Is Drake Starting a Book Club?

At the top of the stack is the massive tome "To Paradise" by Hanya Yanagihara ($20). Yanagihara rose to literary acclaim with 2015's equally lengthy "A Little Life," which became a best seller despite (or maybe because of) its extremely depressing subject matter. Antoni Porowski of "Queer Eye" fame is a major fan of "A Little Life," even wearing a tee shirt with the character's names on the show, and in recent months, it's become a Book Tok favourite too. If Drake starts his own Book Tok account soon, don't be shocked.

Next there's "Our Wives Under the Sea" by Julia Armfield ($27). The book was just released last week, and tells the story of a woman whose wife almost died in a catastrophic undersea mission. When she returns to land there's something very different about her.

Drake's inclusion of "Maps of our Spectacular Bodies" by Maddie Mortimer ($18) is a bit of a galley brag, since the book doesn't even come out until later this March. The novel tells a coming-of-age story about a woman who receives a terminal diagnosis. Mortimer had a very cute reaction to Drake's post on her own Twitter.

Next up on Drake's pile is "Young Mungo" by Douglas Stuart ($21). It's another queer book on Drake's list, about two boys, one Protestant and one Catholic, who grow up in Glasgow and become best friends and ultimately fall in love. The book will also be released later this month.

Then Drake added "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley ($12), which, no offence, is a little tenth grade English class compared to the other books he decided to post. In case your high school English class is a bit of a blur, "Brave New World" is about a dystopian world where everyone is given a drug that keeps them soothed and happy all the time. Though the book came out in 1931, its message is still pretty timely. Of course, it's possible the book wasn't part of the curriculum at Degrassi High.

Drake's next selection is "Nightbitch" by Rachel Yoder ($16), which was released in 2021. It tells the story of a postpartum woman who thinks she's turning into a dog. Amy Adams signed on to play the lead in a movie adaptation of the film, so maybe Drake is hoping the actress will finally snag her Oscar.

"Tin Man" by Sarah Winman ($7) came out back in 2018. It tells a poignant love story about two boys who fall in love and have to deal with challenges to their relationship.

"The Promise" by Damon Galgut ($19) won the 2021 Booker Prize. It's a generational novel that spans four decades in the life of one family, dealing with death, the legacy of apartheid in South Africa, and racism.

Last on Drake's list is "Popisho" by Leone Ross ($16), which was released in April 2021 (In Britain, the novel is titled "This One Sky Day," which is the copy Drake has). The novel is about people on a fake archipelago of islands, called Popisho, where everything is touched by magic and the gods are real. Drake has somewhat infamously borrowed from the culture of the Caribbean and especially Jamaica in his music, so it's not surprising that he would be drawn to a book that also explores the setting.