Book News Vol. 10 No. 40

BOOK NEWS

Announcing! - The Vancouver Writers Fest presents An Evening with David Sedaris

The Vancouver Writers Fest presents David Sedaris, author of the bestsellers Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and regular National Public Radio contributor, appearing for one night only at The Vogue Theatre on Sunday, May 8 at 7pm. Get the best seats! Pre-sales to An Evening with David Sedaris start January 11 with the code "OWLS". All seating reserved: $58/43 plus taxes and fees. Ticketfly.com or by phone 888-732-1682. Details here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/david-sedaris.

Coming up: 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.

AWARDS & LISTS

Two Canadian books took home prizes at the American Library Associations' annual youth media awards. Teresa Toten's The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B won in the teen category, and Finding Winnie, about Winnie the Pooh, won the Caldecott Medal.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2016/01/12/two-canadian-titles-recognized-with-2016-ala-youth-media-awards/

YOUNG READERS

Here are three new picture books worth checking out (with mini reviews!): Frankencrayon, about the joys of imperfections; Over-Scheduled Andrew, about the joys of unscheduled time; and The Bear Who Went Boo!, about why it can be fun to scare people!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-pictures-books-by-michael-hall-ashley-spires-and-david-walliams/article27973570/

NEWS & FEATURES

Music icon and voracious reader David Bowie died this week. Here's a look-back at his 100 must-read books.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/01/david-bowie-books-kerouac-milligan

Gabriel García Márquez is about to become a lot more accessible. The University of Texas will "digitize more than 24,000 pages of manuscripts, notebooks, scrapbooks, photographs and ephemera from the García Márquez archive and make them available online."
http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-gabriel-garcia-marquez-archive-digitized-20160105-story.html

Emma Watson is starting a feminist book club, and wants your help to name it. She sent her request out on Twitter.
http://time.com/4170105/emma-watson-feminist-book-club/

Thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong this week in protest over missing publishers. Five people linked to a "local publisher of books critical of Beijing's leadership" are currently missing.
http://the-digital-reader.com/2016/01/11/thousands-protest-in-hk-over-missing-publishers-booksellers-worried/

On the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, 78 free speech organizations from around the world have "come together to proclaim the importance of protecting dissenting voices." PEN International is leading the charge.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/07/charlie-hebdo-pen-reporters-borders-free-speech-right-to-offend

Across the Channel, the UK's Royal Mint is releasing several literary-themed coins. Both Shakespeare's plays and Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit are represented.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2016/01/05/britain_s_royal_mint_unveils_peter_rabbit_and_shakespeare_themed_coins_for.html

Author Musa Okwonga has written what JK Rowling calls "the best comment I've read" on Cologne's New Year's sexual assaults. Okwonga, who lives in Germany, has urged men, "regardless of our ethnic backgrounds, to get genuinely angry about the treatment of women in public spaces."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/07/jk-rowling-praises-poet-musa-okwonga-response-cologne-sex-attacks-women

Are there any unforgivable sins in literature? In this week's New York Times' Bookends, Rivka Galchen and Benjamin Moser discuss "the literary transgressions they cannot forgive."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/books/review/are-there-any-unforgivable-sins-in-literature.html

BOOKS & WRITERS

Many fantastic books are being made into movies this year. Here are "13 books to read before they become movies in 2016!"
https://www.romper.com/p/13-books-to-read-before-they-become-movies-in-2016-2721

According to Kurt Palka, "any book worth reading once is worth reading again." His new book is called The Piano Maker, and he's interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/kurt-palka-any-book-worth-reading-once-is-worth-reading-again/article28076414/

In this week's New York Times Book Review Podcast, several items are discussed: news from the publishing world, bestseller news, Ethan Michaeli's The Defender and the history of the black press, and Maria Konnikova's The Confidence Game.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/books/review/inside-the-new-york-times-book-review-podcast-the-defender.html

The Portable Veblen is a "bold new novel about a woman's relationship with a squirrel" that "blurs the line between eccentricity and madness." It also tackles fraud in the defense industry, dysfunctional families and the "poisoned legacies that parents give their children."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2016/01/the_portable_veblen_by_elizabeth_mckenzie_reviewed.html

It's a new year, and with that comes new lists! Here are some B.C. books to "kick start your year...helpful reads that will expand your mind, raise chickens, boost your health" and more!
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/books+kick+start+year/11624698/story.html

COMMUNITY EVENTS

SPOKEN INK
Featuring Chelsea Comeau and Sheila Rosen. Thursday, January 14 at 8:00pm. Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby. More information at bwscafe@gmail.com.

ZERO - 360 OPEN MIC
Meet other writers and share your work at this casual open mic series, the second Thursday of the month, 7:30-9 pm. Any genre-short stories, poetry, song with lyrics, creative non-fiction, etc. Readers are limited to 6 minutes; sign up begins at 7:05. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.

AMMIEL ALCALAY
Reading by poet/scholar. Friday, January 15 at 12:30pm, free. Special Collections and Rare Books, W.A.C. Bennett Library (SFU Burnaby). For more information, call 778-782-6676.

SFU WRITER'S STUDIO 15TH ANNIVERSARY
Featuring Cathie Borrie. Friday, January 15 at 6:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.

PLANET EARTH POETRY READING SERIES
A special Poet Laureate night featuring Rachel Rose and Yvonne Blomer. Friday, January 15 at 7:30pm. Admission: $5. Hillside Coffee and Tea, 1633 Hillside Ave., Victoria.

POETRY MEETS ART
Award-winning poet Fran Bourassa hosts an afternoon that sees local writers read poems inspired by a current exhibition. Sunday, January 17 at 2:00pm. Seymour Art Gallery.

VAN SLAM
Features spoken word artist Daniel Mark Patterson (DMP). Monday, January 18 at 7:00pm. Cost: $6-$10 sliding scale. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.

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.

POETICS OF APPROACH
Please join Cecily Nicholson and Jordan Scott for an evening of poetry and conversation moderated by David Chariandy. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Gallery Gachet, 88 East Cordova Street, Vancouver. More information at gachet.org.

POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Frances Boyle, Bren Simmers and DN Simmers. Hosted by James Felton. Sunday, January 24 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.

MARK WINSTON
Reading by the author of Bee Time: Lessons From the Hive, winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction. Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00pm, free. St. Catherine's Church, 1058 Ridgewood Dr., North Vancouver.

READINGS BY THE SALISH SEA
Celebrated writer Susan Musgrave brings her most recent book A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Foraging and Feasting at the Edge of the World to the shores of White Rock. January 28, 7 pm, Turnbull Gallery in South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601-20th Avenue. Tickets $10 at Semiahmooarts.com or call 604-536-8333.

MEET THE AUTHOR: CAROLINE ADDERSON
Caroline Adderson discusses her book, Ellen in Pieces. Thursday, January 28 at 7:00pm. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. Cost: $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at christiannehayward.com.

POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Navaro Franco, Keith Garebian, and Alan Hill. Hosted by Franci Louann. Sunday, January 31 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.

GALIANO LITERARY FESTIVAL
Sixth annual festival with over 25 writers. February 19-21, 2016. Galiano Island, BC. Complete details at galianoliteraryfestival.com.