Matt's Books and Music

Unlike a lot of big literary prizes, the Giller Prize, which rewards the best in Canadian (broadly defined) fiction, has a pretty short runway between the longlist and shortlist announcements. But, the release-scheduling and library gods were kind to me this year, and I was able to read all fourteen titles. Here are my thoughts…

Here are some of the highlights, and one notable low-light, from the past month of my reading life. Nine Raves The Disappearers, by Marlon James (2026) Premise: An act of unspeakable anti-queer violence in 1988 Jamaica has lasting repercussions for its survivors and perpetrators. Review: There are two things you need to know about this:…

After a couple near attempts, this was the first year I’ve managed to read the whole Booker Prize longlist. I didn’t really set out to do that, but it just sort of worked out through a combination of interest and accessibility, and the fact that the book I was least interested in reading got perhaps…

I’ve been enjoying my monthly reading roundups here, so I thought it would be fun to do the same for new music releases. Here are some of the highlights, and one notable low-light, from the past month of new music releases. Five Raves, Albums Good Grief (Sara Bareilles) While there’s good reason Taylor Swift is known…

Here are some of the highlights, and one notable low-light, from the past month of my reading life. Nine Raves The Fire-Dwellers, by Margaret Laurence (1969 🇨🇦) Premise: A housewife struggles to break the culture of silence and keeping up appearances in her suburban Vancouver neighborhood. Review: This is in all respects a typical second-wave…