Two music loving misfits come together to form a rock duo, but are struck by the high price of fame in the Toronto authors latest novel The Lightning Bottles.

Hair for Men by Michelle Winters

Struggling with trauma from her teenage years, Louise lives a life of punk violence until she gets a job at a men's hair salon in the novel Hair for Men. There, she builds relationships with her clients and begins to feel more settled. But when that sense of calm is destroyed, she runs away to the East Coast to escape her past, which she does successfully until a man from the Bay of Fundy arrives and gives her the opportunity to right her wrongs.

• Enjoying the ride: Michelle Winters on the roller coaster that is being a Giller Prize finalist

Michelle Winters is a writer, painter and translator from Saint John currently living in Toronto. Her novel debut novel, I Am a Truck, was shortlisted for the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize. She also translated Kiss the Undertow and Daniil and Vanya by Marie-Hlne Larochelle.

A Way to Be Happy by Caroline Adderson

A Way to Be Happy is a short story collection that follows various characters as they try to find happiness. Ranging from mundane to extraordinary, the stories feature everything from a pair of addicts robbing parties to fund their sobriety to a Russian hitman dealing with an illness and reliving his past.

• Three-time CBC Literary Prize winner Caroline Adderson shares how to write a great short story

Caroline Adderson is the Vancouver-based author of five novels, including The Sky is Falling, Ellen in Pieces and A Russian Sister. She has also published two short story collections, including the 1993 Governor General's Literary Award finalist Bad Imaginings.

Adderson's awards include three B.C. Book Prizes, a National Magazine Award Gold Medal for Fiction. She has received the 2006 Marian Engel Award for mid-career achievement. She is also a three-time winner of the CBC Literary Prizes, andA Way to Be Happywas longlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize.

LISTEN | Caroline Adderson disccuses her latest short story collectiononNorth by Northwest:

North by Northwest17:55Author Caroline Adderson's "A Way to Be Happy"

Award-winning author Caroline Adderson on her new short story collection, "A Way to Be Happy."

Death by a Thousand Cutsby Shashi Bhat

Death by a Thousand Cutstraces the funny, honest and difficult parts of womanhood. From a writer whose ex published a book about their breakup to the confession wrought by a Reddit post, these stories probe rage, loneliness, bodily autonomy and these women's relationships with themselves just as much as those around them.

• Shashi Bhat's short stories explore experiences women face in today's world

Shashi Bhat's previous novels includeThe Family Took Shape, a finalist for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award andThe Most Precious Substance on Earth,which was also a finalist forthe Governor General's Literary Award for fictionin 2022. Her short stories won the Writers' Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize and been shortlisted for a National Magazine Award and the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. Her novelDeath by a Thousand Cutswaslonglisted for the 2024 Giller Prize. Bhat lives in New Westminster, B.C.

LISTEN | Shashi Bhat on her short story collection Death by a Thousand Cuts:

The Next Chapter12:14Dissecting modern womanhood in Death by a Thousand Cuts

Vancouver-based writer Shashi Bhats short story collection was named as a title to check out by CBC Books this past spring her latest book explores the everyday trials and impossible expectations that come with being a woman.

What I Know About You by ric Chacour, translated by Pablo Strauss

In What I Know About You, Tarek is on the right path: he'll be a doctor like his father, marry and have children. But when he falls for his patient's son, Ali, his life is turned upside-down as he realizes his sexuality against a backdrop of political turmoil in 1960s Cairo. In the 2000s, Tarek is now a doctor in Montreal. When someone begins to write to him and about him, the past that he's been trying to forget comes back to haunt him.

What I Know About Youis shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize.

• Anne Michaels, Conor Kerr among finalists for 2024 Giller Prize

ric Chacour is a Montreal-based writer who was born to Egyptian parents and grew up between France and Quebec. In addition to writing, he works in the financial sector. What I Know About You is his first book and was a bestseller in its French edition, winning many awards including the Prix Femina.

Pablo Strauss has translated 12 works of fiction, several graphic novels and one screenplay. He was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for translation for The Country Will Bring Us No Peace, Synapses and The Longest Year. His translation of Le plongeur by Stephane Larue called The Dishwasher won the 2020 Amazon First Novel Award. He lives in Quebec City.

Bad Land by Corinna Chong

When Regina's brother shows up on her doorstep with his six-year-old daughter after seven years, her quiet loner life is never the same. The longer they stay, the clearer it becomes to Regina that something terrible has happened and once the secret is revealed, they're sent on a fraught journey from Alberta to the coast of B.C.Bad Land was longlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize.

• Corinna Chong on battling perfectionism and making sense of things through writing

Originally from Calgary, Corinna Chong lives in Kelowna, B.C. and teaches English and fine arts at Okanagan College. She published her first novel, Belinda's Rings, in 2013. In 2023, she published the short story collection The Whole Animal which includes Kids in Kindergarten, the winner of the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize.

Curiositiesby Anne Fleming

Curiositiesis a novel that centres around an amateur historian who discovers an obscure memoir from 1600s England that explores a love that could not be explained in those times. Weaving together different fictional accounts, the novel tells thelife stories of Joan and Thomasina, the only two survivors of a village ravaged by the plague, and how they eventually find each other again Thomasina, now Tom, navigating the world in boy's clothes and as a male and the struggles they face when they're discovered, naked, by a member of the clergy.

