The eight books and panelists for the National Post‘s Canada Also Reads book competition “ created to put a spotlight on lesser-known books ignored by CBC’s Canada Reads “ were announced today. Two Q&Q staffers, Zoe Whittall and Steven W. Beattie, will be defending their choices on the panel, alongside six other authors, poets, and even one singer/songwriter.

The Post‘s Mark Medley created anticipation for the event by live-tweeting in the moments leading up to the reveal, offering hints such as one of the books is set near some famous falls and one of the finalists had two of her novels long-listed. After announcing that the final post was being spell-checked, and admitting that they were milking this build-up for all it was worth, the results were finally posted on the Post‘s Afterword book blog. Here’s the full list:

¢ Steven W. Beattie defends My White Planet by Mark Anthony Jarman (Thomas Allen Publishers)
¢ Author Tish Cohen (Inside Out Girl, Town House) defends The Day The Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan (HarperCollins Canada)
¢ Singer/songwriter Andy Maize (Skydiggers) defends Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis (McClelland & Stewart)
¢ Poet Jacob McArthur Mooney (The New Layman’s Almanac) defends The Last Shot by Leon Rooke (Thomas Allen Publishers)
¢ Blogger John Mutford defends Yellowknife by Steve Zipp (Res Telluris)
¢ Author Lisa Pasold (Rats of Las Vegas) defends You and The Pirates by Jocelyne Allens (The Workhorsery)
¢ Author Neil Smith (Bang Crunch) defends Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant (Knopf Canada)
¢ Zoe Whittall (Holding Still for as Long as Possible) defends Fear of Fighting by Stacey May Fowles (Invisible Publishing)

According to the Afterword, while the blog is a fan of what Canada Reads has done to promote CanLit, we figured this would be a great opportunity to help shine a light on some of the books sitting in the shadows. Starting March 1, the Afterword will post two panelists’ defences of their chosen novels each day. On March 8, it will host a live chat with all the panelists and authors. The winner will be chosen via a public poll.