70 Canadian fiction books to read in spring 2025
Check out these Canadian novels and short story collections coming out in spring 2025.
And if you write nonfiction, the CBC Nonfiction Prize is accepting submissions until March 1, 2025.
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight
In The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, Pen arrives at the University of Edinburgh, set on uncovering what her divorced parents in Canada have hid from her. Not only does she start to uncover the truth about them during a weekend visit to a famous writer, an old friend of her father's, Pen also experiences the many pangs of adulthood for the first time — including falling in love.
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is out now.
Emma Knight is an author, journalist and entrepreneur based in Toronto. Her work has appeared in Literary Hub, Vogue, The Globe and Mail, The Walrus and The New York Times. She co-hosted and created the podcast Fanfare and co-founded the organic beverage company Greenhouse. She is the author of cookbooks How to Eat with One Hand and The Greenhouse Cookbook.
A Different Hurricane by H. Nigel Thomas
In A Different Hurricane, teenage best friends Gordon and Allen are in love with each other, but they're forced apart by the fear of how their community with traditional views will react. After returning home from studying abroad, they must do all they can to hide their relationship when Gordon's wife exposes his affair, putting their lives in danger.
A Different Hurricane is out now.
H. Nigel Thomas is a Vincentian Canadian writer. He is the author of 13 books that span the genres of fiction, poetry and literary criticism. He has won many awards, including the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize in 2022, the Jackie Robinson Professional of the Year Award and the Black Theatre Workshop's Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award. He currently lives in Montreal.
We Are Dreams in the Eternal Machine by Deni Béchard
Initially programmed to never harm humans, an experimental AI machine in the novel We Are Dreams in the Eternal Machine decides to take a different turn of its own accord. It thinks that the best way to fulfill its mission is to isolate and immerse the Earth's remaining population in imagined worlds where all their desires are fulfilled. Under the machine's mandate, a group of characters is forced to confront the traumatic memories of their past.
We Are Dreams in the Eternal Machine is out now.
Deni Ellis Béchard is a Canadian American journalist and the author of nine books. His novels include Vandal Love, which won the Commonwealth Writers Prize, and Into the Sun, which won the Midwest Book Award for literary fiction. He has also received the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for best first book and the Nautilus Book Award for Investigative Journalism. His work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Paris Review and Foreign Policy.
We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin
In We Could Be Rats, Margit has always found it difficult to understand her sister Sigrid, who rejected the conventional path of life, never graduating high school, and preferring instead, to roam the streets with her best friend Greta. When Margit, for the first time, tries to connect with her sister, she uncovers the heartwrenching reasons behind her sister's choices.
We Could Be Rats is out now.
Emily Austin is a writer based in Ottawa who studied English literature and library science at Western University. She is also the author of the novels Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts About Space, and the poetry collection Gay Girl Prayers.
Good Victory by Mikka Jacobsen
From a woman reconnecting with a childhood friend at a psychic fair, to a neuropsychology student stealing cocaine from his lab rat to impress a date, Good Victory is a collection of short stories about the strange and absurd aspects of growing up, and being human, in the 21st century.
Good Victory is out now.
Mikka Jacobsen is a writer of fiction and non-fiction from Calgary. Her work has appeared in Joyland, The Fiddlehead and Prairie Fire, among others. She is also the author of Modern Fable, a collection of essays. Good Victory is her first collection of stories.
We, the Kindling by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek
In We, the Kindling, three women who, as children, survived the horrors of war in Uganda continue to experience the trauma of their past, even when they've started families of their own.
We, the Kindling is out now.
Otoniya J. Okot Bitek, a poet, fiction writer and scholar born in Kenya to Ugandan parents, currently lives in Kingston, Ont. Her first collection of poetry, 100 Days, won the 2017 IndieFab Book of the Year Award for poetry and the 2017 Glenna Lushei Prize for African Poetry. Her second poetry collection, A is for Acholi, won the 2023 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. She was also longlisted for the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize. We, the Kindling is her debut novel.
Spiral by Bal Khabra
Two different worlds collide in Spiral, when Elias Westbrook, a famous hockey player always in the spotlight, agrees to fake date Sage Beaumont, an aspiring, less assuming ballerina hoping to join the Aurora Ballet Theatre. As they spend more time together, the two opposites begin to realize that their feelings for each other are more than just for show.
Spiral is out now.
Bal Khabra is a Vancouver-based writer. Her debut novel is Collide.
The Riveter by Jack Wang
The Riveter follows a Chinese Canadian man named Josiah Chang who pursues a cross-cultural romance with a singer named Poppy. When he is given the chance to fight abroad in Europe during World War II, their passionate relationship is what keeps Josiah determined to survive the battlefields and make it back home.
The Riveter is out now.
Jack Wang is a N.Y.-based writer and professor originally from Vancouver. He teaches in the department of writing at Ithaca College and his writing has appeared in Joyland Magazine, The New Quarterly and Fiddlehead, among others. Wang's debut short story collection, We Two Alone was longlisted for Canada Reads 2022, shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize and won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award.
Cold as Hell by Kelley Armstrong
In the novel Cold as Hell, an isolated town in Yukon is where a pregnant detective and her spouse decide to set roots and start a family. But her investigation into a mystery happening in a nearby forest threatens to turn deadly for all involved. When a frozen body is found in the midst of a snowstorm, it soon becomes hard to know where to turn or who to trust.
When you can read it: Feb. 25, 2025.
Kelley Armstrong is the New York Times bestselling author of the Darkest Powers, Darkness Rising and Age of Legends trilogies for teens. She is also the author of numerous thriller and fantasy series for adults, three YA thrillers and the Royal Guide to Monster Slaying series.
The Charlie Method by Elle Kennedy
In The Charlie Method, senior Charlotte Kingston is living her best life as the perfect sorority girl and a risk-taking daredevil looking for fun. Charlie's active love life gets complicated when she gets involved with two gorgeous hockey players. Things get steamy but Charlie is ultimately forced to make a fateful choice in love and life.
When you can read it: Feb. 25, 2025.
Elle Kennedy is a writer from Toronto. She is also the author of the novel Good Girl Complex, as well as the Killer Instincts series and the Off-Campus series.
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
In Deep Cuts, aspiring musician Percy Marks meets songwriter Joe Morrow at a bar, leading to a partnership that lasts for years. Their relationship, though passionate, also brings ego-crushing challenges, leaving Percy to wonder if Joe is worth holding onto.
When you can read it: Feb. 25, 2025.
Holly Brickley, a writer originally from Hope, B.C., currently lives in Portland, Ore. She studied English at UC Berkeley and holds an MFA in fiction from Columbia University. Deep Cuts is her debut novel.
Picks and Shovels by Cory Doctorow
In Picks and Shovels, San Francisco-based Martin Hench is an MIT dropout who picks up odd jobs in a world where a revolutionary new technology promises to change everything about crime forever.
When Marty gets a gig investigating a group of disgruntled ex-employees who've founded a competitor startup, he quickly realizes he might be on the wrong side of things. Martin's life might be in danger and he has to quickly solve a corporate mystery.
When you can read it: Feb. 25, 2025.
Cory Doctorow is a Toronto-born author, activist and journalist living in Los Angeles. His work, spanning non-fiction, fiction, and adult, YA and childhood audiences, has seen him inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame and earned him the Sir Arthur Clarke Imagination in Service to Society Award for lifetime achievement. His book Radicalized was a 2020 Canada Reads contender, defended by Akil Augustine
As Good a Place as Any by Rebecca Papucaru
In the novel As Good a Place as Any, Paulina and her brother Ernesto flee Chile's violent 1973 coup and seek refuge in Toronto. Paulina is on her way to achieving her dreams of becoming a star when she lands a big role, but when she participates in an underground abortion-rights movement, she's forced to choose between her personal ambitions and her newfound purpose.
When you can read it: March 1, 2025.
Rebecca Papucaru is a Montreal-based writer. Her poetry collection The Panic Room won the 2018 Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Poetry, was a finalist for the A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry and longlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. Her work has appeared in the Grain, The Dalhousie Review and The New Quarterly, among others. Her novella Yentas won The Malahat Review's 2020 Novella Prize. As Good a Place as Any is her debut novel.
Remaindered People & Other Stories by Pratap Reddy
In Pratap Reddy's second short story collection Remaindered People & Other Stories, he sheds light on an often overlooked side of immigration: the parents who stay behind in their home country while their children move abroad. The stories explore the difficult choices these parents face, such as whether they should join their children in their new country or wait for them to return.
When you can read it: March 1, 2025.
Reddy works as an underwriter by day and a writer by night, focusing on both the joys and struggles of newly arrived immigrants. His previous works include the novel Ramya's Treasure and the short story collection Weather Permitting & Other Stories. He lives in Mississauga, Ont.
The Immortal Woman by Su Chang
In the novel The Immortal Woman, Lemei's daughter, Lin, struggles with distancing herself from her Chinese heritage while studying in America. At the same time, she is taken aback by her mother's increasing nationalism toward China — this shift is especially surprising considering her mother had once been a student Red Guard leader who had witnessed the atrocities of the Tiananmen Square protests.
When you can read it: March 4, 2025.
Su Chang is a Chinese Canadian writer born and raised in Shanghai. The Immortal Woman is her debut novel. Her writing has been recognized in numerous contests, including Prairie Fire's Short Fiction Contest, the Master Review's Novel Excerpt Contest and the Canadian Authors Association Toronto National Writing Contest, among others.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
In The River Has Roots, a mysterious family known as the Hawthorns live in an enchanted world. The family care for enchanted willows and honour an ancient and magical compact. But when a daughter of the family decides to seek her own path to find love and happiness, the fate of the entire world just might be at risk.
When you can read it: March 4, 2025.
Amal El-Mohtar is a Ottawa-based author, editor and critic. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, NPR Books, among others. El-Mohtar's short stories Seasons of Glass and Iron won Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards. Her novella This Is How You Lose the Time War co-written with Max Gladstone has been translated into over ten languages.
The King's Messenger by Susanna Kearsley
The King's Messenger is a sweeping historical story set in 1613, when the eldest son of King James dies under suspicious circumstances, with rumors of poisoning. Andrew Logan, one of the king's messengers, is tasked with capturing Sir David Moray, the main suspect. However, Andrew has a secret — he has the ability to see things others cannot, and if it's revealed, it could cost him his life.
When you can read it: March 4, 2025.
Susanna Kearsley is an Ontario novelist of historical fiction and mystery, as well as bestselling thrillers under the pen name Emma Cole. Her previous works include Bellewether, Deadly Hours, The Vanished Days and The Firebird.
RIP Scoot by Sara Flemington
In RIP Scoot, 20-something Austin is stuck in a rough place, living alone in a rundown apartment, struggling with financial and family issues, self-imposed isolation and a lack of direction. After a sickly cat shows up at his door and dies shortly after, Austin processes his grief and begins to question if he's happy with his current state.
When you can read it: March 11, 2025.
Sara Flemington is a Toronto-based writer. Her work has been featured in a variety of publications, including the Feathertale Review, Painted Bride Quarterly, Eclectica and subTerrain. She is the author of the novel Egg Island.
Wild Life by Amanda Leduc
In Wild Life, Josiah encounters two talking hyenas who've been able to speak to humans for decades. He is captivated, believing that their ability to speak is part of a divine plan to heal humanity.
When you can read it: March 11, 2025.
Amanda Leduc is the communications and development coordinator for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) in Hamilton, Ont. She is also the author of the novels The Miracles of Ordinary Men and The Centaur's Wife, and the nonfiction book Disfigured. She was longlisted for the 2019 CBC Short Story Prize.
Flesh by David Szalay
In Flesh, 15-year-old István has a relationship with a married woman, causing his life to spiral out of control. As he grows older, he continues to live a life of recklessness, achieving all his desires for a time — until they threaten to undo him completely.
