The Association of Book Publishers of B.C. puts out a weekly list of the best-selling books in B.C. There are two categories: adults' and children's. Fiction and non-fiction are not separated.
Here's the most recent list.
Adult Bestseller List
1.Patriot Hearts by John Furlong
2.Quinoa 365 by Patricia Green & Carolyn Hemming
3.The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud
4.Adventures in Solitude by Grant Lawrence
5.The Zero-Mile Diet by Carolyn Herriot
6.Vij’s at Home by Meeru Dhalwala & Vikram Vij
7.Everything Works by Mike McCardell
8.And to Think I Got in Free! by Jim Taylor
9.Bateman: New Works by Robert Bateman
10.Voices of British Columbia by Robert Budd
Children’s Bestseller List
1.Field Guide to the Identification of Pebbles by Eileen Van der Flier-Keller
2.Storm Boy by Paul Owen Lewis
3.Fishing with Gubby by Gary Kent
4.Fraser Bear by Maggie de Vries
5.Frog Girl by Paul Owen Lewis
This is what's selling!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Letter-Writing - Revive the Art!
It's a northern night. It's very dark as the moon has already set. It's very cold-- it's -19 C but headed for -24 C overnight. It's a perfect night for writing a letter!
Letter writing--actually taking a piece of paper or a card and using a pen or other writing implement to make some marks on it--is a bit out of style, having been overtaken in speed and ease by electronic means, but writing by hand has several advantages.
First, there is the element of surprise when the recipient opens the mailbox and finds, like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, the envelope from you buried beneath bills, bank statements, and grocery store flyers. Oh, the delight of it all!
In addition, there's a sense of accomplishment. You've done something that people have been doing for at least two thousand years--using the postal system to carry a missive to a loved one, a friend, a relative. Did you know that the Romans had a very efficient mail system in which a letter could go from Rome to the outposts of civilization, say in Spain or Gaul, in less than two weeks? Canada Post could perhaps take a page from their book! So you're carrying on a long tradition when you affix that stamp and drop your letter into the mail box.
Finally, letter writing is a fantastic way to get the creative juices flowing. It's a way to rev up your writing engine. Take time to think. Take care with what you say. Pour out your thoughts and your heart.
I don't often get such letters, but I hope that someone you know sends you one once in a while. Read it, tuck it into a box or a drawer, and years from now, you'll be able to pull it out, and with it, the fond memories that it brings.
Letter writing--actually taking a piece of paper or a card and using a pen or other writing implement to make some marks on it--is a bit out of style, having been overtaken in speed and ease by electronic means, but writing by hand has several advantages.
First, there is the element of surprise when the recipient opens the mailbox and finds, like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, the envelope from you buried beneath bills, bank statements, and grocery store flyers. Oh, the delight of it all! In addition, there's a sense of accomplishment. You've done something that people have been doing for at least two thousand years--using the postal system to carry a missive to a loved one, a friend, a relative. Did you know that the Romans had a very efficient mail system in which a letter could go from Rome to the outposts of civilization, say in Spain or Gaul, in less than two weeks? Canada Post could perhaps take a page from their book! So you're carrying on a long tradition when you affix that stamp and drop your letter into the mail box.
Finally, letter writing is a fantastic way to get the creative juices flowing. It's a way to rev up your writing engine. Take time to think. Take care with what you say. Pour out your thoughts and your heart.
I don't often get such letters, but I hope that someone you know sends you one once in a while. Read it, tuck it into a box or a drawer, and years from now, you'll be able to pull it out, and with it, the fond memories that it brings.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Here's the List!
World Book Night – The Books
Here is the list of the 25 books that will be distributed today in Great Britain. One million books—given away! What an idea! What a luxury!
Links to information about each author, about the books, and first-chapter excerpts can be found at worldbooknight.org.
