The last few years, I’ve been on a kick of Canadian authors. I didn’t just wake up and say, hey, let’s read some Canadians, even though there’s no reason you shouldn’t. But, I noticed after a while, some of my favorite reads since 2020 were by these amazing Canadians listed below. Many of them may have other books and my list is just to give you one per author. If you find you like them, check out other books they may have written.

(The ordering is simply alphabetical.)

  • Lisa Alward: Cocktail (2023): Alward nails each short story, never overdoing or undercooking her stories.

  • Mona Awad: Bunny (2019): Oh my god, this is so beautifully twisted! I loved it and thought it was kind of like “The Craft” meets “The Secret History” meets “Heathers.”

  • Gwen Benaway: Day/Break (2020): a short, beautiful collection of poetry.

  • Hazel Jane Plante: Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) (2019): A powerful story told in an unusual and unique way.

  • Casey Plett: A Dream of a Woman (2021): You can never go wrong with anything Casey writes, but I truly loved this collection.

  • John Elizabeth Stintz: Vanishing Monuments (2020): a beautiful & sad look at aging, dementia, and becoming and unbecoming.

  • Natalie Zina Walschots: Hench (2020): another fun romp, reminscient of the Boys without all the horrendous violence.

  • Deborah Willis: Girlfriend on Mars (2023): This sounded like it might be too cool for school when I picked it up, but I really loved it.

  • Jia Qing Wilson-Yang: Small Beauty (2016): A story that slowly builds while weaving something beautiful. A quick read that will leave a long impact on your heart and mind.