BOOK NEWS
2012 Festival
Ticket sales for the 2012 Festival are well underway to Festival Members; they go on sale to the general public on September 5th. There's still time to sign up as a member to get your discount and advance tickets. Click here (http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/get-involved/membership) for more information. Visit our website for full details on Festival programming and special events. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Michael Chabon
September 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, talks about his latest book, Telegraph Avenue. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/michaelchabon
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Listen to the nineteenth installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear "The Life and Times of Mordecai Richler" featuring Charles Foran. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.
AWARDS & LISTS
The Internet Society has inducted Brewster Kahle into the Internet Hall of Fame to honour his copying and preserving the Internet—to ensure that libraries continue to exist.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/08/brewster-kahle/all/1?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Top+Stories%29
Peter Carey, Frank Moorhouse and Anna Funder are among five nominees for the fiction book prize in the revived Queensland Literary Awards. Sixty-two authors have been short listed for the Awards.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/books/carey-moorhouse-in-line-for-literary-gongs-20120820-24hrs.html#ixzz24K9RPadn
Ladbrokes gives Haruki Murakami odds of 10/1, ahead of Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom and Mo Yan of China, in the race for the Nobel prize for literature. Ladbrokes names Ian McEwan Britain's strongest contender for the Nobel this year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/23/haruki-murakami-nobel-prize-literature
Two Ottawa authors, Mony Dojeiji and Alberto Agraso, have received an international 2012 Dan Poynter Global Ebook Award at an Ebook awards ceremony in California for their book Walking For Peace, an Inner Journey.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/1246067--ottawa-authors-win-international-ebook-award
British biographer Fiona MacCarthy and American novelist Padgett Powell have been named the winners of the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes 2012: MacCarthy for The Last Pre-Raphaelite, and Powell for his latest novel, You and I.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/25/maccarthy-powell-james-tait-black
There are twelve authors on the Man Booker Prize long list, The short list will be announced September 11, and the winner of the Man Booker Prize, on October 16. The detailed list of authors is here:
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/07/25/man-booker-prize-long-list-announced-today/
Cathy Bryant has won the Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest, acknowledging she had to reach deep inside herself to find 'the utter dregs within', including the eyelash mites. Winners in all categories are named here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/aug/22/bulwer-lytton-award-bad-fiction
YOUNG READERS
Ivan E. Coyote's One in Every Crowd is for anyone who has ever felt different or alone in their struggle to be true to themselves. Despite the overlap with previous work, it's impossible to mind when the writing is this masterful, writes Emily Donaldson. Age 11 and over.
http://www.quillandquire.com/reviews/review.cfm?review_id=7667
Kenneth Oppel's This Dark Endeavour grips you right from the first page, writes Craig Foster, age 12. The prequel to Mary Shelley's gothic classic Frankenstein, this book delivers the thrills, no matter how old you are, says Foster. Age 12 and over.
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/12/16/book-review-this-dark-endeavour-by-kenneth-oppel/
Kyo Maclear's latest children's book is Virginia Wolf. Loosely based on the relationship between author Virginia Woolf and her sister, painter Vanessa Bell, Virginia Wolf is an uplifting story for readers of all ages.
http://kyomaclearkids.com/virginia-wolf/
NEWS & FEATURES
The problem with libraries is they catch on fire easily. Centuries ago, if you wanted to kill a culture, you killed its library. "If this is what happens to libraries, make copies," says Brewster Kahle. Kahle took the library of libraries — the internet — and made and keeps making, copies of it.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/08/brewster-kahle/all/1?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Top+Stories%29
Novelist Ian McEwan rejects the notion that he is a British writer, insisting instead that English and Scottish writers are culturally different and have distinctive roots and ways of writing. The Olympic opening ceremony was the first and only time McEwan had seen 'Britishness' celebrated, he tells Scotland's first minister, Alex Salmond.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/22/ian-mcewan-not-a-british-write
The decision by US fantasy magazine Weird Tales to publish an extract from Victoria Foyt's Revealing Eden: Save the Pearls, Part One, featuring a minority white race called the Pearls that is dominated by the black race of the Coals, has provoked widespread outrage, amid concerns about censorship.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/21/racism-row-novel-coals-pearls?CMP=EMCNEWEML1355
Imogen Russell Williams writes that the publisher hadn't read Foyt's piece before publishing it. She concludes with "The Pearls and Coals of Victoria Foyt's YA dystopia are not only deeply suspect, they're also delivered in awful prose with negligible plot."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/aug/23/racism-row-novel-revealing-eden
The head of a women's domestic violence refuge in Britain has slammed the bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy as "an instruction manual for an abusive individual to sexually torture a vulnerable young woman".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/24/fifty-shades-grey-domestic-violence-campaigners
A sexual submissive says the undertone of approval for sexual violence is stereotyped and indefensible.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/aug/25/fifty-shades-submissive-sophie-morgan
The publisher of Chicken Soup for the Soul has unveiled plans to offer literal as well as literary nourishment, through a line of seven soups to accompany its bestselling series of self-help books.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/24/chicken-soup-soul-literal-nourishment
Sam Sacks urges authors to stop the practice of acknowledgements. He says "The acknowledgments are now the last words a reader encounters. Is it really worth clouding a novel's actual finale for what is, in effect, an advertisement for a book the reader has already finished?"
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/08/against-acknowledgments.html#ixzz24la9EKbU
Mere days remain until the deadline for the 2nd Annual Geist Erasure Poetry Contest! All entries must be submitted before September 1, 2012, 11:59 pm PST. There's $1000 in prizes and the Geist Erasure Trophy to be won! Winning entries will also be published in Geist and at geist.com. Visit geist.com/erasure for more details.
Organizers of the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada's largest fiction award, have postponed the announcement of this year's long list to accommodate a rush of last-minute submissions.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/1242117--late-submissions-delay-giller-longlist-announcement
BOOKS & WRITERS
"Underwater welder," a job title with all the potential symbolism any writer could hope for, writes Ian McGillis. In Jeff Lemire's graphic novel, The Underwater Welder, Jack Joseph says: "The only time I ever really feel myself is down below. It's the only place I can be completely alone."
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Jeff+Lemire+shows+master+telling+image/7140099/story.html#ixzz24WgbjDRD
C.S. Richardson's The Emperor of Paris is a story about love, writes Sandra Gulland. The novel unfolds in two streams: a present moment – and the long past, a world of charmingly eccentric characters. The Emperor of Paris is brilliant, says Gulland.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/emperor-of-paris-a-jewel-of-a-novel-about-books-and-love/article4497401/
Vancouver Noir 1930-1960, by Diane Purvey and John Belshaw, focuses on working-class Vancouver between1930 and 1959. What distinguishes Vancouver from other North American cities is that the white worthies of Vancouver blamed everything they disliked on Asians and native people but especially, on Americans, writes George Fetherling.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Vancouver+comes+fascinating+text/7140316/story.html
Chris Bohjalian's The Sandcastle Girls combines a love story with a grim look at the Ottoman Empire's deportation of Armenians during World War I. Some countries acknowledge the Armenian deaths as genocide, others do not. The love story adds a softer dimension, writes Tracy Sherlock.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Vancouver+comes+fascinating+text/7140316/story.html
André Brink's Philida has been long listed for this year's Man Booker prize. In an interview, Brink discusses the challenge of a 19th-century slave's living on a farm run by Brink's ancestors. South Africa is still at a difficult stage in coming to terms with its apartheid legacy. says Brink.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/26/andre-brink-interview-philida-slavery
Alison Moore's The Lighthouse has been long listed for this year's Man Booker prize. The Lighthouse is superb, writes Anthony Cummins – a peculiar exploration of boyhood trauma that does its quietly creepy work in fewer than 200 pages.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/26/the-lighthouse-alison-moore-booker-review
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
(Please note New Location Starting September) Features Wayde Compton and Warren Dean Fulton + Open Mic. Thursday, September 6th at 7:00pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. @Cafe Montmartre, 4362 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
KUCKI LOW
The local author and inspirational speaker reads from her memoir This Is Kucki Your Pilot Speaking , which recounts the the challenges of being a 20th century aviation pioneer. Thursday, September 6 at 7:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen room, Central Library, 350 We. Georgia St. More information at www.vpl.ca.
GRANT MCKENZIE
M.C. Grant is Grant McKenzie, an award-winning screenwriter, novelist and editor-in-chief of Monday Magazine and is launching his latest mystery novel, Angel With a Bullet. Saturday, September 8 at 2:00pm. Chapters Victoria, 1212 Douglas Street, Victoria. More information at 250-380-9009.
MEREDITH QUARTERMAIN
The VPL's eighth writer-in-residence reads from some of her award-winning works and talks about her writing process. Tuesday, September 11 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at www.vpl.ca.
PATRICK TAYLOR
Reading by the author of Irish Country. Wednesday, September 12 at 7:00pm. Welsh Hall, West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver.
MIXED VOICES RAISED
VPL chief librarian Sandra Singh leads a literary Q&A panel with essayist and sound poet Wayde Compton, filmmaker and Zen priest Ruth Ozecki, and illustrator and writer Julie Flett. Wednesday, September 12 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at www.hapapalooza.com.
Upcoming
ANDREA LISTER
Writer and historian Andrea Lister follows the generations of determined women who fundraised, sewed, canned, and knitted to establish Chilliwack's first hospital. Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00pm. Chilliwack Library, 45860 First Avenue, Chilliwack.
JOHN VIGNA
Launch of the author's latest book, Bull Head. Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30pm. The Bourbon, 50 West Cordova Street, Vancouver. RSVP to bullheadlaunch@gmail.com.
KOOTENAY BOOK WEEKEND
9th annual event featuring Katherine Govier with her book The Ghost Brush. September 21-23, 2012. Nelson, BC. For complete details, visit www.kootenaybookweekend.ca.
AND THEN THERE WERE THREE
Three local mystery authors team up for an evening of readings and discussion. Featuring Don Hauka, David Russell and Cathy Ace. Thursday, September 27 at 7:00pm, free. McGill Library, 4595 Albert Street. For more information and registration, visit http://bpl.bc.ca/events/and-then-there-were-three-local-mystery-authors-at-mcgill-library.
WORD ON THE STREET
Features author readings, writing and publishing exhibits, musical entertainment, roving performers, children's activities, workshops, panels, books, and magazines. September 28-30, 2012. More information at wotsvan@thewordonthestreet.ca.
A POETIC WALK THROUGH NATURE
Join Vancouver's 100,000 Poets for Change on an Earthwalk. Poets will read select poems calling for the preservation of our beautiful forests and shorelines. A guest speaker will also present a narrative tour of the cultural history and natural habitat of Stanley Park. September 29 at 10:00am, free. For more information and to register, visit http://earthwalks11poets.eventbrite.com/.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Book News Vol. 7 No. 31
BOOK NEWS
2012 Festival
The 2012 Vancouver Writers Fest program is now online! Visit our website for full details on Festival programming and special events. Tickets go on sale to members on Aug 29th and the general public on Sept 5th. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Michael Chabon
September 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, talks about his latest book, Telegraph Avenue. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/michaelchabon
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Listen to the eighteenth installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear "Bamboo Lettering" featuring Kevin Chong, Jen Sookfong Lee and Ling Zhang. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.
Special Offers
If being a member of the VWF didn't already have enough benefits, we've added an extra incentive! Every two weeks new and renewing members will have a chance to win a book by a Festival or Incite author. At the end of August we'll have a grand prize draw for a deluxe pack of Festival tickets - two tickets to any event of your choice for each day of the Festival! Sign up now here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_membership.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
New York humorist Calvin Trillin, "Parks and Recreation" writer Nate DiMeo and novelist Patricia Marx are among the finalists for this year's Thurber Prize for American Humor. The winner will be announced October 1.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/15/thurber-prize.html
Janice Galloway's 'anti-memoir' of her teen years has been named Scottish book of the year. All Made Up was the winner in the non-fiction category; she then secured the overall prize of £30,000 for the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book of the Year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/18/janice-galloway-memoir-scottish-book-of-year
The winners for the 2012 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest have been announced. The winner of this year's best worst writing is Cathy Bryant of Manchester, England, whose contribution includes an infestation of eyelash mites. The complete piece can be found here:
http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/2012/08/13/bad-writing-award-winners-announced/
Jen Hadfield has been named the winner of the Edwin Morgan International Poetry Prize 2012 for The Kids, which improvises on the nursery rhyme Monday's Child.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/19/jen-hadfield-edwin-morgan-international-poetry-prize
Poet, writer and historian Meredith Quartermain is Vancouver Public Library's eighth Writer in Residence. Ms. Quartermain began her residency last week by inspiring and sharing her vast experience with young writers at the Library's annual Writing & Book Camp.
