10 Canadian books coming out in October we can't wait to read
CBC Books | Posted: October 2, 2018 1:39 PM | Last Updated: November 29, 2018
A new month means new books! Here are the titles coming out in October we can't wait to read.
The Woo-Woo by Lindsay Wong
What it's about: This dark, witty and touching memoir by Vancouver-based writer Lindsay Wong takes a look at the impact of mental illness on families. Wong, who is of Asian descent, delivers an honest and emotional look at whispered secrets, dysfunctional relationships — and how her grandmother, mother, aunt and even herself initially blamed the mythical "woo-woo," Chinese spirits that plague the living, for their mental health issues. The memoir is equal parts blunt, honest and hilarious.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2018
The Flame by Leonard Cohen
What it's about: In the final days of his life, Leonard Cohen completed The Flame, a collection of previously unpublished poetry, selections from his notebooks and lyrics from his albums. Cohen curated the book's selections, which include his insights as an artist and thinker.
When you can read it: Oct. 2, 2018
Trickster Drift by Eden Robinson
What it's about: The second book in Eden Robinson's Trickster trilogy returns to Jared at age 17, living in Vancouver with his formerly estranged Aunt Mave. Jared has been sober for a year in attempts to keep magic out of his life — but as the son of a Trickster and a witch, this proves nearly impossible. Things take a turn for the harrowing when David, his mom's violent ex-boyfriend, starts stalking him around the city.
When you can read it: Oct. 2, 2018
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
What it's about: A northern Anishinaabe community loses power just as winter arrives, burying roads and creating panic as the food supply slowly runs out. Newcomers begin to arrive on the reserve, escaping a nearby crisis, and tension builds as disease begins taking lives. As chaos takes hold, a small group turns to the land and Anishinaabe tradition to start rebuilding and restoring harmony. Moon of the Crusted Snow is Waubgeshig Rice's second novel. Rice is also the host of the CBC Radio show Up North.
When you can read it: Oct. 2, 2018
SKY WRI TEI NGS by Nasser Hussain
What it's about: Every airport in the world has a three-letter code. SKY WRI TEI NGS is an attempt to write a complete collection of poetry using only these codes and, while doing so, explores the relationship between place and language. If you're curious, SKY is Griffing Sandusky Airport in Ohio, WRI is McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey, TEI is Tezu Airport in India and NGS is Nagasaki Airport in Japan.
When you can read it: Oct. 2, 2018
Tilly and the Crazy Eights by Monique Gray Smith
What it's about: Tilly impulsively agrees to drive eight elders on a life-changing road trip to Albuquerque for the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow. The eight elders, who call themselves the Crazy Eights, each choose a stop on the way to check something off on their bucket list. Each new place unearths old stories and offers healing to ancient scars.
When you can read it: Oct. 9 , 2018
Beyond Forgetting: Celebrating 100 Years of Al Purdy
What it's about: This collection, edited by Howard White and Emma Skagen, brings together 100 years of Al Purdy, the influential writer known as "Canada's unofficial poet laureate." This collection features poems written in tribute to Purdy from voices as varied as Lorna Crozier, Susan Musgrave, Bruce Cockburn, Sadiqa de Meijer and more.
When you can read it: Oct. 16, 2018
Half Spent Was the Night by Ami McKay
What it's about: Three witches of New York gather in the nights between Christmas and New Year's to roast chestnuts and read their fates. One night, invitations to a New Year's Eve masquerade from a woman they've never met arrive on their doorstep. The three witches attend the ball under a cloud of suspicion, uncertain whether the invitation is welcome or sinister.
When you can read it: Oct. 16, 2018
All Our Relations by Tanya Talaga
What it's about: Journalist and writer Tanya Talaga — whose groundbreaking nonfiction work Seven Fallen Feathers recently won both the RBC Taylor Prize and the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize — returns with a look at the alarming rise in youth suicides in Indigenous communities. All Our Relations — part of the 2018 Massey Lectures and based on Talaga's Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy series — is a call for action and justice for Indigenous communities and youth.
When you can read it: Oct. 16, 2018
Born Into It by Jay Baruchel
What it's about: To say that actor Jay Baruchel is a superfan of the Montreal Canadiens would be an understatement. The Ottawa-born, Montreal-raised Baruchel examines his lifelong passion and love for the team with the colours rouge, bleu et blanc — and his obsession for the sport known as Canada's national pastime in his humorous memoir Born Into It.
When you can read it: Oct. 30. 2018