County Library Authors Festival
The County Library Authors Festival returns April 16-18, 2026
County Reads Debate
Thursday, April 16, 7:00 PM at St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church, Picton5 local residents each present the one Canadian book you should read!
Author Events
Thursday, April 16, 8 AM
Picton Branch Library
Free for pre-registered classes of school children, grades K-2
The Monsters No Grownup Sees by Jennifer Iacono
About the Book
If you’re ever afraid
Of what’s under your bed,
And grownups just tell you
It’s all in your head
Here is a story
That just might help out
And rid you of monsters
That lurk all about!
The Monsters No Grownup Sees by Jennifer Iacono
When you're small, lots of things are scary and adults don't always seem to understand. It can make you feel very lonely. But I learned how to protect myself from things that scared me even if the grown-ups said they didn't exist! That's why I wrote this book. I want to share my secret with you so you can protect yourself from the monsters that grown-ups can't see. Read my book to learn my special secret!
About the Author
Jennifer Iacono is a Canadian author who is coming into her own and showing that at 55, she is still forging new paths and taking on new challenges with zeal.
Friday, April 17, 7:00 PM
St. Mary Magdalene Church, Picton
The Crisis of Canadian Democracy by Andrew Coyne
Andrew Coyne, one of Canada’s most esteemed political thinkers, delivers a powerful exposé of the nation’s crumbling democratic institutions.
The Crisis in Canadian Democracy by Andrew Coyne
With characteristic wit, insight, and rigor, Coyne dismantles the comforting myths Canadians tell themselves about their political system, revealing a parliamentary structure eroded by unaccountable leaders, disempowered MPs, manipulated elections, and systemic dysfunction. The Crisis of Canadian Democracy is both a wake-up call and a call to action, offering compelling solutions to restore genuine self-government to Canadian politics. Essential reading for leaders, citizens, and anyone who cares about the future of democracy in Canada—or anywhere else.
About the Author
Andrew Coyne is a columnist for The Globe and Mail. Raised in Winnipeg, Mr. Coyne is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the London School of Economics. He has worked previously for The National Post, Maclean’s and Southam News, contributing as well to a wide range of other publications in Canada and abroad, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and The Walrus. He is also a weekly panelist on CBC’s The National.
Honours and Awards
National Newspaper Award, Editorial Writing, 1992, 1993
Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism, 1994
Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto
Saturday, April 18, 1:30 PM
Picton Branch Library
Oyster by Marianne Ackerman
About the Book
Oyster by Marianne Ackerman
In this satirical family drama, a bestselling author struggles with writer’s block until she reconnects with her ambitious niece at a funeral.
One-time bestselling novelist Amelia Cameron has writer’s block. After her octogenarian father falls off a roof during a windstorm, his funeral brings the four Cameron siblings together on the family farm, following years of separation. With the patriarch gone, familiar relationships begin to crumble.
While the siblings spar, Amelia’s niece, Ginny Gupta, begs her famous aunt for writing advice on her first novel. After a wine-soaked weekend and an innocent bit of typing, the resulting novel, The World Is Your Oyster, brings both women to the brink of scandal with the potential to shake the powerful literary world.
Veering between the high-stakes literary scene and the splendour of Prince Edward County vineyards, Ackerman’s glittering, sharp-edged prose takes aim at the County’s legendary codes — sweep gossip under the rug and tamp down high emotion — while slyly dissecting the pretences of book publishing.
About the Author
Marianne Ackerman was born in Prince Edward County and is the author of three novels, two collections of short stories, and dozens of plays. She was co-founder and artistic director of Theatre 1774, as well as founding editor of The Rover, an online arts magazine. She lives in Montreal.
Saturday, April 18, 3:00 PM Picton Branch Library
The Casino Shift by Brian Goldman
The Casino Shift by Brian Goldman
The Casino Shift is an hour-by-hour account of what a Canadian emergency room is like in these turbulent times when ER staff must be prepared to see, diagnose, and treat any condition, often under unrelenting pressure. In addition to the introduction of the “casino shift” (a shorter night shift), there have been incredible leaps in technology and the know-how of ER physicians since Dr. Brian Goldman wrote the bestselling The Night Shift fifteen years ago. But patients’ problems can be exponentially more complex too.
But The Casino Shift is about much more than one shift at one hospital, though. It’s also about what goes on in ERs big and small across Canada. From the incredible challenges of practising “waiting room medicine,” to discovering untreated cancer in a twenty-something patient, to diagnosing an extremely rare case of auto-brewery syndrome, Dr. Goldman shares the stories of frustrated and burned-out colleagues as well as the passion they have for being there in your hour of greatest need. With inspiring stories about diagnoses made, puzzles solved, and lives saved, The Casino Shift is a raw, revealing, and compelling look at life on the front line.
About the Author
Dr. Brian Goldman is a veteran emergency room physician, bestselling author, and one of Canada’s most trusted voices in healthcare.
For decades, Dr. Goldman has practiced emergency medicine in downtown Toronto. Since beginning his career in the ER in the 1980s, he has witnessed the evolution of the field firsthand—from the days of being the sole physician on duty to the high-tech, team-based environment of today.
As he nears the end of his clinical career, he continues to treat patients in a high-volume urban hospital and serves as an expert witness in medical malpractice cases.
Dr. Goldman is widely recognized as the host of the long-running CBC Radio One show "White Coat, Black Art" and the health podcast "The Dose".