Book News Vol. 8 No. 17

BOOK NEWS

SPECIAL EVENT

Jeannette Walls
The Glass Castle is one of the bestselling memoirs of all time. Jeannette Walls' new novel, The Silver Star, is a triumph of imagination and storytelling.

Special $16 Book Club Price and Chance to Meet Jeannette Walls
Purchase a minimum of 5 tickets for your group and pay just $16 per ticket, plus be entered for a chance to attend a private reception with Jeannette Walls. Click here for more details, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/jeannettewalls/contest.

Event details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/jeannettewalls.

AWARDS & LISTS

AM Homes became the fifth American in a row to be named winner of the women's prize for fiction, formerly known as the Orange, for her sixth novel, May We Be Forgiven.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jun/05/am-homes-wins-womens-prize-fiction-orange

The National Book Critics Circle has announced the addition of The John Leonard Prize, a new award category for best first book in any genre. For the first time, two previous winners of the Orange Prize, Barbara Kingsolver and Zadie Smith, will battle it out for ‘the Bessie' award and cash prize of £30,000.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/29/womens-prize-for-fiction-2013-live-stream_n_3355171.html

Geist contributor David Collier has won the 2013 Doug Wright Award for Hamilton Illustrated, for the best experimental comic. Founded in 2005, the Doug Wright Awards recognize and celebrate Canadian cartoonists and comic artists. Visit the Doug Wright Awards site to hear Collier's interview with Jonathan Goldstein on Wiretap.
http://www.geist.com/blogs/news/david-collier-wins/

Veteran Canadian journalist Chrystia Freeland has won the National Business Book Award for Plutocrats: The Rise of the new Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2013/05/28/veteran_canadian_journalist_chrystia_freeland_wins_national_business_book_award.html

Following an outcry over the Canadian government's initial refusal to admit him, Palestinian poet Ghassan Zaqtan will receive the Griffin poetry prize. Zaqtan was shortlisted for the C$65,000 (£41,000) Griffin poetry prize in April for his tenth collection Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, described by judges as poetry which "reminds us why we live and how, in the midst of war, despair, global changes".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/31/canadian-visa-palestinian-poet-ghassan-zaqtan

British authors David Constantine and Deborah Levy, and Joyce Carol Oates and Peter Stamm are on the shortlist for the Frank O'Connor short story award. Worth €25,000, the Frank O'Connor is the world's richest award for a single short-story collection.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/31/frank-o-connor-short-story-award

Victoria author Eliza Robertson has won a Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the British Columbia-set We Walked on Water.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/boos/Victoria+Eliza+Robertson+wins+Commonwealth+Short/8462455/story.html#ixzz2UyIIIVtf

Mia Couto has received the 2013 Camões Prize for Literature, one of the most prestigious international awards honoring the work of Portuguese language writers.
http://biblioasis.blogspot.ca/2013/05/mia-couto-wins-2013-camoes-prize-for.html

Several young readers interview Malorie Blackman, Britain's first black Children's Laureate, on the accompanying video.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/video/2013/jun/04/childrens-laureate-malorie-blackman-video-interview

YOUNG READERS

Cat people, like the objects of their affection, are a breed apart and Cat Talk is bound to speak to them. Young children will love Moser's paintings and the lilt of the authors' words; older readers will recognize those words, matching the voices with felines they themselves have known. Ages 4 to 104.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Kids+Poems+meow/8402937/story.html#ixzz2Tn70UXAg

They scratch, run away, have fish breath and sick up hair balls, but we still love our furry, purry friends. Children's book author and cat lover Tor Freeman teaches you how to draw them like a pro.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/gallery/2013/apr/26/how-to-draw-cats-tor-freeman#ixzz2UkI4pYrx

In Jacqueline Wilson's My Sister Jodie, the parents get new jobs at a school, and they have to move. Everything changes for Jodie and Pearl, and Pearl begins to wonder if she needs Jodie as much as she used to. But when a tragic event occurs, Pearl realizes quite how much Jodie means to her. Age 8 to 13.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/data/book/unclassified/9780552554435/my-sister-jodie?commentpage=1#comment-23649038

NEWS & FEATURES

Actor and comedian Jim Carrey will publish a children's book, How Roland Rolls, in September. Sabrina McCarthy, the president of Perseus Distribution Client Services, described Carrey as the perfect person to write a children's book. The illustrated book, about a wave named Roland, is Carrey's first.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2013/05/31/jim_carrey_writes_childrens_book.html

When radical Islamists entered Timbuktu, they set about destroying everything they deemed a sin. They demolished tombs of Sufi saints and would have burned nearly 300,000 pages on a variety of subjects. But a secret operation had been set in motion within weeks of the takeover. The Washington Post has published the story of how nearly all the documents were saved.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/how-timbuktus-manuscripts-were-saved-from-jihadists/2013/05/26/299e26f6-bbd5-11e2-b537-ab47f0325f7c_story_2.html