http://www.allianceforarts.com/blog/vancouver-public-library-names-eighth-writer-residence
More information is available at:
http://www.vpl.ca/writer_in_residence
YOUNG READERS
In this fourth and final instalment of Arthur Slades' The Hunchback Chronicles, an award-winning steampunk series set in the 1800s, Island of Doom brings the series to an end. Modo has discovered his French roots, goes in search of his parents, and by the time he's 14, he has learned how to cope. Ages 11 and up.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Kids+Steampunk+series+comes/7105277/story.html
Do you have schoolwork you're expected to do over the summer? Are you excited about it? If your answer is "no," then you have something in common with 13-year-old Mary Lou, the main character in Sharon Creech's Absolutely Normal Chaos. Ages 9 and older.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/kidspost-book-club-ends-with-absolutely-normal-chaos/2012/08/14/d83323ac-d1ba-11e1-8bea-6dc0b4879aab_story.html
Petit Nicolas is a classic French children's character created by the Asterix writer René Goscinny. Discover Nicolas's world and the mischief he gets up in this short story.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/interactive/2012/aug/17/petit-nicolas-story
Trouble, a first novel for teens by John Lucas, has been published to coincide with the anniversary of the London riots. Read an exclusive spin-off short story by John Lucas, featuring the TURF characters. Ages 13 and older.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/interactive/2012/aug/14/trouble-john-lucas-short-story?CMP=EMCNEWEML1355
NEWS & FEATURES
Judith Thurman writes about the books individuals running for office in the U.S. cite as formative, including works by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Ayn Rand and Thomas Aquinas.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/08/rose-wilder-lane-ayn-rand-and-americas-libertarian-literature.html
Oranges are not the only fruit, especially when it comes to the Orange Prize for Fiction. Apple, the US technology giant, is understood to be looking at backing the prestigious award, which recognizes novels written by women.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/electronics/9469226/Apple-to-squeeze-out-Orange-as-new-backer-of-fiction-award.html
Speaking at the Edinburgh international writers' conference, Irvine Welsh, the author of Trainspotting, lashed out at the "highly imperialist-orientated Man Booker prize". The award, he said, was "based on the conceit that upper-class Englishness is the cultural yardstick against which all literature must be measured".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/19/irvine-welsh-edinburgh-books-festival
Bob Spitz released his book Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child last Wednesday, which would have been Child's 100th birthday. "Julia taught women how to be bold and inventive in the kitchen…to step out from behind the stove and be a star," said Spitz.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/15/julia-child-biography.html
Unbeknownst to literary scholars, FBI files on Sylvia Plath's father shed new light on the poet. The FBI described Otto Plath, who inspired the 1962 poem Daddy, as a morbid man with possible pro-German sympathies during the war. The FBI files will be revealed at an international Plath symposium in October at Indiana University, Bloomington.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/17/sylvia-plath-otto-father-files
In an interview in Foreign Policy magazine, Salman Rushdie reflects on life under fatwa, the Arab Spring, and his one-night stand with Twitter. A movie version of Midnight's Children and a new memoir about his time in hiding are due out shortly.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/13/epiphanies_an_interview_with_salman_rushdie
A large study of Scottish people's DNA is threatening to "rewrite the nation's history", says Alistair Moffat. Moffat and his colleagues have found West African, Arabian, south-east Asian and Siberian ancestry, along with Scots, Celtic, Viking, Irish—and Berber. The findings are in The Scots: A Genetic Journey.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/aug/15/scotland-dna-study-project?CMP=EMCNEWEML1355
Science fiction is really just philosophy (or at least its direct descendant), writes Charlie Jane Anders. Science fiction doesn't just illuminate philosophy; the genre grew out of philosophy. The earliest works of science fiction were philosophical texts.
http://io9.com/5932802/the-philosophical-roots-of-science-fiction
Rather than anti-piracy measures, writers should welcome a future where readers remix our books, says China Miéville. "When asked if you've read the latest Ali Smith or Ghada Karmi, the response might be not yes or no, but which mix?" says Miéville.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/21/china-mieville-novels-books-anti-piracy
Anxious? Depressed? Literate? Try Bibliotherapy. Literature transforms us. Alain de Botton and his colleagues' bibliotherapy program at School of Life matches individuals struggling in any aspect of their lives with a list of books hand-selected to help them through tough times.
http://bigthink.com/think-tank/anxious-depressed-literate-try-bibliotherapy
The Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, has released a tempting come-on in this year's 400th anniversary of remembrance for the eight Lancashire women and two men who were hanged in an outbreak of public hysteria over witchcraft. She joins fellow-poet Simon Armitage in a verse exploration of the tragedy in 1612. Duffy and the organisers offer a taster here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/aug/15/carol-ann-duffy-poet-laureate-lancashire-witches-pendle
French novelist Laurent Binet, was given special access to the new Socialist president to produce a literary political portrait–a new publishing genre in France. Binet's book, Rien Ne Se Passé Comme Prevu (Nothing Happens as Predicted), will be released next week.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/16/francois-hollande-book-laurent-binet
Organizers of the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada's largest fiction award, have postponed the announcement of this year's longlist to accommodate a rush of last-minute submissions.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/1242117--late-submissions-delay-giller-longlist-announcement
BOOKS & WRITERS
Leanne Shapton's Swimming Studies is a testament to obsession, writes Robert Epstein. Shapton, a former Canadian Olympic triallist swimmer, decided at 14 she would not be going to the Olympics. This lyrical life aquatic is a stroke of pure genius, gold-winning stuff, says Epstein.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/swimming-studies-by-leanne-shapton-8034590.html
Our Friend Joe: The Joe Fortes Story by Lisa Anne Smith and Barbara Rogers honours the lives he saved and the generations of children Joe taught to swim. A portion of book sales proceeds will be donated to the Lifesaving Society's Swim to Survive program for Grade 3 schoolchildren.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/seaman+saved+dozens+from+drowning+taught+three/7106909/story.html
Are yoga practices good for you? Are yoga teachers truly qualified? William J. Broad explores these and other questions in The Science of Yoga. He knows that yoga has the capacity to heal, but he believes that the cobwebs of myth need to be cleared, writes Lisa Miriam Cherry.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/the-science-of-yoga-destroys-the-activitys-top-myths/article4486501/
Although he wasn't permitted to attend the ceremony to receive the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, Liu Xiaobo continues to be an outspoken critic of the government, and annually acknowledges the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre with a poem. June Fourth Elegies makes public the first 20 poems in this sequence.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/17/june-fourth-liu-xiaobo-review
Ameen Rihani's The Book of Khalid stands as the foundational text of Arab-American literature, despite having been out of print since 1911. With the world now consumed by issues of Arab-American relations and Arab political revolution, many have the sense that its moment is now, writes Todd Fine.
http://mhpbooks.com/books/the-book-of-khalid/
NW, Zadie Smith's eagerly awaited new novel– the first in seven years–is a dazzling portrait of modern London. The Guardian offers an exclusive extract here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/17/nw-zadie-smith-extract
An Illustrated History of Quebec, by historians Peter Gossage and Jack Little, offers an even-handed treatment of Quebec history in a new illustrated volume. Gossage and Little focus on the struggle between tradition and modernity, writes Marian Scott.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Quebec+history+gets+even+handed+treatment+illustrated+volume/7105285/story.html
Paul Theroux's The Lower River begins with the sentence, "Ellis Hock's wife gave him a new phone for this birthday." That simple, innocuous action triggers a harrowing chain of events, writes Philip Marchand. Villagers in Malawi; do-gooders; the moral of the story is hard to discern.
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/08/17/open-book-the-lower-river-by-paul-theroux/
The gorgeous ruin on the cover of Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins is a misty Brigadoon of a place that doesn't appear on the map and maybe doesn't exist. Then a movie star arrives from her work on the film, Cleopatra. A complex, delectable story, writes Margaret Gunning.
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/personalities+drive+delectable+drama/7110732/story.html
Which came first, MI5 or the 70s? "It's hard to say," says Ian McEwan. How did this curious, beguiling book–a spy novel without even so much as a hint of a poison-tipped umbrella–begin? It's 'a muted and distorted autobiography' writes Rachel Cooke.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/19/ian-mcewan-sweet-tooth-interview
Alex Clark admires André Brink's Booker-longlisted family history of Cape Colony slave owners, and points out that one of the characters appears to have something in common with the author of this novel.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/16/philida-andre-brink-booker-review
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SUMMER DREAMS LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL
Annual family-friendly celebration of literary arts features two stages, a kids' area, a marketplace, and over 90 performers, including headliner Barbara Adler and Fang, a local spoken-word artist who combines poetry with music. Saturday, August 25, 2012, free. Trout Lake Park, 3350 Victoria. More information at www.summerdreamsfest.com.
2012 PANDORA'S LITERARY AWARDS GALA
Pandora's Collective is proud to announce the recipients of the Pandora's Literary Awards for 2012. This year's awards winners will be honoured at a special gala to be held on Friday, August 24th at CBC Studio 700 (700 Hamilton Street, Vancouver). The night will be hosted by Charles Demers and will feature a performance by Mount Pleasant's Inchoiring Minds. Award presenters include George Bowering, Brian Kaufman, Sean Cranbury, Betsy Warland and RC Weslowski. 7pm (Doors open at 6:30pm), CBC Studio 700 (700 Hamilton St.), Free event, Food, Cash bar. Silent Auction. For more information on the winners and the event: https://sites.google.com/site/summerdreamsfest/home/gala.
VANCOUVER POETRY SLAM
Qualifying slam for poets to earn points for the playoffs in March 2013. Featuring Tanya Evanson. Monday, August 27 at 8:00p. Cost: $4/$6. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive.
Upcoming
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
(Please note New Location Starting September) Features Wayde Compton and Warren Dean Fulton + Open Mic. Thursday, September 6th at 7:00pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. @Cafe Montmartre, 4362 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
ANDREA LISTER
Writer and historian Andrea Lister follows the generations of determined women who fundraised, sewed, canned, and knitted to establish Chilliwack's first hospital. Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00pm. Chilliwack Library, 45860 First Avenue, Chilliwack.
JOHN VIGNA
Launch of the author's latest book, Bull Head. Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30pm. The Bourbon, 50 West Cordova Street, Vancouver. RSVP to bullheadlaunch@gmail.com.
KOOTENAY BOOK WEEKEND
9th annual event featuring Katherine Govier with her book The Ghost Brush. September 21-23, 2012. Nelson, BC. For complete details, visit www.kootenaybookweekend.ca.
WORD ON THE STREET
Features author readings, writing and publishing exhibits, musical entertainment, roving performers, children's activities, workshops, panels, books, and magazines. September 28-30, 2012. More information at wotsvan@thewordonthestreet.ca.
A POETIC WALK THROUGH NATURE
Join Vancouver's 100,000 Poets for Change on an Earthwalk. Poets will read select poems calling for the preservation of our beautiful forests and shorelines. A guest speaker will also present a narrative tour of the cultural history and natural habitat of Stanley Park. September 29 at 10:00am, free. For more information and to register, visit http://earthwalks11poets.eventbrite.com/.
2012 Festival
The 2012 Vancouver Writers Fest program is now online! Visit our website for full details on Festival programming and special events. Tickets go on sale to members on Aug 29th and the general public on Sept 5th. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Michael Chabon
September 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, talks about his latest book, Telegraph Avenue. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/michaelchabon
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Listen to the eighteenth installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear "Bamboo Lettering" featuring Kevin Chong, Jen Sookfong Lee and Ling Zhang. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.
Special Offers
If being a member of the VWF didn't already have enough benefits, we've added an extra incentive! Every two weeks new and renewing members will have a chance to win a book by a Festival or Incite author. At the end of August we'll have a grand prize draw for a deluxe pack of Festival tickets - two tickets to any event of your choice for each day of the Festival! Sign up now here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_membership.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
New York humorist Calvin Trillin, "Parks and Recreation" writer Nate DiMeo and novelist Patricia Marx are among the finalists for this year's Thurber Prize for American Humor. The winner will be announced October 1.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/15/thurber-prize.html
Janice Galloway's 'anti-memoir' of her teen years has been named Scottish book of the year. All Made Up was the winner in the non-fiction category; she then secured the overall prize of £30,000 for the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book of the Year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/18/janice-galloway-memoir-scottish-book-of-year
The winners for the 2012 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest have been announced. The winner of this year's best worst writing is Cathy Bryant of Manchester, England, whose contribution includes an infestation of eyelash mites. The complete piece can be found here:
http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/2012/08/13/bad-writing-award-winners-announced/
Jen Hadfield has been named the winner of the Edwin Morgan International Poetry Prize 2012 for The Kids, which improvises on the nursery rhyme Monday's Child.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/19/jen-hadfield-edwin-morgan-international-poetry-prize
Poet, writer and historian Meredith Quartermain is Vancouver Public Library's eighth Writer in Residence. Ms. Quartermain began her residency last week by inspiring and sharing her vast experience with young writers at the Library's annual Writing & Book Camp.
http://www.allianceforarts.com/blog/vancouver-public-library-names-eighth-writer-residence
More information is available at:
http://www.vpl.ca/writer_in_residence
YOUNG READERS
In this fourth and final instalment of Arthur Slades' The Hunchback Chronicles, an award-winning steampunk series set in the 1800s, Island of Doom brings the series to an end. Modo has discovered his French roots, goes in search of his parents, and by the time he's 14, he has learned how to cope. Ages 11 and up.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Kids+Steampunk+series+comes/7105277/story.html
Do you have schoolwork you're expected to do over the summer? Are you excited about it? If your answer is "no," then you have something in common with 13-year-old Mary Lou, the main character in Sharon Creech's Absolutely Normal Chaos. Ages 9 and older.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/kidspost-book-club-ends-with-absolutely-normal-chaos/2012/08/14/d83323ac-d1ba-11e1-8bea-6dc0b4879aab_story.html
Petit Nicolas is a classic French children's character created by the Asterix writer René Goscinny. Discover Nicolas's world and the mischief he gets up in this short story.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/interactive/2012/aug/17/petit-nicolas-story
Trouble, a first novel for teens by John Lucas, has been published to coincide with the anniversary of the London riots. Read an exclusive spin-off short story by John Lucas, featuring the TURF characters. Ages 13 and older.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/interactive/2012/aug/14/trouble-john-lucas-short-story?CMP=EMCNEWEML1355
NEWS & FEATURES
Judith Thurman writes about the books individuals running for office in the U.S. cite as formative, including works by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Ayn Rand and Thomas Aquinas.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/08/rose-wilder-lane-ayn-rand-and-americas-libertarian-literature.html
Oranges are not the only fruit, especially when it comes to the Orange Prize for Fiction. Apple, the US technology giant, is understood to be looking at backing the prestigious award, which recognizes novels written by women.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/electronics/9469226/Apple-to-squeeze-out-Orange-as-new-backer-of-fiction-award.html
Speaking at the Edinburgh international writers' conference, Irvine Welsh, the author of Trainspotting, lashed out at the "highly imperialist-orientated Man Booker prize". The award, he said, was "based on the conceit that upper-class Englishness is the cultural yardstick against which all literature must be measured".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/19/irvine-welsh-edinburgh-books-festival
Bob Spitz released his book Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child last Wednesday, which would have been Child's 100th birthday. "Julia taught women how to be bold and inventive in the kitchen…to step out from behind the stove and be a star," said Spitz.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/15/julia-child-biography.html
Unbeknownst to literary scholars, FBI files on Sylvia Plath's father shed new light on the poet. The FBI described Otto Plath, who inspired the 1962 poem Daddy, as a morbid man with possible pro-German sympathies during the war. The FBI files will be revealed at an international Plath symposium in October at Indiana University, Bloomington.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/17/sylvia-plath-otto-father-files
In an interview in Foreign Policy magazine, Salman Rushdie reflects on life under fatwa, the Arab Spring, and his one-night stand with Twitter. A movie version of Midnight's Children and a new memoir about his time in hiding are due out shortly.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/13/epiphanies_an_interview_with_salman_rushdie
A large study of Scottish people's DNA is threatening to "rewrite the nation's history", says Alistair Moffat. Moffat and his colleagues have found West African, Arabian, south-east Asian and Siberian ancestry, along with Scots, Celtic, Viking, Irish—and Berber. The findings are in The Scots: A Genetic Journey.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/aug/15/scotland-dna-study-project?CMP=EMCNEWEML1355
Science fiction is really just philosophy (or at least its direct descendant), writes Charlie Jane Anders. Science fiction doesn't just illuminate philosophy; the genre grew out of philosophy. The earliest works of science fiction were philosophical texts.
