95 must-read books from 2017, as recommended by you
CBC Books | CBC News | Posted: January 5, 2018 8:42 PM | Last Updated: October 18, 2018
We asked and you answered. Here are YOUR picks for the must-read books from 2017, submitted to CBC Books via email, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We only included submissions for books that came out in 2017.
Thanks to everyone who submitted a recommendation! Happy reading in 2018, everyone!
Canadian fiction | Canadian nonfiction | International fiction | International nonfiction | Poetry | Young adult + children
Canadian fiction
1. Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
What it's about: Eden Robinson's coming-of-age novel, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize, is about an Indigenous teen navigating challenging family dynamics.
Recommended by: Hazel Isaac, Cathie Whitman, Ann Auld, Claudia Stewart, @snappytrails, @MindfuLY & @JodieMacInnis
2. I Am a Truck by Michelle Winters
What it's about: Michelle Winters' debut novel is a moving tale about the possibilities and impossibilities of love and loyalty. The book was on the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist.
Recommended by: Hazel Isaac, Tasha Miller Tanner & Cathie Whitman
3. Yasmeen Haddad Loves Joanasi Maqaittik by Carolyn Marie Souaid
What it's about: This book tells a coming-of-age story about Quebec-based Yasmeen, a young woman of Syrian descent, and how traditional and contemporary views collide when she becomes a teacher in a fictional northern Canadian community known as Saqijuvik.
Recommended by: @Ringadian
4. We'll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night by Joel Thomas Hynes
What it's about: This novel by Joel Thomas Hynes, winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction, is the story of one man's attempt to recuperate from a life of petty crime.
5. The Water Beetles by Michael Kaan
What it's about: The Leung family leads a life of secluded luxury in Hong Kong. But in December 1941, the Empire of Japan invades the colony. The family is quickly dragged into a spiral of violence, repression and starvation. The Water Beetles was a 2017 finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction.
Recommended by: Jill Ainsley & @Mkbeechie
6. Outside People & Other Stories by Mariam Pirbhai
What it's about: Featuring a diverse, multicultural ensemble cast of characters, Mariam Pirbhai's debut short story collection Outside People & Other Stories examines themes of displacement, race and globalization to reflect the Canada we all live in.
Recommended by: Sylvia Terzian, Nohemi LaJefa, Lubna Umar, Jim Fisher, Ronaldo Garcia & @sanchari_sur
7. The Only Café by Linden MacIntyre
What it's about: The Only Café, a novel, was inspired by a tragedy veteran journalist Linden MacIntyre covered for the CBC — the massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon in September 1982. It tells the story of a son who tries to solve the mystery of the death of his father, a Lebanese refugee and successful lawyer.
Recommended by: Betty Lou Tilley
8. American War by Omar El Akkad
What it's about: Set 50 years from now, Omar El Akkad's debut novel American War, which was a finalist for the 2017 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, envisions a future where government restrictions on fossil fuels have sparked a second Civil War in the U.S.
Recommended by: Marilyn Freeman & Grant Hall
9. Beforelife by Randal Graham
What it's about: Randal Graham's debut is a satirical novel looking at the "post-mortem" adventures of widower Ian Brown, a man who dies on the book's first page and finds himself in an afterlife where no one else believes in "pre-incarnation."
Recommended by: Ellen Helleur
10. Lost in September by Kathleen Winter
What it's about: In Kathleen Winter's novel, Lost in September, an ex-soldier named Jimmy wanders the streets of modern-day Montreal, suffering from PTSD and bearing a striking likeness to an 18th-century British general.
Recommended by: Joan McCorquodale
11. Song of Batoche by Maia Caron
What it's about: Maia Caron's historical novel takes a reimagined look at the legacy of Louis Riel through the eyes of a founding family member of the Batoche Métis.
Recommended by: Louise Hoelscher
12. The Clothesline Swing by Ahmad Danny Ramadan
What it's about: Ahmad Danny Ramadan's The Clothesline Swing is a journey through the aftermath of the Arab Spring.
13. Glass Houses by Louise Penny
What it's about: Glass Houses is Louise Penny's 13th book in the Armand Gamache series, which takes place in a warm, eccentric, tight-knit community known as Three Pines.
Recommended by: @AmyMacamish & Nusha Bee
14. That's My Baby by Frances Itani
What it's about: That's My Baby is set around the Second World War, with an adopted child now all grown up and desperately seeking details about her birth and identity.
