Bonus: Staff Picks - My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Release Date: 04/04/2020
Kobo in Conversation
Nathan spoke with Dr Jen Gunter, OB/GYN and bestselling author of several books on health, anatomy, and medicine: , , and most recently a new book called .
info_outline R. F. Kuang on seeing herself in YellowfaceKobo in Conversation
Nathan spoke with R. F. Kuang, author of the epic historical fantasy trilogy , as well as the 2022 novel, also a work of historical fantasy called . R. F. Kuang’s latest novel is . It’s the story of June Hayward and Athena Liu, a pair of writers on the rise—one of whom is rising significantly faster than the other, until a fatal freak accident leaves the survivor holding an unfinished manuscript and facing a very tempting proposition.
info_outline R.H. Thomson on viewing wars by the light of family historyKobo in Conversation
Michael spoke with R.H. Thomson: actor, director, playwright, and author of . Part memoir, part travelogue, part history, it’s a thoughtful and impassioned consideration of war and the stories we tell one another about it
info_outline Kai Thomas conjures fiction from the history of the upper country (encore)Kobo in Conversation
In January of 2023 our host and producer Nathan Maharaj spoke with Kai Thomas, author of the novel . It's a story set in the fictional Canadian town of Dunmore, a place where people fleeing slavery in the southern United States build new lives. In our roundup of , Nathan called out In the Upper Country as the book that stayed with him the whole year and which he most wants to read again. And this past November, In the Upper Country won the 2023 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. So for all of those reasons, plus it's Black History Month, we're replaying that...
info_outline Ashley Audrain on bringing rage from the group chat to the pageKobo in Conversation
Nathan spoke with novelist Ashley Audrain, author of the 2021 international bestseller . Her new book is a story about marriage, mothers and motherhood and parenthood generally, and also women’s rage.
info_outline More of the best books we read in 2023Kobo in Conversation
You can't possibly need more reading recommendations after our last episode featuring the best books read by the staff of Kobo in 2023 but we've never let the height of anybody's TBR pile stop us from singing the praises of our favourite books. Here are a few more, including one you absolutely must read ASAP—plus co-hosts Michael and Nathan talk about what made 2023 a different kind of year in books and why they're optimistic about what's coming next.
info_outline The best books we read in 2023Kobo in Conversation
We connected with the staff of Kobo over Zoom and in our brand new studio in our new office to ask them about the best books they read in 2023. We learned what made Rebecca Ross a must-read author this year, how one staff member found the right book for remembering his rockstar friend, and what well-known series of thrillers one of our best-read colleagues wishes they'd gotten around to years ago.
info_outline Rowan Jetté Knox on learning from hard timesKobo in Conversation
Michael spoke with journalist and human rights advocate Rowan Jetté Knox, author of the 2019 memoir , as well as a new memoir that came out this year: .
info_outline Alicia Elliott on telling the truth through the lens of fictionKobo in Conversation
Michael spoke with Mohawk writer and editor, Alicia Elliott, author of an award-winning book of essays, , and a new novel, . It is the story of a young woman named Alice experiencing the stress of new motherhood, feeling isolated in Toronto, which feels far away, culturally more than physically, from where she grew up on Six Nations. There she's trying to carve out time for writing and keeping up appearances as the wife of a rising academic star.
info_outline Sean Michaels, live at TIFA 2023Kobo in Conversation
Nathan joined Giller Prize-winning novelist Sean Michaels on stage at the Toronto International Festival of Authors to talk about his new novel and the role of technology in the creation of art—from automated spellchecking to ChatGPT.
info_outlineRead Courtney's pick, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh.