Bestselling Books in Canada 2020

From our friends at BookNet Canada, the bestselling books of the year. Lots of good stuff on here if you need to add anything to your reading pile :).

Go here for the complete list.

Canadian Children's Book Week, May 2-8

The list is out! and what a  list...some of Canada's top creators will be out and about visiting schools and libraries in one way or another. Below are some of them

• Michelle Barker, My Long List of Impossible Things (9781773213644 PB/ 9781773213651 HC) 
• Paul Covello, Canada ABC 
• Kevin Sylvester, Follow Your Stuff (
• Nicola Winstanley, Mel and Mo’s Marvelous Balancing Act

You can see the full list here.

Keep your eyes and ears open for P.J. O'Rourke! The writer/commentator/satirist was recently on The Current, talking with Matt Galloway about his new book and the current political climate (https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-oct-20-2020-1.5769020), and made an appearance on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin. As witty and entertaining as ever, O'Rourke's latest book is full of observations about the present political absurdity.

A Musical Tour of Toronto

If you've been missing live music, Jonny Dovercourt's latest work Any Night of the Week (Coach House Books) is the perfect antidote. In this fascinating history of live music in Toronto from the 60's to the 00's, Dovercourt dives into the stories of music venues, promoters, neighbourhoods and musicians themselves. For the Toronto International Festival of Authors, Dovercourt recorded an audio-tour of the music scene in Toronto; there are four podcast episodes currently available, separated by neighbourhood. Check them out here: https://festivalofauthors.ca/event/any-night-of-the-week-a-walking-history-of-toronto-music/ 

THE BEAR: A Nature-Based Hit

This past summer saw most of us out and about, trying not to get too close to others and getting closer to nature as a result. The Bear by Andrew Krivak (Bellevue Literary Press) is almost eerily appropriate for 2020, as it delivers a beautiful story set in a post-post-apocalyptic world with almost no people. Recently winning the Banff Centre’s Mountain Book Competition in Fiction & Poetry, The Bear is about survival, listening to nature, and finding beauty in wild solitude. Author Andrew Krivak's previous book, The Sojourn, was a finalist for the National Book Award.

The 99% Invisible City

The 99% Invisible City is based on the uber popular podcast of the same name. Cities columnist Shawn Micallef of the Toronto Star did a unique piece this past Saturday discussing certain Toronto architectural and design "tropes", borrowing from the The 99% Invisible City (e.g. electrical substations, the ROM's Liebskind Crystal) and adding his own explorations. 
The online version of the article is "Why even simple sidewalk stamps have a role to play in telling Toronto's complex story" .

Natalie Portman's Fables

Natalie Portman has rewritten three classic stories in Natalie Portman's Fables. Tom Power interviewed her...give it a listen!

Fall Indie Book Social invite: Oct. 20, 8-9 pm ET

Want to hear about the fabulous new books coming from your favourite Canadian publishers? Then sign up for a fun event on Oct. 20, 8-9 pm ET to hear from Annick Press, Biblioasis Press, Coach House Books, ECW Press, Groundwood Books and House of Anansi Press.

The event will be held virtually over Zoom on October 20^th, 2020 at 8:00 PM EST. Please register to the event and sign up to receive a gift bag of ARCs and goodies here https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SaB2cSyZTrSqjfnzNWqqZw> (quantities limited)!

Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown

John Lithgow is at it again with a follow up to last year's hit Trumpty Dumpty with Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown . Check out this hilarious piece on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert with Lithgow reading from the book with his BFF's such as Meryl Streep.

Latinx History Month

Have you done any reading for Latinx History Month (aka Hispanic Heritage Month)? If the answer is no, you still have a week to correct that! Fiebre Tropical, the debut novel by Juli Delgado Lopera and current finalist for the Kirkus Prize for Fiction, is a great place to start. Delgado Lopera is a Colombian writer, historian, speaker, and storyteller, and winner of the 2018 Lambda Literary Award and 2018 Independent Publisher Award.

Fiebre Tropical is part of The Feminist Press's new imprint Amethyst Editions, which features LGBTQ+ narratives curated by noted author Michelle Tea.

Giller Shortlist 2020

The shortlist for the Giller Prize 2020 has been announced! The five finalists are:

- Gil Adamson, Ridgerunner

- David Bergen, Here the Dark

- Souvankham Thammavongsa, How to Pronounce Knife

- Shani Mootoo, Polar Vortex

- Emily St. John Mandel, The Glass Hotel

The winner will be announced on November 9th in a virtual awards ceremony. To read more about the finalists, check out CBC's coverage.

Shuggie Bain author at TIFA

Shuggie Bain is the heartrending story of a sweet and lonely boy growing up it the 1980's in Glasgow, Scotland. This beautiful novel is currently on the shortlist for the Booker Prize 2020 as well as the Kirkus Prize for Fiction 2020! On top of that, we are lucky enough to have author Douglas Stuart participating in this year's TIFA, which is completely virtual. Join Douglas in conversation with author Alex Pugsley in an event titled "Coming of Age," taking place on October 31st.  If you're planning a spooky night in for Hallowe'en, not to worry--the event will be available for three days following initial release.

Ferrante's Latest Novel to be Made into Netflix Series

The recent HBO adaptation of Elena Ferrante's international bestseller My Brilliant Friend brought even more attention to the beloved author of the Italian bildungsroman, and now her latest work, The Lying Life of Adults, has been pegged for a Netflix adaptation. Ferrante's new novel, like the Neapolitan Quartet, is set in Naples, Italy, and features a young woman on a journey of self-discovery. The Lying Life of Adults is gritty, gripping, and highly addictive...don't wait for the TV series to get your hands on it!

2020 Booker Authors at TIFA!

The Toronto International Festival of Authors is online this year, and is hosting multiple authors who were shortlisted for the 2020 Booker and Booker International Prizes! Keep an eye out for:

- Maaza Mengiste, author of THE SHADOW KING, appearing in conversation with Emma Donoghue on October 25th for an event titled "Females on the Frontline"

- Fernanda Melchor, author of HURRICANE SEASON, appearing in an event titled "Tradition on Trial" on October 22nd.

- Shokoofeh Azar, author of THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF THE GREENGAGE TREE, appearing in an event titled "Home Sweet Homelands" on October 22nd, and doing a reading as part of the "Skin Hunger" event on October 27th.

The events will be available on line for three days following their initial release, so mark your calendars!

September 30th is Orange Shirt Day

This Wednesday, September 30th, is Orange Shirt Day! On this day, kids, parents, teachers, and librarians are encouraged to wear orange shirts to represent their belief that Every Child Matters, and to recognize the traumatic legacy of Residential Schools on generations of Indigenous people. Medicine Wheel Education recently published a beautiful book chock full of information and photos to help you prepare for Orange Shirt Day. It explores the historical impact of Residential Schools, looks at the path to reconciliation and healing, and promotes the message that Every Child Matters. Get your copy today and learn about how you can observe Orange Shirt Day with all of Canada!

Toronto International Festival of Authors

Toronto International Festival of Authors has released their line up and it looks great! The authors appearing are phenomenal.. Andre Alexis, Anne Michaels, Catherine Hernandez, Colum McCann, Edwidge Danticat AND SO MANY MORE!!!!!!!!!! They will have order 200 free live stream events. So great!

Susanna Clarke is Back!

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is one of my favourite books of all time; I was thrilled to hear she had a new book coming out this Fall: Piranesi and I can promise you it doesn't disappoint! She did a great interview with the New Yorker which you can read here...enjoy!

Quidditch Through the Ages

Calling all librarians! Raincoast has a very limited number of Quidditch Through the Ages kits. The kits include: double-sided poster, bunting, standees, mobile, tote bag. Please contact melissa@raincoast.com to order one. :)

September is Curious George Curiosity Month!

