Book News Vol. 10 No. 34

BOOK NEWS

Have you already picked up your copy of Avenue of Mysteries? After being on shelves for just two weeks, John Irving's latest is number 5 on the New York Times Best Seller list! Don't worry if you haven't purchased your copy before our event with John Irving, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving, though-books will be for sale at the venue. Visit our website for more event info and to purchase tickets.

And while you're on the website, why not do some holiday shopping? A ticket to A Dram Come True, our annual scotch tasting fundraiser, makes a great gift for the scotch connoisseur (or avid reader) in your life. Save money by purchasing your early bird tickets now, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.

FESTIVAL

The Jewish Book Festival presents The New Face of Fiction: 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Sean Michaels in conversation with Hal Wake on Saturday November 21. Details and more information here, https://www.jccgv.com/content/jewish-book-festival-events-14-open#sha.

AWARDS & LISTS

Ten Canadian novels have made the Dublin Literary Award longlist. Two Canadians have won the prize in the past: Alistair MacLeod for No Great Mischief in 2002 and Rawi Hage for De Niro's Game in 2008.
http://www.dublinliteraryaward.ie/news/10-canadian-novels-on-the-2016-longlist/

Vancouver poet Lissa Wolsak has been named the winner of this year's bpNichol Chapbook Award for her poetry chapbook Of Beings Alone: The Eigenface. The book was chosen by judges Alice Burdick and Karl Jirgens from a six-book shortlist, culled from 68 national submissions.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/16/lissa-wolsak-wins-2015-bpnichol-chapbook-award/

Jennifer Kingsley has won the 2015 National Outdoor Book Award for her debut title, Paddlenorth: Adventure, Resilience, and Renewal in the Arctic Wild, published by Vancouver's Greystone Books. The book chronicles the author's two-month paddle with five friends in Northern Canada.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/16/ottawa-author-jennifer-kingsley-receives-2015-national-outdoor-book-award/

The CBC Poetry Prize shortlist has been released and the winner will be announced on November 24. In the meantime, you can read the shortlisted poems and find out more about the poets here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015-poetry-prize.html

YOUNG READERS

Why do we need fantasy? Because "it frees us from our own existence," say Rainbow Rowell in this interview with The Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/childrens-books-site/2015/nov/17/rainbow-rowell-interview-fantasy-carry-on

NEWS & FEATURES

To mark Academic Book week, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species has been voted the most influential academic book in history. Other contenders included The Wealth of Nations and 1984, though Darwin's eventually won out for its "supreme demonstration of why academic books matter".
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/10/on-the-origin-of-species-voted-most-influential-academic-book-charles-darwin

The Diary of Anne Frank has gained a co-author. Her father has been made its legal co-author in order to extend the book's copyright. Some are crying foul. Ann Frank Foundation officials "should think very carefully about the consequences," said Agnès Tricoire. "If you follow their arguments, it means that they have lied for years about the fact that it was only written by Anne Frank."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/books/anne-frank-has-a-co-as-diary-gains-co-author-in-legal-move.html

Paris' Shakespeare & Co. is famous for its "tumbleweeds," the volunteers who work and sleep in the bookstore. It became home to a different sort of overnight guest this past weekend when bombs rang out across the city. It became a safe haven, taking in twenty customers for the night.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/shakespeare-co-acts-is-safe-haven-in-paris-tonight/112568

An unpublished short story by Edith Wharton has been discovered at Yale University. Called The Field of Honour, it was recently found in Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
http://electricliterature.com/unpublished-short-story-by-edith-wharton-discovered-at-yale-university/

A Donald Trump rally was recently interrupted by the most simple of literary protests: a woman reading a book! "Not just any book, either, but it seems to be Claudia Rankine's searing poetry collection Citizen, which delves into America's history of ongoing racial injustice."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-rally-woman-reading_56436212e4b060377347248d

Virginia Woolf's famous lighthouse is set to be obscured by a new apartment complex. The view from Talland House, where her family spent summers when she was a child, "was the focus of Woolf's novel and visitors from around the world come to St. Ives specifically to view a key part of the town's history, heritage and beauty."
http://www.mhpbooks.com/virginia-woolfs-lighthouse-to-be-obscured-by-new-apartment-complex/

BOOKS & WRITERS

What is Andre Alexis planning on doing now that he's won the Giller? Getting back to work, apparently!
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2015/11/11/andre-alexis-says-he-ll-get-right-back-to-work-after-giller-win.html

When he began The Year of the Runaways, Sunjeev Sahota "wanted to write a big, immersive novel, the kind that first made me fall in love with reading." Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the book follows the lives of three Indian men and a British-Indian woman, who become an unlikely family. Sahota is interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/sunjeev-sahota-i-also-wanted-to-write-a-big-immersive-novel/article27250444/