In September 1973, after Augusto Pinochet overthrew the Chilean government in a military coup, poet Pablo Neruda died in a hospital, ostensibly of cancer. Forty years later, a Chilean court is investigating the possibility that Neruda might have been murdered by government agents hoping to silence his dissident voice. Neruda's body was exhumed in April and is currently being tested for traces of poison.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/06/03/pablo_neruda_poisoned_did_pinochet_agents_and_michael_townley_murder_the.html

The Rev. Andrew Greeley, an outspoken Roman Catholic priest and bestselling author of more than 50 bestselling novels, mystery thrillers, and dozens of nonfiction works, and longtime Chicago newspaper columnist who criticized the hierarchy of his own church over the child sex abuse scandal, has died, at 85.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2013/05/30/obit-greeley-andrew-priest-writer.html

Unlike science fiction, novels about climate change focus on an immediate and intense threat, writes Rodge Glass. In 2012, Dan Bloom produced a novella called Polar City Red, about climate refugees in a post-apocalyptic Alaska. Bloom coined the term "cli-fi", short for "climate fiction", described as a sub-genre of sci-fi. There is now a growing corpus of novels setting out to warn readers of possible environmental nightmares to come.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/31/global-warning-rise-cli-fi

One day, Dennis Lehane's Gone, Baby, Gone sold 23 e-book copies. The next day: 13,071 copies sold. A Kindle Daily Deal designated on Amazon, thousands of readers notified of a 24-hour price cut, and "It's the Groupon of books," said Dominique Raccah, publisher of Sourcebooks. "It's new, interesting, and a deal: little risk, and it works."
http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2021070533_booksoflashsalesxml.html

A letter by Rudyard Kipling has surfaced in which he writes that 'it is extremely possible I have helped myself promiscuously.' The letter, acquired by Adam Andrusier, at the New York Antiquarian book fair last month from a fellow UK manuscript dealer, sees Kipling acknowledging that parts of the hierarchical jungle code may have been borrowed from other sources.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/29/rudyard-kipling-admitted-plagiarism-jungle-book

Gillian Slovo writes about her experience at PalFest, a literary festival in the West Bank.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2013/may/31/palfest-book-festival-gillian-slovo

The now-wildly popular Oksa Pollack book series, were initially rejected by the French publishers of Harry Potter. After the authors self-published the series, fans wrote in in droves, attracting the attention of a Paris publishing house. The English editions hit British bookshops June 4.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/shortcuts/2013/jun/02/oksa-pollock-french-harry-potter

In an interview with Hermione Hoby, Khaled Hosseini says: 'If I could go back now, I'd take The Kite Runner apart'.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jun/01/khaled-hosseini-kite-runner-interview

Ten novels, written while Michael Crichton was a medical student, will be brought back in print in July. Crichton began his writing career under a pseudonym while studying medicine at Harvard. All long out of print, except for A Case of Need, the novels are set to be released for the first time as ebooks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/31/michael-crichton-novels-out-of-print-ebooks

There was a centenary celebration of Barbara Pym last week, with fans celebrating the novelist of vicarages and unrequited love with cupcakes, teabag rests-and paperback perfume.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2013/may/31/barbara-pym-centenary-glass-of-blessings

Kate Beaton was interviewed on CBC Radio's The Sunday Edition last week, on the art of creating comics. The interview can be found here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/2013/05/be-clever-and-make-an-insightful-joke-an-interview-with-kate-beaton.html

BOOKS & WRITERS

Adam Marek's stories remind us that there is nothing that can protect our young, except constant vigilance, writes Stephen Finucan. The Stone Thrower finds himself alone with his father, tasked with rescuing baby seabirds that have nasty, spiky knuckle-fish lodged in their throats. The choices parents make are at the heart of The Stone Thrower. The Stone Thrower is reliably dark.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/oct/07/adam-marek-stone-thrower-review?INTCMP=SRCH

In Khaled Hosseini's And the Mountains Echoed, readers remember why so many millions loved his earlier books. This book weaves a complex pattern of interlinked lives, searching for what they sense is missing. While much takes place in Europe and the United States, And the Mountains Echoed, at its heart, is about Afghans becoming separated from Afghanistan, writes Qais Akbar Omar.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/26/mountains-echoed-khaled-hosseini-review

Alice Munro wins a lot of prizes and everyone from Jonathan Franzen to Margaret Atwood agrees she's the best thing going. Munro is a master at pulling universal truths from even the grubbiest, most gothic farm kitchen sinks, and we are right to love her for it, writes Leah McLaren.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/why-its-perfectly-okay-to-hate-alice-munro/article12284482/comments/

Isabel Allende's new novel Maya's Notebook tells of Maya's life in the underworld of Las Vegas until her grandmother sends her to the island of Chiloé where is able to rebuild her life. Maya's Notebook is exceptional in its portrayal of the human spirit, says Alison Rogers.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Book+review+Maya+Notebook+Isabel+Allende+shows+spirit/8463380/story.html

Laura Miller writes in Salon on why Rachel Kushner’s new novel The Flamethrowers scares male critics.
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/05/rachel_kushners_ambitious_new_novel_scares_male_critics/

COMMUNITY EVENTS

CALL AND RESPONSE: THREE
Poets in Conversation. Join Anna Swanson, Bren Simmers and Ariel Gordon for a reading that celebrates a decade of friendship. Saturday, June 8th at 7:30 pm, free. People's Co-op Bookstore, 1391 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.

CHRISTINA JOHNSON-DEAN
Author will give an illustrated talk about the artist Ina D.D. Uhthoff, who was a driving force in the Victoria art scene of the mid-20th century. Sunday, June 9 at 4:00pm. Royal BC Museum, 675 Belleville Street, Victoria. More information at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.

KELLEY ARMSTRONG
Meet the author of the Women of the Otherworld series for young people. Tuesday, June 11. Author reading at City Centre Library at 1:30pm; writing workshop for ages 12+ at Guildford Library at 4:30pm. Complete details at surreylibraries.ca.

BC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY FAMILY HISTORY BOOK AWARDS
A Strawberry tea and the BCGS 2012 Family History Book Awards. Authors' talks. All interested in genealogy and family history are welcome to attend. Wednesday, June 11 at 7:30pm. Danish Lutheran Church, 6010 Kincaid Street, Burnaby. More information at www.bcgs.ca.

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Daphne Marlatt and Michelle Barker plus open mic. Wednesday, June 12, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. All are welcome. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.

NOMADOS LAUNCH
Readings by Jen Currin, Christine Leclerc and Colin Smith. Wednesday, June 12 at 8:00pm. People's Co-op Bookstore, 1391 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.

THE WALKING READ
CWILL BC presents a costume gala to benefit the BC Children's Hospital Foundation. Friday, June 14 at 7:00pm. Tickets: $60. Richmond Open Road Lexus dealership, 5631 Parkwood Way, Richmond. More information at thewalkingread.com.

Upcoming

LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Meredith Quartermain and Miranda Pearson featured at June 19 Lunch Poems at SFU. Presented by SFU Public Square, 12-1pm in SFU Harbour Centre's Teck Gallery (515 W Hastings St.). Free admission, no registration required. For more information visit www.sfu.ca/publicsquare/lunchpoems.

BC BOOK PRIZE POETRY FINALISTS
Join the winner and finalists for the 2012 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize as they read from their nominated works. Wednesday, June 19 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia. More information at www.vpl.ca.

EXTRAVAGANT SIGNALS
Shhhh! poetry slam featuring Lucia Misch, Zaccheus Jackson, Duncan Shields, Rupert Common and more. Wednesday, June 19 at 7:00pm. Tickets: $7-10. More information at extravagantsignals.eventbrite.com.

SEA SALT
Join the Malone family team of authors, Lorna Malone, Hilary Malone, and Alison Malone-Eathorne, as they sign copies of their new nautically-themed cookbook Sea Salt: Recipes from the West Coast Galley at Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks (1740 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver) on Saturday, June 22 from 2pm to 4pm. For more information or to reserve your copy, call Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks at (604) 688-6755 or go to www.seasaltcookbook.com.

JAY RUZESKY
Join Jay Ruzesky as he gives a slideshow presentation, talk and book signing for his new memoir about following Amundsen's footsteps to Antarctica. In Antarctica: An Amundsen Pilgrimage, at the Vancouver Maritime Museum (1905 Ogden Avenue, Vancouver) on Sunday, June 23 at 2pm. Doors open at 1:30pm. Admission to the presentation is free. For more information, contact the Vancouver Maritime Museum at 604-257-8300 or go to www.nightwoodeditions.com.

GEORGE WOODCOCK LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Presentation of the 20th annual George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for an outstanding literary career in British Columbia to William New. Tuesday, June 25 at l7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia. More information at www.vpl.ca.

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features poets Catherine Owen, Susan McCaslin, Jude Neale, Bernice Lever, Kevin Spenst plus Open Mic. Thursday, June 27th, 7-9:30 pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. All are welcome. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.

DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Readings by Christopher Levenson, Cathy Stonehouse, Thoung Vuong-Riddick, Joanne Arnott, and Dvora Levin. Friday, July 14 at 3:00pm. Project Space, 222 East Georgia Street, Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.