Open Book: October 2024

Open book
In this issue

Letter from CELA’s Executive Director

Over the next few weeks, many of the major Canadian literary awards, including the Governor General Awards for Literature, the Giller Prize and the Writers' Trust, will announce their winners. We always appreciate the opportunity to work with these organizations so that our users can read the nominees and the winners without delays. To keep up to date on the short lists and the winners, visit our Awards page and watch our upcoming newsletters.

We're also so pleased to have worked with the Festival of Literary Diversity (the FOLD) on their November Reading Challenge featuring an accessible book by a marginalized author. Visit the FOLD's website for more information and to take part in the challenge. 

We have been delighted with the response to our call for participants for our Accessible Commercial Audiobooks Project. The project, which is funded by Accessibility Standards Canada, aims to develop standards for accessible audiobook production and provide guidance for producers and others involved in audiobook production. Participants in our project, both with and without print disabilities, will offer their feedback on various features and we will gather that feedback for our recommendations. As part of this project, we have welcomed Mélissa Castilloux to the team as the Accessible Audiobooks Project Coordinator. If you would like to learn more about this accessible audiobook research project, please visit our blog.

And as we look towards the winter holidays (and a potential Canada Post service disruption), I want to encourage all our users to consider digital delivery options. Digital delivery offers fast and efficient delivery of your books direct to your device when you need them, without worrying about delays due to weather, mail volume or holiday hours. We’ve got lots of support on our website if you’d like to learn more.

Laurie Davidson, Executive Director

Awards update!

Cover of the book Adrift by Lisa Brideau.It is an exciting time for lovers of literature as many of Canada's most prestigious literary awards have announced their nominated titles and we wait to hear who has won. You can keep up to date by visiting our Awards page.

The Giller Prize has released its shortlist. The prize will be awarded on November 18.

The nominees for the Governor General Awards for Literature are public. Check out our list to find titles in a number of the categories. 

The Writers' Trust has released shortlists for both the Atwood Gibson Prize for Fiction and the Hilary Weston Prize for nonfiction.

Congratulations to Jenny Erpenbeck who won the International Booker prize for Kairos, and Han Kang who recently won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

We also want to congratulate Lisa Brideau, whose book Adrift (available in audio and braille) is the winner of this year's Evergreen Award program. The Evergreen has already announced the long list of titles for the 2025 award. You can get started reading today!

And lastly, Canada has an incredible collection of children's authors and illustrators. They were recently celebrated by the Canadian Children's Book Centre and we are delighted to have the winners in our collection.

Congratulations to all these incredible authors. Watch our Awards page for updates as more award announcements are made.

Make it easy to get your books this holiday season!

a stack of packages sits outside the door to a house.If you haven’t tried our digital services, now might be the perfect opportunity.

Digital access allows you to get books directly to your devices quickly and without worrying about delays due to weather, mail volume or holiday hours.

Learn more about designates on our website.

Books for Remembrance Day

Cover of the book Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham.In honour of Remembrance Day, we've gathered a few books which are new or recently added to our collection. 

Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II by Elyse Graham

Paris '44: The Shame and the Glory by Patrick Bishop

The Good Allies: How Canada and the United States Fought Together to Defeat Fascism during the Second World War by Tim Cook

Never Far Apart by Ellen Foster, Kitty Salsberg

When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day by Garrett M Graff

The Volunteers: How Halifax Women Won the Second World War by Lezlie Lowe

Cold Crematorium: Reporting from the Land of Auschwitz by József Debreczeni

By the Ghost Light: Wars, Memory, and Families by R. H. Thomson

Reading for Truth and Reconciliation

Cover of the book Who we are by Murray Sinclair.Who We Are: Four Questions For a Life and a Nation by Murray Sinclair

Structured around the four questions that have long shaped Senator Sinclair’s thinking and worldview—Where do I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? Who am I?—Who We Are takes readers into the story of his remarkable life as never before, while challenging them to embrace an inclusive vision for our shared future.

Books in the news

Judy-Lynn del Rey is holding an award while standing in a banquet hall.We often hear from authors about the process of writing a book. But we don't often hear how a manuscript becomes a published book, or about the people who shepherd books through that process.  

Judy-Lynn del Rey is one of those people whose work has greatly influenced some of the most popular books in the fantasy and science fiction genres. She founded Del Rey Books, a science fiction and fantasy imprint and had a tremendous impact on that genre.

According to a recent article in The Conversation, her biggest success may have been "snagging the novelization rights to a science fiction film that, at the time, few Hollywood executives believed would do well: “Star Wars.”

Read the full article in The Conversation: The woman who revolutionized the fantasy genre is finally getting her due

CELA in Quebec

Three Quebec flags flutter in the wind.CELA serves people with print disabilities across the country. In Quebec, CELA service is provided through Service québécois du livre adapté (SQLA). SQLA is Quebec's provincial accessible library service, offered through Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ). It gives eligible Quebec residents access to thousands of books and other reading materials in multiple accessible formats.

CELA and BAnQ work together to ensure that all Canadians with print disabilities get access to library materials in both official languages.

Learn more on our CELA for Quebec residents page.

Webinars for you

We host a series of webinars on Zoom to help users access CELA services, to stay up to date on new technologies and to learn more about accessible reading.

On the Webinars for you page, you will find upcoming webinars. On that same page you will find links to other CELA video resources available on our YouTube channel.

