Latest news with #MaggieMacNeil
CBC
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
8 books to read if you loved Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey
Fans of the first thriller on Canada Reads will enjoy these other titles Image | Maggie Mac Neil Caption: Maggie Mac Neil holds up thriller novel Watch Out for Her on the set of Canada Reads 2025. (Joanna Roselli/CBC) Open Image in New Tab Olympic swimmer Maggie Mac Neil championed Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey on Canada Reads 2025. The thriller was the first of its genre in the show's history! Watch Out for Her is about a young mother named Sarah who thinks her problems are solved when she hires a young babysitter, Holly, for her six-year-old son. Her son adores Holly and Holly adores Sarah, who is like the mother she never had. But when Sarah sees something that she can't unsee, she uproots her family to start over. Her past follows her to this new life, raising paranoid questions of who is watching her now? And what do they want? Here are eight Canadian books to read if you loved Watch Out for Her. The Whispers by Audrey Audrain Image | The Whispers by Ashley Audrain composite Caption: The Whispers is a book by Ashley Audrain. (Viking, Alex Moskalyk) Open Image in New Tab In The Whispers, the truth behind a picture-perfect neighbourhood is revealed following an incident at a neighbourhood barbecue when the seemingly flawless hostess explodes in fury because her son disobeys her. When her son falls from his bedside window one night and she stops talking to everyone, the women in the neighbourhood begin to contend with what led to this horrible incident. Ashley Audrain is the former publicity director of Penguin Canada. Her debut novel The Push was a New York Times bestseller and won the Best Crime First Novel at the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards. She currently lives in Toronto. Behind You by Catherine Hernandez Image | Behind You by Catherine Hernandez Caption: Behind You is a novel by Catherine Hernandez. (Noor Khan, HarperAvenue) Open Image in New Tab Behind You follows the story of Alma, a film editor for a corny true crime series. At a glance, her life with her wife and teenage son seems comfortable and safe. But when Infamous' latest episode features the Scarborough Stalker — who terrorized Alma's own neighborhood when she was a girl — Alma is consumed by her long-suppressed past. In present day, she must reckon with her understanding of consent to stop her young son from making terrible choices toward his own girlfriend. Unfolding in two timelines, Behind You challenges and dissects rape culture and champions one girl's resilience into adulthood. Hernandez is a Canadian writer, author and playwright. Her 2017 novel, Scarborough, was a shortlisted finalist for the 2017 Toronto Book Award, the 2018 Trillium Book Award, the 2018 Edmund White Award and was on Canada Reads 2022 defended by actress Malia Baker. Wild Hope by Joan Thomas Image | Wild Hope by Joan Thomas Caption: Wild Hope is a novel by Joan Thomas. (Ian McCausland, HarperCollins Canada) Open Image in New Tab Wild Hope follows Isla and Jake, a couple who are slowly drifting apart. Isla's farm-to-table restaurant is failing and visual artist Jake is haunted by his late father's legacy in the oil and gas industry. Jake's childhood friend-turned-enemy Reg Bevaqua is a local bottled-water baron and harbours a seething resentment toward Jake. Reg is a demanding regular at Isla's restaurant and Jake is keeping a close eye on him. When Jake disappears after a winter camping trip all signs point to Reg and his magnificent Georgian Bay property — and Isla is determined to get to the bottom of it. Joan Thomas is the author of four previous novels. Her first novel, Reading by Lightning, won the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book (Canada and the Caribbean) and the Amazon First Novel Award. Her novel Five Wives won the 2019 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. Her novel The Opening Sky was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction in 2014. Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr Image | Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr Caption: Hold My Girl is a novel by Charlene Carr. (HarperCollins Publishers) Open Image in New Tab Hold My Girl is a dual narrative novel about a seemingly impossible situation: two women, Katherine and Tess, find out after pregnancy that their eggs were mistakenly switched during in vitro fertilization (IVF). For Katherine, who conceived her miracle baby, Rose, the news is her worst nightmare realized. For Tess, the news is a seed of hope: her IVF treatment ended in a stilborn birth. Charlene Carr is a Toronto-raised writer and author now based in Nova Scotia. Her books include Hold My Girl and We Rip the World Apart. I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay Image | I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay Caption: I