Book News Vol. 10 No. 35

BOOK NEWS

With the holiday season nearly upon us, the Vancouver Writers Fest offers a variety of ways to give the gift of reading and writing:

Got a scotch drinker in the family? A ticket to our 2016 A Dram Come True fundraiser makes a great gift. Earlybird tickets are on sale through our website, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true and proceeds from
the event support the VWF.

Also, from December 1-4, tweet us @VanWritersFest with the name of the best book you read in 2015. Then, look out for all these books on a special 'virtual' bookshelf on our website and don't forget to donate by clicking here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/donate! Your gift makes it possible for the VWF to present the world's best writers in year-round events.

AWARDS & LISTS

Wayde Compton has won the 2015 City of Vancouver Book Award. The Outer Harbour, Compton's first work of short fiction, is an interconnected collection about "Vancouver's recent past and its dystopian very-near future."
http://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/wayde-compton-wins-2015-book-award-for-the-outer-harbour.aspx

The Quebec Writers' Federation had named the winners of its annual literary awards recognizing "the previous year's best English-language work from Quebec authors." The awards offer $10,000 in prize money across five categories: fiction, poetry, non-fiction, first book and translation.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/19/quebec-writers-federation-names-literary-award-winners/

Ta-Nehisi Coates has won the National Book Award for non-fiction for Between the World and Me, a "visceral, blunt exploration of his experience of being a black man in America." Coates is a correspondent for The Atlantic, as well as a 2015 MacArthur Fellow.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/us/ta-nehisi-coates-wins-national-book-award.html

Mark Wagenaar has won the 2015 CBC Poetry Prize. According to Fred Wah, who judged the award, Wagenaar's poem, String Theory, "lifts the poetic sentence into a three-dimensional collage of nostalgia and reflection, a composition of intriguing images full of surprise and acuity."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/24/mark-wagenaar-wins-2015-cbc-poetry-prize/

The Canadian Children's Book Centre handed out its annual awards on November 18th. Two of the evening's honours went to Jonathan Auxier for his middle-grade novel The Night Gardener, which won the evening's top prize, the $30,000 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, along with the $5,000 Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/18/jonathan-auxier-wins-big-at-ccbc-book-awards/

YOUNG READERS

Winter is coming. What are the best children's books about the coming chilly season? Here's The Guardian's list.
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/nov/23/best-childrens-books-on-winter

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. In this interview, Pullman discusses "loneliness, Romanticism, the meaning of the 'young adult' label, and why we all want daemons."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/11/philip_pullman_interview_the_golden_compass_author_on_young_adult_literature.html

NEWS & FEATURES

In the wake of recent terror attacks, Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast has returned to the French bestseller list. "Copies of A Moveable Feast have currently sold out on Amazon's French website, and has reportedly sold more copies in the last few days than a typical year."
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/20/ernest-hemingway-moveable-feast-paris-attacks

Last week, Margaret Atwood turned 76. "Let's face it: she is smarter than all of us. Here are 10 of the funniest, wittiest, most incisive and most all-around boss things Margaret Atwood said in her 75th year."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/11/margaret-atwood-says-the-darnedest-things-the-2015-edition.html

Stuart McLean has cancelled his annual Vinyl Cafe Christmas Tour. Last Saturday, he revealed that he's beginning treatment for melanoma. In McLean's words, "we wondered about the option of doing both–the tour and the therapy–but there is the possibility of side effects from the treatment and I don't want to be doing shows if I can't be my best self."
http://www.cbc.ca/vinylcafe/home.php

Bookstores have launched "Civilised Saturday" as an antidote to Black Friday. "With promotions including butlers serving prosecco and free hand massages, booksellers [are planning] to draw shoppers away from the scramble for bargains."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/20/bookshops-launch-civilised-saturday-as-antidote-to-black-friday

In honour of Canada's 150th anniversary, The Writers' Trust of Canada has announced a new fellowship that awards $150,000 to three authors over three years. "Each writer will receive $50,000 to enable them the financial stability and freedom to focus on their work, as well as a one-week, self-directed residency at the Banff Centre's Leighton Artists' Colony."
http://www.quillandquire.com/industry-news/2015/11/17/writers-trust-launches-writing-fellowship-for-canadas-sesquicentennial/

Indie booksellers have created an online "anti-Amazon book club," featuring hand-written book recommendations, including one for Joseph Boyden's The Orenda. To participate. readers pick one of the four recommended books.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/indie-bookseller-book-club_5644a686e4b045bf3dede618

BOOKS & WRITERS

The New Yorker has launched a new digital novella program. The first featured novella, In Hindsight, comes from writer Callan Wink. Read an excerpt here:
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/new-yorker-launches-a-new-digital-novella-program/112860

Proust: The Search, by Benjamin Taylor, is an "outstanding study" of Marcel Proust that "conjures up the man and his times in vivid detail."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/22/proust-the-search-review-benjamin-taylor

The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine, Alexander McCall Smith's 16th installment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, was published last month. In this interview, McCall Smith discusses the book, the best advice he's ever received and more.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/alexander-mccall-smith-writers-who-have-learned-a-lot-of-latin-tend-to-know-all-about-the-construction-of-beautiful-sentences/article27390857/

"How would you draw a map of the place where Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot? Or the planets of A Wrinkle in Time? All (and more) can be found in Andrew DeGraff's "remarkable" literary atlas, Plotted.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/11/andrew_degraff_s_plotted_reviewed.html

Sarah Maguire's Almost the Equinox is "a bouquet gathered over time. These beautiful poems belong together–in a way that is rarely the case with selected poems." This review includes the poem The Florist's at Midnight.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/22/sarah-maguire-poetry-review-almost-the-equinox

Under the Udala Trees, God in Pink and Dirty River are three books that "offer different ways of being queer in the face of a single story." Each are reviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-under-the-udala-trees-god-in-pink-and-dirty-river-offer-different-ways-of-being-queer-in-the-face-of-a-single-story/article27391701/

COMMUNITY EVENTS

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.

VOICING THE CITY IN/VERSE
Two-day symposium exploring the inversion of the city-suburb through poets, fiction writers, spoken word artists, and storytellers, featuring keynote speaker M. G. Vassanji. November 28-29, 2015, free. For complete details, visit surrey.ca/culture-recreation.

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.

READ ME A STORY EXHIBITION
A multicultural showcase of 1,200 folktales and fairy tales from 120 countries. December 8-16, 2015, free. Roundhouse Community Centre, 183 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. For complete details, visit readmeastory.ca.

STORY SLAM CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Featuring Alexis Sugden, Emma Cooper, Jo Dworschak, John Cullen, Johnny Scoop, Mark Hughes, Marylee Stephenson, Ruth Wadge, Shlomo McPeake and Steve Elliott. Tuesday, December 8 at 8:00pm. Tickets: $10. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.

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.

VANCOUVER ISLAND WRITERS EVENT
Featuring Joy Guegler, Frank Moher, Jay Ruzesky, Sarah Segal, Robert Weirsema, and host Kathy Page. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Library program room, Salt Spring Island Public Library. More information at 250-537-4666.

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with 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.

Upcoming

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.