Canada Reads Inspired

Rebecca is excited to chat with Canadian author Théodora Armstrong about her debut novel, Welcome to Sunny Town, published by Freehand Books in May 2026.  https://freehand-books.com/product/welcome-to-sunny-town/#tab-description : In this striking debut novel, a young artist rashly moves overseas to teach ESL and to find herself, and gets more — and less — than she bargained for. It’s the turn of...

Rebecca and Tara are back with their monthly book chat in which they share a few of their latest best reads. Rebecca's month was not as enjoyable as she had hoped, but Tara ends on a high note with a five-star recommendation!   Rebecca: Solito by Javier Zamora Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to ‘90s Sitcoms by Geoff Bennett The Peace Thieves by Brent Van S...

CANADA READS INSPIRED 2026 SUMMER READING BINGO CHALLENGE: Rebecca and Tara have filled in the boxes with books they’ve read or that are on their TBR (the Bingo card and list of titles will be pinned to Rebecca and Tara’s Instagram accounts) The Challenge will begin June 5 and run through September 5, 2026 When you complete a bingo line, dm Rebecca (@canadareadsinspired) or Tara (@onabranchreads)...

Rebecca and Tara go down rabbit holes that include a 50,000 couplet epic poem, graveyards, and a blood-sucking lamprey that is found in all five Great Lakes. Don't forget to join the Canada Reads Inspired Summer Reading Bingo Challenge beginning June 5, 2026.  Check out their YouTube live (6/5/26 at 10 am EDT) for more details: https://www.youtube.com/@canadareadsinspired Rebecca (@canadareadsinsp...

Rebecca and Tara are back with their (mostly) monthly book chat in which they share their favorite recent reads.  Rebecca provides a teaser for their next Rabbit Holes podcast and Tara shares her love for author Jenny Lawson and her taxidermy menagerie. Rebecca: Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to ‘90s Sitcoms by Geoff Bennett Pennies by Lora Senf Run Away...

Rebecca welcomes Dr. Nora Gold to the podcast to discuss her latest work, Doubles, a novella published by Guernica Editions in May 2026, as well as the importance and relevance of novellas in the literary canon. https://guernicaeditions.com/en-us/products/doubles "Doubles takes place in 1968 in an institution for troubled youth, and is told from the perspective of a brilliant, spunky, 12-year-old...

Tara sits down for a chat with Canadian author Alison Gadsby, a first-generation Canadian living in Tkaronto, about her debut collection of short stories, Breathing Is How Some People Stay Alive, published by Guernica Editions in spring 2026. https://guernicaeditions.com/en-us/products/breathing-is-how-some-people-stay-alive "Breathing Is How Some People Stay Alive blurs the lines between horror,...

Rebecca and Tara cover CBC's 2026 Canada Reads DAY THREE debate. Less surprises perhaps, but more great content!   Join them live on Thursday, 4/16/26 @ 11:30am EDT on their YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@canadareadsamericanstyle/streams Their good friend Jolene, from Bookworm Adventure Girl, will be joining them to discuss the final day of this year's competition in which the ONE BOOK...

Rebecca is back from vacation and she and Tara discuss CBC's 2026 Canada Reads DAY TWO debate.  Listen to Tara's DAY ONE wrap up on her Instagram live: @onabranchreads. https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/meet-the-canada-reads-2026-contenders-9.7040200 : Filmmaker and actor Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers champions A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt Hockey YouTube personality and podcaster Steve (Dangl...

Tara welcomes back Canadian author Finnian Burnett to discuss their latest novella-in-flash, Redshirts Sometimes Survive. https://offtopicpublishing.com/product/redshirts-sometimes-survive-by-finnian-burnett/?srsltid=AfmBOoqqrDjkjomUw5LV1p4n7BFWy7-l2RrTh5Ty2L2VoSYamvlByFX8 "A neglected boy clings to an action figure like a lifeline. A trans man meets his childhood hero. An introvert finally finds...

Rebecca and Tara discuss their impressions of the 2026 CBC's Canada Reads books and defenders for this year's debate. Don't forget to check out Rebecca's interview with author Tyler Hellard and Searching for Terry Punchout on February 10, 2026. https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/meet-the-canada-reads-2026-contenders-9.7040200 https://www.cbc.ca/books/thenextchapter   If you have any comments or...

Rebecca is excited to chat with Canadian author Leslie Shimotakahara about her latest novel, The Breakwater, which will be published by Cormorant Books in April 2026. https://www.cormorantbooks.com/Books/T/The-Breakwater "One morning in Toronto, Cathy Matsumoto’s father, Yasuo, calls to announce he intends to visit a dying cousin in British Columbia. Cathy’s never heard of this mysterious relative...

