The Savvy Reader

Linden MacIntyre Wins the Giller

While we might all be a little bit hazy still from the parties (Giller Light, holler!), just about everyone in publishing is congratulating Linden MacIntyre today after it was announced that he'd won the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his latest novel, The Bishop's Man. And,we're no different here!

In fact, we're pleased as punch for the author, and hope that the hundreds of thousands of Canadians reading the Giller winner this year will be encouraged to try some of his backlist. Why not peruse his compelling, charming, and funny memoir, Causeway? Or enjoy his earlier novel, The Long Stretch, once you've cracked the spine and devoured his lastest book? Either way, the win is well-deserved and I for one can't wait to read it.

For more information on this year's Giller nominees, longlist or even the winner, check out their site.

Tim Winton wins the Miles Franklin Award

The unstoppable Tim Winton, already a two-time finalist of the Man Booker Prize, has just won the Miles Franklin Award for the fourth time for Breath. Here's a release (plus a video) of his inspiring acceptance speech.

Tim Winton wins the 2009 Miles Franklin Award for his novel Breath.

Four times a winner of the nation's most prestigious prize and the only writer ever to have won four times in his own right, Winton was on his beloved Ningaloo Reef in the north of WA when the announcement was made in Sydney tonight.

"It's been a strong year for Australian novels," said the author. "When you consider that your book is up against work by Richard Flanagan, Helen Garner, Peter Carey and Murray Bail you'd have to be a hell of an optimist to fancy your chances.  I'm stoked, of course, but also mindful that there are terrific writers who will be feeling pretty stiff tonight, because their books are more than good enough to have won. To some extent I feel like the kid who's simply left holding the parcel when the music stops."

HCC News: The Almost-Summer Edition

Here in the Toronto the weather is finally starting to brighten up a little -- so no one’s going to blame you for wanting to spend every second outdoors this week-end. But of course, what’s a relaxing weekend without lounging in the sun, a refreshing drink in one hand, and a really, really good book in the other? Here are a couple of great books that were all over the news this week:

• A 90-minute docudrama based on Ken McGoogan's fascinating Fatal Passage just won The Grand Prize for best Canadian program at the Banff World Television Awards. Read about Ken’s writing process, missed NBA opportunity and upcoming book in this Q&A with Rob McLennan.
• The Toronto Star talks to Farley Follows His Nose author Lynn Johnston. And don’t miss your chance to win a copy of the book through our very own Savvy Reader / Farley contest!
• Financial blog Four Pillars says that "everyone would benefit" from reading 397 Ways to Save Money.
• Collin Ellard tells us where we are.
• Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger got a standing ovation at last week's BEA. But he can't keep publishers from worrying about the Kindle.
• Marilynne Robinson’s Home (featuring characters from her Pulitzer prize-winning Gilead) won the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
• Not be outdone, Coventry by Helen Humphreys is also racking up the nominations, including ones for the CAA MOSAID Technologies Award for Fiction, the 22nd Trillium Book Award and a CBA Libris Author of the Year Award (along with fellow nominees Margaret Atwood and Joseph Boyden).
• L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries has been turned into a Thursday night drama. Watch the trailer.
• While in town for Luminato, Neil Gaiman sat down with the Toronto Star for this front page interview. And Metro News revealed Gaiman’s interesting choice of front yard decoration.
• Luanne from A Bookworm’s World calls Crazy for the Storm “a stunning, yet heartbreaking memoir.”
• Jolted by Arthur Slade was nominated by the children of Alberta for the 2010  Rocky Mountain Book Award.

-- Narvan

Agent 009: A Summer Reading Club

Lynne Missen, our Children’s Books Editor, sent around an e-mail announcing the latest picks for the TD Summer Reading Club, an initiative to keep kids reading during the summer months (read more about it here). Not surprisingly, my face was always buried in a book, snow, rain or shine, but we’ve all known those children who avoid books like the plague as soon as school’s out. Finally, librarians across Canada have developed a program that includes a wide range of activities based around a different theme each year, with this year’s theme being none others than Agent 009: a detective-like program that includes secret agents, investigators, horror, suspense, and whodunits. Makes me wish I could join in the fun!

The 2009 picks include: 

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams
The Mystery of the Martello Tower by Jennifer Lanthier
The Emily Carr Mystery by Eric Wilson
Dust by Arthur Slade

And for the more skeptical parents out there, the TD reading club had over half a million participants reading a total of 2 million books just last year! That’s a whole lotta books…

--Narvan

HCC In Transit: The Book of Negroes

I have a feeling that the blonde woman voraciously reading The Book of Negroes in front of me on the Bloor-Danforth subway this morning might be preparing for the upcoming Canada Reads debates next week. Unlike most years, I've actually read quite a few of the books being discussed and, further to that, am enjoying the thoughts of a few book bloggers who are participating in a Canada Reads challenge. All of their reviews are so different -- it makes it really hard to place a solid bet on one book over another. Keep in mind, though, that the musicians tend to be very good debaters; they've won in years passed, so as much as I'm rooting for Avi Lewis and Lawrence Hill, I've also got my eye on Sarah Slean and feel she might just be a dark horse...

There truly is nothing like a good book to start a heated conversation, is there? So, which book do you think will win?

HCC News - The Neil Gaiman Edition

Our Children's Sales Director, Liza Morrison, interrupted a meeting yesterday with a giant grin on her face. She said, "Neil Gaiman just won the Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book." We whooped. So did the rest of the world. Here's an overview of the amazing reaction to the news.

• The official announcement on the ALA's website.
• "Insert amazed and delighted swearing here..." The author's reaction.
• Publisher's Weekly coverage. CBC coverage. New York Times coverage. Washington Post coverage.
• LA Times cements Gaiman's Everyday Hero status. And Jacket Copy follows the author's tweets from the event.
• Watch the Mouse Circus video tour of The Graveyard Book. And while you're there, check out the video where Gaiman discusses the origins of the book.
• Browse Inside to read from the award-winning The Graveyard Book.

Congratulations to Neil Gaiman. Oh, and while we're talking about his work, don't forget you can read 100% of Coraline online until February 5th. The movie is in theatres February 6th.

Canada Reads 2009 - Congratulations Lawrence Hill!

The hardest part about it all was keeping the secret. Being a huge fan of both Canada Reads and the CBC in general, what a thrill it was for me to attend a meeting in their hallowed halls a few weeks ago to talk about all of the exciting online stuff they'll be doing over at the official web site. But then I had to keep the fact that Lawrence Hill's astounding novel, The Book of Negroes, was picked by Avi Lewis for Canada Reads 2009 a secret for weeks.

Finally, the cat's out of the bag and we were down at the CBC today for the announcements and the launch party. Just before everything started, Lawrence Hill was kind enough to lend me, well, himself for a few minutes to do a quick On the Fly that'll premiere in the next couple weeks. Then we headed back inside the CBC and he was whisked away for the "official" on air appearance with Jian Ghomeshi. After about a half hour, the lobby filled up with publishing peeps, book lovers and loads of CBC employees with clipboards (who doesn't love a good clipboard?).

The fanfare kicked up a notch as Jian introduced each of this year's panelists who in turn introduced and/or announced their books. Avi Lewis said that as he was reading The Book of Negroes he was consistently impressed with the size of Lawrence Hill's brain (for having such a story come out of it!) and quipped that he barely believed the man was mortal. What was obvious with all of the panelists was their love not only of Canada Reads as a program but of Canadian books in general. All in all the debates should prove to be interesting. One thing to keep in mind -- the musicians always seem to win, don't they?

More Lawrence Hill?

Buy The Book of Negroes and prepare for the debates!
Read an excerpt from the book or Browse Inside to read more of the story
All the photos on Flickr!

Hugo, Oh How We Love You, Hugo

Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union has won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. The World Science Fiction Convention's awards were handed out at Devention 3 on August 9th in Denver, Colorado. In case you were hesitant to pick it up, it should be noted that Chabon's genre-crossing novel has already been honoured a number of times: it was nominated for an Edgar Award, won the Nebula Award for Best Novel, won a Sidewise Award for Alternative History, was shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association Award, and was a NY Times Notable Book for 2007. The novel is out in a shiny new paperback edition (and yes, with blurbs, which I'm rather more attached to than this journalist) with an extensive P.S. section. In addition, there's a reading group guide for you book clubbers out there and a really cool trailer that we created here in Canada. Oh, and an audio excerpt here on the US site, in case you wanted to listen and get a feel for the book before you head out and get your copy. Who can resist an award-winner? I know I can't...

Buy the book online at Amazon.ca or Chapters.Indigo.ca.

Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award Finalists

Kyo Maclear's The Letter Opener has been nominated for the Amazon.ca / Books in Canada First Novel Award. It's always hard work for a first-time novelist to get their work read and noticed, so kudos to Amazon.ca for supporting them, but also congratulations to all the lucky nominees.

JTH @ Cannes

Joel Thomas Hynes recently won the Newfoundland and Labrador award for Artist of the Year 2007. And on the heels of that honour, the filmed adaptation of his book, Down to the Dirt, was recently screened at Cannes as a part of the Perspective Canada. Here's a clip from the film (note, it's NSFW).