What is Red Deer Reads?

Red Deer Reads is a city-wide initiative designed to bring Red Deerians together through a shared reading experience. It is an opportunity for the entire community to connect and have engaging conversations about a particular book, its author, and the themes and ideas within the book. 

We have selected this year's three finalists, and we are SO EXCITED to hear what you think! Vote for your favourite by May 31, and the winning title will be the focus of our Red Deer Reads 2023 program.

How does it work?

First, we collected and reviewed potential titles and selected our top three finalists.

To be considered for Red Deer Reads, a book must:

• Be written by a living Canadian author.
• Be a well-written story with a WOW factor!
• Appeal to a wide audience.
• Be a great conversation starter.
• Be in print and available in a variety of formats.

We had a huge list of potential titles in mind for our 2023 Red Deer Reads shortlist, and we narrowed it down to our top three titles, Astra, opens a new window by Cedar Bowers, A Funny Kind of Paradise, opens a new window by Jo Owens, and The Theory of Crows, opens a new window by David A. Robertson. 

Now it's your turn! Vote for your favourite.

Now that the shortlist is revealed, you have until May 31 to read the finalists and vote for the book that you think should be the 2023 Red Deer Reads winning title! We have plenty of copies available in various formats for you to borrow. You can vote using the link above, or in person at any branch.

Next, we'll announce the winner!

The Red Deer Reads winning title will be announced at the end of June! After the announcement, we will encourage everyone to check out a copy and read the winning title. What better way to bring a community together than by all reading the same book?!

Finally, we'll bring in the author for an extra special event!

Red Deer Reads culminates with a special event featuring the author of the 2023 Red Deer Reads winning title! This highly anticipated event will take place in the fall.