| McNally Robinson has the bulk of book events this week, with the subjects ranging from sex and spying to sports. First up are Ali Wirsche and Marnie Milot, authors of the new book Sex, Lies and PIs. The two are the owners and operators of Calgary’s Backtrack Investigations Inc., which spies on all those unfaithful lovers out there. If you suspect your spouse of cheating – or want to learn how to get away with it – check out their reading on Thursday, June 2 at noon.
Pity the poor Prairie folk. Shelagh Gutsche will be at McNally Robinson to read from her long narrative poem "Wheat Sheaves and Prairie Dreams," detailing the life of a woman living through the worst parts of the early 20th century. The woman in question is Shelagh’s mother, Alice, through whose voice is revealed a life to rival Job’s. Polio, poverty and poetry on Friday, June 3 at 8 p.m.
The current mini-boom in Second World War books, occasioned by the 60th anniversary of the war’s end, continues at McNally Robinson on Monday, June 6 at noon with Doug Walker doing an in-store signing for his new book, At War With Alice, a collection of vignettes detailing the lives of English civilians during the war.
For those of you who are convinced that sports and reading don’t mix, perhaps John Chaput’s new book, Saskatchewan Sports Legends, will change your mind. It contains Olympic gold medalists, Hockey Hall of Famers and notable players from the Roughriders. Chaput reads at McNally Robinson on Monday, June 6 at 7 p.m. On hand as well will be sports luminaries George Reed, Bill Hay, Diane Jones-Konihowski and Wayne Stephenson.
A quick reminder: on Wednesday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m., WordFest hosts John Ralston Saul, reading from his new work, The Collapse of Globalism and the Reinvention of the World, at Knox United Church (506 - 4 St. S.W.). With a title like that I’m sure half the audience will cheer and the other will want to throw bricks. Tickets are $15 and are available through Ticketmaster (777-0000), WordFest (294-7462) and Pages (283-6655).
Filling Station’s Flywheel Reading Series continues at McNally Robinson on June 9 at 7 p.m. This one’s billed as the "Flywheel Experiment Version 3.0," and is hosted by Mark Hopkins, with readings from Christian Bök, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jocelyn Grossé and Natalie Walschots.
Annie’s Book Company hosts Marcello Di Cintio on June 9 at 7 p.m., reading from his book Harmattan, which traces his 10-month journey through West Africa, including Ghana, Togo and Benin. This work could prove to be a welcome addition to faithful reportage of that often misperceived continent, like the great books by Ryzard Kapucinski. Especially if, as Insomniac Press is touting, it explores the difference between the sociologist and the inhabitant – a difference which, as obvious as it sounds, is lost on many (for example, Paul Theroux – as much as I love the guy). If you’d like a signed copy but can’t attend, Annie’s is kind enough to reserve one for you. Just call the store at 282-1330.
Best-sellers
Best-selling books for May 23 to 29 at Pages on Kensington
Fiction and Poetry
1. Grizzly Lies
by Eileen Coughlan
2. Sylvanus Now
by Donna Morrissey
3. Three Day Road
by Joseph Boyden
4. The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
by Umberto Eco
5. Saturday
by Ian McEwan
6. A Complicated Kindness
by Miriam Toews
7. Here is Where We Meet
by John Berger
8. The Portrait
by Iain Pears
9. The Mapmaker's Opera
by Bea Gonzalez
10. Sweetness in the Belly
by Camilla Gibb
Non-fiction
1. The Collapse of Globalism
by John Ralston Saul
2. Your Call is Important to Us
by Laura Penny
3. The Golden Spruce
by John Vaillant
4. Dancing in the No-Fly Zone
by Hadani Ditmars
5. A Short History of Progress
by Ronald Wright
6. Romancing the Rockies
by Brian Brennan
7. Suppertime Survival
by Lynn Roblin & Bev Callaghan
8. Lilac Moon
by Sharon Butala
9. Grazing
by Julie van Rosendaal
10. Freakonomics
by Steven Levitt |
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