Rebecca is excited to speak with Canadian author Erin Steele.  Her queer coming-of-age and addiction memoir, Sunrise over Half-Built Houses: Love, Longing and Addiction in Suburbia (Caitlin Press) was published in Canada in 2024 and will be available in the US on February 21, 2025.  Erin also writes “On Being Human” on Substack.  She was a 2022 Writing by Writers fellow and is published in Human Parts, WordWorks, and other online publications.  She lives in Kelowna, BC Canada.  

https://erinsteele.com/

https://www.instagram.com/erinsteelewrites/

https://caitlinpress.com/Contributors/S/Steele-Erin

The day everyone has been waiting for!!  CBC Books has released the long list for the 2025 Canada Reads debates and Rebecca and Tara offer their predictions for the five books that will compete for the title!

Tara suggests at the end that their predictions are submitted as a podcast rather than as two individuals.  It seems they are looking to raise the odds on how many they get right! lol

(The asterisk below highlights the titles they predict will be announced on January 23, 2025 for the short list.)

• The Whispers by Ashley Audrain*

For extensive detail and ongoing coverage, see https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/the-canada-reads-2025-longlist-is-here-1.7421861

Happy New Year!!  Rebecca and Tara sum up their 2024 goals and introduce their reading goals for 2025!

Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):

Tara (@onabranchreads):

Mentioned:

https://carolshieldsprizeforfiction.com/

https://www.instagram.com/carolshieldsprize/

https://www.riverstreetwriting.com/

https://www.instagram.com/river_street_writes/

As Rebecca and Tara close out 2024 and a great year of reading, they share their Top Ten list of books!

Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):

Tara (@onabranchreads):

Rebecca and Tara want to thank all of you for listening to and supporting the podcast this past year or longer.  They look forward to creating more fun and interesting content in 2025!

Rebecca and Tara have lots of books to share since their last book chat!

Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):

Tara (@onabranchreads):

Tara shares her holiday reading list!

Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):

• Precious Cargo: My Year of Driving the Kids on School Bus 3077 by Craig Davidson

Tara (@onabranchreads):

• The Queen by Nick Cutter

Rebecca and Tara shared their Top Ten Canadian Books of the 21st Century on YouTube Live on August 24, 2024 but decided they wanted to share additional authors and titles that they highly recommend.

Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): 

Tara (@onabranchreads):

Rebecca is back from a two-week road trip and shares her stops along the way and only two books.  Tara, on the other hand, had a great month of reading!

Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):

• Loudmouth Books: https://loudmouthindy.com/ / https://www.instagram.com/loudmouthindy/

Tara (@onabranchreads):

• Invisible Prisons by Lisa Moore and Jack Whalen

Don't forget to check out Rebecca and Tara's latest "Reading from Our Shelves" on YouTube: https://studio.youtube.com/video/uAq2aptzpLc/edit

Rebecca is excited to chat with author Brett Popplewell about his latest book, Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain and the Search for a Hidden Past.

Brett is an author and journalist who joined Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication in 2017. His articles have been recognized by the National Magazine Awards Foundation in best short feature, profiles, investigative reporting, longform writing, sports and travel.

He has written for Bloomberg Businessweek, Mother Jones, The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Sportsnet, Maclean’s, The Walrus and more. He is the co-author of The Escapist: How One Man Cheated Death on the World’s Highest Mountains. Published in 2016).

https://brettpopplewell.ca/

https://www.harpercollins.ca/9781443457859/outsider/

https://thewalrus.ca/churchill-portrait/

• The True Love Experiment; The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren