64 Canadian fiction books to read in fall 2024
CBC Books | Posted: August 15, 2024 7:48 PM | Last Updated: August 19
Here are the new Canadian novels and short story collections we are excited about this fall.
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Seventh Veil of Salome is set in 1950s Hollywood and centres around a big-budget movie about the legendary character of Salome. When Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican actor is cast in the lead role, she starts to turn heads, particularly that of Nancy Hartley, another actor who thinks she deserves a chance in the spotlight. As the two attempt to dodge scandal and gossip, the novel also explores the story of Salome herself.
When you can read it: Aug. 6, 2024
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a Canadian author who was born and raised in Mexico. She is also the author of the novels Mexican Gothic, which was on Canada Reads 2023, Signal to Noise, Gods of Jade and Shadow, The Beautiful Ones, Velvet Was the Night, Untamed Shore and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau.
However Far Away by Rajinderpal S. Pal
At his nephew's wedding, Devinder Gill will be in the same room as his wife and the mother of his two kids, Kuldip, and his first love Emily who he's been secretly having an affair with. However Far Away details what happens when a secret threatens to unravel and how the three main characters found themselves in this situation.
When you can read it: Aug. 6, 2024
Rajinderpal S. Pal is a writer and stage performer based in Toronto. He has written the poetry collections pappaji wrote poetry in a language i cannot read and pulse.
The Plus One by S.C. Lalli
When a successful couple is murdered in their villa the day before their lavish wedding in the novel The Plus One, unwanted plus one Shaylee "Shay" Kapoor is unconvinced by the police's theory of a drug cartel hit. She must unravel the true reason of their murder before her own secret agenda comes to light.
When you can read it: Aug. 6, 2024
S.C. Lalli is the author of Are You Sara? which was a bestseller and named one of NPR and Apple's Best Books of the Year. She has also written five romance novels under her full name Sonya Lalli, including Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat, A Holly Jolly Diwali, Grown-Up Pose and The Matchmaker's List. She lives in Vancouver.
Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey, with Leslie Jamison
Peggy tells the story of Peggy Guggenheim and her rise to making her name synonymous with art and genius. From her early beginnings in New York as the daughter of two Jewish dynasties to her adventures in the European art worlds, she is forced to balance her loyalty to her family and her desire to break free from conventions and live her own original life.
When you can read it: Aug. 13, 2024
Rebecca Godfrey was an author and journalist known for her books The Torn Skirt, which was a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and the true crime story Under the Bridge, which was adapted into a Disney+ series. She grew up in Canada but lived in upstate New York. Peggy is her final novel, completed by Leslie Jamison after she died.
Jamison is the Brooklyn-based author of The Empathy Exams, The Recovering, the novel The Gin Closet and the memoir Splinters.
Layman's Report by Eugene Marten
Layman's Report is a fictionalization of the story of Fred A. Leuchner, an inventor who improved the efficiency and humanity of the electric chair. Because he's the best in his field and feeling under-appreciated, the neo-Nazi movement capitalizes on his expertise and asks him to help a Holocaust denier who's on trial in Toronto and prove the gas chambers never existed. As media coverage picks up, Fred becomes disgraced and discredited, but he doesn't stop working. First published in 2013, this is Layman's Report's reissue with a major publisher.
When you can read it: Aug. 13, 2024
Eugene Marten is a writer born in Winnipeg who grew up in Cleveland and is currently living in Albuquerque. In 2014, Marten won a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for an excerpt of Layman's Report.
Hair for Men by Michelle Winters
Struggling with trauma from her teenage years, Louise lives a life of punk violence until she gets a job at a men's hair salon in the novel Hair for Men. There, she builds relationships with her clients and begins to feel more settled. But when that sense of calm is destroyed, she runs away to the East Coast to escape her past, which she does successfully until a man from the Bay of Fundy arrives and gives her the opportunity to right her wrongs.
When you can read it: Aug. 20, 2024
Michelle Winters is a writer, painter and translator from Saint John currently living in Toronto. Her novel debut novel, I Am a Truck, was shortlisted for the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize. She also translated Kiss the Undertow and Daniil and Vanya by Marie-Hélène Larochelle.
Oil People by David Huebert
Oil People weaves together two narratives and timelines to unravel family secrets and the toxic yet powerful nature of oil. The first narrative is the story of 13-year-old Jade Armbruster in 1987, who is living on the family's oil farm, a deteriorating property built by an ancestor, as her parents decide what to do about the land and their business. The other story is that of Clyde Armbruster in 1862 who built the oil farm and the rivalry he fell into with his neighbours — the reverberations of which are still felt by Jade and her family.
When you can read it: Aug. 20, 2024
David Huebert is a Halifax-based writer who has won the 2016 CBC Short Story Prize and The Walrus Poetry Prize. He is the author of short story collections Peninsula Sinking, which won a Dartmouth Book Award and was a runner-up for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, and Chemical Valley, which won the Alistair MacLeod Short Fiction Prize.
Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson
Blackheart Man is a fantasy novel about the magical island of Chynchin. It follows Veycosi who is training as a griot (historian and musician) and is hoping to score a spot on Chynchin's Colloquium of scholars. But when a turn of events prevents him from going to check out the rare Alamat Book of Light, he finds himself in over his head as he offers to help when 15 Ymisen galleons show up hoping to force a trade agreement. When children start disappearing and tar statues come to life, it's clear that sinister forces are at play — the demon called the Blackheart Man is causing trouble.