Curiositiesis shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize.

• Anne Michaels, Conor Kerr among finalists for 2024 Giller Prize

Anne Fleming is an author based in Victoria.Her books includePool-Hopping and Other Stories, which wasshortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and her middle-grade novel,The Goat, which was a Junior Library Guild and White Ravens selection.

Prairie Edgeby Conor Kerr

InPrairie Edge,Isidore(Ezzy)Desjarlais and Grey Ginther live together in Grey's uncle's trailer, passing their time with cribbage and cheap beer. Grey iscynical of what she feels is a lazy and performative activist culture, while Grey is simply devoted to his distant cousin. So when Greyconcocts a scheme to set a herd of bison loose in downtown Edmonton, Ezzyis along for the ride one that has devastating, fatal consequences.

Prairie Edgeis shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize.

• Edmonton author Conor Kerr on what it's like to have your debut novel longlisted for the Giller Prize

Kerr is a Mtis/Ukrainian writer who hails from many prairie towns and cities, including Saskatoon. He now lives in Edmonton. A2022 CBC Books writer to watch, his previous works include the novelsOld GodsandAvenue of Champions, whichwaslonglisted for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize, andwon the ReLit award the same year. Kerr currently teaches creative writing at the University of Alberta.

LISTEN | Conor Kerrdiscusses his novelPrairie EdgeonThe Next Chapter:

The Next Chapter18:53Bison roam Downtown Edmonton in Prairie Edge

Mtis-Ukrainian author Conor Kerr's latest novel takes inspiration from a real-life news story. In Prairie Edge, two distant Mtis cousins release bison into Edmonton's urban green spaces in an act of reclamation.

This Strange Eventful Historyby Claire Messud

This Strange Eventful Historyfollows a French Algerian family over seven decades, from 1940 to 2010. The book tells the story of the Cassars as they are separated in the Second World War, flee Algeria after it declares independence and try to build their lives elsewhere, with the social and political upheaval of their recentpast fresh in their minds. As she grows up and wants to understand her family's history, Chloe, the youngest member of the family, convinces her parents and grandparents that sharing this part of them will bring them peace.

This Strange Eventful Historywas alsolonglisted for the 2024 Booker Prizeandthe 2024 Giller Prize.

• Claire Messud on her sense of home and keeping fiction away from autobiography

Messudis a Canadian American author with French Algerian roots. Her books includeThe Emperor's Children, which was longlisted for the Booker in 2006, andWhen the World Was SteadyandThe Hunters,which were both finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award. She has wonGuggenheim and Radcliffe Fellowships and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Cambridge, Mass.

LISTEN | Claire Messud in conversation with Eleanor Wachtel:

Writers and Company50:49Claire Messud on the stories and secrets of a French Algerian family in The Last Life

This week, American Canadian novelist Claire Messud. Throughout her career and in her new book, This Strange Eventful History, one of TIMEs most anticipated of 2024, Messud draws on her own family's history, especially that of her French Algerian father. In 2001 she spoke with Eleanor about her novel The Last Life, which traces three generations of a French Algerian family from the perspective of a teenage girl. To conclude the program, Messud reads a chapter from the novel.

Heldby Anne Michaels

Weaving in historical figures and events, the mysterious generations-spanning novelHeldbegins on a First World War battlefield near the River Aisne in 1917, where John lies in the falling snow unable to move or feel his legs. When he returns hometo North Yorkshire with life-changing injuries, he reopens his photography business in an effort to move on with his life. The past proves harder to escape than he once thoughtand John is haunted by ghosts that begin to surface in his photos with messages he struggles to decipher.

Heldislonglisted for the 2024 Booker Prizeand shorlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize.

• Anne Michaels latest bookHeldis a decades-spanning novel about desire, life and death

Michaelsis the winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the Trillium Book Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She has been short listed for theGovernor General's Literary Award, the Griffin Poetry Prize and the Giller Prize.

LISTEN | Anne MichaelsonQ:

30:51Anne Michaels: Held, how she knows shes finished writing a book, and the unexpected reason shes so private

Anne Michaels is an award-winning Canadian poet and novelist who just published her long-awaited third novel, Held. The story spans 115 years and deals in themes familiar to her work: history, grief and the power of love. Anne tells Tom why it took nearly 15 years to write the novel, why shes so interested in writing about war, and why she chooses to live an intensely private life.

The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor

Kit McNair was born Kathleen to an Irish farming family in Ontario and, a tomboy in boy's clothes, doesn't fit in with the expectations of a farmgirl set out for them. When Rebekah, a German-Canadian's doctor's daughter comes to town, she, Kit and Kit's older brother Landon find themselves in a love triangle which tears their families apart. All three of them separate and join different war efforts but all eventually return home and they'll have to move forward from their challenging and storied past.

• CBC Books' writers to watch: 30 Canadian writers making their mark in 2024

Loghan Paylor is an Ontario-born author currently based in Abbotsford, B.C. They have an MA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and their short fiction and essays have previously appeared in publications including Room and Prairie Fire. Their debut novel, The Cure for Drowning, is a historical work that centres queer and non-binary characters was longlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize.

