Ontario book news, interviews and more

Read an Excerpt from Trachea and Other Stories, a New Work of Linked Fiction from Mayank Bhatt

A long-time fixture on the Toronto literary scene, Mayank Bhatt has built a reputation for his fiction for nearly three decades now, and his latest work of linked stories will only add to his readership.In ...

Read an Excerpt from Iris and the Dead, the Debut Novel from Miranda Schreiber

We're excited to feature the debut novel from acclaimed writer and researcher Miranda Schreiber today on Open Book. It's a haunting work that weaves elements of magical realism and folklore with grounded, ...

In Andrew Kaufman's New Short Story Collection, A Small Town Motel Can't Help but Transform Each and Every Guest

Award-winning, bestselling author Andrew Kaufman returns with Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel (Coach House Books), an absurdist collection of short fiction that will challenge and delight readers ...

Read an Excerpt From A Phial of Passing Memories by James Yékú

Poet and scholar James Yékú’ has written in a variety of forms, but he returns this month with a second poetry collection that is deep and evocative, and that firmly grounds the reader in particular ...

Read an Excerpt from The Exclusion Zone, an Atmospheric, Mysterious New Novel by Alexis von Konigslow

Almost exactly a decade after the publication of her exceptional debut novel, Alexis von Konigslow returns with a genre-bending, atmospheric work that thrums with mystery and suspense. In The Exclusion ...

Read an Excerpt from Dark Like Under by Acclaimed Author Alice Chadwick

After winning international acclaim for her debut novel, Alice Chadwick is sure to be an author on the rise and one that avid fiction readers will become increasingly familiar with in years to come. ...

KidLit Convos with Editor Katie Scott, Author Mélina Schoenborn and Illustrator Sandra Dumais

We're delighted today to share a special KidLit Convo between not only the author and illustrator of the award-winning new title, Bob the Boo-Boo (Kids Can Press), but also senior editor Katie Scott. ...

More Tips on Writing Book Reviews

One year ago, I wrote a column on getting into writing book reviews. The topic of book reviews remains ever-important, especially in a media climate where outlets to review grow smaller and smaller. In ...

A High-School Teacher Goes into Labour During a Fraught Lockdown in Heather Birrell's Debut Novel

Acclaimed short story author Heather Birrell has made a name for herself in the CanLit scene with a raft of short fiction published in journals far and wide, and her first two impressive collections ...

Veena Gokhale Weaves Indian Food Legends into Vibrant Short Stories in Annapurna's Bounty

Storytelling runs through everything that culture carries, from literature to performance arts to traditional ways of making food. So it's certain that Veena Gokhale"s new collection of short fiction ...