• This writer's mystery illness defied diagnosis for months - here's what she learned from the uncertainty
    Mar 16 2026

    Gill Deacon is a writer, musician and a familiar voice on CBC. A few years ago she developed a debilitating illness that defied diagnosis for many months. In those long months of not knowing, she was forced to adjust to her relationship with uncertainty. Her new book is called A Love Affair with the Unknown: Leaning into the Uncertainty of Modern Life. She’ll talk about her journey, and recommend two similar titles. Plus, Karma Brown answers The Next Chapter’s version of the Proust Questionnaire.


    Books discussed on this week's show include:

    A Love Affair with the Unknown: Leaning into the Uncertainty of Modern Life

    Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May

    Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit

    Mother is Watching by Karma Brown


    Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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    28 mins
  • Why Elle-Maija Tailfeathers says A Minor Chorus is the story Canada needs to hear right now
    Mar 14 2026

    Filmmaker and actor Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and author Billy-Ray Belcourt are bringing rural Alberta authenticity to Canada Reads. Tailfeathers will be defending Belcourt’s novel A Minor Chorus. It follows a queer Indigenous doctoral student who steps away from his dissertation to write a novel, feeling caught between his childhood on the reservation, and the newest chapter of his life. They'll get into the upcoming debates, and why Tailfeathers believes this is the story Canada needs now more than ever.


    Books discussed on this week's show include:

    A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt

    The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

    I am Woman by Lee Maracle

    Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway

    In Search of April Raintree by Beatrice Mosionier


    Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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    27 mins
  • Inside the Toronto Sceptres’ team book club
    Mar 9 2026

    Toronto Sceptres players Claire Dalton and Raygan Kirk share a love of reading, so they decided to start a team book club. They join the show to discuss how the club works, balancing meetings with a busy PWHL schedule and what they're currently reading. Plus, writer and critic Jason Guriel on what makes the perfect book blurb and Canadian legend Fefe Dobson shares which book has been inspiring her lately.


    Books discussed on this week's show include:

    The Secret Lives of Murderer's Wives by Elizabeth Arnott

    God of the Woods by Liz Moore

    Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

    A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

    Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon

    Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs by Annie Leibovitz and Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney


    Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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    26 mins
  • Why Steve Dangle says this novel picked him for Canada Reads
    Mar 7 2026

    Hockey internet personality Steve "Dangle" Glynn says that Tyler Hellard's Searching for Terry Punchout picked him. The pair meets for the first time to discuss Tyler's book, which follows a lost sportswriter's journey home to reluctantly rekindle his relationship with his estranged father, a legendary retired NHL enforcer. They'll talk about Canada's relationship to the game, applesauce, and the invisible string that brought them together for Canada Reads.


    Books discussed on this week's show include:

    Searching for Terry Punchout by Tyler Hellard


    Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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    27 mins
  • What do fans of the novel Wuthering Heights make of the new adaptation?
    Mar 2 2026

    The new Wuthering Heights adaptation is stirring up a lot of opinions. It’s a story of burning passion and intensity against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors. Our columnist Mirian Njoh and romance reading expert joins the show to give us her opinion on its transition from page to screen. Plus, author and UNICEF ambassador Tara Moss talks about her latest book and recommends two companion reads.


    Books discussed on this week's show include:

    Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

    The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

    Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood

    The Italian Secret by Tara Moss


    Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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    28 mins
  • How Canada Reads is unleashing Morgann Book’s inner competitor
    Feb 28 2026

    The countdown has begun leading up to Canada Reads. The books have been picked, the panelists are strategizing and, every week, The Next Chapter will help you get to know the new author and panelist pairs. The first powerhouse team includes popular BookToker and podcaster Morgann Book, and debut romance author Joss Richard. Morgann will champion Joss’s book, It’s Different This Time. Plus, former Canada Reads author Samantha M. Bailey answers the Proust Questionnaire.


    Books discussed on this week's show include:

    It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard

    Hello, Juliet by Samantha M. Bailey


    Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks


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    27 mins
  • This Amazing Race winner’s latest challenge? Reading 50 books in a year
    Feb 23 2026

    Kim Holderness and her husband won over the internet making funny family videos. Now they have millions of followers, have written children's books together and won the Amazing Race. Last year, Kim set another goal for herself, to read 50 books by the time she turns 50. Plus, Ryan B. Patrick recommends two modern classics by Black Canadian writers and predicts a future classic.


    Books discussed on this week's show include:

    My Friends by Fredrik Backman

    Awake by Jen Hatmaker

    Super Agers by Eric Topol

    What We All Long For by Dionne Brand

    Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis

    You’ve Changed by Ian Williams

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    28 mins
  • Has hustle culture been lying to you?
    Feb 21 2026

    For many years Amil Niazi burned with professional ambition, she reached for it every day and was determined to find success. But even in moments of external success, she began to fall out of love with the corporate rat race. She began looking inward, and began to question if she would ever find fulfillment in the world of promotions and job titles. This is the journey she reflects on in her new book Life After Ambition. Plus, musician Sarah Kae shares what she’s been reading.


    Books discussed on this week's show include:

    How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell

    Daughter by Claudia Dey

    A Ballet of Lepers by Leonard Cohen

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    24 mins