The All Lit Up 2025 Fall Preview

Mandy’s Pick

Suddenly Light by Nina Dunic (Invisible Publishing)

I’m drawn to books that find meaning in the everyday and the quiet moments that shape our lives. That’s why I’m looking forward to reading Nina Dunic’s short story collection Suddenly Light, which promises to be both sharp and tender, with a deep understanding of how people connect, drift, and seek clarity. As Kirkus Reviews puts it: “[…] all the pieces are beautifully etched thanks to Dunic’s flair for the power-packed chiseled sentence.” Say no more!

Pre-order Suddenly Light here or at your favourite independent bookstore.

The cover of War Resisters by Joline Martin.

Laura’s Pick

War Resisters: Standing Against the Vietnam War by Joline Martin (Caitlin Press)

Canada and the United States are highly integrated societies and yet divergent across critical dimensions. War Resisters: Standing Against the Vietnam War by Joline Martin sheds light on the lives of Americans who found refuge in Canada after refusing the US draft and settling on Vancouver Island, forever changing their communities. An estimated one million Americans currently live in Canada, when we’re experiencing (to put it as politely as possible!) a period of profound divergence. I can’t wait to read this book.

Pre-order War Resisters here or at your favourite independent bookstore.

Tan’s Pick

A Place for People Like Us by Danila Botha (Guernica Editions)

Danila Botha is so delightful on social media. This fall, I’m looking forward to following her adventures as she launches her new novel, A Place for People Like Us. It is populated with nuanced characters, set in Toronto neighbourhoods I know and love, and promises a deep exploration of friendships and their fallouts.

Pre-order A Place for People Like Us here or at your favourite independent bookstore.

Colleen’s Pick

Beaver Hills Forever by Conor Kerr (Arsenal Pulp Press)

Conor Kerr’s Beaver Hills Forever is a genre-bending poetic novella I can’t wait to dive into this fall. After reading his Giller Prize-finalist book Prairie Edge, with its sharp critique of modern activism and layered exploration of Indigenous realities within colonial legacy institutions, I’m eager to see how Kerr continues to expand these themes in his latest work. Beaver Hills Forever follows four Métis characters as they share their dreams, struggles, and resilience while contending with colonial systems and the shifting Prairie landscape. Raw, funny, and deeply resonant, it promises to be another unforgettable read!

Pre-order Beaver Hills Forever here or at your favourite independent bookstore.

Barb’s Pick

The Hunt by Nick Wilkshire (Breakwater Books)

I’m always ready for a good thriller, and The Hunt, set in the Yukon at Kluane National Park sounds like the perfect fall read for me. If you enjoyed Untamed on Netflix, this will be right up your alley as well.

Pre-order The Hunt here or at your favourite independent bookstore.

Lauren’s Pick

Syncopation by Whitney French (Wolsak & Wynn)

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but come on. That dreamy, oil-slick pattern on the cover of Whitney French’s novel is what brought me to it, I confess. But it’s the premise – a terrifying, climate-disaster speculative future where two lovers are forced to make a heartbreaking choice – and the style – that it’s a novel-in-verse – together that will definitely have me reading Syncopation when it releases this November.

Pre-order Syncopation here or at your favourite independent bookstore.

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Did you see a Fall book you’re anxious to get on your TBR pile? Let us know on social media by tagging us @alllitupcanada.