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Tag: Best Of 2010
Favourite Books 2010: Heather Camlot, MySweetBaby
by Dan
Kids + News + Parenting / December 28, 2010
Create Your Own Planet
Todd Parr
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811871464
$16.99
Trying to explain the world beyond the window to young children such as my own is tough, but this fun “doodle and draw” book makes them to think about life around them, from whether caterpillars wear shoes to what makes people happy.
Shadow
Suzy Lee
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811872805
$17.99
Imaginative play at its best — while the young girl in Shadow creates her own world with simple items found in the attic, young readers create their own story to the simple, striking images in the wordless book.
Every Day's A Holiday: Year-Round Crafting with Kids
Heidi Kenney
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811871440
$26.95
I can’t get enough of craft books — they are without hesitation my favourite reads. I love this one for the range of techniques and materials, from fruit-stamping onto fabric to constructing a garden basket out of mini fencing, as well as for the list of unusual holidays — World Origami Days, who knew?
Heather Camlot is the editor of MySweetBaby.
Favourite Books 2010: Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit, YoYoMama
by Dan
Kids + News + Picture Books / December 28, 2010
Play All Day
Taro Gomi
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811871211
$22.99
Trust Taro Gomi to take it to the next level. While everyone else is now doing doodle books he’s moved on to playing. Play All Day is filled with things to punch out and make from games to toys to finger puppets. It’s literally hours of engaging entertainment and would be great for holiday travel with kids.
Shadow
Suzy Lee
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811872805
$17.99
Shadow, a two-word, two colour book about a dark attic, a light bulb and an imaginative little girl can be “read” right side up or upside down as one side shows what’s really in the attic while the other shows how the shadows of ordinary household items like a vacuum cleaner and a ladder morph into a tropical jungle complete with exotic animals, rampant vegetation and just a hint of danger. Kids of all ages are entranced by the shadow world and Lee's lovely art.
Ivy + Bean What's the Big Idea
Annie Barrows
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811866927
$16.99
I've enjoyed reading this whole series with my now seven-year-old and the latest book in the series. The adventures of this unlikely BFF duo are everyday in a lovely way that kids can relate to and parents will appreciate. With nary a licensed character in sight, Ivy and Bean's shenanigans are based on imaginary play and they're just "naughty" enough that kids will thrill to it but parents won't be dismayed. Plus I was thrilled to be able to meet Annie Barrows when she came to town this fall, my kids thought I was a rock star!
Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit founded yoyomama, a free daily e-newsletter for mums in Vancouver (and now Toronto), in 2007 when she couldn’t easily find local info on products and services for mums and their babies. As a mother-of-two girls and busy entrepreneur, she taps into her own front-line experiences to provide readers relevant, useful information that will (hopefully) make their life less harried. Favourite Books 2010: Monique Trottier
by Dan
Food & Drink + Health & Wellness + Kids + News + Vancouver / December 20, 2010
Tartine Bread
Chad Robertson
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811870412
$46
I know this book is a favourite among the Raincoast staff, but I have to call it out as well.
I am most certainly not the professional baker or bread-maker in our home, but thankfully neither is my sweetie James. Chad Robertson, however, has promised me that his detailed descriptions and step-by-step inspiration will result in the perfect loaf of bread. I'm totally game!
Those in my family who make bread are like magi. They understand the feel of the bread, the smell of the starter. I understand the taste of awesome warm bread melting in my mouth, and the smell of good bread from the oven. We'll see how my training goes.
My resolution for 2011 is to make bread, and I'm putting my eggs and flour into Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread basket.
Just an Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure
James L. D'Adamo
Hay House ISBN 9781401927196
$29.95
I'm infinitely fascinated by natural medicine and how little Western nations have invested in understanding natural remedies, diet, exercise and meditation. I'm also frightened by the reactive approach the medical system, insurance industry and government take to health. I truly believe that we have to take responsibility for our own health and wellness, and Dr. D'Adamo's teachings add one more piece of the puzzle.
WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
If I needed to cheerlead, this is the book that gets two pom-pom fist pumps.
Vancouver Then and Now
Francis Mansbridge
Thunder Bay ISBN 9781592239177
$22.95]
The previously mentioned non-baker in our house is also a big fan of Then and Now photography. We have quite a digital collection of historic and contemporary photos of Winnipeg, and are constantly on the look out for cool before and after shots of Vancouver. Why? Why not. Getting to know a place requires you to know what came before. One of the things that impressed me while travelling in the Middle East was the street directions--go north to the old hotel, turn left ... (by "old hotel" they mean something that was there 50+ years ago that is no longer there but is still in recent memory and continues to be because of the instructions). By the way, never get lost with me. Bring money and your phone.
Speaking of travel, James and I were recently in Wanderlust on 4th Ave and we spent a long time perusing this book instead of buying my suitcase and clipping through the rest of our shopping list. (Needless to say, someone has a book in his stocking.)
Day and Night
Teddy Newton
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811876643
$16.99
Since Pete has already called out the wonders of Tartine Bread, I'll add Day and Night to my list of favourites.
Part of going to a Pixar movie is the joy of watching the Pixar shorts in advance of the feature film. I first saw Day and Night as the short before Toy Story 3, and I was equally charmed by the picture book. Pixar is magical in all its formats.
In Day and Night, Day meets Night and Night meets Day. There's confusion, a bit of fighting, and a moment of realization that blossoms into a lovely ending. Super cute.
Monique Trottier is the founder of Boxcar Marketing and the blogger behind SoMisguided.com, a site about books, writing, perfume, technology and other amusements. She runs amok in Vancouver and on twitter @somisguided.
Favourite Books 2010: Crystal Allen
by Crystal
Kids + News + Travel / December 17, 2010
Those who know me well consider me to be a bad girl, a rebel if you will. I think that is why they hired me as a Children's Book Publicist here at Raincoast, to give it a bit more edge. Rules? Ha! I laugh in the face of rules. So when Dan Wagstaff our dashing (yes dashing! Have you heard Dan's English accent?) Online Marketing Specialist asked us all to come up with our favorite 3 books of 2010 I said "No way! I'm choosing 5!" So here they are, in no particular order, Crystal Allen's Favorite Raincoast Books of 2010!
Out of Sight
Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811877121
$22.99
I remember the first time I heard about this book I thought "Oh that sounds like it will be pretty good!" Then I saw it and it and I was absolutely blown away! If you want to buy one book this year that will be enjoyed by everyone in your family from ages 6 months (with supervision) to 100 this is the book. The animal kingdom comes alive with over 50 known and unknown creatures from around the world. With lift the flaps and pop ups this 11 inch by 15 inch book is not only beautiful but it will also keep a child entertained for hours. And it's only $22.95 which gives you a lot of bang for your gift giving buck!
The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World
Robert Reid
Lonely Planet ISBN 9781741792119
$56.00
My husband and I were given the first edition of The Travel Book for a wedding present back in 2006. Too poor to travel the world we often pull this tomb out and armchair travel for an evening. The book has 229 countries & destinations to explore each laid out over a two page full color spread. My very favorite part of the book is that each destination has recommendations on something to Read, Listen To, Watch, Eat and Drink to help experience the country. Then it sums up each country in one word. One of my favorites is Tahiti who's word is Haere Maru which means Take It Slow.
Alphabeasties Amazing Activities
Sharon Werner & Sarah Forss
Blue Apple ISBN 9781609050412
$15.99
One of my favorite book of 2009 was Alphabeasties, a book that explored all the different types of fonts and turned them into animals made out of combinations of different typefaces. From an alligator made of A's to a Zebra made of Z's the book took fonts blocky, small, thick, tall, roundish, slope-y fancy and dopey and brought them to life. For 2010 we have the sequel to the book Alphabeasties Amazing Activities which is packed full of mazes, word searches, rebus puzzles and other intellectual play plus 300 stickers and the really cool animals. It's a must have not only for kids but also for design nerds... or want to be design nerds... like me.
