The Next Chapter with Antonio Michael Downing

Gen Z has found a new favourite way to improve their outfit while simultaneously looking more intellectual. Add a book. Books have become one of the hottest trends in the fashion world, serving as accessories, objects and status signifiers. Fashion houses have signed on in a big way, creating everything from book bags to readable charms. CBC Books' very own “lit girl” and eagle eyed trend spotter Bridget Raymundo joins the show to talk about what happens when fashion cozies up to the book world. Plus, Toronto musician Meagan De Lima recommends a book to reignite your childlike creativity.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

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Iona Whishaw dreamed of being a writer since she was a child. It may have taken longer than she had expected, but by her mid sixties she had fulfilled that childhood dream. Inspired by the true stories of her family's connection to secret intelligence services such as MI6, she’s written a fan favourite mystery series set in B.C. just after the Second World War. Plus, book content creator Ainara Alleyne drops by to talk about her journey as a youth reading advocate, and talk about the upcoming Forest of Reading Festival.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
A False and Fatal Claim: A Lane Winslow Mystery by Iona Whishaw
The Chambermaid’s Key by Genevieve Graham
I, Medusa by Ayana Gray

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Elsie Silver has become one of the most popular romance writers in the world. She's best known for her small town, slow burn romance novels, which exploded onto bestseller lists and sent production companies scrambling to be the first to adapt her work. Elsie’s new book, Fever Dream, is the first in a new series set in and around the fictional town of Emerald Lake, B.C. This week she talks about what sparked the flame of her rapidly rising career, and which books and series influenced her along the way.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Dancer by Shelley Peterson
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning
Fever Dream by Elsie Silver

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When Jennifer Chevalier isn’t digging up the latest political scoop on The House on CBC Radio, she’s unearthing untold stories of women in history. She has always been particularly interested in the women labeled as witches throughout history. In her debut novel, she writes about the women who came to New France from Normandy to be brides, with a hint of witchcraft. Plus, CBC Books associate producer Ailey Yamamoto talks about the intersection between video games and high art.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
The Winter Witch by Jennifer Chevalier
Of Floating Isles: On Growing Pains and Video Games by Kawika Guillermo

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The last Saturday of April is Independent Bookstore Day. This week Carmela Vedar, the owner of The Book Wardrobe, joins the show to talk about her store in Streetsville, Mississauga and how it came to be. Plus, scholar David Williams discusses the everlasting impact of the great Irish poet, Seamus Heaney.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Wintering Out by Seamus Heaney

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