Opinion: Reading Canadian content this July

Opinion: Reading Canadian content this July

Published 11:30 am Monday, July 6, 2026

During July, I love to try reading more books by Canadian authors.

I find that many of the books I read are by authors from the U.S., the U.K., or, in general, outside of Canada. In July, I like to change that by focusing on Canadian work.

There is so much talent in this country that it is easy to find books written by Canadian authors to read.

In case others were also hoping to read more Canadian authors this month, I thought I would share some Canadian authors whose books I personally enjoy.

– Gail Bowen: Due to her recent passing, I really wanted to put Bowen at the top of my list. Not only have I read and enjoyed some of her Joanne Kilbourn mysteries, but she was a friend of my dad’s, so she was an author I knew in person. Bowen lived in Saskatchewan and earned many achievements during her life, including an Arthur Ellis Award, a Derrick Murdoch Award, the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, and more. All of her Joanne Kilbourn mysteries follow Joanne Kilbourn, a widow who, while caring for her family, also happens to find herself in the centre of different murders that take place. Her final Joanne Kilbourn book, Homecoming, will be published posthumously.

Excerpt: “The real measure of a life is not its length but its depth,” from What’s Left Behind.

– Hannah Bonam-Young: Is an author from Ontario whose books often feature diverse, disabled, marginalized, and LGBTQ characters. Bonam-Young writes contemporary romance novels, one of which is Out on a Limb, in which both the female and male main characters have disabilities. The female main character, Winnifrend (Win), was born with a limb difference, and the male main character, Bo, has an artificial leg.

Excerpt: “It’s so much easier to communicate insecurities when you don’t need to communicate them at all. Isn’t that all we ever want? To be seen and heard? Validated, even when we’re not able to ask for it.”

– Jean Oram: She is a Lacombe author who writes closed-door romance novels. Some of her books take place in Canada, and others take place in the U.S., but all of her books feature swoon-worthy love stories. Oram writes a variety of romance, including a hockey romance series called the Hockey Sweathearts, with the first book called The Cupcake Cottage. The Cupcake Cottage follows a fictional NHL player, Maverick Blades, who ends up falling for his best friend’s ex, Daisy-Mae.

Excerpt: “If kissing Daisy-Mae was sinning, save him a seat in hell because he wanted to do this all day long for the rest of his life.”

– Rachel Reid: She is an author from Nova Scotia, whose Game Changers series became super big following the release of the hit TV show Heated Rivalry. Her hockey romance books were popular before the show, but after the show, the popularity skyrocketed. Reid mainly writes MM romance books where two male main characters fall for each other. While I love Heated Rivalry, I also love other books in the series, including Tough Guy, which follows hockey player Ryan Price and a musician named Fabian, who, during the course of the book, live in Toronto.

Excerpt: “I’d rather struggle to do what I love than devote myself to something I hate.”

– Genevieve Graham: Is a historical fiction author who lives in Calgary. Graham has many books out, but one of my favourites by her is Come from Away, which takes place in Nova Scotia and follows Grace Baker, who, during the Second World War, is tending to things at home and the general store while her brothers are overseas. When German U-Boats are seen lurking in the waters, one day a stranger comes into the store named Rudi, whom she starts to form a relationship with.

Excerpt: “All she was responsible for was making sure the life she lived was a good one, that she took care of the people she loved, and that she did everything she could to ensure they were happy.”

Other Canadian authors I really like include Carley Fortune, Elle Kennedy, L.M. Montgomery, Margaret Atwood, Kelley Armstrong, Elsie Silver, Stephanie Archer, Becka Mack, Bailey Hannah, Giana Darling, Elizabeth Helen, and more.

In addition to the ones I have mentioned, some bookstores and libraries label books that are by Canadian authors so they are easier to find.

Books by the authors I have mentioned can be found and borrowed from the Sylvan Lake Municipal Library.

Sarah Baker is a reporter for the Sylvan Lake News and the Lacombe Express.