It’s that time of year again, the time all literary Canadians have come to anticipate with bated breath. Or at least, this one does. The Shortlist for this year’s Canada Reads debate has been announced, along with this year’s panelists! I’m including the Longlist here as well, because I know I enjoy seeing all the books that were in contention and therefore must be worth checking out!
Here are links to all the books on Goodreads so you can find out a little more about them:
- Homes – Abu Bakr al Rabeeah & Winnie Yeung
- Suzanne – Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, translated by Rhonda Mullins
- Brother – David Chariandy
- By Chance Alone – Max Eisen
- Corvus – Harold R. Johnson
- The Boy On the Beach – Tima Kurdi
- That Time I Loved You – Carrianne Leung
- An Ocean of Minutes – Thea Lim
- Heart Berries – Terese Marie Mailhot
- The Crazy Game – Clint Malarchuk
- Life on the Ground Floor – James Maskalyk
- All Our Wrong Todays – Elan Mastai
- This Accident of Being Lost – Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
- The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary – Andrew Westoll
- The Woo Woo – Lindsay Wong
Of these only five weren’t already on my radar, and I haven’t read any. Of these, the ones I was most excited to see were: Homes, Suzanne, Brother, That Time I Loved You, An Ocean of Minutes, Heart Berries, Life on the Ground Floor and This Accident of Being Lost.
Now for this year’s Shortlist:
- Homes – Abu Bakr al Rabeeah & Winnie Yeung
- Suzanne – Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, translated by Rhonda Mullins
- Brother – David Chariandy
- By Chance Alone – Max Eisen
- The Woo Woo – Lindsay Wong
I’m not sure how many of these (if any) I’ll get to before the event starts, but I’ve got Brother, Suzanne and Homes sitting on my bedside table just in case the mood strikes!
And the Panelists who will be defending them:
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Ziya Tong is a television presenter, best known for her decade as the host of the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet. She has a book of her own coming out in May of this year.
Ziya Tong will be defending By Chance Alone by Max Eisen. |
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Joe Zee is a fashion industry expert, best known as a resident judge on Canada’s Stitched and the more than seven years he spent as creative director for Elle magazine.
Joe Zee will be defending The Woo Woo by Lindsay Wong. |
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Lisa Ray is India’s most successful model and has built a career on screen and stage. She is a vocal advocate for cancer and stem cell research, and her work for this cause led to her being awarded the Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to Canada.
Lisa Ray will be defending Brother by David Chariandy. |
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Chuck Comeau is a musician and founding member of the band Simple Plan, who have sold over 15 million albums and performed in 70 countries worldwide. The band’s Simple Plan Foundation raises money for charities working to help youth.
Chuck Comeau is defending Home by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah with Winnie Yeung. |
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Yanic Truesdale is a Canadian actor from Montreal, best known for his portrayal of the prickly but lovable Michel Gerard on Gilmore Girls.
Yanic Truesdale is defending Suzanne by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, translated by Rhonda Mullins. |
**You can read more about the panelists and the books on Canada Reads’ website here. Book links within the table lead to Canada Reads’ articles about the authors and how they wrote each book.
There’s still time to read at least one or two of the books that pique your interest before the event begins on March 25th, so head over to your local bookseller (if you’re in Canada all the Canada Reads shortlisted books are available on Indigo for $15 each here) and pick up some great CanLit. And be sure to come back and let me know what you think and if you’ll be tuning in for the event!