The Next Chapter with Antonio Michael Downing

From This Hour has 22 Minutes to the new hit Netflix series Below, Mary Walsh has been keeping audiences entertained for decades. The actor and comedian has written characters and sketches throughout her career, but her personal life takes centre stage for the first time in her debut memoir Brassy Bit of Aging Crumpet. She talks about her unorthodox upbringing in Newfoundland, her expansive career in comedy and the power of humour to help us through even our darkest moments. Plus, musician Laura Roy explains why books are never far out of reach during recording sessions.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
Pookie in Search of a Home by Ivy L. Wallace
Martha Quest series by Doris Lessing
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Brassy Bit of Aging Crumpet by Mary Walsh
Your Illustrated Guide To Becoming One With The Universe by Yumi Sakugawa

Liked this conversation? Keep listening:
Why Mark Critch is willing to fight for Canada
Taking a tour of Newfoundland with Alan Doyle

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CBC Books Producer Bridget Raymundo never read Lord of the Flies growing up. So when it was announced a new series adaptation would be arriving on CBC Gem, she thought it was the perfect time to pick up the timeless novel. Bridget talks about what it was like entering that universe for the first time and what she took away from it. Plus, Trevor Carter shares his go-to Stephen King recommendation to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the film Stand By Me.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Different Seasons by Stephen King

Liked this conversation? Keep listening:
Travelling to the birthplace of Interview with the Vampire
Reflecting on a year of fear with Stephen King

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Author Xochitl Gonzalez grew up in a Brooklyn that looks much different than it does today. However, she's immortalized her home town as she remembers it in her latest novel Last Night in Brooklyn. She remembers it as something like the version of America that F. Scott Fitzgerald writes about in his iconic book. The air filled with optimism, the streets filled with artists, A-list celebrities and locals alike, blissfully unaware of the impending financial collapse of 2008. She’ll talk about her new book and how Brooklyn has changed over the years. Plus, Montreal musician Magi Merlin recommends the Eckhart Tolle book that impacted her life.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

Liked this conversation? Keep listening:
Why Ann Patchett thinks the secret to success might be lowering people's expectations
Spilling secrets and small-town adultery in The Shampoo Effect

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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's also a member of a star-studded book club featuring Nadine Bhabha, Clark Backo and more. She joins the show to talk about some of her favourite crime related reads. Plus, CBC producer and kids' book expert Lucy Mann will recommend her family's latest middle grade series obsession.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Jane: A Murder by Maggie Nelson
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse

Liked this conversation? Keep listening:
What happens when 6 Canadian actors start a book club
The book that inspired Carley Fortune's writing career

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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 cancer six years ago, he was told not to go public, fearing it would hurt his chances of having future books published. Despite a terminal diagnosis, he has persevered and published several novels since. His new book is a collection of articles, reviews and speeches reflecting on decades of writing science fiction and what we can learn from the genre about entering an uncertain future. Plus, hear where writer and professor Michelle Porter finds true happiness while answering The Next Chapter's version of the Proust Questionnaire.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
Sawyer on Science Fiction by Robert J Sawyer
A Glacier’s Guide to Dying by Michelle Porter

Liked this conversation? Keep listening:
Why fantasy novels offer much more than escapism
Celina ‘Spooky Boo’ Myers on writing the next great vampire novel

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