52. Good Reads

Our Artistic Director has the honour of reading piles upon piles of brilliant new releases every year. These three picks are some of the most entertaining, riveting reads she couldn’t put down until the very last page. Taking place in an alternate universe where nobody won WWII, Catherine Chidgey’s The Book of Guilt tells the gripping tale of three brothers, the only boys left in an orphanage after their friends succumb to a mysterious illness. Shortlisted for multiple awards, Ferdia Lennon’s Glorious Exploits is a riotously funny account of two potters who decide to stage a play amid the Peloponnesian War—and a celebration of all that binds humanity across battle lines and history. Seasons of Glass and Iron is a wondrous new collection, filled with Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Hugo Award-winning and nominated stories from Amal El-Mohtar. In sequential interviews withTara McGuire, the authors will share their compelling latest works.

This event is open to everyone, and has been curated with the Pro-D day for teachers in mind. Teachers may be interested in the following information. This event is also suitable for students in grades 10–12.

Themes: Pro-D, literary fiction, historical fiction, fantasy
Curriculum Connections: Literary Studies 10-12, Creative Writing 10-12

Ferdia Lennon’s attendance made possible thanks to the generous support of Culture Ireland. Catherine Chidgey’s attendance generously supported by Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa.

More information about the Festival:
Venue Map and Addresses | Box Office | Accessibility

Event Participants:

Catherine Chidgey

CATHERINE CHIDGEY is an internationally acclaimed New Zealand novelist. Her debut, In a Fishbone Church, won major awards in New Zealand, the Commonwealth, and the UK. Subsequent novels earned recognition from the New York Times and major prizes. Recent titles include The Axeman’s Carnival, Pet, and The Book of Guilt.

Amal El-Mohtar

AMAL EL-MOHTAR is a Hugo Award-winning author of science fiction, fantasy, poetry and criticism. Her books include The River Has Roots and the New York Times bestseller This is How You Lose the Time War, written with Max Gladstone, which has been translated into over ten languages. Her reviews and articles have appeared in the New York Times and on NPR Books. She lives in Ottawa, Canada.

Ferdia Lennon

FERDIA LENNON was born and raised in Dublin. He holds a BA in history and classics from University College Dublin and an MA in prose fiction from the University of East Anglia. Glorious Exploits is his first novel. A Sunday Times bestseller, it was adapted for BBC Radio 4 and was the winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2024.

Tara McGuire

TARA MCGUIRE is a former broadcaster whose essays and poetry have appeared in several magazines. She is a graduate of The Writer’s Studio at SFU and holds an MFA from the UBC School of Creative Writing. Her first book, Holden, After and Before, was published in 2022.