20 books we can't wait to read in March 2022
A new month means new books! Here are some of the most anticipated Canadian titles of March 2022.
Burning Questions by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood seeks to answer burning questions like: Why do people tell stories? How can we live on our planet? What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism?
In over 50 essays written between 2004 to 2021, Atwood reflects on a financial crash, the rise of Trump and a pandemic. Burning Questions covers topics like debt, tech and climate change, as Atwood ponders the many mysteries of our universe.
When you can read it: March 1, 2022
Atwood is the celebrated Canadian writer who has published fiction, nonfiction, poetry and comics. Her acclaimed books include The Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace, Oryx and Crake and The Edible Woman. She has won several awards for her work including the Governor General's Literary Award, the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Man Booker Prize. She is also a founder of the Griffin Poetry Prize and the Writers' Trust of Canada.
Stray Dogs by Rawi Hage
The characters in this short story collection are restless travellers, moving between nation states and states of mind, seeking connection and trying to escape the past. Set in Montreal, Beirut, Tokyo and more, these stories highlight the often random ways our fragile modern identities are constructed, destroyed and reborn.
When you can read it: March 1, 2022
Rawi Hage is a Montreal-based writer. His books include De Niro's Game, which won the International Dublin Literary Award in 2008; Cockroach, which received the Hugh MacLennan Prize for fiction, was defended by Samantha Bee on Canada Reads in 2014, and was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award; Carnival, which was a finalist for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize; and Beirut Hellfire Society, which was on the shortlist for the the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction.
Aquariums by J.D. Kurtness, translated by Pablo Strauss
When Émeraude, a young marine biologist, joins an extended mission in the Arctic, the world she leaves behind is irrevocably changed. Stories of her ancestors — a young sailor abandoned at birth, a conjuror who mixes potions, a violent young man who hides in the woods to escape an even more violent war and a talented young singer born to a mother who cannot speak — weave their way through and shape Émeraude's life.
When you can read it: March 1, 2022
J.D. Kurtness is a writer and member of the Innu nation. She won the Indigenous Voices Award for most significant work of prose in French in 2018 for her debut novel Of Vengeance. She lives in Montreal.
Pablo Strauss is a translator whose recent books include Of Vengeance by J.D. Kurtness, The Dishwasher by Stéphane Larue and Synapses by Simon Brousseau. Strauss was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for translation in 2017 for The Longest Year.
Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley
In this collection of essays, actor, screenwriter and director Sarah Polley reflects on the pieces of her life and the fallibility of memory. From stage fright to high-risk childbirth, Polley contemplates these events and how she remembers them. In struggling with the aftermath of a concussion, she must retrain her mind to find a new path forward.
Run Towards the Danger is a book about learning, changing and what it's like to live in one's body.
When you can read it: March 1, 2022
Polley is an Oscar-nominated Canadian actor, screenwriter and director. Her first feature-length film, Away from Her, was adapted from the Alice Munro story The Bear Came Over the Mountain and was nominated for the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay. Her other films include Stories We Tell and Take This Waltz.
Metatron's Children by Chy Ryan Spain, illustrated by Sydney Kuhne
The first in a series of books, Metatron's Children is set in a world of magic. The book introduces readers to Yren, a pre-teen, non-binary Black child who has special extra-sensory powers. But Yren is coping with grief and guilt in the aftermath of their parent's untimely death. Yren, with their sibling Augi, must use their powers to navigate a perilous new world.
Metatron's Children is for ages 9 to 11.
When you can read it: March 1, 2022
Chy Ryan Spain is a multi-disciplinary artist, activist and educator based in Toronto. Metatron's Children is Spain's debut book.
Sydney Kuhne is an artist, actor and activist based in Toronto. Kuhne's work centres around self-love, claiming identity, visibility, finding connection within the African diaspora and celebrating the sacred feminine.
