Book News Vol. 10 No. 18

BOOK NEWS

Special Event

Louise Penny in Conversation with Hal Wake

Reviewers are already raving about The Nature of the Beast! Library Journal says, "A strong sense of place, a multilayered plot, and well-crafted (and for Penny's fans, familiar) characters combine for a thoughtful, intriguing tale."

Hear Louise Penny read from The Nature of the Beast on August 24th. Proceeds from book sales at the event will go to Paul's Club, a social and recreational day program in Vancouver that helps those living with Early
Onset Dementia. Donations will also be accepted at the event.

Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Details and to purchase tickets, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny.

Poetry and Short Story Contest
The 17th Vancouver Writers Fest Poetry and Short Story Contest is now open! Entries will be accepted until October 25th, so get writing or start polishing up your best work. The contest is open to all writers, so this could be the perfect opportunity for you to get published for the first time, kick start your writing career or add to your already impressive resume. First place winners will receive $500 and be published in subTERRAIN Magazine. Details and to enter: http://writersfest.bc.ca/writingcontest

Know a young writer? Tell them about our writing contest for BC grades 8-12 students, http://writersfest.bc.ca/youthwritingcontest.

FESTIVALS

All Nations Festival
All Nations Festival celebrating Coast Salish culture July 23-35 at LaFarge Lake in Coquitlam.. Free fun for the family featuring the indomitable Lee Maracle with sports, concerts, bbq salmon, music and dance and traditional Kids Art Stations. For more info: http://www.allnationsfest.com/.

Vancouver Queer Film Festival
The 27th Annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival runs Aug 13-23. For details on the full line-up and the Scotiabank Super Pass (available until Friday, July 24): http://queerfilmfestival.ca/tickets/

Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts
Join Canada's longest running summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers, featuring established literary stars and exciting, new voices... with opportunities for writers and readers to mingle amidst Rockwood's heritage gardens. August 13-16, 2015. Sechelt, BC. Information at writersfestival.ca.

AWARDS & LISTS

Kate Cayley has won the $20,000 Trillium Book Award, which recognizes the best books published each year by Ontario authors. Cayley won for her debut collection of short fiction, How You Were Born.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/author-kate-cayley-wins-trillium-book-award/article25013613/

The shortlists for the British Fantasy Awards have been revealed. Lavie Tidhar's A Man Lies Dreaming leads the pack.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/21/british-fantasy-awards-shortlists-lavie-tidhar-man-lies-dreaming

YOUNG READERS

The ultimate YA CanLit list has been released. How many have you read? Take a quiz and see the list here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/books100ya.html

Nearly 10 years after Hurricane Katrina, "we can point to numerous stories that grapple with the multifaceted dimensions of this devastating event." Here are a few aimed at kids and young adults.
http://lareviewofbooks.org/review/kids-in-the-aftermath-katrina-young-adult-fiction/

Here's something no one expected: a new book from Dr. Seuss! What Pet Should I Get is the latest from the long-dead literary legend.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/20/books/review-what-pet-should-i-get-a-new-book-from-dr-seuss.html

NEWS & FEATURES

Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman has knocked EL James' 50 Shades of Grey sequel from the top of the UK book charts. The book has sold over 207,000 copies in the UK since it was released on July 14th.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/21/go-set-a-watchman-knocks-el-jamess-grey-from-top-of-uk-book-charts

Go Set a Watchman's sales are even better in North America. It has sold more than one million copies in the US and Canada.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/20/harper-lee-go-set-a-watchman-1-million-copies

Besides good sales, the triumph of Go Set a Watchman has been this: "The Atticus of To Kill a Mockingbird gave the US something to aspire to. Now, Harper Lee's long-lost companion novel offers a protagonist who could make us look at ourselves anew."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/21/go-set-a-watchman-harper-lee-legacy-civil-rights

What's in a book cover? These unbelievable book covers make the sexism of the publishing industry undeniable.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-shocking-book-cover-sums-up-the-sneaky-sexism-of-literary-publishing_55ad4b36e4b0d2ded39faad6

It was Ernest Hemingway's birthday this past week. To celebrate, the CBC is highlighting "five inspiring quotes from the man himself." Check them out here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/07/5-inspiring-quotes-from-ernest-hemingway.html

The CBC has also produced a list for a much more regular type of birthday: your 30th! Here are "30 works of Canadian fiction to read before you're 30."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/07/30-works-of-canadian-fiction-to-read-before-youre-30.html

Book illustrators are launching a social media campaign for cover credit. The aim is to give "illustrators' names front-page credit alongside writers."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/11752769/PicturesMeanBusiness-campaign-calls-for-proper-credit-for-book-illustrators.html

Are there literary uses for boredom? Rivka Galchen and Adam Kirsch discuss "whether boring books might serve an interesting purpose" in this week's New York Times' Bookends.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/books/review/are-there-literary-uses-for-boredom.html

BOOKS & WRITERS

Quill and Quire has released its 2015 fiction fall preview. Check it out here:
http://www.quillandquire.com/preview/2015/07/20/2015-fall-fiction-preview/1/#search

"Chekhov, unlike 99 percent of us who have admired him, never allowed himself to write autobiographical stories." A new collection highlights stories written by the Russian as a young man.
http://lareviewofbooks.org/review/what-rubbish-they-publish-anton-chekhov/

Sarah Leipciger's debut novel, The Mountain Can Wait, "captures the beauty of British Columbia." Though she now lives in London, Leipciger's "geographies of the West are rendered here with remarkable finesse."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-sarah-leipcigers-the-mountain-can-wait-captures-the-beauty-of-british-columbia/article25553296/

Helen Humphreys is the author of more than a dozen works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. In this interview, she discusses her new book The Evening Chorus, the best advice she's ever received, and more.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/author-helen-humphreys-on-why-she-wrote-her-new-book-the-best-advice-shes-received-and-more/article22829727/

Ta-Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me is a "visceral take on being Black in America." "I wanted to make racism tactile, visceral," Coates said in an interview. "Because it is."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/18/books/ta-nehisi-coatess-visceral-take-on-being-black-in-america.html

Forty years ago, most of the world ignored this "culture-hopping" novel by Fran Ross. Readers now have a chance to enjoy Oreo, a "sandwich-cookie of a feminist comic novel," which has been reissued.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/15/books/review-oreo-a-sandwich-cookie-of-a-feminist-comic-novel.html

COMMUNITY EVENTS

KATHERINE FAWCETT
Author reads from Little Washer of Sorrows. Thursday, July 23 at 5:00pm. Salt Spring Island Public Library, 129 Mc Phillips Ave., Salt Spring Island.

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Steve Noyes, Bren Simmers and Carmelo Militano plus open mic. Thursday, July 23 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.

MASHED POETICS
A night of spoken word and music mash-up where we pick a music album, form a cover band, and get poets to write new poems based on the music. Friday, July 24 at 9:00pm. Tickets: $10. 7 Dining Lounge, 53 West Broadway, Vancouver. More information at talonbooks.com.

intergen(d)erational call & response
Spoken word performances that challenge and inspire. A collaborative project of Quirk-e (Queer Imaging and Riting Kollective for Elders) and Youth 4 A Change. Monday, July 27 at 7:00pm. Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.

KARA STANLEY
Author reads from her acclaimed new memoir, "Fallen: A Trauma, A Marriage, and the Transformative Power of Music." Followed by live music by her husband, Simon Paradis, performing with Joe Stanton as roots duo Stanton Paradis. Tuesday, July 28 at 7:00pm. Central Branch, Greater Victoria Public Library. More information at gvpl.ca.

Upcoming

RICHARD GOODFELLOW
Vancouver author signs his debut thriller novel, Collector of Secrets. Saturday, August 15 at 2:00pm. Chapters Metrotown, 4700 Kingsway, Burnaby.

CAITLIN ROTHER
Author discusses her most recent books including the mystery novel Naked Addiction and true crime books I'll Take Care of You and the upcoming Then No One Can Have Her. Thursday, August 13 at 4:00pm, free. Library Program room, Salt Spring Island Public Library, Salt Spring Island. More information at 250-537-4666.

KOOTENAY BOOKWEEKEND
The Kootenay Bookweekend will be hosting passionate page-tuners reading and discussing The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King, Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt, Local Customs by Audrey Thomas and our guest author, Arno Kopecky's book The Oil Man and the Sea. September 18-20, 2015 in Nelson, BC. Registration forms and information at kootenaybookweekend.ca.