I had the opportunity to work with 2 fabulous authors in 2010 for their Canadian Tours and I would be remise if I did not mention their books on my list.
The first was the lovely Annie Barrows who visited Vancouver and did 3 events plus a bookseller & librarian lunch all in one day for her new book Ivy and Bean What's The Big Idea. The Ivy and Bean books are my very favorite chapter book series about two girls who are neighbors and best friends and get into all kinds of mischief together. My favorite books as a child were the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary and these take me right back to those days. Like the Ramona books the Ivy and Bean books have huge fans that are both female and male. I expected a ton of little girls to gush over Annie during the day that I spent with her but I was pleasantly surprised to see how many little boys were huge fans as well!
The second author we had in Canada was the hilarious and delightful Bart King who visited Toronto to promote his book The Big Book Of Gross Stuff. Bart was on Breakfast Television and fried up some worms for a little breakfast treat and had a great time sharing gross facts from around the world on YTV's The Zone. Farts, poop, boogers, maggots, vomit, head cheese and just about every other gross thing you can think of are explored in this book so it will delight boys (and we have to admit girls too) with it's grossness. The thing that parents will love? Bart is a middle school teacher so while kids think they are reading about all this nasty stuff that would churn grownups stomachs they are actually being tricked into learning a lot of really great things!
So that's my list of my favorite books of 2010! I think there is something for just about anyone that you may have on your gift list! Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!
Crystal Allen is the Children's and Travel Publicist at Raincoast books. As much as she would like to think of herself as a bad girl, she really isn't. She is also mama to 2 year old Isabella and the owner of Lilikoi Lane where she makes and designs really cool shirts for kids!
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bart king best of 2010 books ivy + bean kids books lonely planet reading travel
Favourite Books 2010: Bob Kronbauer, Vancouver is Awesome
by Dan
News + Vancouver / December 17, 2010
Vancouver Then and Now
Francis Mansbridge
Thunder Bay ISBN 9781592239177
$22.95
It would be criminal for me not to include this as my favourite Raincoast title from 2010. The comparative photographs in this book are quite simply stunning and they offer such a unique view of our city and the constant state of change it's in. I'm looking forward to the release of 'Vancouver Then and Then and Now' in a few decades!
The Sounds of Star Wars
J. W. Rinzler
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811875462
$70.00
The fact that relatively new technology allows this book to be able to contain more than 250 sound effects from the Star Wars films should be enough to make it a favourite, but the illustrations and insights from those involved in the sound design of these movies puts it way over the top.
Still Fishin'*
Alan Haig-Brown
Harbour Publishing ISBN 9781550174670
$26.95
AND
Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest*
Andy Lamb and Phil Edgell
Harbour Publishing ISBN 9781550174717
$29.95
The former offers a great insider's view of the fishing industry in British Columbia, written by the son of the author of my favourite fishing book of all time, Bright Waters, Bright Fish published in 1980. The latter offers a great reference and learning tool about all of the different types of fish in the waters around here, caught byvcommercial and sportfisher men alike.
(* Please note: Still Fishin' and Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest are published and distributed by Harbour Publishing. Bookstores can currently order both these books from Raincoast's wholesale division BookExpress).
Bob Kronbauer is one of Vancouver's biggest fans. He's the founding editor of VancouverIsAwesome.com, a blog turned incorporated not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study, promotion and preservation of Vancouver arts and culture. Bob is also a published fine art photographer (his first book, Beach Glass, was published by Holy Water in 2004 [ISBN 0-9548238-0-X]) and portrait photographer for local and international magazines. As a jack of a few trades Bob also works on curatorial projects and art direction and has completed projects for Nike, Kangol and Poketo to name a few. He wears a lot of hats but above all considers himself a modern day storyteller.
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best of 2010 bob kronbauer book express harbour publishing star wars vancouver vancouver is awesome
Favourite Books 2010: Brad Mackay
by Dan
Graphica + News / December 16, 2010
Acme Novelty Library #20 (AKA “Lint”)
Chris Ware
Drawn & Quarterly ISBN 9781770460201
$24.95
The past year has seen a superb bumper crop of new books come forth from Montreal’s Drawn and Quarterly, and Ware’s is among the best-of-the-best. Chris is such a reliably excellent cartoonist that he is almost taken for granted in the comics community. This is a shame, since the latest instalment of his long-running showcase comic is a revelation. Telling the cradle-to-almost-grave story of Jordan Lint, Ware delivers a warm and searing portrayal of human weakness while still flexing his considerable formalist chops.
Palookaville #20
Seth
Drawn & Quarterly ISBN 9781770460188
$20.95
Ware’s colleague in comics, Seth, also hit a landmark in 2010 with the 20th issue of his long-running series Palookaville. As expected, Seth comes out swinging here with the latest instalment of his epic Clyde Fans serialized story. But that’s not all! Here he also offers a folio of his travelling “Dominion City” exhibition, an autobiographical strip that harkens back to the early issues of his comic and a touching eulogy of sorts to the humble comic book format, which is being eclipsed by the current graphic novel boom. An exquisite package from a Canadian treasure.
Wilson
Dan Clowes
Drawn & Quarterly ISBN 9781770460072
$23.95
As if the above wasn’t enough, 2010 also gave us Dan Clowes’ first-ever all-original graphic novel. Wilson received a mixed critical reception (some disparaged the main character for being “unlikable”) but lucky for me, I don’t expect made-up characters to always make the right choices or say the right things. As I have already said elsewhere, “Clowes shines in depicting self-loathing, cynical characters who eventually succumb to their human frailties.” Go buy this book now.
Brad Mackay is a writer and co-editor of The Collected Doug Wright: Canada's Master Cartoonist, to which he contributed a biographical essay. He is also the director and co-founder of the Doug Wright Awards for Canadian cartooning.
Favourite Books 2010: Peter MacDougall
by Dan
Architecture + Food & Drink + News + Travel / December 15, 2010
Modern North: Architecture on the Frozen Edge
Julie Decker
Princeton Architectural Press ISBN 9781568988993
$52.00
This is a beautiful coffee table book—typical of Princeton Architectural Press—celebrating modern architecture from northern countries around the world. It's accessible enough for people like me who have a passing interest in architecture, but there's enough detail to satisfy the professionals. The book is packed with more than 30 examples of residential and commercial modern architecture projects from Iceland, Alaska, Finland, Norway and several projects in our own north. Also included is a great piece from Globe and Mail architecture columnist Lisa Rochon, titled "Canadian Architecture and the North" excerpted from her 2005 book Up North: Where Canada's Architecture Meets the Land (Key Porter).
Tartine Bread
Chad Robertson
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811870412
$46.00
This is a stunning package from Chronicle Books by Chad Robertson—dubbed by some in the baking world as the Jesus of Bread-Making. I'm not even a big bread fan and I love this book. Tartine Bread should satisfy everyone from the armchair foodies, to people that just want to learn how to bake amazing bread, to the master class who want to pick up some new tips. Chad Robertson likes surfing and baking bread and he's super handsome. Watch the book trailer. Seriously, it rules:
The Travel Book. A Journey Through Every Country in the World
Robert Reid
Lonely Planet ISBN 9781741792119
$56.00
The 'The' in the title pretty much sums this one up. It is the travel book. A big, over-sized coffee table book with a page spread devoted to every country in the world. Beautiful photos on one page, facts, geography and trivia on the facing page. I feel sorry for your coffee table without it.
Pete MacDougall is Raincoast's National Accounts Manager. His dog Thomas is the Chairman of the Board.