When you can read it: March 11, 2025.
David Szalay was born in Montreal, but grew up in London and now lives in Vienna. Some of Szalay's other titles include the novel London and the South-East, which won the Betty Trask Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, and All That Man Is, which was shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize and won the 2016 Gordon Burn Prize. He received the Edge Hill Short Story Prize and the Reader's Choice Award in October 2019.
The Bigamist by Felicia Mihali, translated by Linda Leith
In The Bigamist, a woman faces the challenges of moving to a new city while wrestling with her emotions of love and loyalty — caught between her husband and her lover. The tension builds as she faces the risk of upsetting everyone she knows if she decides to leave her husband.
When you can read it: March 15, 2025.
Felicia Mihali is a writer, translator and publisher from Montreal. She is the founder and president of Montreal publishing house Éditions Hashtag. Her debut novel, Le pays du fromage (A Ramshackle Home) was published in 2002, followed by six more French-language books. In 2012, she published her first English novel, The Darling of Kandahar.
Linda Leith is a Montreal-based translator, writer and publisher.
Dead Writers by Jean Marc Ah-Sen, Michael LaPointe, Cassidy McFadzean, Nabem Ruthnum
From a lovelorn journalist entering a diabolical pact to a tourist attempting to stay sober, Dead Writers is a collection of short stories exploring what the ever-changing concept of "bargain" means, and the heavy price that comes with corrupting your soul.
When you can read it: March 18, 2025.
Jean Marc Ah-Sen is a Toronto-based writer of Mauritian descent. His books include Grand Menteur, In the Beggarly Style of Imitation and Kilworthy Tanner. His writing has appeared in Literary Hub, Catapult, The Comics Journal, Maclean's, Hazlitt, the Globe and Mail, The Walrus and The Toronto Star.
Michael LaPointe is a writer and critic from Toronto. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times and the Times Literary Supplement. He is also the author of the thriller The Creep.
Regina-raised Cassidy McFadzean is a past finalist for the CBC Poetry Prize and The Walrus Poetry Prize. Her previous works include the poetry books Drolleries, Crying Dress and Hacker Packer, which won two Saskatchewan Book Awards. She also wrote a crown of sonnets called Third State of Being. She currently lives in Toronto.
Naben Ruthnum is a Toronto journalist and writer. His 2017 book Curry is an engaging and insightful long-form essay that connects the dots between the popular dish and how it functions as shorthand for brown identity in representing the food, culture and social perception of the South Asian diaspora. Under the pseudonym of Nathan Ripley, he is also the author of Find You in the Dark, which was an Arthur Ellis Awards finalist for best first novel. Your Life Is Mine, his second thriller using the pseudonym, was published in 2019.
Dirty Little War by Dietrich Kalteis
At the start of prohibition in Dirty Little War, Huckabee Waller flees to Chicago from his hometown of New Orleans after being inadvertently involved in the death of a gangster. While he hoped to turn his life around in the new city, he finds himself drawn only deeper into boozy crime and corruption.
When you can read it: March 18, 2025.
Dietrich Kalteis is the author of 12 novels, including Under an Outlaw Moon which won the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Best Crime Novel. He lives in Vancouver.
This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead
In This Book Will Bury Me, Jane Sharp, an amateur sleuth, is determined to crack the case of the Delphine Massacres, involving the murders of three college girls — unaware of the chilling truth that awaits her — a truth she alone will have to bear.
When you can read it: March 25, 2025.
Ashley Winstead is an academic and author. She holds a PhD in contemporary American literature and lives in Houston with her husband and three cats.
Devouring Tomorrow, edited by Jeff Dupuis and A.G. Pasquella
From climate change to the declining population of bees, Devouring Tomorrow is a collection of short stories that imagines how the current social, environmental and political issues of our time will affect not only how much food we eat, but what we eat and how we eat it.
When you can read it: March 25, 2025.
Jeff Dupuis is the Toronto-based author of the Creature X Mystery series.
A.G. Pasquella is an American Canadian writer based in Toronto. He is the author of the Jack Palace series, which includes the novels Yard Dog, Carve The Heart and Season of Smoke. His writing has appeared in McSweeney's, Wholphin, The Believer, Black Book, Broken Pencil and Utne Reader.
The Last Exile by Sam Wiebe
In The Last Exile, private investigator Dave Wakeland returns to the streets of Vancouver to solve his most dangerous case yet. Maggie Zito, a single mother, stands accused of killing the retired leader of the notorious Exiles motorcycle gang and his wife. Wakeland digs into the case, facing off against the gang, and their bloodthirsty leader to figure out why Maggie was framed.
When you can read it: March 25, 2025.
Sam Wiebe is the award-winning author of the Wakeland detective series, including Invisible Dead, Cut You Down, Hell and Gone and Sunset and Jericho. His debut novel, Last of the Independents, won the Arthur Ellis Award for best unpublished first novel and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. His work has been shortlisted for the Edgar Awards, Hammett Prize, Shamus Awards and City of Vancouver Book Awards, and has won the Crime Writers of Canada Award and a silver medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards. He lives in New Westminster, B.C.
Nobody Asked for This by Georgia Toews
In Nobody Asked for This, 23-year-old Virginia juggles the challenges of grief, supporting her depressed friend, and caring for her bereaved stepdad, all while dreaming of a successful comedy career. But when her stepdad decides to sell the family home and a date goes horribly wrong, she faces experiences so painstaking, that even coping with humour doesn't help.
When you can read it: March 25, 2025.
Georgia Toews is a Toronto-based film, television and fiction writer. Toews' previous work includes her debut novel Hey, Good Luck Out There.
