Canadian Book Club Awards 2025

This is my third year participating in the Canadian Book Club Awards as an avid reader! It can be a big commitment, especially when you are reading for more than one category, but it is such a great experience. I was really excited when I found out I was accepted to judge the Memoirs and Children's categories again this year, and when they were looking for another judge for the Early Readers category, I offered to judge that one too... good thing I'm on summer break!

Here's a reminder of the criteria judges can consider when making voting for their top three choices in a category.

Professionalism: (PRO) Is this book well-edited? Does the book's layout help or hurt how the book reads? (Ie. Is there appropriate paragraph and chapter spacing to help the reader enjoy the story.)

Character/Narration: (C/N) Are the characters (fiction) or narrators (non-fiction) likeable and/or easy to follow?

Pacing: (P) Is this story dragging, or do you find yourself wanting to get to the next page to see what unfolds?

Accessibility for buyers: (A) How easy is this book to purchase? Is it available on Amazon or just an author's personal website.

As I read books I will write short reviews without giving a star rating or comparing it to the other books in the category. I will try to comment on the four criteria above but will not share whether or not I think it is one of my contenders for my top 5. I may also comment on whether or not the book is written by a Canadian author and/or set in Canada, as I feel like that is important for this particular award, though I don't know think it is actually an official requirement.

So stay tuned and I look forward to sharing my reading journey with you!

Skip down to the Children's Category reviews by clicking here

OR

Skip down to the Early Readers/Middle Grade Category reviews by clicking here

Memoirs Category

The Miles We Run

Alison Beder Solway

This memoir follows Alison's path to becoming a mother through surrogacy while connecting those challenges to a similarly difficult path she took training for the NYC marathon. Each chapter is another mile and she reflects on both journeys, making it easy to relate to even if readers are tackling very different challenges of their own.

Despite being about the NYC marathon, the author is Canadian, which I think is great for this award. I appreciated her honesty and vulnerability throughout the story. As a 34 year old who is still not entirely sure how my journey to motherhood will go, I was drawn in to the storyline around surrogacy. I think many readers can take something away from reading the story.

I was not a huge fan of the way that the author ended each chapter, with a little conversation with her "dearest reader", encouraging them to reflect on their own journeys. I understand why the author chose to include this, but for me it felt a bit weird. I think most memoir readers (really most readers in any genre) naturally reflect on their reading as they read; it is something I teach my early years students to do while reading. Memoirs are about connecting with someone else's life story. I don't think explicitly asking the reader to think about a time they faced something similar is really necessary and interrupted the flow of the story, in my opinion. I think the author could have chosen to include these questions as a discussion or reflection section at the end of the book, which would have had less of an impact on the pacing and transitions.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the story! Thanks to the author and the Canadian book club awards for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

PRO: looks well done and polished

C/N: I found the end of chapter reflection questions (written as direct questions to the reader) broke up the flow of the story and affected the transition to the following chapter. My personal preference would have been to include them at the end of the book, but understand why the author chose to include them the way she did.

P: It was pretty steady pace

A: It was easy to find on Amazon, and the author's website has direct links to Amazon (American and Canadian!), Indigo and other sites. I also checked my local bookstore, McNally Robinson and it can be ordered in. The price is slightly higher there that Indigo or Amazon. So a huge win for Availability!

Canadian? Yes!

A Medic's Mind

Matthew Heneghan

A Medic's Mind is a memoir by former medic and veteran from the Canadian Forces. The memoir follows both his time serving as well as his difficult childhood, while also sharing his experiences with mental illness, addiction, suicidal ideation and recovery and healing.

I appreciated the author's vulnerability and willingness to openly share his challenges as I think his experiences are common to many people and his resiliency could help give a positive outlook for readers who are struggling. That being said, I found the story jumped around a lot and I had a hard time following. I was also hoping for more medic-related stories as I found the snippets included were short and more anecdotal rather than detailed or descriptive.

Thanks to the author, Matthew Heneghan and The Canadian Book Club Awards for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

PRO: The writing is a bit weak, I think it could use some polishing.