Will Ruin You is a novel by Linwood Barclay. (HarperCollins, Ellis Parrinder) Open Image in New Tab Most people never have to answer the question of how they would react in a life-or-death situation. Unfortunately, English teacher Richard Boyle must figure it out quickly when a former student shows up at school with a bomb in I Will Ruin You. His response averts a tragedy and hails him as a hero, but Richard is pulled into a dark web of secrets with a blackmailer, drug-dealing gangsters and a truth about his town that could cost him everything. Thriller writer Linwood Barclay is inspired by these 5 books Linwood Barclay is a New York Times bestselling author who has written over 20 books, including thrillers Find You First, Broken Promise and Elevator Pitch and the middle-grade novels Escape and Chase. Many of Barclay's books have been optioned for film and television, and he wrote the screenplay for the movie Never Saw It Coming, adapted from his novel of the same name. Barclay championed the memoir Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston on Canada Reads 2025. The Lost Sister by Andrea Gunraj In The Lost Sister, Sisters Alisha and Diana are growing up at Jane and Finch in Toronto, a neighbourhood where many immigrants have come to start their lives in Canada. A terrible sadness descends when Diana, Alisha's role model and light of the family, doesn't come home. Her body is found in the woods and Alisha thinks she knows what happened. This novel is partially inspired by the experiences of a former resident of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children. Andrea Gunraj is also the author of The Sudden Disappearance of Seetha. Gunraj was longlisted for the 2020 CBC Short Story Prize for her story Back to Where You Came From. Are You Sara? by S.C. Lalli Are You Sara? revolves around a case of mistaken identity. When two women, each named Sara, get into separate rideshares one fateful night, one of them is murdered. But when the surviving Sara realizes that she might have actually been the target, it sets off a mystery involving race, class and ambition. S.C. Lalli is a Punjabi and Bengali writer based in Vancouver. Her other novels include Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat, A Holly Jolly Diwali, Grown-Up Pose and The Matchmaker's List. The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal
CBC
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Olympic swimmer and Canada Reads contender Maggie Mac Neil shares 5 books that held her attention
Olympic swimmer Maggie Mac Neil didn't have a lot of time for reading during training. But now that she's retired, she's fallen back in love with it, specifically with books that are hard to put down. She's championing the thriller Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey on Canada Reads 2025 — and is excited to bring a book to the table that's gripping and keeps you interested. Canada Reads 2025 will take place from March 17-20. Ahead of the debates, Mac Neil opened up about the books she loved as a kid — and the ones that captivated her as an adult. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling When Maggie Mac Neil was growing up, her dad used to read to her before bed. Some of her most prominent memories from those times include listening to the Harry Potter series, all curled up. In the Harry Potter series, 11-year-old Harry finds out he's a wizard and is invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he learns about the wizarding world, he finds out that he's actually quite famous for stopping sinister forces as a baby. With a target on his back, he and his friends find themselves in danger's path — and they must reluctantly save the wizarding world again and again. Over the course of their reading sessions, Mac Neil and her dad got so into the Harry Potter universe that they even ventured out to get the last volume at a midnight release. "We actually went to the bookstore and waited in line for the last book to come out together," she said. "I was like 8 or 9, but it was super late for me as a kid and it was just something fun that we did together." The Dear Canada series by various authors The first books Mac Neil remembers reading on her own were the Dear Canada series, a collection of fictional diaries each following a young girl's experiences during a significant time during Canadian history. "I got obsessed because I love history," said Mac Neil. "This was a great way to familiarize yourself, as a kid, with what's happened in history and make it relatable." This was a great way to familiarize yourself, as a kid, with what's happened in history and make it relatable. - Maggie Mac Neil "I probably have like 12 of them on my bookshelf at home. My favourite was the polio one (To Stand on My Own) and the influenza one (If I Die Before I Wake), which is ironic because that's what we lived through the last couple of years." The Housemaid by Freida McFadden Freida McFadden's The Housemaid was one of the