A Mouth Full of Salt by Reem Gaafar
In A Mouth Full of Salt, the lives of Sudan's men, women and children reveal a country on the edge of seismic change, as women challenge and reshape cultural traditions. In a small farming village in North Sudan, the tragic drowning of a young boy sets off a series of mysterious events: animals fall ill, date gardens burn and rumours of a sorceress spread. 16-year-old Fatima longs to escape her village for the capital, while a single mother in the city battles a patriarchal society, only to be forced to return to the village as civil war intensifies.
When you can read it: April 1, 2025.
Reem Gaafar is a writer, physician and filmmaker. Her work has appeared in African Arguments, African Feminism, Teakisi Magazine, Andariya and 500 Words Magazine, Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices, among others. Her short story Light of the Desert, published in I Know Two Sudans, won an Honourable Mention. A Mouth Full of Salt is her debut novel and won the 2023 Island Prize.
Finding Flora by Elinor Florence
In Finding Flora, Scottish newcomer to Canada, Flora, escapes her abusive husband to the Alberta prairie, determined to rebuild her life. But when a hostile government threatens their land and her violent husband is on the hunt for her, Flora forms a bond with her neighbours — a Welsh widow with three children, two American women raising chickens, and a Métis woman training wild horses. United, the women come together to face their challenges.
When you can read it: April 1, 2025.
Elinor Florence is an author, journalist and member of the Métis Nation of B.C. Her debut novel was Bird's Eye View, and her second novel, Wildwood, was one of Kobo's Hundred Most Popular Canadian Books of All Time. Florence holds degrees in English and journalism. She grew up in Saskatchewan and currently lives in Invermere, B.C.
Small Ceremonies by Kyle Edwards
In the city of Winnipeg, two Indigenous boys are on the cusp of adulthood, imagining a future filled with possibility and greatness. In Small Ceremonies, their stories are intertwined with others in the community, who are also searching for purpose, all of which ultimately leads to one fateful and tragic night.
When you can read it: April 1, 2025.
Kyle Edwards is an award-winning Anishinaabe journalist and writer from the Lake Manitoba First Nation and a member of the Ebb and Flow First Nation. His work has appeared in the BBC News World, CBC, Maclean's, Native News Online and the Toronto Star.
He has won two National Magazine Awards in Canada, and he was recognized as an Emerging Indigenous Journalist by the Canadian Association of Journalists. A graduate of Ryerson University, he is currently a Provost Fellow at the University of Southern California, where he is pursuing a PhD in creative writing and literature.
She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock
Jessamyn St. Germain is convinced that she's destined to be a big star. While others might see her dreams as delusional, She's a Lamb! follows Jessamyn's relentless quest — revealing the oppressive weight of patriarchy and the depths she will sink to, for a chance to make her dreams a reality.
When you can read it: April 8, 2025.
Meredith Hambrock is a novelist and television writer from Saskatoon. Her story You Should Go Over There was longlisted for the 2016 CBC Short Story Prize. She is also the author of the novel Other People's Secrets.
I Want to Die in My Boots by Natalie Appleton
I Want to Die in My Boots is a captivating, untold portrait of Belle Jane, a larger than life woman who led a gang of cattle thieves in Saskatchewan in the 1920s — defying social conventions and living a life full of rebellion.
When you can read it: April 8, 2025.
Natalie Appleton is a writer from Okanagan, B.C. Her previous work includes the travel memoir I Have Something to Tell You, which evolved from an essay written for the New York Times' Modern Love column. Appleton has won the Prairie Fire's Banff Centre Bliss Carman Poetry Award and Room Magazine's Creative Nonfiction Contest. She studied journalism at the University of Regina and creative writing at City University London. She was on the long list for the 2016 CBC Nonfiction Prize for her story Fourth Son of Fourth Wife.
Lake Burntshore by Aaron Kreuter
In Lake Burntshore, camp counselor Ruby's idyllic summer is disrupted when the camp owner's son hires Israeli soldiers to fill staffing gaps. Ruby, a committed anti-Zionist, must decide if she's willing to risk her job to confront him over issues of Jewish belonging and settler colonialism, even as she falls for one of the soldiers, Etai. As tensions rise, Ruby must navigate her growing feelings for Etai while also grappling with the camp's impact on its relationship with the nearby Black Spruce First Nation.
When you can read it: April 22, 2025.
Aaron Kreuter is a Toronto-based author of five books. His short story collection You and Me, Belonging won The Miramichi Reader's 2019 "The Very Best Of!" award for short fiction, and was shortlisted for a Vine Award for Jewish Literature in the fiction category. Kreuter's previous works also include the poetry collections Arguments for Lawn Chairs and Shifting Baseline Syndrome, which was a finalist for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for poetry.
Skin by Catherine Bush
Skin is a collection of stories that delves into how acts of intimacy can take on strange and perplexing forms in a world shaped by climate change, ecological disasters and the tumult of viruses. From a man who falls in love with the wind to a woman fixated on washing strangers' feet, the stories explore the unexpected ways human connection is affected by a transforming world.
When you can read it: April 22, 2025.
Catherine Bush is the Toronto-based bestselling author of five novels. Her previous works include the Trillium Book Award finalist Claire's Head and New York Times Notable Book The Rules of Engagement. Her latest novel Blaze Island was a Globe and Mail and Writers' Trust of Canada Best Book of the Year and a 2021 Hamilton Reads Selection. Bush is an associate professor at the University of Guelph's Creative Writing MFA program.
Everything Is Fine Here by Iryn Tushabe
In Everything Is Fine Here, a younger sister navigates the challenges of family and societal pressures while offering love and support to her older sister, who is gay, in a country with strict anti-homosexuality laws.
When you can read it: April 22, 2025.
Iryn Tushabe is a Ugandan Canadian writer and journalist based in Regina. Her writing has appeared in Briarpatch Magazine, Adda, Grain Magazine, The Walrus and CBC Saskatchewan, among others. She won the City of Regina writing award in both 2020 and 2024, and was a finalist for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2021. In 2023, she won the Writers' Trust McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize. Tushabe was longlisted for the CBC Nonfiction Prize in 2016.