In alphabetical order (except I’ve put the Canadians first!):
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
A Life Like Other People’s by Alan Bennett (UK)
Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre (UK)
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (Germany)
Beloved by Toni Morrison (US)
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (UK)
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (UK)
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom (UK)
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (UK)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
Killing Floor by Lee Child
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
New Selected Poems 1966-1987 by Seamus Heaney
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
One Day by David Nicholls
Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes
Stuart by Alexander Masters (UK)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré
The World’s Wife by Carol Ann Duffy
Toast by Nigel Slater
How many of these have you read?
There's your reading plan for the next few months!!
Here is the list of the 25 books that will be distributed today in Great Britain. One million books—given away! What an idea! What a luxury!
Links to information about each author, about the books, and first-chapter excerpts can be found at worldbooknight.org.
In alphabetical order (except I’ve put the Canadians first!):
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
A Life Like Other People’s by Alan Bennett (UK)
Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre (UK)
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (Germany)
Beloved by Toni Morrison (US)
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (UK)
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (UK)
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom (UK)
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (UK)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
Killing Floor by Lee Child
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
New Selected Poems 1966-1987 by Seamus Heaney
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
One Day by David Nicholls
Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes
Stuart by Alexander Masters (UK)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré
The World’s Wife by Carol Ann Duffy
Toast by Nigel Slater
How many of these have you read?
There's your reading plan for the next few months!!
Friday, March 4, 2011
A Must-Read!
Russell Smith has written an interesting article about the creative-writing course industry (who knew that it had gained industry status?).
It's short, and will take you only several minutes to read it. You'll find the article here.
I'm interested to hear your opinion about what he says. Leave a "comment" below.
It's short, and will take you only several minutes to read it. You'll find the article here.
I'm interested to hear your opinion about what he says. Leave a "comment" below.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
World Book Night Coming - March 5, 2011
World Book Night is a celebration of the written word. On the March 4th, the eve of World Book Night, Margaret Atwood, Alan Bennett, Nick Cave, John Le Carre, Rupert Everett, Mark Haddon, and other writers will join an audience of 5000 Givers and 5000 members of the public for a glittering celebration of the written word.
The audience will be treated to wide-ranging performances and readings from some of the most celebrated artists from stage and screen, literature and art, as well as from some of the authors whose books feature on the list of 25 World Book Night titles.
The countdown begins. World Book Night will take place on Saturday, March 5, 2011. This dynamic and unprecedented industry-wide initiative to celebrate adult books and reading will see one million free books given away on World Book Night by 20,000 passionate readers to other members of the public across the UK and Ireland. World Book Night will take place two days after World Book Day, the established nationwide reading campaign.
A growing list of high-profile figures from publishing, media and the arts are lending their support to this ambitious initiative by becoming Patrons of World Book Night.
Jamie Byng, Chairman, World Book Night says:
“World Book Night is a unique collaboration between publishers, booksellers, libraries, writers and individual members of the public and one that I think is going to have an enormously positive impact on books and reading. There are few things more meaningful than the personal recommendation and having one million books given to one million different people on one night in this way is both unprecedented and hugely exciting.”
An independent editorial committee composed of a broad mix of booksellers, librarians, authors, broadcasters and other individuals carefully selected the 25 titles to be given away to the public on World Book Night. Prior to this, the entire book trade was canvassed for recommendations and hundreds of lists were received. The final selection offers a wide array of outstanding books encompassing all types of fiction be it historical, literary, crime and commercial as well as poetry, memoir and young adult. Whether a huge bestseller, a prize-winning debut, a lesser known gem or an undisputed classic, it was felt that every book needed to be an accessible work of enduring quality that people would feel passionate about sharing with others.
Author John le Carré says:
“No writer can ask more than this: that his book should be handed in thousands to people who might otherwise never get to read it, and who will in turn hand it to thousands more. That his book should also pass from one generation to another as a story to challenge and excite each reader in his time -that is beyond his most ambitious dreams.”
Author Margaret Atwood adds:
I [am] amazed not only by its magnitude but by its simplicity. The love of writing, the love of reading – these are huge gifts. To be able give someone else a book you treasure widens the gift circle. I was thrilled to be asked to support World Book Night, and doubly thrilled that The Blind Assassin was chosen to help launch it. Long may its voyage be!”
