Each week, Globe and Mail staffers and readers share what they’re reading now, whether it’s a hot new release or an old book they’re discovering for the first time. Tell me about a book you loved and we might publish your recommendation. Fill out this form, or send your book recommendation to Lara Pingue at lpingue@globeandmail.com
See our full 2023-2024 archive of book recommendations
Outsider Art in CanadaSupplied
Outsider Art in Canada, Linda Rainaldi
Outsider Art in Canada by Linda Rainaldi is a much-anticipated book about Canadian self-taught artists. From the West Coast to the Maritimes and the Territories, the book starts with a historical account on how the term “outsider art” was coined, its manifestation in the United States and its association with the European “Art Brut” movement founded by French artist Jean Dubuffet. Featuring around 40 Canadian artists, the book offers colourful illustrated examples of each artist’s work complimented by research, biographies and in some cases personal anecdotes. A separate chapter on Indigenous art is also offered for discussion. Self-taught artists reflect on their daily lives through their art by sharing their struggles, triumphs and personal experiences. I enjoyed this book’s thoughtful, reflective and non-academic tone. It’s definitely worth savouring in small chunks just to appreciate the unique artistic legacy each artist has to offer.
-Globe reader Paul de Guzman, Vancouver
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Slow Horses, Mick Herron
Mick Herron’s Slow Horses series revolves around Slough House, where washed-up MI5 agents are sent to languish in obscurity in the hope that they’ll quit the service. I love Herron’s intricate plots and darkly funny narrative, blending espionage with character-driven drama. These agents, dubbed “The Slow Horses,” each have unique backstories and are led by the vulgar, slovenly and hilarious Cold War spy Jackson Lamb. I recommend reading the books in order before watching the television adaption.
-Globe reader Peter Cech, Burnaby, B.C.
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A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara
Hanya Yanagihara’s sophomore novel A Little Life is a difficult book to recommend to others. Both devastating and beautiful, it offers readers portraits of life so intimately portrayed, so uniquely detailed, so painfully felt that its 832 pages feel not excessive but necessary – they capture the great expanse and bland mundanity of living. To articulate what this story is about, I paraphrase one of its protagonists, Willem: This is a book about what we choose to seek from the relationships that make up our lives. And I do recommend it, wholeheartedly.
-Globe reader Jessica Robinson
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Charlie Chaplin vs. America, Scott Eyman
When Charlie Chaplin’s satirical takes on capitalism turned political, U.S. government agencies — including the FBI — began to take notice. Scott Eyman’s Charlie Chaplin vs. America is a fascinating insight into the life of one the great artists of the early 20th century, pulling back the curtain on this dark period of Chaplin’s life. Powerful forces tried to drive Chaplin out of popular favour – and the country – using his affairs with younger women as cover. Eyman offers insight into how populism, puritanism and realpolitik can and still do function behind the scenes in the not-so-open world of our big friendly neighbour to the south.
-Globe reader Don Rubin, Toronto
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James, Percival Everett
In his latest novel James, author Percival Everett reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of slave Jim. Huck and Jim (who refers to himself as James) float down the prewar Mississippi of the 1840s. As James reveals that the enslaved Black people deliberately speak “slave talk” to fool their white masters, the story goes from sometimes painful, to terrifying, to downright hilarious. Being familiar with the American classic isn’t a prerequisite for enjoying James. Although many original characters reappear, events soon take an original and startling new direction. James stands on its own.
-Globe reader Patricia Fry, Port Credit, Ont.
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The Game of Kings, Dorothy Dunnett
How to describe nobleman Francis Crawford of Lymond of 16th-century Scotland? Unbearably erudite, fatally good looking, skilled both on battlefield and in court, hunted by both Scots and the English. In The Game of Kings, Lymond returns to Scotland with his name and reputation in tatters after being found guilty of treason five years earlier. Nobody can be sure of his endgame, only that chaos is sure to follow. The late Dorothy Dunnett was a master storyteller whose books are known for historical accuracy. The six volumes of the Lymond Chronicles can be very funny (one chapter involves a drunk pig) but are not for the faint of heart. Alliances shift, the writing can be obscure and the texts are peppered with middle English, French and Latin quotations and mythical allusions. (Relax, the story stands without translation.) Your reward is a romp through Europe (and Russia, and Turkey) of the mid-1500s. In the end, Lymond, his family and his loves command your heart and mind – and keep you reading past midnight, desperate to find out what happens next.
-Globe reader Elizabeth Carson, Victoria
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When You Least Expect It, Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Adult readers may shy away from reading young-adult fiction, perhaps believing it to be full of angsty romance and fantasy quests. That’s a shame because they’re missing out on When You Least Expect It by Lorna Schultz Nicholson. This is a book that transcends adolescence. It’s the story of Holly, an elite teenaged athlete, who is shattered when she’s cut from the national rowing team. The story follows Holly through one life-changing summer as she fights to put her dreams back together, aided by a coach with a tragic secret. Themes of family, loss, perseverance and triumph – as well as some awesome rowing scenes – help create a sports story that is both moving and inspirational. This is a gripping, emotional read.
-Globe reader Jean Mills, Guelph, Ont.
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Fate is the Hunter, Ernest K. Gann
I was delighted to discover Fate Is the Hunter, Ernest K. Gann’s memoir about his fascinating career as a pilot in the early years of American commercial aviation. Fasten your seat belt as Gann recounts his hair-raising experiences, close calls and incredible luck in the skies. During the Second World War, Gann was a pioneer in flying the Air Transport Command route to ferry bombers, soldiers and material across the North Atlantic Ocean. Postwar, Gann flew extensively in South America and Southeast Asia. Gann’s writing style draws the reader into each anecdote; he is utterly forthright but also subtly humorous; and his description is vivid. This is a five-star memoir.
-Globe reader Derek Wilson, Port Moody, B.C.
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All Fours, Miranda July
In what has been dubbed ‘The First Great Perimenopause Novel,’ Miranda July’s All Fours follows an unnamed 45-year-old woman intent on a fresh start. Leaving her husband and child behind, she embarks on a cross-country road trip, which is quickly derailed after she locks eyes with a handsome stranger. She settles into a motel, spends $20,000 renovating it and begins a lustful obsession while grappling with stream-of-consciousness existential questions. Her sexual exploits are sometimes uncomfortable to read, but her shameless journey to self-discovery is also refreshing. The witty, earnest prose will keep you reading through the cringe.
-Globe editor Aruna Dutt
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Travels with Charley: In Search of America, John Steinbeck
My book club is comprised of a bunch of women in their 80s like me, and we’ve been reading and discussing books for over 45 years. In my hunt for a new title, I found an oldie on my shelf: Travels with Charley: In Search of America, written by John Steinbeck in 1962. The titular Charley is a dog and the perfect companion for Steinbeck in his search for the answer to his question, “What are Americans like today?” Man and dog shelter in a custom-made camper nicknamed Rocinante, and Steinbeck describes everything – the weather, his fellow travellers, the laundry – as only he can. Charley simply nods in agreement. The book turned out to be one of those reading experiences that we live for. I kept saying to myself, “I’m loving this!”
-Globe reader Sally Mooney, Ottawa
Democracy in One Book or Less, David Litt
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What’s really going on in the U.S. and what’s at stake in the 2024 election? In his 2020 book Democracy in One Book or Less: How it Works; Why It Doesn’t; And Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think, author David Litt explores how the U.S. political system is moving toward autocracy, almost entirely by design. Litt argues most Americans are opposed to this and places the blame for the execution of this pernicious political strategy primarily on just one person in the Republican power structure (Who, you ask? Read the book to find out.). Voting is an obvious way to exercise democracy, but there are many easier-than-you-think things that Americans can do. Read on!
-Globe reader Walter Shoup, Boucherville, Que.
Case Study, Graeme Macrae Burnet
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Graeme Macrae Burnet’s Case Study (longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize) is the best type of novel: the sharply crafted, deeply intelligent but compulsively readable kind. Case Study purports to be an account of the life of a radical and philandering psychotherapist, Collins Braithwaite, who enjoys a fling with fame in the mid-1960s when he claims the most effective therapy is no therapy at all. Evidence of Braithwaite’s unconventional practices are found in five notebooks – the diary of one of his patients, a repressed young woman pretending to be someone more vivacious while she investigates the suicide of her sister, a former client of Braithwaite’s. Questions of identity are braided through the book: who we are, and who we think we are, and why they are never the same person. As soon as you stop reading, you’ll want to read it again.
-Globe reporter Ian Brown
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Long Island Compromise, Taffy Brodesser-Akner
The Fletchers of Long Island Compromise live in the largest house “on a block of extremely robbable homes” in Middle Rock, a mainly Jewish enclave where the Long Island Sound is “their own personal swimming pool.” In 1980, Carl Fletcher is kidnapped. His wife, Ruth, pays a $250,000 ransom for his (bumpy) return and his mother, Phyllis, immediately begins compartmentalizing. “This happened to your body. This did not happen to you. Don’t let it in,” Phyllis says. It’s impossible not to, and decades later, the three adult Fletcher kids are fantastically warped. Author Taffy Brodesser-Akner scrutinizes generational wealth and trauma with clear eyes. Her fictionalized version of a real abduction is a few great things at once – a comedy, a mystery, and a twist on the American Dream.
-Maryam Sanati, managing director of product growth and innovation
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Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma, Claire Dederer
What do we do with the art of monstrous men and women? It’s a question more pertinent than ever, given the explosive news about Alice Munro earlier this month. It’s also the question at the centre of Claire Dederer’s newest book, Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma, which is based on her earlier essay on the same topic during the #MeToo movement. Can we still love the art made by men like Michael Jackson, Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso? Dederer also explores the idea of women who abandon their children to create their art. Is it possible that we’re all monsters to some degree? This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book.
-Globe reader Sheryl Irwin, Victoria
The Broken Places, Frances Peck
The Broken Places, by Frances PeckSupplied
What would happen if “The Big One” actually hit the West Coast? That’s the premise of The Broken Places by Frances Peck, which follows a cast of characters in the aftermath of a magnitude-9 earthquake in Vancouver. A tech tycoon’s house on the bay becomes the epicentre of the drama when several passersby and a landscaper take shelter. By capturing their fears and sharing their dilemmas, the author makes these complex, believable characters come alive on the page. Charlotte, the tech tycoon’s discontented wife, takes advantage of the chaos around her to discard her old life and step into a new one. This clever, insightful novel forces readers to examine their commitment to the status quo.
-Globe reader Rachel Baxter, Irishtown, N.B.
Piglet, Lottie Hazell
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My book club recently read Lottie Hazell’s debut novel Piglet, which became a big talker in my group. The story centres on Piglet, an up-and-coming cookbook editor in London who is no slouch in the kitchen. Her plan for a picture-perfect life is culminating with an upcoming marriage to the upper-class Kit. But when he confesses a betrayal just 13 days before the wedding, Piglet’s world is overcome by a hunger she didn’t know she had – slowly at first and then all at once. Reader beware: Hazell makes some narrative decisions that keep important details undisclosed. Still, it’s a worthy read. Come for the mouth-watering food descriptions, stay for the smart commentary on female ambition, desire and class dynamics.
–Danielle Webb, deputy visuals editor, data & digital storytelling
The Globe 100: The best books of 2022
Tell us about a book you love
What are you reading now? Is it a hot new release or an old classic you're discovering for the first time? Share all about your latest literary obsession below.