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Canada Reads 2020 Contenders

Over four days in March, the five defenders will bring their diverse perspectives.

 

Hunger Games Prequel Announced

Suzanne Collins’s prequel gives dictator Coriolanus Snow a starring role.

 

Sally Rooney's 'Normal People' on TV

Easily one of the most anticipated small screen literary adaptations of the year.

 

'World Travel: An Irreverent Guide'

A posthumous Anthony Bourdain travel guide is coming later this year.

 

Why Philosophy Is The New Self-Help

From Socrates to Nietzsche, philosophers could be the ones to transform your 2020.

 

NYPL Most Checked-Out Books Of All Time

New York Public Library's most frequently borrowed books in its 125-year history

 

2020 Oscars Nominations

'Joker' first comic book movie to lead in nominations.

 

John le Carré

Spy author wins $100,000 Olof Palme prize for 'contribution to democracy.'

 

CBC Books Canada Reads 2020 Long List

From deeply personal memoirs to poetry and speculative fiction.

 

Bowie's Bookshelf

The 100 books that influenced David Bowie's life are now listed in a book.

 

Raina Telgemeier

'Smile' creator has been named Comics Industry Person of the Decade by The BEAT.

 

Exposing Silicon Valley

Anna Wiener 's Uncanny Valley is an explosive memoir.

 

Audiobooks

As they soar in popularity, they are becoming increasingly creative.

 

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Trends That Changed How We Read

Including the explosion of audiobooks, a wave of TV adaptations and political children’s books

 

CBC : The Best Books of 2019

2019 was a great year for books! Here are CBC Books's favourite books of the year.

 

Cook This:

Donna Hay makes Christmas cooking and entertaining so easy.

 

Talking to Strangers

In his latest book, Malcolm Gladwell examines why people are so easily misled and lied to.

 

2019 Goodreads Choice Awards

Margaret Atwood, Antoni Porowski and Faith Erin Hicks topped different categories.

 

'Surveillance Capitalism'

A year ago, Shoshana Zuboff dropped an intellectual bomb on the technology industry.

 

Vancouver After Dark

Aaron Chapman documents the once wild nightlife of the city.

 

Paul McCartney's Book Is Becoming a Movie

High in the Clouds will feature new music he's been working on since 2013.

 

2020 Golden Globe Nominations

Netflix dominates the field; women completely shut out for best director.

 

Conquer Work Paralysis Like Hemingway

The author invented a technique that can beat procrastination and boost productivity.

 

William C. Morris Award

Canadians Ben Philippe and Nafiza Azad shortlisted for debut YA fiction award.

 

Taylor Prize 2020 Longlist Revealed

The Taylor Prize honours the best writing in English-language Canadian non-fiction.

 

Louise Erdrich, The Game of Silence

The Game of Silence continues the story of Omakayas and her family on Lake Superior.

 

'The Overstory'

One review called it the most exciting novel about trees you will ever read.

 

Jimmy Kimmel Writes A Picture Book

He wants parents to know one thing about his debut book: It takes just five minutes to read.

 

How to Have Conversations That Matter

Holiday civility tips from Celeste Headlee, author of 'We Need To Talk.'

 

Anne With an E

News of the cancellation has sparked a massive outcry from fans. #SaveAnneWithAnE

 

Candice Carty-Williams

Debut author of Queenie caps success with Costa prize shortlisting.

 

The Missing Millionaire

Book investigates century-old mystery of Toronto millionaire's disappearance.

 

Supervolcanoes, Asteroids, Climate Change

Bryan Walsh looks at the end of the world, and how we might save it.

 

National Book Awards 2019

Susan Choi wins fiction prize for her powerful fifth novel Trust Exercise.

 

Jack the Ripper Victims' Biography

Hallie Rubenhold's The Five took this year's Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

 

Shakespeare and Company

The world's most famous bookshop celebrates its centenary.

 

2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize

Ian Williams has won Canada's richest literary award for fiction, for his novel Reproduction.

 

Writers' Trust Fellowship

Acclaimed Montreal author Heather O'Neill wins $50K Writers' Trust Fellowship.

 

'No Friend but the Mountains'

Behrouz Boochani, Manus Island and the book written one text at a time.

 

Tackling Today’s Trickiest Global Challenges

Solutions for economic inequality from 2019 Nobel Prize winners.

 

What Happens To Your Used Stuff?

Adam Minter's 'Secondhand' tells of a billion-dollar industry.

 

Anonymous Author's New Book 'A Warning'

The book is an unsparing character study of Trump, from morality to intellectual depth.