When you can read it: Aug. 20, 2024
Nalo Hopkinson is the author of many novels and short stories, including Brown Girl in the Ring, which won the Warner Aspect First Novel Contest and was defended on Canada Reads in 2008 by Jemeni. Her other books include Sister Mine, Midnight Robber, The Chaos, The New Moon's Arms and Skin Folk. In 2021, she won the Damon Knight Grand Master award, a lifetime achievement award for science fiction.
In Winter I Get Up at Night by Jane Urquhart
In Winter I Get Up at Night tells the story of music teacher Emer McConnell who lives in rural Saskatchewan. One day, as she heads to work in the early morning, she takes a trip down memory lane, taking us on her life's journey, from the prairie storm that left her in a children's ward when she was 11 to family secrets and distant love affairs.
When you can read it: Aug. 27, 2024
Jane Urquhart is a novelist and poet. In 2005, she was made an officer of the Order of Canada. Urquhart has written seven critically acclaimed novels. In 1994, she received the Marian Engel Award, now known as Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award. Her debut, The Whirlpool, received Le prix du meilleur livre étranger (Best Foreign Book Award) in France. The 1993 speculative fiction novel Away won the Trillium Award, was a finalist for the prestigious International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and a contender on Canada Reads 2013, when it was defended by Charlotte Gray.
Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger
In Moon Road, estranged divorcees Kathleen and Yannick come together after news from the other side of the country sends them on a road trip from small-town Ontario to B.C. After 19 years of not speaking since something happened to their daughter, their history and bond are revealed and an unexpected future calls.
When you can read it: Aug. 27, 2024
Sarah Leipciger is lecturer and writer, whose other novels include The Mountain Can Wait and Coming Up for Air. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the Asham Award, the Fish Prize and the Bridport Prize. Originally from Toronto, she now lives in London, U.K.
Monster by Jowita Bydlowska
In Monster, a work of autofiction, Yoveeta is a woman struggling with her quiet rage, which she calls "Monster" that festers deep inside. Her fury started when she left her home country and dealt with sexual and romantic trauma and begins to resurface on the night she's about to launch her memoir when she meets an interesting man.
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2024
Jowita Bydlowska is a writer and journalist based in Toronto. A professor at the Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University, she's known for her memoir, Drunk Mom and novels Guy and Possessed. Bydlowska has written columns on popular culture and mental health for the National Post, the Globe and Mail and CBC.
Bad Land by Corinna Chong
When Regina's brother shows up on her doorstep with his six-year-old daughter after seven years, her quiet loner life is never the same. The longer they stay, the clearer it becomes to Regina that something terrible has happened — and once the secret is revealed, they're sent on a fraught journey from Alberta to the coast of B.C.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2024
Originally from Calgary, Corinna Chong lives in Kelowna, B.C. and teaches English and fine arts at Okanagan College. She published her first novel, Belinda's Rings, in 2013. In 2023, she published the short story collection The Whole Animal which includes Kids in Kindergarten, the winner of the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize.
May Our Joy Endure by Kevin Lambert, translated by Donald Winkler
In May Our Joy Endure, Céline is a celebrated architect and icon. When her first megaproject in her home of Montreal is met with harsh criticism for bringing on gentrification, she is fired as CEO from her firm. She must try to understand what exactly she is being accused of and figure out what to tell herself so that she can continue to justify her world of privilege.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2024
Kevin Lambert is a Montreal-based author who grew up in Chicoutimi, Que. May Our Joy Endure won the Prix Médicis, Prix Décembre and Prix Ringuet. His novel Querelle de Roberval was a finalist for numerous prizes in Quebec, Canada and France. His first novel, You Will Love What You Have Killed, won a prize for the best novel from the Saguenay region.
Donald Winkler is a Montreal-based translator. He has won three Governor General's Literary Awards for French-to-English translation.
Every Night I Dream I'm a Monk, Every Night I Dream I'm a Monster by Damian Tarnopolsky
Every Night I Dream I'm a Monk, Every Night I Dream I'm a Monster is a short story collection that transports readers through time and place, from 1980s England to Renaissance France and current Canada. While each story stands alone, connections can be found in the most unexpected ways.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2024
Damian Tarnopolsky is a Toronto-based writer, editor and teacher. His novel Goya's Dog was shortlisted for the Amazon First Novel Award and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book (Canada/Caribbean). His short fiction has appeared in The Puritan, The Antigonish Review, Prairie Fire, subTerrain and Audeamus. Tarnopolsky has twice been nominated for the Journey Prize.
In 2007, his story You Guys, featured in Every Night I Dream I'm a Monk, Every Night I Dream I'm a Monster, was shortlisted for the CBC Short Story Prize.
This Bright Dust by Nina Berkhout
This Bright Dust takes place in 1939 in the small prairie town of Grayley. With the Great Depression still affecting the community, Abel Dodds is desperately searching for the gold his late father buried. When his neighbour leaves and asks him to take care of his sister, her son and grandfather, he reluctantly agrees. Tensions rise when the king and queen announce that they're coming to visit to boost morale.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2024
Nina Berkhout is a poet and novelist who currently lives in Ottawa. She is also the author of the novels The Gallery of Lost Species and Why Birds Sing and five poetry collections. Her young adult novel The Mosaic was nominated for the White Pine Award and the Ottawa Book Awards.
real ones by katherena vermette
Following two Michif sisters, lyn and June, real ones examines what happens when their estranged and white mother gets called out as a pretendian. Going by the name Raven Bearclaw, she's seen success for her art that draws on Indigenous style. As the media hones in on the story, the sisters, whose childhood trauma manifests in different ways, are pulled into their mother's web of lies and the painful past resurfaces.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2024
vermette is a Métis writer from Winnipeg. Her books include the poetry collections North End Love Songs and river woman and the four-book graphic novel series A Girl Called Echo. Her novels are The Break, The Strangers, The Circle. North End Love Songs won the Governor General's Literary Award for poetry. The Break was a finalist for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. It was defended by Candy Palmater on Canada Reads 2017. The Strangers won the 2021 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and was longlisted for the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
All Hookers Go To Heaven by Angel B.H.
