Canada Reads Inspired

By Canada Reads InspiredSociety & Culture Arts Books

Canada Reads Inspired episodes

February 08, 2025Love Stories
Rebecca and Tara celebrate some of their favorite Love Stories in all their different forms in honor of Valentine's Day.
Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):
Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery
Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
Cam & Beau by Maria Cichosz
The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel
https://www.hallmarkfamily.com/the-magic-of-ordinary-days
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Griffin & Sabine Trilogy: Griffin & Sabine; Sabine's Notebook; The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock
Tara (@onabranchreads):
The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage by Carol Off
The Outlander; Ridgerunner by Gil Adamson
Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin
The River by Peter Heller
The Brickworks by Lucy E.M. Black
Leaving Earth by Helen Humphreys
The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards by Jessica Waite
35 min
February 02, 2025Interview - Dr. Louise Ells and Lies I Told My Sister
Rebecca is excited to speak with author Dr. Louise Ells. Louise is the author of Lies I Told My Sister, published in 2024 by Latitude 46 Publishing. She was born and raised in Northeastern Ontario. After years of travel, she moved to Cambridge, England where she earned her PhD in Creative Writing. Louise teaches at universities and colleges in England and Canada and currently lives north of Toronto, where she can often be found in her library surrounded by books and snuggled up with her cats.
https://www.louiseells.ca/
https://www.instagram.com/louiseellsauthor/?hl=en
https://store.latitude46publishing.com/products/lies-i-told-my-sister
Recommendations:
Waiting for a Star to Fall by Kerry Clare
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
Treed: Walking in Canada's Urban Forests; Fungal: Foraging in the Urban Forest by Ariel Gordon
Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor
Death of Persephone: A Murder by Yvonne Blomer
Poet Joy Williams
Vandals by Alice Munro: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/10/04/vandals
32 min
January 28, 2025Interview - Adelle Purdham and I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself
Tara is excited to chat with Adelle Purdham, who is an educator, parent disability advocate and author of the memoir-in-essays I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself published by Dundurn Press in 2024. It was named a Fall 2024 Most Anticipated Memoir & Biography by Indigo and 49th Shelf. Her prose and poetry appear in literary journals, anthologies, magazines, newspapers and online. Adelle has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction and is a qualified French teacher. She currently woks as a Seasonal Part-time Faculty member at Trent University where she teaches creative writing in her hometown, Nogojiwanong (Peterborough), ON.
https://adellepurdham.ca/
https://www.instagram.com/adellepurdham/?hl=en
https://www.dundurn.com/
Recommended titles:
Shut Away: When Down Syndrome Was a Life Sentence by Catherine McKercher
An Astonishment of Stars: Stories by Kirti Bhadresa
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
43 min
January 23, 20252025 CBC’s Canada Reads Short List
Rebecca and Tara discuss CBC's Canada Reads Short List, how well they did in selecting what would make the short list, and who they predict will win based on the slightest amount of research possible and their gut feelings.
https://www.cbc.ca/books/meet-the-canada-reads-2025-contenders-1.7431920
The Contenders:
Olympic gold medalist Maggie Mac Neil champions Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey
Podcaster and wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild champions A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby, with Mary Louisa Plummer
Heartland actor Michelle Morgan champions Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper
Thriller writer Linwood Barclay champions Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston
Pastry chef Saïd M'Dahoma champions Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew
25 min
January 19, 2025Book Chat 23
Rebecca and Tara are back for their first book chat of 2025! They share the titles they've read recently and want to recommend. Stay tuned to the end where a bit of CBC's Canada Reads pops into the discussion.
Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):
Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables) by L.M. Montgomery
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1); A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot, #2) by Becky Chambers
Lies I Told My Sister by Louise Ells https://www.louiseells.ca/
Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada's North by Kathleen Lippa
Tara (@onabranchreads):
Sunset Lake Resort by Joanne Jackson
Grandfather of the Treaties: Finding Our Future Through Wampum Covenant by Daniel Coleman
A Different Hurricane by H. Nigel Thomas
The Reinvention of Love by Helen Humphreys
56 min
January 15, 2025 Interview - Erin Steele and Sunrise over Half-Built Houses: Love, Longing and Addiction in Suburbia
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

30 min
January 09, 2025 2025 CBC's Canada Reads Long List
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*
• Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey*
• A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby, with Mary Louisa Plummer
• What I Know About You by Éric Chacour, translated by Pablo Strauss*
• The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
• When the Pine Needles Fall by Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, with Sean Carleton*
• Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper*
• The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard**
• Jennie’s Boy by Wayne Johnston
• Becoming a Matriarch by Helen Knott
• Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew
• However Far Away by Rajinderpal S. Pal*
• Clyde Fans by Seth
• Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder*
• All Our Ordinary Stories by Teresa Wong*

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

33 min
January 01, 2025Our 2025 Reading Goals
Happy New Year!! Rebecca and Tara sum up their 2024 goals and introduce their reading goals for 2025!
Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):
2024: Brothers Grimm; Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America by Matika Wilbur; Inclusive Picture Book Challenge; 12 classic women authors
2025: Complete Anne of Green Gables and The Chronicles of Narnia series and read more Redwall; read children's books that have "mischievous, clever, independent girl characters"; track "mood reads"
Tara (@onabranchreads):
2024: Giller Long List; Agatha Christie; Helen Humphreys
2025: Carol Shields Prize for Fiction; Agatha Christie; Helen Humphreys; weed physical TBR; read more short stories
Mentioned:
https://carolshieldsprizeforfiction.com/
https://www.instagram.com/carolshieldsprize/
https://www.riverstreetwriting.com/
https://www.instagram.com/river_street_writes/
27 min
December 31, 2024Our 2024 Top Ten Books
As Rebecca and Tara close out 2024 and a great year of reading, they share their Top Ten list of books!
Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):
Ginny Ross Series by Heather Stemp: Amelia & Me; Under Amelia’s Wing; Beyond Amelia
The Street by Ann Petry
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Sisters of the Spruce by Leslie Shimotakahara
Bird Suit by Sydney Hegele
Making Up the Gods by Marion Agnew
Eleanor Courtown by Lucy E.M. Black
James by Percival Everett
Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain, and the Search for a Hidden Past
Tara (@onabranchreads):
Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast by John Vaillant
Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper; The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan; Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder by Julia Zarankin
I'm So Glad we Had This Time Together by Maurice Vellekoop
My Body is Distant by Paige Maylott
The Knowing by Tanya Talaga
Coexistence by Billy-Ray Belcourt
James by Percival Everett
Followed by the Lark by Helen Humphreys
All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whittaker
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
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!
45 min
December 08, 2024Book Chat 22
Rebecca and Tara have lots of books to share since their last book chat!
Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):
Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holliday
The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
Skid Dogs by Emelia Symington-Fedy
The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Passing by Nella Larsen
Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir by Rebecca Solnit
Tara (@onabranchreads):
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys
My Body is Distant: A Memoir by Paige Maylott
The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle: Vol. 1 and 2: A True and Exact Accounting of the History of Turtle Island by Kent Monkman, Gisele Gordon
I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself by Adelle Purdham
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
59 min