Five novels have been named to the 2026 CBC Canada Reads shortlist.

The annual battle of the books, now in its 25th year, will be take place from April 13 to 16.

This year’s contest is searching for “one book to build bridges,” and the finalists cover a range of genres and subjects, from literary fiction to romance, sports writing to historical fiction, with one title from an independent press.

The finalists were chosen from a 15-book longlist announced earlier this month.

The five contenders and their champions are:

• A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt (Hamish Hamilton/Penguin Random House Canada), championed actor and filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers.
• Searching for Terry Punchout by Tyler Hellard (Invisible Publishing), championed by hockey analyst and podcaster Steve “Dangle” Glynn.
• The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor (Random House Canada), championed by JUNO Award-winning singer and songwriter Tegan Quin.
• Foe by Iain Reid (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster), championed by actor and children’s TV host, Josh Dela Cruz.
• It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard (Dell/Penguin Random House Canada), championed by #BookTok influencer Morgann Book.

Comedian Ali Hassan will be hosting this year’s edition of Canada Reads, his tenth year in the role.

Last year’s winner was Ma-Nee Chacaby’s A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder, published by University of Manitoba Press and written with Mary Louisa Plummer.