Have your say in shaping the 2025 Oxford Reads Shortlist!
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What book do you think our community needs to read right now? Whether it's topical, thought-provoking, or simply unforgettable, we want to hear from you!
We’re looking for books:
Submissions are open until Friday, February 21, 2025, so don't miss your chance to help inspire Oxford readers. Who knows? Your choice could make the shortlist!
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About last year's title
Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
In this debut novel, a morbidly anxious young woman stumbles into a job as a receptionist at a Catholic church and soon finds herself obsessed with her predecessor’s mysterious death. A delightful blend of warmth, deadpan humour, and pitch-perfect observations about the human condition, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead is a crackling exploration of what it takes to stay afloat in a world where your expiration — and the expiration of those you love — is the only certainty. This novel was long listed for The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, shortlisted for the Amazon First Novel Award, and a finalist for the Ottawa Book Awards.
About the Author:
Emily was born in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. She studied English Literature and Religious Studies at King's University College, and Library and Information Science at Western University. She received two writing grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, and has a background in libraries, teaching, and working as an information architect. She currently resides in Ottawa / the territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.
If you liked Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead...
Previous Oxford Reads Selections
2023 - The Maid by Nita Prose
2022 - Driven by Marcello di Cintio
2021 - Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
2020 - Crow by Amy Spurway
2019 - Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
2018 - The Purchase by Linda Spalding