Recommended by: Betty Lou Tilley & Wendy Barker
15. Crying for the Moon by Mary Walsh
What it's about: Mary Walsh's debut novel, Crying for the Moon, is a comedic, coming-of-age story, intertwined with a noir, murder mystery.
Recommended by: Ellen Helleur
16. Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais
What it's about: Hum If You Don't Know the Words shines a light on themes of loss, racism and family during Apartheid-era South Africa.
17. Transit by Rachel Cusk
What it's about: Transit uses an unconventional narrative structure as it explores themes of identity and isolation. The novel made the Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist in 2017.
Recommended by: Pamela Ross
18. In Case I Go by Angie Abdou
What it's about: Angie Abdou's fifth work of fiction features a young boy named Eli who moves to a small mountain town, where ghosts from the past start to visit him.
19. Minds of Winter by Ed O'Loughlin
What it's about: Inspired by Sir John Franklin's doomed Arctic expedition, Ed O'Loughlin's historical novel weaves in fictional extrapolations of the thoughts and motivations of other notable Arctic explorers, with vivid depictions of the Canadian north.
Recommended by: Kerri Lynolo
20. The Winners' Circle by Gail Bowen
What it's about: In The Winners' Circle, the 17th book of Gail Bowen's bestselling mystery novel series, protagonist Joanne Kilbourn's investigative skills are put to the test by a triple homicide involving several people close to her family.
Recommended by: Sharon McInnes & Huguette LeSage Tricker
21. The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill
What it's about: The Lonely Hearts Hotel is a historical tragicomic love story about two orphans hustling in Montreal's underground who dream of opening a circus together.
22. Brother by David Chariandy
What it's about: Brother takes us inside the lives of two brothers, the mixed-heritage sons of Trinidadian immigrants living in 1990s Toronto. The novel won the 2017 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.
23. All The Beloved Ghosts by Alison MacLeod
What it's about: This collection of short stories mixes fiction, biography and memoir.
Recommended by: Hazel Isaac
24. The Wind in His Heart by Charles de Lint
What it's about: De Lint's first adult fantasy novel in eight years weaves a rich tapestry of story with a creative elegance. Young Thomas sees into the otherworld, but all he wants to do is get off the rez. Steve Cole escaped from his rock star life to disappear into the desert and mountains.
Recommended by: Shannon Bradbury
25. A Reckoning by Linda Spalding
What it's about: A Reckoning opens in the spring of 1855, when a family is involved in a shameful secret that will require a tragic decision.
Recommended by: Paulette Renaud
26. One Brother Shy by Terry Fallis
What it's about: One Brother Shy follows software engineer Alex MacAskill who must face a humiliating incident from his past after his mother dies.
Recommended by: Madeleine Hague
27. The Shoe on the Roof by Will Ferguson
What it's about: Will Ferguson's novel The Shoe on the Roof has science and spirituality facing off in a daring psychological experiment.
Recommended by: Hazel Isaac
28. The Bone Mother by David Demchuk
What it's about: David Demchuk's fantasy novel featuring ghosts, witches and sirens on the eve of war was on the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist.
Recommended by: @SadieLouWho
29. The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron
What it's about: Claire Cameron's novel tells the story of two women separated by millennia, but linked by a journey that will transform them both.
30. The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol
What it's about: The Lightkeeper's Daughters explores family dynamics, identity issues and redemption.
Recommended by: Samantha Borgal, Bill Reist, Graham Strong & @MargaretB_yvr
31. The Three Pleasures by Terry Watada
What it's about: Terry Watada's novel is set in 1940s British Columbia and revolves around three Japanese-Canadian characters living through a dark period in Canada's history.
Recommended by: Tane Akamatsu
32. Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill
What it's about: Bellevue Square won the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize. The novel plays with literary tropes — specifically within the genres of psychological thriller, science fiction and historical narrative — to tell the story of Jean Mason, a woman who finds out that she may have a doppelgänger in the bohemian Toronto neighbourhood known as Kensington Market.
Recommended by: Hazel Isaac
33. Has the World Ended Yet? by Peter Darbyshire
What it's about: This collection of linked short stories includes retired superheroes living in a soulless suburbia where everyone gets lost trying to get home.
Recommended by: @CoreyRedekop
34. All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
What it's about: In Elan Mastai's speculative novel, a man time travels into what we think of as the present day.
