Friday, October 30, 2015

MAYOR ROB FORD: UNCONTROLLABLE by Mark Towhey and Johanna Schneller

Photos from the recent book launch of Mark Towhey and Johanna Schneller's new book on Rob Ford - ISBN 978 163450 0425

Media coverage for DO UNTO ANIMALS by Tracey Stewart


CP24


 

CTVNews.ca


 

Guelph Mercury


 

Canada.com


 

Check out the review of DIA DE LOS MEURTOS - just in time for Halloween


·         10/12/15 online, Booklist Online Exclusive: http://www.booklistonline.com/Dia-de-Los-Muertos-Roseanne-Greenfield-Thong/pid=7585266

Reviews for DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

"A jovial primer on the Latin American holiday for the uninitiated and a fiesta for those who already partake." School Library Journal, September 1, 2015
 
"Thong smoothly incorporates Spanish words into her playful verse: 'We share in the foods that our guests loved to eat--/ fresh fruit and tamales, a holiday treat.'" Publishers Weekly, August 24, 2015
 
"Thong once again proves her mastery at creating a multicultural picture-book text that engages all readers...The rhyme is rhythmic and effortless, making it a delightful read-aloud...This enchanting presentation of the Dia de los Muertos holiday will resonate with both those who are new to its traditions and those who have been celebrating for generations." Kirkus Reviews, starred review, June 1, 2015
 

The Golden Age of Canadian Children's Picture Books

Here is a lovely piece from Quill and Quire on the golden age of Canadian picture books. I have to say I agree....the picture books I see coming out from Canadian creators is quite amazing these days!

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

A Book Well Worth the Wait

This is a very cool article Will Schwalbe (author and editor extraordinaire) wrote about the author Michael Golding of A Poet of Invisible World and how he waited 20 years to publish him. It gives a great behind the scenes look at the world of publishing.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Movie Title Typos


This is a behind the scenes look at the making of Movie Title Typos, a hilarious book that is a sure bet for your movie buffs.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

In Short Measures by Michael Ruhlman - a Shelf Awareness Review


Share This
Share This
Share This
In Short Measures marks food and nonfiction writer Michael Ruhlman's first foray into fiction, and it is a spectacular debut with crisply written prose, packing an intense emotional punch and immediately drawing readers into its bittersweet love stories. Ruhlman (The Book of Schmaltz) creates flawed characters who wrestle with moral quandaries in order to fulfill their artistic and romantic destinies. The thread connecting the three pieces is the subject of writing fiction, particularly what it means as an artistic endeavor.

Ruhlman's first and longest novella, "In Short Measures," is a masterpiece about love, loss and regret in the pursuit of art, its title nodding to Ben Jonson's poem "To the Immortal Memory and Friendship of That Noble Pair, Sir Lucius Cary and Sir Henry Morison." Narrated in first person by Grimsley Feller, Duke University's archivist and curator of rare collections, the story unfolds in flirty reminiscences as Grimsley reconnects with former flame and Hollywood script doctor Emerson Randall at a professor's memorial. Despite the 25-year separation and different career paths, their shared history becomes too strong a temptation for Grimsley to resist, and both are left to wrestle with the repercussions of Emerson's infidelity. The second and third novellas are shorter variations of the first; each depicts regret over missed chances, which continue to haunt Ruhlman's protagonists beyond the safety of their carefully orchestrated suburban lives.

Ruhlman has a keen gift for dialogue, and his protagonists' imperfect quests to recapture fleeting memories of youthful bliss become compelling commentaries on middle age. --Nancy Powell, freelance writer and technical consultant
Discover: Food writer Michael Ruhlman crafts three novellas that reflect on writing, love, loss and regret.
Skyhorse Publishing, $35.99 hardcover, 9781634502252

Celebrate Bat Appreciation Month - The Secret Lives of Bats - a fall hotlist title from Thomas Allen & Son


October is, no surprise, official Bat Appreciation Month. There are more than 1,300 species of bats worldwide; they range from cute to strange to scary; they aid farming by eating insects, thus reducing the need for pesticides; they pollinate plants; and, according to Merlin Tuttle, founder of Bat Conservation International, they are gentle, cuddly creatures with off-the-charts intelligence and sophistication. Tuttle has just written The Secret Lives of Bats: My Adventures with the World's Most Misunderstood Mammals (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $34.00 CDN), which begins with his first bat cave exploration as a teenager, when dozens of gray bats landed on him, seeking places to hide. Many people would have run screaming from the cave, but Tuttle was captivated, as readers of this book will be as he explains his fascination.

Made in India

My job is pretty awesome on any given day, sometimes it is OFF THE HOOK! Recently I had the chance to have lunch with Meera Sodah who was in town promoting her book Made in India.

Her recipes are from her family who had never written them down. Not only are most of the recipes super easy (and delicious), the photos are stunning. When I brought her cookbook home and showed it to my husband he said it was AMAZING! I am expecting lots of yummy new dishes for dinner :)
Bonus: Her book was excerpted in the NYT this weekend!

Friday, October 16, 2015

The Turner House by Angela Flournoy - A 2015 National Book Award Finalist - fiction

ISBN 978 0 544 30316 4 / Hardcover

A powerful, timely debut, The Turner House marks a major new contribution to the story of the American family.

The Turners have lived on Yarrow Street for over fifty years. Their house has seen thirteen children grown and gone—and some returned; it has seen the arrival of grandchildren, the fall of Detroit’s East Side, and the loss of a father. The house still stands despite abandoned lots, an embattled city, and the inevitable shift outward to the suburbs. But now, as ailing matriarch Viola finds herself forced to leave her home and move in with her eldest son, the family discovers that the house is worth just a tenth of its mortgage. The Turner children are called home to decide its fate and to reckon with how each of their pasts haunts—and shapes—their family’s future.

Praised by Ayana Mathis as “utterly moving” and “un-putdownable,” The Turner House brings us a colorful, complicated brood full of love and pride, sacrifice and unlikely inheritances. It’s a striking examination of the price we pay for our dreams and futures, and the ways in which our families bring us home.

Happy B-day Knopf!


From PW: "As Knopf prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary, Dave Eggers writes a short piece on Sonny Mehta, "himself an institution." Mehta notes of his arrival at Knopf to succeed Robert Gottlieb: "I was walking into a storm. If you had taken bets on how long I'd survive, it wouldn't have been very long. To be here 28 years later--I'm as surprised as anyone."

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Quill & Quire update on the new Mayor Rob Ford book from Skyhorse (distributed by Thomas Allen & Son)

Skyhorse moves up Towhey book on Rob Ford to compete with Filion’s Random House title

Canadian Publishing 2015: What’s Big in Canadian Children’s and YA Publishing This Fall

Every year, PW does a bird's eye view of what is happening in Canadian publishing. I like this as it is a good summation of the past year. I use it in my class I teach at Ryerson. This particular piece is on Canadian Children's publishing.

Friday, October 9, 2015

tinlids training camp!

What really happens behind the scenes at tinlids...

Tinlids Training Camp from Tinlids Inc on Vimeo.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

New book reviews on New fall children's books!


And Then It Rained on Malcolm by Paige Feurer & Rich Farr **
$23.99, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781634501507
Pub date: Sep. 15, 2015
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
 ** Canadian author and Illustrator - from Calgary
 
From Apple Trees to Cider, Please! by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky & Julia Patton
$23.99, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780807565131
Pub date: Sep.1, 2015
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co.
 
Madame Martine Breaks the Rules by Sarah S. Brannen
$23.99, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780807549070
Pub date: Sep. 1, 2015
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co.
 

We are counting down the days for the publication of MAYOR ROB FORD: UNCONTROLLABLE


Mayor Rob Ford: Uncontrollable by Mark Towhey & Johanna Schneller
$32.99, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781634500425
Pub date: Oct. 27, 2015
Publisher: Skyhorse
 
Confirmed:
·    Maclean's, 1st serial excerpt (8 pgs.), Oct. 15 issue – NEW DATE!
·    The Globe and Mail, conversation-style feature between Mark & Robyn Doolittle, pub date tk
·    CBC Metro Morning, interview with Mark Towhey, Oct. 26 (air time TBD)
·    CTV Canada AM, live on-air interview with Mark Towhey, Oct. 27 @ 7:40 am ET (national)
·    CBC As It Happens, pre-taped interview with Mark, scheduled to air Oct. 28
·    TVO The Agenda, pre-taped interview with authors, taping on Nov. 10 @ 6:00 pm; episode scheduled to air 3rd week of Nov.
 
Media Interest (TBC):
·    National Post
·    Toronto Star
·    CBC Metro Morning
·    CTV News Channel
·    City News
·    Global News
·    Toronto Sun
·    Metro News
·    CFRB 1010
·    CP24
·    Toronto Life
 
Publicity Highlights
·    Chronicle Herald, mentioned (print) [clipping attached], Oct. 5