Brian Francis answers the question of what is a guilty pleasure and gives a book pick to match a few of his favourites; Mirian Njoh talks about Christian Allaire’s book and his journey from Nipissing First Nation to the pages of Vogue; Susan Swan, author of Big Girls Don’t Cry, answers the Proust Questionnaire; and Amanda Leduc on why her protagonists are talking coyotes on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Big Girls Don’t Cry by Susan Swan

Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix

The Donut: A Canadian History by Steve Penfold

Cue the Sun! by Emily Nussbaum

From the Rez to the Runway by Christian Allaire

Wild Life by Amanda Leduc

And Then She Fell by Alicia Eliott

Not Wanted on the Voyage by Timothy Findely

The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy

The Juno Award-winning musician thought he could write a book, so he did. In Try Hard, Max Kerman gets into the nuts and bolts of building a musical career; from a “Victorian Psycho” to a family of cannibals, Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist Arizona O’Neill shares her favourite horror titles; and three “must-read” historical novels about women artists on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Prolific Winnipeg-based author, editorial director and hockey dad David A. Robertson breaks down the books that have left a permanent mark on his life; CBC Books’ historical fiction savant Talia Kliot recommends three novels that transport you to another time; musician Matt Holubowski on finding stillness through Silence in the Age of Noise; what’s the first book Sarah Leavitt remembers reading; and CBC Books producer and former book seller Bridget Raymundo recommends a staff pick on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

All the Little Monsters by David A. Robertson

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

Swing Low by Miriam Toews

Tom's Midnight Garden by Phillippa Pearce

An Anthology of Monsters by Cherie Dimaline

Silence in the Age of Noise by Erling Kagge

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue

Finding Flora by Elinor Florence

The Immortal Woman by Su Chang

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

How the creator of the bestselling Molly the Maid series went from publisher to author; Bee Quammie talks about feeling stuck in life to writing The Book of Possibilities; Reading while on The Road with Customer Services’ Matt Cheverie; and what perfect happiness means to writer Curtis Sittenfeld on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Where I Belong by Alan Doyle

Emancipation Day by Wayne Grady

Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent

The Road by Cormac Mccarthy

The Book of Possibilities by Bee Quammie

Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom

A Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou

Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld

Author and ultimate hockey mom Amy Stuart recommends three mystery reads she couldn't put down; The former NBA player and fan favourite talks about his debut memoir; author Scaachi Koul reflects on calling people ‘dog’ too much; and Talia Kliot gives her CBC Books staff pick on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

The Hunter by Tana French

Sucker Punch by Scaachi Koul

R.O.L.E. Player by Jerome Williams

The Soccer of Success by Ciarán McArdle

The Science of Self-Discipline by Peter Hollins

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang

Home and Away by Amy Stuart and Mats Sundin

Dream Count is one of the biggest publishing events of the year — and The Next Chapter’s Book Club is here to talk about it; Canadian celebrity chef and Le Cordon culinary graduate Eden Grinshpan breaks down her life and career in cookbooks; why Joel Plaskett took a course to better understand this book; and celebrate National Poetry Month with these All-Canadian collections on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Unravel by Tolu Oloruntoba

Buzzkill Clamshell by Amber Dawn

Allostatic Load by Junie Désil

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