Book News Vol. 5 No. 38

BOOK NEWS

Important Notice
Tickets go on sale for the 23rd Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival on September 8. You can get full information on our web site, www.writersfest.bc.ca. To ensure you get tickets to the events you really want to see, become a member for just $35. Tickets went on sale to members September 1. Membership information at http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/get-involved/membership.

Just Announced
In the four years since its release Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen has sold millions of copies worldwide and is now available in 44 languages. Her highly anticipated new novel, Ape House, will be released this September and we are happy to announce a special event with her on November 4. This is a rare opportunity to this master storyteller share her fascination with the Bonobo ape. Details here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/gruen.

Virtual Festival
The latest recording in our recently launched series of archived events from Festivals-past features Maile Meloy. Picking up hitchhikers is risky any time, no less on a snowy evening when your passengers turn out to be named Bonnie and Clyde. http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives

Special Events

John Vaillant
The author of the multi-award-winning The Golden Spruce will discuss his new book The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival, a gripping tale of man and nature in collision, that leads inexorably to a final showdown in a clearing deep in the Siberian forest. Details here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/vaillant.

Vit Wagner describes John Vaillant's work as "true crime books with a wilderness twist". When Vaillant saw the film Conflict Tiger, which inspired his writing The Tiger, he thought: "My God, this is The Golden Spruce with stripes."
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/854518--vengeful-eye-of-the-tiger

In his review of The Tiger in the Montreal Gazette, Eric Boodman reports that John Vaillant allows the reader to see through the eyes of a Russian poacher and a wildlife protection agent; he also permits us to inhabit the mind and body of the eponymous tiger. Vaillant's "superbly crafted story…keeps us glued to the page."
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Through+tiger/3451120/story.html

Read Vaillant's magnificent book, writes John McMurtrie in the San Francisco Chronicle: "The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival offers readers a shiver-inducing portrait of a predator that has been revered - and feared - like no other animal."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/27/RVF71F31EL.DTL

Alissa York and Richard Harvell
Please join us as Giller-shortlisted author Alissa York and debut novelist Richard Harvell read from their new works. Details at http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/yorkharvell.


2010 FESTIVAL AUTHORS
The following authors are among those appearing at the Festival in October or participating in special events in the fall.

Kamila Shamsie is one of a new generation of several Pakistani writers in English (many of whom are under 40) who, according to Piali Roy, have created a literature that has finally sidestepped India's much ballyhooed reputation.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/after-the-flood/article1691325/

Arifa Akbar's interview with David Mitchell elicits the information that Mitchell deliberately changes the terms of storytelling with each book "because it allows for infinite possibilities". http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/david-mitchell-readers-enable-me-to-continue-to-do-what-i-love-prizes-wont-do-that-for-you-2063013.html

David Grossman speaks to The Observer about his novel To the End of the Land, a memorial to his son who was killed while serving in the army, and why he remains an opponent of his country's policy towards the Palestinians.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/29/david-grossman-israel-hezbollah-interview

Linda Grants writes that Grossman has aimed as high as it is possible to do in a novel that deals with the great questions of love, intimacy, war, memory and fear of personal and national annihilation - and has overwhelmingly achieved everything.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/to-the-end-of-the-land-by-david-grossman-trans-jessica-cohen-2063011.html

Emma Donahue writes about her hero Anne Lister, who isn't exactly a hero.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/28/anne-lister-by-emma-donoghue

Candace Fertile describes Kathleen Winter's Annabel as "a beautifully sensitive novel, populated with realistic characters and led by a powerful sense of place".
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Birth+intersex+child+spurs+exploration+human+heart/3454651/story.html

John Barber profiles Jane Urquhart in the Globe and Mail. Her latest novel Sanctuary Line will be published this week.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/matriarch-of-all-she-surveys/article1687293/

Linwood Barclay reports that there is a brutal murder at the heart of Ken Finkleman's Noah's Turn, but this is not a conventional crime novel.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/review-noahs-turn-by-ken-finkleman/article1687457/

Vit Wagner adds that the novel, Finkleman's first, evokes Crime and Punishment.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/853720--novel-direction-for-ken-finkleman

In a conversation on technology with Stuart O'Connor of The Observer, William Gibson claims to be agnostic about technology, but he wants a robotic penguin.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/29/william-gibson-interview

The End of the Ice Age, Terence Young's second collection of short stories, contains cautionary tales of the allure, and dangers, of intimacy. Julian Gunn writes that a newspaper being read upside-down could stand for the problem most of Young's characters face.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/story_print.html?id=3456295&sponsor=

