I read Canadian because Canadian writers are among the best in the world. I also review Canadian authors almost exclusively. I once read a post where someone wrote that there were no good Canadian authors. That just set me on a mission to prove them wrong. Still, a Canadian author can’t make the New York Times best sellers list unless they have an ultra rich American publisher who decides to bankroll them. That’s just the way it is. Too often, we Canadians are relegated to the bottom of the pile. For these reasons and more, I read Canadian and love the books I read.
This is a list of books I’ve read in the past year written by Canadian authors. Most have appeared, or will appear, in the Ottawa Review of Books. This is my way of supporting my fellow writers, giving them well-deserved exposure, and sending gratitude out into this beautiful land I love.
I may not read as much next year as I have my own books to write. But if you’re looking for some great Canadian writing, check out this list:
Under an Outlaw Moon, Dietrich Kalteis (crime)
Elements of Indigenous Style, Greg Younging (a must-have writing guide)
The Last of the Gifted series, Marie Powell (YA Welsh historical fantasy)
Hunting by Stars, Cherie Dimaline (YA Indigenous sci-fi)
Blood Mark, JP McLean (supernatural thriller)
White Lightning, Melissa Yi (crime)
Bloody Relations, Don Gutteridge (historical fiction)
A Stranger in Town, Kelley Armstrong (crime)
Wild Not Broken. Sarah Kades (romance)
The Deepest of Secrets, Kelley Armstrong (crime)
The Corpse with the Turquoise Toes, Cathy Ace (cozy crime)
Obsidian, Thomas King (Indigenous crime)
Deep House, Thomas King (Indigenous crime)
The Mother of All Degrassi, Linda Schuyler (memoir)
Cambium Blue, Maureen Brownlee (fiction)
Fenian Street, Anne Emery (Irish historical crime)
Ghost Mark, JP McLean (supernatural thriller)
The Things I Came Here With. Chris MacDonald (memoir)
The Legend of Sarah, Leslie Gadallah (fantasy)
Wolf at the Door, Joel McKay (fantasy)
Murder at Haven’s Rock. Kelley Armstrong (crime)
A Rip Through Time. Kelley Armstrong (time-travel, Scottish historical, crime)