Request your Curiosity Month event kit from Raincoast and help us celebrate Curious George’s birthday and the magic of learning and discovery through reading. 
The Curiosity Day Event Kit includes:
- activity booklet
- Man with the Yellow Hat headbands
- door hangers
- sticker sheets

Please email melissa@raincoast.com to request a kit.

You can go here for more information: https://www.curiousgeorge.com/curiosity-day

Joe Sacco on The Current

Joe Sacco; award winning cartoonist and journalist was interviewed on The Current about his new book Paying the Land. The interview starts at the 22:50 mark. In the book he takes a look at the Dene and resource extraction. It's a very powerful story and has already gone into reprint.

Dewey Divas Four Livestreams this Fall

The Dewey Divas and Dudes are once again hitting the internet instead of the road! We're thrilled to be able to share with our librarian friends the perfect books to curl up with this fall.

These titles are the must-reads and hidden gems hand-picked by our reps that will warm your spirits like the perfect pumpkin spice latte.

This season we are hosting FOUR two-hour webinars that will be live-streamed on WebEx:

• Adult Picks: Tuesday Sept. 15th

• Kids & Teen Picks: Wednesday Sept. 16th

• Best Books for K-12 Schools: Friday Sept. 18th

• Best Books for Book Clubs: Wednesday Oct. 14th

Each presentation will begin at 1 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. AT / 12 p.m. CT / 11 a.m. MT / 10 a.m. PT)

Attendees who register through Eventbrite will be emailed the WebEx link to join closer to the date. You must register for each webinar you would like to watch as it will not be the same link. We recommend using Google Chrome, Firefox, or another WebEx-compatible browser.

Each presentation will be recorded, and the link to the recording will be emailed to attendees afterwards. So if you are unable to attend on the day of the presentation but want to watch the recording later, please still register!

Handouts with our selected titles will be posted here on our blog.

Register for our webinars at http://deweydivas.eventbrite.com.

See you on the web!

Seeing Gender Classroom Guide

Here is a cool guide to an awesome book all on gender roles: Seeing Gender 

Leonard and Hungry Paul

This charming debut is a must-read and one of Lahring's favourite books of the year. This book asks a simple question: Can gentle people change the world? 

This is a book perfect for our uncertain, uneasy times. Listen to author, Ronan Hession talk about his new book and his passion for libraries. 

More About the Book
 

In this charming and truly unique debut, popular Irish musician Ronan Hession tells the story of two single, thirty-something men who still live with their parents and who are ... nice. They take care of their parents and play board games together. They like to read. They take satisfaction from their work. They are resolutely kind. And they realize that none of this is considered normal.

Leonard and Hungry Paul is the story of two friends struggling to protect their understanding of what's meaningful in life. It is about the uncelebrated people of this world—the gentle, the meek, the humble. And as they struggle to persevere, the book asks a surprisingly enthralling question: Is it really them against the world, or are they on to something?

Netgalley

Edelweiss

Cone Cat Giveaway!

Who doesn't love cats! This book is super funny and Owlkids is running a contest to give away 2 copies of this hilarious book!

Click here to enter.

DK Marvel Superheroes!

Hello everyone! DK Books have prepared the perfect quiz to go in tandem with one of their newest books, WE ARE SUPER HEROES. There are some great questions that will help you find out if you're more of a Black Panther than a Ms. Marvel.

Take the quiz HERE

Operation Readaloud

Operation Readaloud was created by Lisa von Drasek (formerly of Bank Street and now directing the Kerlan Collection) in response to the need to aggregate children's book creators read-alouds while children are sequestered at home. Submissions from all authors and illustrators are more than welcome! There are millions of Canadian kids out there who had their school years cut short by the pandemic, and countless more who don't have access to the generous resources our school systems and libraries provide. Spread the word, my friends! You never know how far a virtual read-along can go!

Here is the link to Lisa von Drasek's Facebook page for Operation Readaloud:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/138080447610791/

Paul Bae: CBC Interview

Paul Bae, the comedian-podcaster and author of You Suck, Sir: Chronicles of a High School English Teacher and the Smartass Students Who Schooled Him, published by Arsenal Pulp Press, was interviewed on CBC Radio's "The Next Chapter" with Shelagh Rogers, talking about how his years as an English high school teacher informed his career in comedy (May 15). 