 

White Bird

A new book from the creator of ‘Wonder’ tells a Holocaust story.

 

Flea’s ‘Acid for the Children’

New memoir by the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist is a coming-of-age bromance.

 

Writers' Trust Literary Prize

André Alexis and Jenny Heijun Wills took home the two biggest awards of the night.

 

'The Body: A Guide for Occupants'

In new book, Bill Bryson explores our 'warm wobble of flesh.'

 

Will by Will Self

A self-lacerating memoir of ‘darkly angelic prose’ recalls Self’s addiction in the 1980s.

 

The Past is Prologue in Steph Cha's Novel

Racial unrest of early '90s Los Angeles resurfaces in 'Your House Will Pay'.

 

What are the Best First Lines in Fiction?

From the pithy to the provocative, the classic book opener comes in many different forms.

 

Governor General's Literary Awards Winners

The Canada Council for the Arts is celebrating the best in Canadian literature.

 

Prince's Memoir: Seven Things We Learned

The Beautiful Ones is the closest there will ever be to a Prince autobiography.

 

For Small Creatures Such as We

Sasha Sagan dives into science, space and spirituality in new book.

 

'Truth is the Best Story'

Gene Weingarten's extraordinary new book chronicles the incredible events of one day.

 

Comedian Dave Hill on Parking The Moose

The 'definitive book on Canada by a non-Canadian'.

 

John Grisham Has Done It Again

The Guardians makes clear, there’s plenty of work left for an innocence lawyer to do.

 

Disrupting the Cult of the Billionaire

Anand Giridharadas is rebuking the idea that philanthropic billionaires are society’s heroes.

 

Ali Wong On Her New Book, 'Dear Girls'

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with comedian Ali Wong about her new book.

 

Catch and Kill

Ronan Farrow on his bombshell new book: "Sometimes, the conspiracy theory is real."

 

Gross Domestic Product

Why is Banksy vetting the customers of his online store?

 

TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards

Heather Smith won the top prize for her free-verse middle-grade novel, Ebb & Flow.

 

Booker Prize Plot Twist:

Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo share award after jury breaks rules.

 

Nobel Prizes in Literature for 2018 and 2019

Olga Tokarczuk and Peter Handke win, after scandal postponed last year’s award.

 

Diary of a Small Town Sensation

How the Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney built his dream bookshop.

 

Toronto Book Award goes to Dionne Brand

This is the 45th year of the award on the book that is most evocative of Toronto.

 

Governor General's Literary Awards 2019

Finalists announced in seven categories, in both official languages, for readers of all ages.

 

Scotiabank Giller Prize 2019 Shortlist

The richest Canadian literary award annually recognizes the country's best fiction.

 

Orca Activist Publishes Children’s Book

Mark Leiren-Young’s new book is an ‘introduction to the orca-verse’.

 

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

The writer’s meticulous eighth novel is a twisting family drama spanning five decades.

 

The Water Dancer

Ta-Nehisi Coates creates magical alternate history with a new novel.

 

Grateful Dead’s Own Poet Laureate

Robert Hunter was behind many of the Dead’s best-loved and most enduring songs.

 

Chanel Miller reclaims her identity

“Know My Name” is account of her time as “Emily Doe” in a sexual assault case.

 

Naomi Klein on climate strikes

Author of On Fire says mass mobilization will be key in fighting climate change.

 

'History is a process, not a locked box'

Wolf Hall author Hilary Mantel looks back on the ‘long walk’ she has taken with Cromwell.

 

AJ Dungo on Creativity and Grief

new understanding of creativity as a way of processing fear, memory and emotion.

 

Remembering Graeme Gibson

Canadian novelist and conservationist was partner of Margaret Atwood.

 

US sues for Snowden's income from book

Snowden: "Permanent Record is so truthful that it was literally against the law to write."

“We Are the Weather”

Author Johnathan Safran Foer: Saving the planet means changing how we eat.

 

She Said: Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

The reporters who broke the Weinstein story talk about their new book.

 

Noma Bar on designing The Testaments

The master of the double entendre speaks about bringing Atwood’s fictional world to life.

 

Stephen King on his new book

His latest, The Institute, revolves around a totalitarian boot camp for telekinetic children.

 

XKCD cartoonist's book How To

Randall Munroe's third book will make you laugh as you learn.

 

Toronto International Film Festival

16 literary adaptations to watch for at the festival this year.

 

A book that changed my life?

Malcolm Gladwell: ‘Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’.

 

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award

Jillian Tamaki, Jonathan Auxier shortlisted for $50K award.