Amitav Ghosh's Flood of Fire is a novel that "unleashes epic hypocrisy and greed." A historical novel set during the Opium Wars, it "subtly [insinuates] that the same forces of greed, pious hypocrisy, and opportunism that shaped the 19th century are still at play today."
http://www.straight.com/life/576521/amitav-ghoshs-flood-fire-unleashes-epic-hypocrisy-and-greed

Speaking of historical fiction, Carol M. Cram's latest novel, A Woman of Note, tells the story of a 19th-century female pianist who "dreams of being a composer." The inspiration for the book came from the author's own love of classical piano.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/historical+fiction+author+carol+cram+turns+love/11515170/story.html

Margaret Atwood recently spoke at Book Rio Live, where she "discussed the lack of diversity in fictions and the challenges of writing about ‘now.'" Some of her speech has been transcribed here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/09/margaret-atwood-diversity-fiction-book-riot-live

What is Emily St. John Mandel's inspiration? In this interview, she discusses her writing process and what motivates her to write.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/emily-st-john-mandel-reveals-inspiration-in-reddit-ama/112272

COMMUNITY EVENTS

FRANCES BACKHOUSE
Part of Douglas Day celebrations, author reads from her book Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver. Thursday, November 19 at 7:00pm. Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada, 23433 Mavis Ave., Fort Langley. For tickets and more information, visit parkscanada.gc.ca/fortlangley.

ANN WALMSLEY
Ann Walmsley author of The Prison Book Club. Reading and Book Signing. Thursday November 19th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604 879-7737.

NASREEN PEJVACK
Author launches her new book Amity. Friday, November 20 at 7pm, free. Brighouse branch, Richmond Public Library. More information at yourlibrary.ca.

RICHARD VAN CAMP
Storyteller, author, and proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Richard Van Camp joins CBC host and journalist Duncan McCue in conversation. Friday, November 20 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.

BOOKED FOR CRIME
Dietrich Kalteis, Linda L Richards and Sam Wiebe will be discussing their latest work as well the various aspects of what it takes to write compelling mystery and crime fiction. Saturday, November 21 at 2:30pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.

JULIAN LAWRENCE
Launch of The Adventures of Drippy the Newsboy Volume II: The Red Drip of Courage. Saturday, November 21 at 7:00pm. Pulp Fiction Books, 2422 Main St., Vancouver. More information at julian@julianlawrence.net.

VANCOUVER VANISHES
Book Launch of Vancouver Vanishes Narratives of Demolition and Revival featuring Caroline Adderson, Eve Lazarus, Kerry Gold, John Atkin and Michael Kluckner Monday November 23rd 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604-879-7737.

QMUNITY
Event celebrating the achievements of the Stories of Older Queers project. Tuesday, November 24 at 12:00 noon, free. Room 7100, Special Collection, WAC Bennet Library, SFU, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby. More information at 778-782-9721.

ELIZABETH MCLEAN
Elizabeth McLean, author of The Swallows Uncaged, introduces her narratives on the lives of girls and women of Vietnam. Discussion and Book Signing. Tuesday November 24th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info 604 879-7737.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN READING SERIES
Featuring George Bowering, Claire Battershill, Carmen Papalia, and Allie Abella. Tuesday, November 24 at 7:00pm, free. The Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.

Upcoming

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Theresa Kishkan, John Pass and Alisa Gordaneer plus open mic. Thursday, November 26th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.

MEET THE AUTHOR: SUZANNE FOURNIER
Suzanne Fournier discuses her book, Shore to Shore: Shore to Shore: The Art of Ts'uts'umutl Luke Marston, with special guest Luke Marston. Thursday, November 26 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.

ASHLEY LITTLE
VPL Writer in Residence offers a sneak preview of some of her current writing projects, and showcasing some of the exciting new talent she has worked with over her residency. Sunday, November 29 at 2:00pm, free. Lower level, Alice MacKay room, Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.

BOOK LAUNCH
This joint book launch brings together authors Peter Busby and Trevor Carolan of local Saltspring Island publisher Mother Tongue. Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm, free. Peter Kaye room, lower level, Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.

VAN SLAM
Featuring Paradigm. Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm. Cost: $6-$10 sliding scale. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Dr., Vancouver. More information a vancouverpoetryhouse.com.

CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.

NEW POETRY AND FICTION
Featuring Sandy Shreve, Kate Braid, Marilyn Bowering and Kath Curran. Monday, December 7 at 1:00pm. Talisman Books, 4605 Bedwell Harbour Road.

BERNADETTE CALONEGO
Author reads from her latest thriller Under Dark Waters. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Our Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need will feature music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street. Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.

LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.