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Something very strange happened this week. The Chicago Sun-Times issued a public apology after an embarrassing AI-generated fiasco. In its Sunday edition, the paper published a summer reading list featuring 15 books, complete with titles, authors, and descriptions. The problem? Ten of those books don’t actually exist.
Included on the list were “titles” supposedly written by well-known authors like Isabel Allende, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Delia Owens. One of the few real books listed—Atonement by Ian McEwan—was oddly labeled as a new release, despite being published over two decades ago.
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As someone who genuinely loves to read, I found this both bizarre and disheartening. I love discovering new voices, supporting real authors, and—most of all—getting lost in a well-told story. I don’t always have time to devour an 800-page epic, but when I do, I turn to the ever-growing stack of books on my bedside table or holds on my Libby audiobook app. They wait patiently for me—ready to be picked up, read, savoured, maybe even cursed (just a little), and definitely loved.
Below is a list of 20+ books that I’ve read, loved, and recommended time and time again. Many of them came to me through book clubs. If you need a good place to start, I highly recommend checking out CBCBooks.ca’s “100 Novels That Make You Proud to Be Canadian” although compiled in 2017, this remains a great list to peruse. There is also the Globe and Mail’s “Oh Canada! Our Favourite Books by Homegrown Authors”
I could stop there. But I won’t. Because if you’re building a summer reading list—or avoiding fake ones—why not include some truly great classic and contemporary Canadian literature? Below are 10 books that I would recommend (since I wrote the original list). You will likely note there are numerous Indigenous writers on this list – this is a genre I have grown to love and encourage you to explore.
📚 10 Must-Read Books by Canadian Authors (Published in the Last 10 Years)
- Five Little Indians by Michelle Good (2020)
A powerful novel about five residential school survivors trying to rebuild their lives in Vancouver. Winner of multiple awards including Canada Reads 2022. - Brother by David Chariandy (2017)
A poignant story set in Scarborough about grief, masculinity, and the challenges faced by two Trinidadian brothers and their immigrant families in Toronto. - The Break by Katherena Vermette (2016)
A gripping literary thriller set in Winnipeg that tells the stories of several Indigenous women whose lives are connected by a violent event. An intense book centered on intergenerational trauma and how its effects change the lives of everyone around them. - The Strangers by Katherena Vermette (2021)
A companion to The Break, this novel follows three generations of Métis women as they navigate intergenerational trauma and resilience. - The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr (2022)
Winner of the Giller Prize, this novel follows a Black Canadian train porter in the 1920s as he grapples with his identity and the hardships of his profession. - Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton (2022)
A bestselling graphic memoir that tells the story of Beaton’s time working in Alberta’s oil sands, reflecting on gender, capitalism, and climate. - Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah (2022)
Set in 1980s Montreal, this novel follows a Lebanese refugee who becomes a hotline operator, offering comfort to strangers while keeping her own heartbreak hidden. A quiet, powerful story of immigration and identity. - The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (2023)
A debut novel about a young girl taken from her Mi’kmaq family and raised in a white household, only to uncover the truth decades later. - Winnipeg: Visions of Canada From an Indigenous Centre by Niigaan Sinclair (2024)
This essay collection invites readers to reimagine Canada through the lens of its geographic and cultural hub: Winnipeg. Sinclair weaves together personal stories, history, and Indigenous perspectives with clarity and vision. - The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight (2024)
An enchanting and unconventional novel that braids marine biology with human emotion. Knight’s prose explores love, solitude, and transformation—through the lens of one of nature’s most curious creatures – an octopus🐙.
My original list of 20+ Great Canadian Books
I published the list below over 10 years ago, and I stand by it. I would continue to recommend these books to anyone looking for interesting Canada Lit. or Canadian authors. From Asian immigrants to a murderess, Indigenous magical realism to dystopian drama. It’s all here with these great Canadian books.
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood (1985)
A dystopian classic set in Gilead, where women’s rights have been stripped away. Told by Offred, a Handmaid, it’s a chilling reflection on authoritarianism and female agency.
The Testaments – Margaret Atwood (2019)
This Booker Prize-winning sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale reveals the inner workings of Gilead through the perspectives of three women. A gripping, multi-layered follow-up
Generation X – Douglas Coupland (1991)
A cultural touchstone of the early 1990s, this novel coined the term “Generation X” and follows three disillusioned young adults living in California as they escape the rat race.
