CBC Canada Reads host Jian Ghomeshi announced the five finalists this morning, selected from a previous listener-chosen shortlist of 10 titles. Happily, the panelists have mostly avoided the Canada Reads candidates of prior years, which included Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes, Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, and Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road. The finalists are:

• Angie Abdou, The Bone Cage (NeWest Press), chosen by former NHL-er Georges Laraque
• Terry Fallis, The Best Laid Plans (McClelland & Stewart), chosen by CNN broadcaster Ali Velshi
• Jeff Lemire, Essex County (Top Shelf), chosen by Sara Quin of rock duo Tegan and Sara
• Ami McKay, The Birth House (Vintage Canada), chosen by design guru Debbie Travis
• Carol Shields, Unless (Vintage Canada), chosen by actor Lorne Cardinal