Writers Sarah Henstra and Kerri Sakamoto share what they are reading this summer
The Next Chapter has been asking writers what books they plan to sink into this summer. Sarah Henstra, author of the novel The Red Word, answers the question along with Kerri Sakamoto, whose most recent book is Floating City.
Sarah's pick: Radiant Shimmering Light by Sarah Selecky
"A book I'm looking forward to reading this summer is Radiant Shimmering Light by Sarah Selecky. This is a book that came out in May. I got to read an early version of it because she's a good friend of mine. We sat across the table from one another at various cafés around Toronto working on drafts of our novels — not reading each other's books, but making sure we weren't on Facebook. I know that book has changed a lot since I had a chance to read it and it's getting a lot of buzz. I'm incredibly excited about it. It's a send-up of the online, woman-centred self-help industry, and all the products that are sold for self-improvement, meditation and 'ascension' at a spiritual level."
Kerri's pick: Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
"A book that I'm looking forward to now that I'm liberated from writing for a bit is Madeleine Thien's Do Not Say We Have Nothing. I have admired her writing in the past and I'm really looking forward to this book and the sweep of it."
Sarah Henstra and Kerri Sakamoto's comments have been edited and condensed.