In All Hookers Go To Heaven, Mag falls for a girl while training to become an evangelical missionary. Ashamed and regretful, she leaves the Church and becomes a sex worker, hoping to break free from her repressed past and change her life. The novel details all the challenges and danger she faces as she tries to come to terms with herself, her sexuality and her faith all while trying to make a living.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2024
Angel B.H. is a writer from Nova Scotia currently living in Europe. All Hookers Go To Heaven is her first novel.
Thyme Travellers: An Anthology of Palestinian Speculative Fiction edited by Sonia Sulaiman
Thyme Travellers is an anthology of speculative fiction that brings together voices from the Palestinian diaspora, both new and veteran, from all around the world, to tell stories that venture into history and folklore.
When you can read it: Sept. 7, 2024
Sonia Sulaiman is a writer and editor based in Ontario. Her writing has been published in Arab Lit Quarterly, Beladi, FANTASY, FIYAH Magazine, Xenocultivars: Stories of Queer Growth, Seize the Press, Lackington's Magazine and Ask the Night for a Dream. Her stories have been nominated for Pushcart, Lammy and Best New Weird awards. She also edited the collection Muneera and the Moon: Stories Inspired by Palestinian Folklore.
The Wedding by Gurjinder Basran
In a Bollywood-inspired family drama, The Wedding transports readers to Surrey and Vancouver, B.C. in the lead-up to the lavish Sikh wedding between Devi and Baby. Offering glimpses into the lives of the wedding party, guests and the event staff making it all happen, the novel is all about community, tradition and the union of two people.
When you can read it: Sept. 7, 2024
Gurjinder Basran is a writer living in Delta, B.C. Her novels include Everything Was Good-bye, the winner of the BC Book Prize and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, Help! I'm Alive and Someone You Love is Gone.
A Way to Be Happy by Caroline Adderson
A Way to Be Happy is a short story collection that follows various characters as they try to find happiness. Ranging from mundane to extraordinary, the stories feature everything from a pair of addicts robbing parties to fund their sobriety to a Russian hitman dealing with an illness and reliving his past.
When you can read it: Sept. 10, 2024
Caroline Adderson is the Vancouver-based author of five novels, including The Sky is Falling, Ellen in Pieces and A Russian Sister. She has also published two short story collections, including the 1993 Governor General's Literary Award finalist Bad Imaginings.
Adderson's awards include three B.C. Book Prizes, a National Magazine Award Gold Medal for Fiction. She has received the 2006 Marian Engel Award for mid-career achievement. She is also a three-time winner of the CBC Literary Prizes.
The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill
The Capital of Dreams is a dark fairytale set in a small European country during a period of war. Fourteen-year-old Sofia is the daughter of the revered writer, Clara Bottom. When their country is invaded, Clara bundles Sofia onto the last train evacuating children out of the city. Clara gives her daughter her latest manuscript to smuggle to safety.
When the children's train stops in the middle of the forest, Sofia senses they are in danger. She manages to escape, but loses her mother's beloved manuscript. Soon Sofia finds herself alone in a country at war on an epic journey to find all that she has lost.
When you can read it: Sept. 10, 2024
Heather O'Neill is a novelist, short story writer and essayist from Montreal. She won Canada Reads 2024, championing The Future by Catherine Leroux, which was translated from French by Susan Ouriou. O'Neill is the first person to win Canada Reads as both an author and a panellist. Her debut novel Lullabies for Little Criminals won Canada Reads 2007 when it was defended by musician John K. Samson. Her other books include Scotiabank Giller Prize finalists The Girl Who Was Saturday Night and her short story collection Daydreams of Angels.
Countess by Suzan Palumbo
In Countess, Virika Sameroo is the first lieutenant on an interstellar cargo vessel serving the Æerbot Empire. When her captain dies, she is charged for murder and treason even though she's always been loyal. This sets her on a quest for revenge against the empire.
When you can read it: Sept. 10, 2024
Suzan Palumbo is a Trinidadian-Canadian author based in Brampton, Ont. She is also the author of short story collection Skin Thief. Her stories have been nominated for the Nebula, Aurora and World Fantasy Awards.
Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari
In Songs for the Brokenhearted, Zohara is a 30-something Yemeni Israeli woman living in New York City, a life that feels much simpler than her childhood growing up in Israel. When her sister calls to let her know of their mother's death, she gets on a plane with no return ticket and begins the journey of unravelling lost family stories.
When you can read it: Sept. 10, 2024
Ayelet Tsabari is the author of The Art of Leaving, which won the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Memoir and was a finalist for the Writer's Trust Hilary Weston Prize, and The Best Place on Earth, which won the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award. Her short story Green was shortlisted for the 2018 CBC Short Story Prize. She teaches in the MFA creative writing program at the University of Guelph, the MFA in Fiction program at the University of King's College and the Shaindy Rudoff Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Bar-Ilan University. She lived in Toronto for a number of years and currently resides in Tel Aviv.