Peacocks of InstagrambyDeepa Rajagopalan

The collection of stories inPeacocks of Instagramprovidea tapestry of the Indian diaspora. Tales of revenge, love, desire and family explore the intense ramifications of privilege, or lack thereof. Coffee shop and hotel housekeeping employees, engineers and children show us all of themselves, flaws and all.

Peacocks of Instagramis short listed for the 2024 Giller Prize.

• Meet the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize readers

Rajagopalan was the 2021 RBC/PEN Canada New Voices Award winner. Born to Indian parents in Saudi Arabia, she has lived across India, the United Statesand Canada. Her previous writing has appeared in publications such as theBristol Short Story Prize Anthology, the New Quarterly, Room and Arc.Rajagopalannow lives and works in Toronto.

LISTEN | Deepa Rajagopalandiscusses her short story collection onThe Next Chapter:

The Next Chapter0:00Truth telling and power dynamics in Peacocks of Instagram

Ontario-based author Deepa Rajagopalans debut short story collection features rule-breaking characters, savvy social media sellers and peafowl.

In Winter I Get Up at Night by Jane Urquhart

In Winter I Get Up at Night tells the story of music teacher Emer McConnell who lives in rural Saskatchewan. One day, as she heads to work in the early morning, she takes a trip down memory lane, taking us on her life's journey, from the prairie storm that left her in a children's ward when she was 11 to family secrets and distant love affairs.In Winter I Get Up at Nightwas longlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize.

• Jane Urquhart: 8 books that changed my life

Jane Urquhartis a novelist and poet. In 2005, she was made an officer of the Order of Canada. Urquhart has written seven critically acclaimed novels. In 1994, she received the Marian Engel Award, now known as Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award. Her debut, The Whirlpool, received Le prix du meilleur livre tranger (Best Foreign Book Award) in France. The 1993 speculative fiction novel Away won the Trillium Award, was a finalist for the prestigious International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and a contender on Canada Reads2013, when it was defended by Charlotte Gray.

real ones by katherena vermette

Following two Michif sisters, lyn and June, real ones examines what happens when their estranged and white mother gets called out as a pretendian. Going by the name Raven Bearclaw, she's seen success for her art that draws on Indigenous style. As the media hones in on the story, the sisters, whose childhood trauma manifests in different ways, are pulled into their mother's web of lies and the painful past resurfaces.real ones was longlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize.

• katherena vermette's next novel examines ownership of identity and family bonds

vermette is a Mtis writer from Winnipeg. Her books include the poetry collections North End Love Songs and river woman and the four-book graphic novel series A Girl Called Echo. Her novels are The Break, The Strangers, The Circle.North End Love Songs won the Governor General's Literary Award for poetry. The Break was a finalist for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. It was defended by Candy Palmater on Canada Reads 2017. The Strangers won the 2021 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and was longlisted for the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

LISTEN | katherena vermetteon The Sunday Magazine:

The Sunday Magazine21:29Mtis author katherena vermette on how "pretendians" damage Indigenous communities

False claims of Indigenous ancestry are nothing new in Canada. But recent accusations levelled against public figures like Buffy Sainte-Marie, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond and Michelle Latimer have put increased pressure on institutions and society at large to grapple with the phenomenon of so-called "pretendians." Mtis author and poet katherena vermette joins David Common to talk about putting the tension surrounding "pretendians" at the heart of her new novel Real Ones, and why such figures can cause uniquely deep damage to Indigenous communities.

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Martyr!follows a 20-something Iranian American poet named Cyrus in his early years of sobriety. When he becomes fascinated with the stories of historical martyrs, he finds himself on his way to interview a terminally ill artist in Brooklyn a journey and conversationthat changes the course of his life.

• Percival Everett, Hanif Abdurraqib, Kaveh Akbar on Barack Obama's summer reading list for 2024

Kaveh Akbar is an Iranian American writer who has taken the literary scene by storm with his debut novel,Martyr!And now he'sthe very first guestonBookends with Mattea Roach,CBC's new author interview show.Previously known for his poetry, Akbar's foray into fiction draws partially on hisown experiences and has changed the course of his ownlife,making him a New York Times bestselling author andgarnering rave reviews.

LISTEN | Kaveh Akbarin conversation withMattea Roach:

Bookends29:21Kaveh Akbar: Finding meaning in sobriety and writing his bestseller, Martyr!

Iranian American writer Kaveh Akbar and his novel Martyr! are everywhere these days. Martyr! made the New York Times bestseller list and several summer reading lists, including Barack Obama's. Drawing on Kaveh's own experience with addiction and recovery, it's about Cyrus, a 20-something Iranian American poet whos in the early years of sobriety. Cyrus is a little lostand a lot depressedand he becomes interested in the stories of historical martyrs. In this very first episode of Bookends, Kaveh speaks with Mattea about how his own journey inspired the novel.

The Capital of Dreamsby Heather O'Neill

The Capital of Dreamsis a dark fairytale set in a small European country during a period of war. Fourteen-year-oldSofiais the daughter of the revered writer, Clara Bottom.When their country is invaded, Clara bundles Sofiaonto the last trainevacuating children out of the city. Claragives her daughter herlatest manuscriptto smuggle to safety.

