Bumper crop of books Free Press literary editor picks noteworthy Canadian fiction and non-fiction titles to watch for this fall
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For many book lovers, summer means relaxing at the beach, in the backyard or at the cottage with fun, warm-weather page-turners — easy-going romance novels, gripping thrillers or even a dishy biography.
And some may long for the summer months to slow down, fall books season always offers up some of the most compelling reads for bookworms.
Here are 10 works of fiction and 10 non-fiction titles from Canadian authors slated to be published in the coming months — from Olympians to separatists, draft dodgers, plutocrats, prime ministers, bird-men and beyond, the characters in these forthcoming titles run the gamut.
FICTION
Eliza Sunshine
By Michelle Good (Random House of Canada, Aug. 18)
The new novel by the author of Five Little Indians follows three generations of Cree women from one family, the stories passed down between them and their notions of identity.
Your Breath in Charcoal
By Nicholas Herring (Goose Lane Editions, Sept. 1)
The follow-up novel to the Prince Edward Island’s award-winning Some Hellish tells the story of a pair of Maritimers in the 1990s who make the sudden decision to try and make a go of it in Toronto.
The Living Realm
By Jordan Tannahill (HarperCollins, Sept. 8)
In his new novel, the Ottawa-born, London-based author of The Listeners tells the story of a British archaeologist based in Berlin who starts seeing past dead lovers in a mysterious forest on the city’s outskirts.
The Cartel and Other Cover Stories
By Wayne Grady (Freehand Books, Sept. 8)
The Kingston author of Emancipation Day’s first collection of short fiction brings “covers” of classic short stories by authors such as Franz Kafka, Lydia Davis and Anton Chekhov.
Exit Party
By Emily St. John Mandel (HarperCollins, Sept. 15)
The Station Eleven author’s latest novel is set in the near future, where a party in L.A. sees its host vanish after a portal between parallel-ish worlds and doppelgangers comes to be opened.
Emily St. John Mandel will be at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. to launch Exit Party.
Dodge City
By Patrick deWitt (Anansi, Sept. 29)
In his new novel, the B.C.-born author of French Exit and The Librarianist follows a young man in 1967 on the run from the draft in the U.S., and his drug-fuelled exploits en route to Canada.
Patrick deWitt will be at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. to launch Dodge City.
The Apparition
By M.G. Vassanji (Doubleday Canada, Sept. 29)
The two-time Giller Prize winner sets his latest novel in tumultuous 13th-century Delhi, where an unknown luminous presence appears in the sky before a race of half men and half birds descend on the city and take over.
Republic of Glass
By Catherine Leroux, translated by Katia Grubisic (Scribner Canada, Sept. 29)
Leroux, whose book The Future won Canada Reads, sets her latest in near-future Montreal, where housing is scarce and where people begin disappearing from encampments.
A New Kind of Clean
By Iain Reid and Ellie Foumbi (Scribner Canada, Oct. 6)
The author of I’m Thinking of Ending Things teams up with Foumbi, the Our Father, the Devil filmmaker, for the story of an aspiring actor who auditions for a commercial whose audition stretches on and things take a turn for the surreal.
Solace in Winter
By Mary Lawson (Knopf Canada, Nov. 3)
The Sarnia-born, England-based author of A Town Called Solace returns to the Ontario town, this time in 1969 as a widower encounters a draft dodger and more before his daughter returns and things go sideways.
Mary Lawson will be at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. to launch Solace in Winter.
NON-FICTION
Truth Before Reconciliation: Confronting Residential School Denialism
By Sean Carleton and Niigaan Sinclair (University of Manitoba Press, Sept. 9)
Carleton and Sinclair and a range of others examine the phenomenon of residential school denialism, the evidence they ignore and the harms that result.
Sean Carleton and Niigaan Sinclair will be at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. to launch Truth Before Reconciliation.
End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World
By Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor (Knopf Canada, Sept. 15)
Klein (No Logo) and the Winnipeg-born Taylor (The Age of Insecurity) team up for an examination of far-right personalities and groups, how they share the common fear of some type of coming cataclysmic event, and how to push back against these types.
Why Not You: My Story of Perseverance, Hockey, and Olympic Gold
By Jennifer Botterill with Kristina Rutherford (Penguin Canada, Sept. 22)
Born in Ottawa but raised in Winnipeg, the three-time Olympic gold medalist chronicles her Hockey Hall of Fame career, shifting her mindset and her transition to the Hockey Night in Canada set as a panelist.
Jennifer Botterill will be at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. to launch Why Not You.
The Inbetween Leader: Cultivating Courage and Unity in a Complex World
By Jody Wilson-Raybould and Roshan Danesh (Greystone Books, Sept. 29)
The former attorney general of Canada teams up with Danesh, a Nanaimo lawyer, to detail how leaders can draw upon Indigenous governance traditions to create welcoming environments where people feel valued.
Jody Wilson-Raybould and Roshan Danesh will be at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. to launch The Inbetween Leader.
On Treason: Alberta Separatism, Foreign Influence, and Canada’s Survival in a Revolutionary Age
By Patrick Lennox (Biblioasis, Sept. 29)
Part of Biblioasis’ Field Notes series, Lennox’s brief book examines the separatist movement in Alberta, and how foreign actors have been perpetuating the disinformation campaign leading up to the referendum coming in the province this fall.
Unreliable Boyfriend: An Insider’s View of Dealing with a Chaotic Superpower, Plutocrats, and Other Complicated People
By Chrystia Freeland (Simon & Schuster, Oct. 13)
A former journalist and deputy prime minister of Canada, Freeland reveals how deals in a liberal democracy are made, and how democracies must build new alliances to stave off the new wave of oligarchs.
Learning to Breathe: A Memoir
By Clara Hughes (Simon & Schuster, Oct. 13)
Winner of Olympic medals at both the summer and winter games, the Winnipeg-born Hughes details her post-sport life, including injuries, subsequent depression and moving forward with psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Clara Hughes will be at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. to launch Learning to Breathe.
True Patriot Love: Reporting from the Frontlines of Canadian Sovereignty
By Carol Off (Random House of Canada, Oct. 13)
The former host of CBC’s As It Happens follows up her book At a Loss for Words with a look at Canada’s place in the world, her love of this country and how it can be a beacon of hope for other nations.
Carol Off will be at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. to launch True Patriot Love.
Gushue: The Making of a Champion
By Brad Gushue with Stephen Brunt (Penguin Canada, Nov. 3)
The beloved, recently retired Olympic gold-medal winning Newfoundland curler reflects on the challenges of life as a competitive curler (including roster changes) and the future of the sport.
Brad Gushue will be at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. to launch Gushue.
Here for Canada: Memoirs of the 22nd Prime Minister
By Stephen J. Harper (McClelland & Stewart, Nov. 3)
Canada’s prime minister from 2006 to 2015 delivers a 600-plus-page tome on his time in office, his party’s accomplishments, navigating the 2008 financial crisis and more.
ben.sigurdson@winnipegfreepress.com
Ben Sigurdson
Literary editor, drinks writer
Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.
In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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