The Hypebeast by Adnan Khan
In The Hypebeast, Hamid Shaikh is a small-time crook, dabbling in everything from telemarketing scams to tax frauds, all while dreaming of making it big. When his girlfriend vanishes, he finds himself entangled in a much more sinister scheme than he's ever known, forcing him to confront how far he's willing to go before he loses himself completely.
When you can read it: April 22, 2025.
Adnan Khan is a journalist, author and screenwriter. He was the recipient of the 2016 RBC Taylor Prize for Emerging Writer and his debut novel, There Has to Be a Knife, was included in CBC Book's list of the best Canadian fiction of 2019. He was also named one of CBC Books' writers to watch in 2020. His first feature film, Shook, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024.
Where the Jasmine Blooms by Zeina Sleiman
In Where the Jasmine Blooms, Yasmine returns to Lebanon to escape a messy divorce and reconnect with her cultural roots, having been raised in Toronto. During her visit, she reunites with an old lover and uncovers long-hidden political secrets within her family, all while grappling with the effects of grief, displacement and war.
When you can read it: April 22, 2025.
Zeina Sleiman is an Edmonton-based Palestinian Canadian writer and educator. With over a decade of experience in post-secondary education, she has contributed to research focused on creating barrier-free communities. Sleiman, a former mentee in the Writers' Union of Canada's BIPOC Connect Program, was awarded the 2024 Silk Road Creative Arts Grant. Where the Jasmine Blooms is her debut novel.
I Remember Lights by Ben Ladouceur
A young gay man finds romance in the novel I Remember Lights, when he goes to Montreal during the spectacular celebrations of Expo '67. However, he is struck with the harsh dilemma that many like him must confront — the choice between happiness and safety — when the 1977 police raid on the Truxx gay bar shakes his world.
When you can read it: April 24, 2025.
Ben Ladouceur is an award-winning poet from Ottawa. His first collection Otter, an exploration and celebration of friendship, love and queerness, won the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award for best debut collection. Ladouceur's book Mad Long Emotion won the Archibald Lampman Award. In 2018, Ladouceur received the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ emerging writers. CBC Books named Ladouceur a writer to watch in 2019.
The World So Wide by Zilla Jones
The World So Wide tells the story of Felicity Alexander, a mixed-race opera star, who spends her life chasing love and validation. It is a story of betrayal, revolution — set within the context of the United States invasion of Grenada — and the healing power of music.
When you can read it: April 26, 2025.
Jones is an author based in Winnipeg. She's won many literary awards including the Journey Prize, the Malahat Review Open Season Award, the Jacob Zilber Prize for Short Fiction and the FreeFall short fiction award.
Jones made the 2020 CBC Short Story Prize long list for Our Father and has longlisted twice for her story How to Make a Friend, in 2022 and 2023; in 2024, Jones was included on the CBC Short Story Prize shortlist. The same year, Jones made the long list for the CBC Nonfiction Prize. She was also named a writer to watch by CBC Books in 2024.
The Tiger and the Cosmonaut by Eddy Boudel Tan
Having built a new life in Vancouver with his boyfriend, Casper Han rarely returns to his hometown, a small remote town in B.C., in The Tiger and the Cosmonaut. But when a crisis forces him and his siblings to reunite, they are compelled to confront a long-avoided tragedy — the mysterious disappearance of his twin brother more than 20 years ago.
When you can read it: April 29, 2025.
Eddy Boudel Tan is a writer based in Vancouver, where he co-founded the Sidewalk Supper Project. His previous works include the novels After Elias and The Rebellious Tide. Tan has been a finalist for the Edmund White Award, the ReLit Best Novel Award and the Ferro-Grumley Award and was named a Rising Star by Writers' Trust of Canada in 2021. His work has appeared in Joyland and Yolk, among others.
The Cost of a Hostage by Iona Whishaw
In the Cost of a Hostage, Lane's quiet August morning is jolted when two shocking cases unfold — she receives news that her brother-in-law, Bob, is missing in Mexico, while her husband, Inspector Darling, is confronted by a frantic mother reporting her son's kidnapping. While the couple searches for Bob, the kidnapper and child are found, making it seem like the case is solved — until another body is discovered.
When you can read it: April 29, 2025.
Iona Whishaw is a Vancouver-based author and former teacher and social worker. She has published works of short fiction, poetry, the children's book Henry and the Cow Problem and the Lane Winslow Mystery series.
Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang
In Julie Chan is Dead, Julie Chan and her identical twin sister Chloe VanHuusen are polar opposites and barely communicate after being separated at a young age. But when Chloe, a popular influencer, mysteriously dies, Julie steps in to take her place and is thrust into a glamorous world with millions of followers. However, she quickly learns that Chloe's seemingly flawless life was far from it, and as she uncovers the sinister cause behind her death, it casts Julie as the next target.
When you can read it: April 29, 2025.
Liann Zhang is a second-generation Chinese Canadian writer who was a former skincare content creator. She holds a psychology and criminology degree from the University of Toronto and splits her time between Vancouver and Toronto. Julie Chan is Dead is Zhang's debut novel.
Ley Lines by Tim Welsh
Set in a mythical boom town during the Klondike Gold Rush, Ley Lines follows a ragtag group of characters who are grappling with the demise of their town when the unlucky prospector Steve Ladle triggers a chain of events that brings about its ruin. As they navigate their upended world, they reckon with the personal, historical and supernatural forces that have shaped their fate.
When you can read it: May 1, 2025.
Tim Welsh is a Toronto-based author who was born in New York and grew up in Ottawa. Ley Lines is his debut novel. He holds an MA in English language and literature from Carleton University.
The Fun Times Brigade by Lindsay Zier-Vogel
In The Fun Times Brigade, Amy struggles to understand her sense of identity as she steps into the role of a mother, after spending years pursuing and enjoying a busy career as a successful children's musician. When Amy faces a devastating loss, it highlights the fragility of artistic success and the complexity that comes with defining our identity.
When you can read it: May 1, 2025.
