Tenth Anniversary Canada Reads Contenders Revealed on CBC's Q!

Jian Ghomeshi revealed the five finalists for the 2011 Canada Reads competition and brought four of the five panelists together for the first time Wednesday morning. (The fifth contender, Sara Quin of Tegan and Sarah, was on tour in India but sent in her pre-recorded battle-cry.)

The Canada Reads contenders this year are:

• The Best Laid Plans (McClelland & Stewart) by Terry Fallis, defended by CNN anchor Ali Velshi
• The Birth House (Vintage Canada) by Ami McKay, defended by designer Debbie Travis
• The Bone Cage (NeWest Press) by Angie Abdou, defended by former NHL star Georges Laraque
• Essex County (Top Shelf Productions) by Jeff Lemire, defended by singer-songwriter Sara Quin
• Unless (Vintage Canada) by Carol Shields, defended by actor Lorne Cardinal

For more information about the authors, the books, the panelists and the competition, visit the CBC Canada Reads website.