When the children's train stops in the middle of the forest, Sofia senses they are indanger. She manages to escape, but loses her mother's beloved manuscript. Soon Sofia finds herself alone ina country at war on an epic journey to find all that she has lost.

• Canada Reads champion Heather O'Neill publishing next novel in fall 2024

HeatherO'Neillis a novelist, short story writer and essayist from Montreal. She wonCanada Reads2024, championingThe Futureby Catherine Leroux, which was translated from French by Susan Ouriou. O'Neillis the first person to winCanada Readsas both an author and a panellist.Her debut novelLullabies for Little CriminalswonCanada Reads2007 when it wasdefended by musician John K. Samson. Her other books includeScotiabank Giller PrizefinalistsThe Girl Who WasSaturday Nightand her short story collectionDaydreams of Angels.

LISTEN | Heather O'Neill on crafting fairy tales:

Bookends with Mattea Roach23:43Heather O'Neill: How motherhood and artistry intersect in the bestselling writer's life and work

Heather O'Neill is an icon in Canadian literature who has won a ton of awards. And now she has a new novel.Its calledThe Capital of Dreamsand its about the influence of art and literature on our lives. It follows 14-year-old Sofia as she hunts for her mothers lost manuscript during the chaos of war. Heather speaks to Mattea Roach about her latest novel and living a creative life.

Oil People by David Huebert

Oil People weaves together two narratives and timelines to unravel family secrets and the toxic yet powerful nature of oil. The first narrative is the story of 13-year-old Jade Armbruster in 1987, who is living on the family's oil farm, a deteriorating property built by an ancestor, as her parents decide what to do about the land and their business. The other story is that of Clyde Armbruster in 1862 who built the oil farm and the rivalry he fell into with his neighbours the reverberations of which are still felt by Jade and her family.

• David Huebert explores the complexity of our relationship with oil in novelOil People

David Huebert is a Halifax-based writer who has won the 2016 CBC Short Story Prize and The Walrus Poetry Prize. He is the author of short story collections Peninsula Sinking, which won a Dartmouth Book Award and was a runner-up for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, and Chemical Valley, which won the Alistair MacLeod Short Fiction Prize.

LISTEN | David Huebert onBookends with Mattea Roach:

Bookends with Mattea Roach23:34David Huebert: Exploring the complexity of our relationship with oil through fiction

The novel Oil People is about a family in southwestern Ontario with deep connections to the oil industry. Oil is their present-day livelihood and heritage, but it might also be poisoning them physically and spiritually. David Huebert speaks to Mattea Roach about writing Oil People.

Grief is for Peopleby Sloane Crosley

InGrief is for People,American writer Sloane Crosleyreckons with hergriefusing philosophy and art as a framework, writing with her trademark irreverence and honesty.

• How memoir helped Sloane Crosley grieve the loss of her best friend

Sloane Crosley is an American writer known for her humorous essaycollectionsI Was Told There'd Be CakeandLook Alive Out There.

LISTEN | Sloane Crosley on grief, humour and healing:

Bookends with Mattea Roach27:09Sloane Crosley: Losing her best friend and sharing her grief with the world

Sloane Crosleys jewelry was stolen from her home, and one month later, her best friend, Russell, died. She writes about these experiences in the memoir Grief is For People, which is witty and heartbreaking. Sloane joined Mattea Roach to talk about her grief, her best friend and writing about it all.

The AnthropologistsbyAyegl Sava

The Anthropologistscentres on a young immigrant couple in an unnamed city navigating friendships, the guilt of being away from family and the search for an apartment.

• Ayegl Sava captures the era of being an 'irresponsible grown-up' in her latest novel

Ayegl Sava is a Paris-based Turkishnovelist and short story writer celebrated for her mesmerizing depictions of daily life, art and identity, often drawing from her own experiences.

LISTEN | Ayegl Sava on writing a book wherenothing really happens:

Bookends with Mattea Roach30:06Aysegul Savas: Finding home in foreignness and capturing the uncertainty of early adulthood

The Paris-based Turkish writer spoke with Mattea Roach about her new novel, The Anthropologists, which centers on a young immigrant couple in an unnamed city, navigating love, friendships and the guilt of being away from family.

Degrees of Separationby Alison McCreesh

Degrees of Separationblends stories, drawings and sketches that chronicle Alison McCreesh's decade spent living in the North. From being stranded in the High Arctic to raising a baby in a small shack with no running water, the book is a coming-of-age story that recounts the challenges and joys of life living and working north of the 60th parallel.

• Alison McCreesh explores the magic and nuance of life in the North in her graphic novel

McCreeshis an artist who currently lives in Yellowknife. She has travelled around the Arctic and sub-Arctic and the theme of contemporary day-to-day life in the North carries through her creative work.

LISTEN | Alison McCreesh discusses her latest graphic novel with Mattea Roach:

Bookends with Mattea Roach24:54Alison McCreesh: Exploring the magic and nuance of life in the North in her latest graphic novel

When Alison McCreesh was 21, she left her Quebec hometown and hitchhiked to the Yukon searching for something she couldn't quite put her finger on and hasn't left. She talks to Mattea Roach about her graphic novel Degrees of Separation, which reflects on the everyday lives of people in the North... and how it's changed during her time there.

The Knowingby Tanya Talaga

InThe Knowing, Tanya Talaga retells her family story to explore Canada's history with an Indigenous lens.The Knowingstarts with the life of Talaga's great-great grandmother Annie Carpenter and charts the violence she and her family experienced for decades at the hands of the Church and the government.

• Tanya Talaga to blend Canadian history and her family story in next book

Talaga is a writer and journalist of Anishinaabe and Polish descent. She is a member of Fort William First Nation. Her bookSeven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern Citywon the RBC Taylor Prize, the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and the First Nation Communities Read: Young Adult/Adult Award. Her bookAll Our Relations: Finding the Path Forwardwas the basis for the2018 CBC Massey Lectures.

LISTEN | Tanya Talaga in conversation withMattea Roach:

Bookends with Mattea Roach54:12Tanya Talaga: Searching for her great-great grandmother a story of family, truth and survival

Annie Carpenter's life was upended by colonialism, the Indian Act and the residential school system. For 80 years, her family tried to find out what happened to her. Now, journalist and filmmaker Tanya Talaga is telling her great-great grandmother's story in her new book and documentary series, The Knowing. She talks to Mattea Roach about the struggle to find her relative, crossing paths with the Pope, and what she believes will help move us forward on the road to reconciliation.

The Pairing byCasey McQuiston

The Pairingtells the story of Kit and Theo, two exes with a long history of love and friendship. They accidentally end up on the same European food and wine tour after not seeing each other for four years.

To make matters worse, they originally planned to take that same trip together, years earlier, but they broke up on the flight there leaving them both with unresolved feelings, frustrations and a need to prove that they're totally, 100 per cent over each other.

• Casey McQuiston's latest novelThe Pairingis a sexy European adventure that celebrates queer love

Trapped together at some of the most romantic places in the world, Kit and Theo jump headlonginto a friendly European hookup competition to get their mind off their ever-present chemistry.

Casey McQuistonis the author ofRed, White & Royal Blue,One Last StopandI Kissed Shara Wheeler.Their work has appeared inThe New York Times,The Washington Postand Bon Appetit. They were born and raised in Louisiana but currently live in New York City.

LISTEN | Casey McQuistonon Bookends with Mattea Roach:

Bookends with Mattea Roach40:21Casey McQuiston: Celebrating queer love and joy and navigating the future of romance

Casey McQuiston is a blockbuster queer romance author who hit it big with their 2016 novel Red, White and Royal Blue. Caseys latest is The Pairing, about childhood friends-turned-exes who reconnect on a sexy European adventure. Casey has an open conversation with Mattea Roach about queer love, blending joy with sadness and what the future holds for romance writing.

Revenge of the Tipping Pointby Malcolm Gladwell

InRevenge of the Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell revisits the lessons of his groundbreaking bookThe Tipping Pointand reframes the subject of social epidemics in the current context. Using stories and research, Gladwell highlights a concerning form of social engineering and offers a guide to making sense of modern contagion.

• The charming Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell has written many nonfiction books includingThe Tipping Point,Blink,What the Dog Saw,David and Goliath,Talking to StrangersandThe Bomber Mafia. Heis also the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, a company that produces the podcastRevisionist Historyamong others as well as audiobooks. Gladwell grew up in Elmira, Ont. and now lives in the U.S.

LISTEN | Malcolm Gladwell on The Current:

The Current23:49Malcolm Gladwell on what The Tipping Point got wrong

Malcolm Gladwell says he got some things wrong in The Tipping Point, his 25-year-old bestseller about what drives social change so hes written a follow-up, Revenge of the Tipping Point. He talks to Matt Galloway about revising some of those theories for a different time, the power of a compelling narrative and the weirdness of Miami.

Poutineby Justin Giovannetti Lamothe

Journalist Justin Giovannetti Lamothe writes about the odd, winding origins of the closest thing Canada has to a national dish Poutine. Through his research, he learns more about Canadian history and draws closer to the Qubcois heritage he used to drift away from.

• Poutine lovers descend on small Quebec island after review goes viral on TikTok

Giovannetti Lamothe is a Montreal-based journalist who has covered major events such as the Lac-Mgantic rail explosion and the Fort McMurray wildfires. He was born in rural Quebec and has lived in Ontario, Alberta and B.C.

LISTEN | Justin Giovannetti Lamothe on the history of Poutine:

The Current22:44How poutine became the iconic Canadian dish

Poutine might be the closest thing Canada has to a national dish, but how do you pronounce it? Where did it come from and what separates a great poutine from a great pretender? Justin Giovannetti Lamothe explores all these questions in his new book Poutine: A Deep-Fried Road Trip of Discovery.

Heartyby andrea bennett

Heartyis an essay collection that explores andrea bennett's love and appreciation for food as someone who's worked in the industry for decades and uses food to show they care. The essays examine specific foods as well as broader themes like food media and home gardening in a blend of journalism, cultural commentary and personal experience.

bennett is a writer and senior editor at The Tyee. Their writing can be found in The Walrus, Chatelaine, The Atlantic and the Globe and Mail. Their work includes the essay collectionLike a Boy but Not a Boyand poetry collectionthe berry takes the shape of the bloom.They live in Powell River, B.C.

LISTEN | andrea bennett on their essay collection Hearty:

All in a Weekend10:42Andrea Bennett's book of essays "Hearty" examines food culture and their personal relationship with food

With the arrival of the fall harvest comes a new book that gives us a little food for thought.It's called "Hearty : On Cooking, Eating, and Growing Food for Pleasure and Subsistence."The book is a series of essays, many of them very personal, written by author Andrea Bennett.

Unlike the Restby Chika Stacy Oriuwa

Unlike the Restcharts how Chika Stacy Oriuwa's realized her dream of being a doctor and the systemic discrimination she faced as the only Black student in her medical school class of 259 students at the University of Toronto. She vividly describes what it's like to train in the hospital, have doubts and familial pressure to achieve success andbecome an advocate for change.

• This Toronto doctor now has a Barbie made in her image to honour her work as a health-care hero

Oriuwa is a psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto. She was named one ofTimemagazine's 2021 Next Generation Leaders and was on Maclean's Power 50 list in 2022. She has been on multiple boards and is an advocate for creating spaces of wellness and inclusion.

Proof by Beverley McLachlin

Criminal defense lawyer Jilly Truitt is taking some well-deserved and needed time off with her new baby when she's asked to take on the case of Katie, a high-profile mother accused of kidnapping her own child. Katie's prospects aren't looking good and police begin to suspect that her daughter, Tess, is dead and she's one the responsible. Jilly must quickly solve the case to save both Katie and Tess.

• Beverley McLachlin wins $25K Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing for memoir Truth Be Told

Beverley McLachlin was the first female chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. She held the position for nearly 20 years. After McLachlin retired from the court, she became a writer, publishing the memoir Truth Be Told, which won the Writers' Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and the Ottawa Book Award for Nonfiction, and the thrillers Full Disclosureand Denial.

Dear Da-Lby Anh Duong

Written for his daughter, AnhDuong tells his previously untold story as a child during the Vietnam War and a refugee in Iran in the late 1970s. Compelled by his daughter's involvement in student protests,inDear Da-L,he decides that it's finally time to sharehis journey to ending up in Canada in 1980.

Duong is a Calgary-based writer. He was born in Thua-Thien Hue, Vietnam and moved to Iran in the 1970s. He worked for years as an engineer in the petroleum industry after his 1980 arrival to Canada.

A Constellation of Minor Bearsby Jen Ferguson

A Constellation of Minor Bearstells the story of Molly, her brotherHankand his best friend Tray. When Hank suffers a traumatic brain injury while indoor climbing, Molly is devastated to embark on their planned graduation trip without him. Tray, on the other hand, doesn't seem to mind. This infuriates Mollywho's harbouring layers of resentment towards him surrounding her brother's accident.

But as the two trek through the wilderness together, they'll have to hash it all out and band together for the journey's twists and turns.

• Jen Ferguson's upcoming YA novel reflects on teen body image and friendship dynamics

Jen Ferguson is a YA author, activist and academic of Michif/Mtis and Canadian settler heritage, based in Los Angeles. Ferguson has a PhD in English and creative writing. Her debut novel,The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, wonthe 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature text.

Under All the Lightsby Maya Ameyaw

When Ollie Cheriet's song becomes popular online he's approached to write an album, go on tour and fulfill all his dreams as long as he can learn to manage his stage fright. As the pressure of being in the spotlight grows, his new touring partner Jesse begins to make him feel more at ease. In the coming-of-age novelUnder All the LightsOllie explores what it means to be an artist in the spotlight while he learns more about his anxiety disorder and bisexuality.

Maya Ameyaw is a writing instructor and author based in Toronto. Her books include the YA novelWhen It All SyncsUpand the anthologyBrilliance is the Clothing I Wear.

The Beauty of Usby Farzana Doctor

Set in a private boarding school in 1984,The Beauty of Usfollows three young women as they navigate family hardships back home and fitting in as racialized people at Thornton College. Zahabiya is a keen 15-year-old sent to Thornton only to find herself the target of 17-year-old Leesa's bullying. Nahla is a newly graduated teacher haunted by the ghost of her predecessor, Mademoiselle Leblanc. As all three of their lives become more interconnected, can they grow to help one another?

• Farzana Doctor wins 2023 Freedom to Read Award

Farzana Doctor is an Ontario-based novelist, activist and psychotherapist of Indian ancestry. She is the author of several books, including the poetry collectionSevenand the novelsAll InclusiveandSix Metres of Pavement, which won a 2012 Lambda Literary Award. She was the recipient of the 2011 Dayne Ogilvie Prize from the Writer's Trust of Canada for an emerging lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender writer and the2023 Freedom to Read Award.

LISTEN | Farzana Doctor on The Next Chapter:

The Next Chapter6:51Why Farzana Doctor isnt searching for perfect happiness

The 52 Weeks to a Sweeter Life author doesnt believe in perfect anything. But the next best thing might just be cuddling with a dog. The writer and psychotherapist answers The Next Chapters version of the Proust Questionnaire.

Mummy & Meby Danesh Mohiuddin

In this funny and original picture book, Mummy and Wee Wolf emerge from their coffin to start their 'day' every night when the sun goes down. Wee Wolf loves his Mummy and tries to be a well-behaved monster, but isn't always successful.Mummy & Meexplores the hilarity and tender moments of a parent-child relationship.

