Tara sits down for a chat with Canadian author Alison Gadsby, a first-generation Canadian living in Tkaronto, about her debut collection of short stories, Breathing Is How Some People Stay Alive, published by Guernica Editions in spring 2026.

https://guernicaeditions.com/en-us/products/breathing-is-how-some-people-stay-alive

"Breathing Is How Some People Stay Alive blurs the lines between horror, catastrophic speculative fiction, and psychological realism in a collection that might best be described as weird fiction. These connected stories offer dark reconstructions of lives brimming with desperate loneliness. They allow us to bear witness to the life-altering love of sisters, brothers, mothers… the life-altering love that buoys them as they struggle to stay afloat in the wake of childhoods they merely survived."

https://alisongadsby.ca/home/

https://junctionreads.ca

Books and Authors mentioned:

• Weird Babies by Jaclyn Desforges
• Tell Me Pleasant Things about Immortality by Lindsay Wong
• Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu
• Rafael Has Pretty Eyes by Elaine McCluskey
• Widow Fantasies by Hollay Ghadery
• Every Night I Dream I'm a Monk, Every Night I Dream I'm a Monster by Damian Tarnopolsky
• Last Woman; Bad Endings by Carleigh Baker
• A Song for Wildcats by Caitlin Galway
• A Fast Horse Never Brings Good News by Cary Fagan
• Coexistence by Billy-Ray Belcourt
• Layaway Child by Chanel Sutherland
• Remaindered People & Other Stories by Pratap Reddy
• Skin by Catherine Bush
• Chrysalis; Kiss of Crimson Ash by Anuja Varghese
• Smash & Grab by Mark Anthony Jarman
• Death by a Thousand Cuts by Shashi Bhat
• Flights by Olga Tokarczuk
• The Longest Way to Eat a Melon by Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross
• Pizza Before We Die: An Eyewitness Account in Gaza by Hassani Kanafani
• Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead by Mai Nguyen
• Wonderland Road by Carrianne Leung
• Stan on Guard by K.R. Wilson
• The Lost Queen by Heidi von Palleske

"Poet pals" going on tour with Alison:

• Sublunary by Lisa Richter
• Ajar by Margo LaPierre
• Inside Every Dream, a Raging Sea by Liz Worth

Rebecca and Tara cover CBC's 2026 Canada Reads DAY THREE debate. Less surprises perhaps, but more great content!

Join them live on Thursday, 4/16/26 @ 11:30am EDT on their YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@canadareadsamericanstyle/streams

Their good friend Jolene, from Bookworm Adventure Girl, will be joining them to discuss the final day of this year's competition in which the ONE BOOK that all of Canada should read will be announced!

https://www.youtube.com/@BookwormAdventureGirl

Then join Rebecca and Tara live on YouTube on Friday, April 17 @ 9:45am EDT with their special guest, Canada Reads Host, Ali Hassan!

https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/meet-the-canada-reads-2026-contenders-9.7040200 :

• Filmmaker and actor Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers champions A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt
• Hockey YouTube personality and podcaster Steve (Dangle) Glynn champions Searching for Terry Punchout by Tyler Hellard
• Musician and writer Tegan Quin champions The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor
• Broadway actor and kids TV host Josh Dela Cruz champions Foe by Iain Reid
• BookTok star Morgann Book champions It's Different This Time by Joss Richard

Rebecca is back from vacation and she and Tara discuss CBC's 2026 Canada Reads DAY TWO debate. Listen to Tara's DAY ONE wrap up on her Instagram live: @onabranchreads.

https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/meet-the-canada-reads-2026-contenders-9.7040200 :

• Filmmaker and actor Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers champions A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt
• Hockey YouTube personality and podcaster Steve (Dangle) Glynn champions Searching for Terry Punchout by Tyler Hellard
• Musician and writer Tegan Quin champions The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor
• Broadway actor and kids TV host Josh Dela Cruz champions Foe by Iain Reid
• BookTok star Morgann Book champions It's Different This Time by Joss Richard