It's hard to believe that Bookapalooza in the Haliburton Highlands is over.

What a celebration of books, the people who create them and the people who read them (often, the same people!)

Today, let's celebrate the Big Book Club, featuring Canadian author Robert J. Sawyer, a giant in the world of speculative fiction. Rob treated the crowd to a range of amazing ideas and how he's been inspired to write books that were way ahead of his time.

Consider this: In 2016, his book "Quantum Night" was published. It's a story about a far-right, psychopathic US president named Quinton Carroway with designs on taking over Canada. The novel explores the rise of such figures and the potential for mass manipulation. Does this all sound a little bit familiar??? Sawyer also recognized the issues around Artificial Intelligence before we even knew what AI was.

The audience was all in from the start with host and local author Douglas Tindal engaging Rob in a wonderful back and forth discussion. The audience didn't hesitate to ask questions at the end and Masters Books had no trouble selling out Rob's books at the signing table.

It was pure pleasure to be in the audience. We're sorry if you missed it. We're already planning for Bookapalooza 2026, so keep your eye on the Facebook page for updates as we move forward.