7 books you heard on CBC radio recently
Check out some of the books discussed on national CBC Radio programs between Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 2024.
Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson
Heard on: Bookends with Mattea Roach
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.
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.
Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey, with Leslie Jamison
Heard on: Bookends with Mattea Roach
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.
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 award-winning 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.
Nosy Parker by Lesley Crewe
Heard on: The Next Chapter
Nosy Parker, by Canadian author Crewe, is a self-proclaimed "semi-autobiographical" coming of age story spanning a year in the life of 12-year-old Audrey. It's 1967 in Montreal. Audrey's mother died when Audrey was quite young and she's determined to solve the mystery of who her mother was. After moving with her dad to a new neighbourhood, Audrey navigates the end of middle school and start of high school, all while bonding with several mother figures in the neighbourhood.
Lesley Crewe is the author of several novels including Relative Happiness, The Spoon Stealer and Mary, Mary. She previously worked as a freelance writer and columnist. Originally from Montreal, Crewe now lives in Cape Breton.
How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley
Heard on: The Next Chapter
When 53-year old empty nester Lydia takes a job running a local seniors social club, she expects a quiet, easy time playing cards and drinking tea. On her first day, the ceiling collapses, which leads the city to consider shutting down the community centre. Lydia meets Daphne, a mysterious and stern 70-year-old with a dodgy past and plenty of chutzpah, who is venturing out into the world after being in hiding for 15 years. The other seniors are equally as colourful, and when they join forces with Ziggy the teenage dad and the daycare next door to save their shared space, hijinks ensue.
Clare Pooley is an English author, public speaker and blogger. Her other books include the memoir The Sober Diaries and the novels Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting and The Authenticity Project.
Almost Brown by Charlotte Gill
Heard on: The Next Chapter
In Almost Brown: A Mixed-Race Family Memoir, a young Charlotte recalls her experiences living in the diaspora in Toronto and New York. As the daughter of a Punjabi Sikh father and English mother, following their divorce, she looks into the frayed familial relationships that brought them to the present. Later in life, after spending time in India, Gill reconnects with her father and attempts to answer questions about what it means to be mixed-race and have two parents with very contrasting views on parenthood.
Gill is a B.C.-based writer of Indian and English descent. She is also the author of the memoir Eating Dirt and currently teaches writing at the University of King's College.
Home Truths by Carolyn Whitzman
Heard on: The Sunday Magazine
Housing and social policy researcher Carolyn Whitzman breaks down the myriad reasons behind the current housing climate in Canada and examines some possible solutions to the crisis.
Carolyn Whitzman is a housing and social policy researcher and author. She is the author, co-author or lead editor of six books, including Home Truths and Clara at the Door with a Revolver.
In This Economy? by Kyla Scanlon
Heard on: Day 6
In This Economy is an illustrated handbook that looks to uncover the invisible forces that drive key economic outcomes and dispels money myths and outdated information to steer clear of.
Kyla Scanlon is an economist, author of the book In This Economy? and creator of the term 'vibecession.'