The Unweaving by Cheryl Parisien
The Unweaving tells the story of one Métis family in 1869 as surveyors arrive in Red River to negotiate joining Confederation. Each member of the family reacts in their own way, but all are hoping to protect their way of life.
When you can read it: Sept. 10, 2024
Cheryl Parisien is a Winnipeg-based Red River Métis writer. The Unweaving is her first novel, which is loosely based on her own family's history.
Other Maps by Rebecca Morris
In Other Maps, Anna can't wait to leave her hometown after visiting for her dad's retirement party. When she runs into her ex-best friends, she's forced to confront her past and figure out if there was truth behind the rumours about the New Year's party back in high school — and only then, can she move forward into a better future.
When you can read it: Sept. 14, 2024
Rebecca (Atkinson) Morris is a Montreal-based writer whose short stories have won the Malahat Review Open Season Award and the Humber Literary Review Emerging Writers Fiction contest. She is an alumna of the Banff Centre, winner of a Canada Council Arts grant and an active member of the Quebec Writers' Federation.
Juiceboxers by Benjamin Hertwig
In Juiceboxers, Plinko is a 16-year-old undergoing basic training before finishing high school. When he moves in with an older soldier, he and the other roommates, people from all different backgrounds, build an unlikely friendship. After 9/11, the military plans to go to war in Afghanistan so the young men are sent to the battlefields of Kandahar and are forever changed.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Benjamin Hertwig is a writer, painter and ceramist who spent time as a soldier. His book Slow War was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for poetry. Based in Edmonton, he owns Paper Birch Books, a second hand bookstore, with his partner.
The Pages of the Sea by Anne Hawk
The Pages of the Sea tells the story of Wheeler and her older sisters on a Caribbean island after their mother moves to England to find work. As she waits for her mother to send for her, Wheeler feels alone and must navigate the tensions between her aunts who took her and her sisters in.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Anne Hawk is a writer who grew up in the Caribbean, the U.K. and Canada. The Pages of the Sea is her first novel. She previously worked as a journalist, paralegal and school teacher. She is currently based in London, U.K.
Dry Your Tears to Perfect Your Aim by Jacob Wren
When a depressed writer visits a war zone, he finds a small feminist collective living on a small strip of land. The more he learns about the society they've created, the more he grapples with the idea of writing about it and the ethical concerns that would come up if he did.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Jacob Wren is a writer, artist and performer based in Montreal. His books include Revenge Fantasies of the Politically Dispossessed, Polyamorous Love Song, Rich and Poor, which was a finalist for the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction, and Authenticity is a Feeling. He is the artistic co-director of PME-ART, an interdisciplinary group.
I Never Said That I Was Brave by Tasneem Jamal
I Never Said That I Was Brave recounts the lifelong friendship of two women who immigrated from Uganda to Canada as children. As adults, their dynamics are constantly shifting as they grow yet feel stifled by expectations of their South Asian community.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Tasneem Jamal is a Kitchener, Ont.-based writer who was born in Uganda. She also is the author of Where the Air is Sweet and was named one of CBC's writers to watch in 2014. Her work has appeared in Chatelaine, Saturday Night and the Literary Review of Canada. Jamal is The X Page Storytelling Workshop's writing coach and an editor at The New Quarterly.
Hi, It's Me by Fawn Parker
In Hi, It's Me, Fawn returns to her mother's farmhouse after her death — one that is also inhabited by four other women with interesting and strange beliefs. As she lives in her mother's room and tries to figure out what to do with her possessions, she becomes obsessed with archiving her mother's writing and documents, teaching her more and more about the woman she thought she knew so well.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Fawn Parker is an author and current PhD student at the University of New Brunswick. Her novel What We Both Know was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2022. Her poetry collection Soft Inheritance won the Fiddlehead Poetry Book Prize.
Bringer of Dust by J. M. Miro
The second book in the Talents Trilogy, Bringer of Dust follows Charlie and the Talents as they discover a body covered in the corrupted dust of the drughr — and realize that a new drughr has arisen. They must work together to stave off the world of the dead and save their friend.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
J.M. Miro is a Canadian author based in British Columbia. His book Ordinary Monsters was an international bestseller and the first book of the Talents Trilogy.
Proof by Beverley McLachlin
Criminal defense lawyer Jilly Truitt is taking some well-deserved and needed time off with her new baby when she's asked to take on the case of Katie, a high-profile mother accused of kidnapping her own child. Katie's prospects aren't looking good and police begin to suspect that her daughter, Tess, is dead — and she's one the responsible. Jilly must quickly solve the case to save both Katie and Tess.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Beverley McLachlin was the first female chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. She held the position for nearly 20 years. After McLachlin retired from the court, she became a writer, publishing the memoir Truth Be Told, which won the Writers' Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and the Ottawa Book Award for Nonfiction, and the thrillers Full Disclosure and Denial.
The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley
In The Lightning Bottles, an unlikely duo of fallen rock star Jane Pyre and sullen teenage superfan Hen take a road trip to find out what happened to Elijah, Jane's bandmate and soulmate. A love letter to music and female artists who deserve the same powerful legacies as their male counterparts, Stapley wrote The Lightning Bottles to give a voice to both them and the teenagers listening to music, waiting for their lives to begin.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Marissa Stapley is a Toronto writer, journalist and author of romance, thrillers and romantic comedies. Her books include Mating for Life, Things To Do When It's Raining, The Last Resort, Lucky and The Holiday Swap, which was co-written with Karma Brown under the pen name Maggie Knox.
I Left You Behind by Nazneen Sheikh
I Left You Behind is a striking short story collection that spans decades and countries, largely drawing on the author's own experience. They explore dislocation, relocation and the highs and lows of lives lived.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Nazneen Sheikh was born in Kashmir and studied in Pakistan and Texas. She has written three young adult books as well as several books of nonfiction and fiction including Moon Over Marrakech, The Place of Shining Light and Tea and Pomegranates: A Memoir of Food, Family and Kashmir, which won second prize in the English and French special interest food and beverage book category from Cuisine Canada and the University of Guelph. She lives in Toronto.
What I Know About You by Éric Chacour, translated by Pablo Strauss
In What I Know About You, Tarek is on the right path: he'll be a doctor like his father, marry and have children. But when he falls for his patient's son, Ali, his life is turned upside-down as he realizes his sexuality against a backdrop of political turmoil in 1960s Cairo. In the 2000s, Tarek is now a doctor in Montreal. When someone begins to write to him and about him, the past that he's been trying to forget comes back to haunt him.
When you can read it: Sept. 24, 2024
Éric Chacour is a Montreal-based writer who was born to Egyptian parents and grew up between France and Quebec. In addition to writing, he works in the financial sector. What I Know About You is his first book and was a bestseller in its French edition, winning many awards including the Prix Femina.
Pablo Strauss has translated 12 works of fiction, several graphic novels and one screenplay. He was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for translation for The Country Will Bring Us No Peace, Synapses and The Longest Year. His translation of Le plongeur by Stephane Larue called The Dishwasher won the 2020 Amazon First Novel Award. He lives in Quebec City.
The Nowhere Places by Susan LeBlanc
The Nowhere Places is a novel set in 1979 North End Halifax that revolves around two women, June and Lulu, and the chaos that transpires when Gerald, a developmentally disabled adult, goes missing. June is his mother, who raised him alone and unwed, and Lulu is a teenager who works at the pharmacy with him. The novel brings them together and shares stories of girlhood and womanhood as they both try and figure out what they are capable of.
When you can read it: Sept. 24, 2024
Susan LeBlanc is a Dartmouth, N.S.-based writer. She worked as a newspaper and magazine journalist for 20 years and taught journalism at the University of King's College. She was shortlisted for the Budge Wilson Short Fiction Prize in 2018 and was selected for the 2022 Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Program.
Celestina's House by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez
In Celestina's House, Celestina is desperate to get out of her family's house after a shocking betrayal made the atmosphere too tense to bear. When her Lolo gifts her a property in Manila's bohemian district, she feels at home, even though there are ghosts lurking. As time goes on, she gets a real chance at happiness, but voices from the past threaten to take it all away.
When you can read it: Sept. 24, 2024
Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez is a Filipina author based in Toronto. Celestina's House is her first book.
The Tapestry of Time by Kate Heartfield
The Tapestry of Time is a historical fantasy novel that tells the story of the Sharp sisters and their extraordinary psychic powers during the Second World War. Kit lives in Paris and is endlessly fascinated with the Bayeux tapestry that is said to predict the future. The Nazis are also obsessed with the tapestry and believe it will help them continue their conquest of Europe. Ivy joins the Special Operations Executive and is sent to France on a special mission — and the two sisters must use their courage and special gifts to keep the Nazis from using the tapestry and beating the Allied Forces.
When you can read it: Sept. 26, 2024
Kate Heartfield is a former journalist and the author of The Embroidered Book, Alice Payne Arrives, which was shortlisted for a Nebula Award, and The Valkyrie. Her debut novel, Armed in Her Fashion, won the 2019 Aurora Award for Best Novel.
White World by Saad T. Farooqi
White World imagines Pakistan in 2083 A.D. when a civil war is happening and Avaan finds himself alone with only a gun in his hand. He's living without citizenship and his whole family, including Doua, his one true love, was stolen from him in a military raid. When he finds out that Doua might be alive, he becomes committed to finding her and takes a stand against the army and the mob.
When you can read it: Sept. 28, 2024
Saad T. Farooqi is a London, Ont.-based writer who spent most of his life as a Pakistani expat in Dubai. His writing has appeared in many magazines and he holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Kingston University London. White World is his first book.
False Bodies by J.R. McConvey
False Bodies tells the story of monster hunter Eddie "The Yeti" Gesner as he travels to Newfoundland to make sense of a mass death on an offshore oil rig. People are saying that it could be the work of a kraken and Eddie is determined to get to the bottom of it. When he discovers an antique diary, his grasp of reality is called into question and he must face an undersea power that he could have never even imagined.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
J.R. McConvey is a writer and documentary producer from Toronto. His debut short story collection, Different Beasts, was published in 2019 and won the 2020 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for speculative fiction. CBC Books named him a writer to watch in 2020. In 2016, McConvey made the longlist for the CBC Poetry Prize.
An Astonishment of Stars by Kirti Bhadresa
An Astonishment of Stars is a short story collection that focuses on racialized women navigating all the hardships of everyday life. From a wife who uses the name of her white husband in public to the teen girl who watches her rebellious older sister slip away, the stories shed light on those who often remain unseen.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Kirti Bhadresa is a Calgary-based fiction and nonfiction writer whose work has appeared in The Fiddlehead, Prairie Fire, The Quarantine Review, The Sprawl and Room. She was a finalist for the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association Award in the Feature Writing category.
