Evergreen Book Club: July - Sept Picks

Written by Canadians, read by the world

It’s Canada Day and summer weather has finally reached the Fraser Valley where I’m dealing with the hard decisions of fresh squeezed lemonade or iced tea. Maybe I’ll get really wild and mix the two together for an Arnold Palmer.

One decision I don’t have to make on this otherwise hot and lazy holiday is which book I’m going to read. The subscriber chat is officially open and Uzma Jalaluddin’s novel is ready to head out to the garden with me.

Which brings me to the official kick off of Evergreen Book Club and the announcement of the picks for our first quarter!

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July

Hana Khan Carries On - Uzma Jalaluddin, 2021

I chose Uzma Jalaluddin’s second novel because her first, Ayesha At Last, was such a big hit that if people had already read it they’d have another book to check out. Also Uzma has a new series called Detective Aunty that started this year. So if you like this book it gives you a next place to go.

But I also chose it because it’s a book that takes place in a restaurant, and I’m a sucker for books that have food in them. Chefs, bakers, home cooks, farms, all of the above. They are some of my favourite settings.

Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighbourhood. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job. In the meantime, Hana pours her thoughts and dreams into a podcast, where she forms a lively relationship with one of her listeners. But soon she'll need all the support she can get: a new competing restaurant, a more upscale halal place, is about to open in the Golden Crescent, threatening Three Sisters.

When her mysterious aunt and her teenage cousin arrive from India for a surprise visit, they draw Hana into a long-buried family secret. A hate-motivated attack on their neighbourhood complicates the situation further, as does Hana's growing attraction for Aydin, the young owner of the rival restaurant—who might not be a complete stranger after all.

As life on the Golden Crescent unravels, Hana must learn to use her voice, draw on the strength of her community and decide what her future should be.

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August

The Tin Flute - Gabrielle Roy, 1945

Part of the reason I wanted to start an entirely Canadian book club is because I think there are so many amazing writers in this country. And contrary to what many an internet listicle might have you believe we do have classic literature here as well.

That’s why I chose the Tin Flute. My mom’s old copy from high school in 1972 has been sitting on my bookshelf for ages and I keep meaning to read it. Clearly it was so celebrated at the time it became part of the school curriculum so I figured we should add a little summer school to the book club with a classic.

The Tin Flute, Gabrielle Roy's first novel, is a classic of Canadian fiction. Imbued with Roy's unique brand of compassion and compelling understanding, this moving story focuses on a family in the Saint-Henri slums of Montreal, its struggles to overcome poverty and ignorance, and its search for love.

An affecting story of familial tenderness, sacrifice, and survival during the Second World War, The Tin Flutewon both the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction in 1947 and the Prix Fémina of France. The novel was made into a critically acclaimed motion picture in 1983.

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September

Oxford Soju Club - Jinwoo Park, 2025

I have been following Jinwoo Park for ages on TikTok. From the moment I heard him talk about this book I knew I wanted to read it. Get your library holds and pre-orders in quick because I have a feeling this is going to be a hit.

When North Korean spy YOHAN KIM’s handler and mentor DOHA KIM is assassinated, Yohan finds himself on the run within Oxford, where he has spent the last several years as JUNICHI NAKAMURA. At his heels is YUNAH CHOI, a Korean American CIA officer who has been observing Yohan for a long time. Disguised as SEONHYE, Yunah attempts to bring in Yohan for a chance at a coveted promotion. In the center of this spy game is JIHOON LIM, a humble restauranteur who runs the Soju Club, the only Korean restaurant in Oxford.

As unknown enemies close in on the city, Yohan attempts to fulfill Doha’s last words and await DR. RYU for further instructions, a senior North Korean intelligence officer. However, as Yohan and Yunah will each discover, the truth of the situation is more complicated. Loyalties will be tested, and false identities will crack. But one thing is for certain: anyone is welcome at the Soju Club for a drink.

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Non-Fiction

Invisible Boy - Harrison Mooney, 2022

I bought this book two years ago and it’s been sitting on my “to be read” pile ever since. I kept trying to find the time to sit down and read it but never felt like I had the attention span it deserved.

When I heard that Harrison Mooney was from Abbotsford I was shocked. The very religious extra conservative town we both grew up in doesn’t have a ton of arts and culture. No real writing circles (or even secular book groups) that I know about growing up here. It is a unique place, a Bible Belt located in what the rest of the country thinks of as the hippy west coast. His memoir deals with many of the things I’ve heard whispers of in this town and I can’t wait to read it in his own words.

Harrison Mooney was born to a West African mother and adopted as an infant by a white evangelical family. Growing up as a Black child, Harry’s racial identity is mocked and derided, while at the same time he is made to participate in the fervour of his family’s revivalist church. Confused and crushed by fundamentalist dogma and consistently abused for his colour, Harry must transition from child to young adult while navigating and surviving zealotry, paranoia and prejudice.

After years of internalized anti-Blackness, Harry begins to redefine his terms and reconsider his history. His journey from white cult to Black consciousness culminates in a moving reunion with his biological mother, who waited twenty-five years for the chance to tell her son the truth: she wanted to keep him.

This powerful memoir considers the controversial practice of transracial adoption from the perspective of families that are torn apart and children who are stripped of their culture, all in order to fill evangelical communities’ demand for babies. Throughout this most timely tale of race, religion and displacement, Harrison Mooney’s wry, evocative prose renders his deeply personal tale of identity accessible and light, giving us a Black coming-of-age narrative set in a world with little love for Black children.

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Happy summer reading to you all! I’ll be popping up mid-month with a live video to check in on everyone’s progress and some other surprises.

I released a YouTube video explaining why I’m starting this now and announcing all the picks as well if you’d like to watch or share it. And don’t forget to subscribe for the latest updates!

Did you miss the original announcement outlining how the book club will work? Here’s all the information you need…