Canada Reads 2025 Midweek Recap! - Which Titles Remain After Day Two
CBC Canada Reads got off to a fine start on Monday, with some thought-provoking discussion and debate about the titles vying for this year's prize. Now, with day two behind us, there are three books that remain in the running which "all have the power to change how we see, share and experience the world around us." Two worthy contenders have already been voted out of the competition.
Here's the full rundown for these competing champions and their chosen titles:
Olympic gold medallist Maggie Mac Neil champions Watch Out For Her by Samantha M. Bailey
Podcaster and wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild champions A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby, with Mary Louisa Plummer
Heartland actor Michelle Morgan champions Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper
Thriller writer Linwood Barclay champions Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston
Pastry chef Saïd M'Dahoma champions Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew
With the first two days of Canada Reads in the books (no pun) as of the writing of this piece, let's look at some of the moments from the opening half of the contest, and a variety of the key points that these champions made to fight the corner for their chosen titles.
The partipants in Canada Reads 2025, host Ali Hassan, panelists Linwood Barclay, Maggie Mac Neil, Saïd M'Dahoma, Michelle Morgan and Shayla Stonechild
On day one of the competition, thriller author Linwood Barclay lauded Wayne Johnston as one of Canada's most skilled authors, and claimed that Jennie's Boy should win the big prize for its authenticity and relatability, and even it's portability (format praise is a new one in our estimation).
Olympian Maggie Mac Neil was brought back to a love of reading by thrillers, and particularly by her chosen title, Watch Out For Her by Samantha M. Bailey. She shared her feeling that genre fiction like this doesn't always get a fair shake in Canada Reads, but that thrillers of this caliber were worthy of a place in the CanLit landscape.
Neuroscientist-turned-pastry-chef Saïd M'Dahoma talked about the universality of Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew and the powerful way that the author depicts the experience of immigrants in Canada, which is always a crucial point of representation that should be reflected in our literature.
Actor Michelle Morgan, who can be found in the TV drama Heartland, claimed that Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper should inspire Canadians by following characters that struggle through some of the tumultuous times in Canadian history, and that the novel challenges readers and demands that they remember.
The memoir A Two-Spirit Journey by Ojibwa-Cree elder Ma-Nee Chacaby was championed by wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild. She talked passionately about stories that are still missing from our national literature, and an autobiography that stays with the reader, and explores the incredible journey of an elder as they reclaim their identity and place in the world.
The debates followed, with vigorous defences by all of the champions. There were points made about whether titles should be easy to read or should be more challenging, asking for more along the way, especially with regards to Watch Out for Her, as the lone work of genre fiction in the contest. The panelists discussed the variety of the books on display here, with Barclay claiming that the plainspoken nature of Johnston's work contrasted with the more distinct artistic style of titles like Etta and Otto and Russell and James.
Said M'Dahoma on Canada Reads 2025
M'Dahoma claimed that the rural immigrant story in Dandelion was a relatable but unique depiction that dealt with issues like mental health with care and skill, not neatly checking off all of the CanLit boxes. Stonechild responded by saying that she liked the book as well, and found it moved her, but that she was left with too many questions at the end. She also thought that Jennie's Boy was too predictable, and that she could see where the story was going after only a few chapters. By comparison, she said that A Two Spirit Journey follows the entire life of its subject, and that it is more immersive, and dismissed Barclay's take on the memoir being perhaps too scattered and overcrowded with experiences by highlighting the non-linear style of storytelling that truly captures the complicated life shared in those pages.
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There was plenty of lively discussion to follow, with questions about relatability in these titles, and whether or not they answered enough of the questions that they begin to ask along the way. The issue of fiction vs. non-fiction and which form can be more impactful or attractive came into play, and whether these fictional or non-fictional characters were strong enough in the books on the panel. This came into focus when talking about the impactful representation of Alzheimer's Disease in Etta and Otto and Russell and James, and if this perhaps became too confusing, even if it is a literary device to really bring the effects of the disease into the prose.
Then the discussion turned to style, and how we read to get by with so many difficult things going on in the world around us. A number of panelists talked about the books that managed to give the reader hope, or carry them through their more harrowing subjects with the beauty of the writing and the sympathies of the authors who penned some of these titles.
Those are just a few highlights, but as the debates continued and concluded, there was an important choice to make in terms of which title would leave the contest on the very first day.
Shayla Stonechild on Canada Reads 2025
The champions then had to choose which book they would eliminate, and voted as follows:
Maggie Mac Neil voted against Etta and Otto and Russell and James
Saïd M'Dahoma voted against Watch Out For Her
Shayla Stonechild voted against Watch Out For Her
Linwood Barclay voted against Watch Out For Her
That made the final vote academic, with the results of the first day already set, but the final vote was called for nonetheless.
Michelle Morgan voted against Watch Out For Her
After the votes were tallied, Watch Out For Her by Samantha M. Bailey was eliminated on Day One.
Panelists Debate at Canada Reads 2025
As we moved into day two, there were more fascinating conversations to be had. The round of debates kicked off with host Ali Hassan asking how these titles might help "change the narrative" in broader terms. Linwood Barclay responded by talking about the particular events in Wayne Johnston's life when he was sick as a boy, and how the particularities of the situation open a window into the story for the reader. There was pushback on the effectiveness of the humour in the writing, and the repetitive nature of some of these events. With a general consensus that the other panelists wanted more from the story, and perhaps even more about the Newfoundland setting in Jennie's Boy, even if the author clearly showed formidable literary skills on each page.
Saïd M'Dahoma picked up from there as the debates turned to Dandelion. He claimed that this book showed that the immigrant experience is not a monolith, and that digging into variations of these immigrant stories can humanize folks in each unique, complicated community. Michelle Morgan felt that the novel leaned too heavily on theme and that the authorial voice could be uneven and distracting at times. Stonechild and Mac Neil wanted more in terms of the family dynamics in the novel, and found some of these depictions lacking or even disjointed. M'Dahoma replied by going to bat for the author and how they reflected the trauma and mindset of characters with their artistic choices. Linwood Barclay roundly liked Dandelion, calling it a "great book."
Themes of memory, disease, and mental health were on display in Etta and Otto and Russell and James, with Morgan praising the organic and open-hearted way that the author told the story of the characters affected by these issues in the novel. For Mac Neil and Stonechild, the artistry and some of the prose announced itself too prominently on the page, and could become distracting, even if some chapters and passages in the novel were effective and evocative. To add to those criticisms, M'Dahoma thought that there were gaps in some of the characters' lives that he wanted to see filled along the way. Barclay felt that his response to the novel was a case of "it's not you, it's me," in that he could recognize the writing craft and skill of the author, but that it wasn't a novel that spoke to him, even if he found elements of it impressive.
The debates closed after discussions about A Two-Spirit Journey, which began with Stonechild laying out the class and identity struggles of Ma-Nee Chacaby throughout the memoir, claiming that her story was profound and demanded a "change in narrative" in so many ways. M'Dahoma was the first to tackle this work of non-fiction, and wanted more information throughout the book about the underlying issues in Canadian society, which prompted a strong rebuttal from Stonechild about the fact that Indigenous authors and people shouldn't always have to explain Canadian history and the systemic issues that have affected them. She said that this should be the burden of the reader in many cases, and those who want to understand these problems better without constantly shuffling that work over to Indigenous people. Mac Neil agreed with Stonechild, but wanted more simply in terms of specific details in the story, even if the memoir was drawn from memory. Barclay talked about the authors' intentions, and that sometimes we should really consider and respect the particular aims of the author. While he thought that the memoir could be crafted more neatly, he said that it succeeded and seemed to suit the vision and storytelling approach of Ma-Nee Chacaby.
Michelle Morgan on Canada Reads 2025
With all of that in hand, the champions offered up brief closing arguments, followed by the day two vote. The results were as follows:
Michelle Morgan voted against Jennie's Boy
Linwood Barclay voted against Etta and Otto and Russell and James
Maggie Mac Neil voted against Dandelion
Shayla Stonechild voted against Jennie's Boy
Saïd M'Dahoma voted against Jennie's Boy
After the votes were tallied, Jennie's Boy was eliminated on day two of Canada Reads.
Given the chance to ruminate on the results, Linwood Barclay jested that both he and the author "would be okay." He talked about the importance of the Wayne Johnston's work, and the fact that Jennie's Boy will be out there in the world for more readers to find, and he stated that the eventual winner would be a truly worthy book. These sentiments were echoed by Ali Hassan before he signed off for the day.
There were some after-thoughts shared for folks watching rather than listening to the debates, with an appreciation for Jennie's Boy and the way the eliminated title moved those on the panel, even if they didn't think it should go through to the next round.
That's all for now! But check out our Canada Reads 2025 wrap-up on Thursday, where we'll find out which title is left standing when all of the literary dust settles.
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Here's how to tune into Canada Reads 2025:
ONLINE: CBC Books will livestream the debates at 10:05 a.m. ET on CBCBooks.ca, YouTube and CBC Gem.
The debates will be available to replay online each day. The livestream on YouTube will be available to watch outside Canada.
If you'd rather listen to the debates online, they will air live on CBC Listen. A replay will be available later each day.
ON RADIO: Canada Reads will air on CBC Radio at 10:05 a.m. in the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones.
It will air at 11:05 a.m. in Nunavut, the Maritimes, 1:05 p.m. in Labrador and at 1:35 p.m. in Newfoundland.
The debates will replay at 9 p.m. local time in all time zones, except in Newfoundland, where it will replay at 9:30 p.m.
ON TV: CBC TV will broadcast Canada Reads at 1 p.m. in the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones. It will air at 2 p.m. in the Atlantic time zone and at 2:30 p.m in the Newfoundland time zone.
PODCAST: The episode will be posted each day after the live airing. You can download the episodes on the podcast app of your choice.
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Below, we have reminder of the full shortlist of books that were up for the coveted Canada Reads title when the week began, with those that were eliminated tagged accordingly:
