Books

Shelagh Rogers & Candy Palmater talk about their summer reads

A new season of The Next Chapter begins Sept. 4, 2017.
Shelagh Rogers and Candy Palmater discussing books on set on Aug. 29, 2017. (CBC)

The Next Chapter host Shelagh Rogers and columnist Candy Palmater discussed the books they read and loved in the this summer. Watch the video on CBC Books' Facebook page. A new season of The Next Chapter begins Sept. 4, 2017.

The Change Room by Karen Connelly

Karen Connelly is the author of the novel The Change Room. (karenconnelly.ca/Random House Canada)

Shelagh says: "This is a book that is just fantastic. Karen Connelly is such a luscious writer and a beautiful poet. There are such amazing sex scenes in this novel, which is kind of unusual for Canadian literature."

The Thirst by Jo Nesbø

Jo Nesbø is author of ​thriller novel The Thirst. (Penguin Random House/Wikimedia Commons)

Shelagh says: "The characterization in this book was great. It was satisfying, it was gruesome, and I could only read it during the day. It was that scary."

​Too Much and Not the Mood by Durga Chew-Bose

Durga Chew-Bose is the author of the essay collection Too Much and Not the Mood. (Carrie Cheek/HarperCollins)

Shelagh says: "This is so rich, so detailed. She writes about her friends, the divorce of her parents, and about what it's like to be racialized. She also writes so beautifully about daughterhood and the calling of being a daughter."

​In the Cage by Kevin Hardcastle

Kevin Hardcastle's debut novel is called In The Cage. (Biblioasis/Katrina Afonso)

Shelagh says: "This is a book about an aging mixed martial arts fighter that's really about communities on the edge. It's about being in the cage as a fighter and in real life. So much change is going on in this world."

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton is an inspiring account of how we are all born to be warriors. ( Flatiron Books/Simon & Schuster)

Candy says: "Because I am writing a memoir, I am very interested in reading them — and in a way that I wouldn't have at a different time. This is the story of her climbing up out of alcoholism. It's a book of a woman who found her way into sobriety while working through some residual emotional issues. I have nothing in common with this woman, but I could not put this book down." 

Summer's End by Joel A. Sutherland

Joel A. Sutherland is the author of Summer's End. (Scholastic Canada)

Candy says: "This is a ghost story. The summer adventures that these young characters go on — including a haunted house on a island — make this such a wonderful read." 

​This is Just My Face by Gabourey Sidibe

Actress and author Gabourey Sidibe's memoir is titled This Is Just My Face. (HarperCollins/Wikimedia Commons)

Candy says: "This is a book about a plus-size woman who wants you to know that there is more to her than her body. She speaks in her own voice, and she's telling the story of how she made it in Hollywood while being a Black plus-size woman."

​Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga

Tanya Talaga highlights the lives of seven Indigenous students in Seven Fallen Feathers. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star/House of Anansi)

Candy says: "This is about the city of Thunder Bay and the lack of investigation about seven deceased young Indigenous people who were found in the water. I've only just started this but she lays down a lot of history about Canada's Indian Act and how things got to the way they are today."

Shelagh Rogers and Candy Palmater's comments have been edited and condensed.