Canada Reads Inspired

Canada Reads Inspired
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Books
  • Updated Biweekly

Two friends -- one American, one Canadian -- who share a love for CBC’s Canada Reads and Canadian literature! https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads

  1. 20h ago

    Interview - Corinne Hoebers and Tethered Spirits

    Tara welcomes Canadian (Nova Scotia) author Corinne Hoebers to discuss her latest novel, Tethered Spirits: Wiaqtaqne'wasultijik na Kjijaqmijinaq, OC Publishing, 2025. Corinne explains how she worked with the Mi'kmaq community to ensure historical accuracy while also telling the story of her own 1753 settlers of Lunenburg ancestors. From Goodreads: "Against the violent backdrop of the French and Indian (Seven Years) War, two German siblings come to learn about and understand the Mi'kmaq. Christian, now named Bear Cub, lives with the ancient People and develops a deep bond with his chosen brother, Eagle Feather, while his new family's way of life is increasingly threatened. On the outskirts of Lunenburg, Hanna, his younger sister, befriends a Mi'kmaw Elder and questions her papa's ownership of the land they are settling. Christian immerses himself in the Mi'kmaw language and the ways of the land, prepared to defend the People alongside Eagle Feather. Christian's father and older sister, Elisabeth, refuse to accept his new way of life; nor will they recognize the humanity of their perceived enemy. Christian is caught between two diverse families and cultures- the one to which he was born and to whom he feels obligated, and the one he has grown to love and respect. Settlers and Mi'kmaq alike struggle on land that is the ancestral home to one and promised to the other, a struggle that resonates to this day." https://corinnehoebers.mywriting.network/   Recommended titles: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aitken The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by William Paul Young The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

  2. Jul 14

    Interview - JoAnn McCaig and Beneficiary

    Tara is joined by Canadian author JoAnn McCaig and they discuss her latest novel, Beneficiary, published in May 2026 by University of Calgary Press. https://shelflifebooks.ca/item/r5ypYwSBQz_hNTMssW3i2g "Seren was doomed to a country club cage and a leash of pearls until out of the blue on a Tuesday night in 1969, she found herself suddenly saying "no." More than fifty years later, she looks back on her life and each choice that followed, beautiful, tragic and completely her own. Leaving her family for the freedom of the 1970s, Seren began a quest to discover how to live in this world as her true self—a quest that would take her from the heady countercultural milieu of communal houses on Vancouver Island through marriage and motherhood, divorce, and an unexpected inheritance that changed everything. Suddenly wealthy, Seren must wrestle with money, with class, and what it means to have more than most. What does it mean to live truly, through tragedy and heartbreak? How do we create ourselves in a world that keeps changing? What does it mean to have money when so many people don't? A richly written, fiercely feminist novel imbued with real bravery, Beneficiary weaves the past and the present in a rich tapestry of life." Suggested Reading: Ripeness; Summerwater; My Good Bright Wolf: A Memoir by Sarah Moss Scary Monsters; Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser Lampedusa by Steven Price https://joannmccaig.com/ https://www.instagram.com/shelflifebooks/ https://shelflifebooks.ca/

  3. Jun 30

    Interview - Théodora Armstrong and Welcome to Sunny Town

    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 the 21st century and Maggie is looking for reinvention. Fresh out of art school with — as her undergraduate advisor put it — a lack of vision for her future, Maggie follows a talented classmate to Japan, leaving behind a fractured family and a toxic relationship with her professor. Little does she know, not only her own life, but the entire world around her is about to change. Upon arrival in Japan, Maggie meets a group of maladjusted foreigners and immediately becomes enmeshed in their volatile friendships and personal dramas. Despite having no real qualifications whatsoever, she gets a job teaching English at Language Love Academy where she meets Keiko, an overzealous, middle-aged student and self-proclaimed language lover. When Keiko offers to teach Maggie Japanese, an unlikely friendship develops between them, and before long Keiko has become a ballast amid the disruptive forces in Maggie’s life overseas. Have Maggie and her friends come to Japan to disappear or find themselves? Are their friendships and hook-ups real or just another illusion? Maggie struggles to discern whether she is sinking deeper into her hapless life abroad or gaining a foothold on a real future for herself. Welcome to Sunny Town is a striking, at times darkly satirical novel that cracks open a popular rite of passage, critically examining teaching overseas and the worldwide ESL industry. Bringing to mind the work of Elif Batumen, or Ottessa Moshfegh, Armstrong’s debut novel paints a deft portrait of twenty-somethings yearning for identity, connection, and freedom abroad during the turbulent years of the early aughts. Recommended reading: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata; translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori The Diving Pool: Three Novellas by Yoko Ogawa; translated by Stephen Snyder "The Cafeteria in the Evening and a Pool in the Rain by Yoko Ogawa; translated by Stephen Snyder: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/09/06/the-cafeteria-in-the-evening-and-a-pool-in-the-rain https://theodoraarmstrong.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/theodorafranc