Recommended by: @D_Sneath
35. The Memory Keepers by Nina Waddington
What it's about: The Memory Keepers is a novel about seeming coincidences and second chances.
Recommended by: Starr Waddington
36. The Church in the Wildwood by Alanna Rusnak
What it's about: This novel by Alanna Rusnak traverses themes of alienation, identity and discovered truths.
Recommended by: Steph Rusnak & @Healcomfortbless
Canadian nonfiction
37. No is Not Enough by Naomi Klein
What it's about: In No Is Not Enough, Naomi Klein embraces a lively conversation with the reader to expose the forces behind Trump's success and explain why he is not an aberration, but the product of our time.
Recommended by: Celeste M & Marianne Bond
38. What the Mouth Wants by Monica Meneghetti
What it's about: This memoir explores Monica Meneghetti's journey through her relationship with food, family and love.
Recommended by: @rkiwaasa
39. One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul
What it's about: In One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, Scaachi deploys her razor-sharp humour to document her fears and experiences as an outsider growing up in Canada.
Recommended by: @bronteisafinder
40. A Newfoundlander in Canada by Alan Doyle
What it's about: Best known as the lead singer for the Canadian band Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle talks about traveling across Canada and feeling like an outsider in his latest memoir.
Recommended by: @gar5061 & @M_Hynes_Stovall
41. Down Inside by Robert Clark
What it's about: Robert Clark, former deputy warden with Corrections Canada, gives us an inside look at Canada's prison system.
Recommended by: Jill Ainsley
42. Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga
What it's about: Journalist Tanya Talaga tells the story of seven Indigenous high school students who lost their lives in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Recommended by: Louise Hoelscher, @Danielle_Author & @KimAlexander_
43. Rock Paper Sex by Kerri Cull
What it's about: In Rock Paper Sex, Kerri Cull highlights stories about the sex trade in St. John's, NL.
Recommended by: @MeandMyKat
44. All Leave Behind by Carol Off
What it's about: All We Leave Behind is about Carol Off's efforts to help bring a family that was being targeted by warlords from Afghanistan to Canada.
Recommended by: Norma Roed
45. Rise of the Necrofauna by Britt Wray
What it's about: Britt Wray delves into the ethical conversation around de-extinction, talking to scientists hoping to revive woolly mammoths and cautionary environmental philosophers on the other side of the issue.
Recommended by: Scott LaLonde
46. Medicine Unbundled by Gary Geddes
What it's about: In Medicine Unbundled, Gary Geddes uncovers the history and legacy of segregated Indigenous health care in Canada.
Recommended by: P.J. Sinclair
47. A History of Canada in Ten Maps by Adam Shoalts
What it's about: Adam Shoalts tells the stories behind 10 centuries-old maps, and how they came to shape what became "Canada."
Recommended by: Gisèle Boutin
48. Runaway Wives and Rogue Feminists by Margo Goodhand
What it's about: Journalist Margo Goodhand takes a historical look at the beginnings of women's shelters in Canada.
Recommended by: P.J. Sinclair
International fiction
49. Setting Free the Kites by Alex George
What it's about: Alex George delivers an engaging tale of two friends and the unintended consequences of friendship, loss and hope.
Recommended by: @Lakes54
50. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
What it's about: Gail Honeyman's quirky tale of unconventional life and love redefines what it means to be considered "socially acceptable."
51. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
What it's about: Mohsin Hamid's latest book, Exit West, uses magic realism as a powerful storytelling tool to help reignite empathy for refugees.
52. History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
What it's about: Emily Fridlund's novel follows a teenager named Linda who is devastated when her favourite history teacher is arrested.
Recommended by: @MindfuLY
53. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
What it's about: Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity and the ferocious pull of motherhood.
Recommended by: M Payne
54. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
What it's about: Lisa See's novel takes an inspired look at old world tradition, the history of tea farming and the connection between mothers and daughters.
Recommended by: Wanda Wheeler D'Aoust
55. Origin by Dan Brown
What it's about: Bestselling author Dan Brown discusses science, religion and what's next for humankind in his latest novel.
Recommended by: Wanda Kenter & @Farnazmadan
56. Universal Harvester by John Darnielle
What it's about: This suspenseful novel tells of the tale of creepy goings-on in 1990s Nebraska.
