Canada Reads American Style

Rebecca is excited to speak with Chinese-Canadian author Su Chang.  Su was born and raised in Shanghai and is the daughter of a former and reluctant Red Guard leader, which was the paramilitary arm of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution beginning in the 1960s. Today, they will be talking about her debut novel, The Immortal Woman, published by House of Anansi in March of this year.  It has already garnered a lot of attention and praise from CBC, Indigo Books, and Amazon, to name a few high-powered sources. Highlighted books: Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar Who's Irish? by Gish Jen Play by Jess Taylor A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith Kilworthy Tanner by Jean Marc Ah-Sen A Song for Wildcats by Caitlin Galway The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien https://www.instagram.com/suchangwrites/ https://www.suchangauthor.com/ https://houseofanansi.com/products/the-immortal-woman?_pos=3&_sid=2cb7b9933&_ss=r   If you have any comments or suggestions that you would like to share with Rebecca and Tara, please email them at craspod2019@gmail.com    

Rebecca and Tara introduce a new feature, Sharing Our Shelves, that may appear again from time to time in which they each review the other's To Be Read shelf and pick their co-host's next book to read. Rebecca selected Tear by Erica McKeen for Tara and Tara selected Stella's Carpet by Lucy E.M. Black for Rebecca. Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): A Psalm for the Wild-Built; A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers The Living Great Lakes by Jerry Dennis A Feast of Wolves by Wilson Coneybeare Stella's Carpet by Lucy E.M. Black Tara (@onabranchreads): The Midnight Project by Christy Climenhage Tear by Erica McKeen If you have comments or suggestions that you would like to share with Rebecca and Tara, please email them at craspod2019@gmail.com Happy Reading!

Tara chats with author Harman Burns, a Saskatchewan-born trans woman, writer, filmmaker, and sound artist. Her work has been published in Rebelle Zine, Untethered Magazine, and Metatron Press, and her story “Among Strange Machines” was shortlisted for the Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction. Her debut novella, Yellow Barks Spider was published in 2024 by Radiant Press. She currently resides in Vancouver on the unceded, ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. Books and authors mentioned: Little Fish; A Dream of a Woman by Casey Plett Johnny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead Kai Cheng Thom Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann Zulaikha by Niloufar-Lily Soltani Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells by Helen Scales House of Chains (Malazan Book of the Fallen #4/10) by Steven Erikson https://www.instagram.com/harman.burns/ https://radiantpress.ca/shop/p/yellowbarksspider      

Rebecca and Tara are finally back after a six-week break with lots of great titles to share! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):  One of Ours by Willa Cather Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park King Leary by Paul Quarrington Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell Blue Horses by Mary Oliver If I Wanted a Boat" "Watering the Stones" "Franz Marc's Blue Horses" "Garnett Kilberg Cohen and Cravings" podcast, February 13, 2024 Tara (@onabranchreads): https://riverbookshop.com/ in Amherstburg, Ontario The Immortal Woman by Su Chang The ANNEthology: A Collection of Kindred Spirits Inspired by the Canadian Icon, compiled by Judith Graves and edited by Robin Sutherland Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey Notes Towards Recovery by Louise Ells “Dr. Louise Ells and Lies I Told My Sister” podcast, February 1, 2025 Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests by Diana Beresford-Kroeger The Weeping Degree: How Astrology Saved Me from Suicide by Kelly Watt No Credit River by Zoe Whittal Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari The Ghost Orchard by Helen Humphreys  

Tara chats with author Joanne Jackson about Canadian Prairie authors. Saskatchewan Hidden Gems: --Beatrice and Virgil; The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel --Life on the Refrigerator Door; Polly Diamond series by Alice Kuipers --Going to Beautiful; Russell Quant Mysteries by Anthony Bidulka --Snake in the Raspberry Patch by Joanne Jackson --A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews --Author Gail Bowen https://www.joannejackson.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/joannejacksonauthor/    

Rebecca is joined by friend of the podcast Zeralda to answer the Five Questions for Reader Repartee: How did you become a reader? What book do you wish you could read again for the first time? Which author, living or dead, would you like to meet in person and why? What fictional character would you like to meet and why? What are you currently reading? Responses: The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny The Iliad by Homer Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy The Last Ranger by Peter Heller Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman by Patrick Hutchison  

Rebecca and Tara again welcome host Ali Hassan for their annual wrap up of the CBC's Canada Reads debates! https://standupali.com/ https://standupali.com/my-book https://www.instagram.com/standupali Recommended books: American War; What Strange Paradise; One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad A History of Burning by Janika Oza   THIS YEAR'S WINNER: A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby and Mary Louisa Plummer; championed by Indigenous advocate Shayla Stonechild THE RUNNERS-UP: Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew; championed by "Pastry Nerd" Saïd M'Dahoma Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper; championed by actor Michelle Morgan Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston; championed by author Linwood Barclay Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey; championed by Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Maggie Mac Neil https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads  

