Jane Lynch's Happy Accidents

I've been a Jane Lynch fan ever since I saw 'Best in Show'. So, I'm really excited about Jane's new autobiography Happy Accidents, which will be hitting stores (and library shelves) September 13th!

Check out the video trailers below! The first, was filmed just after Jane finished recording the audio edition and will tell you a bit more about the book and the process of writing it.


And now- a special message recorded just for us in Canada!



Are you excited too?!! I have a five galleys up for grabs for the first five Canadian librarians to e-mail me at rosalyn.steele@harpercollins.com.

Please use 'Happy Accidents' as the subject of your e-mail and please be sure to include the full mailing address of your library.

-Rosalyn

Trick of The Light

I have just come back from two weeks of glorious holidays. We went on a road trip to California and before we went, I visited my local library to pick up the first four books in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series. I like my murders with a cup of tea as they say or Agatha Christie style, so Louise Penny's books were just for me. Her latest book in the series: Trick of the Light is releasing today. In support of the book, Lousie is doing an extensive cross Canada tour: from PEI to Victoria. For a complete list of her tour dates click here.

Canadian Culinary Book Awards

The awards season is truly heating up and it's not even September! Now here's a long list you can really sink your teeth into ;). Cuisine Canada has come out with their nominations for the best Canadian cookbooks. Lots of yummy books on the list including Whitecap's 3 Chefs: The Kitchen Men with Michael Bonacini, Massimo Capra, and Jason Parsons. For a look at all the books click here.

I hope I Win!

This is a pretty cool and original contest brought to you by the folks at Our Public Library. In order to raise awareness about what is happening at City Hall and TPL, they have enlisted some of Canada's best authors such as Michael Ondaatje, Susan Swan and others. They are asking for people to submit "Why My Library Matters to Me”. Each participating author will accompany a small group of contest winners to a Toronto literary site (such as a location in one of their books) followed by lunch with their group at one of the author's favourite Toronto restaurants. The contest opens August 25th...spread this far and wide. Check it out!

Giller Contest

The longlist for the Giller is announced on September 6th. The CBC is running a fun contest asking for people to nominate books for the list. The book that garners the most nominations will be added onto the official longlist.
There are also prizes to be won including a trip for two to the Giller Awards. Click here for more information.

Big Nate is On a Roll!

Big Nate is back and better than ever! Big Nate On A Roll, the third book in this fun series that Kirkus likened to a 'latter-day Peanuts and a kinder, gentler Diary of a Wimpy Kid is now available in stores & on library shelves.

Nate has always looked forward to his Timber Scout meetings (even the berets are cool). But when the practically perfect foreign exchange student Artur joins his troop, Nate is going to have some serious competition to earn first place in the Timber Scout door-to-door sales competition. And Big Nate REALLY wants the customized skateboard that is the prize… Many laughs ensue as the competition heats up! With its mix of text and comic style panels, this book (and the others in the series) appeal to avid & reluctant readers alike.

I must admit to having had a soft spot for Nate- I do like a mischief maker! So, to celebrate the release of Big Nate on A Roll, I’m running a contest for Canadian teachers & librarians. The winner will receive the prize pack depicted in the picture on the right, consisting of an autographed copy of the first two books in the series (Big Nate in A Class By Himself and Big Nate Strikes Again), as well as a copy of Big Nate on a Roll, Big Nate Boredom Busters, the newly arrived ARC of the new comic strip collection Big Nate: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? and a Big Nate cardboard standee.

To enter, please send me an e-mail at rosalyn.steele@harpercollins.com with the subject ‘Big Nate’. Be sure to include your full name and the mailing address of your library or school. I’ll collect entries until Friday September 2nd and contact the winner on Tuesday the 6th.

Win A Trip for 2 to Toronto!

To celebrate the release of Lindsey Kelk's new novel, The Single Girl's To-Do List, HarperCollins Canada is sponsoring a contest where the winner will win a trip for 2 to Toronto, a 2 night stay at the Four Seasons Hotel , salon services from Civello and dinner at MoRoCo.

To enter and for rules and regulations, follow this link.

Even if you live in Toronto, this prize would be a great 'staycation'. I only wish I could enter too!

The Single Girl's To-Do List was one of my Spring 2011 Dewey Picks. The main character, Rachel, is devastated after being dumped for the first time in her illustrious dating career. An avid list-maker & follower, Rachel starts a practical 'what to do now' list. The fun begins when her two best friends get hold of the list and decide to spice it up a little. Rachel's list begins with a makeover, moves on to tracking down 'the one that got away' (who now lives in Toronto) & includes a challenge that has Rachel facing her fear of heights. This book has great characters, a lot of laughs and is a fun summer read!

Happy Birthday Mr. McLuhan

This season, we have taken on repping the University of Toronto Press. The first title they presented at their sales conference was a new edition of The Gutenberg Galaxy which they said was the most important book they had ever published...pretty exciting for us. On their blog, they have compiled all of the recent media around the Centenary Year of McLuhan's birth and his legacy which is more relevant today than ever. My favourite piece is by Doug Coupland in the Guardian.

Dear Baobab

Second Story Press' list this Fall is exceptionally strong. One book that is really standing out is Dear Baobab. It is a sweet story about a young boy who is transplated from Tanzania to North America. His story has alot in common with the spruce tree that is growing too close to their house and has to be moved. In Quill and Quire's starred review they call it charming and superb!

Melanie Watt on Seven Impossible Things

Melanie Watt does an interesting inteveriew with on the book blog Seven Impossible Things . In it she talks about her favourite books, music and you get to see some of her childhood drawings as well as non-kid sketches. Check it out!