C/N: Narration was a bit hard to follow at times, it sort of jumped around a lot.

P: Pace was affected by the somewhat confusing storyline

A: It is available on Amazon and looks available in Indigo, though there appear to be two different listings and different prices... I am not able to order it through my local bookstore.

Canadian? Yes!

The Illogical Adventure

Jeff MacDuff & Mirriam Mweemba

The Illogical Adventure is a travel memoir that follows the two authors' journeys before, during and after they meet. James is a Canadian lawyer who enjoys backpacking on his own, and Mirriam is from rural Zambia. They meet in Cape Town in 2018 where James is exploring after a trip to Argentina and Antarctica and Mirriam is about to leave to work on a cruise ship in Europe. They choose a long distance relationship which will inevitably be impacted by the pandemic.

I found the alternating perspectives interesting, but it was a bit strange at first because they are completely unrelated until after they meet. The timelines were also confusing (though I will mention that they were really clearly identified in the chapter headings), especially because we are looking at two different peoples' lives which are not at all related during the first sets of chapters. The years and locations are not connected, so some chapters included going back in time as well as changing location and narration. It is a really interesting premise and a neat story, but unfortunately it didn't really hold my interest.

Thanks to the authors and @thecanadianbookclubawards for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

Professionalism: Pretty good, but perhaps some editing to ensure the first chapter gives more context

Character/Narration: The alternating perspectives are good

Pace: A bit slow at times

Availability: Easy to find on Amazon, also available at Indigo and to be ordered through my local bookstore.

Canadian: Yes, one of the authors was born and raised in Canada

Smoke and a Smile

Eric Allen Stover

Amazon description: This book is an autobiography of my life that I spent as an addict, leading to my demise and ending up on the street for 3 years. going through all the hardships that you hear about but, never ever knowing what really goes on out there, and finally getting clean and staying clean with a whole new outlook on life.

PRO: As the Amazon description shows, the writing is not overly professional.

C/N: the narration is just one long rambling story with limited details or big plot moments. The writing is feels disassociated and lacks feeling.

P: The pacing is very slow due to limited chapter breaks and a confusing timeline

A: It is easy to find on Amazon and not available at Indigo or my local bookstore.

Canadian: yes

Left

Bonnie Thompson

It says something about a book when you look at your annotations/bookmarks and the last one is "wow". Left by @bonniethompsonab is a memoir about her chaotic and traumatic childhood with two emotionally unavailable parents and an extremely limited social network of friends or family to lean on. At nine Bonnie's parents split up, her mom starts dating an abusive man and her dad begins a long and difficult transition to become a woman. Bonnie is left to her own devices, endangered, neglected and not properly provided for by either of her parents who were too preoccupied with everything going on in their own lives to give Bonnie the care or attention she needed. Somehow Bonnie survived and went on to write this book, sharing her painful journey and touching readers with her strength and perseverance.

PRO: Well written, the odd minor editing error but very easy to read and looks very professional

C/N: the narration is so well done, you often feel as though you are there with Bonnie, watching these painful scenes take place, unable to help her.

P: The pacing is good. I found the last bit a bit slower and not as gripping but seeing where her life took her was a relevant addition.

A: It is easy to find on Amazon (and with a direct link from the author's website). Available on Indigo.

Canadian: yes

Move Over, Viola

Christopher Dainton

I recently read Move Over, Viola by @daintonc Christopher Dainton as part of @thecanadianbookclubawards!

Christopher tells his mother's story as she battled Bell Canada due to gender and race based employment discrimination. I learned a fair amount about racism and discrimination in Canada's past. I knew about Viola Desmond's story (referenced in the title) but knew that there were of course many other examples and stories of this stain on Canada's history. I also think that when you consider Bell today, you might consider Bell Let's Talk day (or your shitty customer service experiences lol) and in the book Christopher also points out the more recent diversity programming/hiring the company is quick to point out, when there is actually quite a murky history that needs to be explored.

I really enjoyed the first part of the story when Christopher was the narrator. There was so many interesting and relevant parts of history that were included and it was written with a really good pace. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the middle section as much, which was narrated by his mother, as much. I understand wanting to give her a voice in telling her own story but it felt a bit awkward at times and was not super clear that the narration switched at first. The ending was a little unusual as well but I wont get into that with spoilers!