http://io9.com/5932802/the-philosophical-roots-of-science-fiction
Rather than anti-piracy measures, writers should welcome a future where readers remix our books, says China Miéville. "When asked if you've read the latest Ali Smith or Ghada Karmi, the response might be not yes or no, but which mix?" says Miéville.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/21/china-mieville-novels-books-anti-piracy
Anxious? Depressed? Literate? Try Bibliotherapy. Literature transforms us. Alain de Botton and his colleagues' bibliotherapy program at School of Life matches individuals struggling in any aspect of their lives with a list of books hand-selected to help them through tough times.
http://bigthink.com/think-tank/anxious-depressed-literate-try-bibliotherapy
The Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, has released a tempting come-on in this year's 400th anniversary of remembrance for the eight Lancashire women and two men who were hanged in an outbreak of public hysteria over witchcraft. She joins fellow-poet Simon Armitage in a verse exploration of the tragedy in 1612. Duffy and the organisers offer a taster here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/aug/15/carol-ann-duffy-poet-laureate-lancashire-witches-pendle
French novelist Laurent Binet, was given special access to the new Socialist president to produce a literary political portrait–a new publishing genre in France. Binet's book, Rien Ne Se Passé Comme Prevu (Nothing Happens as Predicted), will be released next week.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/16/francois-hollande-book-laurent-binet
Organizers of the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada's largest fiction award, have postponed the announcement of this year's longlist to accommodate a rush of last-minute submissions.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/1242117--late-submissions-delay-giller-longlist-announcement
BOOKS & WRITERS
Leanne Shapton's Swimming Studies is a testament to obsession, writes Robert Epstein. Shapton, a former Canadian Olympic triallist swimmer, decided at 14 she would not be going to the Olympics. This lyrical life aquatic is a stroke of pure genius, gold-winning stuff, says Epstein.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/swimming-studies-by-leanne-shapton-8034590.html
Our Friend Joe: The Joe Fortes Story by Lisa Anne Smith and Barbara Rogers honours the lives he saved and the generations of children Joe taught to swim. A portion of book sales proceeds will be donated to the Lifesaving Society's Swim to Survive program for Grade 3 schoolchildren.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/seaman+saved+dozens+from+drowning+taught+three/7106909/story.html
Are yoga practices good for you? Are yoga teachers truly qualified? William J. Broad explores these and other questions in The Science of Yoga. He knows that yoga has the capacity to heal, but he believes that the cobwebs of myth need to be cleared, writes Lisa Miriam Cherry.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/the-science-of-yoga-destroys-the-activitys-top-myths/article4486501/
Although he wasn't permitted to attend the ceremony to receive the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, Liu Xiaobo continues to be an outspoken critic of the government, and annually acknowledges the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre with a poem. June Fourth Elegies makes public the first 20 poems in this sequence.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/17/june-fourth-liu-xiaobo-review
Ameen Rihani's The Book of Khalid stands as the foundational text of Arab-American literature, despite having been out of print since 1911. With the world now consumed by issues of Arab-American relations and Arab political revolution, many have the sense that its moment is now, writes Todd Fine.
http://mhpbooks.com/books/the-book-of-khalid/
NW, Zadie Smith's eagerly awaited new novel– the first in seven years–is a dazzling portrait of modern London. The Guardian offers an exclusive extract here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/17/nw-zadie-smith-extract
An Illustrated History of Quebec, by historians Peter Gossage and Jack Little, offers an even-handed treatment of Quebec history in a new illustrated volume. Gossage and Little focus on the struggle between tradition and modernity, writes Marian Scott.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Quebec+history+gets+even+handed+treatment+illustrated+volume/7105285/story.html
Paul Theroux's The Lower River begins with the sentence, "Ellis Hock's wife gave him a new phone for this birthday." That simple, innocuous action triggers a harrowing chain of events, writes Philip Marchand. Villagers in Malawi; do-gooders; the moral of the story is hard to discern.
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/08/17/open-book-the-lower-river-by-paul-theroux/
The gorgeous ruin on the cover of Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins is a misty Brigadoon of a place that doesn't appear on the map and maybe doesn't exist. Then a movie star arrives from her work on the film, Cleopatra. A complex, delectable story, writes Margaret Gunning.
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/personalities+drive+delectable+drama/7110732/story.html
Which came first, MI5 or the 70s? "It's hard to say," says Ian McEwan. How did this curious, beguiling book–a spy novel without even so much as a hint of a poison-tipped umbrella–begin? It's 'a muted and distorted autobiography' writes Rachel Cooke.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/19/ian-mcewan-sweet-tooth-interview
Alex Clark admires André Brink's Booker-longlisted family history of Cape Colony slave owners, and points out that one of the characters appears to have something in common with the author of this novel.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/16/philida-andre-brink-booker-review
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SUMMER DREAMS LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL
Annual family-friendly celebration of literary arts features two stages, a kids' area, a marketplace, and over 90 performers, including headliner Barbara Adler and Fang, a local spoken-word artist who combines poetry with music. Saturday, August 25, 2012, free. Trout Lake Park, 3350 Victoria. More information at www.summerdreamsfest.com.
2012 PANDORA'S LITERARY AWARDS GALA
Pandora's Collective is proud to announce the recipients of the Pandora's Literary Awards for 2012. This year's awards winners will be honoured at a special gala to be held on Friday, August 24th at CBC Studio 700 (700 Hamilton Street, Vancouver). The night will be hosted by Charles Demers and will feature a performance by Mount Pleasant's Inchoiring Minds. Award presenters include George Bowering, Brian Kaufman, Sean Cranbury, Betsy Warland and RC Weslowski. 7pm (Doors open at 6:30pm), CBC Studio 700 (700 Hamilton St.), Free event, Food, Cash bar. Silent Auction. For more information on the winners and the event: https://sites.google.com/site/summerdreamsfest/home/gala.
VANCOUVER POETRY SLAM
Qualifying slam for poets to earn points for the playoffs in March 2013. Featuring Tanya Evanson. Monday, August 27 at 8:00p. Cost: $4/$6. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive.
Upcoming
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
(Please note New Location Starting September) Features Wayde Compton and Warren Dean Fulton + Open Mic. Thursday, September 6th at 7:00pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. @Cafe Montmartre, 4362 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
ANDREA LISTER
Writer and historian Andrea Lister follows the generations of determined women who fundraised, sewed, canned, and knitted to establish Chilliwack's first hospital. Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00pm. Chilliwack Library, 45860 First Avenue, Chilliwack.
JOHN VIGNA
Launch of the author's latest book, Bull Head. Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30pm. The Bourbon, 50 West Cordova Street, Vancouver. RSVP to bullheadlaunch@gmail.com.
KOOTENAY BOOK WEEKEND
9th annual event featuring Katherine Govier with her book The Ghost Brush. September 21-23, 2012. Nelson, BC. For complete details, visit www.kootenaybookweekend.ca.
WORD ON THE STREET
Features author readings, writing and publishing exhibits, musical entertainment, roving performers, children's activities, workshops, panels, books, and magazines. September 28-30, 2012. More information at wotsvan@thewordonthestreet.ca.
A POETIC WALK THROUGH NATURE
Join Vancouver's 100,000 Poets for Change on an Earthwalk. Poets will read select poems calling for the preservation of our beautiful forests and shorelines. A guest speaker will also present a narrative tour of the cultural history and natural habitat of Stanley Park. September 29 at 10:00am, free. For more information and to register, visit http://earthwalks11poets.eventbrite.com/.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Book News Vol. 7 No. 30
BOOK NEWS
2012 Festival
Details of the 2012 Vancouver Writers Fest are now online! Visit our website to see what you can look forward to in October. Tickets go on sale to members on Aug 29th and the general public on Sept 5th. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/2012festival
UPCOMING EVENTS
Michael Chabon
September 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, talks about his latest book, Telegraph Avenue. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/michaelchabon
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Listen to the seventeenth installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear an "Intimate Evening" featuring Yann Martel. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.
Special Offers
If being a member of the VWF didn't already have enough benefits, we've added an extra incentive! Every two weeks new and renewing members will have a chance to win a book by a Festival or Incite author. At the end of August we'll have a grand prize draw for a deluxe pack of Festival tickets - two tickets to any event of your choice for each day of the Festival! Sign up now here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_membership.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
The Australian State of Victoria has announced the Victorian Prize for Literature shortlist. The winners will be announced October 16. The list of shortlisted writers of fiction, nonficton, drama, poetry and young adult is here:
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/shortlisted-authors-take-centre-stage-20120809-23vz4.html
British writer Rachel Joyce's debut novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, has earned her a place on the longlist for the 2012 Man Booker prize. The Man Booker shortlist will be announced September 11.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/09/rachel-joyce-video.html
The Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association presented a wide variety of The Auroras-Canada's Science Fiction & Fantasy Awards—at its AGM earlier this month.
http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/
The CBC Books and Scotiabank Giller Prize Readers' Choice contest is back. As we await the announcement of this year's long-list, CBC Books offer a chance to share great Canadian literature discovered this past year. Rules and regulations are here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/scotiabankgillerprize/readers-choice-2012-rules-and-regulations.html
Submit your nomination here:
http://3495051.polldaddy.com/s/sgp2012?pop=11
YOUNG READERS
In Rebecca Stead's Liar & Spy, seventh-grader Georges (named after painter Georges Seurat) is bullied at school. His parents care, but their communication strategies—tiles on a Scrabble tray—seem babyish. New apartment building neighbors are appealing, but are their games real or lies? Like Stead's Newbery Medal-winning When You Reach Me, there's a mystery, and rereading the book would be a pleasure. Ages 9 to 12.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/site/newspaper/entertainment/sc-ent-0808-books-kids-20120810,0,2848953.story
Libby Thump isn't good at the things she's supposed to be good at: school and swimming. As fourth grade ends, her teacher advises her to "live up to your potential." But Libby knows that she won't shine in the classroom or the swimming pool. Instead, she can shine at the stable, around horses. Libby of High Hopes, by Elise Primavera, is a perfect read for kids who have dreamed of having their own horse. Ages 7 to 10.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/libby-of-high-hopes-is-another-book-that-you-might-like/2012/08/07/62deb150-d1b7-11e1-8bea-6dc0b4879aab_story.html
Reviewer Bookworm 11 writes that The Name of This Book is a Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch "is extremely frightening and an edge of the seat read." Cassandra is always preparing for disaster; Max-Ernest, her collaborator in their adventure, always tells jokes. Ages 12 and up.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/aug/07/review-name-of-book-is-secret-pseudonymous-bosch
NEWS & FEATURES
Inspired by Team GB's recent performances in the javelin, triathlon and cycling, Scottish poet Jackie Kay created her own armchair triathlon-reading out three short poems she wrote, on video.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2012/aug/08/olympics-2012-art-jackie-kay-video
Robert Hughes was Australia's Dante, writes Peter Carey. Robert Hughes wasn't just a great art critic. He was one of the finest writers Australia has ever produced–the man who told his countrymen who they were, says Carey.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/07/robert-hughes-by-peter-carey
The award-winning, wickedly funny author and actor David Rakoff died last week, at 47. He submitted his novel in verse Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die; Cherish, Perish well in advance of its deadline. Doubleday plans to publish Rakoff's final work next year.
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/08/10/david-rakoff-dies-at-47/
The Globe and Mail has posted on its website excerpts from five of Rakoff's books.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/excerpts-from-david-rakoffs-work/article4475264/
K'naan left Somalia with his family, to escape the Somalia Civil War in 1991. Tundra Books announced this week that K'naan's children's book (ages 7 to 10) When I Get Older: The Story behind Wavin' Flag, with illustrations by artist Rudy Gutierrez, will be published at the end of September.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/13/knaan-childrens-book.html
Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy is writing her first ballet, based on the classic fairytale of Rapunzel–and has promised to put back the darkness and terror. Rapunzel-dance theatre rather than straight ballet-is a commission by Sadler's Wells.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/aug/14/carol-ann-duffy-rapunzel-ballet
The poet laureate captured the mood of London's Olympic Games with Translating the British, 2012.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/10/carol-ann-duffy-olympics-london
1972 and culture is the new cold war front line. Serena Frome, recently recruited by MI5, is sent for her first assignment to meet a promising young writer... Thus begins The Guardian's extract from Ian McEwen's forthcoming novel Sweet Tooth, here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/10/ian-mcewan-sweet-tooth-extract
Philip Jones writes that Fifty Shades of Grey is the latest reminder of what makes the publishing industry important. Every few years, the industry offers a title that crystallizes what it means to put an author in touch with a reader. And, digital doesn't alter this.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/08/publishing-fifty-shades-books-important
Thinly veiled fables of political love and war are the surprise bestsellers of the summer in France. Le Monarque, Son Fils, Son Fief (The monarch, his son, his fief) by Marie-Célie Guillaume has topped the French bestseller charts for seven weeks. Les Strauss-Kahn is at number two in the non-fiction bestsellers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/10/france-europe-news
Citing a loss of confidence in the book's details, Christian publisher Thomas Nelson is ending the publication and distribution of David Barton's The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You've Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson. The book was voted the worst history book ever.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/08/09/158510648/publisher-pulls-controversial-thomas-jefferson-book-citing-loss-of-confidence
When she was asked to write a sequel to E Nesbit's classic children's book Five Children and It, Jacqueline Wilson said no. But then she saw the fun she could have with the wish-granting fairy and a modern jigsaw family.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/10/jacqueline-wilson-five-children-and-it-and-me
Mark Haddon, the award-winning author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, has written to his MP arguing that he and other wealthy people should pay more tax to save others being hit by government spending cuts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/12/curious-incident-mark-haddon-wealthy-tax
Only a few people have been both great writers and great illustrators of children's books: Edward Lear, Dr. Seuss and—perhaps the most gifted of them all—Maurice Sendak, who died in May at the age of eighty-three. Thus begins Alison Lurie's Something Wonderful Out of Almost Nothing.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jul/12/something-wonderful-out-almost-nothing/
A reminder that the deadline for submission to CBC Books' new contest on last lines is Sunday, August 19, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Last lines are the final thought readers are left with. Whether it be from the past or the present, from fiction or non-fiction–the CBC wants to know what it is and why you love it. The rules and regulations are here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2012/08/whats-your-favourite-last-line-in-literature.html
What a nightmare-not having any books to buy. This is the scenario Heather Mallick alludes to in this article about what she sees as a decline in publishing.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1240637--as-publishing-withers-where-will-we-find-great-books
BOOKS & WRITERS
Battleborn (Granta) is a collection of 10 short stories rooted in small-town Nevada, writes Corrine Jones. Unsettling and compelling, Claire Vaye Watkins's writing has deservedly been likened to Cormac McCarthy and Annie Proulx for its fresh, foreboding approach to America's west, with Hari Kunzru hailing her as "one of the most exciting young voices in American fiction".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/12/claire-vaye-watkins-battleborn-granta
Liza Klaussman's Tigers in Red Weather is an immensely gripping and well-told tale of two generations of a family spanning the period from 1945 to 1969, writes Kamila Shamsie. A gripping tale, in which a dead body changes everything, says Shamsie.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/08/tigers-red-weather-klaussman-review
People caught up in tumultuous times often become nostalgic for the past or hopeful for the future, writes Jason Beerman. The characters at the centre of Gail Tsukiyama's A Hundred Flowers do both, as their lives become increasingly rattled by political upheaval in 1957 China.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/1239012--gail-tsukiyama-s-a-hundred-flowers-review
Jeanette Winterson's The Daylight Gate adds her interpretation of the Pendle Hill events: power, fear, and the forces of darkness and light that exist within the extremes of human nature, writes Stephanie Merritt. Historical fact proves more chilling than the supernatural fantasy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/12/daylight-gate-jeanette-winterson-review
Lorna Crozier, Susan Musgrave, and Sharon Thesen reside in British Columbia (in fact, all have poems that take place on or refer to Haida Gwaii) and it is fair to say that they are all at the top of their games, writes Zoe Whittall. Crozier's Small Mechanics, Musgrave's Origami Dove, and Thesen's Oyama Pink Shale are simply stunning, says Whittall.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/three-poets-canadian-women-all-for-the-ages/article4259381/
Michael V. Smith's Progress is a tale of family love, betrayal, and deception, set in a small Ontario town about to be flooded by a huge dam. Helen Massey sees a workman fall from the face of the dam being built, encountering denial and cover-up when she reports the sight. Progress requires the keeping of secrets, and this is a book, most fundamentally, about secrets, writes Tom Sandborn.
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2012/08/11/Progress/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=130812
"Embrace the sweet lovely mess," says a character in Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins. She's talking about life, but could mean the multiple, intersecting storylines and numerous lives, writes Joel Yanofsky. Walter offers a change of scene, setting and point-of-view in each successive chapter.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Italian+hotelier+falls+actress/7039086/story.html
Richard Fitzpatrick's El Clasico: Barcelona v Real Madrid: Football's Greatest Rivalry is about soccer, styles, ideologies. and a history of hatred; e.g., when Johan Cruyff was pursued by Real Madrid, he said he would never play for a team "associated with Franco". A riveting read, writes Tim Lewis.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/03/clasico-barcelona-real-madrid-review
Just as Chilean post Pablo Neruda created odes to common things, writes Mary Ann Moore, so also is Lorna Crozier's gathering the universe around Bed, Chair, Coffee Pot, Ironing Board, Mirror, and other items in The Book of Marvels: A Compendium of Everyday Things.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Author+Lorna+Crozier+offers+tribute+everyday+objects/7071346/story.html
Zoe Whittall describes Marie-Claire Blais as Canada's very own Gertrude Stein, a rebel in a sea of boring, upstanding literary WASPs. One cannot skim, says Whittall; one must immerse and reread. If you put the time in, Mai at the Predator's Ball will reward you, writes Whittall.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/learning-to-read-marie-claire-blais/article4473062/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SUNSHINE COAST FESTIVAL OF THE WRITTEN ARTS
Canada's longest running summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers. Features Wayson Choy, Charlotte Gill, Patrick Lane, Ami McKay, Richard Wagamese and many others. Tickets on sale now! August 16-19, 2012. Sechelt, BC. Complete details at www.writersfestival.ca.
IMAGINING LIVES
Launch of Bernice Lever's latest book of poetry. Sunday, August 19 at 2:00pm. Collins Hall, 1122 Miller Road, Bowen Island.
MARISSA MEYER ONLINE AUTHOR VISIT
Interact with bestselling author of Cinder, Marissa Meyer, in the City Centre library's Computer Learning Centre. Hang out with other teens and ask Andrea questions through the TeenRC website. Snacks to follow! Wednesday, August 22 at 2:00pm. For more information and to reserve a spot, call 604-598-7426. City Centre Library, 10350 University Drive, Surrey.
Upcoming
SUMMER DREAMS LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL
Annual family-friendly celebration of literary arts features two stages, a kids' area, a marketplace, and over 90 performers, including headliner Barbara Adler and Fang, a local spoken-word artist who combines poetry with music. Saturday, August 25, 2012, free. Trout Lake Park, 3350 Victoria. More information at www.summerdreamsfest.com.
2012 PANDORA'S LITERARY AWARDS GALA
Pandora's Collective is proud to announce the recipients of the Pandora's Literary Awards for 2012. This year's awards winners will be honoured at a special gala to be held on Friday, August 24th at CBC Studio 700 (700 Hamilton Street, Vancouver). The night will be hosted by Charles Demers and will feature a performance by Mount Pleasant's Inchoiring Minds. Award presenters include George Bowering, Brian Kaufman, Sean Cranbury, Betsy Warland and RC Weslowski. 7pm (Doors open at 6:30pm), CBC Studio 700 (700 Hamilton St.), Free event, Food, Cash bar. Silent Auction. For more information on the winners and the event: https://sites.google.com/site/summerdreamsfest/home/gala.
VANCOUVER POETRY SLAM
Qualifying slam for poets to earn points for the playoffs in March 2013. Featuring Tanya Evanson. Monday, August 27 at 8:00p. Cost: $4/$6. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
(Please note New Location Starting September) Features Wayde Compton and Warren Dean Fulton + Open Mic. Thursday, September 6th at 7:00pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. @Cafe Montmartre, 4362 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
ANDREA LISTER
Writer and historian Andrea Lister follows the generations of determined women who fundraised, sewed, canned, and knitted to establish Chilliwack's first hospital. Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00pm. Chilliwack Library, 45860 First Avenue, Chilliwack.
JOHN VIGNA
Launch of the author's latest book, Bull Head. Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30pm. The Bourbon, 50 West Cordova Street, Vancouver. RSVP to bullheadlaunch@gmail.com.
WORD ON THE STREET
Features author readings, writing and publishing exhibits, musical entertainment, roving performers, children's activities, workshops, panels, books, and magazines. September 28-30, 2012. More information at wotsvan@thewordonthestreet.ca.
A POETIC WALK THROUGH NATURE
Join Vancouver's 100,000 Poets for Change on an Earthwalk. Poets will read select poems calling for the preservation of our beautiful forests and shorelines. A guest speaker will also present a narrative tour of the cultural history and natural habitat of Stanley Park. September 29 at 10:00am, free. For more information and to register, visit http://earthwalks11poets.eventbrite.com/.
2012 Festival
Details of the 2012 Vancouver Writers Fest are now online! Visit our website to see what you can look forward to in October. Tickets go on sale to members on Aug 29th and the general public on Sept 5th. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/2012festival
UPCOMING EVENTS
Michael Chabon
September 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, talks about his latest book, Telegraph Avenue. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/michaelchabon
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Listen to the seventeenth installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear an "Intimate Evening" featuring Yann Martel. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.
Special Offers
If being a member of the VWF didn't already have enough benefits, we've added an extra incentive! Every two weeks new and renewing members will have a chance to win a book by a Festival or Incite author. At the end of August we'll have a grand prize draw for a deluxe pack of Festival tickets - two tickets to any event of your choice for each day of the Festival! Sign up now here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_membership.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
The Australian State of Victoria has announced the Victorian Prize for Literature shortlist. The winners will be announced October 16. The list of shortlisted writers of fiction, nonficton, drama, poetry and young adult is here:
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/shortlisted-authors-take-centre-stage-20120809-23vz4.html
British writer Rachel Joyce's debut novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, has earned her a place on the longlist for the 2012 Man Booker prize. The Man Booker shortlist will be announced September 11.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/09/rachel-joyce-video.html
The Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association presented a wide variety of The Auroras-Canada's Science Fiction & Fantasy Awards—at its AGM earlier this month.
http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/
The CBC Books and Scotiabank Giller Prize Readers' Choice contest is back. As we await the announcement of this year's long-list, CBC Books offer a chance to share great Canadian literature discovered this past year. Rules and regulations are here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/scotiabankgillerprize/readers-choice-2012-rules-and-regulations.html
Submit your nomination here:
http://3495051.polldaddy.com/s/sgp2012?pop=11
YOUNG READERS
In Rebecca Stead's Liar & Spy, seventh-grader Georges (named after painter Georges Seurat) is bullied at school. His parents care, but their communication strategies—tiles on a Scrabble tray—seem babyish. New apartment building neighbors are appealing, but are their games real or lies? Like Stead's Newbery Medal-winning When You Reach Me, there's a mystery, and rereading the book would be a pleasure. Ages 9 to 12.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/site/newspaper/entertainment/sc-ent-0808-books-kids-20120810,0,2848953.story
Libby Thump isn't good at the things she's supposed to be good at: school and swimming. As fourth grade ends, her teacher advises her to "live up to your potential." But Libby knows that she won't shine in the classroom or the swimming pool. Instead, she can shine at the stable, around horses. Libby of High Hopes, by Elise Primavera, is a perfect read for kids who have dreamed of having their own horse. Ages 7 to 10.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/libby-of-high-hopes-is-another-book-that-you-might-like/2012/08/07/62deb150-d1b7-11e1-8bea-6dc0b4879aab_story.html
Reviewer Bookworm 11 writes that The Name of This Book is a Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch "is extremely frightening and an edge of the seat read." Cassandra is always preparing for disaster; Max-Ernest, her collaborator in their adventure, always tells jokes. Ages 12 and up.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/aug/07/review-name-of-book-is-secret-pseudonymous-bosch
NEWS & FEATURES
Inspired by Team GB's recent performances in the javelin, triathlon and cycling, Scottish poet Jackie Kay created her own armchair triathlon-reading out three short poems she wrote, on video.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2012/aug/08/olympics-2012-art-jackie-kay-video
Robert Hughes was Australia's Dante, writes Peter Carey. Robert Hughes wasn't just a great art critic. He was one of the finest writers Australia has ever produced–the man who told his countrymen who they were, says Carey.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/07/robert-hughes-by-peter-carey
The award-winning, wickedly funny author and actor David Rakoff died last week, at 47. He submitted his novel in verse Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die; Cherish, Perish well in advance of its deadline. Doubleday plans to publish Rakoff's final work next year.
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/08/10/david-rakoff-dies-at-47/
The Globe and Mail has posted on its website excerpts from five of Rakoff's books.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/excerpts-from-david-rakoffs-work/article4475264/
K'naan left Somalia with his family, to escape the Somalia Civil War in 1991. Tundra Books announced this week that K'naan's children's book (ages 7 to 10) When I Get Older: The Story behind Wavin' Flag, with illustrations by artist Rudy Gutierrez, will be published at the end of September.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/13/knaan-childrens-book.html
Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy is writing her first ballet, based on the classic fairytale of Rapunzel–and has promised to put back the darkness and terror. Rapunzel-dance theatre rather than straight ballet-is a commission by Sadler's Wells.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/aug/14/carol-ann-duffy-rapunzel-ballet
The poet laureate captured the mood of London's Olympic Games with Translating the British, 2012.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/10/carol-ann-duffy-olympics-london
1972 and culture is the new cold war front line. Serena Frome, recently recruited by MI5, is sent for her first assignment to meet a promising young writer... Thus begins The Guardian's extract from Ian McEwen's forthcoming novel Sweet Tooth, here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/10/ian-mcewan-sweet-tooth-extract
Philip Jones writes that Fifty Shades of Grey is the latest reminder of what makes the publishing industry important. Every few years, the industry offers a title that crystallizes what it means to put an author in touch with a reader. And, digital doesn't alter this.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/08/publishing-fifty-shades-books-important
Thinly veiled fables of political love and war are the surprise bestsellers of the summer in France. Le Monarque, Son Fils, Son Fief (The monarch, his son, his fief) by Marie-Célie Guillaume has topped the French bestseller charts for seven weeks. Les Strauss-Kahn is at number two in the non-fiction bestsellers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/10/france-europe-news
Citing a loss of confidence in the book's details, Christian publisher Thomas Nelson is ending the publication and distribution of David Barton's The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You've Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson. The book was voted the worst history book ever.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/08/09/158510648/publisher-pulls-controversial-thomas-jefferson-book-citing-loss-of-confidence
When she was asked to write a sequel to E Nesbit's classic children's book Five Children and It, Jacqueline Wilson said no. But then she saw the fun she could have with the wish-granting fairy and a modern jigsaw family.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/10/jacqueline-wilson-five-children-and-it-and-me
Mark Haddon, the award-winning author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, has written to his MP arguing that he and other wealthy people should pay more tax to save others being hit by government spending cuts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/12/curious-incident-mark-haddon-wealthy-tax
Only a few people have been both great writers and great illustrators of children's books: Edward Lear, Dr. Seuss and—perhaps the most gifted of them all—Maurice Sendak, who died in May at the age of eighty-three. Thus begins Alison Lurie's Something Wonderful Out of Almost Nothing.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jul/12/something-wonderful-out-almost-nothing/
A reminder that the deadline for submission to CBC Books' new contest on last lines is Sunday, August 19, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Last lines are the final thought readers are left with. Whether it be from the past or the present, from fiction or non-fiction–the CBC wants to know what it is and why you love it. The rules and regulations are here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2012/08/whats-your-favourite-last-line-in-literature.html
What a nightmare-not having any books to buy. This is the scenario Heather Mallick alludes to in this article about what she sees as a decline in publishing.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1240637--as-publishing-withers-where-will-we-find-great-books
BOOKS & WRITERS
Battleborn (Granta) is a collection of 10 short stories rooted in small-town Nevada, writes Corrine Jones. Unsettling and compelling, Claire Vaye Watkins's writing has deservedly been likened to Cormac McCarthy and Annie Proulx for its fresh, foreboding approach to America's west, with Hari Kunzru hailing her as "one of the most exciting young voices in American fiction".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/12/claire-vaye-watkins-battleborn-granta
Liza Klaussman's Tigers in Red Weather is an immensely gripping and well-told tale of two generations of a family spanning the period from 1945 to 1969, writes Kamila Shamsie. A gripping tale, in which a dead body changes everything, says Shamsie.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/08/tigers-red-weather-klaussman-review
People caught up in tumultuous times often become nostalgic for the past or hopeful for the future, writes Jason Beerman. The characters at the centre of Gail Tsukiyama's A Hundred Flowers do both, as their lives become increasingly rattled by political upheaval in 1957 China.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/1239012--gail-tsukiyama-s-a-hundred-flowers-review
Jeanette Winterson's The Daylight Gate adds her interpretation of the Pendle Hill events: power, fear, and the forces of darkness and light that exist within the extremes of human nature, writes Stephanie Merritt. Historical fact proves more chilling than the supernatural fantasy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/12/daylight-gate-jeanette-winterson-review
Lorna Crozier, Susan Musgrave, and Sharon Thesen reside in British Columbia (in fact, all have poems that take place on or refer to Haida Gwaii) and it is fair to say that they are all at the top of their games, writes Zoe Whittall. Crozier's Small Mechanics, Musgrave's Origami Dove, and Thesen's Oyama Pink Shale are simply stunning, says Whittall.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/three-poets-canadian-women-all-for-the-ages/article4259381/
Michael V. Smith's Progress is a tale of family love, betrayal, and deception, set in a small Ontario town about to be flooded by a huge dam. Helen Massey sees a workman fall from the face of the dam being built, encountering denial and cover-up when she reports the sight. Progress requires the keeping of secrets, and this is a book, most fundamentally, about secrets, writes Tom Sandborn.
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2012/08/11/Progress/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=130812
"Embrace the sweet lovely mess," says a character in Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins. She's talking about life, but could mean the multiple, intersecting storylines and numerous lives, writes Joel Yanofsky. Walter offers a change of scene, setting and point-of-view in each successive chapter.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Italian+hotelier+falls+actress/7039086/story.html
Richard Fitzpatrick's El Clasico: Barcelona v Real Madrid: Football's Greatest Rivalry is about soccer, styles, ideologies. and a history of hatred; e.g., when Johan Cruyff was pursued by Real Madrid, he said he would never play for a team "associated with Franco". A riveting read, writes Tim Lewis.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/03/clasico-barcelona-real-madrid-review
Just as Chilean post Pablo Neruda created odes to common things, writes Mary Ann Moore, so also is Lorna Crozier's gathering the universe around Bed, Chair, Coffee Pot, Ironing Board, Mirror, and other items in The Book of Marvels: A Compendium of Everyday Things.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Author+Lorna+Crozier+offers+tribute+everyday+objects/7071346/story.html
Zoe Whittall describes Marie-Claire Blais as Canada's very own Gertrude Stein, a rebel in a sea of boring, upstanding literary WASPs. One cannot skim, says Whittall; one must immerse and reread. If you put the time in, Mai at the Predator's Ball will reward you, writes Whittall.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/learning-to-read-marie-claire-blais/article4473062/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SUNSHINE COAST FESTIVAL OF THE WRITTEN ARTS
Canada's longest running summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers. Features Wayson Choy, Charlotte Gill, Patrick Lane, Ami McKay, Richard Wagamese and many others. Tickets on sale now! August 16-19, 2012. Sechelt, BC. Complete details at www.writersfestival.ca.
IMAGINING LIVES
Launch of Bernice Lever's latest book of poetry. Sunday, August 19 at 2:00pm. Collins Hall, 1122 Miller Road, Bowen Island.
MARISSA MEYER ONLINE AUTHOR VISIT
Interact with bestselling author of Cinder, Marissa Meyer, in the City Centre library's Computer Learning Centre. Hang out with other teens and ask Andrea questions through the TeenRC website. Snacks to follow! Wednesday, August 22 at 2:00pm. For more information and to reserve a spot, call 604-598-7426. City Centre Library, 10350 University Drive, Surrey.
Upcoming
SUMMER DREAMS LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL
Annual family-friendly celebration of literary arts features two stages, a kids' area, a marketplace, and over 90 performers, including headliner Barbara Adler and Fang, a local spoken-word artist who combines poetry with music. Saturday, August 25, 2012, free. Trout Lake Park, 3350 Victoria. More information at www.summerdreamsfest.com.
2012 PANDORA'S LITERARY AWARDS GALA
Pandora's Collective is proud to announce the recipients of the Pandora's Literary Awards for 2012. This year's awards winners will be honoured at a special gala to be held on Friday, August 24th at CBC Studio 700 (700 Hamilton Street, Vancouver). The night will be hosted by Charles Demers and will feature a performance by Mount Pleasant's Inchoiring Minds. Award presenters include George Bowering, Brian Kaufman, Sean Cranbury, Betsy Warland and RC Weslowski. 7pm (Doors open at 6:30pm), CBC Studio 700 (700 Hamilton St.), Free event, Food, Cash bar. Silent Auction. For more information on the winners and the event: https://sites.google.com/site/summerdreamsfest/home/gala.
VANCOUVER POETRY SLAM
Qualifying slam for poets to earn points for the playoffs in March 2013. Featuring Tanya Evanson. Monday, August 27 at 8:00p. Cost: $4/$6. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
(Please note New Location Starting September) Features Wayde Compton and Warren Dean Fulton + Open Mic. Thursday, September 6th at 7:00pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. @Cafe Montmartre, 4362 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
ANDREA LISTER
Writer and historian Andrea Lister follows the generations of determined women who fundraised, sewed, canned, and knitted to establish Chilliwack's first hospital. Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00pm. Chilliwack Library, 45860 First Avenue, Chilliwack.
JOHN VIGNA
Launch of the author's latest book, Bull Head. Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30pm. The Bourbon, 50 West Cordova Street, Vancouver. RSVP to bullheadlaunch@gmail.com.
WORD ON THE STREET
Features author readings, writing and publishing exhibits, musical entertainment, roving performers, children's activities, workshops, panels, books, and magazines. September 28-30, 2012. More information at wotsvan@thewordonthestreet.ca.
A POETIC WALK THROUGH NATURE
Join Vancouver's 100,000 Poets for Change on an Earthwalk. Poets will read select poems calling for the preservation of our beautiful forests and shorelines. A guest speaker will also present a narrative tour of the cultural history and natural habitat of Stanley Park. September 29 at 10:00am, free. For more information and to register, visit http://earthwalks11poets.eventbrite.com/.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Book News Vol. 7 No. 29
BOOK NEWS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Michael Chabon
September 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, talks about his latest book, Telegraph Avenue. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/michaelchabon
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Listen to the sixteenth installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear an exerpt from our special event at Frederic Wood Theatre on May 28, 2012 featuring Richard Ford. Details:
http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.
Special Offers
If being a member of the VIWF didn't already have enough benefits, we've added an extra incentive! Every two weeks new and renewing members will have a chance to win a book by a Festival or Incite author. At the end of August we'll have
a grand prize draw for a deluxe pack of Festival tickets - two tickets to any event of your choice for each day of the Festival! Sign up now here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_membership.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
Night author and activist Elie Wiesel has won the 2012 Chicago Tribune Literary Prize. Others honoured were Paul Hendrickson's Hemingway's Boat, for the 2012 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for nonfiction and Richard Ford's Canada, for
the 2012 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for fiction.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/books/ct-ent-0801-literary-prizes,0,4961596.story
The CBC Books and Scotiabank Giller Prize Readers' Choice contest is back. As we await the announcement of this year's long-list, CBC Books offers you a chance to share great Canadian literature you've discovered this past year. Rules
and regulations are here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/scotiabankgillerprize/readers-choice-2012-rules-and-regulations.html
Submit your nomination here:
http://3495051.polldaddy.com/s/sgp2012?pop=11
Michael Frayn's Skios has been long-listed for the Man Booker Prize.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/greece-gods-and-amiable-young-idiots-in-michael-frayns-latest/article4460668/
YOUNG READERS
Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity is a thrilling WWII spy drama for young adults, writes Mary Quattlebaum. This gripping story opens in occupied France, with Julie captured and being forced to write a confession for a Nazi interrogator.
This heart-in-your-mouth adventure has it all, says Quattlebaum. Ages 14 and up.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/elizabeth-weins-code-name-verity-thrilling-wwii-spy-drama-for-young-adults/2012/07/31/gJQAzGz2NX_story.html
The sight of a bug can send many an adult into a frenzy. It's no wonder, seeing such reactions on the part of adults, that children, too, might be inclined to squash a bug. Stephen, the central character in Jorge Luján's Stephen and the
Beetle, is such a child. Ages 4 to 7.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/Kids+holds+power+life+death+over+beetle/7039143/story.html#ixzz22d3srtXy
In Bon Appétit!: The Delicious Life of Julia Child, author/illustrator Jessie Hartland's hand-lettered text and funky gouache paintings go a long way toward capturing Julia Child's lively, irreverent approach to good food and good
eating, along with permission to "ask a grown-up to help you." Age 9 and up.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Kids+Introducing+young+cooks+Julia+Child/6996268/story.html
Author Kevin Sylvester writes about a less celebrated side of the Olympics, with people, ideas and events chosen for their unusualness. For the most part, the Gold Medals of Weird are safe–no one will be training to win one, and there
will be no rivals to worry about. These records (and their stories) will stand. Ages 7 to 12.
http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol14/no6/goldmedalforwierd.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Wattpad has announced the Attys, a new trophy for online verse named after Margaret Atwood. The Attys are specifically for digital poetry. Wattpad will accept entries from both amateurs and the more experienced. Atwood will be judging
the prize. Information about entering is here: http://www.wattpad.com/attys
The Guardin/Observer has reprinted a 1998 Gore Vidal essay on the origins of the Cold War.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/05/gore-vidal-origins-of-cold-war
Australian art critic and writer Robert Hughes, author of The Fatal Shore and Shock of the New, has died in New York. He was 74.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/07/robert-hughes-obit.html
James Joyce's Ulysses has topped poll after poll to be named the greatest novel of the 20th century, but according to Paulo Coelho, the book is "a twit", indeed is 'harmful' to literature.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/06/paulo-coelho-james-joyce-ulysses
Fears that pirated editions of JK Rowling's upcoming novel The Casual Vacancy could leak out will result in some foreign publishers (e.g., in Italy, Finland and Slovenia) not receiving copies until it is published in English. The novel
will be published on 27 September in the UK and the US.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jul/31/jk-rowling-casual-vacancy-translation-fears
Marilyn Monroe, who played the perennial dumb blonde was a comedian who created a parody of femininity. In Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox, Professor Lois Banner (U. of Southern California) writes that Monroe was a proto-feminist
who took control of her career which often created conflict with established Hollywood.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/03/marilyn-monroe-anniversary.html
John Banville, who fell in love with Monroe when he was ten, adds that: "Monroe was one of the 20th century's great clowns. What made MM so bewitching was that it was–all or almost all–an act.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/03/marilyn-monroe-banville-50-death
Mitt Romney recently quoted Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel in his (Romney's) discussion of disparities in the economic success of various countries. Diamond's response in a recent New York Times, includes, "...difference from what
my book says that I have to doubt whether Mr. Romney read it."
