24 books to get your dad for Father's Day

Books make great gifts. From laugh-out-loud short stories to stories about space exploration, here are some suggestions for your dadon Father's Day.

If your dad believes he could've been a contender, try AlbatrossbyTerry Fallis

A Swedish study suggesting that everybody can excel in at least one sport changes the life of high school student Adam Coryell. Hediscovers that he is a naturally gifted golf player, but as he racks up the trophies, he's forced to admit to himself that he doesn't really enjoy the sport.

Terry Fallisis the author of several comedic novels. He has won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour twice for his novelsThe Best Laid PlansandNo Relation.His debut bookThe Best Laid PlanswonCanada Reads2011.

The Next Chapter3:07Terry Fallis on Albatross

Terry Fallis on his latest novel, Albatross, about the tension between success and happiness in the life of a teenage golf prodigy.

If your dad loves to cook, tryCoconut Lagoonby Joe Thottungal

Ottawa chef Joe Thottungal hails originally from Kerala in southwestern India, a region famous for its lush scenery and delicious cuisine. Thottungal, owner of the restaurant Coconut Lagoon, collects 80 recipes for home cooks, featuring authentic southern Indian dishes like mango pickle, dosa and malabar parathas.

• Chef Joe Thottungal shares his lamb biryani recipe fromCoconut Lagoon

Coconut Lagoonis Thottungal's first cookbook.

The Next Chapter16:50Randy Lundy on Field Notes for the Self

The Cree poet Randy Lundy on Field Notes for the Self, and drawing inspiration from what's right in his own backyard.

If your dad is determined to stay young, trySuccessful Agingby Daniel Levitin

As a neuroscientist, Daniel Levitin found himself stumped by something: why is it that some people in their 90s maintain all their mental sharpness, while othersfind their cognitive abilities startto dull in their 50s and 60s? When he couldn't find any books about the subject, he decided to write one himself.Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Liveslooks at the science and psychology of growing older and uses that to explore what aging really means and offers advice for living your best life as you get older.

• A neuroscientist's tips for helping the brain age well

Levitin is a neuroscientist andcognitive psychologist and bestselling author. His books includeThis Is Your Brain on Music,The World in Six Songs,The Organized MindandA Field Guide to Lies.

The Next Chapter16:49Cory Doctorow on Radicalized

Cory Doctorow on his Canada Reads contender Radicalized: Four Tales of Our Present Moment, a collection of four SF novellas.

If your dad is thecontemplative type, tryField Notes for the Selfby Randy Lundy

Field Notes for the Selfis a series that takes inspiration from the poetic structuring of Patrick Lane, John Thompsonand Charles Wright, but their closest cousins may be Arvo Prt's.This collection deals with the idea of liberation from personal and inherited trauma and memories of violence inflictedon Lundy'sIndigenous ancestors which continue to haunt him. Similar to Randy Lundy'spast works, this collection is rooted in observations of the natural world.

• How Randy Lundy's latest poetry collection reveals why the dark times make life beautiful

Lundy is a Saskatchewan-based short story writer and award-winning poet. He has published three previous books,Under the Night Sun,Gift of the HawkandBlackbird Song, which won theSaskatchewan Arts Board Poetry Award in 2019.

The Next Chapter8:58Dr Bonnie Henry on Soap and Water and Common Sense

British Columbia's provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on her 2009 book Soap and Water and Common Sense, which has been reissued.

If your dad loves Black Mirror, tryRadicalizedby Cory Doctorow

Radicalizedis a collection of four novellas that explore the quandaries social, economic and technological of contemporary America. Cory Doctorow's characters deal with issues around immigration, corrupt police forces, dark web uprisings and more. Akil Augustine will defendRadicalizedon Canada Reads 2020.

• Cory Doctorow onRadicalized, the problem with superheroes and writing speculative fiction in a jaded world

Doctorow is a bestselling sci-fi novelist whose past books includeLittle BrotherandWalkaway. He is also the editor of the blogBoing Boing.

White Coat Black Art26:30Amid pandemic, opioid crisis isnt going away and will kill more Canadians, says Dr. Daniel Kalla

Dr, Goldman speaks to Vancouver ER physician and author Dr. Daniel Kalla. Kalla's latest novel The Last High tracks the search for a deadly supply of fentanyl. Kalla also discusses his prescient previous novel , Pandemic, which was about the spread of a deadly virus. He tells Dr. Goldman how his work in the ER informed his writing, and discusses what kind of an impact the current pandemic is having on the opioid crisis.

If your dad could use a laugh, try Moccasin Square Gardensby Richard Van Camp

Moccasin Square Gardensis a collection of humorous short fiction set in Denendeh, the land of the people north of the 60th parallel.Richard Van Camp's stories involve extraterrestrials, illegal wrestling moves and the legendary Wheetago, human-eating monsters who have come to punish the greed of humanity.

• Richard Van Camp discusses highlighting the humour and hope within Indigenous communities

Van Campis a prolific novelist, comic writer and children's book writer whose work includesThe Lesser Blessed,A Blanket of ButterfliesandLittle You.

The Next Chapter22:42Sean McCann and Andrea Aragon on One Good Reason

Sean McCann and Andrea Aragon on their co-written memoir One Good Reason: A Memoir of Addiction and Recovery, Music, and Love.

If your dad is following COVID-19closely, trySoap and Water &Common Senseby Dr. Bonnie Henry

In her 2009 book,Soap and Water & Common Sense,Dr. Bonnie Henry documented her interest in public health and preventative medicine, along with the three decades spentchasing microbes all over the world includingEbola,polio, SARSand the H1N1 influenza outbreak. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,Soap and Water & Common Sensehas been reissued.

• Dr. Bonnie Henry has spent her life studying how we get sick her book shares how we can protect ourselves

Henryis anepidemiologist, or microbe hunter, and is currently the provincial health officer for British Columbia.

The Next Chapter16:35Malcolm Gladwell on Talking to Strangers

Malcolm Gladwell on his new book Talking to Strangers, about how we make wrong assumptions when dealing with people we dont know.

If your dad is into exploring the unknown, try, Beyond the KnownbyAndrew Rader

Beyond the Knownis a book about exploration. It looks at major periods of discovery such as in ancient Greeceand Rome, the age of European exploration and the scientific revolution to show how being curious and inquisitive can lead to unimaginably great things.

• The most successful civilizations have always been the most open-minded: Andrew Rader

Andrew Raderis aMission Manager at SpaceX.Beyond the Knownis his fourthbook.

The Next Chapter16:03Emily St John Mandel on The Glass Hotel

Emily St John Mandel on The Glass Hotel, her follow-up to her breakout novel Station Eleven.

If your dad likes thrillers, The Last Highby Daniel Kalla

The Last Highis a thriller inspired by the opioid crisis.Dr. Julie Rees is shocked when a number of teenagers from the same party arrive at the ER. She suspects the adolescents tookfentanyl, but this case is unusual. Teaming up with Detective Anson Chen, Rees is determined to tackle the underground drug world and find out the source of these dangerous drugs.

• What would happen if we had a modern pandemic? That's the question at the heart of Daniel Kalla's novelWe All Fall Down

Daniel Kallais an emergency room doctor, as well as an international bestselling author of 10 books, includingWe All Fall Down.

Jesse Thistle and George Canyon on Canada Reads 2020

5 years ago

Duration 5:57

Country singer George Canyon will defend Jesse Thistle's memoir From the Ashes on Canada Reads 2020. Ahead of the debates, the musician and first-time author chatted about what it was like to write a very personal book.

If your dad wants to understand the Black Canadian experience, try The Skin We're Inby Desmond Cole

InThe Skin We're In, journalist and activist DesmondCole chronicles a year of being black in Canada. He looks at the practice of carding, the treatment of black refugeesand Cole's own activism in regards to the Toronto police and their treatment of black citizens.

• 5 creative Canadians changing the conversation about race

Cole's writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, Toronto Life, the Walrus and several other publications.The Skin We're Inis his first book. It was inspired by his 2015 magazine essayThe Skin I'm In, which was published in Toronto Life.The Skin We're Inwas also a CBC documentary.You can watch it on CBC Gem.

Cole Pauls and his Indigenous punk comics

6 years ago

Duration 4:13

Tahltan comic artist Cole Pauls has been inspired by punk music, pizza and carrying the legacy of Southern Tutchone language through his comic art. Filmmaker: Camille Vernet

If your dadloves getting a deal, tryI Wanted Fries With Thatby Amy Fish

Amy Fish knows a good complaint when she sees one. She also knows how to get what you want. Why? She's spent her entire career as a universityombudsman and, when it comes to complaints, she has seen it all. With light-hearted humour, Fish's first bookI Wanted Fries With Thatreveals how to complain effectively to get what you want while also being honest and fair in the process.

• Amy Fish:How to ask for what you want and get what you need

Fish is theombudsman at Concordia University in Montreal.I Wanted Fries With Thatis her first book.

If your dad is a fan of Great Big Sea, tryOne Good ReasonbySan McCann and Andrea Aragon

San McCannspent 20 years of his life as a founder of Great Big Sea, the bestsellingNewfoundland folk rock band that was known asCanada's biggest party band.But all that partying was a convenient cover for McCann'salcoholism and the drinking was his way to tamp down the trauma of abuse that hecarried with him since his teenage years. It was only when his wife Andrea Aragon gave him the ultimatum, "Stop or I'm leaving,"that McCann changed his life for good.McCannandAragon chronicle their story together in the memoirOne Good Reason.

• Life after Great Big Sea: San McCann and Andrea Aragon wrote a memoir about music, addiction and recovery

One Good ReasonisMcCannand Aragon's first book.

If your dad looks like his cat, tryMy Cat Looks Like My Dadby Thao Lam

A narrator, whose surprising identity is revealed at the end of the picture book, describes the ways in which their cat anddad are similar: they both have orange hair, love to nap and are occasionally brave.

Thao Lam is also the author of the picture bookWallpaper.

If your dad misses Game of Thrones, try The Rage of Dragonsby Evan Winter

In Evan Winter's fantasy debutThe Rage of Dragons, a world is caught in an eternal warand Tau is his people's only hope for survival. Describedas a mix ofGame of ThronesandGladiator,The Rage of Dragonsfollows Tau as he attempts to get revenge and become the greatest swordsman to ever live.

The Rage of Dragonswas originally self-published before it was acquired by Orbit Books. It is the first book in a planned series.

• Why Evan Winter is motivated to write books he'd read

Winter is also the author ofThe Fires of Vengeance, which is coming out in fall 2020.

If your dad likes history, try They Call Me Georgeby Cecil Foster

At the beginning of the 20th century, being a train porter in Canada was a job reserved for black men only. Cecil Foster documents this underreported piece of Canadian history in the nonfiction bookThey Call Me George. The tiring, thankless and low-paying job that consisted of hauling luggage, folding down beds, shining shoes and serving passengers forced these men to be separated from their families as they travelled thecountry.They Call Me Georgedocuments how one man, Stanley Grizzle, went from being a porter to leading a movement and eventually receiving the Order of Canada.

• The untold story of Canada's black train porters

Foster is an academic and author who currently teaches at the University of Buffalo.

If your dad is always talking to strangers, tryTalking to StrangersbyMalcolm Gladwell

Talking to Strangersexplores how we interact with people we don't know, and the impact of the assumptions we bring to these conversations. As with his previous books, Malcolm Gladwelluses anecdotes and a narrative voice toexaminehow societal structures shape human behaviour, including decision-making andthe spread of ideas.

• Can a stranger's demeanour tell you what they're thinking? Maybe not, says Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwellis the author of several books, includingBlink,OutliersandThe Tipping Point.

If your dad likes a good financial crisis story, tryThe Glass Hotelby Emily St. John Mandel

Emily St. John Mandel's new book,The Glass Hotel,interweaves several complex narratives. Vincent is a bartender in a prestigious hotel on Vancouver Island. When the owner Jonathan Alkaitis passes Vincent his card, it becomes the beginning of their story together. Meanwhile, a hooded figure scrawls a cryptic note on a wall in the hotel, and a shipping executivefor a company called Neptune-Avramidis Leon Prevant sees the note and is shaken. Thirteenyears later, Vincent disappears from aNeptune-Avramidisship.

• Emily St. John Mandel has no idea where she's going... and she's okay with that

St. John Mandel is a New York-based Canadian writer. Her fourth novel,Station Eleven, was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Awardand won the 2015 Toronto Book Award.