Three Day Road – Joseph Boyden (2005)
A lyrical, haunting novel about two Cree friends serving as snipers in World War I. It explores the traumas of war and the healing power of Indigenous culture.
All the Broken Things – Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (2014)
A Vietnamese boy living in Toronto becomes involved in professional bear wrestling while coping with grief, bullying, and caring for his disfigured sister. Surreal and emotionally resonant.
The Birth House – Ami McKay (2006)
Set in early 20th-century Nova Scotia, this novel follows Dora Rare, an apprentice midwife, as she defends women’s health and traditional birthing practices in the face of modernization.
The Jade Peony – Wayson Choy (1995)
Set in Vancouver’s Chinatown during the 1930s and ’40s, this coming-of-age novel follows three siblings in a Chinese-Canadian family as they navigate identity, tradition, and assimilation.
The Book of Negroes – Lawrence Hill (2007)
A sweeping historical epic about Aminata Diallo, an African girl kidnapped into slavery who ultimately journeys through three continents in search of freedom and justice.
Elizabeth and After – Matt Cohen (1999)
In a small Ontario town, a man returns to confront his troubled past and the legacy of a failed marriage. A quiet, moving story about grief, redemption, and small-town life.
Alias Grace – Margaret Atwood (1996)
Based on a true 1843 murder case, this gothic historical novel imagines the inner life of Grace Marks, a servant accused of killing her employer and his housekeeper.
The Stone Carvers – Jane Urquhart (2001)
A lyrical novel spanning generations and continents, it links rural Ontario with the carving of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. Themes of craftsmanship, loss, and memory.
No Great Mischief – Alistair MacLeod (1999)
A deeply moving novel about family and heritage, it follows a Cape Breton man reflecting on his relationship with his troubled brother and the pull of Scottish-Canadian roots.
Clara Callan – Richard B. Wright (2001)
Told through letters and diary entries, this Giller Prize-winning novel captures the emotional depth and isolation of a woman living in 1930s Ontario.
Mercy Among the Children – David Adams Richards (2000)
Set in rural New Brunswick, this gritty, emotionally charged novel follows a pacifist father and his son as they endure violence, poverty, and social judgment.
Life of Pi – Yann Martel (2001)
A philosophical and imaginative survival tale about a young boy stranded at sea with a Bengal tiger. A modern fable about belief, resilience, and storytelling.
Green Grass, Running Water – Thomas King (1993)
A sharp, satirical novel that blends Indigenous oral traditions with Western pop culture. Rich with humor and symbolism, it challenges colonial narratives with wit and heart.
Crow Lake – Mary Lawson (2002)
A beautifully written debut about family bonds and long-held resentments, set in northern Ontario. A slow-burning story of love, regret, and rural life.
A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry (1995)
A sweeping, Dickensian novel set during India’s 1975 Emergency, it follows four strangers whose lives intertwine in the face of political oppression and poverty. Profoundly humane.
Obasan – Joy Kogawa (1981)
A landmark novel about the internment of Japanese Canadians during WWII, told through the voice of a woman grappling with silence, memory, and cultural identity.
The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje (1992)
Set in an Italian villa during the final days of WWII, this Booker Prize winner interweaves love, loss, and identity through the stories of four war-damaged souls.
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams – Wayne Johnston (1998)
A fictional account of Newfoundland politician Joey Smallwood, blending fact and fiction in a rich narrative about ambition, politics, and personal myth.
The Winter Palace – Eva Stachniak (2012)
A captivating historical novel about the young Catherine the Great, told through the voice of her servant and spy. A story of court intrigue, betrayal, and power.
Canada has an impressive lineup of authors worth celebrating. We are, after all, the country of Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro, and I’ll be first in line to cheer when Margaret Atwood (finally) receives hers.
Until then, you have a stunning array of Canadian authors to choose from: Lawrence Hill, Joseph Boyden, Carol Shields, Margaret Laurence, Robertson Davies, Timothy Findley, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Alistair MacLeod, Elizabeth Hay, Bonnie Burnard, Yann Martel, Michael Ondaatje, Guy Vanderhaeghe, Anne Michaels, Jane Urquhart, Mordecai Richler, Thomas King, Richard Wagamese, Tompson Highway, Niigaan Sinclair, Emma Knight, and Dimitri Nasrallah… and the list goes on.
With that in mind, I have posted about some of our great books and book club meetings at my house (The Help, The Winter Palace, Empress of the Night, and All the Broken Things).
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