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-jc-mitt-romney-misunderstood-his-book-says-author-jared-diamond-20120802,0,2692855.story
Twitter and Tumblr are destroying literary criticism, writes Jacob Silverman, who blames a culture of niceness in online book culture.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/08/writers_and_readers_on_twitter_and_tumblr_we_need_more_criticism_less_liking_.html
Bardowl, a new streaming service, could soon challenge Amazon's Audible, writes Anna Baddeley. The main difference between Bardowl and its main rival, Amazon-owned Audible, is that you're streaming rather than downloading. Unlike
reading, you can listen to a book while doing other things.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/05/bardowl-audiobooks-spotify
Mark Billingham, author of the Tom Thorne detective series, criticised the growing self-publishing industry that allows writers to sell their work electronically for pence. Books sre devalued if they are sold for "less than half the
price of a cup of tea", says Billingham.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9449682/E-books-sold-for-price-of-a-cup-of-tea-are-harming-industry-says-author.html
An illustrated account of young Arthur Conan Doyle, ship's doctor on the Arctic whaler Hope–for which he ran away from his medical studies in Edinburgh–is to be published for the first time by the British Library, in a facsimile edition.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/06/arthurconandoyle-arctic
The Irish novelist John Banville, who writes crime fiction under the name Benjamin Black, will write a novel featuring Raymond Chandler's creation Philip Marlowe. The novel, which will be set in the 1940s in the fictional Californian
setting of Bay City, will be published next year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/10379479
CBC Books has a new contest. Last lines are so important. They are the final thought readers are left with. They conclude the story at hand but establish possibility for a future. Whether it be from the past or the present, from fiction
or non-fiction–the CBC wants to know what it is and why you love it. Post a comment on the website by Sunday, August 19, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The rules and regulations are here. Good luck!
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2012/08/whats-your-favourite-last-line-in-literature.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
"Kapuscinski" has long been one of Poland's few internationally recognized names, due to the unusual style of his literary reporting in The Emperor, The Soccer War and Shah of Shahs. Similarly, Artur Domoslawski's Ryszard Kapuscinski:
The Biography is not a conventional biography, writes Agnes Pyzik.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/02/ryszard-kapuscinski-biography-domoslawski-review
Dave Margoshes's loving fictionalized memoir about his father, Harry, is artfully executed in this collection of 14 loosely linked stories, writes Sharon Abron Drache. A grand tribute to Harry Morgenstern, resourcefully approximating the
novel his son believes he could have written, but never did, says Drache.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/dave-margoshess-stories-a-grand-tribute-to-his-father/article4454593/
Linda Holeman's fifth historical novel The Lost Souls of Angelkov takes place in 19th C. Russia, with the characters flung into the immense social changes of the time, especially the emancipation of the serfs. Plot is the driving force,
writes Candace Fertile.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/serfs-up-a-novel-of-angst-in-19th-century-russia/article4438746/
The title of Will Self's novel Umbrella derives from Joyce's "A brother is as easily forgotten as an umbrella". Umbrella, longlisted for the Booker Prize, is a dazzling feat of imagination and structure, writes Elizabeth Day, as she
learns why Self likes writing as a woman.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/05/will-self-umbrella-booker-interview
"Embrace the sweet lovely mess," says a character in Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins. She's talking about life, but could mean the multiple, intersecting storylines and numerous lives, writes Joel Yanofsky. Walter offers a change of scene,
setting and point-of-view in each successive chapter.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Italian+hotelier+falls+actress/7039086/story.html
Richard Fitzpatrick's El Clasico: Barcelona v Real Madrid: Football's Greatest Rivalry is about soccer, styles, ideologies. and a history of hatred; e.g., when Johan Cruyff was pursued by Real Madrid, he said he would never play for a
team "associated with Franco". A riveting read, writes Tim Lewis.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/03/clasico-barcelona-real-madrid-review
Alexander McCall Smith's A Conspiracy of Friends is an excellent tonic for whatever ails you, writes Laura Eggertson. Psychoanalyst Berthea Snark is the only mother in current literary fiction who longs to learn that her child was
switched at birth, says Eggertson.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/1234879--a-conspiracy-of-friends-by-alexander-mccall-smith-review
Naomi Beth Wakan, a "lovely old biddy from Gabriola" as she's been described with her approval, has found life as an 80 year old to be like a roller coaster. Hence A Roller-Coaster Ride: Thoughts on Aging, the title of her most recent
book. Whether facts or opinions, Wakan's words give food for thought writes Mary Ann Moore.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Gabriola+Island+writer+charts+path+into/6994477/story.html
A novel occasionally feels less like a book than a poignant passage of your own life, writes Donna Bailey Nurse. Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, describes Fry's pilgrimage to keep his dying friend alive.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/in-rachel-joyces-subtle-debut-an-impulse-becomes-a-pilgrimage/article4460314/
"How I wish the Canada Party, the one that this month produced Chris Cannon and Brent Calvert's America But Better: The Canada Party Manifesto were on the ballot at my polling place, writes David M. Shribman. Their manifesto–a 148 page
roadmap–possesses the key to reforming our politics," says Shribman.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/only-canada-can-save-america-according-to-this-manifesto/article4460036/
Joel Yanofsky writes that Jess Walter weaves a brilliantly tangled mess in his fine novel, Beautiful Ruins. Of course, there will be complications in this lopsided love story – a half century of them, adding Beautiful Ruins is a story
mainly about storytelling.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Italian+hotelier+falls+actress/7039086/story.html#ixzz22u5Abkxn
COMMUNITY EVENTS
ANAKANA SCHOFIELD
The Vancouver Book Club will host Anakana Schofield in conversation about her novel Malarkey. Thursday, August 9 at 7:00pm, free. Prophouse Cafe, 1636 Venables Ave., Vancouver. More information at vancouverisawesome.com/bookclub.
SUNSHINE COAST FESTIVAL OF THE WRITTEN ARTS
Canada's longest running summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers. Features Wayson Choy, Charlotte Gill, Patrick Lane, Ami McKay, Richard Wagamese and many others. Tickets on sale now! August 16-19, 2012. Sechelt, BC. Complete
details at www.writersfestival.ca.
Upcoming
SUMMER DREAMS LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL
Annual family-friendly celebration of literary arts features two stages, a kids' area, a marketplace, and over 90 performers, including headliner Barbara Adler and Fang, a local spoken-word artist who combines poetry with music.
Saturday, August 25, 2012, free. Trout Lake Park, 3350 Victoria. More information at www.summerdreamsfest.com.
A POETIC WALK THROUGH NATURE
Join Vancouver's 100,000 Poets for Change on an Earthwalk. Poets will read select poems calling for the preservation of our beautiful forests and shorelines. A guest speaker will also present a narrative tour of the cultural history and
natural habitat of Stanley Park. September 29 at 10:00am, free. For more information and to register, visit http://earthwalks11poets.eventbrite.com/.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Michael Chabon
September 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, talks about his latest book, Telegraph Avenue. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/michaelchabon
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Listen to the sixteenth installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear an exerpt from our special event at Frederic Wood Theatre on May 28, 2012 featuring Richard Ford. Details:
http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.
Special Offers
If being a member of the VIWF didn't already have enough benefits, we've added an extra incentive! Every two weeks new and renewing members will have a chance to win a book by a Festival or Incite author. At the end of August we'll have
a grand prize draw for a deluxe pack of Festival tickets - two tickets to any event of your choice for each day of the Festival! Sign up now here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_membership.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
Night author and activist Elie Wiesel has won the 2012 Chicago Tribune Literary Prize. Others honoured were Paul Hendrickson's Hemingway's Boat, for the 2012 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for nonfiction and Richard Ford's Canada, for
the 2012 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for fiction.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/books/ct-ent-0801-literary-prizes,0,4961596.story
The CBC Books and Scotiabank Giller Prize Readers' Choice contest is back. As we await the announcement of this year's long-list, CBC Books offers you a chance to share great Canadian literature you've discovered this past year. Rules
and regulations are here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/scotiabankgillerprize/readers-choice-2012-rules-and-regulations.html
Submit your nomination here:
http://3495051.polldaddy.com/s/sgp2012?pop=11
Michael Frayn's Skios has been long-listed for the Man Booker Prize.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/greece-gods-and-amiable-young-idiots-in-michael-frayns-latest/article4460668/
YOUNG READERS
Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity is a thrilling WWII spy drama for young adults, writes Mary Quattlebaum. This gripping story opens in occupied France, with Julie captured and being forced to write a confession for a Nazi interrogator.
This heart-in-your-mouth adventure has it all, says Quattlebaum. Ages 14 and up.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/elizabeth-weins-code-name-verity-thrilling-wwii-spy-drama-for-young-adults/2012/07/31/gJQAzGz2NX_story.html
The sight of a bug can send many an adult into a frenzy. It's no wonder, seeing such reactions on the part of adults, that children, too, might be inclined to squash a bug. Stephen, the central character in Jorge Luján's Stephen and the
Beetle, is such a child. Ages 4 to 7.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/Kids+holds+power+life+death+over+beetle/7039143/story.html#ixzz22d3srtXy
In Bon Appétit!: The Delicious Life of Julia Child, author/illustrator Jessie Hartland's hand-lettered text and funky gouache paintings go a long way toward capturing Julia Child's lively, irreverent approach to good food and good
eating, along with permission to "ask a grown-up to help you." Age 9 and up.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Kids+Introducing+young+cooks+Julia+Child/6996268/story.html
Author Kevin Sylvester writes about a less celebrated side of the Olympics, with people, ideas and events chosen for their unusualness. For the most part, the Gold Medals of Weird are safe–no one will be training to win one, and there
will be no rivals to worry about. These records (and their stories) will stand. Ages 7 to 12.
http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol14/no6/goldmedalforwierd.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Wattpad has announced the Attys, a new trophy for online verse named after Margaret Atwood. The Attys are specifically for digital poetry. Wattpad will accept entries from both amateurs and the more experienced. Atwood will be judging
the prize. Information about entering is here: http://www.wattpad.com/attys
The Guardin/Observer has reprinted a 1998 Gore Vidal essay on the origins of the Cold War.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/05/gore-vidal-origins-of-cold-war
Australian art critic and writer Robert Hughes, author of The Fatal Shore and Shock of the New, has died in New York. He was 74.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/07/robert-hughes-obit.html
James Joyce's Ulysses has topped poll after poll to be named the greatest novel of the 20th century, but according to Paulo Coelho, the book is "a twit", indeed is 'harmful' to literature.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/06/paulo-coelho-james-joyce-ulysses
Fears that pirated editions of JK Rowling's upcoming novel The Casual Vacancy could leak out will result in some foreign publishers (e.g., in Italy, Finland and Slovenia) not receiving copies until it is published in English. The novel
will be published on 27 September in the UK and the US.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jul/31/jk-rowling-casual-vacancy-translation-fears
Marilyn Monroe, who played the perennial dumb blonde was a comedian who created a parody of femininity. In Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox, Professor Lois Banner (U. of Southern California) writes that Monroe was a proto-feminist
who took control of her career which often created conflict with established Hollywood.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/03/marilyn-monroe-anniversary.html
John Banville, who fell in love with Monroe when he was ten, adds that: "Monroe was one of the 20th century's great clowns. What made MM so bewitching was that it was–all or almost all–an act.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/03/marilyn-monroe-banville-50-death
Mitt Romney recently quoted Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel in his (Romney's) discussion of disparities in the economic success of various countries. Diamond's response in a recent New York Times, includes, "...difference from what
my book says that I have to doubt whether Mr. Romney read it."
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-jc-mitt-romney-misunderstood-his-book-says-author-jared-diamond-20120802,0,2692855.story
Twitter and Tumblr are destroying literary criticism, writes Jacob Silverman, who blames a culture of niceness in online book culture.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/08/writers_and_readers_on_twitter_and_tumblr_we_need_more_criticism_less_liking_.html
Bardowl, a new streaming service, could soon challenge Amazon's Audible, writes Anna Baddeley. The main difference between Bardowl and its main rival, Amazon-owned Audible, is that you're streaming rather than downloading. Unlike
reading, you can listen to a book while doing other things.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/05/bardowl-audiobooks-spotify
Mark Billingham, author of the Tom Thorne detective series, criticised the growing self-publishing industry that allows writers to sell their work electronically for pence. Books sre devalued if they are sold for "less than half the
price of a cup of tea", says Billingham.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9449682/E-books-sold-for-price-of-a-cup-of-tea-are-harming-industry-says-author.html
An illustrated account of young Arthur Conan Doyle, ship's doctor on the Arctic whaler Hope–for which he ran away from his medical studies in Edinburgh–is to be published for the first time by the British Library, in a facsimile edition.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/06/arthurconandoyle-arctic
The Irish novelist John Banville, who writes crime fiction under the name Benjamin Black, will write a novel featuring Raymond Chandler's creation Philip Marlowe. The novel, which will be set in the 1940s in the fictional Californian
setting of Bay City, will be published next year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/10379479
CBC Books has a new contest. Last lines are so important. They are the final thought readers are left with. They conclude the story at hand but establish possibility for a future. Whether it be from the past or the present, from fiction
or non-fiction–the CBC wants to know what it is and why you love it. Post a comment on the website by Sunday, August 19, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The rules and regulations are here. Good luck!
