Great Books by Canadians You Probably Haven't Heard of

by Joe Mahoney
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5 books
Let's set aside the literary giants who have their book covers plastered across every bus and billboard and toast some under-the-radar greats from the land of the polite and the home of the beaver. These tales come from Canadian authors whose names might not ring as many bells as the household names, but whose books are every bit as satisfying while perhaps enjoying a cup of hot cocoa before a blazing fire.
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Meranda and the Legend of the Lake

Meagan Mahoney, 2023
Meranda is an eleven-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who uses crutches to walk. She travels back to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, with her parents when her Great Uncle Mark dies. It’s her first time back since the age of three, and she wonders what took her parents so long to bring her home. Now, I’m not an eleven-year-old girl, nor have I ever been, but I thoroughly enjoyed this expertly written book as the mysteries piled up, and I wondered what exactly Meranda's parents and grandparents were hiding. This book is pitched perfectly for its intended audience though other age brackets will also enjoy its flirtations with mystery and mermaids.

Tilly

A Story of Hope and Resilience
Monique Gray Smith, 2014
Tilly is a deeply personal and painful account of a young Indigenous woman's early years that is loosely based on its author's life. There is much growth and wisdom in this easy-to-read and illuminating book.

Outside Looking In

The Seriously Funny Life and Work of George Carlin
John Corcelli, 2022
This biography by Canadian writer and broadcaster John Corcelli charts comedian George Carlin’s evolution from clean-cut comedian to profane, astute observer of the human condition. Along the way, Corcelli introduces Carlin’s many influences, such as Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor. This book will inspire you to look up videos of these legendary comedians and various instances of Carlin’s work, such as a fascinating early appearance on Marlo Thomas’s That Girl. Expertly researched, Outside Looking In is a must-read for fans of George Carlin.

The Deer Yard and Other Stories

Tom Mahoney, 2021
I have included in this list of Canadian books one by my own father, published when he was 87 years old, though he spent 40-some years crafting these tales of a bygone era. The entertaining stories are based on his own experiences and those he heard from family and friends while growing up in rural northern New Brunswick with no plumbing or electricity. Here there be ghosts and demons, drunken neighbours, redneck bullies, frightened deer, angry bears, wannabe circus dogs, and plenty of shenanigans.

Alpha Max

Mark Rayner, 2021
Max Tundra is recruited to help save the multiverse. Doing so, he visits many different versions of Earth and meets many (sometimes unusual) iterations of himself. Mark Rayner has many strengths as a writer, among them charm, humour, and inventiveness, all of which serve a higher purpose, to explore ideas in a fun way. It's all on display here in Alpha Max; a book for people who enjoy funny, thoughtful novels.