Keep by Jenny Haysom
The novel Keep is a meditation on all the stuff in our lives. Having been recently diagnosed with dementia, Harriet must sell her beloved house. Enter home stagers Eleanor and Jacob who are hired to remove the clutter, but soon find themselves immersed in Harriet's mysterious world while their own lives are unravelling.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Jenny Haysom is a writer from Nova Scotia. Her debut poetry collection, Dividing the Wayside, won the Archibald Lampman Award and was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. She has published her writing in magazines across Canada. Haysom was longlisted for the 2013 CBC Poetry Prize.
The Diapause by Andrew Forbes
The Diapause is a novel that follows 10-year-old Gabriel and his parents who retreat to an old family cabin to ride out a pandemic. As time passes, tensions between the family members rise and Gabriel will reel with the consequences for years to come.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Andrew Forbes's first short story collection, What You Need, was a finalist for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and Trillium Book Award. His stories have been published widely, appearing in publications like The Feathertale Review, Little Fiction, PRISM International, New Quarterly and Maisonneuve Magazine. He is based in Peterborough, Ont. His novella McCurdle's Arm: A Fiction was released this summer.
Remember Me Tomorrow by Farah Heron
In Remember Me Tomorrow, aspiring investigative journalist Aleeza is drawn to East House, the worst dorm on campus, because of Jay Hoque's mysterious disappearance five months earlier. When she starts receiving texts from him, from the past, before he disappeared, they decide to work together to try and prevent his disappearance — no matter the consequences. But the more Aleeza discovers about Jay, the more she finds herself catching feelings for him, despite not knowing on which plane of the world he exists.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Farah Heron is a writer from Toronto. She is also the author of the romantic comedies Just Playing House, Jana Goes Wild, The Chai Factor, Accidentally Engaged, Kamila Knows Best and the YA novel Tahira in Bloom.
I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong
When Nicola's husband dies in a terrible car crash, he leaves her with one final message, "I'll be waiting for you" in the thriller I'll Be Waiting. Their final moment was leaked to the press and the person who shared it claimed it was his ghost who actually said those words. Now Nicola is fighting off spiritualists who are promising closure and her friends and family find her a reputable medium with whom to conduct a séance. Almost immediately, strange things start happening and Nicola is haunted by her past as her secrets are revealed.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Kelley Armstrong is the New York Times-bestselling author of the Darkest Powers, Darkness Rising and Age of Legends trilogies for teens. She is also the author of numerous thriller and fantasy series for adults, three YA thrillers and the Royal Guide to Monster Slaying series.
Subterrane by Valérie Bah
In Subterrane, Zeynab is working on a documentary on the margins of New Stockholm, a North American city. Cipher Falls is a polluted, industrial wasteland where artists and anti-capitalists are forced to work dead-end jobs to survive. Zeynab focuses her documentary on Doudou Laguerre, an activist who mysteriously died — and the potential that his death had something to do with his dissent against a construction project.
When you can read it: Oct. 15, 2024
Valérie Bah is an artist, filmmaker, documentarian, photographer and writer based in Quebec. Their collection The Rage Letters was translated from French by Kama La Mackerel. Subterrane is their first novel in English.
The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
The Mistletoe Mystery is a holiday novella featuring Molly the Maid from Nita Prose's earlier books. When Molly and her boyfriend are part of a secret Santa exchange that makes her question her relationship, she's thrown into solving her most personal mystery yet.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Nita Prose is a Toronto author and editor. She was formerly the Canadian vice president and editorial director for publishing company Simon & Schuster. Her books include The Maid and The Mystery Guest.
Sugaring Off by Fanny Britt, translated by Susan Ouriou
Sugaring Off follows married couple Adam and Marion who seem to have it all figured out. When Adam causes a surfing accident that leaves a young woman injured, Adam and Marion must face the reality that they've been ignoring their problems.
When you can read it: Oct. 8, 2024
Fanny Britt is a Montreal-based writer, translator and playwright. She has won multiple Governor General's Literary Awards including the 2013 Award in Drama for her play Bienveillance. Sugaring Off won the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for French-language fiction.
Susan Ouriou is a French and Spanish to English translator, a fiction writer and a playwright. She has previously won the Governor General's Literary Award for translation for her work.
Ouriou also translated The Future by Catherine Leroux, the winner of Canada Reads 2024.
We're Not Rich by Sue Murtagh
We're Not Rich is a short story collection following the lives of neighbours living on one street. Exploring the idea of the North American dream, it highlights the realities of modern life and daily challenges of the housing market, marriage, and illness. The 13 different stories weave through each other, following a married couple's experience at a golf tournament, a grandmother's generational trauma and the impacts of wildfire. We're Not Rich mixes hope and connection with the harsh reality of everyday life and shows that community exists even in the most unexpected places.
When you can read it: Oct. 8, 2024
Sue Murtagh is a Halifax-based writer. Her work has been featured in publications including the Humber Literary Review, the New Quarterly, The Nashwaak Review, carte blanche and Grain. We're Not Rich is her first book.
The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen
The Black Hunger is a horror novel that explores human impulses, desires and history. It follows John Sackville who is stuck in a London cell and knows he's about to die. Reeling from the death of his secret lover and desperate to tell their story before it's too late, John sets out to write his last testament. Journeying from mystic ruins in Scotland to the soaring mountains of Mongolia and Tibet, John reveals his own story, and the ancient horrors that haunt it.
When you can read it: Oct. 8, 2024
Nicholas Pullen is a writer based in the Yukon. His short stories have appeared in publications including the Toronto Star, Anti-Heroin Chic and the Copperfield Review Quarterly. The Black Hunger is his first novel.
