Podcasts · Arts

Bookends with Mattea Roach

CBC

168 episodes

When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You’ll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read.

Episodes page 1 of 4

  1. Her mother was stolen. What does that mean for her?

    · 19 min · S3 E7

    Jenna Timmons-Oikawa is the winner of the 2026 CBC Nonfiction Prize. Her piece, Wawa Indian, was inspired by the discovery that her mother was taken in the Sixties Scoop. This was a government practice in Canada from…

  2. R.F. Kuang gets personal in Taipei Story

    · 35 min · S3 E7

    Communication gets complicated across different languages, time zones and generations. FaceTime and translation apps can only help so much. That's the personal challenge R. F. Kuang drew on in her latest novel Taipei…

  3. Why Marlon James disappeared

    · 35 min · S3 E6

    The new novel from Marlon James is based on a rumour … but it’s no rumour that Marlon’s book is one of the year's hottest titles. The Disappearers is an epic Jamaican novel that centres on a group of gay men who were…

  4. Nobel Prize winner Anne Carson in conversation with Eleanor Wachtel

    · 53 min

    Canadian writer Anne Carson is the winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature. For today’s podcast, we’re diving into the archives and revisiting one of Anne’s conversations with Eleanor Wachtel on Writers &…

  5. A novel inspired by the death of a tree

    · 26 min · S3 E4

    Anita Rau Badami’s new novel, Asha in Her Garden, is her first in over a decade … and it all started with the striking image of a dying tree. On her seventieth birthday, Asha Mohan’s beloved backyard maple tree is cut…

  6. Girlbossing on an oil rig

    · 35 min · S3 E4

    Imagine the pressure of being the only woman working on an offshore oil rig. That was the reality for Y.M. Abdel-Magied … and she turned her years in the field into a thrilling novel about oil, power and survival on…

  7. How bad was your worst friendship breakup?

    · 29 min · S3 E3

    How far would you be willing to go to salvage a friendship? Maybe you just need a small break ... or how about a couples therapist? Téa Mutonji’s new novel, My Person, follows longtime friends Tania and Margot. The two…

  8. Michelle Good is reclaiming her mother's name

    · 29 min · S3 E3

    When Michelle Good’s mother was in her 20s, she changed her name from Martha Eliza to Elizabeth to sound less Indigenous. Michelle’s new novel, Eliza Sunshine, is rooted intimately in her mother’s life … and gives her…

  9. Colson Whitehead’s lifelong love affair with New York

    · 24 min · S3 E2

    The criminal underworld of 1980s New York City. The last heist of a mostly-retired crook. A city battling for its future. Colson Whitehead’s Harlem Trilogy reaches its conclusion with his latest novel, Cool Machine. It…

  10. What if your boss was a literal supervillain?

    · 32 min · S3 E2

    You might think that your boss is evil … but what if they were an actual supervillain? Natalie Zina Walschots brings that idea to life in her novels Hench and Villain. The series follows Anna, an auditor who does…

  11. Did the pandemic radicalize you?

    · 30 min · S3 E1

    The phrase "unprecedented times” was repeated over and over again during the pandemic … and Malavika Kannan’s debut novel, Unprecedented Times, dives into university life during that period. The story follows Rishi, an…

  12. Why age-gap friendships are a risk worth taking

    · 32 min · S3 E1

    How many of your friends are over 30 years older than you? When Marc Bendavid was 12, he met a teacher that changed his life. His debut novel, The Sapling, is about their generation-defying bond … and living in those…

  13. Why writing a novel is like riding a horse

    · 29 min · S2 E52

    Imagine you walk into your bedroom one day … and there’s a horse going on a rampage. Better yet, it’s a horse from a childhood story that has haunted you ever since you first heard it. Who’s the first person you call?…

  14. A city just for adulterers

    · 26 min · S2 E51

    For cheating couples who are sneaking around, it’s paradise … but how long until the cracks start to show? Sophie Mackintosh’s new novel, Permanence, follows secret lovers Clara and Francis. Francis is married, and…

  15. It’s tough being the new kid in town. The zombies don’t help

    · 28 min · S2 E50

    You might be used to moving around … but you've probably never ended up in a town full of zombies, aliens and sad clowns. Jon Claytor’s new graphic novel, Nowhere, is about a young boy named Joel whose family is…

  16. Can you justify killing bad men?

    · 28 min · S2 E49

    Bad men, bee warned. Imani Thompson’s buzzy debut novel, Honey, follows a jaded PhD student named Yrsa. She’s bored with her work and frustrated with the culture at Cambridge … but when she accidentally kills a shady…

