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Talking about The Life and Love of Trees with Ellen
by Siobhan
Animals & Nature + Art & Photography + Environment + Excerpts / January 05, 2010
In case you missed it over the holidays, here's Lewis Blackwell's interview with Ellen about two of his passions - trees and photography - which he has married in his truly gorgeous book, The Life and Love of Trees.
The book really is stunning - everyone who picks it up seems to have the same reaction as Ellen.
If you haven't seen it yet, have a look at's an are few images from the book posted on the this slideshow of images from the book posted on the website for O, The Oprah Magazine.
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environment green photography
Carb swapping! No more crazy diets that don’t work!
by Danielle
January 04, 2010
We just received the new book by bestselling author Jorge Cruise called THE BELLY FAT CURE. I'm truly amazed. After reading the first few chapters and taking a look at the many recipes included, I'm hooked. Really! He suggests a very simple regime of carb swapping. The book gives you sample dishes that are not so healthy and replaces them with the good ones. In turn, hoping to make you lose 4-9 pounds every week. Try it out for yourself (if needed), but please consult your local physician before starting any new diet.
This is one of Jorge's many YouTube video on the subject. He explains that some foods have a high sugar content which is not good for your body (obviously) so he will give you delicious alternatives.
Here's is Jorge's visit to The Today Show (Jan 4, 2010)
Jorge Cruise is the author of 3 consecutive New York Times best-selling series, with more than 5 million books in print in over 15 languages. He has appeared on Oprah, Regis and Kelly, The View, Good Morning America, the Today show, Dateline NBC, and CNN. Go to TheBellyFatCure.com to join Jorge?s free e-mail club.
Sherlock’s Skills
by Siobhan
Film + Humour / January 04, 2010
Yesterday, in the spirit of a last hurrah for holidays, I went to see a matinee of a holiday blockbuster: the new Sherlock Holmes movie.
It's been a long time since I read any Sherlock Holmes, but I don't recall our intrepid detective getting to so much trouble in the books! That Robert Downey Jr is a fighting machine. Yikes!
I guess his powers of deduction and his ability to instantly disguise himself came in handy, too. Oh, and hanving nerves of steel. And being OK with causing a great deal of damage to public property (goodbye shipyard!)...
The point is - and perhaps more now than ever - to be a great detective, you need to have a wide variety of skills - both brains and braun.
The fine folks at Quirk Books seem to think that anyone can aquire these skills. They've compiled them all into a book: The Sherlock Holmes Handbook: The Methods and Mysteries Of the World's Greatest Detective.
Here are a few key lessons, excerpted from the book:
- How to Cover Your Tracks
- How to Disguise Yourself
- How to Crack a Safe
- How to Decode Ciphers
- How to Outwit a Criminal Mastermind (Tip #2 sounds pretty important: "Thwart his attempts to assassinate you.")
So, good luck honing your skills, future sleuthers. Personally, I think I'll stick to deciphering the various sizes of movie-theatre popcorn, and the mystery of how they all cost so much. :)
For more Sherlock Holmes fun from Quirk Books, also investigate The Crimes of Dr Watson: An Interactive Sherlock Holmes Mystery
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movie, sherlock holmes
Here’s to a sake New Years!
by Danielle
Excerpts + Food & Drink / December 30, 2009
I thought I'd post a couple of yummy sake recipes from Kathy Casey's Sips and Apps for your New Years celebration. I hope you like them! Enjoy!
If you do intend to have a few cocktails tomorrow night please do not drive and find an alternative to taking your car.
All the best and here's to 2010!
Sake Sangria
Makes about 4 cups (6 to 8 servings)
1 (750 ml) bottle sake
6 tablespoons honey
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, halved lengthwise, then cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces (use the entire stalk)
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1 small tangerine or orange, thinly sliced
1 large plum or apricot, pitted and cut into thin wedges (optional, if not in season)
In a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients and stir with a spoon, crushing some of the fruit. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or up to 2 days, to let the flavors marry before serving. Serve over ice, and include some of the fruit in each serving.
Sake Teriyaki Sticky Chicken Wings
Makes 24
Old-school teriyaki chicken wings get a big-flavored lacquery glaze in this low-and-slow method. You can make the sauce a few days ahead of time, but be sure to allow a full hour for cooking the wings.
I cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sake, or substitute dry sherry or dry white wine
2 tablespoons very finely minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
I cup sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1 dozen whole chicken wings or 2 dozen drummettes, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
For Garneshing
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed
Thinly sliced green onion tops
In a small saucepan, whisk together the soy sauce, sake, ginger, garlic, sugar, pepper flakes, green onions, vinegar, cornstarch, and water. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, to thicken. Mixture will be very thick. Let cool. If not using immediately, store, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.
