Written by Chris Gallaway

11 Books by Trans, Two-Spirit and Gender Diverse Canadians

Yesterday was the Transgender Day of Remembrance; an important day to mourn, to hold vigil, and to remember those who have been lost to transphobia and violence. But it is also an important day to commit to a building a better world for all throughout the rest of the year.

To do that we all need to take the time to grow our understanding of each other, to learn each other’s stories. So, if you are looking for something to read these other 364 days of the year to help with that, below are eleven books by trans, two-spirit and gender diverse Canadian authors worth checking out. They’re in no particular order and all more recently published books.

Written by Chris Gallaway

Exploring Solidarity & Pride: 4 Books to Check Out

I’ve always found Calgary Pride taking place during the Labour Day weekend to be fitting timing. LGBTQ2S Rights. Workers’ Rights. When it comes down to it they are one and the same. The histories of these movements over the last 50 years are deeply intertwined.

Which is why I’ve also tried to use the Labour Day weekend to read a book that combines these two movements. Below are the four books I’ve read over the last four years that are worth checking out.

Written by Chris Gallaway

Queering the Quarantine: 9 New LGBTQ Books to Check out (while staying home)

Welcome to the age of physical distancing. Has quarantine life got you looking for more books to fill your time? Are you worried about what you’ll do once Schitt’s Creek ends this week? Well, I hope this list helps!

Personally, I’ve already had three weeks of working from, and staying home. During that time trapped indoors I’ve managed to finish 9 new LGBTQ books worth sharing: 5 memoirs and 4 novels. (I’ll have some non-fiction to recommend soon!) All but one are Canadian. Seven were just released in 2019, with the other two not much older than that.

Written by Chris Gallaway

MY 2019 READING LIST

Joke’s on me… it is April 1st and I realized I have never shared my 2019 reading list. Better to throw it together late than never! 2019 was a year of reading as a way to distract myself from a double election year; often by tackling some of the many unread books sitting on my shelf.

Looking back on my reading list, I managed to complete over 60 new-to-me books this year. I again completed all of the Canada Reads books and continued to keep a nerdy spreadsheet to ensure I stayed focused on reading authors with a wider diversity of backgrounds and identities, including local, Indigenous and LGBTQ2S authors.

It was also the 100th Anniversary since the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike so I took time to devour many of the books looking back on that milestone event in labour history.

Written by Chris Gallaway

CANADA READS: 9 FINALISTS THAT DIDN’T WIN BUT ARE WELL WORTH THE READ

The recent announcement of the 2020 Canada Reads finalists had me reflecting on some of the fantastic Canada Reads books I have enjoyed over the years, many of which I ended up reading because they made it on the short list of finalists for the show.

So with all that in mind, I decided it could be fun to make a list to draw attention to what I think are the great Canada Reads finalists worth reading – even though they didn’t ultimately win the contest. Here they are:

Written by Chris Gallaway

READ LOCAL: FIRST-TIME EDMONTON AUTHORS WORTH CHECKING OUT

The heated debate over our downtown library branch renovation has got me thinking about Edmonton books. Now seemed as good of time as any to make a list of first-time Edmonton authors worth giving a chance. Here are a few I’ve discovered recently by picking up a copy at Audrey’s Books or at my local Edmonton Public Library branch. With the nice weather finally here, you could even consider them summer reads!