novels that Mac Neil first dove into after retiring from swimming. In The Housemaid, a housekeeper finds herself wondering what it would be like to step into the life of the mistress of the house, Nina. One day, she can't resist trying on one of Nina's dresses and gets caught. By the time she realizes her attic bedroom only locks from the outside, it's too late — but they don't know what she's capable of. "I started it at 9 or 10 p.m. at night — because it's really nice that I don't have to get up early for swimming anymore — and I could not put it down until I finished it," said Mac Neil. "So I'd be going to bed at like 3 or 4 a.m." The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid When aging Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell her life story, she enlists unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant. Monique is confused but determined to use this chance to make waves in the journalism world. As Monique learns about Evelyn's life — from her journey to Los Angeles in the 1950s and her choice to leave the spotlight in the 80s — she begins to feel more connected to the actress. But the more Evelyn reveals, it becomes clear that Monique was chosen for this task for a sombre reason. Mac Neil connected with Evelyn's character because of her unfiltered nature. I thought that was a really refreshing read. - Maggie Mac Neil "She kind of says whatever's on her mind. And honestly, you don't really do that in society just because some things you think aren't necessarily like the nicest things. She was funny and blunt about it in a way. And to an extent, I'm very blunt myself. So I thought that was a really refreshing read." Over the Boards by Hayley Wickenheiser Since retiring, Mac Neil has also been drawn to autobiographical books about athletes, specifically those that talk about the transition period after retiring from professional sports. Hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser's memoir, Over the Boards, looks at her incredible career and shares the lessons that helped her win four Olympic gold medals, break down barriers in women's sports and build a new career in medicine. Mac Neil first came across the book after hearing Wickenheiser speak at an event and saw a lot of parallels between their journeys, as Mac Neil is hoping to pursue a career in law. "Hearing her transition from her hockey career into her medical career was like what I was doing at the time," said Mac Neil. "So it was cool hearing someone at that level use the same techniques and things that applied to her life as a hockey player in the hospital." What Is A Girl Worth? by Rachael Denhollander In What Is A Girl Worth?, Rachael Denhollander, former gymnast, current attorney, tells her story as the first survivor to expose USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's sexual abuses and the last to give a victim impact statement. Mac Neil found What Is A Girl Worth? eyeopening and inspiring for the type of work she might want to do as a sports lawyer. "It put everything that I want to do in my life together, to see it through someone else's eyes and kind of experience it that way," said Mac Neil.
CBC
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Thriller writer Samantha M. Bailey sleuthed out Olympian Maggie Mac Neil as her Canada Reads champion
As an Olympic athlete, Maggie Mac Neil is very familiar with suspense and ambition, two driving forces behind novels within the thriller genre. Now, even after retiring from competitive swimming, Mac Neil continues to keep everyone on the edge of their seat with the adrenaline-charged novel she is championing on this years' Canada Reads — Samantha M. Bailey's Watch Out for Her. Mac Neil is a Canadian swimmer and highly decorated athlete from London, Ont. She won three medals at Tokyo 2020: Gold, Silver and Bronze. She is also the first person to simultaneously hold titles in 100m butterfly in the NCAA, Olympics, world short course metres and world long course metres. In 2024, after the Paris Olympics, she retired from swimming to focus on applying to law school. Bailey is a journalist and writer of psychological thrillers. Her first novel, Woman on the Edge, was released in 2019 and was an international bestseller. Her latest, Watch Out for Her, explores the fears of motherhood and surveillance in our daily lives. Leading up to the Canada Reads The Next Chapter to let Canada know that this is one book to look out for this season. Ali Hassan: There is a story about how you sleuthed out in advance, the person who picked your book for Canada Reads. Tell us that story. Samantha M. Bailey: Occupational hazard of being a suspense author is finding things out. So I don't even remember when it was, all of a sudden, I noticed Maggie Mac Neil is following me on Instagram and then Maggie Mac Neil is looking at my stories. And I remember telling my family, "What's happening? I don't understand, is there something I don't know about? What is going on? Did I say something about swimming?" Did I say something about swimming? - Samantha M. Bailey For the life of me, I had no idea how a gold medal Olympian found me. I was very excited, I think I told a lot of people, actually — it was my going out to dinner story. And then of course, I realized when I was told about Canada Reads and the producers had said, "Do you want us to tell you who the celebrity panellist is?" And I said, "Can I guess?" AH: Maggie, this is a relatively new world to you. Did you know anything about Canada Reads before this started? Maggie Mac Neil: Nothing. I was contacted by my agents probably in September, kind of right after I retired and I'd never heard of it. I mean, obviously I've been working with CBC for a while and I was telling my parents all about it and my dad was an avid reader, but he hasn't read for some time. He was like, "Oh my God! This is so much more exciting than the Olympics." So I definitely have to do it for him and I had to go Google what it is I've gotten myself into. AH: Samantha, this book, by the way, I'm sure you're well aware it's the first time in Canada Reads history that we've had a thriller featured on the show. How do you feel about that? SMB: Like I'm hallucinating! I'm so proud. It is my favorite genre to read. I love to write, I think in Canada, we have so many phenomenally talented thriller authors. For the Canada Reads audience, first to see genre fiction like last year with Carley Fortune's Meet Me at the Lake and this year with Watch Out For Her, to give genre fiction a seat at the table, to give mysteries and thrillers a seat at the table, I'm incredibly honoured. To give mysteries and thrillers a seat at the table, I'm incredibly honoured. AH: Maggie, coming back to reading recently, you have read a lot of different stuff. What is it about thrillers in particular that attracts you as a reader? MMN: One of the big things that my mom always told me as I was going through my career and making big decisions is that you can't make a decision until you have all the information first. And I think that's what I like the most about thrillers, is that you have to make the assumptions and you can imagine the ending with all the information that you have at the time. Obviously it will come to a resolution, but in that way, I think it really mimics life and the way that I've tried to live it in the past and be more in the moment, but using the information that I have around me and what's available at the time to make the best decisions and choices in my life. AH: Let's get into the book. In Watch Out for Her, we meet a mother who has just hired a young woman to babysit her son. Instead of trusting that all will be okay, she has nanny cams that she's watching. What drives this mother's suspicion? SMB: Loss and fear. Sarah Goldman is a mother and a woman who lost her father when she was 13-years-old. She learned that lesson so young and then she's also suffered a miscarriage so Jacob is her rainbow baby, the baby you have after miscarriage. So twice now she suffered an unexpected, shocking loss that she could never have prepared herself for and so she becomes someone who wants to control the uncontrollable, so she can prepare herself for the inevitable pain that's to come if and when she loses someone again. AH: Maggie, the babysitter character who's named Holly, she knows she's being watched. She recognizes the nanny cams. She is of your generation and very comfortable with technology and all that comes with it. How did you see the surveillance aspect of this novel? MMN: I think Holly and I are a couple of years different in age, I wouldn't say that made me identify with her any more, per se. It was interesting just kind of as someone that is ambitious and has goals, obviously I'm in a different position. I think the innocence of a child is something that is really powerful in this book. I also have four cousins between the ages of three and six so I can also see where Sarah is coming from with wanting to keep them safe and wanting to keep an eye on them. And I think I identified with that a lot just because if one of my cousins met someone and they attached themselves to them, you want to make sure that they were in a safe position. I think the innocence of a child is something that is really powerful in this book. AH: To circle back to the book, but to also stay in the swimming world, you are used to this down to the wire nail biter type of thing. The suspense that accompanies you on race day in a pool. Is there any connection between that and the fact that you like the suspense in your reading? MMN: I've never thought of it that way, but I'm sure the adrenaline kind of plays a part in it. The end of every chapter of this book is like, "Oh my God, that just happened. What's going to happen next?" I couldn't put it down and I think it's weird because I can't watch horror movies or thrillers … I think it must have something to do with adrenaline, but I've never really thought about it like that.