 

Paul McCartney on being a 'Grandude'

McCartney worked with the Canadian illustrator Kathryn Durst to create the book.

 

Giller Prize Presents its 2019 Longlist

Andre Alexis, Margaret Atwood, among 12 authors up for $100,000 book prize.

 

Edinburgh International Book Festival

Photographer Murdo MacLeod captures the stars of this year’s event.

 

Another way of thinking about aging

Why Carl Honoré wants us to celebrate that aging is inevitable.

 

Téa Obreht’s ‘Inland’ review by Ron Charles

'Inland' interweaves two distinct story lines that resonate with each other in curious ways.

 

Author-Illustrator Couple: The Pinkneys

Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney have collaborated on nearly 20 children books.

 

Remembering Toni Morrison

Acclaimed author dramatised African-American experience with fierce passion.

 

On Moby Dick as a Way of Seeing the World

The encyclopedic genius of Herman Melville’s masterpiece.

 

Edward Snowden memoir, Permanent Record

Out on 17 September, the book will reveal whistleblower’s secrets.

 

Wickedly funny thriller

How Oyinkan Braithwaite wrote a debut novel now longlisted for the Booker Prize.

 

Eden Robinson's Trickster Drift

Second book in trilogy is shortlisted for 2019 Sunburst Award for Canadian fantasy writing.

 

‘The future is creativity'

Children’s book author Hervé Tullet nurtures kids’ imaginations at ICA LA.

 

Colson Whitehead's latest novel

The Nickel Boys is a departure from previous works, just as everything he's done before.

 

2019 Booker prize longlist

Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid's Tale sequel The Testaments leads the list.

 

Eisner Awards at San Diego Comic-Con

Chip Zdarsky, Jeff Lemire & Faith Erin Hicks were among Canadian winners.

 

What is Peppa Pig's height?

The cartoon pig's size is now the subject of much online debate.

 

A space race reading list

Books to pick up to catch up on the story of Apollo 11.

 

The new Cats movie trailer

There has been widespread criticism of the trailer, but is it too soon to judge?

 

Message-in-a-bottle author found

The author has been located some 50 years after he threw it into the Indian Ocean.

 

Chuck Klosterman’s new book

“Raised in Captivity” digs into philosophical questions that shape modern culture.

 

Jay-Z book by Michael Eric Dyson

"Jay-Z: Made in America" will honor hip-hop legend on his 50th birthday.

 

From Uber driving to huge book deal

Adrian McKinty's life-changing phone call that would pull him into “some major craziness.”

 

Is failure the new literary success ?

Writing about our flaws and imperfections has never been so popular.

 

For the Good of the Game

Candid and sometimes angry, Bud Selig's new book may surprise you.

 

The Sandman, Catch-22, Cloud Atlas ...

So has TV ended the age of the unfilmable book? Is any book truly limited to the page?

 

Mo Willems Has A New Creative Challenge

The acclaimed children's author is exploring artistic sandboxes at the Kennedy Center.

 

Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert

Describing the brutal truth of nursing a dying loved one.

 

On Being a Woman Who Loves Math

Catherine Chung finds inspiration in the lives of otherwise forgotten mathematicians.

Student Design Award winners

Unique revamps of iconic books by Haruki Murakami, Owen Jones, and R.J. Palacio.

 

'Searing, unflinching'

Elizabeth Acevedo's debut The Poet X wins British literary prize Carnegie Medal.

 

Hunger Games prequel book

A prequel by Suzanne Collins with a potential movie adaptation on the way.

 

€100,000 International Dublin Literary Award

Won by 33-year-old US author Emily Ruskovich for her debut novel, Idaho.

 

"Elderhood" : why older people are happier

Author Dr. Louise Aronson thinks we currently get a lot wrong about what it means to be old.

 

“Alphabet Squadron” by Alexander Freed

How a self-taught San Francisco author gets to write the latest chapters of Star Wars.

 

Haruki Murakami interview

Noted Japanese author Haruki Murakami looks back over 40 years of literary endeavors.

 

Indigenous Voices Award winners

Tanya Tagaq's debut novel Split Tooth and Tasha Spillett's Surviving the City recognized.

Lambda Literary Awards

Casey Plett and Joshua Whitehead have won awards for their debut novels.

 

“Harry Potter: A Journey Through …”

New e-books will each be based on subjects studied at the Hogwarts.

 

“The Rest of the Story”

YA best-selling novelist Sarah Dessen is back with a new book and a Netflix deal.

 

Miriam Körner's Yellow Dog

Among best books of the year, as chosen by Saskatchewan students.

