Canada Reads 2026 Shortlist: My Thoughts
The Canada Reads 2026 shortlist was announced this morning, so let’s talk about it.
The Shortlist and Debaters
Filmmaker and actor Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers champions A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt
“A Minor Chorus is a novel that follows an unnamed narrator who abandons his thesis and goes back to his hometown. While there, he has a series of conversations that bring modern queer and Indigenous experiences into focus.”
Hockey YouTube personality and podcaster Steve “Dangle” Glynn champions Searching for Terry Punchout by Tyler Hellard
“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.”
Musician and writer Tegan Quin champions The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor
“The Cure for Drowning is a historical fiction novel that follows Kit McNair, who was born Kathleen to an Irish farming family in Ontario — but they don’t fit in with the expectations 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 are each forced to move on with their lives.”
Broadway actor and kids TV host Josh Dela Cruz champions Foe by Iain Reid
“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 and their 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.”
BookTok star Morgann Book champions It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard
“It’s Different This Time is a romance novel about an actor named 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.”
My thoughts
To be honest, I’m not overly excited about this group of books, and I’m not familiar with any of the celebrities either. I’ve heard of the singing duo Tegan and Sara, that’s about it. And the only one of these books or authors I’ve heard of before is Iain Reid, and I didn’t know he’s Canadian!
Out of the 5, I’m most looking forward to Foe, because it sounds like the kind of thing I normally read, and Iain Reid is an author I’ve been meaning to try. Searching for Terry Punchout and A Minor Chorus sound interesting and could take me by surprise. I’m not a romance reader, so the descriptions for The Cure for Drowning and It’s Different This Time don’t do much for me, but I’ll give them a shot. I understand Canada Reads’ desire to branch out from literary fiction and nonfiction into more specific genres, but at the same time, I think it’ll just divide viewers more. Genre fiction isn’t for everyone, but Canada Reads is supposed to be. But we’ll see how it goes.
There are a few books from the longlist that I was hoping for and that I’ll probably still read, including Slice the Water by PP Wong, Crossroads by Kaleb Dahlgren, Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park, and Julie Chan Is Dead by Leann Zhang.
The obligatory affiliate link
Sadly, Bookshop.org doesn’t have The Cure for Drowning in their inventory, but I’ve created a Canada Reads 2026 shelf with the other 4 finalists. As an affiliate, I’ll earn a small commission from any purchase made through that link, at no extra expense to you.