Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week she posts an idea for relating to books, and encourages other book bloggers to respond with their own “top ten” list.
As a proud Canadian who engages in the stereotypical acts of saying “eh” and practically living at Tim Horton’s, I was surprised by how many books I read that are set in the US, the UK or a fantasy/dystopian world. There are so many beautiful places around here that would make the perfect setting for a story, so here are some of the books that gave my country some love:
Books I’ve Read:
Ultraviolet series by R.J. Anderson
I’ve already professed my love for these books on several occasions, but they’re just so good! Ultraviolet is set in Sudbury and Quicksilver is set in Kitchener, which are both parts of Southern Ontario. I’m moving back to Waterloo in the fall for school and it’s right next to Kitchener, so I really enjoyed reading a book set in that area.
Dark Inside series by Jeyn Roberts
These post-apocalyptic books are dark and somewhat terrifying in their examination of human nature. Dark Inside is divided between the US (Iowa and Montana) and Canada (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Vancouver, British Columbia), and Rage Within takes place completely in Vancouver.
Fallen World series by Megan Crewe
I’ve only read The Way We Fall, but the rest of this series is on my to-read list. The Way We Fall is set in Nova Scotia, where a deadly biological virus leads to an island quarantine. I’ve never actually been there, but there are lots of mentions of Toronto which is about two hours away from where I live!
Darkness Rising series by Kelley Armstrong
I’ve only actually read The Gathering, and it’s been quite a while since I’ve read it. This series takes place on Vancouver Island – which is beautiful, judging by the pictures I’ve seen of it – and uses Native Canadian mythology, which is really neat.
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
When I think of books set in Canada, this is the first book that comes to mind. Set on the beautiful Prince Edward Island, Anne of Green Gables is a classic and enchanting piece of Canadian literature.
Because I’m out of choices and would like my list to consist of ten books/series…
Books I Have Yet To Read:
Anna series by Kendare Blake
This series takes place in Thunder Bay, Ontario which is quite a drive from where I am – and after I read these creepy books, I’ll probably be glad of that fact!
Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O’Malley
It’s kind of shameful that I haven’t read this series yet, especially considering I’ve seen the Michael Cera movie about ten times now. The Scott Pilgrim series is set in Toronto, Ontario, which I am very familiar with, so I can’t wait to give it a read!
Brian’s Saga by Gary Paulsen
Hatchet is a survival story that takes place in the Canadian wilderness. It was required reading for so many classes in my middle school, but for some reason, my class never ended up reading it.
Alice MacLeod series by Susan Juby
When I was in middle school, everyone seemed to love these books that are set in Smithers, British Columbia. I’m worried that I’m not going to enjoy them as much now that I’ve grown up, but I’m hoping to eventually give them a try.
Creeps by Darren Hynes
Set in Atlantic Canada, Creeps has been described as “a less angsty Perks of Being a Wallflower.” I’m a huge fan of Perks, so this just had to go on my to-read list.
Which books have you read that are set in Canada? Leave me recommendations and a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post below.
I am sad to admit that I havne’t read any of the books on this list. I will get on it though and add a few to my rading list. :_
Sounds good! I can’t vouch for all of the books on the list, but the ones that I’ve read were enjoyable. : )
Wow, I couldn’t see what I typed and now I can. BAH! Haven’t and reading is what I meant. : )
Great topic! I almost, almost did the same one, but I could only think of a few books with Canadian settings. Duh. There are tons! And a bunch I haven’t even heard of — The Dark Inside series sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the recommendations.
Thanks! I had such a hard time thinking up books set in Canada – once I got through the ones I had read, I went straight to Google since I wanted to have a list of ten, haha. I really liked the Dark Inside series, so I hope you do too!
Off the top of my head, I can only think of the Anne of Green Gables series, though I’m sure I’ve read at least a few other Canadian books over my lifetime.
Anne of Green Gables is definitely the most popular one!
Good list. I think the only ones I’ve read from it are the Anna series and Anne of Green Gables. I also really liked Mosh Pit by Kristyn Dunnion, a kind of weird but good book about rebel goth/punks in Toronto.
My TTT.
I’ve never heard of Mosh Pit, but I love books set in Toronto so I’ll have to check it out. Thanks!
Thanks for the link!
As a proud Canadian as well, I’m ashamed to say I’ve only read Anne of Green Gables from your list. Actually, the amount of books I’ve read set in Canada are few and far between. I think I’ll have to change that. Thanks for introducing me to more books! 🙂
Anne of Green Gables is an excellent book, though! I never realized how few books I’ve read that were set in Canada until I sat down to make this list, so if you’ll have to let me know if you come across some good ones. 🙂
Kit Pearson and Jean Little are two of my favourite authors, and the majority of their books (maybe all?) are set in Canada. Kit Pearson does a graveyard tour every year in Victoria, BC, to talk about some of the settings from her book AWAKE AND DREAMING. Definitely some of my childhood favourites!
I’ll have to check them out. Thanks! : )
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