Lindsay Zier-Vogel is a Toronto-based author and the creator of the Love Lettering Project. She holds a MA in creative writing from the University of Toronto. Her first picture book, Dear Street, was selected as a Junior Library Guild pick, named a Canadian Children's Book Centre Book of the Year and nominated for the 2024 Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award. She is also the author of the novel Letters to Amelia.
The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs
In the darkly funny novel The Retirement Plan, three middle-aged wives secretly plot to secure their dream retirement by cashing in on their husbands' life insurance policies. The catch? Their husbands are still alive. While the wives hire a hitman to make their plans come true, they're unaware that their husbands have also hatched their own scheme.
When you can read it: May 6, 2025.
Sue Hincenbergs is a former television producer who has worked on multiple award-winning programs. The Retirement Plan is her debut novel. She lives in Toronto.
The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien
In The Book of Records, Lina grows up in "The Sea," a building that serves as a home for migrants from all over the world, while caring for her sick father. She forms friendships with her fascinating neighbours, including a Jewish scholar exiled for his radical views and a poet from the Tang Dynasty, whose stories captivate her. However, her seemingly perfect life takes a startling turn when her father reveals the true reason they came to live at "The Sea."
When you can read it: May 6, 2025.
Madeleine Thien is a short story writer and novelist. She is the author of novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General's Award in 2016 and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
Her debut novel, Certainty, published in 2006, won the Amazon First Novel Award, and was a Globe and Mail Best Book. Thien is also the author of Dogs at the Perimeter, which was a Globe and Mail Best Book, and the children's book The Chinese Violin. Her first work of fiction, Simple Recipes, won four awards in Canada and was a finalist for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin
In Detective Aunty, when recently widowed Kausar Khan hears that her daughter has been accused of murdering the landlord of her clothing boutique, nothing can hold her back to help figure out who is the true culprit. But even Kausar is unprepared for the secrets, lies and betrayals that she'll uncover along the way.
When you can read it: May 6, 2025.
Uzma Jalaluddin is a teacher, parenting columnist and author based in Ontario. Her previous works include the novels Ayesha At Last, Hana Khan Carries On, Much Ado About Nada and Three Holidays and a Wedding.
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
In One Golden Summer, photographer Alice returns to a childhood summer cottage with her nan. What she expects to be a relaxing, peaceful summer takes an unexpected turn when Charlie Florek — a shameless flirt — shows up, making Alice feel like a 17-year-old again and wondering if there could be something more between them.
When you can read it: May 6, 2025.
Carley Fortune is a Toronto-based writer and journalist who has worked as an editor for Refinery29, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine and Toronto Life. Her previous books are Every Summer After, This Summer Will Be Different and Meet Me at the Lake, which was a contender for Canada Reads 2024, championed by Mirian Njoh.
Only Because It's You by Rebecca Fisseha
In Only Because It's You, Miz panics when her best friend Kal faces the possibility of being forced to return to Ethiopia, as she can't imagine life without him. She comes up with a plan to marry him so he can stay, with the idea of quickly getting a divorce afterward — believing nothing will change between them, right?
When you can read it: May 6, 2025.
Rebecca Fisseha is an Ethiopian Canadian writer based in Toronto. Her previous works include the novel Daughters of Silence and short stories and essays that have appeared in the anthologies Addis Ababa Noir and Tongues: On Longing and Belonging Through Language. She is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers, the Vancouver Film School and an alumnus of the TIFF Writers' Studio.
Other Worlds by Andre Alexis
Spanning from 19th-century Trinidad and Tobago to a small town in Ontario, from Amherst, Massachusetts to modern-day Toronto, Other Worlds is a short story collection that explores characters encountering moments of profound puzzlement in these diverse settings.
When you can read it: May 6, 2025.
André Alexis was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and raised in Ottawa. His debut novel, Childhood, won the Books in Canada First Novel Award (now known as the Amazon.ca First Novel Award) and the Trillium Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. His other books include Pastoral, Asylum, The Hidden Keys, Despair and Other Stories of Ottawa and Days by Moonlight, which won the 2019 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and was on the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist.
André Alexis's novel Fifteen Dogs, championed by Humble The Poet, won Canada Reads 2017 and the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
milktooth by Jaime Burnet
At 31, Sorcha is eager to settle down and have a baby. In milktooth, she meets Chris, whose charm and grand romantic gestures soon make their relationship serious. But when she becomes pregnant, she must confront the harsh reality of Chris's increasingly abusive behavior, which threatens the family she has longed for.
When you can read it: May 6, 2025.
Jaime Burnet is a writer, musician and labour and human rights lawyer based in Mulipj'kejk/Herring Cove, Mi'kma'ki/Nova Scotia. Her debut novel, Crocuses Hatch from Snow, was shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the ReLit Award.
Dark Like Under by Alice Chadwick
Set in a small English town in the late 1980s, Dark Like Under provides a compelling look at the challenges and potential of late adolescence, triggered by a shocking death at an elite secondary school in the countryside. The novel gives an intimate look into the personal lives of its diverse characters as they navigate unexpected grief and the everyday struggles of teenage life.
When you can read it: May 6, 2025
Alice Chadwick is a writer from London, U.K. She studied English at Cambridge University and had been a student in City Lit's selective fiction masterclass. Dark Like Under is her debut novel.
Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner
In the novel Austen at Sea, the setting is 1865 Boston. Two daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice are chafing against the restrictions placed upon them as women. Inspired by the works of Jane Austen, they start a secret correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother. They travel to Europe on a life-changing journey that teaches them how to love life by way of the power of literature.
When you can read it: May 6, 2025
Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie Jenner now lives in Oakville, Ont. as the owner of an independent bookstore. Her previous books include Bloomsbury Girls and The Jane Austen Society, which was a Goodreads Choice Award runner-up for historical fiction and finalist for best debut novel.