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2012/08/whats-your-favourite-last-line-in-literature.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
"Kapuscinski" has long been one of Poland's few internationally recognized names, due to the unusual style of his literary reporting in The Emperor, The Soccer War and Shah of Shahs. Similarly, Artur Domoslawski's Ryszard Kapuscinski:
The Biography is not a conventional biography, writes Agnes Pyzik.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/02/ryszard-kapuscinski-biography-domoslawski-review
Dave Margoshes's loving fictionalized memoir about his father, Harry, is artfully executed in this collection of 14 loosely linked stories, writes Sharon Abron Drache. A grand tribute to Harry Morgenstern, resourcefully approximating the
novel his son believes he could have written, but never did, says Drache.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/dave-margoshess-stories-a-grand-tribute-to-his-father/article4454593/
Linda Holeman's fifth historical novel The Lost Souls of Angelkov takes place in 19th C. Russia, with the characters flung into the immense social changes of the time, especially the emancipation of the serfs. Plot is the driving force,
writes Candace Fertile.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/serfs-up-a-novel-of-angst-in-19th-century-russia/article4438746/
The title of Will Self's novel Umbrella derives from Joyce's "A brother is as easily forgotten as an umbrella". Umbrella, longlisted for the Booker Prize, is a dazzling feat of imagination and structure, writes Elizabeth Day, as she
learns why Self likes writing as a woman.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/05/will-self-umbrella-booker-interview
"Embrace the sweet lovely mess," says a character in Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins. She's talking about life, but could mean the multiple, intersecting storylines and numerous lives, writes Joel Yanofsky. Walter offers a change of scene,
setting and point-of-view in each successive chapter.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Italian+hotelier+falls+actress/7039086/story.html
Richard Fitzpatrick's El Clasico: Barcelona v Real Madrid: Football's Greatest Rivalry is about soccer, styles, ideologies. and a history of hatred; e.g., when Johan Cruyff was pursued by Real Madrid, he said he would never play for a
team "associated with Franco". A riveting read, writes Tim Lewis.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/03/clasico-barcelona-real-madrid-review
Alexander McCall Smith's A Conspiracy of Friends is an excellent tonic for whatever ails you, writes Laura Eggertson. Psychoanalyst Berthea Snark is the only mother in current literary fiction who longs to learn that her child was
switched at birth, says Eggertson.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/1234879--a-conspiracy-of-friends-by-alexander-mccall-smith-review
Naomi Beth Wakan, a "lovely old biddy from Gabriola" as she's been described with her approval, has found life as an 80 year old to be like a roller coaster. Hence A Roller-Coaster Ride: Thoughts on Aging, the title of her most recent
book. Whether facts or opinions, Wakan's words give food for thought writes Mary Ann Moore.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Gabriola+Island+writer+charts+path+into/6994477/story.html
A novel occasionally feels less like a book than a poignant passage of your own life, writes Donna Bailey Nurse. Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, describes Fry's pilgrimage to keep his dying friend alive.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/in-rachel-joyces-subtle-debut-an-impulse-becomes-a-pilgrimage/article4460314/
"How I wish the Canada Party, the one that this month produced Chris Cannon and Brent Calvert's America But Better: The Canada Party Manifesto were on the ballot at my polling place, writes David M. Shribman. Their manifesto–a 148 page
roadmap–possesses the key to reforming our politics," says Shribman.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/only-canada-can-save-america-according-to-this-manifesto/article4460036/
Joel Yanofsky writes that Jess Walter weaves a brilliantly tangled mess in his fine novel, Beautiful Ruins. Of course, there will be complications in this lopsided love story – a half century of them, adding Beautiful Ruins is a story
mainly about storytelling.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Italian+hotelier+falls+actress/7039086/story.html#ixzz22u5Abkxn
COMMUNITY EVENTS
ANAKANA SCHOFIELD
The Vancouver Book Club will host Anakana Schofield in conversation about her novel Malarkey. Thursday, August 9 at 7:00pm, free. Prophouse Cafe, 1636 Venables Ave., Vancouver. More information at vancouverisawesome.com/bookclub.
SUNSHINE COAST FESTIVAL OF THE WRITTEN ARTS
Canada's longest running summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers. Features Wayson Choy, Charlotte Gill, Patrick Lane, Ami McKay, Richard Wagamese and many others. Tickets on sale now! August 16-19, 2012. Sechelt, BC. Complete
details at www.writersfestival.ca.
Upcoming
SUMMER DREAMS LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL
Annual family-friendly celebration of literary arts features two stages, a kids' area, a marketplace, and over 90 performers, including headliner Barbara Adler and Fang, a local spoken-word artist who combines poetry with music.
Saturday, August 25, 2012, free. Trout Lake Park, 3350 Victoria. More information at www.summerdreamsfest.com.
A POETIC WALK THROUGH NATURE
Join Vancouver's 100,000 Poets for Change on an Earthwalk. Poets will read select poems calling for the preservation of our beautiful forests and shorelines. A guest speaker will also present a narrative tour of the cultural history and
natural habitat of Stanley Park. September 29 at 10:00am, free. For more information and to register, visit http://earthwalks11poets.eventbrite.com/.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Book News Vol. 7 No. 28
BOOK NEWS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Michael Chabon
September 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, talks about his latest book, Telegraph Avenue. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/michaelchabon
Writing the Unthinkable: Public Workshop with Lynda Barry
September 30, 10am to 1pm
Studio 1989
Following the sell-out success of her 2010 Festival appearances, Lynda Barry is back with her extraordinary workshop for established and aspiring writers.
"Lynda Barry is inspirational, motivating and affirming"–R.L. 2010 Writers Fest Event Attendee
Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/lyndabarry
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Listen to the fifteenth installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear an exerpt from 2010's "Short Stories" featuring Ivan E. Coyote, Billie Livingston, Sarah Selecky and Terence Young. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.
Special Offers
If being a member of the VIWF didn't already have enough benefits, we've added an extra incentive! Every two weeks new and renewing members will have a chance to win a book by a Festival or Incite author. At the end of August we'll have a grand prize draw for a deluxe pack of Festival tickets - two tickets to any event of your choice for each day of the Festival! Sign up now here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_membership.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
The American Library Association has awarded Anne Enright and Robert K. Massie the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. Enright was recognized for her novel The Forgotten Waltz; Massie, for his biography, Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman. Each author will receive a medal and $5,000.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/books/ct-prj-ala-update,0,2443459.story
During the Leacock Summer Festival in Orillia, Ontario last weekend, Richard Gwyn, Patrick deWitt, Goran Simic, and Ryan Flavelle were declared winners of The Canadian Authors Association's (CAA) 2012 Literary Awards. Full story:
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=baatlveab&v=001xdqoBdbuEqDFOmorzu9ddAU4IJR4FSXtibsCk1A-bcXci7TR5NUMVMfu_TkoJQZnH_xHix48funLbr1ITFlLQZDe6dIXOSGRd4AiQ3tamRw%3D
Rhea Tregebov's The Knife Sharpener's Bell has been nominated for Manitoba Reads 2012. 12 titles are in the running for the honour-and you can have your say! Public voting is open until August 12th and you may vote once per day.
http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=43b06605efcded4816916b918&id=fd3dd4e7a9&e=78a0c54425
YOUNG READERS
At the Ministry of Stories' Children's Republic of Shoreditch, Nick Hornby got pictures of Mary Poppins and King Henry VIII. Read his story and find out how he tackled the combination, and what happened when Mary Poppins told the king to tidy his room. Up to 11 years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/jul/26/nick-hornby-mary-poppins-henry-exclusive-short-story
Sarah Garland's Azzi in Between is a picture book that introduces children to what it is like to be a refugee child. One of the most involving stories I have read in a while, writes Kate Kellaway. Everyone should read it. For all ages.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/data/book/unclassified/9781847802613/azzi-in-between
Cassie Waters' Heat Wave, one of the "Pool Girls" series, is perfect for readers ages 8 to 12. The swim team's star swimmer breaks her leg and Grace must fill in for her. The problem is that Grace isn't a very good swimmer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/you-might-also-like-heat-wave/2012/07/24/gJQABFaK7W_story.html
In Billie Livingston's One Good Hustle, Burnaby teenager Sammie Bell, tough but sweet, relies on her friends for survival since her parents have essentially abandoned her. But, writes Jennifer Hunter, Livingston reminds us children often love their parents no matter what. For ages 14 and up.
http://www.thestar.com/news/books/article/1231518--one-good-hustle
NEWS & FEATURES
Millions of readers around the world will miss Maeve Binchy as a writer who spoke to them so directly that they felt she was their friend, writes Felicity Hayes-McCoy. This includes Writers Festival attendees who flocked to her events here. Maeve Binchy died in Dublin Monday, at the age of 72.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/31/maeve-binchy-miss-you
Marsha Lederman describes how Maeve Binchy taught her how to find a happy ending.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/how-maeve-binchy-helped-me-find-a-happy-ending/article4452821/
US writer and contrarian Gore Vidal, one of the towering figures of American cultural and political life for more than six decades, has died aged 86. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/01/gore-vidal-dies-aged-86
Every summer, everyone and their uncle wants to tell you what to read at the beach. As the summer hits mid-stride, the LA Times offers the anti-beach reading list: nine books that you need not, nay, that you SHOULD not read at the beach.
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-jc-9-books-not-to-read-at-the-beach-20120717,0,441020.story
Mobile services company Orange announced in May that it was ending its 17-year sponsorship of the Orange Prize. A new sponsor for the Prize will be announced in September, after 18 companies expressed an interest in backing the prize. The £30,000 prize recognizes English language fiction written by women.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18856829
Tales of an Inuvialuit girl's resistance and triumph in Fatty Legs: A Residential School Story has become a best selling sensation among 'middle' readers., writes Robyn Smith. A follow-up book, A Stranger at Home, was published last year. Authors Margaret Pokiak-Fenton and Christy Jordan-Fenton plan to turn these stories into a picture book for young children.
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2012/07/30/Fatty-Legs/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=300712
Mystery solved. It had begun with the decision to use a pen name for some poetry and a pseudonym for some other writing. Michael Redhill has now revealed that Inger Ash Wolfe is a pseudonym he has used in the past.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-real-inger-ash-wolfe-stands-up/article4444252/
A collection of rare books, including an illustrated copy of Paradise Lost, has been discovered in a hidden cupboard in a Scottish library. The collection includes a 1538 edition of letters by Roman philosopher Cicero and an 1827 illustrated edition of John Milton's Paradise Lost – one of only 50 copies.
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/features/rare-books-discovered-in-hidden-cupboard-1-2438900
A theatre director's mother rescued Michael Morpurgo's young-adult novel War Horse from obscurity, and along with the work of South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, set it on course to become the most popular new play of the 21st century.
http://www.sfgate.com/performance/article/How-War-Horse-became-a-puppet-3723057.php
The combination of The Penguin Group's acquisition of upstart vanity publisher Author Solutions Inc., that earns most of its income by charging amateur authors hefty fees to produce unsellable books, and sales shifting to heavily discounted, royalty-poor and easily pirated ebooks leads John Barber to predict that there will be no professional writers in the future.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/there-will-be-no-more-professional-writers-in-the-future/article4441060/
Hanging on the coattails of Fifty Shades of Grey, a U.K. publisher is releasing R-rated versions of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and A Study in Scarlet. Reader response, to date, is mixed.
http://www.thestar.com/news/books/article/1231238---mommy-porn-opens-door-for-erotic-retelling-of-jane-eyre-pride-and-prejudice
From his new home base in Brooklyn, Martin Amis talks to David Wallace-Wells about sex, porn, rioting, the difference between London and New York, his new novel Lionel Asbo, and the dwindling fortunes of postmodernist literature and American empire.
http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/martin-amis-2012-7/
Arts, along with athletics, were a part of the Olympics nearly from the start. From 1912 to 1952, juries awarded a total of 151 medals to original works in the fine arts inspired by athletic endeavors, alongside those for the athletic competitions.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/When-the-Olympics-Gave-Out-Medals-for-Art-163705106.html#ixzz21rHsVFAC
Poet Priscila Uppal will reprise the role she played as the first Olympic poet-in-residence to Canadian athletes at Vancouver, where she tested her own endurance and performance skills by pumping out two sports poems a day.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/poet-priscila-uppals-olympian-challenge/article4445289/
Oppal's daily poetic feed can be found here:
http://games.reviewcanada.ca/
In a conversation on a life in writing, Tim Parks says to Sarah Crown, "I couldn't really see a painting or a film or a game of football until I had thought about it in words, or preferably talked about it, or better still, written about it."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jul/27/tim-parks-life-in-writing
Alan Bissett raises several issues on the apparent bias of the Booker prize. A disproportionate number of English prize-winners; a storm of controversy when a prize went to one Scot. Bissett's provocative article can be found here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/jul/27/booker-prize-bias-english
BOOKS & WRITERS
Liza Klaussmann is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Herman Melville, but it's her grandmother who inspired her first novel, Tigers in Red Weather, written from the point of view of five different characters, offering a fractured portrait of truth within one family.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/07/25/liza-klaussmann-video.html
In the summer, it isn't easy being German, writes Hector Tobar. For a few weeks, the famously efficient German work routine grinds to a halt. In Summer Lies, Bernhard Schlink's new collection of short stories, characters suffer through the forced intimacy of their family vacations.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-bernhard-schlink-20120729,0,737108.story
Mario Vargas Llosa's The Dream of the Celt writes of Roger Casement, whose work on human rights abuses in Congo and Peru led to his discovering Ireland was subject to the same abuse—and his arrest for treason. A brilliant exploration of conflicting moral claims, says Luis Alberto Urrea.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/mario-vargas-llosas-the-dream-of-the-celt/2012/07/23/gJQAKAiJ5W_story.html
While Grace is cross-country skiing, she comes across a man lying face down in the snow. Someone is suffering, and someone else must decide just how far their duty to help goes. Alix Ohlin's Inside is both easily accessible and demanding, writes Ian McGillis.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/does+duty+help/6996206/story.html
Deborah Harkness welcomes readers back to the world of Diana Bishop with Shadow of Night, which picks up moments after the cliffhanger ending of the earlier book. Diana and Matthew flee into the past to escape witches who want Diana under their control — or dead.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Shadow+Night+escapes+England+1590s/6994480/story.html
Linda Holeman's fifth historical novel The Lost Souls of Angelkov takes place in 19th C. Russia, with the characters flung into the immense social changes of the time, especially the emancipation of the serfs. Plot is the driving force, writes Candace Fertile.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/serfs-up-a-novel-of-angst-in-19th-century-russia/article4438746/
Meaghan Delahunt's To the Island creates yearning for the Greek Islands and creates connections between individuals whose hearts had been broken (due to abandonment and imprisonment). Delahunt deftly reflects how people sometimes cannot remove those spaces even when they want to, writes Tracy Sherlock.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Greek+island+home+family+ties/6994482/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
QUEEROTICA
Readings by Ken Boesem, Kate Bornstein, Tony Correia, Amber Dawn, C.E. Gatchalian, Hiromi Goto, Elaine Miller, Micheal V Smith, and Charlie Spats. Tuesday, August 7 at 8:00pm. Admission by donation. Roundhouse Community Arts, 181 Roundhouse Mews. More information at queerartsfestival.com.
