The Yellow Birds, by Karen Green, is one of the great picks on our summer reading list, and up for giveaway until the end of August (along with all the other books on the list).
Head over to our giveaways page for your chance to win.
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Everybody always says that summer is too short, and it is, but for me one of the more tragic realities of summer’s fleeting glory is that I will never have time to read all the books that deserve to be read during the summer months. But I’ll do my best, and these are the books at the top of my list that I’ll be reaching for (along with a nice cold beverage). Enjoy this beautiful reading season!
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The Forever Favourite
Rilla of Ingleside, by L.M. Montgomery
It may be controversial that the last book in the beloved Anne series is my favourite, but there it is. And this isn’t just nostalgia talking; after a trip to PEI with my family a few years ago, I reread all eight books, and my childhood ranking of Rilla at the top still stood. I now reach for it as one would any comfort object, even though it breaks my heart all over again every time I read it.
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The Nonfiction Notable
Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower, by Charlie Angus
Three things drew me to this story, written by NDP Member of Parliament, Charlie Angus: one, I am fascinated with the Canadian north, the effect of early settlers on the landscape, and the secrets that a densely-packed forest can hold. Two, my husband’s family is from the area and did I already mention how enamoured I am with anything wild and wooded and ancient and mysterious? And three, because the novel I am currently writing encompasses points one and two! So this is a read for research as much as relaxation and oh boy, I’ve marked so many pages with sticky notes, my copy looks more like a porcupine than a book.
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The Summer Scare
Moon of the Turning Leaves, by Waubgeshig Rice
Rice’s Evan Whitesky is back, and okay (cracks knuckles), I’m ready. If this sequel is even half as creepy as 2018’s Moon of the Crusted Snow (and it looks to be), I’m going to be reading this during daytime hours only. Luckily, the days are long in the summer, so me and this post-apocalyptic, dystopian climate nightmare of a story should be ok.
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The Short Sitting Short Stories
Things That Cause Inappropriate Happiness, by Danila Botha
I think the most perfect writing can be captured in a short story. The nuance; the glimpses behind curtains we never expected to see pulled back; the delicious vagary of being cast adrift into the middle of a story and pulled out before its end. And then of course, there is the length of the work—ideal for snatching a moment in the warmth on the back porch during the workday lunch hour, or between a nap and a barbeque on a lazy summer Saturday. Danila Botha’s latest collection has proven the right choice, deeply engaging in perfect, summer-size nuggets.
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The TBR that WBR (Will be Read)
Much Ado About Nada, by Uzma Jalaluddin
Like most avid readers, my To-Be-Read list grows exponentially throughout the year. Like my inbox, it will never get to net-zero, and I am okay with that. However, I do vow every summer to pick up a physical book from the leaning tower on my nightstand and actually read it. And this summer’s pick is the 2023 release from the lovely Uzma Jalaluddin. It’s a modern rom-com inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and honestly, I’m kind of glad I waited a bit to read it because I think it will go perfectly with a cold drink on a warm night.
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The Fantasy Lifestyle Handbook
Commune, by Des Kennedy
I always want to run into the woods and out of traditional society, and have managed to do it a few times in my life. (If you’ve read my novel, Yellow Birds, there’s a few hints in there as to what a couple of those occasions have looked like for me.) I’m ready for my next installation of counter-culture communal existence, even if my family and fiscal responsibilities are not, so I’m going to placate myself with Des Kennedy’s novel featuring an idealistic group of dreamers who created something great—at least, for a while.
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The Cozy Mystery Current Obsession
Lightning Strikes the Silence, by Iona Whishaw
It was 49th Shelf that introduced me to Iona Whishaw and the Lane Winslow series, so I blame this site wholly for my obsession with the post-war spy-turned-sleuth. [Editor's note: You're welcome!] But it was meant to be, as even though the addictive stories take place in a tiny remote BC mountain town, they are very familiar to me thanks to a close family tie to the area. And since I have no chill (none), I remark loudly and often (I’ve been there! We know some Dukhabours!) as obscure Canadian history and landscape details are revealed alongside well-placed clues.
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The Nostalgia Inducer
Denison Avenue, by Christina Wong and Daniel Innes
I’ve been meaning to read this graphic novel since it was featured on Canada Reads this year, and am thankful that it landed on my radar. Although I left Toronto 13 years ago, it will always be home, and I have deep, deep cultural and familial ties to Kensington Market. So much of the area is changing but the synagogue my great-grandparents attended still stands. The streets on which I gallivanted as a teen, and the apartment I lived in as a young adult do too. Chinese and Jewish culture in North America have some very special links, and places like Denison Avenue are but one. I can’t wait to experience this neighbourhood from Wong’s POV.
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Learn more about Yellow Birds:
Set just before the digital revolution, Kait is a young woman searching for identity and community among the cast-outs, cast-offs, and other “misfit toys” who refer to themselves as the Yellow Birds and follow a band called the Open Road from town to town.
Just as Kait believes she has found her place among a group of Birds travelling together in a messy van, a young man with the eye-roll worthy name of Horizon sits beside her one night and alters her fragile plan for the foreseeable future.
Amidst the whirlwind of the Open Road Tour, their growing feelings for one another soar to ecstatic heights, while propelling them toward an impending reckoning with their troubled pasts.
Filled with sex, drugs, music, and even cults, readers won't be able to get enough of this bohemian love story, the groupie lifestyle, and the party within the party.