The long awaited prequel to Suzanne Collin’s blockbuster series is here, CBC Book producers Bridget Raymundo and Trevor Carter break it down; writer and columnist Alicia Cox Thomson recommends three dramas that feature wealthy diverse families; and three audio books to keep you company wherever you go on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhelecha

The Wedding by Gurjinder Basran

We Are All Perfectly Fine by Jillian Horton

Dune by Frank Herbert

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Bonny Reichert’s debut memoir explores the connection between food, memory, and her fathers story as a Holocaust survivor; public policy expert and podcaster Vass Bednar recommends three books about living amongst pervasive technology; get to know the 2024 Booker Prize winner; and a basketball star’s experience in Russian prison on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Running in the Family by Michael Ondaajte

Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl

Also a Poet by Ada Calhoun

How To Share an Egg Bonny Reichert

A Hero of Our Time by Naben Ruthnum

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

Selected Amazon Reviews by Kevin Killian

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Coming Home by Brittney Griner, Michelle Burford

To celebrate two decades of Under the Influence, Terry O'Reilly shares the five most influential books in his life; former news anchor Elysia Bryan-Baynes recommends three books about leaving your home country to live and work abroad; Montreal musician Lubalin on aliens, existentialism and song-writing fuel; and what makes iconic television personality Jeanne Beker feel the most Canadian on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Fifth Business by Robertson Davies

Taken at the Flood by John Gunther

Ticket To Ride by Larry Kane

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

We Meant Well by Erum Shazia Hasan

To Tell the Truth: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent by Lewis M. Simons

The War We Won Apart by Nahlah Ayed

Heart on my Sleeve by Jeanne Beker

Yoko by David Sheff

Writer and writing guru Chelene Knight talks about her book Safekeeping: A Writer’s Guided Journal for Launching a Book with Love; CBC Sports producer David Giddens recommends four of his favourite sports reads; what makes Dangerous Memory an “inspiring road map” for Juno-winner Sarah Harmer; and from seasonal berries to quantum physics Nathan Maharaj has your reading covered on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Safekeeping: A Writer’s Guided Journal for Launching a Book with Love by Chelene Knight

The Conscious Creative by Kelly Small

Breathing the Page by Betsy Warland

Dangerous Memory by Charlie Angus

World's Fastest Man by Mary Ormsby

Ice in Their Veins by Ian Kennedy

The Beautiful Dream by Atiba Hutchinson and Dan Robson

Above the Noise by DeMar DeRozen

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro

Quantum Physics Made Me Do It by Jeremie Harris

Aparita Bhandari and Heather Greenwood Davis discuss the bestselling Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty with Antonio Michael Downing; writer Alicia Cox Thomson talks about the highly discussed All Fours by Miranda July and recommends two more titles; Juno nominee Tia Wood on what makes Five Little Indians a classic; and why Robert J. Wiersema thinks you should read translated books on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

All Fours by Miranda July

The Change by Kirsten Miller

The Mother Act by Heidi Reimer

May Our Joy Endure by Kev Lambert, Donald Winkler (Translator)

The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translator)

Morning and Evening by Jon Fosse, Damion Searls (Translator)

Author Zoe Whittal has written acclaimed scripts and books alike, and breaks down her life in books; Steven Beattie recommends three of his favourite funny books, all of which include serious undertones; musician Jordan Astra talks about funk music and Nike shoes; and writer Ian Williams partakes in ‘speed dating therapy”on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

The Passion by Jeannette Winterson

Heroine by Gail Scott

Rat Bohemia by Sarah Schulman

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Animal Farm by Geroge Orwell

Not a River by Selva Almada

The List by Yomi Adegoke

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

What I Mean to Say by Ian Williams

Author Brian Francis discusses three novels that highlight his love for paper, while living in a digital age; Prairie Edge author Conor Kerr explains why sometimes less is more, and recommends three of his favourite short story collections; Keegan Connor Tracy talks mothers with big family secrets; and Musician Dorothea Paas on the unwavering discipline of Sonny Rollins on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Trees In Canada by John Laird Farrar

The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen

A Beginner's Guide to Quilling Paper Flowers by Motoko Maggie Nakatani

The Notebooks of Sonny Rollins by Sonny Rollins

The Nix by Nathan Hill

The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

Lola on Fire by Rio Youers

Death by a Thousand Cuts by Shashi Bhat

Peacocks of Instagram by Deepa Rajagopalan

Last Woman by Carleigh Baker

The podcaster and wellness advocate chats with author Ma-Nee Chacaby about why A Two-Spirit Journey is the book all of Canada should read; BookTok superstar Bridget Raymundo discusses Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and recommends three dragon-fuelled romantasy titles; and CBC books’ comic book expert Ashly July shares his recent genre reads on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Michelle Morgan talks about championing Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper in the March debates; music journalist Del Cowie recommends his favourite music reads; why Toronto musician Nicky Lawrence talks loves Agent Josephine by Damien Lewis; and exploring books set in Montreal on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Emma and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper

Agent Josephine by Damien Lewis

My Black Country by Alice Randall

Rise Up and Sing by Andrea Warner

Hip Hop Is History by Questlove and Ben Greenman

The Reeds by Arjun Basu

Naked: The Confessions of a Normal Woman by Éloïse Marseille

The Favourite Game by Leonard Cohen

The neuroscientist-turned-pastry chef meets the bestselling author Jamie Chai Yun Liew for the first time; CBC Books senior producer Ryan B. Patrick and columnist Alicia Cox Thomson discuss rising Black Canadian writers; Joshua Whitehead recommends three books that centre queerness; and Dylan Sinclair shares his favourite book on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Coexistence: Stories by Billy Ray Belcourt

Blackouts by Justin Torres

What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma, translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew

The Pages of the Sea by Anne Hawk

Subterrane by Valérie Bah

Perfect Little Angels by Vincent Anioke

Scientific Marvel by Chimwemwe Undi