If your dad is a hockey fan, tryScottyby Ken Dryden

Scotty Bowman is considered one of the greatest hockey minds to ever be part of the game. He's won more Stanley Cups and been around more of the game's greats than anyone else. InScotty, Ken Dryden gets Bowman to share memories from his stellarcareer while also posing questions like, what teams would be inthe top eight best teams of all time? And, if they played head-to-head in a playoff series, who would win?

• How Ken Dryden turned Scotty Bowman into an NHL coach again

Dryden, a legendaryformer goalie for the Montreal Canadiens,is also the author ofThe GameandGame Change.

If your dad is into ocean adventures, tryImperilled Oceanby Laura Trethewey

Imperilled Oceanby Laura Tretheweyfollows several different people, but they all have one thing in common: the ocean.Imperilled Oceancombines remarkable stories such as a community living on the water battling eviction to a Ghanian teenager trying to make it to Europe on a life raft with deep research to paint a portrait of a place that takes up most of the space on this planet, yet we know so little about, in a time when climate change is rapidly changing the ocean and humanity's relationship to it.

Trethewey is a science journalist who specializes in oceans. She is a writer and editor for Vancouver Aquarium's website Ocean.org.Imperilled Oceanis her first book.

If your dad likes a story of triumph, try From the AshesbyJesse Thistle

Jesse Thistle is a Mtis-Cree academic specializing in Indigenous homelessness, addiction and inter-generational trauma. For Thistle, these issues are more than just subjects on the page. After a difficult childhood, Thistle spent much of his early adulthood struggling with addiction while living on the streets of Toronto. Told in short chapters interspersedwith poetry, his memoirFrom the Ashesdetails how his issues with abandonment and addiction led to homelessness, incarceration and his eventual redemption through higher education. George Canyon is defending From the Asheson Canada Reads 2020.

• How Jesse Thistle survived addiction, homelessness and incarceration and became a bestselling author

Thistle is a recipient of the Governor General's Silver Medal in 2016.From the Ashesis his first book.

If your dad is always reciting made-up rhymes, tryFor It Is a Pleasure and a Surprise to BreathebyGary Barwin

For It Is a Pleasure and a Surprise to Breathebrings together new and old work from acclaimed poet Gary Barwin. An inventive writer, Barwin showcases his range, playfulness and originality from the course of his 35-year career in this new book.

• Why Gary Barwin thinks everyone is a writer

Barwin is the author of several poetry collections and one novel. His novel,Yiddish for Pirates,won the 2017 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.

If your dad likes cool comics, tryDakwkdaWarriorsbyCole Pauls

Two earth protectors are charged with saving the planet from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches inDakwkda Warriors.The comic, translated intotwo dialects of Southern Tutchone, serves as an allegory for colonialism.

• Cole Pauls's comics preserve First Nations language and also celebrate punks eating pizza

Cole Pauls is a Tahltan comic artist. He createdDakwkda Warriorsas a language revival initiative. In 2017, it won the Broken Pencil Magazine's Best Comic and the Best Zine of the Year Award.

If your dad likes science, tryThe Reality Bubbleby Ziya Tong

In The Reality Bubble,Ziya Tong reminds readers that the human eye pales in comparison to what animals with infrared, ultraviolet and 360-degree vision can see. She looks into 10 of humanity's biggest blind spots, including where our food and energy comes from and where our waste goes.

• Why Ziya Tong wants readers to open their minds and enterThe Reality Bubble

Tong was the anchor of the Discovery Channel's science programDaily Planet. She successfully defended the memoirBy Chance Aloneby Max Eisen onCanada Reads2019.The Reality Bubbleis her first book.

If you have no idea what to get your dad, try Forty Fathers

Forty Fathersis a collection of essays, curated by Tessa Lloyd, in which 40 prominent Canadian men share their thoughts and experiences about parenting. Contributors includePrime Minister Justin Trudeau, writer Lawrence Hill, academic Niigaan Sinclair, athlete Trevor Linden, restaurateur Vikram Vij, musician Alan Doyle, artist Robert Bateman and philanthropist Rick Hansen.

Lloyd is acounsellor, writer and photographer based in Victoria.Forty Fathersis her first book.