Author Zoe Whittall, writer of acclaimed literature and screenplays, breaks down her life in books; Steven Beattie recommends three “funny-yet-serious” books; musician Jordan Astra dishes on funk music and Nike sneakers; and Dawson’s Creek legend and current star of Oracle 3: Murder at the Grandview shares what he’s reading on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

The Passion by Jeannette Winterson

Heroine by Gail Scott

Rat Bohemia by Sarah Schulman

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Animal Farm by Geroge Orwell

Not a River by Selva Almada

The List by Yomi Adegoke

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

Oracle 3: Murder at the Grandview by Andrew Pyper

Nathan Maharaj and Christine Estima join The Next Chapter’s summer book panel to start the season with some reading recommendations; Eliza Reid shares the most influential books in her life; and acclaimed writer Michelle Good answers the Proust Questionnaire on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Bee Quammie and Lucy Mann join the kids’ book panel to give some of their hottest summer recommendations for young readers; the acclaimed Canadian writer and journalist reflects on the books that have left a lasting imprint on her mind and heart; and why music is medicine to country singer Ashley Ghostkeeper on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Bob the Boo-Boo by Mélina Schoenborn, illustrated by Sandra Dumais

Meet Me on Love Street by Farah Heron

Mallory and the Trouble with Twins by Ann M. Martin, illustrated by Arley Nopra

Raven's Ribbons by Tasha Spillett, illustrated by Daniel Ramirez

Free Piano (Not Haunted) by Whitney Gardner

The Forest King's Daughter by Elly Blake

Margaret’s New Look by Katherine Ashenburg

Christian Dior: History and Modernity, 1947 - 1957 by Alexandra Palmer

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Swamp Angel by Ethel Wilson

The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald

River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure

You Are the Medicine by Asha Frost

The Cape Breton author and illustrator shares what books have been the most influential to in her life as a person and creative; Angel Misri and Sam Wiebe join the mystery panel to give their recommendations; how Flara K finds songwriting inspiration in novels; and the romance writer who runs a cake shop on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

The Making of the English Working Class by E.P. Thompson

The Lost Salt Gift of Blood by Alistair MacLeod

1066 And All That by R.J. Yeatman and W.C. Sellar

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Bluenose Ghosts by Helen Creighton

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Contemplation of a Crime by Susan Juby

Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin

The Silent Film Star Murders by Melodie Campbell

Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right by Walter Mosley

Fair Play by Louise Hegart

Dirty Little War by Dietrich Kalteis

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Brian Francis answers the question of what is a guilty pleasure and gives a book pick to match a few of his favourites; Mirian Njoh talks about Christian Allaire’s book and his journey from Nipissing First Nation to the pages of Vogue; Susan Swan, author of Big Girls Don’t Cry, answers the Proust Questionnaire; and Amanda Leduc on why her protagonists are talking coyotes on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

Big Girls Don’t Cry by Susan Swan

Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix

The Donut: A Canadian History by Steve Penfold

Cue the Sun! by Emily Nussbaum

From the Rez to the Runway by Christian Allaire

Wild Life by Amanda Leduc

And Then She Fell by Alicia Eliott

Not Wanted on the Voyage by Timothy Findely

The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy

The Juno Award-winning musician thought he could write a book, so he did. In Try Hard, Max Kerman gets into the nuts and bolts of building a musical career; from a “Victorian Psycho” to a family of cannibals, Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist Arizona O’Neill shares her favourite horror titles; and three “must-read” historical novels about women artists on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Prolific Winnipeg-based author, editorial director and hockey dad David A. Robertson breaks down the books that have left a permanent mark on his life; CBC Books’ historical fiction savant Talia Kliot recommends three novels that transport you to another time; musician Matt Holubowski on finding stillness through Silence in the Age of Noise; what’s the first book Sarah Leavitt remembers reading; and CBC Books producer and former book seller Bridget Raymundo recommends a staff pick on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

All the Little Monsters by David A. Robertson

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

Swing Low by Miriam Toews

Tom's Midnight Garden by Phillippa Pearce

An Anthology of Monsters by Cherie Dimaline

Silence in the Age of Noise by Erling Kagge

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue

Finding Flora by Elinor Florence

The Immortal Woman by Su Chang

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

How the creator of the bestselling Molly the Maid series went from publisher to author; Bee Quammie talks about feeling stuck in life to writing The Book of Possibilities; Reading while on The Road with Customer Services’ Matt Chevery; and what perfect happiness means to writer Curtis Sittenfeld on this episode of The Next Chapter.

Books discussed on this week's show include:

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Where I Belong by Alan Doyle

Emancipation Day by Wayne Grady

Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent

The Road by Cormac Mccarthy

The Book of Possibilities by Bee Quammie

Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom

A Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou

Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld