Canada Day Special: Our Top 3 Book Picks for Canadian Readers
Book Coach Kim Reynolds joins me in naming our top books | PLUS: My summer coaching intensives are open ... apply now
Somehow, we’re already at the midpoint of the year, and everyone around me seems shocked. How did it go so quickly? Already this year, my family has celebrated three milestone birthdays and a Grade 8 graduation. We also enjoyed a few weekend escapes and worked extra hard on projects at work and in our home. I feel like a baseball player, sliding onto second base, safe.
Today in The Book Case, I’m bringing back my semi-annual Top 3 Book Picks feature, where I invite book coaching colleagues to share their favourite books. Seeing as Canada Day is next week, this issue is our Top 3 Book Picks for Canadian Readers. And it is entirely fitting that Kim Reynolds is joining me: Kim is a certified book coach living in our Nation’s capital, and she works with women writing fiction. We’re members of
, and while we often see each other in online meetups, I got to meet Kim in person last year during a visit to Ottawa, and we had a lovely time talking books and book coaching. Kim has fine literary taste.
Below, Kim and I recommend books we love, perfect for an Elbows Up summer.
PS. This week, I opened up summer book coaching spots. If you know someone who is ready to begin writing their book or has found themselves stuck mid-manuscript, can you do me a favour? Send them over to The Summer Spark Writing Plan — or connect us by email or in a DM. They’re going to love what happens when they work with a book coach! They’ll gain clarity and confidence, and reconnect with their purpose and what sparked inspiration in the first place. They’ll come away with a writing plan they can carry through into the fall. If you’re writing a book yourself and you want a quick look-see, you’ll find more info below.
I’ll be sending quite a few emails about this coaching opportunity over the next few weeks. (A gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do to run a business.) Go ahead and forward any of them to your friends, family, or colleagues.
Our Top 3 Picks for Canadian Readers
Kim Reynolds
Kim coaches writers of book club fiction, domestic thrillers, cozy mysteries, and modern historical (20th century) novels.
“Working with someone as they uncover their best writing and storytelling skills is a privilege I never take lightly.” —Kim
Kim’s Top 3 Book Picks for Canadians:
Endling, by Maria Reva – This just-released debut novel by Ukrainian Canadian writer Maria Reva grapples with the question of what happens when the real world crashes into a writer’s fictional world. Maria Reva was writing a novel about the marriage tour industry in Ukraine when, in real life, Russia invaded Ukraine. At first, she abandoned the project, but her decision to bring that reality into the novel resulted in a moving and outstanding creative achievement blending fiction and non-fiction.
Welcome Home, by Stuart McLean – This collection of real stories from small-town Canada, written by the late Stuart McLean, was published just over 30 years ago. But I think it suits the moment we are having right now, as threats to our sovereignty have many Canadians paying more attention to the people and places in the country we call home.
Happiness, by Will Ferguson – I chose this novel from 2007 because it’s summer and fun to read something silly and light (not to imply the writing is silly and light, it takes great skill at the keyboard to write humour). I also thought it would be a fun book for people—like writers—who are interested in the world of publishing. The premise: What would happen if a self-help book actually did make everyone happy?
★ Find out more about Kim Reynolds at www.kimreynolds.ca or on Instagram at BookGiddy. You can also view Kim’s profile on our Book Coaches Canada page.
Dinah Laprairie
Dinah coaches everyday experts who want to write big-hearted, reader-centered books
Dinah’s Top 3 Book Picks for Canadians
My shortlist was twenty books! To choose three, I focused on ‘that summertime feel.’
The Treasure Hunter’s Club, by Tom Ryan – If you’re making a road trip out East this summer, like my family is, pop on the audio version of Tom Ryan’s latest novel. This mystery, set in small-town Nova Scotia, is good storytelling, much as I expected after reading Ryan’s YA crime novel Keep This to Yourself. There’s talk of pirate treasure, old pacts among friends, a secret society, and a grand old home with a beautiful but dangerous staircase. It will please everyone in the car, especially the parents who can still recite every line of The Goonies.
That Time I Loved You, by Carianne Leung – This book of related short stories is set in a newly built Scarborough subdivision in the 1970s. It takes you deep and you remember keenly the long, confusing days of youth. Neighbourhood dynamics are in constant movement as the young people and adults navigate life and love and loneliness. Long after reading it, I still get the feeling of the place, and that’s the book’s success. If you’re in the hot, summer streets of an urban area, this one may be for you.
The Bittlemores, by Jann Arden - Now here’s a book that is perfect for summer. Stuck on a failing farm with Roald Dahl-esque parents, 14-year-old Willa Bittlemore sets out to solve a mystery. There are quirky townsfolk, and, best of all, talking cows plotting an escape — Berle, Crilla and Dally were my favourite characters, actually. If you’re coming to this book for Arden’s trademark humour, you’ll find it here. As good humorists do, she gives the reader a way to manage dark subjects—with absurdity, exaggeration, and heart. I recommend the audio version for beach days and road trips; I felt like a kid, listening to a bedtime story, entertained and comforted.
★ Find out more about Dinah Laprairie at www.dinahlaprairie.com. You’ll also find her coach listing on the Book Coaches Canada Substack page.
Your turn
What’s on your summer reading list? Add your comment with your own Top 3 Book Picks for Canadian Readers. Happy reading and writing! And Happy New Year!
The Summer Spark Writing Plan
A short-term, personalized coaching experience for nonfiction and memoir writers who want to turn an idea into momentum.
In summer, you’re expected to take a break. You have permission to take time off and do what makes you feel good.
If you’re writing a book, summer is perfect. There’s a new pace to life, often celebratory, and this lighter season brings energy.
If this is the summer you want to write your book, I’m here to help you harness that energy and direct it into writing plan.
My summer coaching program will reconnect you to your book and why it lights you up. It’s short-term, intensive coaching and it works around your summer schedule. It is possible to write and enjoy the best of the season…
If you want to:
Map out your book while the kids are at camp
Get clear on your message before September takes over
Or finally revisit the story that’s been waiting for years
…now’s the time to book your spot. And soon — I have only 7 calendar openings.
✨ What’s included:
• 1:1 coaching or small group format
• Two full coaching days or four half-days, scheduled around your life
• A clear, reader-centered plan you create with my support
• One-month follow-up and September accountability session
Do you have the spark? Here are some clues:
You think about your book constantly—it’s always in the background.
You finally have a little breathing room this summer.
You’re craving clarity, not another to-do list.
You want structure—but the kind that fits your real life.
You’re ready to stop circling and actually start.
If any of those felt familiar, this might be your season to move forward. You’ll come away with confidence, clear vision, and a plan you can implement as you write into the fall and winter. It’s direction. It’s forward movement. And you can get it over two or four days.
You can write, but you can also enjoy summer.
I’ll be dropping into your inbox again with more details, but if you want to secure one of my 7 summer coaching dates, click the button below to read more about the Summer Spark Writing Plan—including formats, pricing, and dates.
I’m available anytime to answer questions.
—Dinah
Jann Arden's The Bittlemores was a favourite of mine.
Here's what's on my current list:
Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald
Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad
Happy summer reading everyone!