Recommended by: @snaxconway
57. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
What it's about: The veteran storyteller returns with a vibrant retelling of ancient mythology.
Recommended by: Hazel Isaac
58. My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
What it's about: Turtle Alveston is a survivor. At 14, she roams the woods along the northern California coast. This provocative novel covers themes of abuse, identity and survival.
Recommended by: Kathy Burbank & @fitter_knitter
59. Things We Lost In The Fire by Mariana Enriquez
What it's about: The short story collection highlights contemporary Argentina as a place where shocking inequality, violence and corruption are the law of the land, while military dictatorship and legions of desaparecidos loom large in the collective memory.
Recommended by: Ray Jones
60. The Golden House by Salman Rushdie
What it's about: Salman Rushdie weaves a tale of the American Dream gone astray against the backdrop of the Obama administration in The Golden House.
Recommended by: Hazel Isaac
61. La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
What it's about: Malcolm Polstead is a young person who finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust. La Belle Sauvage is the first in Philiip Pullman's new trilogy The Book of Dust.
Recommended by: Lesley Matheson & Shayna Marie
62. Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin
What it's about: A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a rural hospital clinic. A boy named David sits beside her. She's not his mother. He's not her child but, together, they tell a haunting story of broken souls, toxins and the power and desperation of family.
Recommended by: Ray Jones
63. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
What it's about: This debut full-length novel by American author George Saunders imagines the night Abraham Lincoln visited the burial site of his son.
Recommended by: Jana Tubinshlak & @Catherine99banks
64. Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
What it's about: In a ruined, nameless city of the future, Rachel, who makes her living as a scavenger, finds a creature she names Borne entangled in the fur of Mord, a gigantic, despotic bear.
Recommended by: Stephen Webb
65. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
What it's about: Aging and reclusive fictional Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth behind her seven marriages and the glamour and scandal surrounding it.
Recommended by: @jprglisa
66. The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo
What it's about: This collection of short stories by bestselling author Leigh Bardugo weaves together tales of betrayal, revenge, sacrifice and love.
Recommended by: @AmorinaKingdon
67. Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King & Richard Chizmar
What it's about: This novella revisits the town of Castle Rock, Maine to tell some untold stories.
Recommended by: @Lakes54
68. How To Be Human by Paula Cocozza
What it's about: This debut novel from Paula Cocozza deals with the dissolution of a marriage, suburbian claustrophobia and a woman's inappropriate passion for a fox.
Recommended by: Lyndsay Goldstein
69. Artemis by Andy Weir
What it's about: Author Andy Weir, best known for his book The Martian, is back with Artemis, where he imagines what life would be like on the moon.
Recommended by: @Paperbluecat
70. Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King
What it's about: This debut novel from Crystal King dives into a historical past about Roman life, politics and food.
Recommended by: Audrey St-Yves
International nonfiction
71. The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs
What it's about: This nonfiction work is a thoughtful and affecting look at what it means to be alive.
Recommended by: Celeste M
72. Hunger by Roxane Gay
What it's about: Roxane Gay's memoir tackles food, weight, self-image and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself.
Recommended by: @Danielle_Author
73. The River of Consciousness by Oliver Sacks
What it's about: Completed just prior to his death, bestselling author and neurologist Oliver Sacks offers a contemplative look at the nature of consciousness and the human perception of time.
Recommended by: Celeste M
74. Aliens Among Us by Leslie Anthony
What it's about: Science and adventure journalist Leslie Anthony explores how and why invasive organisms and species are hijacking ecosystems around the globe.
Recommended by: asta k & @Pembyboa
75. Into the Gray Zone by Adrian Owen
What it's about: This nonfiction work is a scientific look at consciousness, the human brain and the potential "twilight zone" that exists between life and death.
Recommended by: Celeste M
76. A Hope More Powerful than the Sea by Melissa Fleming
What it's about: This compelling work looks at the life of Doaa Al Zamel, a Syrian girl whose life was upended by events of the Arab Spring in 2011.
Recommended by: Adèle Fontaine
77. Traveling with Ghosts by Shannon Leone Fowler
What it's about: Marine biologist Shannon Leone Fowler shares her physical and emotional journey of travelling through war-ravaged Eastern Europe and Israel after her fiancé suffered a fatal attack by a box jellyfish in Thailand.
Recommended by: Donna Kendrick
78. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie
What it's about: Sherman Alexie's book is a collection of poetry and essays about his memories of childhood.
Recommended by: @Lisa_Hamelin
79. Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown
What it's about: Bestselling author and social scientist Brené Brown takes an explorative and cultural look at what it truly means to belong in society.
Recommended by: @Danielle_Author
80. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
What it's about: Historian Timothy Snyder offers a guide for surviving and resisting America's turn towards authoritarianism.
Recommended by: Celeste M
81. Tales of Two Americas by John Freeman
What it's about: Major contemporary writers — including Anthony Doerr, Ann Patchett, Roxane Gay, Edwidge Danticat, Rebecca Solnit, Joyce Carol Oates, Hector Tobar and Karen Russell — examine life in a deeply divided America.
Recommended by: Kerry Mosher
Poetry
82. Ordinary Beast by Nicole Sealey
What it's about: Ordinary Beast is a poetic examination of worldly themes — race, gender, sexuality — that uses the power of clarity and lyrical form.
Recommended by: Celeste M
83. Voodoo Hypothesis by Canisia Lubrin
What it's about: Voodoo Hypothesis draws in elements of pop culture, science, pseudo-science and news about race and identity to recentre the definition of being a Black individual in today's world.
Recommended by: @JulieMannell
84. This Wound is a World by Billy-Ray Belcourt
What it's about: The debut poetry collection from Billy-Ray Belcourt, merges the personal with the academic, envisioning, in his own words, a "decolonial kind of heaven that is searchable, findable."
Recommended by: @just1jana
85. The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
What it's about: Rupi Kaur's second collection of poetry offers up themes of love, growth, healing and understanding who you are.
Recommended by: Meaghan Landrigan-Buttle
86. Adultolescence by Gabbie Hanna
What it's about: This debut collection of illustrated poetry looks at what it means to be human in the modern world.
Recommended by: @Meagan_disney5303
Young adult + children
87. Under the Zaboca Tree by Glynis Guevara
What it's about: This coming of age tale that takes a look at Melody Sparks, a preteen who moves from Canada to Trinidad to stay with her father.
Recommended by: Tamera Patenaude, Debra Howell, Doreen Nelson, Elaine Tarnow, Avivi Hewitt & Ayanna Yanny Maynard
88. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
What it's about: The bestselling YA novel focuses on 16-year-old Aza Holmes, a high school student living with multiple anxiety disorders, and her search for a fugitive billionaire.
Recommended by: Celeste M, Meaghan Landrigan-Buttle, Shannon Bradbury, @Meagan_disney5303 & @A.1.i.s.0.n
89. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
What it's about: The bestselling YA novel The Hate U Give follows a protagonist drawn to activism after she witnesses the police shooting of her unarmed friend.
90. Speaking Our Truth by Monique Gray Smith
What it's about: Monique Gray Smith's book educates readers about the historical and current impacts of Canada's residential schools.
Recommended by: Aimee Burton, Margo d'Archangelo, Angie Mercer, Anne Marie, S Lundquist, Edward Evans, Brooke Semple, Lynda Archer, Xina Cowan, Dena Carroll, Ingrid Fawcett, Denise Lloyd, Becky Kelley, Tasha Élan, Chastity Davis, Dana Brynelsen, Susan Washington, Patti Kay, Robyn Lee Unwin, @Iamsusanwashington & @SBeauchamp93
91. Solo by Kwame Alexander
What it's about: This YA novel about the son of a has-been rock star is a poetic look at identity, loss and failure.
Recommended by: Hazel Isaac
92. Those Who Run in the Sky by Aviaq Johnston
What it's about: This coming-of-age story follows a young shaman named Pitu as he learns to use his powers and ultimately finds himself lost in the world of the spirits. The book was a 2017 finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text.
93. 90 Days of Different by Eric Walters
What it's about: Can 90 days of different create a different life? That's the premise behind this novel where Ella has a plan to help Sophie find her spontaneous side, with college three months away.
Recommended by: Wendy Mason
94. Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
What it's about: This tale of kindness and hope features Red the neighbourhood "wishtree" — people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches — and what happens when a new family moves in.
Recommended by: Glen Stark
95. Ghost Boys by Shenaaz Nanji
What it's about: Fifteen-year-old Munna lives with his Ma and sisters in a small town in India. He is lured into a dream job in the Middle East, only to be sold into child slavery. Thus begins a quest of freedom and hope.
Recommended by: @Maaamaria