The Reeds by Arjun Basu
The Reeds follows one family as they navigate a summer of change. Set in Montreal, the novel sees the Reed family each experiencing their own trials and tribulations. Mimi is seeing success with her business while her husband Bobby has just lost his job. Their son Abbie is trying to turn his online fame into a career while daughter Dee attempts to discover who she really is. Reflecting the realities of the modern environmental and political climates, The Reeds depicts a family struggling to find their place in the world and the hope people find in the face of challenge.
When you can read it: Oct. 15, 2024
Arjun Basu is a Montreal-based author and podcast host. His novel Waiting for the Man was longlisted for the 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
This Is It by Matthew Fox
This Is It is a collection of linked short stories exploring love, grief and family through the eyes of Giovanni Zappacosta-O'Hara. Used to his parents' version of their family history, Gio suspects they aren't telling the whole truth. When his boyfriend is diagnosed with cancer, Gio flees to New York to avoid dealing with his reality. Determined to uncover the real story of his own history, Gio unearths secrets that force him to confront his shame over leaving his boyfriend behind and question his own sense of identity.
When you can read it: Oct. 15, 2024
Matthew Fox's first short story collection, Cities of Weather, was nominated for the Quebec Writers' Federation's McAuslan First Book Prize. His work has appeared in publications including Toronto Life, Maisonneuve and the New Quarterly. Fox grew up in Ontario and now lives in Berlin.
The Elevator by Priya Ramsingh
The Elevator is a romance novel following Aria and Rob as they struggle through the pitfalls of modern dating while living in the same apartment building. Aria, recovering from a toxic relationship with both food and her ex-boyfriend, has had a crush on Rob for years. When she matches with Rob on a dating app she sends him a message, hoping that this might be her chance. Recently divorced Rob has suspended his account and doesn't see her message at first, making things tense when they run into each other. When Rob finally tries the dating app again he sees Aria's message and decides to take a chance.
When you can read it: Oct. 15, 2024
Priya Ramsingh is a Toronto-based author. She was formerly a writer for Metroland Media and the Toronto Star. She is also the author of the novel Brown Girl in the Room.
The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan
The Treasure Hunters Club is a mystery novel that follows three strangers visiting the coastal town of Maple Bay, where tourists believe a pirate treasure is hidden and locals know something more sinister lurks. Peter, Dandy and Cass are all drawn to Maple Bay for different reasons. Peter receives a suspicious letter inviting him to his estranged family's mansion, Dandy is trying to solve the mystery her grandfather dedicated his life to, and Cass is an author searching for inspiration. As the three band together to unravel the secrets of Maple Bay, what they discover will shock them and bring tragedy to the town.
When you can read it: Oct. 15, 2024
Tom Ryan is the author of several books for young readers, including I Hope You're Listening, a YA novel that won the 2021 Lambda Award for best LGBTQ mystery. His novel Keep This to Yourself is being turned into a TV show at Peacock. He spends his time living between Ontario and Nova Scotia.
[non]disclosure by Renée D. Bondy
[non]disclosure is a novel set in the 1980s exploring the trauma of sexual abuse by the Catholic Church and what it means to keep quiet. After a young girl is abused by her priest she keeps it a secret, pretending to be the perfect girl her parents expect. It's only years later, when he is on trial for his crimes, that she realizes she was not his only victim. Feeling overcome with the realities of her life, she discovers a sense of belonging while working in a secret hospice caring for men with HIV-AIDS. The love and determination she finds there sets her on a path towards finally healing from her past.
When you can read it: Oct. 17, 2024
Renée D. Brody is a writer and professor living in Chatham, Ont. She has taught courses in Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Windsor. Her writing has appeared in publications including Bitch, Herizons, the Humber Literary Review and Bearings Online. [non]disclosure is her first novel.
The Queen by Nick Cutter
The Queen is a horror mystery novel that follows lifelong friends Margaret and Charity. Charity Atwater has been missing for more than a month and is presumed dead when Margaret discovers an iPhone on her doorstep containing a text message from her best friend. Set over the course of one impossible day, Margaret must unravel the real story of what happened. As tragedy and disaster follow her pursuit of the truth, secrets are revealed that paint Charity in a whole new light and show Margaret that she never really knew her best friend after all.
When you can read it: Oct. 29, 2024
Craig Davidson writes horror under the pen name Nick Cutter. He has written several novels, including Cataract City, which was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2013, Rust and Bone, which was adapted into an Oscar-nominated feature film, The Fighter and Sarah Court. His memoir Precious Cargo was defended by Greg Johnson on Canada Reads 2018.
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
In the 19th installment of the Inspector Armand Gamache series, The Grey Wolf follows Chief Inspector Gamache and his allies as they pursue a deadly threat from Three Pines, Quebec, across the province and beyond. What starts as one murder evolves into a desperate mission to track a creature that has the potential to devastate cities and towns including Three Pines. Dealing with betrayal, suspicion and loyalty, Gamache must rely on his instincts to unravel the mystery before it's too late.
When you can read it: Oct. 29, 2024
Louise Penny is a former CBC broadcaster and journalist. She is now the author of the Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series and recipient of the 2020 Agatha Award for best contemporary novel for the 16th installment in the series, All the Devils are Here. She collaborated with former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton to write the political thriller State of Terror. Penny was named to the Order of Canada in 2013.
