Book News Vol. 7 No. 34

BOOK NEWS

2012 Festival
Check out our new Events by Category feature to easily find the kinds of Festival events you most enjoy! The only difficulty you’ll encounter with this year’s 25th anniversary program is choice. Don’t deliberate too long; seats are filling up fast!
http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/2012festival/events-by-category

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

Martin Amis
October 14, 2012 at 7:30pm
Granville Island Stage
Renowned author talks about his new novel, Lionel Asbo: State of England, an exuberant, acidic satire of modern society and celebrity culture.

Jian Ghomeshi
November 19, 2012 at 7:30pm
Frederic Wood Theatre
The wildly popular host of CBC Radio One's Q has penned a memoir, 1982, based on his teenage desire to be David Bowie.

VIRTUAL FESTIVAL

Listen to the twenty-first installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear Clarke Blaise and Rudy Wiebe in conversation. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.

AWARDS & LISTS

Montreal-based writer Jo Walton has won the Hugo Award for best novel for Among Others, described as a reverse Harry Potter tale. Among Others also received the Nebula Award. An earlier novel, Tooth and Claw, won the World Fantasy Award. Among Others is also a finalist for that award, given in November.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/09/05/hugo-award-win.html

Six books are on the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize: Deborah Levy's Swimming Home, Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies, Alison Moore's The Lighthouse, Will Self's Umbrella, Jeet Thayil's Narcopolis, and Tan Twan Eng's The Garden of Evening Mists. The winner of the £50,000 prize will be announced on October 16.
http://www.themanbookerprize.com/

2012 FESTIVAL AUTHORS FOR YOUNG READERS

"In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Seraphina, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they've turned the final page." (events 6, 29)
http://thebooksmugglers.com/2012/07/book-review-seraphina-by-rachel-hartman.html

In Bright's Light, like all the girls at the House of Gear, Bright has a higher purpose: to be, like, awesome. This means Bright's engineered body must always look perfect, be appealing at all times. Susan Juby brings her trademark humour to dystopian and sci-fi worlds in this electrifying new addition to the genres. (events 1, 6)
http://www.susanjuby.com/brightslight.htm

Scott Chantler's The Captive Prince is the third title of the Three Thieves graphic novel series. Dessa, Topper and Fisk are still running from the Queen's Dragons and trying to find Dessa's missing twin brother. The adventure quickly becomes a royal mess! Ages 9 to 12 (events 2, 30)
http://www.kidscanpress.com/canada/product.aspx?productid=6031

2012 FESTIVAL AUTHORS

"My life begins at the Y..." so starts Marjorie Celona's story of Shannon, a newborn baby dumped at the doors of the Victoria YMCA with only a grey sweatshirt and a Swiss army knife as clues to her identity. The title is a play on words. http://www.quillandquire.com/reviews/review.cfm?review_id=7733

This is a novel that demands willing suspension of disbelief at points. But the challenge to the reader is richly rewarded, says Sara O'Leary. (events 45, 58)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/y-a-stunning-debut-for-marjorie-celona/article4511768/

Chris Cleave's superb, adrenalin-soaked novel Gold is about three characters training for cycling gold medals at the 2012 Olympics. No more about the bikes than the athletes' exercise regimes, Gold probes the limit of what its protagonists will do to identify and protect what they really cherish. (events 23, 41, 48)
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/gold-by-chris-cleave-7873047.html

M.A.C. Farrant's The Strange Truth About Us: A Novel of Absence is a full-bodied incarnation of the vitality and the gravity of the fragment as literary form, a collection of prose fragments, snippets, speculations and meditations. Delightful and disturbing in all the best ways, writes Diane Schoemperlen. (events 51, 75)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-strange-truth-about-us-by-mac-farrant/article4103019/

In Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet," Tim Flannery moves to the widest possible view, swinging between a loving invocation of our home planet and a blistering portrayal of fuel- and chemical-addicted "Gaia-killers." Our self-centered resource binge, he writes, is exacting irreparable damage to Earth's biological patrimony. (event 77)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/books/review/book-review-here-on-earth-by-tim-flannery.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Mohammed Hanif's most recent novel Our Lady of Alice Bhatti is on the longlist for the £25 000 Wellcome Trust Book Prize 2012. The fifteen longlisted works (fiction and non-fiction) reflect a varied range of fiction and non-fiction on the theme of health, illness and medicine. (events 23, 26)
http://www.wellcomebookprize.org/News/Announcements/WTVM056219.html

James Wood hears the simple music of Alistair MacLeod, balladeer of Cape Breton, in Island: The Complete Stories. (event 68)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/jul/07/fiction.reviews

NEWS & FEATURES

A big Thank You to the Book News reader who sent this note! "I¹ve always felt Thursday to be the best day of the week. The arrival of Book News in my inbox ensures Thursday, no matter what¹s come before, will be better in a minute. Thank you for such good sleuthing."


