Battle of the Book Clubs: The Sequel

It's baaack! P.E.I.'s literary clash of the season, Battle of the Book Clubs, returns for a second season.

This year, we have a Facebook group to keep you up to date on all the Battle of the Book Club events. We also have a blog where you can talk about the Canada Reads books.

The Battle of the Book Club is CBC Prince Edward Island's contribution to Canada Reads, the national celebration of Canadian literature.

Canada's literary bun-fight

This is the eighth year for Canada Reads, described as CBC's "annual literary bun-fight." It's a reading marathon of more than 1,300 pages.

Five celebrity panellists are asked to defend their chosen work of Canadian fiction. Day by day, books are voted off the list until one panellist triumphs with the book for Canada to read this year.

The main event

P.E.I.'s Battle of the Book Clubs is in its second year. Our contenders for 2009 are:

• The Society for the Appreciation of Great Literature, Bluefield High School (defending champions!).
• Beyond Words, Souris and Montague.
• The Friday Night Girls, Summerside.
• Plus One Book Club, Charlottetown (rookie).
• Reader's Circle, Montague Regional High School (rookie).

In the weeks leading up to the Battle of the Book Clubs, you have a chance to win a coveted Canada Reads book bag. There will be weekly contests, featured on our P.E.I. literary blog.

For Battle of the Book Clubs, P.E.I. readers champion one of the Canada Reads picks for 2009, on the radio, here on CBC.ca/pei, and then before a live audience. There is a spirited trivia competition and charades.

These audio highlights include presentations from the Friday Night Girls and our champions from The Society for the Appreciation of Great Literature at Bluefield High School.

Listen (runs 16:37)

The Plus One Book Club defends Fruit and Beyond Words makes the case for The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant.

Listen (runs 16:37)

Last year's champions, The Society for the Appreciation of Great Literature, repeated with a win this year.

Listen (runs 05:47)

Travel back to the 1980s with the Plus One Book Club as they discuss the coming of age novel Fruit.

Listen (runs 06:42)

The Friday Night Girls make the case for The Outlander, the story of a young woman being chased across the Canadian wilderness. .

Listen (runs 06:42)

Beyond Words discusses a complicated book set in a complicated neighbourhood, The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant.

Listen (runs 06:09)

Last year's champions, The Society for the Appreciation of Great Literature, make their pitch for The Book of Negroes.

Listen (runs 07:32)

The Readers Circle of Montague High School, the second of this year's school club contenders, introduces Mercy Among the Children.

Listen (runs 06:20)

A Night to Remember

Last year's inaugural event was full of surprises: from hockey jerseys to reggae music, to boxes of chocolates for the audience. The competition included book clubs from Souris, Montague, Summerside, the South Shore and the eventual champions from Bluefield High School.

The Society for the Appreciation of Great Literature won last year's competition.