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I don’t know about you guys, but this week has just flown by! I guess that’s the joy of four-day work-weeks, huh? (Sincere apologies to those of you who didn’t have a holiday on Monday.) In addition to a bit of publishing and book news, this week also included the inaugural I Read Canadian Day; scroll on down to see some of our favourite Canadian reads! But first: The News.


Penguin Random House is taking steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, with plans to be completely carbon neutral by 2030.

PRH Makes Progress in Green Initiatives

Following the February 17 announcement by Penguin Random House parent company Bertelsmann that the conglomerate will be carbon neutral by 2030, PRH global CEO Markus Dohle sent a letter to employees outlining the publisher’s role in helping Bertelsmann achieve that target.

Climate change isn’t just changing the industry side of publishing, but the content as well. According to Wired, “Doomer Lit” is becoming the new hot topic (no climate change pun intended).


Dan Brown, the bestselling author behind massive hits such as The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, has announced he’ll be trying his hand at children’s literature with his first picture book coming out this September.

Dan Brown to Make His Picture Book Debut

Rodale Kids, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, has announced the publication of the first picture book by Dan Brown, bestselling author of ‘The Da Vinci Code’; illustrated by Hungarian artist Susan Batori, ‘Wild Symphony’ is releasing on September 1.

Speaking of genre changes, The National Ballet has announced they’ll be performing a ballet based on Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy.


The book world suffered a loss this week as Charles Portis, the author behind True Grit, has passed away.

The book and TV series Outlander is having such a positive effect on Scotland’s tourism industry that author Diana Gabaldon has been given an honorary Thistle Award by the Scottish government’s tourism agency.

There has been a noticeable increase in the readership of Indigenous Literature in Canada. So much so that BookNet, which tracks book sales throughout the country, is revising international standards to include new Indigenous centred classifications.


As previously mentioned, the first ever I Read Canadian Day was celebrated this past week. Readers all over the country held Canadian reading events and gathered on social media to celebrate their favourite Canadian authors using the hashtag #IReadCanadian. In that vain, we here at KWL decided to share some of our favourite Canadian books with you!

Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker
Steeped in Love by Julie Evelyn Joyce
Birds Art Life by Kyo Maclear
We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib
The Dictionary of Animal Languages by Heidi Sopinka
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (we especially recommend the audiobook for this one)
I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya
Sadie by Courtney Summers (another great audiobook!)
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Ultimate Pi Day Party by Jackie Lau

What Canadian books have you been reading lately? Let us know in the comments or catch us on Facebook and Twitter!

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