Bestselling thriller author Linwood Barclay is set to champion Wayne Johnston’s Jennie’s Boy in Canada Reads 2025; Influencer and former Canada Reads contender Mirian Njoh recommends memoirs by Black authors; and leaving ketchup chips and Canada’s Wonderland behind in the graphic memoir Uprooted on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Monster: The Autobiography Of An L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur

Shame On Me by Tessa McWatt

Jennie’s Boy by Wayne Johnston

Uprooted by Ruth Chan

Author and psychotherapist Farzana Doctor shares the books that helped shape her as a person and as a writer; Danzy Senna opens up about her novel and GMA Book Club pick Colored Television; Nashlyn Lloyd on taking inspiration from The Creative Act by Rick Rubin; how not to be a bad husband with Ravi Singh; and the one book Jean Mills loves to re-read on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Aurat Durbar: Writings by Women of South Asian Origin edited by Fauzia Rafique

God Loves Hair by Vivek Shraya

Mullahs on the Mainframe: Islam and Modernity among the Daudi Bohras by Jonah Blank

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

Infinite Audition by Charlie Petch

The Creative Act by Rick Ruben

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

Autopsy of a Boring Wife by Marie-Renee Lavoie

Three by DA Mishani

See Now Then by Jamaica Kinkaid

The Vancouver author and radio host’s memoir May It Have a Happy Ending discusses her journey of love, grief and radio; the CBC Books senior producer recommends hopeful books to inspire us in the New Year; musician Julian Taylor talks about his favourite parenting book; a sneak peek at what authors are coming to Bookends with Mattea Roach this winter; and why patience was key for Amanda Peters in writing her first novel on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed in this episode include:

Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham

The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill

Unearthing by Kyo Maclear

Acme Novelty Datebook Volume Three by Chris Ware

I Might Be in Trouble by Daniel Aleman

Hum by Helen Phillips

The international bestselling author returns to the Walsh family in her latest novel My Favorite Mistake; Bridget Raymundo shares what books the internet was loving this year; the book that defines “genre-bending” to Matthew R. Morris, a Juno Award-winning jazz singer who loves to birdwatch; and remembering celebrated Canadian thriller author Andrew Pyper on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed in this episode include:

Collide by Bal Khabra

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

Antonio Michael Downing and CBC Books producers Ryan B. Patrick and Talia Kliot talk about some of the most memorable books to come out this year, Bee Quammie and Lucy Mann recommend children’s books your kids are sure to love, and mystery author Alan Bradley talks about learning to say no on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Certified foodies Aparita Bhandari and Lindsay Cameron Wilson recommend their favourite cookbooks for the holidays; why JJ Lee believes this time of year is perfect for spooky stories; musician Ashley Ghostkeeper on what she learned from her great-uncle’s book; and curl up by the fire with these cozy reads on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Mystery writers Angel Misri and Sam Wiebe recommend some heart-pumping holiday reads; Amy Stuart shares what it was like collaborating with a hockey legend on Home and Away; T. Thomason can’t get enough of sci-fi books; Richard Van Camp talks about Star Wars toys and gratitude; and Leslie Jamison on evolving while re-reading Good Morning, Midnight on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Charlotte Gill reckons with ethnicity, belonging and the complexities of life within a multicultural household; Alicia Cox Thomson recommends three reads that recall the work of Montgomery; Sixties Scoop folk singer Raven Reid on hopefulness and Johnny Cash; and Jordan Abel’s trippy, genre-bending subversion of The Last of the Mohicans on this episode of The Next Chapter.

The ultra-prolific author invites readers into her interior world in The Positions of Spoons; Anne Hawk discusses code switching and the cost of migration in her debut novel; Atwood Gibson Fiction Prize winner Sheung-King talks about his sophomore novel; and Corinna Chong on the undeniable charm of Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?

Caroline Adderson’s latest short story collection follows a cast of characters searching for much needed happiness; an exploration of gender, forgiveness and bucking convention in Michelle Winter's latest novel; roots musician Kaia Kater on the message behind They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us; why Sarah Leavitt loves to re-read The Best We Could Do; and Teresa Wong remembers the book she got for her eighth birthday on this episode of The Next Chapter.