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With another blissful Canadian summer on the horizon, a perfect read can complete your afternoon on the patio or keep you entertained during a weekend at the cottage. Whether you decide to curl up with a traditional paperback copy or disappear into a thrilling story on your tablet or iPad, here’s a round-up of our favourite Canuck titles to read this season.

1) Daydreams of Angels: Stories by Heather O’Neill, Farrar, Straus and Giroux: As the author of the 2006 novel Lullabies for Little Criminals, Montreal-based author Heather O’Neill is back with this book. Daydreams of Angel, which is her debut collection of short stories. The book shares a series of diverse tales, which star unique characters like fictional clones in post-Soviet Russia and a young cult follower.

2) The Storm Murders: A Thriller by John Farrow, Minotaur Books: Hudson, Quebec-based author John Farrow (whose real name is Trevor Ferguson) brings readers a new crime thriller. The Storm Murders is the story of retired Montreal police detective Emile Cinq-Mars. When a Quebec couple is mysteriously murdered in their farmhouse one winter, Cinq-Mars is called back into action.

3) Confidence: Stories by Russell Smith, Biblioasis: South African-born and Toronto-based author and journalist Russell Smith takes readers into a world of sex stores, massage parlours, private clubs and a magic cinema. From PhD students on ecstasy to financial traders and experimental filmmakers, the characters in this collection of short stories are just as diverse as the settings.

4) The Birthday Lunch by Joan Clark, Knopf Canada: The latest title from the 80-year-old Liverpool, Nova Scotia author will hit the shelves on June 9. Joan Clark’s The Birthday Lunch tells the tale of a grieving family. The protagonist, 58-year-old Lily, is used to keeping the peace between her husband, Hal and her sister, Laverne. After Lily’s unexpected death on her own birthday, her family must learn how to cope with her loss.

5) Those Girls by Chevy Stevens, St. Martin’s Press: This new read from Vancouver Island-based novelist Chevy Stevens is set to be released on July 7. Those Girls is the story of Jess, Courtney and Dani Campbell, three Canadian sisters who call a ranch out west their home. The Campbell girls live with their abusive father, and suddenly escape their isolated, sad lives one day. The book fast forwards to 18 years later, when one of the sisters mysteriously vanishes.