Mummy & Meis for ages 3-6.

Danesh Mohiuddin is an illustrator and a cartoonist and has previously worked as a toy and games designer. Mohiuddin was born in India and now lives in Toronto.Mummy & Meis his first picture book.

The Mango Monsterby Derek Mascarenhas, illustrated by Meneka Repka

InThe Mango MonsterMarianne and her cousin Zoe are trying to solve themystery of who is stealingthe mangoes from their mango tree. They have waited all year for mango season, so when mangos start to disappear from the lower branches of their trees, they are determined to find out who is responsible.Could it be a mango monster?

The Mango Monsteris for ages 4-7.

Derek Mascarenhas is a Toronto writer. His previous books include the short story collection,Coconut Dreams, and the picture book,100 Chapatis, which was illustrated by Shantala Robinson.

• Why Derek Mascarenhas wrote a short story collection about growing up South Asian in Canadian suburbia

Meneka Repkais Sri Lankan-Canadian illustrator and teacher.The Mango Monsteris her first children's book. Repkalives in Victoria.

It Bears Repeatingby Tanya Tagaq, illustrated by Cee Pootoogook

It Bears Repeatingis a counting picture book for young readers,celebratingInuktitut language and art, that features the fascinating Arctic animal the polar bear. From one to 10, more polar bears make their way through the icy landscape while they play, dance and search for food. This book combines English and Inuktitut words for young readers and parents alike.

It Bears Repeatingis for ages 3-7.

• Inuk artist Tanya Tagaq publishing first picture book, with illustrations from Cee Pootoogook

Tanya Tagaq is an Inuk writer and Juno Award-winning throat singer. Her first novel,Split Tooth, set in 1970s Nunavut,won the Indigenous Voices Award for best published prose in English in 2019.

Cee Pootoogook is an Inuk artist and illustrator. He has worked in carving, stone cutting and illustrations.It Bears Repeatingis his first picture book.

LISTEN | Tanya Tagaq discusses her children's book It Bears Repeating:

The Trailbreaker9:22Tanya has released her first childrens book.

Tanya Tagaq joined Shannon Scott to talk about releasing her first childrens book, Bears Repeating.

Broom for Twoby Jennifer Maruno, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

In the picture bookBroom for Two,ayoung witch is practising for her flying test but she keeps misplacing her broom. On one such occasionshe finds her missing broom in the woods neara little rat's house, and the broom has been bent and chewed. With a broom that is no longer fit for purpose, Little Witch must overcome obstacles to pass her flying testand gets help from an unlikely friend.

Broom for Twois for ages 3-7.

Jennifer Maruno is an educator and author. Her debut novel,When the Cherry Blossoms Fell, was shortlisted for the Hackmatack Award and the Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Readers Choice Award. She also wrote the picture book,While You Sleep, illustrated by Miki Sato. Maruno lives in Burlington, Ont.

Scot Ritchie is a Vancouver author-illustrator of over 60 books includingSee Where We Come From!,Zander Stays, written by Maureen Fergus,Join the No-Plastic Challenge!,Follow That Map!andLilliana and the Frogs.

I Hate Partiesby Jes Battis

I Hate Partiesis a collection of 50 poems on Jes Battis' experiences of being queer, autistic and nonbinary. Focusing on the feelings of intense anxiety that come with growing up in the nineties in Canada as a marginalized person, Battis writes of adolescence, queer parties and panic attacks through metaphor and honest verse.

Battis is a queer autistic writer and teacher at the University of Regina, splitting their time between the prairies and the west coast. They wrote the Occult Special Investigator series and Parallel Parks series. Battis' first novel,Night Child, was shortlisted for the Sunburst Award.

Their novelThe Winter Knightwas ontheCanada Reads2024 longlist.

LISTEN | Jes Battis on his latest poetry collection I Hate Parties:

The Morning Edition - Sask8:12Do you hate parties? Regina poet shares about their new book

Can you think of the best party you've ever been to? What about the worst? A new collection of poetry by Regina-based poet Jes Battis guides us through all the best and worst parties of our lives - to the place where being awkward is the one and only dress code.

echolalia echolaliaby Jane Shi

Inecholalia echolaliaa collection of poems focus on the body politic and the experiences of being queer, disabled and in the diaspora. Reflecting on her own identities, author Jane Shiwrites about chosen family and resisting colonial projects and ideologies that seek to dehumanize.

Jane Shi is a writer and poet based in B.C. Her writing has appeared in the Disability Visibility Blog andQueer Little Nightmares: An Anthology of Monstrous Fiction and Poetry.Shi graduatedfrom the Writer's Studio Online program at Simon Fraser Universityand StoryStudio Chicago. She is the winner of The Capilano Review's 2022 In(ter)ventions in the Archive Contest.

Water Qualityby Cynthia Woodman Kerkham

Water Qualityis a book of lamentations, monologues and haibun: a Japanese form of both prose and haiku. Focusing on water as a central force that covers a swimmer's body, the poet follows the movement and purpose of water across lakes, seas and oceans. From Hong Kong to the Pacific Northwest, the poet questions what water wants and how we can best steward it.

