The 5th annual Canadian Book Challenge- Let's Begin!

Happy Canada Day everyone, and welcome to day 1 of the 5th Annual Canadian Book Challenge! July 2011-July 2012

What is the Canadian Book Challenge?

The Canadian Book Challenge is an online reading challenge in which participants from Canada and around the world aim to read and review 13 or more Canadian books in a one year span: Canada Day to Canada Day. Reviews must be posted online and participants are asked to share links to their reviews with other participants. More on reviews and other FAQ's here.

How will we record our progress this time? Last time around we read our way to the highest peaks of each province and territory, this time I thought we'd take a wetter route. How about the largest freshwater lakes of each province or territory? Just for the record, I chose this theme admittedly trying to get everyone to end up in the Northwest Territories, thinking that Great Bear Lake would win out. Lake Superior is bigger, yes, but it's not entirely within Ontario. According to The Atlas of Canada, Lake Superior has 28,700 square kilometers within Canada, whereas Great Bear Lake has 31, 328. However, using the same source, I have to concede that Lake Huron's 36,000 square kilometers tops the list. Enough of a geography lesson, here's how your progress will look:

1 book: MacLure's Pond, PEI
2 books: Grand Lake, New Brunswick
3 books: Kluane Lake, Yukon
4 books: Bras D'or Lake: Nova Scotia
5 books: Lake Claire, Alberta
6 books: Williston Lake, British Columbia
7 books: Lac Mistassini, Quebec
8 books: Nettilling Lake, Nunavut
9 books: Smallwood Reservoir, Newfoundland and Labrador
10 books: Lake Athabasca, Saskatchewan
11 books: Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba
12 books: Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories
13 or more books: Lake Huron, Ontario

As soon as your first book is read, add a link to your review using the provided linking tool at the top of this page, and I'll add your name and progress to the sidebar.

We've got so many fantastic prizes to give away this year, I hardly know where to begin. So why not start at the beginning? The very first person to add a link to a book reviewed for the 5th annual book challenge will get a prize pack generously donated by Arbeiter Ring Publishing. Arbeiter Ring Press, located in Winnipeg, was founded by musician (and 2X Canada Reads winning panelist) John K. Samson and writer/editor Todd Scarth. The prize pack includes:

1. John S. Saul's Revolutionary Traveler


2. Susan Close's Framing Identity

3. Caelum Vatnsdal's They Came From Within



This is a fantastic collection of nonfiction! For more info on each book, click on either the title or cover image. Good luck!

Now, curl up with a Canadian book, have a plate of toutons smothered in Saskatoon berry jam, and a nice mug of Red Rose tea. It's going to be a great year of reading, reviewing, and celebrating Canadian books.