U of A Virtual Book Club
Book-lovers unite! (Online, that is.)
Introducing the U of A Virtual Book Club. Connect with an online community to read and discuss a variety of engaging books of genres ranging from novels to memoirs, social justice to personal growth, and more.
The U of A Virtual Book Club is open to all members of the University of Alberta community — alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends — located anywhere in the world. As long as you have an internet connection, a comfortable place to sit and a love of reading, you’re in!
There’s no cost to join, all you need are the books. Whether you borrow a copy from the library, download to your tablet, or buy your own print copy, the format is up to you.
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Now Reading | May to July 2025
Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World
by John Vaillant
A stunning account of a colossal wildfire that collided with a city and a panoramic exploration of the rapidly changing relationship between fire and humankind.
In May 2016, Fort McMurray, the hub of Canada’s oil industry and America’s biggest foreign supplier, was overrun by wildfire. The multi-billion-dollar disaster melted vehicles, turned entire neighborhoods into firebombs, and drove 88,000 people from their homes in a single afternoon. Through the lens of this apocalyptic conflagration—the wildfire equivalent of Hurricane Katrina—John Vaillant warns that this was not a unique event but a shocking preview of what we must prepare for in a hotter, more flammable world.
Fire has been a partner in our evolution for millennia, shaping culture, civilization, and, very likely, our brains. Fire has enabled us to cook our food, defend and heat our homes, and power the machines that drive our titanic economy. Yet this volatile energy source has always threatened to elude our control, and in our new age of intensifying climate change, we are seeing its destructive power unleashed in previously unimaginable ways.
With masterly prose and a cinematic eye, Vaillant takes us on a riveting journey through the intertwined histories of North America’s oil industry and the birth of climate science, to the unprecedented devastation that modern forest fires wreak, and into lives forever changed by these disasters. His urgent work is a book for—and from—our new century of fire, which has only just begun.
Coming Up Next | August to October 2025
Birding to Change the World: A Memoir
by Trish O'Kane
Trish O’Kane never expected to be a birder. It was a lone red cardinal and a bumptious cast of house sparrows that changed everything for O’Kane after Hurricane Katrina shattered her life in New Orleans. Watching birds thrive throughout the devastated city became her salvation and set her on a new path. Soon O’Kane found herself pursuing an environmental science PhD in Wisconsin, where she became a full-on bird obsessive—logging hours and hours in a stunningly diverse urban park, filling field notebooks with observations of bird doings and dramas, and volunteering in a wildlife rehabilitation center bird nursery.
But it wasn’t until that park, her bird-watching haven, was threatened with development that O’Kane became an environmental activist. Taking her cues from the birds, she mustered a mighty flock of fellow human park lovers to raise their voices and save the park.
Each chapter in Birding to Change the World features at least one species of bird that O’Kane has learned from. She recounts the astonishing science of bird life, including migration and survival strategies, along with many moving and compelling stories about birds and the humans who love them. In this heartfelt memoir, O’Kane shows what birds can teach us—and how that education can be a transformative force for social change.
Check out our new webinar series, Beyond the Pages: U of A Authors!
Discover the rich literary talent within the University of Alberta community with our new webinar series, Beyond the Pages. In addition to the popular U of A Virtual Book Club, this quarterly event will spotlight a different U of A author — alumni, faculty, or current students — offering a unique opportunity to explore their latest work and dive into the heart of their artistic journey.
Whether you’re a long-time book club member or brand new to the group, this series will broaden your literary horizons and deepen your understanding of the creative process. It's a chance to engage with the minds behind the books, celebrate the diversity of thought and experience at the U of A, and connect with fellow readers who share a passion for storytelling.
On January 23, we chatted with U of A Assistant Professor, Conor Kerr, about his 2024 Giller Prize shortlisted novel, Prairie Edge.
Stay tuned for upcoming guest authors!