Publishers Weekly Top Books of 2014

Publishers Weekly have chosen their top books of 2014, just in time for the holiday season! If you're looking for something to read this holiday or if you're searching for the perfect gift for a loved one, you can check out their top picks in a wide range of categories, as well as their Top 10 picks overall.

Click on the links below to check out PW's best books for each category:

Top 10 Books of 2014 

Best Books: Fiction

Best Books: Mystery/Thriller

Best Books: Poetry

Best Books: Romance

Best Books: SF/Fantasy/Horror

Best Books: Comics

Best Books: Nonfiction

Best Books: Picture Books

Best Books: Middle Grade

Best Books: Young Adult

Best Books: Religion

Best Books: Lifestyle

Happy reading!

Scaredy Squirrel Fan Club

One of our favourite furry friends at Kids Can Press has started his own fan club and it's 100% germ-free! Everyone who joins Scaredy's fan club will receive monthly e-newsletters, fun ideas for activities, and a birthday e-card on his or her birthday month. And, of course, Scaredy will continue to give his fans great tips for planning and staying safe. 

Click here to sign up for Scaredy's Fan Club! (Warning: You must confirm that you are not a martian, clownfish, skunk, walrus, unicorn, or pirate.)

Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever

 

Will the Grinch be ousted by Grumpy Cat as the world's most curmudgeony Christmas character? We'll soon find out! Grumpy Cat stars in her first feature film, Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever, which premieres November 29th on Lifetime.

Kung Pow Chicken!

 Kung Pow Chicken #2: Bok! Bok! Boom! by Cyndi Marko

How did no one ever realize Kung Pow Chicken is not only a delicious entrée but also an hilarious superhero? A thing that goes Bok in the night?

After falling into a barrel of toxic sludge, ordinary everyday Gordon is given superpowers – Chicken Senses (these emit from his . . .  erm . . .   Comb.

tail feathers), Power Peck, Feather Storm, and my favourite, The Drumsticks of Doom. In his second adventure, Kung Pow and his unhatched brother Ben (his full name is Egg Benedict) thwart the kidnapping of famed opera singer Honey

I’m not embarrassed to admit it – I laughed until tears were flowing. Enjoy.

Scaredy Squirrel's Tips for Worry-Free Reading

Put on your reading goggles and check out these reading tips from a very beloved squirrel! 

Library edition:

Local bookstore edition:

NaNoWriMo

Contrary to popular belief, November is not just a month for moustaches. It also happens to be National Novel Writing Month, better known around the internet as NaNoWriMo. Every November, writers all over the world get their creative juices flowing and challenge themselves to write an entire novel in ONE MONTH.

That's quite the challenge.

But fear not! Nanowrimo.org aims to make this daunting task a little easier. They've got some instructions about how NaNoWriMo works for anyone who is doing the challenge for the first time, and they've made it easy to track their progress, get inspiration and support from peers and --- perhaps best of all --- meet other writers who are trying to accomplish the same crazy thing they are. 

I don't know about you but I get tired just thinking about writing a novel, let alone writing one in a month. And not even one of the longer months with 31 days. But here's something that's pretty darn inspiring: there are NaNoWriMo novels that have actually been published and gone on to become bestsellers. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Wool by Hugh Howey, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, and The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer were all penned during NaNoWriMo. Pretty neat!

Would you ever attempt to write a novel in one month? Or does that idea give you hives, like it does for me?

COOKBOOK AUTHOR, SEAN BROCK

Heritage by Sean Brock

$35.00, Hardback

ISBN: 9781579654634

TORONTO TOUR: Nov. 24

Event with George Brown College Chef School
http://gbcbookstore.bookware3000.ca/eSolution/item.php?item=88880032716&data=01350104
Confirmed media:
·         Interview and feature in Globe & Mail (national; date TK)
·         Postmedia, interview + feature (syndication; date TK)
·         Interview with Hello! Canada (pre-holiday issue, Dec. 11–18)

Goodreads Choice Awards 2014

It's official: 2014 is coming to an end. Although the onslaught of fall titles likely means there are still quite a few books to keep bibliophiles busy until December, it's a great time to reflect on the books we've already read (and loved) this year.

Cue: The Goodreads Choice Awards!

This yearly tradition allows Goodreads users to vote for the best books of the year in a myriad categories. It's not only a great way to support your favourite titles, but to discover new reads that might have slipped through the cracks (perhaps while you were busy participating in the 2014 Harry Potter re-read). And whether you love fiction or nonfiction, there is a lot left to discover. You'll find a lot of the usual suspects, sure. Margaret Atwood, Rainbow Rowell, Louise Penny, Haruki Murakami, Sarah Waters, and Lena Dunham are all (unsurprisingly) nominated. But you never know what lesser-known gems are just waiting to be added to your ever-growing to-be-read pile.

The opening round of voting has already begun the semi-finals will run November 10th-15th, and the finals from November 17th-24th. 

Cast your votes here!

Haunted Hallowe'en at Richmond Hill PL!

The fabulous Lahring gives a SPOOKY presentation at  Richmond Hill Public Library...BOO!