ANAKANA SCHOFIELD
The Vancouver Book Club will host Anakana Schofield in conversation about her novel Malarkey. Thursday, August 9 at 7:00pm, free. Prophouse Cafe, 1636 Venables Ave., Vancouver. More information at vancouverisawesome.com/bookclub.
Upcoming
SUNSHINE COAST FESTIVAL OF THE WRITTEN ARTS
Canada's longest running summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers. Features Wayson Choy, Charlotte Gill, Patrick Lane, Ami McKay, Richard Wagamese and many others. Tickets on sale now! August 16-19, 2012. Sechelt, BC. Complete details at www.writersfestival.ca.
SUMMER DREAMS LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL
Annual family-friendly celebration of literary arts features two stages, a kids' area, a marketplace, and over 90 performers, including headliner Barbara Adler and Fang, a local spoken-word artist who combines poetry with music. Saturday, August 25, 2012, free. Trout Lake Park, 3350 Victoria. More information at www.summerdreamsfest.com.
A POETIC WALK THROUGH NATURE
Join Vancouver's 100,000 Poets for Change on an Earthwalk. Poets will read select poems calling for the preservation of our beautiful forests and shorelines. A guest speaker will also present a narrative tour of the cultural history and natural habitat of Stanley Park. September 29 at 10:00am, free. For more information and to register, visit http://earthwalks11poets.eventbrite.com/.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Michael Chabon
September 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, talks about his latest book, Telegraph Avenue. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/michaelchabon
Writing the Unthinkable: Public Workshop with Lynda Barry
September 30, 10am to 1pm
Studio 1989
Following the sell-out success of her 2010 Festival appearances, Lynda Barry is back with her extraordinary workshop for established and aspiring writers.
"Lynda Barry is inspirational, motivating and affirming"–R.L. 2010 Writers Fest Event Attendee
Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/lyndabarry
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Listen to the fifteenth installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear an exerpt from 2010's "Short Stories" featuring Ivan E. Coyote, Billie Livingston, Sarah Selecky and Terence Young. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.
Special Offers
If being a member of the VIWF didn't already have enough benefits, we've added an extra incentive! Every two weeks new and renewing members will have a chance to win a book by a Festival or Incite author. At the end of August we'll have a grand prize draw for a deluxe pack of Festival tickets - two tickets to any event of your choice for each day of the Festival! Sign up now here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_membership.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
The American Library Association has awarded Anne Enright and Robert K. Massie the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. Enright was recognized for her novel The Forgotten Waltz; Massie, for his biography, Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman. Each author will receive a medal and $5,000.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/books/ct-prj-ala-update,0,2443459.story
During the Leacock Summer Festival in Orillia, Ontario last weekend, Richard Gwyn, Patrick deWitt, Goran Simic, and Ryan Flavelle were declared winners of The Canadian Authors Association's (CAA) 2012 Literary Awards. Full story:
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=baatlveab&v=001xdqoBdbuEqDFOmorzu9ddAU4IJR4FSXtibsCk1A-bcXci7TR5NUMVMfu_TkoJQZnH_xHix48funLbr1ITFlLQZDe6dIXOSGRd4AiQ3tamRw%3D
Rhea Tregebov's The Knife Sharpener's Bell has been nominated for Manitoba Reads 2012. 12 titles are in the running for the honour-and you can have your say! Public voting is open until August 12th and you may vote once per day.
http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=43b06605efcded4816916b918&id=fd3dd4e7a9&e=78a0c54425
YOUNG READERS
At the Ministry of Stories' Children's Republic of Shoreditch, Nick Hornby got pictures of Mary Poppins and King Henry VIII. Read his story and find out how he tackled the combination, and what happened when Mary Poppins told the king to tidy his room. Up to 11 years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/jul/26/nick-hornby-mary-poppins-henry-exclusive-short-story
Sarah Garland's Azzi in Between is a picture book that introduces children to what it is like to be a refugee child. One of the most involving stories I have read in a while, writes Kate Kellaway. Everyone should read it. For all ages.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/data/book/unclassified/9781847802613/azzi-in-between
Cassie Waters' Heat Wave, one of the "Pool Girls" series, is perfect for readers ages 8 to 12. The swim team's star swimmer breaks her leg and Grace must fill in for her. The problem is that Grace isn't a very good swimmer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/you-might-also-like-heat-wave/2012/07/24/gJQABFaK7W_story.html
In Billie Livingston's One Good Hustle, Burnaby teenager Sammie Bell, tough but sweet, relies on her friends for survival since her parents have essentially abandoned her. But, writes Jennifer Hunter, Livingston reminds us children often love their parents no matter what. For ages 14 and up.
http://www.thestar.com/news/books/article/1231518--one-good-hustle
NEWS & FEATURES
Millions of readers around the world will miss Maeve Binchy as a writer who spoke to them so directly that they felt she was their friend, writes Felicity Hayes-McCoy. This includes Writers Festival attendees who flocked to her events here. Maeve Binchy died in Dublin Monday, at the age of 72.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/31/maeve-binchy-miss-you
Marsha Lederman describes how Maeve Binchy taught her how to find a happy ending.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/how-maeve-binchy-helped-me-find-a-happy-ending/article4452821/
US writer and contrarian Gore Vidal, one of the towering figures of American cultural and political life for more than six decades, has died aged 86. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/01/gore-vidal-dies-aged-86
Every summer, everyone and their uncle wants to tell you what to read at the beach. As the summer hits mid-stride, the LA Times offers the anti-beach reading list: nine books that you need not, nay, that you SHOULD not read at the beach.
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-jc-9-books-not-to-read-at-the-beach-20120717,0,441020.story
Mobile services company Orange announced in May that it was ending its 17-year sponsorship of the Orange Prize. A new sponsor for the Prize will be announced in September, after 18 companies expressed an interest in backing the prize. The £30,000 prize recognizes English language fiction written by women.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18856829
Tales of an Inuvialuit girl's resistance and triumph in Fatty Legs: A Residential School Story has become a best selling sensation among 'middle' readers., writes Robyn Smith. A follow-up book, A Stranger at Home, was published last year. Authors Margaret Pokiak-Fenton and Christy Jordan-Fenton plan to turn these stories into a picture book for young children.
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2012/07/30/Fatty-Legs/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=300712
Mystery solved. It had begun with the decision to use a pen name for some poetry and a pseudonym for some other writing. Michael Redhill has now revealed that Inger Ash Wolfe is a pseudonym he has used in the past.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-real-inger-ash-wolfe-stands-up/article4444252/
A collection of rare books, including an illustrated copy of Paradise Lost, has been discovered in a hidden cupboard in a Scottish library. The collection includes a 1538 edition of letters by Roman philosopher Cicero and an 1827 illustrated edition of John Milton's Paradise Lost – one of only 50 copies.
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/features/rare-books-discovered-in-hidden-cupboard-1-2438900
A theatre director's mother rescued Michael Morpurgo's young-adult novel War Horse from obscurity, and along with the work of South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, set it on course to become the most popular new play of the 21st century.
http://www.sfgate.com/performance/article/How-War-Horse-became-a-puppet-3723057.php
The combination of The Penguin Group's acquisition of upstart vanity publisher Author Solutions Inc., that earns most of its income by charging amateur authors hefty fees to produce unsellable books, and sales shifting to heavily discounted, royalty-poor and easily pirated ebooks leads John Barber to predict that there will be no professional writers in the future.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/there-will-be-no-more-professional-writers-in-the-future/article4441060/
Hanging on the coattails of Fifty Shades of Grey, a U.K. publisher is releasing R-rated versions of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and A Study in Scarlet. Reader response, to date, is mixed.
http://www.thestar.com/news/books/article/1231238---mommy-porn-opens-door-for-erotic-retelling-of-jane-eyre-pride-and-prejudice
From his new home base in Brooklyn, Martin Amis talks to David Wallace-Wells about sex, porn, rioting, the difference between London and New York, his new novel Lionel Asbo, and the dwindling fortunes of postmodernist literature and American empire.
http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/martin-amis-2012-7/
Arts, along with athletics, were a part of the Olympics nearly from the start. From 1912 to 1952, juries awarded a total of 151 medals to original works in the fine arts inspired by athletic endeavors, alongside those for the athletic competitions.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/When-the-Olympics-Gave-Out-Medals-for-Art-163705106.html#ixzz21rHsVFAC
Poet Priscila Uppal will reprise the role she played as the first Olympic poet-in-residence to Canadian athletes at Vancouver, where she tested her own endurance and performance skills by pumping out two sports poems a day.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/poet-priscila-uppals-olympian-challenge/article4445289/
Oppal's daily poetic feed can be found here:
http://games.reviewcanada.ca/
In a conversation on a life in writing, Tim Parks says to Sarah Crown, "I couldn't really see a painting or a film or a game of football until I had thought about it in words, or preferably talked about it, or better still, written about it."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jul/27/tim-parks-life-in-writing
Alan Bissett raises several issues on the apparent bias of the Booker prize. A disproportionate number of English prize-winners; a storm of controversy when a prize went to one Scot. Bissett's provocative article can be found here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/jul/27/booker-prize-bias-english
BOOKS & WRITERS
Liza Klaussmann is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Herman Melville, but it's her grandmother who inspired her first novel, Tigers in Red Weather, written from the point of view of five different characters, offering a fractured portrait of truth within one family.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/07/25/liza-klaussmann-video.html
In the summer, it isn't easy being German, writes Hector Tobar. For a few weeks, the famously efficient German work routine grinds to a halt. In Summer Lies, Bernhard Schlink's new collection of short stories, characters suffer through the forced intimacy of their family vacations.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-bernhard-schlink-20120729,0,737108.story
Mario Vargas Llosa's The Dream of the Celt writes of Roger Casement, whose work on human rights abuses in Congo and Peru led to his discovering Ireland was subject to the same abuse—and his arrest for treason. A brilliant exploration of conflicting moral claims, says Luis Alberto Urrea.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/mario-vargas-llosas-the-dream-of-the-celt/2012/07/23/gJQAKAiJ5W_story.html
While Grace is cross-country skiing, she comes across a man lying face down in the snow. Someone is suffering, and someone else must decide just how far their duty to help goes. Alix Ohlin's Inside is both easily accessible and demanding, writes Ian McGillis.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/does+duty+help/6996206/story.html
Deborah Harkness welcomes readers back to the world of Diana Bishop with Shadow of Night, which picks up moments after the cliffhanger ending of the earlier book. Diana and Matthew flee into the past to escape witches who want Diana under their control — or dead.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Shadow+Night+escapes+England+1590s/6994480/story.html
Linda Holeman's fifth historical novel The Lost Souls of Angelkov takes place in 19th C. Russia, with the characters flung into the immense social changes of the time, especially the emancipation of the serfs. Plot is the driving force, writes Candace Fertile.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/serfs-up-a-novel-of-angst-in-19th-century-russia/article4438746/
Meaghan Delahunt's To the Island creates yearning for the Greek Islands and creates connections between individuals whose hearts had been broken (due to abandonment and imprisonment). Delahunt deftly reflects how people sometimes cannot remove those spaces even when they want to, writes Tracy Sherlock.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Greek+island+home+family+ties/6994482/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
QUEEROTICA
Readings by Ken Boesem, Kate Bornstein, Tony Correia, Amber Dawn, C.E. Gatchalian, Hiromi Goto, Elaine Miller, Micheal V Smith, and Charlie Spats. Tuesday, August 7 at 8:00pm. Admission by donation. Roundhouse Community Arts, 181 Roundhouse Mews. More information at queerartsfestival.com.
ANAKANA SCHOFIELD
The Vancouver Book Club will host Anakana Schofield in conversation about her novel Malarkey. Thursday, August 9 at 7:00pm, free. Prophouse Cafe, 1636 Venables Ave., Vancouver. More information at vancouverisawesome.com/bookclub.
Upcoming
SUNSHINE COAST FESTIVAL OF THE WRITTEN ARTS
Canada's longest running summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers. Features Wayson Choy, Charlotte Gill, Patrick Lane, Ami McKay, Richard Wagamese and many others. Tickets on sale now! August 16-19, 2012. Sechelt, BC. Complete details at www.writersfestival.ca.
SUMMER DREAMS LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL
Annual family-friendly celebration of literary arts features two stages, a kids' area, a marketplace, and over 90 performers, including headliner Barbara Adler and Fang, a local spoken-word artist who combines poetry with music. Saturday, August 25, 2012, free. Trout Lake Park, 3350 Victoria. More information at www.summerdreamsfest.com.
A POETIC WALK THROUGH NATURE
Join Vancouver's 100,000 Poets for Change on an Earthwalk. Poets will read select poems calling for the preservation of our beautiful forests and shorelines. A guest speaker will also present a narrative tour of the cultural history and natural habitat of Stanley Park. September 29 at 10:00am, free. For more information and to register, visit http://earthwalks11poets.eventbrite.com/.
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