Two years ago, actress and writer Emma Thompson received an intriguing package: a small cardboard box with a half-eaten radish leaf and a letter from Peter Rabbit. The letter said she was the perfect person to write another adventure for the rabbit–a sequel to Beatrix Potter's beloved children's story. The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson, in celebration of the 110th anniversary of the book's original publication, will be published next week.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/authorinterviews/9522579/Emma-Thompson-Its-Peter-Rabbit-here....html

Tess Fragoulis has raised a tough ethical question. Volunteering at a distress phone line, she hears terrible, fascinating stories. Russell Smith says that they are good inspiration for written stories and suggests that that's why she took the job. But Fragoulis insists that to use their stories "...would feel like I was stealing their souls."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/im-a-writer-dont-trust-me-with-other-peoples-secrets/article4521113/

Judy Blume, author of Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, and other titles, has announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Dense breast tissue precluded detection by a mammogram or regular physical exam. Her message for women in a similar situation: get a sonogram.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/author-judy-blume-talks-about-her-breast-cancer/article4520921/

Mortality pulls together essays Christopher Hitchens was writing for Vanity Fair on illness, treatment, life and death as he battled esophageal cancer. But as this book proves, even death cannot rob him of having the last word.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/1252373--christopher-hitchens-has-last-word-with-mortality-review

The New Yorker's Page Turner blog includes an open letter from Philip Roth to Wikipedia about an entry about his novel The Human Stain. Wikipedia states the book was "allegedly inspired by the life of the writer Anatole Broyard," a serious misstatement. Roth requested that the line be removed. "I understand your point that the author is the greatest authority on their own work, but we require secondary sources," replied a site administrator.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/09/07/philip_roth_s_open_letter_to_wikipedia_another_possible_inspiration_for_the_human_stain_.html

"Literary success is mysterious," says Lawrence Norfolk. "A 500-page novel about a dead dictionary writer with no sex? My book sold more than anybody would think," says Norfolk in an interview about his provisionally titled The Levels.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/07/lawrence-norfolk-life-in-writing

Elsewhere in The Guardian, Norfolk raises another question. Literature is full of descriptions of elaborate banquets, but they rarely get your juices flowing. Why does nobody eat in books?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/06/lawrence-norfolk-food-literature-eat

Rose Tremain says of her hero Joyce Carol Oates: "I stand in awe before such an unresting hunger for the literary endeavour," adding "Joyce Carol Oates's imagination is as unique, dystopian and vivid as Lewis Carroll's."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/07/my-hero-joyce-carol-oates-rose-tremain

The September 17 issue of The New Yorker has a lengthy article on Salman Rushdie's life under the fatwa.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/09/17/120917fa_fact_rushdie

Mark Medley writes about the challenges publishers face as they decide which three books to nominate for the Giller Prize. The shortlist will be announced October 1.
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/09/07/a-publishers-year-getting-to-the-giller/

The search for the newest great Canadian short story has begun. Canada Writes' Short Story Prize is now accepting submissions! Beginning on September 1, Canadians are invited to submit an original, unpublished work of fiction that is between 1,200 and 1,500 words long. The deadline for submissions is November 1. For more information on how to submit and contest rules, go to
http://www.cbc.ca/books/

COMMUNITY EVENTS

POETIC JUSTICE
Readings by Candice James, Sasha Wiley and Sho Wiley. Hosted by Fran Bourassa. Sunday, September 16 at 3:00pm. Heritage Grill Backroom, 447 Columbia Street, New Westminster. More information at poeticjustice.ca.

PEN-IN-HAND READING SERIES
Featuring Ken Klonsky, co-author of Dr. Rubin Carter's Eye of the Hurricane and poet Christopher Levenson, co-founder and editor of Arc magazine. Monday, September 17 at 7:15pm. Cost: $3. Serious Coffee, 230 Cook Street, Victoria.

POSTAL CODE READING SERIES
Readings from V6A: Writing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside by contributors and coeditor Elee Kraljii Gardiner. Includes a conversation with host neighbourhoods about local issues. Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00pm. New Westmister Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster.

ANDREA LISTER
Writer and historian Andrea Lister follows the generations of determined women who raised funds, sewed, canned, and knitted to establish Chilliwack's first hospital. Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00pm. Chilliwack Library, 45860 First Avenue, Chilliwack.

ADEENA KARASICK
The local poet returns to her hometown of Vancouver to launch her seventh book of poetry, This Poem. Tuesday, September 18 at 8:00pm, free. Anza Club, 3 8th Ave. W. More information at info@talonbooks.com.

LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Readings by George Bowering and Cecily Nicholson. Wednesday, September 19 at 12:00pm. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street.

OMAR KHADR, OH CANADA
Discussion about human rights and the rule of law with Janice Williamson, Gail Davidson, Robert Diab, Alnoor Gova, and Grace Woo. Maher Arar will contribute via Skype. Wednesday, September 19 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at www.vpl.ca.

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.

RAISE-A-READER DAY
Look for volunteers with a special edition of The Vancouver Sun newspaper on Thursday, September 20 and make a donation! www.vancouversun.com

JJ LEE
JJ Lee discusses his memoir The Measure of a Man. Thursday, September 20 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $20 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.

ON EDGE READING SERIES
Presenting Daniel Zomparelli and Heather Haley. Thursday, September 20 at 7:00pm, free. Room SB 406, Emily Carr University, Granville Island.

ROBSON READING SERIES
Grace O'Connell reads from Magnified World and Ben Stephenson reads from A Matter of Life and Death or Something. Thursday, September 20 at 7:00pm. UBC Bookstore Robson Square, Plaza level, 800 Robson Street. More information at www.robsonreadingseries.ubc.ca.

JACK WHYTE
The Scottish-Canadian historical-fiction novelist discusses the inner workings of Robert the Bruce, the subject of his soon-to-be-released book Renegade. Thursday, September 20 at 7:30pm. Room 1900, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings. More information at www.scottish.sfu.ca.

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.

2012 VANCOUVER BOOK FAIR
The Alcuin Society hosts the Vancouver Book Fair of Antiquarian and Modern books. September 22-23, 2012. Admission: $5. Rooms C180-C150, Robson Square, 800 Robson Street. More information at vancouverbookfair.webs.com.

JAMES BARBER
An afternoon featuring a once-in-a-lifetime trunk sale of some of James Barber's treasured cookbook collection. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to Providence Farm on Vancouver Island. Sunday, September 23 from noon to 5:00pm. Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks, 1740 2nd Ave. W. More information at 604-688-6755.

CBC BOOK CLUB
The Sweet Girl is the sequel to Annabel Lyon's best-seller The Golden Mean. Aristotle's bright and brave daughter, Pythias, is a captivating heroine, battling society, expectations, gods and goddesses. Come meet author Annabel Lyon and discuss her work and inspiration in the CBC Studio One Book Club on September 25, 6:30 pm. www.cbc.ca/bc/bookclub.

Upcoming

OPEN TEXT READING SERIES
Reading by Meredith Quartermain, a writer of urban spaces and an innovator of poetic and narrative form. Thursday, September 27 at 11:30am, free. Capilano University, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver.

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.

RAMINDER SIDHU
Reading by the author of Tears of Mehndi. Friday, September 28 at 3:00pm. Lillooet room, Irving K. Barber Learning Center, 1961 East Mall, UBC. More information at http://www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/community-events/robson-reading-series.

DOROTHY JANTZEN
Dorothy Jantzen Artist-in-Residence at Capilano University presents a free talk with Lynda Barry, Friday, Sept 28 @ 7:30pm. Admission is first come/first served. Acclaimed alt-comic artist of Ernie Pook's Comeek Fame will discuss the relationship between the hand, the brain and spontaneous images, both written and visual. NSCU Centre at Capilano U/2055 Purcell Way/ Info: 604.990.7810/capilanou.ca/nscucentre.

CULTURE DAYS
A collaborative coast-to-coast-to-coast volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. September 28-30, 2012. Check out the website www.culturedays.ca for events, literary and otherwise, in your community.

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/.

STEPHEN MARCHE
The Alcuin Society is pleased to announce an evening with Toronto writer Stephen Marche, author of Love and the Mess We're In, a new novel published by Nova Scotia's Gaspereau Press. Monday, October 1 at 7:00pm, free. Alma Van Dusen room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St.

PAOLA GIANTURCO
The photojournalist presents her latest book, Grandmother Power. Tuesday, October 2 at 7:00pm. Guildford Library, 15105 105 Ave., Surrey. For more information and to register, call 604-598-7366.

ROB STEWART
Pacific Arbour Speaker Series presents Award winning filmmaker of Sharkwater, Rob Stewart, Friday, October 5 @ 7:30pm. Stewart's new release Save the Humans turns his focus from animal activism to saving the planet. NSCU Centre at Capilano U/2055 Purcell Way/ Info: 604.990.7810/capilanou.ca/nscucentre.