Favourite Books 2010: Robin McConnell, Inkstuds
by Dan
Graphica + News / December 14, 2010
Market Day
James Sturm
Drawn & Quarterly ISBN 9781897299975
$23.95
There is something about the stark beauty in this book that just draws you in. A fascinating contemplation on art. This is by far James' strongest work so far, and that is coming from a man that has already done some excellent work.
The Selves
Sonja Ahlers
Drawn & Quarterly ISBN 9781770460102
$20.95
I love how representational of a certain life and culture Sonja's work is. She plans out a million idea's and arguments in simple image that speaks in volumes.
Wilson
Daniel Clowes
Drawn & Quarterly ISBN 9781770460072
$23.95
Daniel Clowes is one of my favorite cartoonists and this book is no exception to the rule of him being awesome. It's like he dropped a bomb remind the new kids who the real boss is.
Robin McConnell is the host of the Inkstuds radio show out of Vancouver and the accompanying book of the same name, published this year by Conundrum Press.
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art best of 2010 comics dan clowes inkstuds james sturm robin mcconnell sonja ahlers
Favourite Books 2010: Chelsea Theriault
by Dan
Food & Drink + Kids + News / December 13, 2010
How to Cook Like a Top Chef
Chronicle Books ISBN 978-0-8118-7486-1
$34.95
Top Chef is the pick of the litter when it comes to reality TV. This colourful cookbook helps you to recreate and taste some of the show's most memorable dishes, and is a crash-course in techniques, ingredients, and the art of cooking on the fly.
It also includes recipes from some of the renowned chefs who competed on Top Chef: Masters, such as Hubert Keller and Rick Bayless. Bayless' Chile-Garlic shrimp is a winner!
Bear in Underwear
Todd Goldman
Blue Apple ISBN 9781609050160
$14.99
Not sure what it says about my maturity level, but this book makes me smile. Bear and his adorable forest friends (I have a soft spot for Porcupine and Big Foot) discover a bag full of underwear and try them on for size. Bear's undies on the cover are made of real fabric, which is guaranteed to get a laugh out of the target audience...and maybe those who fall outside of it, too.
Passions Book Journal
Moleskine ISBN 9788862933193
$26.00
It's the perfect marriage: Moleskine journals and literary obsessions. I love having a place to store my ever-growing lists of "What to read next," and "Books____ would like," as well having a journal tailored to collecting favourite quotes and documenting the lasting impressions that good books bring.
Chelsea Theriault is the Sales and Marketing Assistant at Raincoast, and can't imagine a life where she is not surrounded by books and pugs. Her secret weapon is colour-coded spreadsheets.
Favourite Books 2010: Matt Nashlenas
by Dan
Food & Drink + Graphica + News / December 10, 2010
Ramayana: Divine Loophole
Sanjay Patel
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811871075
$34.95
I have a continuing interest in how stories, myths and legends persist and find new ways to become relevant to us. How these stories are written, designed, mediated, packaged, and consumed gives us the barometer from which we deduce the direction and health of our artistic culture. Amidst the eddy’s and currents that move our society, somehow these stories are still relevant and important in ways we might not have imagined before.
Jimmy Williams
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811872218
$35.00
Seed to Skillet deals with my two favorite subjects: food and eating. We should all learn to grow as much of our own food as we can.
KENK: A Graphic Portrait
Richard Poplak, illustrated by Nick Marinkovich
Pop Sandbox ISBN 9780986488405
$27.95
Because I always wanted to steal a bike but could never bring myself to do it.
Matt Nashlenas is Special Sales Associate at Raincoast Books. He tried to cobble memories of his life together so as to define himself for this bio but got distracted by lunch. Now, after a satisfying meal of lentil curry, homemade Philipine-style spring-rolls, and home-made almond roca he has eaten too much (again), and is thinking about drifting over to the cake-couch for a cat-nap, if for only a moment, to reflect on the ways in which food compliments and complicates the act of remembering.