If using whole wings, disjoint the wings and remove and discard tips; you should have 24 pieces. Put them in a large bowl and set aside.
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F.
Add the sauce mixture to the bowl with the chicken and mix well to coat the chicken evenly. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or lightly oil it. Arrange the drummettes and sauce in a single layer in the dish.
Bake for 30 minutes. Stir and turn the chicken pieces over and bake for 20 minutes more. Stir and turn the chicken pieces again and bake for 10 minutes more, or until chicken is tender and sauce is thick and glazy. Total cooking time should be about 1 hour.
Stir the drummettes in the sauce once more, then transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Spoon some of the extra sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the sesame seed and green onions for garnish.
P+P+Z Best Cover of 2009
by Dan
Fiction + Humour / December 23, 2009
After several weeks of voting, Amazon customers have chosen the Best Book Cover of 2009: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, cover designed by Doogie Horner!
Congratulations to Doogie and publisher Quirk Books!
See all 60 of Amazon's nominees.
Advent Books: Great Books Recommended by Great People
by Dan
News / December 17, 2009
Everyone knows that books make great gifts right? But with so many books out there, how do you decide which ones to buy?
Well, if you're having trouble (and there are only 8 days until Christmas!), I suggest you get yourself over The Advent Books Blog ASAP.
Set up by pals Sean Cranbury of Books on the Radio (Vancouver) and Book Madam Julie Wilson (Toronto), Advent Books is posting short (v. short in some cases!) enthusiastic book recommendations by authors, publishing professionals, bloggers, and booksellers.
All the books recommended are from the past year, but so far they've covered just about every genre, format, shape, size and colour. And with 17 days worth of recommendations already posted, there is surely just the book you are looking for!
Just Like the Ones He Used to Know
by Dan
News / December 17, 2009
The good folks at Books@Torontoist are posting an original story by Victoria-based author Robert J. Wiersema (Before I Wake and The World More Full of Weeping).
Telling the story of a man who makes a mysterious journey to his home town on a stormy Christmas Eve, “Just Like the Ones He Used to Know” revives the Victorian tradition of ringing in the holiday season with a story of the ghostly and the miraculous.
The story will be serialized on the site in eight daily posts, beginning today and ending on Christmas Eve.
Happy Holidays!
by Siobhan
Food & Drink / December 14, 2009
Happy Holidays to you from all of us here at Raincoast Books!
May your holidays be filled with peace, love, joy - and lots of time to curl up by the fireplace with a cup of cocoa and a good book.
To get you started, here's a recipe for delicious Chai Hot Cocoa from I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas by Anna Getty (published by Chronicle Books).
Click here to download the recipe as a PDF.
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christmas recipes
Natalie Portman to produce and star in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movie!!
by Danielle
Fiction + Film + News / December 11, 2009
Yes that's right! Variety broke the news this morning that Natalie Portman will star as Elizabeth Bennet in the movie adaptation of the bestselling PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES.
photo courtesy of
natalieportman.com
No official release date has been announced. But I can certainly assure you we here at Raincoast and the folks down at Quirk are stoked about this news! She'll make the perfect Elizabeth. Wonder who else'll be cast? I'll let you know as soon as I find out!
Here's a link to CBC's website. They're talking about the new movie as well. But who isn't?
A quick fix for pre-holiday stress…
by Siobhan
Animals & Nature + Humour / December 08, 2009
I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little stressy in the lead-up to the holidays. It seems that every day there are more and more things to do... and fewer days in which to get them done. Fortunately, here's the ultimate distraction from all that madness: cats in wigs.
Yup, I said it. Cats in wigs.
It doesn't get any sillier than that. Well, not until you put it on film.
Here's a trailer for the book Glamourpuss by Kitty Wigs creator Julie Jackson.
"The photos in this book are equal parts cute, funny, and creepy (in that "obsessive cat lady" way), and the combination is most enjoyable. The book is well-designed for casual flipthroughs and kitteh-obsessive pageturners alike, with vivid color reproduction with which to faithfully present all those technicolor wigs. I may buy several copies for teenage, female cat-fanciers on my holiday list. Something about the brand of humor here seems particularly fitting for that age group, and I do not say that with the intent to condescend (although, hey, if the wig fits...). It's sweet, ridiculous stuff." -Boing Boing
Still feeling stressed? Check out this behind-the-scenes video about photographing the cats for the book. There's also a Flickr pool of photos of cats in Kitty Wigs. And in case you missed it, here's Glamourpuss on the cover of Publishers Weekly.
Me-ow.
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cats wigs