Summer summer summer! It's nearly here, and you know what that means: it's time to go sit in a patch of damp grass and listen to your favourite authors reading from their latest books. Or perhaps the surroundings are less bucolic and you even get to sit in a chair. But it's all the same: it's literary festival time—time to live, breathe, hear and BUY books. And for the fifth year running, we're creating the definitive guide to the Canadian litfest scene, putting you in touch with events that are going on all across the country.  

So check out what's going on near you. Or, even better, why not venture farther afield and plan a holiday around a literary festival? The list below features some truly excellent bookish destinations. 

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The Elephant Mountain Literary Festival returns for its fourth year July 10–12 in Nelson, BC, with All-Star Readers Bob Bossin, Marina Endicott, and Kate Pullinger, plus a diverse group of panelists. That same weekend in Lakefield, ON, (a weekend chosen for its closeness to Margaret Laurence's birthday!) the Lakefield Literary Festival is featuring Frances Itani, Heather O'Neill, Helen Humphreys, Jonathan Bennett, Linwood Barclay, Michelle Berry, Shelley Wright, and Vicki Delaney. Kids' presenters include Aubrey Davis, Helaine Becker, Ruth Ohi, and Teresa Toten. And Read by the Sea in River John, NS, is happening on Saturday July 11, with Maureen Jennings, Giles Blunt, Isabel Huggan, and Linden MacIntyre. The event's WordPlay Presenters (for children of all ages) are Linda Little, Starr Dobson, Andy Jones, and Sheree Fitch. 

The 2015 Saskatchewan Festival of Words runs July 16–19 in Moose Jaw, SK, with confirmed presenters including Lisa Bird-Wilson, Daryn Collier, Sean Michaels, Susin Nielsen, Andrew Pyper, Chris Turner, and Guy Vanderhaeghe. From July 21 to 26, The Leacock Summer Festival takes over Orillia, ON, with Candace Savage, Ted Barris, Wab Rice, Terry Fallis, Robert Sawyer, Plum Johnson, and more. Winterset in Summer's 2015 Festival Weekend is scheduled for August 6–9 in in Eastport Peninsula, NL, with Emily St. John Mandel, Michael Crummey, Megan Gail Coles, Terry Fallis, Cassie Stocks, and more.

In Calgary, AB, they're counting down to When Words Collide, which runs August 15–16, Canadian guests including romance author CJ Carmichael. Back in Newfoundland, Writers at Woody Point takes place at Woody Point, Bonne Bay, NL, from August 11 to 16, with Margaret Atwood, George Murray, Lawrence Hill, Elisabeth de Mariaffi, Miriam Toews, Kathleen Winter, Joan Clark, Elizabeth Hay, and more. August 13 marks the return of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts, which runs until August 16 in Sechelt, BC. Some events are sold out already, but you can still catch Ian Weir, Helen Humphreys, Craig Davidson, Karyn L. Freedman, Michael Winter, Carrie Snyder, Waubgeshig Rice, Michael Christie, Alison Pick, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Doretta Lau, Caroline Adderson, and more. 

The Eden Mills Writers' Festival promises that "September 10, 12, and 13 will be magical!" as they kick off another year of their event in Eden Mills, ON; scheduled authors include Naomi Klein, Michael Christie, Nick Cutter, Kim Echlin, Marina Endicott, Camilla Gibb, Elizabeth Hay, Lawrence Hill, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Alison Pick, Kim Thuy, Anakana Schofield, and so many more (and we mean it—those are just the adult prose authors. The festival features poets, YA, and children's authors too). The Telling Tales Festival takes place on September 20 this year in Rockton, ON, (near Hamilton); it's a celebration of reading for children (and their grown-ups!) featuring Lisa Dalrymple, Sheree Fitch, Alma Fullerton, Andrew Larsen, JonArnso Lawson, Patricia Storms, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, and others. 

Winnipeg's Thin Air Winnipeg International Writers Festival takes place this year September 18–26. Get ready for the Word on the Street Festival to take over the country on September 19 in Halifax, NS, September 20 in Saskatoon, SK, and Lethbridge, AB, September 26 in Kitchener, ON, and September 27 in Toronto, ON. The amazing Kingston WritersFest returns to Kingston, ON, from September 23 to 27, with featured authors including Steve Burrows, Patrick DeWitt, Sheila Fischman, Camilla Gibb, Tomson Highway, Olive Senior, Neil Smith, Priscilla Uppal, and Jane Urquhart. Also September 23–27, Word Vancouver celebrates reading and literacy at venues around the Vancouver, BC. 

Wordfest returns to Calgary and the Bow Valley in Alberta from October 13 to 18. Litfest, the non-fiction festival in Edmonton, AB, runs October 15–25—their summer reading list is set to be revealed this month, giving a hint of the talent you can expect from the festival this fall. Bookfest Windsor is scheduled for October 15–18. The Knowlton Literary Festival is in its sixth year this year, from October 16-18 in Brome Lake, QC, this year's confirmed authors including Joseph Boyden, Marie-Louise Gay, and Helen Humphreys. The Whistler Writer and Readers Festival takes place from October 16–19. And the Vancouver Writers Fest is set for October 20–25. And in Milton, ON, the free family festival, Celebrating Stories, is happening on October 18. 

The Ottawa Writers Festival's fall events are scheduled for October 22–29. Toronto's International Festival of Authors runs October 22–November 1. The Pure Spec Science and Fiction Festival is October 23–25 in Edmonton, AB. This year the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival takes place from October 31 to November 8 in Banff, AB. The Words Aloud Festival in Durham, ON, (near Owen Sound), is November 5–8. And the unmissable Wild Writers Festival has saved the date this year for November 6–8 in Waterloo, ON. It's all going to be so good! 

Have we missed anything? Email editor at 49thShelf dot com to have a festival added to the schedule.