Blog
Homeland Launch in Toronto
by Dan
Events + YA Fiction / February 20, 2013
Cory Doctorow will be back in Toronto next week for the launch of his new novel Homeland at the Lillian H. Smith Library on Friday March 1, 2013.
Cory will be discussing his new book and, knowing Cory, whatever else he feels like talking about on the night! The event will be held in the downstairs meeting room at library. Doors open at 6pm, the event will start at 7pm. Bakka Phoenix Books will be selling books.
If you haven't had chance to read Homeland yet, it picks up a few years after the events of Little Brother. California's economy has collapsed, but Marcus Yallow's hacktivist past has landed him a job working for a crusading politician who promises reform. But trouble — in the shape of a thumbdrive from his former nemesis Masha — is not far behind...
Fast-moving, passionate, and as current as next week, Homeland is every bit the equal of Little Brother — a paean to activism, to courage, to the drive to make the world a better place.
photo: Jonathan Worth
Cory Doctorow Homeland Launch
7:00pm, March 1, 2013 (doors open at 6pm)
Lillian H. Smith Library with Bakka Phoenix Books
239 College Street
Toronto, ON, M5T 1R5
416-393-7746
Marissa Meyer in Toronto
by Dan
Events + Kids + YA Fiction / February 19, 2013
New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer is coming to Toronto!
Marissa will be signing Scarlet, the sequel to last year's break out hit Cinder, at the Yorkdale Indigo at 12pm on Saturday March 9, 2013.
Follow @indigogreenroom and @raincoastbooks for more details.
Marissa Meyer Book Signing + Q&A
12:00pm, March 9, 2013
Yorkdale Indigo
3401 Dufferin Street Unit #29
Toronto, ON M6A 2T9
416-781-6660
New Nonfiction for February
by Dan
Biography & Memoir + Essays / February 19, 2013
In her new essay collection This is Running For Your Life, out this month, Michelle Orange takes us from Beirut to Hawaii to her grandmother's retirement home in Canada in her quest to understand how people behave in a world increasingly mediated — for better and for worse — by images and interactivity. Described by Publishers Weekly as a "whip-smart, achingly funny collection," the book was reviewed by Michael Redhill (author of Consolation and the Inger Ash Wolfe novels) in this weekend's National Post:
This is Running For Your Life [is] a brave, new, and sometimes thrillingly difficult collection of essays by Canadian author Michelle Orange... Orange is an acolyte of the eye — as is John Berger and Susan Sontag — and many of the attempts in this collection consider movies and images in the context of our consumption of these things in the Internet age. In the strongest of them, Orange worries the barrier between seeing and being seen; and between witness and participation.
Also out this month is James Lasdun's extradordinary Give Me Everything You Have, which chronicles the author's strange harrowing ordeal at the hands of a former student — a self-styled "verbal terrorist," who began trying, in her words, to "ruin him."
Maureen Corrigan recently discussed the book on NPR's Fresh Air:
Over the past week or so, I've mentioned James Lasdun's new book, Give Me Everything You Have to a bunch of colleagues; they've all heard about it already and they're all dying to read it. What Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother was to parenting a couple of years ago, Lasdun's Give Me Everything You Have may well be to teaching: a controversial personal reflection on the professor-student relationship — except Lasdun, unlike Chua, really has no advice to offer; no certitude, nor help for pain. His memoir attests to the fact that in the confusing Age of the Internet, we are all as on a "darkling plain," at the mercy of assault by email and wiki rumor.
This is Running For Your Life and Give Me Everything You Have are in stores now. Discover more new nonfiction releases in this week's Titlewave email newsletter.
You can subscribe to the Raincoast newsletters here.
To All the Single Ladies: A Valentine’s Day Choose-Your-Own Adventure
by Megan
February 14, 2013
Love is in the air...
For the single gal or fellow, Valentine’s Day feels nothing short of a cold, hard, chocolate-covered kick to the face. While representatives of blissful coupledom go about buying candy, chocolates, barbershop quartets, and professing their love in public and frightening ways, it can feel lonely as a single on that gooiest of sacchrine holidays. Here is a choose-your-own-adventure-style formula for optimal Valentine’s Day enjoyment as a single.
Start by answering this handy dandy question and clicking on the link to set you up with your true object of affection (duh - a book) on this snuggliest of days: How would you most like to spend the upcoming Valentine’s Day?
1) Escaping on a passionate, bodice-ripping tryst with a hunky goblin warrior or strapping duke.
2) Using trickery, potions, and possibly hypnosis for luring a potential mate in for a date.
4) Pulling the curtains closed, punching a cupid, and reveling in delicious snark.
X Marks the Scot (9781402270093)
For the Love of the Goblin Warrior (9781402262098)
Untamed (9781402258497)
This doesn’t require too much explanation, but it's the best way of I know to block the lace and candy hearts from your immediate line of sight. Goblin warriors? Scottish shirtless shenanigans? Yes and yes.
If the sight of all these strapping shirtless gentlemen makes you puzzled and all you want is some quiet and reflection, jump to #3.
If you would like practical, helpful ways to use potions and fortune-telling to lure a be-kilted gentleman into your boudoir, jump to #2.
Fortune-telling book of love (9781452108599)
The Book of Love (9780811877206)
My motto as a single was always to turn to voodoo, witchery, or any other (some could call it) duplicitous means of charm, so these books are a godsend (don't tell my boyfriend).
If you’re looking for more psychologically sound methods of self-reinvention and mate attraction, jump to #3.
If all this sounds like too much freaking effort and all you want is a shirtless romp, head on back to #1.
Wired For Love (9781608820580)
Relationship Saboteurs (9781572247468)
New Science of Love (9781402253751)
For those more introspective Valentine’s observers, here’s your chance to figure out what’s going on in that heart and head of yours. A little psychological reading-up on you and your potential partner's needs will go a long way towards ensuring that you are psychologically sound for a relationship.
If this isn’t your cup of tea, and what you really desire on Valentine’s Day is a man in a kilt, a possible paranormal romance, and an absence of shirts, jump back to #1.
For less… shall we say, straightforward methods of love procurement (helloooooo love potions), jump back to #2.
If the idea of studying your own heart makes you want to lash out irrationally, jump directly to #4.
All My Friends Are Still Dead (9781452106960)—You’re still single? Well at least all your friends aren’t still dead. Next.
50 Sheds of Grey (9781250033666)—Instead of the love of a good man or woman, rejoice in the love that comes from a sturdy, well-loved garden shed (swoon).
44 Horrible Dates (9781402267475)—
Schadenfreude, baby. At least this wasn’t you.Remember, young squires, that a Valentine's Day date can be awkward and end early on February 14, but the love of a good book will keep you up on many a late night.
Best in New Health and Fitness Books
by Dan
Health & Wellness / February 11, 2013
Because it's never too late to have New Year's resolutions, we're featuring new and upcoming health and fitness titles in this week's Raincoast newsletter. New books include the New York Times and BookManager bestseller Shred: The Revolutionary Diet by Ian K. Smith M.D., Everyday Raw Detox by Matthew Kenney and Meredith Baird, and the WeightWatchers 50th Anniversary Cookbook.
Read this week's newsletter for more health and fitness releases.
Want stay up-to-date on all our new releases? Subscribe to all newsletters.
So Long, and Thanks For All The Reviews…
by Dan
News / February 01, 2013
The Canadian book industry was in uproar earlier this week.
A short online report by Susan Cole in Toronto alt weekly NOW Magazine revealed that the Globe and Mail's long-standing book editors Martin Levin and Jack Kirchhoff would be moving on, "leaving the national newspaper without a literary editor." The sadness that the two well-liked editors were departing, mixed with anger as the attention-grabbing headline 'Globe slashes book section' led many to believe that the newspaper was cutting its book section entirely—a claim furiously denied later by the Globe and Mail's Editor-in-chief John Stackhouse.
Describing the report as "hogwash," Stackhouse confirmed to the Quill and Quire (subscription req'd) that the Globe was actively looking for a new editor for the books section, but attempted to reassure readers saying, "we will continue to publish what I hope is an outstanding weekly books section but also hope to develop … the most engaging books coverage in the country."
The announcement of Martin and Jack's departure did not come as a complete shock. I had spoken to Martin a few weeks previously and he had told me, in his manner-of-fact way, that he and Jack were leaving. It was typical of Martin to tell me in person, and I'm sure many others in the industry had already heard directly from him before the news broke.
I first met Martin not long after I moved to Canada. He was, even then, an established and well-respected presence in Canadian books (he has been the books editor at the Globe for 17 years). He would regularly browse the shelves of the bookstore I worked in, stopping to chat and, if I remember correctly, buy the odd New York Times here and there.
Some years later, Martin was gracious enough to say he remembered who I was when I started to harass him in my new job as a publicist. I'm not sure how many of my books he reviewed back then. It wasn't many, that's for sure. But he was always kind about it and tolerated the pestering of a junior publicist far more than he had to (a fact I didn't appreciate until much later!).
I learnt that he had a way of finding common ground with you even if the books you were pitching didn't much interest him. With my predecessor at Raincoast it was horror movies. With me it was comics and, funnily enough, England—a country he visits more regularly than me these days I suspect. I came to look forward to our meetings, and not just because it always involved eating better than I had in days.
Jack has been working with Martin for goodness knows how long, but I didn't actually meet him in person until very, very recently. I consider myself one of the fortunate few. Not one for events, schmoozing or social media, Jack has always been... well, 'enigmatic'! There are a lot of people who have worked in publishing longer than me who still don't know what he looks like.
