Linda Haynes, former owner of the Canadian bread behemoth ACE Bakery Ltd., has a knack for knowing what makes things rise. And that goes for words on the page! 

The Order of Canada recipient is also well known for her philanthropy: Before she and her husband Martin Connell sold ACE in 2008, they donated a percentage of profits to charity; she co-founded their non-governmental organization Calmeadow, as well as the Haynes-Connell Foundation; she is a director and vice president of the Omega Foundation, which promotes financial literacy and self-sufficiency for low-income families;  and she is a board member of the Toronto Public Library Foundation.

Haynes’ latest mission? She’s an honorary founding patron of the $US $150,000 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, which was just awarded May 13 to American writer V. V. Ganeshananthan for Brotherless Night at a gala Haynes helped organize as event co-chair.

What is she reading these days? In the afterglow of the glittering ceremony in Toronto, she let Zoomer take a peek at her bookshelves.

What’s the best book you’ve read this year? 

My Friends by Hisham Mataram was the last selection in our book club. It is about the harsh realities of exile and how at a pivotal moment we can make a decision that influences our future. I have always been intrigued about how a seemingly minor decision can change our lives. May I also mention young Canadian poet Jess Housty’s debut book Crushed Wild Mint? Her poem Wilderness would touch even the coldest heart. 

What book can’t you wait to dive into? 

I have five books stacked up and waiting for me. This does not count the number of books leaning against the walls in our bedroom. Each one was on the shortlist for the second annual Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, the first major English language literary prize for fiction by women and non-binary writer in Canada and the U.S. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, Daughter by Claudia Dey, Coleman Hill by Kim Coleman Foote, Brotherless Night by V.V Ganeshananthan and A History of Burning by Janika Oza. My quandary is which one to start first. 

What’s your favourite book of all time? 

My 20s consisted of reading books and turning up late for work. My 30s were about building a career and reading into the night. The two books that have stayed with me from that time are In the Skin of the Lion by Michael Ondaatje, which I thought would make a marvelous film, and After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie by Jean Rhys; maybe not her best book, but it was the first of her writing I read. I find them both to be lyrical, evocative writers. 

What book completely changed your perspective? 

Now that I am a grandmother, I am full of admiration for how my children are raising their children. Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy is a good primer on learning how to acknowledge a child’s feelings, how to interpret what they are really saying and how to act with firm boundaries, compassion and authority. I think it has made me a more understanding parent and grandparent. 

If you could have dinner with any author who would it be? 

May I pick two please? If so, I would love to have dinner with two friends, Sarah Polley and Michael Ondaatje. They probably know each other, but I have never had the opportunity to have them both in the same room. I get goosebumps thinking about what a fascinating evening it would be.