For those looking for a new book to indulge in, this year’s County of Brant Public Library pick for “One Book, One Brant,” may just be your next read.
With the County-wide reading event is in its 21st year, Emma Johnston, who handles the library’s program and outreach services, said the program is set up like one big book club.
“One Book, One Brant is a community reads program, and every year we pick another Canadian and somewhat local author who has either published a book this year, has an upcoming book that is being published or has a book that has generated a lot of buzz,” she said. “So we pick an author and the community reads that book together. We order tons of copies for all of our branches, we run book clubs around this book, we do passive programs in the library around that book, and at the end of our One Book, One Brant season, we invite the author to come out and do an interview-style event. There we do some readings from that piece, talk a little bit about what their future projects are, and then we sell their books, and there’s refreshment and some time for the author to do some book signings as well.”
This year, the featured book is Linwood Barclay’s Whistle. The story follows a grieving mother and her young son after they move to a small town seeking a fresh start. While there, they encounter unsettling visions, eerie sounds and a mysterious train set that appears to have a life of its own.
“Whistle is a thriller-horror style book but there’s a ton of themes throughout. There are themes about grief, about parenting, about bravery, and about whether you can trust your gut or not,” said Johnston. “Most of his books lean towards that thriller or suspense style, but this one is a slight change of pace. It has a bit more of a supernatural horror vibe to it. It’s not gory or graphic, but it’s enough that you still have the suspense and a few of those horror elements to it. …I think even if you aren’t a horror or thriller reader, this wouldn’t be offensive or anything like that, I think it would actually be quite a fun read and a good way to dip your toe in that sort of horror genre.”
Johnston said that one of her favourite things about One Book, One Brant is that it brings the community together.
“One of my favourite things about this is that you have all different demographics reading these books together, which means you have fantastic discussions because you have different people coming from different walks of life and who have had different experiences, reading everything that is set before them,” she said. “Over the years we’ve done non-fiction books, we’ve done thrillers, we’ve done sort of literary fiction and historical fiction, it’s really all over the map. But people come and they chat, they share their opinions, their ideas and their thoughts on it, and it’s a blast just having those discussions and hearing what people think because they’re engaging with the work in a sort of meaningful way. I love it.”
The months-long community read will culminate with a big event at the TF Warren Group Cainsville Community Centre on Sunday, April 12, 2026, from 2 to 4 p.m. The event is free, but interested parties are asked to register for the event ahead of time.
As far as how it feels to bring another Canadian author to the County of Brant, Johnston said she is thrilled.
“It is such a huge privilege to have some of these incredible authors be willing to come out to visit with us and speak with us,” she said. “We’re just so thankful to the literary community and to Linwood for coming out. We really are full of gratitude and we recognize the hike it takes to come out to us, even if it’s just from Toronto, but it’s a game changer.”
For those who are interested in reading Linwood Barclay’s Whistle, there are several copies at each of the County of Brant Public Library five branches (Burford, Glen Morris, Paris, Scotland-Oakland, and St. George). The book can also be accessed through the Libby app. Johnston said that anybody who reads the book through the library will be entered into a draw to win a prize at the April 12 event.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
