Book lovers! Canada Reads debate looking for one book to build bridges
Meet Canada Reads 2026 contenders
Canada Reads is back for its 25th edition!
This year, the great Canadian book debate is looking for one book to build bridges. Ali Hassan is back to host a panel of celebrity advocates to debate how each of the five final books connect Canadians to different people, places and perspectives.
CBCBooks.ca has you covered for everything you need to get reading ahead of the live debates across all CBC platforms April 13 - 16.
RELATED: Read more about Canada Reads 2026, the upcoming debate and the contenders
Here is a snapshot the year’s five books and those championing them:
A Minor Chorus
A Minor Chorus is a novel that follows an unnamed narrator who abandons his thesis and goes back to his hometown, where he has a series of conversations, bringing modern queer and Indigenous experiences into focus. Author Billy-Ray Belcourt is from Driftpile Cree Nation in Alberta and is based in Vancouver.
Searching for Terry Punchout
In the novel Searching for Terry Punchout, Adam has one final chance to save his sports writing career: a shot at a Sports Illustrated profile of the notorious hockey goon, Terry Punchout. To complicate matters, Terry is Adam's estranged father, and writing this piece requires Adam to return to his small, Nova Scotia hometown, and dredge up old feelings and frustrations. As he spends more time with family and friends, he begins to realize that the sleepy town and people he left behind deserve more credit than he ever gave them. Born in Halifax, N.S. and raised in Summerside, P.E.I., author Tyler Hellard is based in Calgary.
The Cure for Drowning
The Cure for Drowning, a historical fiction novel, follows Kit McNair, who was born Kathleen to an Irish farming family in Ontario, and doesn't fit in with the expectations of a farmgirl set out for them. When Rebekah, a German-Canadian doctor's daughter comes to town, she, Kit and Kit's older brother, Landon, find themselves in a love triangle which tears their families apart. All three of them separate and join different war efforts but all eventually return home — and they'll have to move forward from their challenging and storied past. Author Loghan Paylor was born in Abbotsford, B.C. and lives in Chilliwack, B.C.
Foe
The speculative thriller Foe takes place in an old, isolated farmhouse in the not-so-distant future. The house is inhabited by Junior and his wife Hen, whose peaceful lives are interrupted by the arrival of a man in a business suit. Junior has been randomly selected for a scientific program and will be leaving home for the indefinite future, while his wife stays home with a companion. The shock of this announcement, coupled with his increasingly distant wife and the intruder's vague explanations, sends Junior in a tailspin as he races to figure out what's really going on. Foe was made into a movie starring Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan. Author Iain Reid is from Kingston, Ont.
It's Different This Time
It's Different This Time is a romance novel about actor June Wood. When her TV show gets cancelled, she's got no excuse not to follow up on the mysterious email that invites her back to the New York City brownstone where she lived before moving to Los Angeles. The house was left to her and her former roommate, Adam, by the previous owner. The expensive property will soon be theirs — they just have to live together for four weeks while they finish the paperwork. One catch: June and Adam haven't spoken in five years and aren't on great terms. Author Joss Richard is from Mississauga, Ont.
Mark your calendars
The Canada Reads 2026 debates will broadcast each day at 10 a.m. (11 AT, 1:30 NT) on CBC Radio, with a live audio stream and podcast recap on CBC Listen. Watch live at 10 a.m. ET/ 7 a.m. PT on CBC Gem, CBCbooks.ca and YouTube, or at 1 p.m. (2 AT, 2:30 NT) on CBC TV.