Homemaker TV Personality Debbie Travis to Defend Nova Scotia’s Ami McKay in Canada Reads 2011 |

Canada Reads — after weeks and weeks of recommendations and votes, and after revealing a top 40 and a top 10 – have just unveiled the final five for Canada Reads 2011, and their defenders.

1.) TV personality Debbie travis will defend Ami McKay’s The Birth House

2.) Hockey’s George Laraque will defend Angie Abdou’s The Bone Cage

3.) Musician Sara Quinn (of Tegan and Sara) will defend Jeff Lemire’s Essex County

4.) Corner Gas actor Lorne Cardinal Defends Carol Shields’ Unless

5.) CNN anchor Ali velshi defends Terry Fallis’s the Best Laid Plans

Big congrats to Nova Scotia’s Ami McKay for the country’s continued adoration of her meg-hit novel, The Birth House. And I’m pretty sure having Debbie travis say good things about your book isn’t far off the Oprah effect?

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Previous East Coast Canada Reads moments:

- In 2002, Nalo Hapkinson defended Whylah Falls by George Elliot Clarke
- in 2003, Justin trudeau defended The Colony of Unrequitted Dreams by Wayne Johnston
- in 2005, Donna Morrisey’s defense won Canada Reads for Frank Parker Day’s Rockbound

And my favourite pairing of all time: A favourite novel, David Adams Richards’ Mercy Among the Children and a favourite live performer, Sarah Slean