 

Can reading improve your mental health?

A panel of top authors discussed at a special BBC Culture event at the Hay Festival.

 

Songs from the Novel Greatest Hits

A collaboration with a songwriter to create an original soundtrack for a fictional songwriter.

 

Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass

Rush frontman dives deep in the world of bass guitars with book, exhibits.

 

Judith Kerr was both sweetness and steel

And no one could draw a tiger’s smile quite like her, remembers Nancy Banks-Smith.

 

Man Booker International Prize

Jokha Alharthi wins for Celestial Bodies – the first time an Arabic book has won.

 

George RR Martin teases what’s next

TV adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire might be over, but its author says he’s still working.

 

Author Goes 'Spying On The South'

In his new book, Tony Horwitz is back exploring "the old, weird America."

 

Recipes from author Frances Mayes

"Under the Tuscan Sun" author offers some delicious dishes from Italy.

 

Writers’ Trust of Canada award

Journalist Rachel Giese wins the Political Writing prize for book on masculinity.

 

Tim Conway never wanted a solo spotlight

Five Carol Burnett Clips That Prove Why Tim Conway Was the Show’s M.V.P.

 

“Howard Stern Comes Again”

In new book, Stern talks regret, and how therapy changed him.

 

Sally Rooney's Normal People

Sally Rooney has beaten Michelle Obama to book of the year at the British Book Awards.

 

A new biography of Susan Sontag

Sontag: Her Life says she wrote Freud: The Mind of the Moralist by Philip Rieff.

 

‘Don’t write—just type’

Advice from Daniel Mendelsohn, writer, critic, translator and editor-at-large.

 

T.C. Boyle still addicted to writing

The author last month released his 17th novel in a span of four decades.

 

UN's report on biodiversity

Nature is in more trouble now than at any other time in human history.

 

Harper Lee’s lost true crime book

Nearly 20 years after To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee came across a sensational case...

 

How Peter Mayhew became Chewbacca

Mayhew was perfect for the role of Chewie, the loveable, even cuddly sidekick to Han Solo.

 

Featuring civil rights activist Viola Desmond

Canadian $10 bill has won the top prize in an international banknote competition.

 

Remembering author Wayson Choy

In 2015, Choy received the George Woodcock Award that recognized his outstanding career.

 

Lost sequel discovered

Sequel to Anthony Burgess' dystopian cult classic "A Clockwork Orange" has been found.

 

“Jeopardy!” winner prepared at the library

James Holzhauer: "I have a strategy of reading children’s books to gain knowledge."

 

Judith Viorst 'Nearing 90'

Author has many children's books to her name, and she has a new book of poetry out now.

 

2019 Pulitzer Prizes

The Overstory, by Richard Powers is the Pulitzer Prize Winner in Fiction.

 

Canadian children's poetry

Celebrate with the young readers in your life by checking out these Canadian works.

 

Why Notre Dame matters

What Victor Hugo wrote to save Notre Dame when it was on the brink of destruction.

 

'Loonshots'

Author Safi Bahcall says that innovative ideas — 'loonshots' — are too often shut down.

 

The genius of Beverly Cleary

How Ramona Quimby helps kids make sense of this unstable world.

 

The first black hole image

Katie Bouman led development of a computer program that made the image possible.

 

Griffin Poetry Prize

Dionne Brand's The Blue Clerk among works shortlisted for 2019.

 

Susan Choi's powerful fifth novel

Teen years echo through a lifetime in 'Trust Exercise'.

 

George Elliott Clarke dedicates poem

A poem dedicated to civil rights activist Joan Jones, praising her "panther rhetoric."

 

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Presents

The bestselling parody ranked No. 2 on the list of “challenged” books compiled by the ALA.

 

Entrancing Poetry Picture Books

Picture books in verse can imagine or reminisce, or elicit deep emotion.

 

Green Day releasing first book this fall

Band collaborated with cartoonist Frank Caruso for ‘Last of the American Girls’.

 

Walter Scott book prize shortlist revealed

The final contenders for this year's Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction.

 

Man Booker Prize-winner Ian McEwan

His new novel, "Machines Like Me," is about the future of artificial intelligence.

 

Tiamat's Wrath

The penultimate installment builds up to grand finale for 'Expanse' Books.

 

Project Bookmark Canada

Putting pieces of stories in the exact, physical locations where literary scenes are set.

 

Lawrence Ferlinghetti Celebrates His 100th

On March 24 with the publication of “Little Boy,” his life story told in flashes and arias.