Rebecca and Tara discuss Day THREE of CBC's Canada Reads debates! STILL IN: Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew; championed by "Pastry Nerd" Saïd M'Dahoma Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper; championed by actor Michelle Morgan A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby and Mary Louisa Plummer; championed by Indigenous advocate Shayla Stonechild NOW OUT: Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey; championed by Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Maggie Mac Neil Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston; championed by author Linwood Barclay https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads   Please note that on DAY FOUR Rebecca and Tara will be live on YouTube wrapping up the debates with Jolene (@bookwormadventure girl) on Thursday, March 20 @ 7:30 pm EDT: https://www.youtube.com/@canadareadsamericanstyle Also, make sure to check out Jolene's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BookwormAdventureGirl  

Rebecca and Tara discuss Day TWO of CBC's Canada Reads debates! STILL IN: Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew; championed by "Pastry Nerd" Saïd M'Dahoma Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper; championed by actor Michelle Morgan Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston; championed by author Linwood Barclay A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby and Mary Louisa Plummer; championed by Indigenous advocate Shayla Stonechild NOW OUT: Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey; championed by Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Maggie Mac Neil https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads    

Rebecca and Tara discuss Day One of CBC's Canada Reads debates! Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew; championed by "Pastry Nerd" Saïd M'Dahoma Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper; championed by actor Michelle Morgan Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston; championed by author Linwood Barclay A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby and Mary Louisa Plummer; championed by Indigenous advocate Shayla Stonechild Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey; championed by Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Maggie Mac Neil https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads    

Rebecca and Tara share their latest good reads AND make their final predictions for CBC's 2025 Canada Reads debates which begin on Monday, March 17. Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith and Derrick Barnes; illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall; illustrated by Hugo Martinez Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller Tara (@onabranchreads): The Bones of Ruin Trilogy: The Bones of Ruin; The Song of Wrath; The Lady of Rapture by Sarah Raughley.  (Check out Tara's interview with Sarah on October 2, 2024) The Queen's Spade by Sarah Raughley How to Survive a Bear Attack: A Memoir by Claire Cameron Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B59wqgYNEM Beautiful Ugly; Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney Canadian author of thrillers--Nicole Lundrigan 2025 Canada Reads titles: Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby and Mary Louisa Plummer Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey Also mentioned: Baltimore's Mansion: A Memoir by Wayne Johnston  

Rebecca and Tara share some of their favorite books that others have recommended to them AND they wonder if they have convinced you to read any of their recommendations.   Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall; illustrated by Hugo Martinez Stories Left in Stone: Trails and Traces in Cáceres, Spain by Troy Nahumko The Undertaking of Billy Buffone by David Giuliano (interviewed 6/25/22) A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine Salt Houses by Hala Alyan Pay No Heed to the Rockets: Palestine in the Present Tense by Marcello Di Cintio (interviewed 1/11/21) Tenth of December by George Saunders Nora Watts series by Sheena Kamal (interviewed 12/6/22) The Street by Ann Petry Black Water Sister by Zen Cho Tara (@onabranchreads): Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood's First Stuntwoman; Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol; The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O'Meara Yellow Barks Spider by Harman Burns Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano Fungal: Foraging in the Urban Forest by Ariel Gordon Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe Cravings by Garnett Kilberg Cohen (interviewed 2/13/24) Unwind series by Neal Shusterman https://www.riverstreetwriting.com/ https://www.instagram.com/river_street_writes/  

Rebecca and Tara have come up with a new feature for the podcast called, “Hidden Gems with…”. In which they ask authors to share their top book recommendations.  Rebecca is excited to kick off the inaugural episode with Sheena Kamal and her Crime Fiction picks!    Sheena is an author, essayist, and screenwriter.  She wrote the critically acclaimed Nora Watts thriller series (The Lost Ones, It All Falls Down, and No Going Back).  As well as a YA novel titled, Fight Like a Girl.  You may have heard Rebecca and Tara rave about her novels many times on the podcast, so they encourage you to listen to Sheena's past interview on December 6, 2022. Crime Fiction Hidden Gems: Wakeland series by Sam Wiebe: Invisible Dead Cut You Down Hollywood North Hell and Gone Sunset and Jericho The Last Exile  Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak series by Ausma Zehanat Khan The Unquiet Dead The Language of Secrets Among the Ruins A Dangerous Crossing A Deadly Divide "Hammerhead" Jed series by A.J. Devlin Cobra Clutch Rolling Thunder Five Moves of Doom Bronco Buster Johnny Delivers by Wayne Ng Aunties series by Jesse Q. Sutanto Dial A for Aunties Four Aunties and a Wedding The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite https://www.sheenakamal.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sheenakamalwrites/  

Tara chats with Joanne Jackson, an award-winning author of three novels: The Wheaton (2019); A Snake in the Raspberry Patch (2023), winner of the Crime Writers of Canada's Best Crime Novel set in Canada and short listed for the Saskatchewan Book Awards; and her latest novel Sunset Lake Resort (2024) published by Stonehouse Publishing. Regardless of what weather Saskatchewan throws at her, she can often be found walking outside. Joanne's recommendations: The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins The Husband's Secrets by Liane Moriarty. https://www.joannejackson.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/joannejacksonauthor/ https://www.stonehousepublishing.ca/store/sunset-lake-resort  

Rebecca and Tara chat about their latest reads, some of which include CBC's Canada Reads titles for the 2025 debates airing March 17-20 on CBC TV, CBC Radio, and CBC Books (website and YouTube). Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):  How We Move the Air by Garnett Kilberg Cohen Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper American War; What Strange Paradise; One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew The Immortal Woman by Su Change Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey Lost Women, Banished Souls by Garnett Kilberg Cohen Tara (@onabranchreads): Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology  Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country by Louise Erdrich God Isn't Here Today by Francine Cunningham Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell  