It's Book Chat time! Rebecca had a meh reading month and Tara crushed it!!  Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Director's Choice: Flint Institute of Arts by Tracee J. Glab Poets and Pahlevans: A Journey into the Heart of Iran; Walls: Travels Along the Barricades by Marcello Di Cintio Lost: Amelia Earhart's Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life by Rachel Hartigan Tara (@onabranchread...

Rebecca and Tara have an announcement!!   Instagram: @canadareadsamericanstyle @onabranchreads

Rebecca and Tara introduce a new feature for the podcast in which books they've read prompted them to do a deeper dive into some aspect of the subject or story, in other words, they went down a rabbit hole. They kick off the inaugural episode discussing Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory by Sarah Polley and Walls: Travels Along the Barricades by Marcello Di Cintio. Instag...

Rebecca is excited to chat with Canadian author Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson about his second book in the Patrick Bird Mystery series; the first is The Road to Heaven, published by Dundurn Press in 2024. Opposite Sully's Gym, book two, is available beginning March 31, 2026. Dundurn Press: https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459755888-opposite-sully-s-gym "A missing tenant, an irate mother-in-...

Tara chats with Canadian author, blogger, and podcaster Kerry Clare to discuss her latest novel, Definitely Thriving, which is available March 17, 2026 from House of Anansi Press: https://houseofanansi.com/products/definitely-thriving?srsltid=AfmBOopZcn9yxB5pt-vRIlt94svRdfoXKN-f9wWfX41Q0InAKyLHhN4S "After accidentally-on-purpose exploding her listless marriage by being discovered in bed with the n...

Tara sits down with Iranian-Canadian author Hollay Ghadery to discuss her first novel, The Unravelling of Ou, published by Palimpsest Press in February 2026. Later in the interview, Hollay talks about poetry and how best to read it for those who may be new to it. https://palimpsestpress.ca/books/the-unravelling-of-ou-hollay-ghadery/ :  "Moving on is hard. Even harder when it’s from a make-believe...

Rebecca is excited to chat with Dr. Kasia Van Schaik about her latest book, Women Among Monuments: Solitude, Permission, and the Pursuit of Female Genius,  published on February 17, 2026 by Dundurn Books.  https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459752627-women-among-monuments : A lyrical meditation on the enduring obstacles women artists and writers face in a world still unaccustomed to recogn...

Rebecca and Tara both share a book in which the main character is seeking a return to community. And Tara brings more horror to the podcast! Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle):  Anne of Windy Willows by L.M. Montgomery (British edition) Walls: Travels Along the Barricades by Marcello Di Cintio Patrick Bird Mysteries: Opposite Sully's Gym #2 (03-31-26); The Road to Heaven #1 by Alexis Stefanovich-...

Rebecca welcomes Canadian Tyler Hellard, the author of Searching for Terry Punchout, a funny, heartwarming novel published in 2018 by Invisible Publishing that will be defended on CBC’s Canada Reads by Steve “Dangle” Glynn beginning April 13, 2026. ( https://invisiblepublishing.com/product/searching-for-terry-punchout/?srsltid=AfmBOorr4I4nKSYii0VC97AkHUZzFN7b4XOqjmVDik46RSnQWhXeiC6B ) : A 2026 CBC...

Rebecca welcomes award-winning Canadian author Marcello Di Cintio for his third podcast visit to discuss his latest book, Precarious: The Lives of Migrant Workers, published by Biblioasis in September 2025.   A Globe 100 Best Book of 2025 • One of The Hill Times’ Top 100 Best Books in 2025 • Winner of the 2024 Dave Greber Freelance Writers Book Award https://www.biblioasis.com/shop/new-releases/pr...

Join Tara for a captivating interview with Alice Fitzpatrick and discover her connection with Carol Burnett and notable Canadian poet George Bowering.   Alice is the author of the Meredith Island Mysteries, which include Secrets in the Water and A Dark Death.  The Meredith Island Christmas Mystery, A Killing Cold, will be released June 2026. The traditional mystery appeals to Alice's fascination w...

With the announcement of the five titles and defenders, Rebecca and Tara make their predictions for the winner of the 25th Anniversary edition of CBC's Canada Reads! Per the CBC website: "This year's edition will air April 13 to 16 on CBC TV, CBC Radio, CBC Listen, CBC Gem and CBC Books. It will also be on YouTube and available as a podcast."   https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/meet-the-canada-...

Rebecca and Tara are back with Book Chat #31.  Included are the books they are currently reading as well as their first recommendations of the New Year!    Rebecca (@canadareadsamericanstyle): Patrick Bird Mysteries: Opposite Sully's Gym #2; The Road to Heaven #1 by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson The Breakwater; Sisters of the Spruce by Leslie Shimotakahara To Touch the Water; The Solace of Open Space...