The seven good reasons referred to in John Gould's Seven Good Reasons Not To Be Good come in the form of postcards that Matt McKay sends to his friend Zane. Reviewer Colin Holt writes that Gould has done a masterful job of reminding the reader that there is a whole lot in life over which we have no control.
http://www.timescolonist.com/Local+writer+talent+shines+longer+form/3429106/story.html

AWARDS & LISTS

Ten titles are on the Guardian first book award longlist for a £10,000 award, with subjects covered including everything from the itinerant experience of the Somali community to Churchill's 'black dog'.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/27/guardian-first-book-award-longlist

Vancouver poet Gillian Jerome is one of the shortlisted nominees for the 2010 ReLit Awards for her debut book of poetry Red Nest. The ReLit Awards recognizes three categories (novel, poetry, short fiction) of excellence in books published by independent Canadian literary publishers.
http://relitawards.com/

David Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jakob De Zoet has been nominated for the Not the Booker 2010. The results of the Not the Booker come out just before the Booker-proper. Will they choose the same winner?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/aug/31/not-the-booker-prize-nominations-open

NEWS & FEATURES

Poetry rained from the skies on Saturday night in Berlin as 100,000 bookmarks printed with poems by 80 poets from Germany and Chile were dropped on the city from a helicopter.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/31/berlin-bombed-with-poetry

Publisher Oxford University Press said Sunday that burgeoning demand for the dictionary's online version has far outpaced demand for the printed versions. Nigel Portwood, chief executive of Oxford University Press, told The Sunday Times in an interview he didn't think the newest edition will be printed.
http://www.thestar.com/news/theworld/article/854028-oxford-dictionary-print-edition-may-be-dead

The Guardian assesses the merits of various online dictionaries.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/30/online-dictionaries-oxford-collins-chambers

The Guardian interviews Nadine Gordimer about her, and others', return to political activism—against censorship.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/31/nadine-gordimer-fighting-censorship

South African playwright Athol Fugard criticizes dramatists for failing to confront issues of injustice, writing instead "for attention spans of 10 minutes between adverts".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/30/fugard-attacks-modern-dramatists

The Tyee has identified ten of BC's best neglected writers that deserve closer and wider reading. These include Malcolm Lowry, L. R. Wright, Ethel Wilson, Sheila Watson, and Paul St. Pierre.
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2010/08/27/BCNeglectedWriters/

Consider these "Better Book Titles", a collection of Photoshopped covers with the titles books ought to have been given.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2010/08/a-book-by-any-other-name.html

"The evaluation of a fiction rests on impact not truth," writes Stuart Kelly in Scott-land: The Man Who Invented a Nation, a work that evaluates the impact of the many fictions, literary and otherwise, of Sir Walter Scott.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/scottland-the-man-who-invented-a-nation-by-stuart-kelly-2063021.html

American author James Patterson has surpassed J.K. Rowling on the list of the world's highest-paid authors. Patterson has admitted he doesn’t write his own books.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/us-author-takes-rowlings-richlist-crown-2058846.html

The Tyee has a detailed list of links to BC’s literary online world.
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2010/08/27/LiteraryWorldOnline/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=300810

The Boston Globe reminds us that when books were first published, no one knew what to do with them.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/08/29/cover_story/?page=full

BOOKS & WRITERS

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness has been published as a graphic novel, with drawings by Catherine Anyango.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/31/heart-of-darkness-graphic-novel

In Four Fish, Paul Greenberg describes "the future of the last wild food" with an engaging mix of science, history and an aficionado's enthusiasm - he is a lifelong sports fisherman – writes Richard Sherbaniuk, adding that Greenberg is solid, sensible and constructive in his analysis.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/four+fish+that+might+just+away/3451125/story.html

Stuart Jeffries is cheered by a writer who sees a social value in our habit of mucking things up. Kathryn Schulz argues passionately for the value of error. In Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error, Schulz argues that the experience of being wrong helps to make us better people, with richer lives.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/28/being-wrong-kathryn-schulz-review

A recent edition of the Guardian Online includes The Empty Family, a new short story by Colm Tóibín.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/28/colm-toibin-short-story

Oil on Water, the latest book by award-winning Nigerian author Helon Habila is described initially as a Conradian river journey in search of a kidnap victim. Fittingly, the story two journalists are chasing is not what it seems.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/29/oil-on-water-helon-habila

Jonathan Franzen's Freedom is all the rage, even before it’s out.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/books/28franzen.html?ref=books

Sam Tanenhaus describes Freedom as 'a masterpiece of American fiction'.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/books/review/Tanenhaus-t.html?ref=books&pagewanted=all

John Barber interviewed Jonathan Franzen for the Globe and Mail.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/jonathan-franzen-on-fiction-fame-and-freedom/article1687695/

An excerpt from Freedom is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/books/excerpt-freedom.html?ref=review

Spider Robinson says that Mary Roach's witty and accurate account of the history and future of space travel in Packing for Mars is a must read for sci-fi buffs.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/review-packing-for-mars-by-mary-roach/article1687450/

COMMUNITY EVENTS

A ROOM IN THE CITY
Anvil Press presents the launch of Gabor Gasztonyi's book featuring 150 intimate photographs of five Downtown Eastside residents with an introduction by Dr. Gabor Maté. Thursday, September 1 at 7:00pm, free. Vancouver Photo Workshops Gallery (14 7th Ave. W.). More information at info@anvilpress.com.

SPIDER ROBINSON
The Library's sixth Writer in Residence will read from some of his many award-winning works and talk about the writing process at his inaugural reading. Thursday, September 9 at 7:00pm, free. Alice McKay room, lower level, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia Street. For more information please contact Vancouver Public Library at 604-331-3603.

SAGA THURSDAY ARTIST TALK
Discussion and reading by Monika Ullmann, author of The Life and Art of David Marshall, a book about the Vancouver-based sculptor. Thursday, September 9 at 7:30pm, free. Surrey Art Gallery (13750 88 Ave., Surrey). More information at www.arts.surrey.ca.

Upcoming

GARY GEDDES
Reading by the author from his latest book of poetry, Swimming Ginger. Monday, September 13 at 7:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen Room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. For more information, phone 604-331-3603.

THE LEGACY
People's Co-op Bookstore and Greystone Books present a live appearance by David Suzuki in support of his book The Legacy: An Elder's Vision for Our Sustainable Future. Friday, September 17 at 8:00pm. Kitsilano Secondary (2550 W. 10th). More information at www.legacy.davidsuzuki.org.

KATHY PAGE AND ALISSA YORK
Authors will be reading from their works. Saturday, September 18. Bolen Books (111 - 1644 Hillside Avenue, Victoria). For more information, visit www.kathypage.info or contact Bolen Books, (250) 595-4232.

SUSAN BOYD
Join the author as she reads from her book Hooked: Drug War Films in Britain, Canada and the United States. Wednesday, September 22 at 7:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. For more information, phone 604-331-3738.

THE RAVEN'S GIFT
Author John Turk will read from his new book. Thursday, September 23 at 7:00pm. Banyen Books & Sound, 3608 4th Ave. West.

KOOTENAY BOOK WEEKEND
Discuss four books in small groups throughout the weekend. This year's books are The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels, The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry and our guest author, Anita Rau Badami's book Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? September 24-26, 2010, Nelson BC. Further information and registration forms can be found here, www.kootenaybookweekend.ca.

DAVID GLENN
The Burnaby Arts Council will host a launch of The Queen's Sword and The Queen's Jewels. Saturday, September 25 at 1:00pm. Deer Lake Gallery, 6584 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby.

EVENING THE FRAYED EDGES
Launch of the Recovery Narrative Project's first anthology of collected works, edited by Susan J. Katz, featuring a series of narratives and poems bringing first-hand accounts of turning points in recovery from mental illness. Sunday, September 26 at 7:00pm, free. John Braithwaite Community Centre, 145 West 1st Street, North Vancouver.

WORD ON THE STREET
Annual event dedicated to promoting reading and literacy throughout the community. Sunday, September 26 from 11am to 6pm. Library Square, Central Libray, 350 West Georgia Street. For more information, visit www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/vancouver.

EVOLVE: VAMPIRE STORIES OF THE NEW UNDEAD
Listen to Vancouver writers Mary Choo, Sandra Wickham and Celdae (Colleen) Anderson, 3 of 22 Canadian authors featured in this most unusual and compelling collection as they re-imagine the future of vampires. Monday, September 27 at 7:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye rooms, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. For more information phone 604-331-3691.

MICHAEL NICHOLL YAHGULANAAS
Reading by the author of Red. Thursday, September 30 at 1:00pm, free. Lillooet Room (level 3), Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 1961 East Mall, Vancouver. More information at www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca.