Book News Vol. 10 No. 38

BOOK NEWS

Happy Holidays from everyone at the Vancouver Writers Fest! Thank you for helping us make 2015 a great year.

Coming up in the new year: the return of Incite! The first Incite event for 2016 will take place at the VPL Central Branch at 7:30pm, Wednesday January 20 and will feature novelists Andrew Battershill, Pauline Holdstock and Billie Livingston. This event is free, but we appreciate it if you let us know
you'll be attending in advance, click here: http://vanwritersfest.formstack.com/forms/incite.

Please note that the VWF office will be closed from December 19-January 3rd.

AWARDS & LISTS

The long list for the RBC Taylor Prize has been released. The award is Canada's most prestigious non-fiction prize.
http://www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2015/longlist_15.asp

Poet Sarah Howe has been awarded the Sunday Times/Peters Fraser and Dunlop Young Writer of the Year award. She won for Loop of Jade, a "'luminous' first collection of poetry exploring her dual English and Chinese heritage."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/11/poet-sarah-howe-named-young-writer-of-the-year

YOUNG READERS

It's almost Christmas! Here are three holiday picture books sure to get the little kid in your life excited.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-holiday-picture-books-from-rubin-pingk-linda-ashman-and-john-hughes/article27713705/

NEWS & FEATURES

What were the Obama family's favourite books of 2015? The president selected Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies as his "pick of the year," while the first lady chose Elizabeth Alexander's The Light of the World.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/10/obama-favourite-book-of-2015-lauren-groff-fates-and-furies

Books are getting longer. According to a recent survey which "looked at 2,500 books from the New York Times best seller list and Google's annual surveys, the average book length has increased by 25 percent, from 320 pages in 1999 to 400 pages in 2014."
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/10/survey-confirms-books-are-getting-longer

Publishing in Iceland is "a national sport!" According to a study conducted by Bifröst University in 2013, 50% of Icelanders read "at least 8 books per year, while an impressive 93% of them read at least one. What is more, according to BBC Magazine, one in ten Icelanders will publish a book in their life!"
http://2seasagency.com/publishing-iceland-reading-national-sport/

Audiobooks are gaining on print books, and in many cases, outselling them. "Audiobooks racked up $1.5 billion in sales last year and remain the fastest-growing segment of the book publishing industry, according to the Audio Publishers Association, but text is still king."
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-some-audiobooks-sell-four-times-as-well-as-their-print-versions-2015-12-08

A saucy diary entry by William Shakespeare is set to go on display at the British Library. Never before seen in public, it details a tryst the playwright had with a fan (and how he became the talk of the town because of it.)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12031757/William-Shakespeares-tryst-with-a-female-fan.html

"If you believe writing a really good book requires joining the insular literati cliques of Melbourne, Tokyo, Brooklyn and Hackney, think again." Apparently literati cities are "just the spot for networking, less so for writing a great novel."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2015/dec/14/literati-cities-just-the-spot-for-networking-less-so-for-writing-a-great-novel

BOOKS & WRITERS

Are you looking for help with your holiday shopping? The Globe and Mail's Books editor, Mark Medley's "comprehensive (and handy!) gift guide will help you find the perfect present for every reader on your list."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/holiday-guide/gift-guides-shopping/globe-books-2015-giftguide/article27723500/

San Francisco's City Lights Bookstore has also released its list of favourite books. More information about each book can be found by clicking on its title.
http://lithub.com/favorite-books-of-the-year-city-lights/

There's at least one kind of narrative that Simon Winchester avoids. "Sensible people tell me I should like stories with zombies, but try as I might, I don't." Winchester is interviewed here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/simon-winchester-by-the-book.html

An "absorbing" new biography of John le Carré has been released. Called John le Carré: The Biography, the book "creates an insightful and highly readable portrait of a writer and a man who has often been as elusive and enigmatic as his fictional heroes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/15/books/review-adam-sismans-john-le-carre-the-biography.html?ref=books

In their "spry, friendly memoir" Mountain City Girls, Anna and Jane McGarrigle examine one of Canada's great musical families (their own!). "Mountain City Girls is unique in that we are 315 pages into a 321-page book before we even read about Warner Brothers signing Kate and Anna in 1975. It's all lead-up and context to what should be considered a national treasure of song."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-the-mcgarrigle-sisters-look-back-on-their-careers-in-mountain-city-girls/article27713592/

Anne-Marie Turza's poem, The Visitor, has been featured in the most recent edition of The Globe and Mail's "Globe Poetry." Her first book, The Quiet, was published last year.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/globe-poetry-the-visitor-by-anne-marie-turza/article27609008/

COMMUNITY EVENTS

TALES FOR A WINTER NIGHT
Featuring Philomena Jordan, Mia Zhou, Rita Taylor, Chen Ha, and Ann Linton. Sunday, December 20 at 7:00pm. Cost: $7. St. Mark's Church, 1805 Larch, Vancouver.

YOUTH POETRY SLAM
Featuring Seattle's Maya Hersh. Monday, December 28 at 8:00pm. Cost: $4-$10. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial, Vancouver.

WORLD POETRY READING SERIES
Featuring multicultural and multilingual poets, writers, and musicians. Saturday, January 2 at 1:00pm, free. Britannia branch, VPL, 1661 Napier St. More information at 604-665-2222.

TWS READING SERIES
Featuring Charlotte Lawson, Cullene Bryant, Carmy Stubbs, Andrew Battershill, Katherine Wagner, Kendall Anne Dixon, and Wayde Compton. Thursday, January 7 at 8:00pm. Admission by donation. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.

DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Saturday, January 10 at 3:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at 604-331-3603.

SALON SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring JJ Lee discussing his critically acclaimed memoir The Measure of a Man. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Cost: $5. Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.