Help! How do I support struggling readers?: An introduction to accessible literacy and reading formats

In this webinar, you’ll learn how to support readers with print disabilities, including learning disabilities, vision loss, and physical disabilities. You’ll receive an introduction to different reading formats and the features that make them more accessible. Formats will include ebooks, audiobooks, braille, decodable books, hi-lo books, and graphic novels. Join in to discover a broader approach to reading and literacy development.

  • Review of the different types of print disabilities and their unique reading needs.
  • Discover various reading formats and their accessibility features.
  • Learn how alternate formats contribute to literacy development.
  • Learn helpful tips for supporting struggling readers, including those with print disabilities.

To register for this one-hour session select the link below:

Tues Nov 12 2:00-3:00pm EST

Accessing CELA using a Victor Reader Stream DAISY Player

Do you own a Humanware Victor Reader Stream? Are you considering getting one to access reading materials from CELA? Join us for this hour-long webinar about how this versatile device lets you read CELA’s books and magazines in audio and e-text formats. This webinar is for new Victor Stream users or those interested in learning new tips. By attending this webinar, you will learn about:

  • General features of the Victor Stream, and what’s new with the latest model
  • Configuring the device for use with CELA
  • How to navigate and manage your Direct to Player bookshelf
  • Reading a title and playback options
  • How to find help in using the Victor Stream with CELA

Select the link below to register for this webinar:

Tues Nov 26 2:00-3:00pm EST

Featured title for adults: The God of the Woods

Cover of the book God of the woods by Liz Moore."Riveting from page one to the last breathless word."
-Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions For You.

"Brilliant, riveting .. an epic mystery, a family saga and a survival guide...I loved this book."
-Miranda Cowley Heller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paper Palace.

When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide.

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn't just any thirteen-year-old: she's the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region's residents. And this isn't the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara's older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore's multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore's most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

Read The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.

Top five books

Cover of the book Tom Lake by Ann Patchett.Most popular with our readers this month:

  1. Tom Lake: A Novel by Ann Patchett, Family stories
  2. The War We Won Apart: The Untold Story of Two Elite Agents Who Became One of the Most Decorated Couples of WWII by Nahlah Ayed, Women biography
  3. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton, Biography
  4. The Briar Club: A Novel by Kate Quinn, Suspense and thrillers
  5. A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue by Dean Jobb,  True crime

Top five for kids

Cover of the book Out of my mind by Sharon M. Draper.Most popular with kids this month:

  1. Karen's Haircut (Baby-Sitters Little Sister #8) by Ann M. Martin, General fiction
  2. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, Disabilities fiction
  3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, Fantasy
  4. The Barren Grounds (The Misewa Saga #1) by David A. Robertson, Fantasy
  5. The Boy Who Woke the Sun by A. T. Woodley, Fantasy

Featured title for young adults: Desert Echoes

Cover of the book Desert Echoes by Abdi Nazemian.From Abdi Nazemian, the award-winning author of Like a Love Story and Only This Beautiful Moment, comes a suspenseful contemporary YA novel about loss and love. Fifteen-year-old Kam is head over heels for Ash, the boy who swept him off his feet. But his family and best friend, Bodie, are worried. Something seems off about Ash. He also has a habit of disappearing, at times for days.

When Ash asks Kam to join him on a trip to Joshua Tree, the two of them walk off into the sunset . . . but only Kam returns. Two years later, Kam is still left with a hole in his heart and too many unanswered questions. So it feels like fate when a school trip takes him back to Joshua Tree. On the trip, Kam wants to find closure about what happened to Ash but instead finds himself in danger of facing a similar fate. In the desert, Kam must reckon with the truth of his past relationship-and the possibility of opening himself up to love once again. Desert Echoes is a propulsive, moving story about human resilience and connection.

Read Desert Echoes by Abdi Nazemian.

Top five for teens

Cover of the book Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley.Most popular with teens this month:

  1. Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber, Family stories
  2. Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, Suspense and thrillers
  3. Stargirl (Stargirl Ser. #1) by Jerry Spinelli, General fiction
  4. The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J. R. R. Tolkein, Fantasy
  5. Leviathan (The Leviathan Trilogy) by Scott Westerfeld, Science fiction

New on YouTube

close up of a hand holding a phone with the YouTube red play icon.CELA's webinars are recorded and made available on our YouTube Channel. We have recently added "Navigating the CELA Website with NVDA or JAWS" to our channel. The video features our Peer Trainer Ioana demonstrating how to navigate our site and offering the tips and tricks she uses. She also demonstrates some new features of the site. 

You can find this video and others on our YouTube channel.

Service tip: Communication preferences

Leave the watching to us!

Did you know that you can set your CELA communication preferences so that we will monitor your account and send you an email when the book you’ve requested is ready to read? Visit the Communication Preferences option under My Account. There, you will find options to be notified when Zip files or Direct to Player books are ready for you. It is a quick change that can save you from having to keep checking your account for that anticipated book!

Holiday hours 

Red poppies are attached to a memorial with names of soldiers.Our Contact Centre will be closed on November 11 for Remembrance Day.

For the holiday season, our Contact Centre will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on December 24. It will be closed on December 25, 26 and January 1 for the holidays. On December 27, 30, and 31, our Contact Centre will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time. We will return to normal opening hours on January 2, 2025.

Stay connected!

Logos of X, Facebook, and YouTube.Visit CELA's social media, including X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, YouTube and our blog, for more news about what's happening in the world of accessible literature.