Five local celebrities will duke it out in Grey County Reads, a new county-wide reading program involving seven local libraries, including Grey Highlands, Hanover, Meaford, Owen Sound, Southgate, Town of Blue Mountains and West Grey, published exclusively on SouthGrey.ca.

Each celebrity will defend one Canadian book over five published installments, covering plot, character and theme analyses as well as introductory and summary arguments. The celebrity defences will begin publication January 8, 2018 on SouthGrey.ca.

The list of local celebrities includes Sharon Sinclair – local author and Grey Highlands Poet Laureate; Rebecca Hergert – West Grey Councillor and Library Board member; Kim Peeters – Dundalk Little Theatre member; Aly Boltman – Trillium Foundation manager; Jenny Parsons – performer, writer and painter.

Readers can follow along with the contest, considering each book and it's celebrity endorsement but are also encouraged to read the books themselves. All of the books are available in limited quantities from your local public library or may be purchased from your favourite local bookstore.

Here is the list of quality Canadian titles and their defenders in this year's Grey County Reads on SouthGrey.ca:

The Back of the Turtle by Thomas King – defended by Aly Boltman Crow Lake by Mary Lawson – defended by Sharon Sinclair Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel – defended by Jenny Parsons The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley – defended by Rebecca Hergert The Wonder by Emma Donoghue – defended by Kim Peeters

Readers can vote for their favourite as early as January 8 with votes accumulating until February 12 when sudden death playoffs begin. At that time, books will be eliminated weekly until just one celebrity and one book remains.

Readers may also vote on behalf of their local community library. At the end of the contest in March, one library will win $200 worth of books, courtesy of Speaking Volumes Books and Audio in Flesherton. Also, three winners will be randomly chosen from among voters to receive Speaking Volumes gift certificates.

"What a great way to champion reading, writing, and idea sharing," said Rebecca Hergert who will defend The Wonder by Emma Donoghue.

source: media release, SouthGrey.ca