The Next Chapter with Antonio Michael Downing

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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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 up with Nobel laureate Anne Carson and other notable Canadian writers on his band's album The Great Lakes Suites. Plus, CBC Books producer Daphné Santos-Vieira talks about her love for Jane of Lantern Hill by Lucy Maud Montgomery and why she re-reads it every year.

Books discussed on this week's show include:
Jane of Lantern Hill by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Liked this conversation? Keep listening:
Why Anne of Green Gables is a superstar in Japan
Bigger than The Game: Remembering Canadian hero Ken Dryden

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