Blessed Nowhere by Catherine Black
Blessed Nowhere explores grief and loss in the late 1990s, following Abby as she turns her life upside down after the sudden death of her son. Buying a car, she embarks on a road trip with only one destination in mind: south. Finding herself in a small Mexican town filled with other outcasts, Abby must work through her pain while searching for belonging.
When you can read it: Oct. 31, 2024
Catherine Black is a Toronto-based author and associate professor at OCAD University. Her collection of prose poetry, Bewilderness, was nominated for the 2020 Pat Lowther Award. Blessed Nowhere is her first novel and was the 2023 winner of the Guernica Prize.
Johnny Delivers by Wayne Ng
Johnny Delivers is the standalone follow up to 2021's novella, Letters from Johnny. Set in 1970s Toronto, it follows teenage Johnny as he attempts to hold his family and their restaurant together when his Auntie calls in the family debt. Johnny turns to delivering weed along with his regular Chinese food all while struggling to manage his emotionally difficult parents and chaotic little sister. Desperate to figure out who he is, Johnny must face unpleasant family secrets and one crucial game of mahjong as he learns that help doesn't always come from where he expects.
When you can read it: Oct. 31, 2024
Wayne Ng is a novelist, travel writer and social worker from Toronto, who now lives in Ottawa. His previous books include The Family Code, which was shortlisted for the Guernica Prize, Letters from Johnny, which won the Best Crime Novella at the Crime Writers of Canada Awards, and Finding the Way: A Novel of Lao Tzu.
Time and Tide by J.M. Frey
Time and Tide is a time-travelling historical romance. It follows Sam, the only survivor of a catastrophic plane crash over the Atlantic, as she is impossibly rescued by a warship from 1805. Thrown into Regency England, Sam relies on the alluring sea captain to guide her through this unfamiliar world. When she is suddenly betrayed and left at the mercy of the men around her, Sam must rely on the help of the captain's sisters to survive. Eventually moving in with famous author Margaret Goodenough, Sam finds a surprising friend in the rule-breaking writer and maybe something even more.
When you can read it: Nov. 12, 2024
J.M. Frey is a Toronto-based author, screenwriter and actor. Her debut novel Triptych was nominated for a CBC Bookie in 2011 and won the San Francisco Book Festival Award for SF/F.
Tale of the Heart Queen by Nisha J. Tuli
Tale of the Heart Queen concludes the Artefacts of Ouranos series. It finds Lor running from the tyrannical Aurora King and desperate to fight for Nadir. Suddenly facing a new enemy, Lor must face the reality that she is the key to saving Ouranos. Terrified that her choices are sending her spiralling down her grandmother's doomed path, Lor is forced to reckon with the person she is turning into. When she finally finds herself face to face with the Aurora King, Lor is forced to face yet another deadly test, but this time the fate of the continent rests on her success. As she fights to overcome the trials before her, Lor realizes that maybe she was never meant to escape.
When you can read it: Nov. 26, 2024
Nisha J. Tuli is a Winnipeg-based author. Tale of the Heart Queen is the fourth and final instalment in the Artefacts of Ouranos series which includes Trial of the Sun Queen, Rule of the Aurora King and Fate of the Sun King.
A Five-Letter Word for Love by Amy James
A Five-Letter Word for Love follows Emily who is feeling stuck in her small-town life. Living on Prince Edward Island, Emily works as a receptionist at an auto shop while she dreams of working as a creative in a big city. The one bright spot in her day is her obsession with The New York Times' daily game Wordle. When Emily becomes stuck on a word she turns to her irritating coworker, John for answers. Their shared interest in the game fosters a surprising romance as they pursue her goal of a 365-day streak and Emily finds her ideas of love, success and joy completely upended.
When you can read it: Dec. 3, 2024
Amy James is based on the east coast of Canada. A Five-Letter Word for Love is her first novel.
I Might Be in Trouble by Daniel Aleman
I Might Be in Trouble follows struggling author David, reeling from his second book flopping after the resounding success of his first. His boyfriend has dumped him and he's fresh out of ideas for his third novel. Desperate to find redemption and some inspiration, David goes on a date with a promising stranger. After a wild night out in New York, David wakes to discover his date dead in bed next to him and the fact that he might have been responsible. In an attempt to uncover just what happened the night before, David teams up with his literary agent Stacey on a mission to figure out exactly what went on and maybe turn the disaster into inspiration for David's next book.
When you can read it: Dec. 3, 2024
Daniel Aleman is a Toronto-based author and writer originally from Mexico City. His debut novel, Indivisible, was released in 2021 and his second novel, Brighter than the Sun in 2023. Indivisible was a recipient of the 2022 Tomás Rivera Book Award.
The Champagne Letters by Kate MacIntosh
The Champagne Letters follows two storylines and characters in both Reims, France in 1805 and present-day Chicago then Paris to unravel the history of Veuve Clicquot. In Reims, Barbe-Nicole Cliquot is reeling from the death of her husband but still wants to work towards their dream of creating a world-renowned champagne house. In the present day, freshly divorced Natalie Taylor escapes her old life and finds herself in Paris, where she discovers old letters written by Veuve Clicquot herself. She's inspired by Veuve Clicquot's reinvention, but when she's shocked by an unexpected turn of events, she can't help but wonder what the widow would do in her situation.
When you can read it: Dec. 10, 2024
Kate MacIntosh is a Vancouver-based writer and teacher. The Champagne Letters is her first novel.
Corrections:- The story has been updated to reflect that the publication date of Subterrane by Valérie Bah was pushed to October 15, 2024. August 16, 2024 7:56 PM