  4. Jun 20

    Book Chat 35

    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 Staalduinen   Tara: The Collected Stories of Carol Shields by Carol Shields Beneficiary by JoAnn McCaig Night Terminus by Ellis Scott Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill Sorry, Not Sorry: An Unapologetic Look at What Make Canada Worth Fighting For by Mark Critch Everlasting; Starling House; The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow   Be sure to check out Rebecca (@canadareadsinspired) and Tara (@onabranchreads) on Instagram and YouTube (Canada Reads Inspired) for their inaugural Summer Reading Bingo Challenge, which ends on September 5, 2026.  A random winner will receive a $50 gift card to the Independent Bookstore of their choice.  The drawing is not affiliated with Instagram or YouTube.   If you have any comments or suggestions that you would like to share with Rebecca and Tara or you are interested in joining their monthly virtual book talk, please email them at craspod2019@gmail.com

  5. Jun 9

    2026 Summer Reading Bingo Challenge

    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) on Instagram or email them at  craspod2019@gmail.com with a screenshot or list of titles You may enter more than one Bingo line; one completed line equals one entry If you have already read a book on the card, you can count it towards your bingo At the end of the Challenge, they will draw the name of one winner and that person will receive a $50 gift card from the independent bookstore of their choice. The giveaway is not affiliated with YouTube or Instagram 2026 BINGO TITLES:  Small Ceremonies by Kyle Edwards – Indigenous fiction, 368 pages Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive by Alison Gadsby — short stories, 200 pages The Distance of a Shout by Michael Ondaatje – poetry, 240 pages Nowhere by Jon Claytor – graphic novel, 445 pages Doubles by Nora Gold – novella, 86 pages Lies I Told My Sister by Louise Ells – literary fiction, 268 pages Opposite Sully’s Gym by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson – mystery, 320 pages Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin – cozy mystery, 329 pages Lilac People by Milo Todd – LGBT historical fiction, 303 pages The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee — horror, 367 pages Finding Flora by Elinor Florence – historical fiction, 384 pages All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whittaker — crime fiction, 576 pages I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together by Maurice Vellekoop – graphic novel, 496 pages Vanished Beyond the Map by Adam Shoalts – non-fiction, 288 pages Legendary Frybread Drive-In by Indigenous authors – YA short stories, 352 pages Nosy Parker by Lesley Crewe – historical fiction, 264 pages Outsider by Brett Popplewell – non-fiction, 384 pages Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson — memoir, humour, 363 pages Palm Meridian by Grace Flahive – LGBT romance Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey — literary fiction,320 pages Pennies by Lora Senf – middle grade horror, 384 pages Chasing Summer by Frankie Scott – romance, 368 pages Suddenly Light by Nina Dunic – short stories, 240 pages Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo — literary fiction, 498 pages If you have any comments or suggestions that you would like to share with Rebecca and Tara or you are interested in joining their monthly virtual book talk, please email them at craspod2019@gmail.com

    2026 Summer Reading Bingo Challenge

  6. Jun 3

    Literary Rabbit Holes 2

    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 (@canadareadsinspired): Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms by Geoff Bennett Poets and Pahlevans: A Journey into the Heart of Iran Seldom Seen Road by John Degen https://www.kingorama.com/ https://www.glfc.org/sea-lamprey.php Tara (@onabranchreads): An Evening with Birdy O'Day Somebody is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys by Mariana Enriquez; translated by Megan McDowell https://nikidesaintphalle.org/nikis-sculptures-le-cimetiere-de-montparnasse/ https://ilgiardinodeitarocchi.it/en/about/materials-crew/ https://www.rottnestisland.com/learn/history/aboriginal-history If you have any comments or suggestions that you would like to share with Rebecca and Tara or you are interested in joining their monthly virtual book talk, please email them at craspod2019@gmail.com

  7. May 23

    Book Chat 34

    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 with Me by Brian Selznick Doubles by Nora Gold Class Lessons by Lucy Black Seldom Seen Road by John Degen Welcome to Sunny Town by Théodora Armstrong Tara: Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker Chrysalis by Anuja Varghese Cannon by Lee Lai Day of Epiphany by Jerome J Bourgault The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu A Little Feral by Maria Geisbrecht Wild Life by Amanda Leduc How to Be Okay When Nothing is Okay by Jenny Lawson Check out Rebecca and Tara on Instagram: @canadareadsinspired @onabranchreads If you have any comments or suggestions that you would like to share with Rebecca and Tara or you are interested in joining their monthly virtual book talk, please email them at craspod2019@gmail.com

  8. May 16

    Interview - Dr. Nora Gold and Doubles

    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 girl who is obsessed with math. Engagingly written and often funny, this novella explores how a sensitive young teenager changes over a six-month period from a polite, quiet “good girl” into a delinquent. Although set in the past, Doubles has direct relevance to today, with our recently heightened awareness of the harsh reality in some of our residential institutions during that era (including for Indigenous children, but not only)." Recommended: https://bookshop.org/lists/stunning-novellas Embers by Sándor Márai; Carol Brown Janeway (translator) https://www.noragold.com/ https://www.noragold.com/portfolio/jewish-fiction-com/ https://www.instagram.com/noragold1818/

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Two friends -- one American, one Canadian -- who share a love for CBC’s Canada Reads and Canadian literature! https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads

Information

  • Creator
    Canada Reads Inspired
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Canada Reads Inspired

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