Cynthia Woodman Kerkham is the Victoria-based author ofGood Holding Groundand with feathers and the co-editor ofPoems from Planet Earth.Woodman Kerkham wasshortlisted for the 2014 CBC Poetry Prize.

The Flesh of Iceby Garry Gottfriedson

Dedicated to survivors of Kamloops Indian Residential School (KIRS) and all residential schools in CanadaThe Flesh of Iceis a collection of poems and personal narratives of writer Garry Gottfriedson of the Secwpemc (Shuswap) First Nation. Where Gottfriedson's last collectionBent Back Tonguediscussed the history of Indigenous people in Canada as affected by the government of Canada and the Catholic Church, this book describes the lived realities of those who attended KIRS, citing their pain, their resilience and their necessary voices.

• Secwpemc poet, residential school survivor Garry Gottfriedson says poetry was his 'saviour'

Gottfriedsonis from Kamloops, B.C. He is strongly rooted in his Secwpemc (Shuswap) cultural teachings. In the late 1980s, Gottfriedson studied under Allen Ginsberg, Marianne Faithfull and others at the Naropa Institute in Colorado. He is the author of 13books, includingSkin Like MineandClinging to Bone. Gottfriedsonreceivedan honorary Doctor of Laws degreefrom the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in 2023. Gottfriedson was ajuror for the 2024 CBC Poetry Prize.

LISTEN | Garry Gottfriedson on hispoetry collection The Flesh of Ice:

North by Northwest16:34Poet Garry Gottfriedson on his new book "The Flesh of Ice"

Secwpemc community leader and educator, and poet Garry Gottfriendson shares his new collection, The Flesh of Ice. It is dedicated to the those who attended the Kamloops Indian Residential School (which includes Garry and his family members), and all residential schools in Canada.

cop city swaggerby Mercedes Eng

Incop city swagger,Mercedes Eng draws on the experiences of racialized and unhoused people in Vancouver, particularly in communities like Chinatown. Through short poems, Eng examines the threat to public safety the Vancouver police posed by assessing cases from 2019 to 2023, highlighting institutional violence and the purpose of community self-preservation.

Eng is a Vancouver prairie-born poet.She is also the author ofMercenary English. Engis an assistant professor at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

Raw Sewage Science Fictionby Marc Bell

Part autofiction, part cultural criticism,Raw Sewage Science Fictionis the latest from Canadian cartoonist Marc Bell. Belluses his unique style and humour to examine the making of art and reflect on a lost decade spent wandering from coast to coast.

Marc Bell is a Canadian cartoonist originally from London, Ont. His other books includeHot Potatoe, Pure Pajamas,andShrimpy and Paul and Friends.

Little Moonsby Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe

A year after her sister Chelsea's disappearance, teenReanna and her family are still struggling to come to terms with her loss. In an attempt to escape the painful memories, Reanna's mom moves to the big city leaving Reannaand her brother on the reserve in the care of their dad. When lights start turning on in empty rooms and objects move without being touched Reanna starts to wonder if she's not as alone as she's been feeling lately.

• Meet the 20 authors and illustrators who made the graphic novel This Place: 150 Years Retold

Jen Storm is an Ojibwaywriter and artist from the Couchiching First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. She was born and raised in Winnipegandcompletedher first novel,Deadly Loyalties, when she was 14 years old. She is the author of the graphic novelFire Starters.Storm wroteRed Cloudsand illustratedNimkiiwithRyan Howe forThis Place: 150 Years Retold.

Storm was a 2017 recipient forCBC Manitoba's Future 40 Under 40 and in 2019, she served as the writer-in-residence for One Book UWinnipeg at the University of Winnipeg.

Ryan Howe is a comic artist, illustrator and graphic designer from Saskatoon. His work includes theHenchmen comics,Gun Street Girl: Volume 1, the Female Force collectionand the ongoing Daisy Blackwood series.

LISTEN | Jen Storm discusses her YA graphic novel Little Moons:

Up To Speed8:07Local Ojibwe author's new graphic novel launches as part of Prairie Comics Festival

Jen Storm's latest graphic novel tells the story of a young girl dealing with grief after her sister goes missing. Jen tells guest host Chloe Friesen why this story hits close to home for her, and why it was important for her to share it with young readers.

Nancy Spector, Monster Detective 1by Stephen W. Martin, illustrated by Linh Pham

In Nancy Spector, Monster Detective 1, Nancy Spector is an intrepid eight-year-old who hunts monsters with the help of her talking dog Jinx. When The Invisible Man's invisible dog Spot goes missing, he enlists Nancy to get to the bottom of the case.

Stephen W. Martin is a Canadian screenwriter and children's author based in Los Angeles.

Linh Phamis an award-winning illustrator and visual development artist from Vancouver.

Taxi Ghostby Sophie Escabasse

In Taxi Ghost, Adleis just a normal teenager until her firstperiod comes and with it the ability to see ghosts. When the ghosts won't leave her alone,Adlestarts to get to know them and their problems and eventually she starts helping them out in whatever ways she can.

Sophie Escabasseis a cartoonist based in Montreal.She has illustrated many books for middle-grade readers, including her bestselling graphic novel seriesWitches of Brooklyn.