Rebecca and Tara celebrate some of their favorite Love Stories in all their different forms in honor of Valentine's Day.   Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead Cam & Beau by Maria Cichosz The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel https://www.hallmarkfamily.com/the-magic-of-ordinary-days Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf Griffin & Sabine Trilogy: Griffin & Sabine; Sabine's Notebook; The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock Tara (@onabranchreads): The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage by Carol Off The Outlander; Ridgerunner by Gil Adamson Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin The River by Peter Heller The Brickworks by Lucy E.M. Black Leaving Earth by Helen Humphreys The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards by Jessica Waite  

Rebecca is excited to speak with author Dr. Louise Ells.  Louise is the author of Lies I Told My Sister, published in 2024 by Latitude 46 Publishing.  She was born and raised in Northeastern Ontario. After years of travel, she moved to Cambridge, England where she earned her PhD in Creative Writing. Louise teaches at universities and colleges in England and Canada and currently lives north of Toronto, where she can often be found in her library surrounded by books and snuggled up with her cats. https://www.louiseells.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/louiseellsauthor/?hl=en https://store.latitude46publishing.com/products/lies-i-told-my-sister Recommendations: Waiting for a Star to Fall by Kerry Clare A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott Treed: Walking in Canada's Urban Forests; Fungal: Foraging in the Urban Forest by Ariel Gordon Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor Death of Persephone: A Murder by Yvonne Blomer Poet Joy Williams Vandals by Alice Munro: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/10/04/vandals  

Tara is excited to chat with Adelle Purdham, who is an educator, parent disability advocate and author of the memoir-in-essays I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself published by Dundurn Press in 2024. It was named a Fall 2024 Most Anticipated Memoir & Biography by Indigo and 49th Shelf. Her prose and poetry appear in literary journals, anthologies, magazines, newspapers and online. Adelle has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction and is a qualified French teacher. She currently woks as a Seasonal Part-time Faculty member at Trent University where she teaches creative writing in her hometown, Nogojiwanong (Peterborough), ON. https://adellepurdham.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/adellepurdham/?hl=en https://www.dundurn.com/ Recommended titles: Shut Away: When Down Syndrome Was a Life Sentence by Catherine McKercher An Astonishment of Stars: Stories by Kirti Bhadresa The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros  

Rebecca and Tara discuss CBC's Canada Reads Short List, how well they did in selecting what would make the short list, and who they predict will win based on the slightest amount of research possible and their gut feelings. https://www.cbc.ca/books/meet-the-canada-reads-2025-contenders-1.7431920 The Contenders: Olympic gold medalist Maggie Mac Neil champions Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey Podcaster and wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild champions A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby, with Mary Louisa Plummer Heartland actor Michelle Morgan champions Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper Thriller writer Linwood Barclay champions Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston Pastry chef Saïd M'Dahoma champions Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew  

Rebecca and Tara are back for their first book chat of 2025!  They share the titles they've read recently and want to recommend.  Stay tuned to the end where a bit of CBC's Canada Reads pops into the discussion. Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables) by L.M. Montgomery Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1); A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot, #2) by Becky Chambers Lies I Told My Sister by Louise Ells https://www.louiseells.ca/ Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada's North by Kathleen Lippa Tara (@onabranchreads): Sunset Lake Resort by Joanne Jackson Grandfather of the Treaties: Finding Our Future Through Wampum Covenant by Daniel Coleman A Different Hurricane by H. Nigel Thomas The Reinvention of Love by Helen Humphreys  

Rebecca is excited to speak with Canadian author Erin Steele.  Her queer coming-of-age and addiction memoir, Sunrise over Half-Built Houses: Love, Longing and Addiction in Suburbia (Caitlin Press) was published in Canada in 2024 and will be available in the US on February 21, 2025.  Erin also writes “On Being Human” on Substack.  She was a 2022 Writing by Writers fellow and is published in Human Parts, WordWorks, and other online publications.  She lives in Kelowna, BC Canada.   https://erinsteele.com/ https://www.instagram.com/erinsteelewrites/ https://caitlinpress.com/Contributors/S/Steele-Erin  

The day everyone has been waiting for!!  CBC Books has released the long list for the 2025 Canada Reads debates and Rebecca and Tara offer their predictions for the five books that will compete for the title! Tara suggests at the end that their predictions are submitted as a podcast rather than as two individuals.  It seems they are looking to raise the odds on how many they get right! lol (The asterisk below highlights the titles they predict will be announced on January 23, 2025 for the short list.) • The Whispers by Ashley Audrain* • Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey* • A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby, with Mary Louisa Plummer • What I Know About You by Éric Chacour, translated by Pablo Strauss* • The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue • When the Pine Needles Fall by Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, with Sean Carleton* • Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper* • The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard** • Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston • Becoming a Matriarch by Helen Knott • Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew • However Far Away by Rajinderpal S. Pal* • Clyde Fans by Seth • Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder* • All Our Ordinary Stories by Teresa Wong*   For extensive detail and ongoing coverage, see https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/the-canada-reads-2025-longlist-is-here-1.7421861  