You can find the interview here:

How will the role of public libraries be changed?

This is an amazing one hour long conversation between some of Canada's awesome librarians. It has some great take aways and sharing of best practices. Well worth the listen.

It was hosted by Canadian Urban Institute; thanks to Edmund and Russ at Whitehots for sharing.

 

Dewey Divas Live Stream on May 26th and 27th

Though the Dewey Divas and Dudes are missing hitting the road and presenting to our fabulous librarian friends in person, we are excited to offer a virtual presentation of the Spring 2020 books that should absolutely not be missed!

These titles are the must-reads and hidden gems hand-picked by our reps that will entertain, absorb, and comfort readers of all ages.

Register for one or both of our two-hour webinars that will be livestreamed on WebEx:
Tuesday May 26: Adult Picks
Wednesday May 27: Kids & Teen Picks

Panelists:

Saffron Beckwith, Ampersand Inc
Allie Chenoweth, Scholastic Canada
Andrea Colquhoun, Penguin Random House Canada
Laureen Cusack, Ampersand Inc
Tim Gain, Canadian Manda Group
Janet Murie, Orca Book Publishers
Rosalyn Steele, HarperCollins Canada
Margot Stokreef, Martin & Associates
Lahring Tribe, Penguin Random House Canada

Each presentation will begin at 1 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. AT / 12 p.m. CT / 11 a.m. MT / 10 a.m. PT)

Attendees should RSVP via Eventbrite so they will be emailed the WebEx link to join closer to the event date. (We recommend you use Chrome for the Webex. There is no need to download anything.)

The presentation will also be recorded, and the link to the recording will be emailed to attendees afterwards. So if you are unable to attend on the day of the presentation and want to watch the recording later, please still RSVP!

The last day for RSVPs on Eventbrite will be Sunday May 24.

Looking forward to hitting the books with you (on the internet)!

DK Canada's "Stay Home, Stay Curious" Campaign

DK Canada is thrilled to share their "Stay Home, Stay Curious" campaign on DK Canada's website.

This hub will house content from across DK Canada's books and divisions. Everything from home learning ideas, recipe extracts to great Canadian content such as a free downloadable teacher's guide for Our Great Prime Ministers. There's also DIY ideas & Gardening tips as well as excerpts to make staying fit at home easy!

Blue Spruce Awards Go Virtual!

The Blue Spruce Awards are going virtual! Visit Forest of Reading (see attachment for the link ; read-aloud schedule) to catch this years Blue Spruce Nominees!  These books will enrich young readers learning experiences with beautiful illustrations blended with fun, interesting, and exciting stories.

#OperationReadAloud

Operation Read Aloud is a much needed site to aggregate children's book creators to read-aloud while children are sequestered at home. Join the group to enjoy story-time with your little ones, all while watching some of our favourite authors #readaloud.

Paper Bag Princess Turns 40: A Podcast Primer

A classic of children's literature will be celebrating a big birthday in May 2020; its 40th, to be precise. And what a celebration it will be! Robert Munsch's seminal story, The Paper Bag Princess, has been adored by millions of children around the globe, and inspired countless artists over the last forty years to challenge the framework of 'normal' fairy-tales. The CBC recently published an illuminating interview (which you can check out here) on Munsch's creative process and various inspirations for PBP, along with the exclamation that Elizabeth's proud declaration of independence is indeed a happy ending; Munsch adds, "That's the ending it's supposed to have."

Stay tuned for more PBP news & updates - there's going to be plenty this year!

Ken Liu & Chinese Sci-Fi Translations!

Hello to all you lovely Sci-Fi fans. If you haven't yet had the opportunity to read Cixin Liu's SF-revelation The Three-Body Problem which was published by TOR (one of my favorite books in recent memory), please do yourself a favor: head to your nearest Indie Bookstore and buy a copy immediately. If you're like me, and you've read it already (and perhaps more of Liu's work, revolving in and around this series) there's a great article to check out that centers on the book's translator, Ken Liu.

Check out the full article here:

In The Kitchen with Antoni Porowski

Antoni Porowski, best known from the TV Series Queer Eye, has recently published an amazing cookbook called Antoni in the Kitchen. From the official blurb: "Some of the recipes in this book are weeknight healthyish meals, while others are perfect for off-the-cuff entertaining. Visual stunners, they're often composed of fewer than five ingredients. Whether Bastardized Easy Ramen; Malaysian Chili Shrimp; Roasted Carrots with Carrot-Top Pesto; or Salty Lemon Squares, all are visual stunners and can be carried off with panache, even by beginners."

Click here for an exclusive Antoni interview;

And click here for another one!

TTC Library Map

Maybe this is going to give you a headache; maybe you'll think it's the coolest thing ever. The reddit user prettydisposable has created a TTC map that includes a listing of every Toronto Public Library Location. If you need help deciphering this behemoth (like most of us do), check out the full blog.to article right here:

So Many ARCs!

We are all set up and can't wait to see everyone at the OLA Superconference Expo! 

Here's a sneak peek of some of the ARCs we have at the HarperCollins Canada booth. Be sure to stop by booth 732/734 early in the day for the best selection!  

We have so many amazing adult fiction titles this year, including new novels from Canadian authors Helen Humphries (Rabbit Foot Bill), Paulette Jiles (Simon the Fiddler), and Janie Chang (The Library of Legends). If you are a nonfiction reader, don't miss the hilarious new book (Open House) from Jane Christmas about the THIRTY TWO houses that she has bought and sold over the years! Can you imagine packing up your book collection that many times? 

We have limited quantities of three of the hottest ARCs on our Summer 2020 YA list- The Betrothed by Kiera Cass, Faith by Julie Murphy, and Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell & Katie Cotungo. We also have some summer reads from Canadian authors Sarah Mlynowski (Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe), Toronto-based Wattpad star Alex Light (The Upside of Falling), and a debut fantasy inspired by a Polish fairy tale from Vancouver-based author Aleksandra Ross (Don't Call the Wolf).  

 
  

On the middle grade side, don't miss the new magical book from New Brunswick-based author Wendy McLeod MacKnight, The Copycat, and a Shakespeare inspired graphic novel from father-daughter team Jeremy and Hermione Tankard, Yorick and Bones. 

Hope to see you at the Expo! 

Rosalyn

Infused: Adventures in Tea

2020 is off to a bit of a rough start, so we could all use a steaming cup of tea and a dip into the history and culture of this beloved beverage. Written by Henrietta Lovell, tea expert and founder of the Rare Tea Company, Infused is halfway between armchair travel and a loving ode to the perfect brew, complete with recipes!

Lovell made an appearance on CBC's The Current, which you can listen to or read here. Pour yourself a cuppa and dive in!

OLA Superconference 2020 Author Signings- HarperCollins/Harlequin

Please be sure to visit the HarperCollins (732/734) and Harlequin (730) Booths at the OLA Superconference this week! 

We have some great authors signing throughout the day on Thursday and Friday, and lots of great ARC giveaways and contests in-booth!

Thursday, Jan 30^th

• Molly Fader (The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season) 10:30am
• Kate Hilton (Better Luck Next Time) 10:30am
• Bryn Turnbull (The Woman Before Wallis) 11:30am 
• The Fan Brothers (The Scarecrow) 12:30pm 
• Hannah Mary McKinnon (Sister Dear) 2:30pm.

 Friday, Jan 31st

• Kelly Rimmer (Truths I Never Told You) 10:30am 
• Jessica Westhead (Worry) 10:30am
• Ken Oppel (Bloom) 11:30am 
• Kate Elizabeth Russell (My Dark Vanessa)- 12:30 pm 

Tune in tomorrow for a preview of some of the ARCs we'll have on hand at the HarperCollins booth!

Hope to see you at the conference!

Rosalyn