  17. The dazzling, dangerous world of a 20th century spy

    · 30 min · S2 E48

    David Baerwald is a famous songwriter who’s worked with artists like Joni Mitchell and Sheryl Crow. But when he uncovered a family history filled with spies, music, and wartime secrets … David went from notes to novels…

  18. Why you shouldn’t go gentle into that good night

    · 30 min · S2 E47

    If you just let go of everything that’s out of your control … can you truly be happy? Maria Semple tests that philosophy in her new novel, Go Gentle. The story follows Adora Hazzard, a Stoic philosopher in her 50s who…

  19. From Hamnet to Land, Maggie O'Farrell maps uncharted history

    · 30 min · S2 E46

    Maggie O’Farrell brought Shakespeare’s son out of the footnotes of history with her 2020 novel Hamnet. Its hugely successful movie adaptation made a splash at the Oscars and Maggie herself earned a nomination for the…

  20. Can you make a family — and a country — great again?

    · 29 min · S2 E45

    Imagine your entire family … immediate and extended … living in one apartment complex together. Karan Mahajan’s latest novel, The Complex, follows four generations of a family across India and America in the 1970s. In…

  21. Sci-fi, survival and the final frontier

    · 29 min · S2 E44

    If an asteroid was hurtling towards Earth, and you had no other choice … would you upload your mind to a computer to survive? Robert J. Sawyer explores that dilemma in his new novel, The Downloaded 2: Ghosts in the…

  22. Bookends highlights: Y’all know we’re Canada down

    · 54 min · S2 E43

    Coast to coast, province to province, soccer pitch to hockey rink … there’s no one Canadian experience, and no one Canadian story. This week, Bookends is highlighting four Canadian writers we’ve featured on the show so…

  23. Marjane Satrapi: In conversation with Eleanor Wachtel

    · 32 min · S2 E42

    When Marjane Satrapi died earlier this month, we lost an acclaimed graphic novelist and filmmaker … and a voice that explored Iranian society in a wholly unique way. You might know Marjane from her celebrated graphic…

  24. What does it mean to be a dad, anyway?

    · 30 min · S2 E42

    Fatherhood isn’t easy. It might be hard to put the experience into words … but Jordan Abel’s new poetry collection does just that. Dad Era is addressed to Jordan’s daughter Phoenix. Through free verse, pictures and a…

  25. This time loop story digs deeper than Groundhog Day

    · 23 min

    What would you do if you were stuck reliving the same day on loop? Splurge with your ever-replenishing bank account? Travel, so you can experience more than one season? Would it feel freeing, or lonely? In Solvej…

  26. A raunchy workplace satire ... about deradicalizing ISIS brides?

    · 35 min

    When Nussaibah Younis decided to write a book about ISIS brides, everyone expected it to be an academic tome. Instead, she wrote a raunchy satire about a woman who takes a job in a warzone to get over a recent…

  27. Here’s why Fran Lebowitz needs a cigarette

    · 30 min · S2 E40

    Fran Lebowitz is a legendary writer and critic. She’s made a career of sharing hot takes without apology, and she didn’t hold back when she joined Mattea Roach for a special on-stage event in Toronto. You might know…

  28. Dive into the dark underbelly of rural Ontario

    · 22 min · S2 E39

    It’s easy to glamorize small town life … but Kevin Hardcastle’s new novel, County Road Six, is all about the darkness lurking in rural Canada. When Arthur O’Hare dies, his three daughters return to the family farm to…

  29. Douglas Stuart was a fashion exec — now he designs stories

    · 32 min · S2 E39

    A glamorous life and career in New York’s fashion industry was everything Douglas Stuart worked for. So why did he walk away from it all? And how did he go from fashion designer to Booker Prize winning author?…

  30. What’s the cost of the immigrant success story?

    · 26 min · S2 E38

    Anne Kim has it all. She’s a high-powered tax lawyer, lives in a beautiful apartment in New York and has the perfect boyfriend to boot. She’s the pride of her parents, Korean immigrants in small-town Alberta who worked…

  31. A forensic thriller writer autopsies her own life

    · 27 min

    A famous crime writer who gets her inspiration from years of working on real cases at the medical examiner’s office. That’s the story of Patricia Cornwell, the bestselling author of the Kay Scarpetta series. Her new…

  32. Accepting the unknown … and a giant flock of crows

    · 19 min · S2 E37

    The winner of the 2026 CBC Short Story Prize is the Vancouver-based writer Larah Luna. Larah’s story, A Season of Crows, is about a small town learning to live with a huge murder of crows that passes through the town.…

  33. Literature, liberation and Lolita in Iran

    · 36 min · S2 E37

    Books can be revolutionary. That’s the message of Azar Nafisi’s celebrated memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran, which is about her experience teaching forbidden literature to young women in Iran. Although it was published…