Happy New Year!!  Rebecca and Tara sum up their 2024 goals and introduce their reading goals for 2025! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): 2024: Brothers Grimm; Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America by Matika Wilbur; Inclusive Picture Book Challenge; 12 classic women authors 2025: Complete Anne of Green Gables and The Chronicles of Narnia series and read more Redwall; read children's books that have "mischievous, clever, independent girl characters"; track "mood reads" Tara (@onabranchreads): 2024: Giller Long List; Agatha Christie; Helen Humphreys 2025: Carol Shields Prize for Fiction; Agatha Christie; Helen Humphreys; weed physical TBR; read more short stories Mentioned: https://carolshieldsprizeforfiction.com/ https://www.instagram.com/carolshieldsprize/ https://www.riverstreetwriting.com/ https://www.instagram.com/river_street_writes/  

As Rebecca and Tara close out 2024 and a great year of reading, they share their Top Ten list of books! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Ginny Ross Series by Heather Stemp: Amelia & Me; Under Amelia's Wing; Beyond Amelia The Street by Ann Petry My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton Sisters of the Spruce by Leslie Shimotakahara Bird Suit by Sydney Hegele Making Up the Gods by Marion Agnew Eleanor Courtown by Lucy E.M. Black James by Percival Everett  Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain, and the Search for a Hidden Past Tara (@onabranchreads): Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast by John Vaillant Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper; The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan; Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder by Julia Zarankin I'm So Glad we Had This Time Together by Maurice Vellekoop My Body is Distant by Paige Maylott The Knowing by Tanya Talaga Coexistence by Billy-Ray Belcourt James by Percival Everett Followed by the Lark by Helen Humphreys All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whittaker Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo Rebecca and Tara want to thank all of you for listening to and supporting the podcast this past year or longer.  They look forward to creating more fun and interesting content in 2025!

Rebecca and Tara have lots of books to share since their last book chat! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holliday The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain Skid Dogs by Emelia Symington-Fedy The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry The Pearl by John Steinbeck Passing by Nella Larsen Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir by Rebecca Solnit Tara (@onabranchreads): Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys My Body is Distant: A Memoir by Paige Maylott The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle: Vol. 1 and 2: A True and Exact Accounting of the History of Turtle Island by Kent Monkman, Gisele Gordon I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself by Adelle Purdham All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby  

Tara shares her holiday reading list! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Precious Cargo: My Year of Driving the Kids on School Bus 3077 by Craig Davidson Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir by Rebecca Solnit Passing by Nella Larsen The Street by Ann Petry Tara (@onabranchreads): The Queen by Nick Cutter The Saturday Night Ghost Club; Rust and Bone: Stories by Craig Davidson The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy  Author Hannah Mary McKinnon The Christmas Party by Karen Swan Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen  

Rebecca and Tara shared their Top Ten Canadian Books of the 21st Century on YouTube Live on August 24, 2024 but decided they wanted to share additional authors and titles that they highly recommend. Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):  Recollections of My Nonexistence by Rebecca Solnit The Pearl by John Steinbeck Pay No Heed to the Rockets: Palestine in the Present Tense; Driven: the Secret Lives of Taxi Drivers; Precarious: The Lives of Migrant Workers by Marcello Di Cintio The Lost Ones; In the Grip of It; It All Falls Down; No Going Back; Fight Like a Girl by Sheena Kamal The Red Chesterfield; Fall from Grace; A Killing Winter; Blood Red Summer; The Traitors of Camp 133 by Wayne Arthurson Tara (@onabranchreads): I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I Told Myself by Adelle Purdham The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict The Doctor's Sweetheart and Other Stories by L.M. Montgomery Fayne; Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald The Fionavar Tapestry series; The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay The Spoon Stealer; Nosy Parker by Lesley Crewe Fallsy Downsies by Stephanie Domet Hollay Ghadery Helen Humphreys    

Rebecca is back from a two-week road trip and shares her stops along the way and only two books.  Tara, on the other hand, had a great month of reading! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Loudmouth Books: https://loudmouthindy.com/ / https://www.instagram.com/loudmouthindy/ President Benjamin Harrison House: https://bhpsite.org/ Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library: https://presidentlincoln.illinois.gov/ Dana-Thomas House (Frank Lloyd Wright): https://dana-thomas.org/ Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum: https://marktwainmuseum.org/ Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum: https://www.ameliaearhartmuseum.org/ Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum: https://ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org/ Amelia & Me; Under Amelia's Wing; Beyond Amelia by Heather Stemp Cahokia Mounds World Heritage & State Historic Site: https://cahokiamounds.org/ Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library: https://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/ The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow Tara (@onabranchreads): Invisible Prisons by Lisa Moore and Jack Whalen We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer I'm So Glad We Had This Time by Maurice Vellekoop Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo Sugaring Off by Fanny Britt with Susan Ouriou The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman Don't forget to check out Rebecca and Tara's latest "Reading from Our Shelves" on YouTube: https://studio.youtube.com/video/uAq2aptzpLc/edit    

