An Interview with Sandra Djwa

Sandra Djwa was interviewed by Michael Enright on CBC's Sunday Edition to discuss her new book, Journey With No Maps: A Life of P.K. Page. This is the first biography of Page, a twentieth-century Canadian poet and artist.

The following is an excerpt of the book's description from publisher McGill-Queen's University Press:

"Journey with No Maps reads like a novel, drawing on the poet's voice from interviews, diaries, letters, and writings as well as the voices of her contemporaries. With the vividness of a work of fiction and the thoroughness of scholarly dedication, Djwa illustrates the complexities of Page's private experience while also documenting her public emergence as an internationally known poet. It is both the captivating story of a remarkable woman and a major contribution to the study of Canada's literary and artistic history."

Click here to watch her interview, which begins at 1:30:45.

ABC of Toronto Contest!

Kids Can Press has partnered with CN Tower and CityPass for an amazing Toronto-themed Toronto Star Wonderlist contest! In celebration of Kids Can Press' new book, ABC of Toronto, Wonderlist is going to help a lucky winner experience this wonderful city with two adult and two children's CityPasses! These passes would give the lucky winner access to popular Toronto attractions such as Casa Loma, Royal Ontario Museum, CN Tower, Ontario Science Centre, and Toronto Zoo. The winner will also get the entire Per-Henrik Gürth library of "Canada Concepts" books, including the brand-spankin' new ABC of Toronto. That's eight hardcover books! 

This prize pack has an approximate value of $500. Click here to enter the giveaway. (Contest closes July 31, 2013 at 9 a.m. EST.)

To learn more about Per-Henrik Gürth's "Canada Concepts" books, visit the Kids Can Press website.

If You Want to See a Whale

... And who wouldn't?

An Interview with Marissa Meyer!

TheMagazine.ca recently did an interview with Marissa Meyer, best-selling author of the Lunar Chronicles series. In the interview she discusses what readers should expect from her upcoming books, which of her characters she's most like, moving out of the sci-fi genre, and possible Lunar Chronicles movies! Really fun and interesting interview, and it seems like she has a lot of surprises in store for her readers!


Check out the full interview here!

Bookaboo!

We're really excited for the Canadian launch of Bookaboo, a fun new TV program on Kids' CBC that's already seen great success in the UK and won multiple awards.

The eponymous main character is a rock star pup (a drummer, to be specific!) who "needs a story a day or he just can't play." Each episode features a celebrity guest that reads children's books with Bookaboo, and the episode ends with the superstar pup playing an epic drum solo! Some of the great titles being featured on the TV show are Scaredy Squirrel, Stanley's Party, Toads on Toast, and My Thinkamajink.    

CBC is launching Bookaboo during CBC Kids Days on July 17 and 18. Mélanie Watt, author of the popular Scaredy Squirrel books, will be in attendance to read Scaredy Squirrel with Bookaboo. Word on the street is that Scaredy will make an appearance, too!

Bookaboo will air daily on the CBC at 10 am.

Funeeeeee!

For more literary pets check out the Epic Reads blog.

Eleanor & Park

It's great to see Eleanor & Park getting so much love lately! Rainbow Rowell's book about first love is definitely adored around these parts, and it seems like The Toronto Star feels the same way! Here's their review:

"This may well turn out to be the best-written teen romance of 2013. Rowell alternates between the perspectives of Eleanor, whose flamboyant hair, large figure and weird clothes make her the butt of bullies at her new school, and Park, who finds himself first sharing his comics with her (X-men; Watchmen) and then his music (the Smiths; Joy Division) — this is 1986, after all. Rowell writes of the breath-taking, cautious, astonished moments of adolescent romance with lucid, poetic intensity; at the same time, she evokes the threat of domestic violence with a bite that deepens the teens’ ultimate triumph. Highly recommended."

E&P is, indeed, a very well done romance. Rowell takes the reader on a journey as these two misfit teens experience the awkwardness, confusion, and INTENSE FEELINGS that come with falling in love for the first time, and it does this without being too sexy or saccharine, as many YA novels tend to be. It is really written quite wonderfully and let's just say that many tears were shed whilst reading this book. Many, many tears.

Heather Reisman, CEO of Chapters Indigo, has also joined the E&P love-fest by including it as one of her 2013 Top Summer Reads for Teens! Pretty amazing.

So ... You should probably read it.

Share Your Travel Story, Win a Trip of a Lifetime

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."

Photo via Lonely Planet

Share your travel story with Lonely Planet for a chance to win a trip to Italy! The catch? You can only use 140 characters or less.
The deadline to enter is August 15th, 2013

Here are some pretty amazing entries they've received so far:

TIPTOEING PAST ONE HIPPO LATE AT NIGHT ONLY TO TURN AND SEE ANOTHER ONE MUNCHING AWAY ON GRASS RIGHT BY MY TENT.

UGANDA,

2011.

FINDING LONG LOST FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE ALLEYWAYS OF A SMALL VILLAGE.

CHINA,

2012.

HOLDING MY LOVERS HAND WATCHING A GLACIER CALVE WHILE SEA OTTERS FLOAT NEARBY.

ALASKA, USA,

2013.

I LOST MY MIND. FOUND IT IN ITALY. DANCING THE MAMBO IN A PERUGIA PIAZZA UNDER A FULL MOON. AIR FILLED WITH GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL.

ITALY,

1993.

LEARNING QUICKLY THAT IT'S SMART TO TIP THE SNAKE CHARMER.

TANGIER,

1995.

Check out the contest (and entries) here!

Just how large is Penguin Random House?

With the completion of the Penguin and Random House merger on July 1, 2013, Penguin Random House is now the largest publisher in the world. But just how large has Penguin Random House become? According to this post by Melville House, the projected annual revenue for this publishing giant will exceed the GDP of several countries in the world. Yes, Penguin Random House is projected to make more money per year than entire countries, including Guyana and Greenland. Click here for the full article.

Children's Book Panel: Must-Reads for Summer 2013

School's out! Luckily, Michele Landsberg and Ken Setterington have compiled a list of great books for young readers to get lost in over the hot summer months. And who's to say adults can't enjoy them, too?

Here are just some of their picks:

In the Tree House by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Dusan Petricic
Nocturne: Dream Recipes by Isol
Windblown by Edouard Manceau
My Neighbor is a Dog by Isabel Minhos Martins, illustrated by Madalena Matoso

Click here to view the full list and listen to the podcast.