 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar turns 50

How Eric Carle’s colourful story about metamorphosis became a classic.

 

Wellcome Book Prize

Shortlist celebrates books about masculinity and mental illness.

 

Teddy Geiger, Shawn Mendes' songwriter

Once a pop star in the early 2000s, Geiger is now penning hits for music's biggest names.

 

Woo, the Monkey Who Inspired Emily Carr

Iconic artist Emily Carr surrounded herself with animals. Woo, takes centre stage in new book.

 

Canada Reads author David Chariandy

How books helped him feel less of an outsider while growing up.

 

No, men aren't better at reading maps:

Cognitive neuroscientist Gina Rippon picks best books exposing gender myths.

 

Feck Perfuction

Dangerous ideas on the business of life from James Victore.

 

Kate Harris wins RBC Taylor award

Lands of Lost Borders was chosen as winner of the RBC Taylor Prize.

 

Author says Netflix deal a 'wow moment'

John Marrs' third novel, The One, will be turned into a 10-part series by the streaming giant.

 

‘The Wife’ author Meg Wolitzer

Answering reader questions in conversation with Jeffrey Brown.

 

Oscars 2019

Books that inspired the 2019 Oscar nominees.

 

Sixth novel from Helen Oyeyemi

Gingerbread is not only about childhood, but also what it feels like to be a child.

 

Bill Gates recommends

'Thrilling' book about corruption in finance.

 

Why I lied:

Authors who fabricated literary personas share how their fantasies became nightmares.

 

Naomi Klein to write On Fire

The book will examine how climate action can be a blueprint for a just and thriving society.

 

Mapping Oliver Jeffers’s World

In his studio in Brooklyn, he brings together his work as a fine artist and as an illustrator.

 

Maria Popova: By the Book

The author of 'Figuring' likes how children’s books speak “a language of absolute sincerity".

 

George Orwell gets apology after 70 years

The British Council has apologised to Orwell after rejecting an essay seven decades ago.

 

Zucked: The Education of An Unlikely Activist

In his book, Roger McNamee lays out 'Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe'.

 

Dr Seuss's thank-you letter

The letter stopped the author from burning his first children’s book manuscript.

 

ALA Youth Media Awards

Meg Medina wins Newbery medal, Sophie Blackall the Caldecott.

 

Black Panther is heating up the Oscar race

The Academy didn't miss the artistic excellence surrounding the phenomenon.

 

“No manners meals”

Weird Parenting Wins author Hillary Frank on why parents should trust their instincts.

 

Plaque for real life Pooh bear

A plaque has been unveiled for the real life bear that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.

 

Have aliens found us?

A Harvard astronomer on the mysterious interstellar object 'Oumuamua'.

Unique new covers for five science classics

Book series taps into the growing concern about humanity’s impact on the environment.

 

Canada Reads 2019 Long List

From thought-provoking fiction to inspiring memoirs, finding one book to move you.

 

Dr. Dave Williams on failure & success

'It's what we do when we don't succeed that determines whether we will succeed'.

Tidying Up with Marie Kondo reviewed

Kondo directs to fill hearts with gratitude for items that have outlived their utility.

 

The odd life of author JD Salinger

January 1 marks the centenary of Catcher in the Rye author.

 

Remembering Mike Taylor

Burlington's Walk Off the Earth lost their “beloved brother and bandmate”.

 

Augment Storytime with AR Books

Augmented reality books provide a new way to spend quality family time together.

 

Poets of Instagram inject fresh voices.

Poetry has been enjoying a renaissance thanks to a generation of young, accessible writers.

 

"Becoming" book tour extended into 2019.

Michelle Obama will be speaking in Toronto May 4 next year.

 

Remembering writer Richard Wagamese

A special book launch was held on Dec. 4 at the University of Victoria.

 

Remembering Harry Leslie Smith

Harry Leslie Smith, veteran turned social activist, dies at 95.

 

Handmaid's Tale sequel

Margaret Atwood to write sequel inspired by the state of the modern world.

 

Esi Edugyan wins 2nd Scotiabank Giller Prize

The novel Washington Black follows the saga of an 11-year-old boy who escapes slavery.

 

Dan Brown on how to write a bestseller

Brown talks about bad reviews, his habit of hanging upside down in this interview.

 

Remembering Stan Lee

The creator of Spider-Man, Lee considered the comic book medium an art form.

 

Remembering Stratford Festival founder Douglas Rain.

Rain was one of the few surviving members of the Festival’s founding company.

 

Inspired by her father's letters

How her father's war-time love letters inspired Kathy Page's new novel.