Rebecca is excited to chat with author Brett Popplewell about his latest book, Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain and the Search for a Hidden Past. Brett is an author and journalist who joined Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communication in 2017. His articles have been recognized by the National Magazine Awards Foundation in best short feature, profiles, investigative reporting, longform writing, sports and travel. He has written for Bloomberg Businessweek, Mother Jones, The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Sportsnet, Maclean's, The Walrus and more. He is the co-author of The Escapist: How One Man Cheated Death on the World's Highest Mountains. Published in 2016). https://brettpopplewell.ca/ https://www.harpercollins.ca/9781443457859/outsider/ https://thewalrus.ca/churchill-portrait/      

Tara chats with author Sydney Leigh about her latest novel, Instagoner, published on August 27, 2024 by Level Best Books; it is the first book in the Bark and Blog Mystery series. When lifestyle blogger Emily finds the body of the local controversial talk show host who also happens to be her arch-nemesis, she enlists the help of her online audience, her best friend and barista Fitz, and furry, four-footed roommate Murray who help solve the crime.   Sydney spent several years running a seasonal business, allowing her to spend the cold months in cool places. She now spends her work time thinking about murder and writing cozy mysteries.  She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers and served on the board of Crime Writers of Canada from 2018-2021.   Highlighted books: The True Love Experiment; The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack Murder Road by Simone St. James Peril in Pink by Sydney Leigh https://sydneyleighbooks.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sydneyleighauthor/    

Tara interviews author Sarah Raughley about her trilogy, The Bones of Ruin (The Bones of Ruin, The Song of Wrath, The Lady of Rapture), as well as her new novel, The Queen's Spade, out January 14, 2025.    Sarah grew up in southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to sci/fi fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games.   As a writer, Sarah has been nominated for the Aurora Award for Best Young Adult novel and works in the community doing writing workshops for youths and adults.   As an academic, Sarah has a PhD in English. She has taught at McMaster University and acted as a postdoctoral fellow at The University of Ottawa. She currently teaches creative writing at Lakehead University. Her research concerns representations of race and gender in popular media, youth culture and post colonialism.   Highlighted titles: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor July's People by Nadine Gordimer Legendborn; Bloodmarked; Oathbound (3/2025) by Tracy Deonn  Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama Hunter x Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi Basara by Yumi Tamura Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi Sugar Sugar Rune by Moyoco Anno The Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda Fushigi Yugi by Yuu Watase Bleach by Tite Kubo https://sarahraughley.com/ https://www.instagram.com/s_raughley/  

Rebecca and Tara close out September with what they are currently reading and what they've read since their last book chat. Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Try Not to Be Strange: The Curious History of The Kingdom of Redonda by Michael Hingston The Sentence by Louise Erdrich Little Moons by Jen Storm Not Cancelled: Canadian Caremongering in the Face of Covid-19; Life After Loss: Reflections on Moments of Grace and Courage in Grief by Catherine Kenwell Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain and the Search for a Hidden Past by Brett Popplewell The Circle by Katherena Vermette Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance by Alvin Hall Tara (@onabranchreads): Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder by Julia Zarankin The Circle; Real Ones by Katherena Vermette Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich Wild Dogs by Helen Humphreys The Women by Kristin Hannah The Brickworks by Lucy E.M. Black Pay the Piper by George A. Romero, Daniel Kraus The River; Burn by Peter Heller

Rebecca and Tara chat about their great day at the annual Eden Mills Writers' Festival in Eden Mills, Ontario.  Check out the link below for the entire day's lineup of authors and titles discussed on the podcast.  https://edenmillswritersfestival.ca/featured-writers/ Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance by Alvin Hall Tara (@onabranchreads): Instagoner (A Bark and Blog Mystery Series) by Sydney Leigh God Isn't Here Today by Francine Cunningham Tear by Erica McKeen  

Tara talks with Hollay Ghadery, an award-winning Iranian-Canadian multi-genre writer living in rural Ontario on Anishanaabe land. Fuse, her acclaimed memoir of mixed-race identity and mental illness, was published by Guernica Editions' Microland imprint in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for nonfiction/memoir. (Check out Rebecca's interview with Hollay on the January 11, 2023 episode.) Her debut collection of poetry, Rebellion Box, was released with Radiant Press in April 2023. Her short fiction collection, Widow Fantasies, will be released on September 1, 2024, with Gordon Hill Press.   Hollay is also the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township as well as the founder of and senior publicist with River Street Writing, a team of creatives who aim to produce and celebrate amazing writers.   Books, authors highlighted: Brevity: A Flash Fiction Handbook by David Galef Through the Sad Wood Our Corpses Will Hang by Ava Farmehri Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa The Boulevard by Jerrod Edson Poet Bronwen Wallace Most of All the Wanting by Amanda Merpaw Whylah Falls by George Elliott Clarke A Simple Carpenter by David Margoshes Author Adele Wiseman Off the Tracks: A Meditation on Train Journeys in a Time of No Travel by Pamela Mulloy The Years Shall Run Like Rabbits by Ben Berman Ghan The Mona Lisa Sacrifice (The Book of Cross #1) by Peter Roman Publishers: Radiant Press https://radiantpress.ca/ Latitude 46 https://latitude46publishing.com/ Wolsak & Winn https://www.wolsakandwynn.ca/ Literary Festivals: The Word on the Street Toronto https://toronto.thewordonthestreet.ca/ Eden Mills Writers' Festival https://edenmillswritersfestival.ca/ The & Festival https://theampersandreview.ca/the-festival-2024 Wordstock Sudbury https://wordstocksudbury.ca/