But if Jack wasn't at the parties, he made up for it other ways. Always quick to respond to an enquiry, and always willing to give things a second look, he helped me to get my job done more often than I can count. He never understood why I thanked him for reviews ("it's what we do"), and I will miss him more than I can say without losing all professional dignity.
Despite John Stackhouse's reassurances, the future of the Globe and Mail's book section suddenly feels much less certain than it did with Martin and Jack at the helm. Book reviews have never attracted much advertising—only the big publishers and booksellers have ever been able to afford it—and, as consequence, newspapers across North America have been greatly reducing their coverage in recent years.
But, if the death of print reviews seems inevitable at times (and it does seem strangely ironic that Martin has moved from books to obituaries), I remain cautiously optimistic. Morley Walker is a stalwart supporter of book reviews at the Winnipeg Free Press, and I'm encouraged by the recent appointment of Laurie Grassi as book editor at Chatelaine. I am also in awe of what the indefatigable Mark Medley has been able to achieve almost single-handedly at the National Post. I don't know when he sleeps, but his enthusiasm and curiousity are inspiring to behold.
And if change is scary, it brings opportunities with it as well. My hope is, of course, that the Globe and Mail is serious about its commitment to books, and whoever is appointed books editor will bring the kind of knowledge that Martin and Jack have always brought to the job. But I also hope that the new editor is encouraged to experiment and given the chance to succeed. If it is to remain relevant, the section cannot be an afterthought. Nor can it focus on 'scoops and celebrities.' It must engage with readers and become actively involved in the wider conversation about books and culture. That's defined less by the number of pages devoted to reviews, and more by kind of newspaper the Globe wants to be—and that, in the end, might be the greater challenge. I'm not saying it will be easy, but then when was it ever?
The #1 Bestselling Book in Canada
by Dan
Fiction + Science Fiction and Fantasy / January 21, 2013
"No e-books, no 'daily deals,' just old-fashioned fan demand: The 14th book in The Wheel of Time series is No. 1 — as a hardcover." — USA Today
A Memory of Light, the conclusion to Robert Jordan's acclaimed fantasy series 'The Wheel of Time', is the bestselling book in Canada and the United States this week!
#1 Globe & Mail Hardcover Fiction
#1 Toronto Star Bestsellers of the Week
#1 Winnipeg Free Press Bestsellers
#1 Vancouver Sun Bestsellers
#1 BNC Sales Data Top 100 Fiction
#1 BookManager Hardcover Fiction
#1 New York Times Combined Print & E-Books/Hardcover Fiction
#1 Publishers WeeklyHardcover Fiction
#1 USA Today Best-Selling Books
#1 Ingram Bestsellers
#1 ABA National Indie Bestsellers
Although Robert Jordan didn't live to see the completion of his beloved series, 'The Wheel of Time' was completed from the writer's own notes and partials by acclaimed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, and edited by Jordan's wife Harriet McDougal.
Brandon will be in Vancouver and Toronto next month to sign copies of A Memory of Light and reflect on the end of Robert Jordan's epic series.
Brandon Sanderson Canadian Author Events:
February 14, 2013 at 7:00pm
Chapters - Metropolis
Metrotown
4700 Kingsway Burnaby, BC
February 15, 2013 at 7:00pm
Toronto Public Library - Lillian H. Smith Branch
239 College Street, Toronto, ON
Who Are You Meant To Be Toronto Book Launch
by Dan
Events + Psychology & Self-Help / January 08, 2013
Who Are You Meant To Be? is the first book to integrate recent breakthroughs in brain science with a fresh take on how personality affects behavior. Based on ideas already embraced by Oprah Winfrey, the book introduces an entirely new and comprehensive approach to unlocking our true capabilities.
Join authors Anne Dranitsaris and Heather Dranitsaris-Hilliard this Thursday from 5:00pm to 8:00pm, for the North American launch of Who Are You Meant To Be? at the Verity Club in Toronto.
Who Are You Meant To Be? Launch
Thursday January 10, 2013, 5:00pm-8:00pm
Verity Club - Toronto Room
111d Queen Street East
Toronto, ON M5C 1S2
A Memory of Light Released Tomorrow!
by Dan
Fiction + Science Fiction and Fantasy / January 07, 2013
A Memory of Light the final book in the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series—completed by Jordan's handpicked successor Brandon Sanderson, and edited by his widow Harriet McDougal—is released tomorrow, January 8, 2013.
In this new video, Brandon and Harriet, Tom Doherty, founder of Tor Books, Patrick Rothfuss, author of the Kingkill Chronicle series, and Jason Denzel of fan site Dragonmount.com discuss the legacy of the series:
My Favourite Books of 2012, Paddy Laidley
by Dan
December 21, 2012