Celia, Misoka, I by Xue Yiwei, translated by Stephen Nashef
Celia, Misoka, I tells the story of a middle-aged Chinese man who finds himself living in modern-day Montreal all alone after his wife dies. Eventually, the man meets two women by Beaver Lake on Montreal's Mount Royal and their own stories of personal plight connect past to present and West to East.
After coming together, the three begin to examine who they are, where they belong and how to navigate otherness and identity in a globalized world.
When you can read it: March 1, 2022
Xue Yiwei is a bestselling novelist, short story writer and academic. He has published four novels, five collections of short stories plus several works of nonfiction. Shenzheners is his first book to be translated into English. Xue Yiwei lives in Montreal.
Stephen Nashef is a Chinese to English translator. He was awarded a Henry Luce Foundation Fellowship for Chinese poetry translation in 2018. Nashef lives in Beijing.
Where the Silver River Ends by Anna Quon
When Joan, a half-Chinese English teacher, flees to Budapest for a fresh start, she meets a proud Roma teenager named Milan. Milan helps Joan settle into the city and Joan introduces him to Adriana, who is on a journey to lay the memory of her dead mother to rest. The trio form an unlikely friendship, bound by love and luck.
Where the Silver River Ends is a novel about mixed-race identity, systemic oppression and family reconciliation.
When you can read it: March 6, 2022
Anna Quon is a poet, novelist and writing workshop facilitator. Her first novel, Migration Songs, was shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award. Quon lives in Dartmouth.
Squire by Sara Alfageeh & Nadia Shammas
Squire, a fantasy graphic novel, follows a young woman named Aiza. She's a member of the Ornu people, a subjugated group in the crumbling Bayt-Saiji Empire. With war on the horizon, Aiza enlists to train as a Squire in hopes it will lead her to Knighthood — and full citizenship. But as Aiza navigates the social and physical rigours of military training, she realizes the Empire's plans for "the greater good" may not be what's best for her people.
When you can read it: March 8, 2022
Nadia Shammas is a Palestinian American writer based in Toronto. Her previous work includes CORPUS: A Comic Anthology of Bodily Ailments and Ms. Marvel: Stretched Thin.
Sara Alfageeh is a Jordanian American illustrator from Boston. She's illustrated comics and picture books, including for Marvel Comics and Star Wars.
Naomi: Season 2 by Jamal Campbell, Brian Michael Bendis & David F. Walker
The original creators of the comic book Naomi, the story of a small town heroine who joins Young Justice and Justice League, have returned with a second six-issue series about Naomi McDuffie, also known as Powerhouse. The secrets of Naomi's powers and her place in the DC Universe will be explored with appearances from Black Adam, Superman and the villain Zumbado. A television show based on the series will premiere in 2022.
When you can read it: March 8, 2022
Jamal Campbell is a comic book artist from Toronto. He's also the artist behind the Far Sector comics, written by N.K. Jemisin, and has contributed to series like Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Justice League of America and Nightwing.
David F. Walker is an award-winning comic book writer, filmmaker and adjunct professor from Portland. His writing appears in series like Luke Cage, Occupy Avengers and Nighthawk.
Brian Michael Bendis is an Eisner Award-winning writer for DC Comics. He previously wrote and consulted for Marvel, contributing to comics like Daredevil and The Avengers and co-creating Spider-Man: Miles Morales. He also created the comic book series Jinx and won a Peabody Award as the co-creator and consulting producer of Netflix's Jessica Jones.
Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye
In the YA fantasy novel Blood Scion, a teen named Sloane discovers she is a superpowered Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods. But when she is forced to join the army under a brutal warlord, Sloane realizes she has an opportunity to use her magical powers to defeat the enemy from within.
Blood Scion is for ages 13 and up.
When you can read it: March 8, 2022
Deborah Falaye is a Nigerian Canadian YA author based in Toronto. She grew up in Lagos, where she spent her time devouring African literature, pestering her grandma for folktales and tricking her grandfather into watching Passions every night. Blood Scion is her debut novel.
Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron
Kamila has a nearly perfect life. While she keeps herself busy by throwing Bollywood movie parties, hanging out with her endless array of friends and running her dog's wildly successful Instagram account, her love life is lagging behind. So Kamila decides to start flirting with a handsome family friend named Rohan and eventually develops a crush. When Kamila's secret nemesis returns to town with an eye for Rohan, things start to unravel and Kamila's life gets turned upside down.
When you can read it: March 8, 2022
Farah Heron is a writer from Toronto. She is also the author of the romantic comedies The Chai Factor and Accidentally Engaged and the YA novel Tahira in Bloom.
Jameela Green Ruins Everything by Zarqa Nawaz
Jameela Green Ruins Everything is a satirical novel about a young woman named Jameela Green, whose biggest dream is to see her novel become a bestseller. When that dream doesn't come true, she becomes involved in her local mosque, which inadvertently leads her to infiltrating an international terrorist organization. Jameela Green Ruins Everything explores success, searching for meaning and community, and the failures of American foreign policy.
When you can read it: March 8, 2022
Zarqa Nawaz is a film and TV producer, writer and former broadcaster based in Regina. She is best known for being the creator of the hit CBC comedy series Little Mosque on the Prairie. She is also the author of the memoir Laughing All the Way to the Mosque, which was shortlisted for the 2015 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. Nawaz is also working on a new CBC TV series called Zarqa, which is set to premiere in May 2022.
My Volcano by John Elizabeth Stintzi
My Volcano is a pre-apocalyptic tale following a cast of characters from all over the world, each experiencing private and collective eruptions. From a jogger discovering a growing active stratovolcano in Central Park to a boy living through the fall of the Aztec Empire, My Volcano moves through time and space to create a contemporary story about climate change.
When you can read it: March 8, 2022
John Elizabeth Stintzi is a writer from northwestern Ontario, currently based in Kansas City, Mo. Their work Selections From Junebat won the 2019 RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers and the Malahat Review's 2019 Long Poem Prize. Their poetry collection, Junebat, was published in spring 2020. They are also the author of the novel Vanishing Monuments, which was a finalist for the 2021 Amazon Canada First Novel Award.
Stillwater: The Escape #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Ramon K. Perez, Ethan Young, Soo Lee, Jason Loo & Andrew Wheeler
Stillwater is a mysterious town with some unusual rules: no one can die and no one can leave. This special one-shot issue of the horror series shares more chilling tales from the town, including what happens to characters who manage to free themselves — or so they think.
The Stillwater series was created by Chip Zdarsky and Ramón K Pérez. They've brought together a cast of guest creators for this 40-page issue.
When you can read it: March 9, 2022.
Zdarsky is an Eisner Award-winning comic book creator from Toronto. He's contributed to series like Howard the Duck, Jughead and Spider-Man, and co-created comics like Kaptara, Sex Criminals and Afterlift.
Pérez is an Eisner and Harvey Award-winning artist. His acclaimed work can be seen in the comic Jane, written by Aline Brosh Mckenna, and in series like The All-New Hawkeye and The Amazing Spider-Man: Learning to Crawl.
Jason Loo is a cartoonist from Toronto. He is best known for the series The Pitiful Human-Lizard and Afterlift. He also worked on the Captain Canuck reboot.
Andrew Wheeler is an Eisner and Schuster Award-winning comic book writer from Toronto. His work can be seen in Wonder Woman, Dungeons & Dragons and Shout Out.
Ethan Young is an American comic book writer, known for books like Nanjing: The Burning City, The Dragon Path, Space Bear and The Battles of Bridget Lee.
Soo Lee is a comic book artist and illustrator from New York. Some of her previous books include Ash & Thorn and House of Slay.
Wrong Side of the Court by H.N. Khan
Set in Toronto's Regent Park neighbourhood, Wrong Side of the Court is a YA novel about basketball, dreams and violence. Fifteen-year-old Fawad wants to be the very first Pakistani Canadian to be drafted into the NBA. But life in his neighbourhood sometimes involves bullies and bad situations — things Fawad is trying to avoid. Fawad navigates love, dating, family life and a passion for basketball as he tries to make a better life for himself.
Wrong Side of the Court is for ages 12 and up.
When you can read it: March 15, 2022
H.N. Khan is a Pakistani Canadian writer and author. Khan immigrated to Canada at age seven and grew up in the Regent Park community of Toronto. He is a recent graduate of Humber School for Writers' correspondence program. Wrong Side of the Court is his debut book.
Cane | Fire by Shani Mootoo
Similar to a poetic memoir, Cane | Fire travels between past and present as the narrator moves from Ireland to San Fernando, and eventually to Canada. Through deeply personal poems and artwork, Shani Mootoo reimagines life.
When you can read it: March 15, 2022
Shani Mootoo is a writer and visual artist who currently lives in Toronto. Her debut novel was 1997's Cereus Blooms at Night. Her novel Polar Vortex was shortlisted for the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Her other books include the novels Moving Forward Sideways like a Crab and Valmiki's Daughter.
The Last Good Funeral of the Year by Ed O'Loughlin
After Ed O'Loughlin hears that an old friend has died young, he begins to rethink his life. In his search for meaning, O'Loughlin reflects on his early days, young love, the journalists and photographers with whom he covered wars in Africa and the Middle East, the suicide of his brother, his new life as an author and the mysteries of memory, aging, and loss.
When you can read it: March 15, 2022
O'Loughlin is a Toronto-born author and journalist. His other books include the novels Not Untrue and Not Unkind, This Eden, and Minds of Winter, which was a finalist for the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Me Three by Susan Juby
A pre-teen named Rodney is the star of the middle-grade book Me Three. Rodney's life is upended when he moves to a new neighbourhood and starts at a new school. Something his professional poker player father did in Las Vegas has separated the family and now Rodney lives with his mother and older sister. Rodney must cope with his new life — while learning the truth about his old one.
Me Three is for ages 10 and up.
When you can read it: March 22, 2022
Susan Juby is a Nanaimo, B.C.-based writer who has published books in several genres. Her first novel was the YA book Alice, I Think, the first in a popular series about a lovable oddball teenager named Alice MacLeod. Other books include the memoir Nice Recovery, which chronicles Juby's battle with alcoholism, and Republic of Dirt, winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour.
Juby's YA novels include The Fashion Committee, a book set in a competitive arts-focused secondary school. She is also a columnist for CBC Radio's The Next Chapter.
Each One a Furnace by Tolu Oloruntoba
Tolu Oloruntoba explores the behaviour of finches and finds themes of migration, diaspora and restlessness in his poetry. The migrations of these diverse birds — traversing urban and rural landscapes, historical and contemporary contexts — add layers to the experience of what it means to live within, outside and between cultures.
When you can read it: March 22, 2022
Oloruntoba is a writer from Nigeria who now lives in B.C. His first full-length poetry collection, The Junta of Happenstance, won the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for poetry. He is the founder of the literary magazine Klorofyl and author of the chapbook Manubrium, which was shortlisted for the 2020 bpNichol Chapbook Award. Oloruntoba was named a "writer to watch" by CBC Books.
Waking Occupations by Phoebe Wang
Waking Occupations is a four-part mediation on what it means to live on occupied land. These poems reflect on what we carry from previous generations, the difficult truths we often forget and the art that holds us accountable.
When you can read it: March 22, 2022
Phoebe Wang is an Ottawa-born poet and author. Her debut poetry collection Admission Requirements, which explores stories of the land and searches for a secure sense of belonging, was shortlisted for the 2018 League of Canadian Poets Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. Wang also made the CBC Poetry Prize longlist in 2016.