Rebecca and Tara share their latest good reads! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson Golden Boys: The Winnipeg Falcons of 1920 by Paul Keery; illustrated by Michael Wyatt https://shop.teachmag.com/collections/frontpage/products/golden-boys-the-winnipeg-falcons-of-1920 Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America by Matika Wilbur The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay Tara (@onabranchreads): Where the Falcon Flies: A 3,400 Kilometre Odyssey From My Doorstep to the Arctic by Adam Shoalts Real Ones: A Novel by Katherena Vermette The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards by Jessica Waite The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan Merlin Bird ID: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren Road Ends by Mary Lawson The Puppet Master (Major Crimes #3) by Sam Holland The God of the Woods by Liz Moore    

Rebecca and Tara highlight books they've read in which the location or place is a distinct character in the novel. Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): True Gretch: What I've Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between by Governor Gretchen Whitmer Widow Fantasies by Hollay Ghadery Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez / Scarborough, Ontario Brother by David Chariandy / Scarborough, Ontario Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay / Hanging Rock, Victoria, Australia The Street by Ann Petry / Harlem, New York City My Ántonia by Willa Cather / Nebraska Denison Ave by Christina Wong / Chinatown, Kensington Market Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill / Toronto The Lost Ones (Nora Watts series) by Sheena Kamal / Vancouver The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty / Vacca Vale, Indiana Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah / Montreal Chevy in the Hole by Kelsey Ronan / Flint, Michigan The Break by Katherina Vermette / Winnipeg's North End Tara (@onabranchreads): Death & Other Inconveniences by Lesley Crewe Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder: A Memoir by Julia Zarankin Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life by Jonathan Van Ness Road Ends by Mary Lawson Lost Girls by Andrew Pyper / Northern Ontario, Cottage Country The Dry by Jane Harper / Australia River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta / Toronto Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery / Prince Edward Island Galore by Michael Crummey / Newfoundland David Adams Richards / New Brunswick  

Tara chats with Canadian Susan Wadds, author of What the Living Do.  Winner of the Writer's Union of Canada's Prose Contest in 2016, Susan's award-winning work has appeared in The Blood Pudding, Room, Quagmire, Waterwheel Review, Funicular, WOW--Women on Writing, and many more. The first two chapters of her debut novel, What the Living Do, (Regal House Publishing, 2024), won the Lazuli Group's Prose Contest, and were published in Azure Magazine. Susan is a certified Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) workshop facilitator.  She lives on a quiet river in South-Central Ontario with an odd assortment of humans and cats. https://www.instagram.com/deepamwadds/ https://writeyourwayin.ca/about-me/ https://regalhousepublishing.com/susan-wadds/ Reading Recommendations: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano The Stones of Burren Bay by Emily de Angelis Unrest by Gwen Tuinman Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel by Lisa Cron  

Rebecca chats with author Michael Redhead Champagne about his first children's book, We Need Everyone, which premiered with HighWater Press in January 2024. Michael is working towards a revolution that dismantles harmful systems and builds up new ones based on justice, equity and love. A community leader from Winnipeg's North End with family roots in Shamattawa First Nation, Michael is host, helper, published author, on-screen personality and sought-after public speaker. He happily shares his words, wisdom and welcoming energy across Canada and around the world. He loves family friendly jokes, Tetris, Stevie Wonder music and celebrating the successes of others. https://www.michaelredheadchampagne.com/ https://www.instagram.com/northendmc We Need Everyone Free Teacher Guide: https://www.portageandmainpress.com/Books/T/Teacher-Guide-for-We-Need-Everyone Community Resources: https://fearlessr2w.ca/ https://necrc.org/ https://www.facebook.com/MBHealthCoal/ Upcoming Graphic Novel--Little by Little You Can Change the World by Sonya Ballantyne: https://www.portageandmainpress.com/Books/L/Little-by-Little Recommended Title--Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories by Wilfred Buck: https://mfnerc.org/product/tipiskawi-kisik-night-sky-star-stories/          

Rebecca welcomes Katie from Whitehorse, Yukon Canada to answer the Five Reader Repartee Questions.  How did you become a reader? What book do you wish you could read again for the first time? Which author, living or dead, would you like to meet in person and why? What fictional character would you like to meet and why? What are you currently reading? Katie's responses include: CNIB (Canada): https://www.cnib.ca/en/library-services-people-who-are-blind?region=on LEO (Michigan): https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/bureau-of-services-for-blind-persons/btbl On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu Sara Hildreth: https://www.instagram.com/fictionmatters/ and https://www.instagram.com/novelpairingspod/ Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year by Jackie Lau The Foghorn Echoes; Crooked Teeth: A Queer Syrian Refugee Memoir by Danny Ramadan The Philistine by Leila Marshy Shawn Breathes Books: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXFFuV_loS97oL-UTCazcXA The Book of Ramallah: A City in Short Fiction edited by Maya Abu al-Hayat If you would like to be featured on a future episode of Reader Repartee, contact Rebecca through her Instagram account: @canadareadsamericanstyle  