The World Book Night website is at www.worldbooknight.org
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Novelteens a Novelty!
A recent headline in one of the local weekly newspapers stated:
"Novelteens" sets out to promote reading for teenagers
As my headline indicates, I believe there is a play on words between "novelteens" and "novelties" and, of course, "novels."
Novelteens is a group that is "aimed at encouraging a love for reading among teens aged 13-18." I'm not sure why the 19-year-olds were not included, but, there you have it.
The group is sort of a book club combined with a library and second-hand book store. Teens can borrow books for free or buy them for half of the original price of the book (the newspaper article said that they could buy the books for half the value of the book, but we know that the value of a book in a person's life may be incalcuable).
So it's like a library but not exactly. There is no time limit on how long a book may be borrowed for. If teens have books they are finished with, they can donate them. This keeps the collection circulating.
It's also not quite like a library in that the group meets at Faking Sanity, a cafe in the downtown area. It's a bit more relaxed perhaps, and, for some, maybe not as intimidating.
The group has other activities, such as a book drive and a Scrabble tournament, coming up soon.
Why should writers be interested in this group? These people are our readers now and our future readers! We can find out what they like in books. What they want to read. What makes a book "work" for them.
Novelteens may even have some budding writers in their midst!
"Novelteens" sets out to promote reading for teenagers
As my headline indicates, I believe there is a play on words between "novelteens" and "novelties" and, of course, "novels."
Novelteens is a group that is "aimed at encouraging a love for reading among teens aged 13-18." I'm not sure why the 19-year-olds were not included, but, there you have it.
The group is sort of a book club combined with a library and second-hand book store. Teens can borrow books for free or buy them for half of the original price of the book (the newspaper article said that they could buy the books for half the value of the book, but we know that the value of a book in a person's life may be incalcuable).
So it's like a library but not exactly. There is no time limit on how long a book may be borrowed for. If teens have books they are finished with, they can donate them. This keeps the collection circulating.
It's also not quite like a library in that the group meets at Faking Sanity, a cafe in the downtown area. It's a bit more relaxed perhaps, and, for some, maybe not as intimidating.
The group has other activities, such as a book drive and a Scrabble tournament, coming up soon.
Why should writers be interested in this group? These people are our readers now and our future readers! We can find out what they like in books. What they want to read. What makes a book "work" for them.
Novelteens may even have some budding writers in their midst!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
It's Not a Poem Yet, But Just Wait . . . !
At work today in the lunch room, I heard a line of poetry. The speaker perhaps didn't realize it was poetry since she spoke it as part of a conversation around the table, but to me it was. As faithfully as I can, I reproduce it here:
I have been in Rome when . . . and the lavender was in bloom
It doesn't look like much at the moment, especially since I can't remember the middle section, but the important thing is that I heard it--I heard it with a poet's ears. It sang to me. It wrapped me in its warmth, in the warm hues of its Mediterranean-ness. I could taste the olives still warm from the vine and smell the aroma of bread from the stone oven. I could see the vision of what it was expressing.
So I asked. I asked if I could use it. "Can I use that in a poem?" Yes, said the person who had originated what I considered to be a beautiful line. I took it away with me (well, most of it, anyway), and now all that's left is the hard work of melding it with other lines to bring out the poem that I heard in my head.
I'll keep you posted.
I have been in Rome when . . . and the lavender was in bloom
It doesn't look like much at the moment, especially since I can't remember the middle section, but the important thing is that I heard it--I heard it with a poet's ears. It sang to me. It wrapped me in its warmth, in the warm hues of its Mediterranean-ness. I could taste the olives still warm from the vine and smell the aroma of bread from the stone oven. I could see the vision of what it was expressing.
So I asked. I asked if I could use it. "Can I use that in a poem?" Yes, said the person who had originated what I considered to be a beautiful line. I took it away with me (well, most of it, anyway), and now all that's left is the hard work of melding it with other lines to bring out the poem that I heard in my head.
I'll keep you posted.
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