22 books you heard about on CBC Radio this week
Here's a round-up of the best book and author interviews from CBC Radio from Dec. 6-13, 2019.
Yours, for probably always by Martha Gellhorn
Martha Gellhorn was the only woman on the beaches of Normandy in the days after troops stormed the area — but the American journalist wasn't supposed to be there. She didn't have accreditation from Colliers, her publisher, to cover the war. Her then-husband Ernest Hemingway convinced the magazine to offer him the correspondent job instead. Undeterred, Gellhorn made her way to the south of France as a stowaway on a Red Cross ship meant only for medical staff, hiding in a lavatory with a flask of whiskey until the ship set sail. Toronto-based author Janet Somerville shares Gellhorn's life and personal correspondence are detailed in Somerville's new book, Yours, for probably always: Martha Gellhorn's Letters of Love and War 1930-1949.
Heard on: Day 6
The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West
At the start of her new book, Lindy West describes a drawing: three women are being burned over a flame as a bunch of men stoke the flames. But in the new book, West reinterprets that historical illustration. In her interpretation, men who identify as feminists are stoking the flames, "cruelly witch-hunting the innocent men." Through a series of essays, The Witches Are Coming tackles misogyny in media, the presidency of Donald Trump and responses to cultural movements like #MeToo with biting humour.
Heard on: Day 6
Resistance by Julián Fuks
Brazilian-Argentine novelist Julián Fuks has captured widespread attention with his first book in English, Resistance. A blend of fiction and autobiography, Resistance explores Fuks's family history of displacement and how it shaped his own sense of identity. Praised for its intensity and tightly crafted prose, the novel has won awards internationally and in Brazil, including the José Saramago Literary Prize, Germany's Anna Seghers Prize and the Jabuti Award for Best Novel, Brazil's most important literary honour. In November 2019, Resistance won the Jabuti Award for Best Foreign Edition.
Heard on: Writers & Company
Antoni in the Kitchen by Antoni Porowski
Antoni in the Kitchen is the debut cookbook of Antoni Porowski, food and wine guru on Netflix's hit show Queer Eye. He collects "healthy-ish" recipes — many of which contain less than five ingredients — that can be thrown together at the last minute, but still pack a punch. Some dishes include Malaysian chili shrimp and salty lemon squares.
Heard on: The Next Chapter
Duchess at Home by Giselle Courteau
Giselle Courteau is the founder of the Duchess Bake Shop, an Edmonton staple known for its delicate French pastries. Her latest cookbook, Duchess at Home, is inspired by her French Canadian heritage. It includes recipes for soups, stews and desserts like tarte aux fraises.
Heard on: The Next Chapter
Wildness by Jeremy Charles
Jeremy Charles is a chef from Newfoundland and Labrador with an eye on redefining the province's food scene and how the rest of the world understands Canadian cuisine. His work is centred around creating a sense of harmony between people and wild places. His book, Wildness: An Ode to Newfoundland and Labrador, collects recipes and stories about the plentiful bounty provided by his home.
Heard on: The Next Chapter
Kitchen Party by Mary Berg
Kitchen Party is the first cookbook by Mary Berg, MasterChef Canada winner and host of Mary's Kitchen Crush. The book includes over 100 of Berg's favourite recipes designed for big occasions, like a Mother's Day brunch or low-key bridal shower.
Heard on: The Next Chapter
tawâw by Shane M. Chartrand with Jennifer Cockrall-King
Shane M. Chartrand, the executive chef at SC Restaurant in Enoch, Alta., includes his award-winning dishes alongside stories of his culinary and personal journey in tawâw. In the Cree language, "tawâw" means, "Come in, you're welcome, there's room." Chartrand was born to Cree parents and raised by a Métis father and Mi'kmaw-Irish mother. He spent his career exploring the diverse cuisine and stories of Indigenous peoples across Canada, culminating in this collection of over 75 recipes.
Heard on: The Next Chapter
24/6 by Tiffany Shlain
Ten years ago, filmmaker, internet pioneer and founder of the Webby Awards Tiffany Shlain was feeling constantly distracted. Shlain worried technology had taken a turn for the worse since the '90s, when she was first talking about the power of the web and digital technology. In an attempt to disconnect from the digital world and reconnect more meaningfully, Shlain's family adapted the ancient Jewish tradition of Shabbat — sometimes known as a day of rest — for their modern life. Every week, for one full day, they put away their screens in favour of spending face-to-face time with friends and family. She wrote about her so-called technology Shabbat in her book 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week.
Heard on: Spark
Beyond the Known by Andrew Rader
Beyond the Known is a book about exploration. It looks at major periods of discovery — such as in ancient Greece and Rome, the age of European exploration and the scientific revolution — to show how being curious and inquisitive can lead to unimaginably great things. Andrew Rader is a Mission Manager at SpaceX. Beyond the Known is his fourth book.
Heard on: The Current
Making Space, Clutter Free by Tracy McCubbin
Tracy McCubbin is the founder of dClutterfly, an organizing company which helps people get rid of their old clutter. Her new book Making Space, Clutter Free: The Last Book on Decluttering You'll Ever Need examines the deeper psychological reasons why we can't let go of our old stuff.
Heard on: Tapestry
Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker
When Morgan Parker reread her diaries from high school she came face-to-face with all of her past emotions, fears and insecurities. Now, the author and poet has channeled those experiences into a new young adult novel. The semi-autobiographical Who Put This Song On? follows a 17-year-old girl, also named Morgan Parker, who is struggling to find her voice at her mostly-white suburban Christian high school.
Heard on: q
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Casey McQuiston's novel Red, White & Royal Blue, a imagines a romance between the son of the president of the United States and the Prince of Wales. Red, White & Royal Blue won The Goodreads Choice Award for Romance.
Heard on: q
26 Knots by Bindu Suresh
26 Knots weaves a complicated love story: Araceli falls for a fellow journalist named Adrien, who is already in love with Pénélope, who can't decide between him and Gabriel, who is too traumatized by his father's abandonment to be a good partner. Bindu Suresh is a fiction writer and pediatrician based in Montreal. 26 Knots is her first book. CBC Books named Suresh a writer to watch in 2019.
Heard on: q
Turbulence by David Szalay
David Szalay's novel Turbulence links the stories of 12 passengers on a series of flights around the world. The narrative passes from one character to the next, each chapter exploring a new personal crisis — whether it's a mother worrying about her son's cancer treatment or a journalist heading out on a delicate assignment.
Heard on: q
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
A young college student falls asleep and cannot be woken. As her mysterious sleeping illness spreads to others, the town is quarantined by the national guard and a series of residents tell their stories experiencing the disaster firsthand. Karen Thompson Walker is an American writer whose previous book The Age of Miracles was a New York Times bestseller.
Heard on: q
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The Nickel Boys is based on a real reform school in Florida that operated for over a century. It follows a young black boy named Elwood Curtis who is sent to live at a juvenile reformatory after an innocent mistake. The Nickel Academy bills itself as a place of "physical, intellectual and moral training," but in reality it is a place where young boys are subject to physical and sexual abuse.
Heard on: q
The Innocents by Michael Crummey
In The Innocents, a young brother and sister live in isolation in Newfoundland, surviving alone on the bits of knowledge their parents left behind. Their loyalty to one another is the reason they are able to persist through storms and illness, but their relationship is tested as they grow older.
Heard on: q
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
In The Field Guide to the North American Teenager, Norris Kaplan, a wisecracking black French Canadian teenager, knows he's in for a major culture shock when his family moves to Austin, Texas. He keeps track of his fellow high schoolers by placing them in categories: Cheerleaders, Jocks, Loners and the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. When people from the categories try and befriend him, Norris learns a lesson about his snarky attitude.
Heard on: q
The Cockroach by Ian McEwan
British novelist Ian McEwan's latest book The Cockroach, is a surreal, Brexit-inspired satirical novella that imagines a world where a cockroach becomes the British prime minister. The policies this roach-turned-politician introduces send the economy into a tailspin and upends the very definition of capitalism.
Heard on: As It Happens
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
In Man Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James' fantasy epic Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Tracker, a well-respected hunter who always works alone, is hired to find a boy who has been missing for three years. He ends up joining a band of unusual characters, including a 'shape-shifting man-animal' called Leopard, all engaged in the hunt. As they traverse ancient cities and forests and face deadly beasts, Tracker wonders why this boy is so special and finds himself caught in a web of lies. Marlon James previously won the Man Booker Prize for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings.
Heard on: q
The Art of Making Memories by Meik Wiking
Meik Wiking is the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Denmark. Wiking is a firm believer that having an arsenal of happy memories can help you navigate the inevitable ups and downs of life. The good news is, with a few simple techniques, you can actively build your store of happy memories. In his latest book, The Art of Making Memories, Wiking explains how cultivating happy moments is empowering and crucial to our sense of identity.
Heard on: Tapestry