Rebecca chats with the author of Autokrator, Emily A. Weedon.  Emily is a debut novelist and a screenwriter from Toronto Canada. Her web series Chateau Laurier was the most awarded web series on the entire planet in 2023 and won a Canadian Screen Award. Her novel Autokrator released by Cormorant Books in April 2024 is already receiving acclaim for its thoughtful messages, especially about women's health in a fractious world, for its wild creativity, and its driving pace as a story. Other titles mentioned: Eris by Larry Gaudet  Serotonin; The Map and the Territory; Submission by Michel Houellebecq https://emilyweedon.com/ https://www.cormorantbooks.com/emily-a-weedon https://www.instagram.com/emily.weedon.creates/ Immediately after their discussion, Emily shared the following news with Rebecca: "Dundurn Press Acquisitions Editor Russell Smith has acquired world rights to award-winning screenwriter and AUTOKRATOR author Emily A. Weedon's HEMO SAPIENS, an erotic noir thriller, pitched as a sleek THE HUNGER meets a twisted HANNIBAL, that reimagines vampires through a lens of female sexuality and anthropology, wherein a homicide detective, while exposing a secret society of bloodthirsty women, will do anything to protect his wife and unborn child from a mysterious and powerful femme fatale for the ages. Publication is expected for Fall 2025."      

Rebecca interviews author Marion Agnew.  Marion is a dual US/Canadian citizen, who moved north mid-life, after a career in technical writing and editing. MAKING UP THE GODS (Latitude 46, Sudbury, 2023) is her first novel. Her previous book, REVERBERATIONS: A DAUGHTER'S MEDITATIONS ON ALZHEIMER'S (Signature Editions, Winnipeg, 2019) was shortlisted for the Louise de Kiriline Lawrence award for nonfiction. She lives on the Lake Superior shoreline, a grateful guest in Robinson-Superior Treaty territory, home of the Anishinaabe (Fort William First Nation) and Metis peoples. https://www.marionagnew.com/ (includes citations to Marion's fiction and essays, short and collected) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marionagnew/ Currently reading: Fuse; Rebellion Box; Widow Fantasies by Hollay Ghadery If Sylvie Had Nine Lives by Leona Theis  

Rebecca and Tara provide an update on their 2024 goals! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America by Matika Wilbur 2024 Inclusive Picture Book Read Along Challenge @readingwithredandthemagpie My Ántonia by Willa Cather The Street by Ann Petry The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin February by Lisa Moore Tara (@onabranchreads):  The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan Merlin bird ID app 2023 Giller Books: Away from the Dead by David Bergen Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong We Meant Well by Erum Shazia Hasan The Island: Stories by Dionne Irving Wait Softly Brother by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer Girlfriend on Mars by Deborah Willis Helen Humphreys: The Lost Garden The Frozen Thames Followed by the Lark Leaving Earth Currently reading: I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Rebecca and Tara share their latest reads! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine by Ricardo Nuila The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers Autokrator by Emily A. Weedon The Street by Ann Petry The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy by Ali Velshi Tara (@onabranchreads): The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley Indian Burial Ground; Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina The Shining; Salem's Lot by Stephen King The Residence; The Damned by Andrew Pyper Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Fungal: Foraging in the Urban Forest by Ariel Gordon  

Rebecca welcomes Canadian author Leslie Shimotakahara, whose third novel, Sisters of the Spruce, is on Quill & Quire's "2024 Spring Preview: Fiction" and the 49th Shelf's "Most Anticipated: Our 2024 Spring Fiction Preview." Her memoir, The Reading List, won the Canada-Japan Literary Prize and has been translated into Japanese, and her fiction has been shortlisted for the KM Hunter Artist Award. She has written two other critically acclaimed novels, After the Bloom and Red Oblivion.  Leslie's writing has appeared in the National Post, World Literature Today, and Changing the Face of Canadian Literature, among other anthologies and periodicals. She completed a PhD in English at Brown University, after which she returned to her hometown of Toronto, where she now resides with her husband.  https://leslieshimotakahara.com/ https://www.instagram.com/leslieshimotakahara/ https://caitlinpress.com/Books/S/Sisters-of-the-Spruce   Highlighted books: From Slave Girls to Salvation: Gender, Race, and Victoria's Chinese Rescue Home, 1886-1923 by Shelly D. Ikebuchi We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama Within the Barbed Wire Fence: A Japanese Man's Account of his Internment in Canada by Takeo Ujo Nakano

Tara interviews author Barbara Black, a self-described "serial artist", who was born in North Vancouver, B.C. and currently resides in Victoria, B.C.     As a writer and editor, Barbara has worked in journalism, public relations, government policy, education, and the arts. As a creative writer, Barbara has explored the genres of poetry, fiction, flash fiction, non-fiction, and libretto.   As a classically trained vocalist, she has performed in both the classical and jazz worlds, in both vocal ensembles and as a soloist with an orchestra.  She is also a composer and most recently, collaborated as a lyricist and librettist.   Barbara's short story collection Music from a Strange Planet debuted in 2021 to critical acclaim (Barbara discussed the collection on the podcast dated February 12, 2022). Her most recent book, Little Fortified Stories (Caitlin Press), was released on May 17, 2024.   https://barbarablack.ca/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bblackwrites/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21410142.Barbara_Black Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbarablackwriter   Links to journals, authors, and books mentioned: https://www.ekphrastic.net/ https://megpokrass.com/about/ The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing by Adam Moss https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/192723955-the-work-of-art  

Tara welcomes author Finnian Burnett, who is a professor, writer and lifelong learner.  Their work often explores the intersection of the human body, mental health and gender identity.  Finnian holds a doctorate in English pedagogy from Murray State University and teaches college English, creative writing and early British Literature, using story-based pedagogy to create equity in multicultural classrooms.   Finnian is a recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts grant, a finalist in the 2023 CBC Nonfiction prize and a 2024 Pushcart nominee. Under their former name, they have published several novels with Sapphire Books Publishing, including two rainbow award winners and the Writer's Digest first place in fantasy self-published book called, Coyote Ate the Stars.   In addition, Finnian has two novellas-in-flash, The Clothes Make the Man (published by Ad Hoc Fiction) and The Price of Cookies (published by Off Topic Publishing).   Finnian lives in beautiful British Columbia with their wife.   https://finnburnett.com/ https://finallyfinnian.com/   Highlighted books and authors: Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest Cold by Drew Hayden Taylor The Scourge by Jennifer A. Nielsen Poet Miranda Krogstad Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice All the Quiet Places by Brian Thomas Isaac Never Let Me Go; Klara in the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Don't forget to check out Rebecca and Tara live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@canadareadsamericanstyle/streams  

Rebecca and Tara share their latest reads and links to their new feature on YouTube: Reading From Our Shelves! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):  Somehow by Anne Lamott Imagining Imagining: Essays on Language, Identity & Infinity by Gary Barwin Autokrator by Emily A. Weedon I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity by Izzeldin Abuelaish James by Percival Everett The Last Slave Ship: The True Story of How Clotilda Was Found, Her Descendants, and an Extraordinary Reckoning by Ben Raines Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston Eleanor Courtown; The Brickworks; Stella's Carpet; The Marzipan Fruit Basket by Lucy E.M. Black Making Up the Gods by Marion Agnew Tara (@onabranchreads):  Cold; Chasing Painted Horses by Drew Hayden Taylor Coexistence: Stories; A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland Nosy Parker; The Spoon Stealer by Lesley Crewe Followed by the Lark by Helen Humphreys Walden by Henry David Thoreau A House with Good Bones; Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher Reading From Our Shelves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObgtKpEdnRE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lek38hy8jCA&t=93s    

Rebecca is excited to speak with Sydney Hegele, a queer Anglo-Catholic writer from the Greenbelt in Southern Ontario. They are the author of Bird Suit (Invisible Publishing, May 7, 2024) and The Pump (Invisible Publishing 2021), which was the winner of the 2022 ReLit Literary Award for Short Fiction and a finalist for the 2022 Trillium Book Award. Their essays have appeared in Catapult and Electric Literature, EVENT, and have been featured by Lithub, The Poetry Foundation, and Psychology Today. Their essay collection Bad Kids is forthcoming with Invisible in Fall 2025. Sydney's work often explores small-town queerness, environmental justice, mental illness, religious life, and the complicated relationships between these things. They live with their husband and French Bulldog on Treaty 13 Land (Toronto, Canada). https://www.sydneyhegele.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneyhegele/ Titles mentioned: Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker (Foreword) Play by Jess Taylor  Imagining Imagining: Essays on Language, Identity and Infinity by Gary Barwin

Rebecca is excited to chat with Heather Stemp, author of the Ginny Ross historical fiction series for tween and teen readers.  Rebecca also recommends it for adult fans of Anne of Green Gables. Heather's paternal roots lie in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland.  After 30 years as an English teacher, she retired to research her family history, discovering her Aunt Ginny's friendship with Amelia Earhart in the process.  As a result, she began writing the Ginny Ross Series.  Amelia and Me was shortlisted for the 2014/2015 Red Cedar Award.  Under Amelia's Wing was shortlisted for the 2021 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the 2022 Red Maple Award.  Beyond Amelia, will be released April 16, 2024. When not writing, Heather loves traveling with her husband, Don, and spending time at the cottage with her grandchildren and grand dogs. https://www.heatherstemp.com/ https://www.instagram.com/authorheatherstemp/ https://visitatchison.com/highlight/amelia-earhart-festival https://visitatchison.com/highlight_type/amelia-earhart When the Dikes Breached by Martha Attema Winterkill by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch Dreadfall Water series by Thomas King   

Tara chats with Vince R. Ditritch, the author of the Tony Vicar series which includes The Liquor Vicar, The Vicar's Knickers, and The Vicar Vortex.  He is also the drummer and manager of the band Spirit of the West.  He has circled the world, earned more than a dozen gold and platinum albums, and been enshrined in several Halls of Fame.  Vince currently lives on Vancouver Island.    

Rebecca and Tara celebrate their 100th episode as co-hosts by sharing ten facts about themselves and their top three podcasts.  Interestingly, they both had near death experiences and divulged youthful criminal secrets. Rebecca: I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity by Izzeldin Abuelaish Podcast episodes: Mark Tewksbury -- March 14, 2022 and April 30, 2022; Ali Hassan most recently on March 17, 2024; Adam Shoalts on December 11, 2024 Tara: The Hapless Milliner (Miss Austin Investigates #1) by Jessica Bull Podcast episodes: Keegan on July 24, 2022; Vince Ditrich mid-April 2024