  34. Exploring the shady side of charity organizations

    · 28 min · S2 E36

    Charity organizations are all about doing good. What could possibly go wrong? Sharon Bala’s new novel, Good Guys, is all about how philanthropy operates in a world that runs on money. The book stars a fictional charity…

  35. Can our friendships age with us?

    · 26 min · S2 E36

    If it feels like the years are going by faster and faster … you’re not the only one. Grant Ginder’s new novel, So Old, So Young, follows a group of college friends across 20 years. The story is told through five major…

  36. Life of Pi author Yann Martel on the wars in your everyday

    · 34 min · S2 E35

    Yann Martel didn’t think anybody would read Life of Pi when he first published it. 25 years later, his story of a teenage boy and a tiger adrift in the ocean still captivates readers, and Yann says his books are like…

  37. How to find hope in a funeral home

    · 31 min · S2 E35

    When Mai Nguyen lost her daughter just days after she was born, writing about a similar character in a novel brought her comfort. Her new book, Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead, is a heartbreaking but humorous novel…

  38. Should you be afraid of the wolf hour?

    · 29 min · S2 E34

    The “wolf hour” is a term for the deep-night period between roughly three and four in the morning. The world is quiet, your guard is down … and if you’re anything like the thriller writer Jo Nesbø, it’s the perfect…

  39. Would a tradwife influencer survive in 1855?

    · 29 min · S2 E34

    In Caro Claire Burke’s debut novel, Yesteryear, a modern day tradwife influencer shares her picturesque farm life with 8 million followers … until one day, she wakes up in the 1800s and has to do it all for real. No…

  40. How do we restore our sense of wonder in media?

    · 33 min · S2 E33

    Ben Lerner’s new novel is all about how technology shapes memory and connection … and it kicks off when a guy breaks his phone. In Transcription, a man is conducting one final interview with his 90-year-old mentor and…

  41. What does dystopia look like in the suburbs?

    · 29 min · S2 E33

    Even if you’re living in a dystopia, life goes on. Carrianne Leung’s new novel, Wonderland Road, is about making it work and finding hope in a collapsing society. In a world where basic structures of society fall apart…

  42. Is it magic … or is it Siri?

    · 28 min · S2 E32

    In Michael Redhill’s new novel, The Trial of Katterfelto, the titular Katterfelto is a traveling magician and scientist in the late 1700s. One day, Katterfelto and his partner Roger come across a mysterious horn that…

  43. Why status and power are currency in Pakistan

    · 28 min · S2 E32

    What does it mean to love a place that is so complicated? Pulitzer prize finalist Daniyal Mueenuddin’s new novel, This Is Where the Serpent Lives, dives into class, corruption and the systems of power that dictate life…

  44. The last book Julian Barnes will ever write

    · 35 min · S3 E31

    Julian Barnes says his new novel is his final. It’s called Departure(s), and it’s about two people who fall in love when they’re young and then meet again decades later. The story is told through the perspective of a…

  45. Is there a soundtrack to your life?

    · 27 min · S2 E30

    For Michael V. Smith, the answer is a resounding yes … and he explores that in his new book, Soundtrack: A Lyric Memoir. It’s a collection of poems about snapshots in his life, each named after a different song or…

  46. If at first you break up … try, try again?

    · 31 min · S2 E30

    This week, Bookends is celebrating libraries with a special Canada Reads event at the Hamilton Public Library. Morgann Book truly lives up to her name. As one of Canada’s biggest book influencers, she shares her love…

  47. How long could you lie about who you are?

    · 25 min · S2 E29

    In Tara Gereaux’s new novel, Wild People Quiet, a Métis woman works tirelessly to hide her identity for years … until everything starts to come crashing down. It’s the early 1900s when Florence realizes she can pass as…

  48. Why Tayari Jones fights for her stories

    · 34 min · S2 E29

    What does family mean to two motherless daughters? That question is at the centre of Kin, a new work of historical fiction by Tayari Jones. It’s about the bond between two girls in the American South as they end up on…

  49. Inside Toronto’s most notorious women’s prison

    · 28 min · S2 E28

    Toronto’s most infamous women’s prison was meant to rehabilitate women … but its real history tells a much darker story. Heather Marshall dives headfirst into the Mercer Reformatory in her latest novel, Liberty Street.…

  50. For Jeanette Winterson, stories are essential to survival

    · 37 min · S2 E28

    If you had to tell a story to stay alive … what story would you tell? Jeanette Winterson’s new book, One Aladdin Two Lamps, is a nonfiction exploration of storytelling, culture, politics and the things that make us…

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