I feel like this book had so many missed opportunities. The writing could have been better. I would have loved to see it told in real time, either in a historical fiction genre or kept as a memoir but being told completely from one narrator's perspective.

PRO: I think this could have used some more editing, especially considering the changing narration. While I personally think the narration did not need to change, if the author really did want to, I would say more editing for voice would have been better

Narration: As said above, I don't think the narration should have changed

Pacing: The first section was really well paced, the second was very slow and rambling. The third was weird and the reprieve I had when I saw the narrator had changed back to Christopher was short lived.

Availability: On Amazon but not Indigo or my local bookstore.

Canadian: Yes!

Chocolate and Sangria

Anneliese Sawatzky

I read Chocolate and Sangria by @anneliese.sawatzky as part of @thecanadianbookclubawards!

This memoir is sort of written in two parts, though they overlap a bit, starting with Anneliese and her young family's life living next to a slightly grouchy neighbour. In a very "A Man Called Ove" or "Up" fashion, Anneliese's neighbour Stan is a bit of a recluse and is quite lonely following the death of his first wife. After an uncomfortable interaction over the volume of her four boys' outside play, Anneliese tries to win Stan over with cookies and quickly becomes intertwined into his life. She shares what day to day life looks like for a stay at home mom who takes on a little too much in her community while balancing the needs of her busy family. The relationship she forms with her neighbour is truly special and really enhances his life (and hers as well!) Once Anneliese's children are teens, she and her husband decide to purchase a family cabin, and while Stan is a little put out by the loss of his neighbour every weekend in the summer, Anneliese continues to visit him when she can. She and her husband also become fast friends with her cabin neighbours. This story reminds us that even when our lives are busy, taking the time for personal connections can be rewarding for you and the person you are connecting with, making life all that more enjoyable and fulfilling. While I appreciated the first half (Stan's story) more than the second half, I enjoyed reading about her family growing up and how relationships develop and change over time.

PRO: It is well written

C/N: I really connected with the narrator as well as the other people in the story

Pace: It has a good pace, I felt the last 1/3 was a bit slower, but overall good and it didn't feel too long or drawn out.

Availability: Available on Amazon, Indigo, my local bookstore and through the publisher's website. Amazon is the most expensive, and prices are a bit higher than average on other sites but I think a book by a Canadian author is worth the extra little bit with inflation the way it is today!

Around the World in Family Days

Charles Achampong

As part of @thecanadianbookclubawards I recently read @aroundtheworldinfamilydays by Charles Achampong! This travel memoir follows the year Charles, his wife and two preteen daughters packed lightly, rented out their home and explored the world, on a budget! The first few chapters give a bit of insight into why the family made the decision to go on this vacation, followed by several chapters each dedicated to one country and then a few final more thematic chapters to wrap things up. In each of the country chapters the author starts with a narrative introducing the reasons for choosing the country, some of the memorable moments spent there and the biggest differences noticed or challenges they faced. At the end of each chapters are reflections and takeaways as well as tips and photos from the vacation.

This was a pretty quick read and I learned a lot about traveling, countries I knew very little about, and life as a biracial family in a variety of contexts. I personally didn't really need the reflections section and I think the tips or highlights summarized at the end of each chapter were covered well enough in the chapter, so I often skimmed those sections. That being said, if I was a parent trying to plan an extended vacation those sections may have been more relevant to me. It was a nice, easy read, with a bit of depth and lots of great anecdotes from all these countries and experiences. I'm glad I had the chance to read it!

PRO: It is well written, easy to follow, consistent across the chapters

C/N: The narration was great and I felt like I got to know his family quite well

Pace: It is a pretty quick read, though the repetitive takeaways/reflections did slow it down a bit (I mostly skimmed) and created that "self help" feeling.

Availability: Available on Amazon, Indigo, my local bookstore (to be ordered in)

Canadian - yes!

Children's Category

Early Readers/Middle Grade Category