Looking for your next great read? The Next Chapter’s got you covered! Book lovers join host Antonio Michael Downing to dive deep into great books. Big feelings, hot takes, enlightening conversations — you’ve never been in a book club like this before. It’s Canada’s book club, and everyone’s invited. So pull up a chair and join the conversation. New episodes every Saturday and Monday.
Latest episodes
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28 min
This Law and Order star shares her favourite crime books
Actor Kathleen Munroe is in her fourth season starring as Detective Sergeant Frankie Bateman in Law and Order Toronto: Criminal Intent. Not only is she a committed reader, but she'…
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27 min
Can science fiction save us from an A.I. apocalypse?
Robert J. Sawyer has been called “the Dean of Canadian science fiction.” He's written 25 novels, countless columns, book reviews and keynote speeches. When he was diagnosed with ca…
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28 min
How Anne Carson helped bring this Toronto band's album to life
In his decades of making music, writing and running a newspaper, Dave Bidini has interpreted and celebrated the things that make this country unique. Last year, that meant teaming…
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27 min
Why Gordon Korman never runs out of ideas
Since writing his first book at the age of twelve, it's hard to imagine a more prolific writer than Gordon Korman. In nearly five decades of writing for kids and young adults, he's…
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28 min
Why you should do good and expect nothing back
At the age of 27, Sam Demma just published his third book. His latest is called Return on Goodwill: Do good. Expect nothing. Watch life surprise you. He talks about how a trip to V…
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28 min
Can straight authors write books with gay protagonists?
When writer and creative Arizona O'Neill read the satirical novel Fruit Fly by Josh Silver, it got her thinking about the publishing industry and the popularity of gay romance writ…
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28 min
Comparison kills: why ranking books can get problematic
What are the best books published this month? Questions and titles like this led to writer and teacher Thea Lim’s article “Abolish the Top Ten List,” for the Walrus magazine. She n…
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27 min
How Junie B. Jones inspired Taylor Tomlinson’s comedy career
With four Netflix specials and a late-night show to her name, Taylor Tomlinson has comedy figured out. But something she had never done before, was write a book. The comedian just…
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28 min
10 years since publishing Indigenous Writes, what’s changed?
Chelsea Vowel is a lawyer, teacher and writer. 10 years ago, she published her influential book Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Metis and Inuit issues in Canada. Chels…
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26 min
Here’s what’s on our fall TBR list
For our team of producers at CBC Books, fall reading starts in spring when publisher catalogues and look-aheads arrive at the office. Ailey Yamamoto, Ashly July and Lisa Mathews ha…
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28 min
What the stars of North of North are reading
After cleaning up at the Canadian Screen Awards in May, North of North returns for season two with nine awards under its belt including Best Comedy Series. In this episode, co-star…
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24 min
Why we keep coming back to The Odyssey, 3000 years later
The Odyssey, both the movie and Homer’s epic poem, was at the top of the pop culture zeitgeist this summer. The sudden resurgence leads to the question: What is it about the Greeks…
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28 min
Kia Nurse shares what the Toronto Tempo is reading
You may know Kia Nurse from the WNBA, Team Canada or her basketball coverage on TSN. She also scored the first points recorded in Toronto Tempo history. Today she joins the show to…
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28 min
What happens when 6 Canadian actors start a book club
Celebrity book clubs have shown their staying power. From Reese Witherspoon to Dua Lipa, everyone’s curious about what actors and artists are reading. When Heated Rivalry’s Nadine…
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27 min
These books introduced Will Ferguson to the world... and changed his life
Will Ferguson began his career as a travel writer. Since then he's written more than a dozen books and won some of the biggest literary prizes a Canadian writer can win. Along the…
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28 min
What it’s like entering the spotlight after a career of ghostwriting
For most of her writing life Patricia Finn wrote and polished other people’s stories. But this spring she stepped out of the shadows with the publication of her debut novel. It’s c…
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27 min
How far must we go to find our way home?
In April, two Canada Reads nominated authors took the stage in Whitehorse to discuss their books in front of a packed live audience. The evening featured a conversation between Log…
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22 min
What made The Tragically Hip Canada’s band?
Ten years ago, more than 11 million Canadians tuned in to CBC for the live airing of The Tragically Hip’s final concert of their Man Machine Poem tour in Kingston, Ontario. Since t…
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24 min
How to avoid getting locked in an echo chamber
Some books change your mind. Others simply reinforce what you already know. The Next Chapter's columnist Nathan Maharaj joins the show to talk about two books that challenged his a…
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25 min
The author behind Lucky reveals how she helped cast Anya Taylor-Joy
A few years ago Marissa Stapley heard a radio story about an unclaimed winning lottery ticket, which planted the seed for her novel, Lucky. Since then, the book has become a Reese…