The Saltbox Olive by Angela Antle
Through a series of connected stories spanning past and present, The Saltbox Olive tells the untold story of Newfoundland soldiers in Italy during World War II. The novel begins with Caroline Fisher's quest to figure out why her grandfather burned his brother's wartime letters.
When you can read it: May 13, 2025.
Angela Antle is a writer, artist, journalist and documentary filmmaker from St. John's, N.L. Her work has appeared in Riddle Fence and Newfoundland Quarterly, among others. She wrote and directed Gander's Ripple Effect: How a Small Town's Kindness Opened on Broadway, and wrote the documentary Atlantic: What Lies Beneath, which won best documentary awards at the Dublin, Wexford, Nickel and Chagrin Film Festivals. She is currently an interdisciplinary PhD candidate at Memorial University and a member of Norway's Empowered Futures Energy School.
The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja
Lia Juma, a successful corporate lawyer in The Summers Between Us, has built a life to meet the expectations of her immigrant family, from her career to her choice of partner. But returning to her family's summer cottage resurfaces old memories and secrets that could change everything — especially when Wes, an old flame, comes back into her life.
When you can read it: May 13, 2025.
Noreen Nanja is a Toronto-based writer and second-generation immigrant. Her writing frequently explores themes of identity and belonging that's wrapped in stories of romantic and familial love.
To Place a Rabbit by Madhur Anand
In To Place a Rabbit, a scientist impulsively agrees to help a novelist translate her novella from French into English. Troubles ensue, as the story she is reading triggers memories of a long-ago affair that she had with a French lover. Already struggling with completing the translation, things are about to get even more complicated, as the lover makes a reappearance.
When you can read it: May 13, 2025.
Madhur Anand is a poet and professor of ecology at the University of Guelph where she was appointed the inaugural Director of the Guelph Institute for Environmental Research. She is the author of the A New Index for Predicting Catastrophes which was a finalist for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry and This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart, which won the 2020 Governor General's Literary Award for nonfiction. Her book Parasitic Oscillations was named a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year.
Contemplation of a Crime by Susan Juby
In Contemplation of a Crime, a butler at a wellness retreat organized by her employer's son, finds herself amongst a diverse group of attendees from different political backgrounds. They've come together for a five-day program aimed at overcoming their ideological and personal differences. But when something deadly happens, Helen must step into the role of investigator and figure out who is guilty.
When you can read it: May 13, 2025.
Susan Juby is a award-winning, bestselling author from Vancouver Island whose book Mindful of Murder was nominated for the Leacock Medal for Humour. Some of Juby's other titles include Getting the Girl, Another Kind of Cowboy, A Meditation on Murder, The Woefield Poultry Collective and the Alice MacLeod series. Her novel Republic of Dirt won the 2016 Leacock Medal in 2016.
Pitfall by Terry Kirk
Pitfall follows the story of Frank Cork, a successful head trader, father and husband in 1929 at a top Chicago brokerage. However, on October 29, his life takes a drastic turn when all his fortune is wiped out in the stock market crash, and to the shock of his firm, Frank disappears without a trace.
When you can read it: May 15, 2025.
Terry Kirk is a Toronto-based author and lawyer. She studied journalism, English literature, and holds a Juris Doctor degree in law, along with a master's degree in digital transformation.
Horsefly by Mireille Gagné, translated by Pablo Strauss
Horsefly is a chilling tale that explores the dangerous consequences of human attempts to manipulate nature. In 1942, Thomas, a young entomologist, was sent to a remote island to work on a secret wartime project involving horseflies as biological weapons. Eight decades later, in 2025, a man turns to his grandfather, whose dementia keeps him trapped in the past, for help in understanding the experiments, because when a swarm of horseflies is unleashed during a heat wave, people are driven into a violent frenzy.
When you can read it: May 20, 2025.
Mireille Gagné is an author based in Quebec City. She has written books of poetry, short stories and the novel Le lièvre d'Amérique.
Pablo Strauss has translated several works of fiction, graphic novels and one screenplay. He was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for translation for The Country Will Bring Us No Peace, Synapses and The Longest Year. His translation of Le plongeur by Stephane Larue (The Dishwasher in English) won the 2020 Amazon First Novel Award. Most recently, he translated Eric Chacour's What I Know About You, which was on the shortlist for the 2024 Giller Prize and the 2024 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. He lives in Quebec City.
A Daughter's Place by Martha Bátiz
In A Daughter's Place, set in 1599 Madrid, 15-year-old Isabel goes to live with her father after her mother's sudden death. But her father is no ordinary man — he's the famous writer Miguel de Cervantes. As his illegitimate daughter, Isabel must pose as a maid, and despite coming of age during Spain's Golden Age, she faces a society that is unforgiving, and denies her the legitimacy she longs for.
When you can read it: May 20, 2025.
Martha Bátiz is a translator, writer and professor of creative writing and Spanish language and literature who moved from Mexico to Toronto in 2003. She has written five books, including the short story collection Plaza Requiem, which won the International Latino Book Award, and the novella Damiana's Reprieve, which received the Casa de Teatro Prize. Her debut novel is A Daughter's Place.
Margaret's New Look by Katherine Ashenburg
In Margaret's New Look, Margaret's life appears flawless. She's a respected fashion curator at a prominent city museum, a mother to teenage twin daughters and the wife of a successful mystery novelist. However, her world begins to unravel when she faces pushback over her Dior haute couture exhibition, and the death of her father forces her to confront her family's hidden Jewish roots. This journey leads Margaret to cross paths with an elderly couture collector who shares a personal connection to Dior.
When you can read it: May 27, 2025.
Katherine Ashenburg is a writer and journalist who has worked for the Globe and Mail and the CBC. Some of Ashenburg's other titles include the nonfiction books Going to Town, The Mourner's Dance, The Dirt on Clean and the novels Sofie & Cecilia and Her Turn.
Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay
Written on the Dark is a gripping historical drama set in medieval France, blending love and conflict against the backdrop of a nation on the brink of collapse. The novel follows Thierry Villar, a famous tavern poet, who finds himself thrust into an important role as his country teeters on the edge of destruction amidst a fierce power struggle and a decades-long war. Along the way, Thierry encounters a diverse array of characters, including potential love interests.
When you can read it: May 27, 2025.
Guy Gavriel Kay is the author of 15 novels. His Fionavar Tapestry fantasy series has sold over a million copies worldwide since being published in the 1980s and has been optioned by the Canadian production company behind Orphan Black. Some of Kay's other titles include Children of Earth and Sky, Tigana, River of Stars and A Brightness Long Ago. In 2014, he was appointed to the Order of Canada.
Annapurna's Bounty by Veena Gokhale
Delight your tastebuds and imagination in Annapurna's Bounty, a collection of Indian legends where food plays different roles in the lives of a diverse cast of characters — from kings and commoners to witches, goddesses, gurus, bandits, refugees and travelers. Each story is also paired with a vegetarian recipe from the four corners of India.
When you can read it: June 3, 2025.
Veena Gokhale is a Montreal-based author. Her previous works include the fiction books Bombay Wali and Other Stories and Land for Fatimah. She has also worked in journalism, teaching, literary curation and the non-profit sector.
Born by Heather Birrell
In Born, a pregnant high school teacher is trapped in a classroom during a lockdown caused by a troubled student with a knife, while relying on her students for support as she unexpectedly goes into labour. The novel explores the complexities of the school system, motherhood and the student-teacher relationship.
When you can read it: June 17, 2025.
Heather Birrell is the author of the Gerald Lampert award-winning poetry collection Float and Scurry, and two story collections, Mad Hope and I know you are but what am I? She has also won the Journey Prize and been shortlisted for both the Western and National Magazine Awards. Her work has appeared in numerous Canadian literary journals. She lives in Toronto. In 2022, Birrell was longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize.
The Road to Goderich by Linda McQuaig
In 1830s rural Scotland, 15-year-old Callandra in The Road to Goderich is forced to marry a wealthy clergyman, Norbert Scott, only to find herself trapped in a cold and cruel marriage. As they move to the remote town of Goderich in Upper Canada, she finds some solace in the town's warmth but soon faces a web of lies and sparks of rebellion that threaten her fragile happiness.
When you can read it: June 17, 2025.
Linda McQuaig is an award-winning journalist based in Toronto and the author of eight nonfiction books. The Road to Goderich is her debut novel.
Not the Same Road Out edited by K.J. Denny
Not the Same Road Out is a collection of short stories set along the Trans Canada Trail, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. The book features stories from each province and territory — spanning from those that are mysterious, to melodramatic.
When you can read it: June 17, 2025.
K.J. Denny is a journalist and editor with more than 30 years of experience in Asia, North America and the United Kingdom. She is currently an independent creative consultant. Denny formerly worked in magazine and book publishing.
Anne of the Island & Anne of Windy Poplars by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The third and fourth books in the beloved Anne of Green Gables series are now available in a single combined edition.
In Anne of the Island, Anne attends Redmond College in the city, where she begins her writing career but is also met with an unwanted marriage proposal and the reappearance of Gilbert Blythe.
In Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne embarks on a new career as the principal of Summerside High, but she faces opposition from a well-known family in the neighborhood — can she overcome their disdain towards her?
When you can read it: June 17, 2025.
Born in Prince Edward Island in 1874, Lucy Maud Montgomery started writing poetry and keeping a journal from the age of nine. She wrote her first and most famous novel, Anne of Green Gables, in 1905. She is the author of 21 novels, more than five hundred stories and poems, numerous essays and articles and several volumes of journals and letters.
Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel by Andrew Kaufman
The Shamrock Motel can't be reached with directions — you can only get there if you're lost in your heart and soul. In Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel, a collection of connected stories share how a stay at the mysterious motel leads to transformative, and wild experiences.
When you can read it: June 24, 2025.
Andrew Kaufman is a writer from Ontario. His previous works include the novel All My Friends Are Superheroes which won the Relit Award, was nominated for the Leacock Medal for Humour and listed among the best books of the year by The Globe and Mail.
Killer on the First Page by Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson
In Killer on the First Page, the town of Happy Rock is alive with excitement as the I Only Read Murder bookstore hosts a murder mystery festival featuring six top crime fiction authors. New co-owner Miranda Abbott is eager to welcome the literary stars, but she's unprepared for the line between fiction and reality to blur when one author is found dead in a locked room. Now, Miranda must solve the crime quickly before another author becomes the next victim.
When you can read it: July 8, 2025.
Will Ferguson has written humour, travel books and fiction. The Calgary-based writer won the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his thriller 419. He has won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour three times: for his novel Generica (now titled Happiness), his Canadian travel book Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw and his travel memoir Beyond Belfast.
Ian Ferguson is a Victoria-based writer and creative director in the film and television industry. Ferguson won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour three times, including for HappinessTM and for Village of the Small Houses. He is the co-author, with his brother, Will Ferguson, of I Only Read Murder, Mystery in the Title and How to Be a Canadian, which was shortlisted for the Leacock Medal and won the CBA Libris Award for nonfiction.
The Boy Who Was Saved By Jazz by Tom Bentley-Fisher
The Boy Who Was Saved By Jazz tells the story of Robert, raised by his grandparents in small-town Saskatchewan after his father's death and mother's abandonment. As he discovers music, his Métis identity and his budding bisexuality, he unravels family secrets while navigating the challenges of growing up and finding his place in the world.
When you can read it: May 1, 2025.
Tom Bentley-Fisher is a Saskatchewan-born writer based in Alameda, Calif. His work has been featured in the Grain, The Dalhousie Review and NeWest Review, among others. Bentley-Fisher's short story collection Blind Man's Drum, was a Saskatchewan Book Awards finalist and his short stories Wars and Rumours of War were a National Magazine Award for Humour finalist. He has served as the artistic director for five professional theaters across Canada, the U.S. and Spain, where he has developed and directed more than 100 productions. His play Friends was published by Red Deer Press.
