Month: December 2010

We are having a year end sale!! 25% off all hardcovers, calendars, Christmas cards!

25-off-left-yellow.png25% Off all our Hardcovers… Yes it includes Fiction, Mystery, Cooking, Biography, History, Kids, Health, Business, Reference, Science and Nature, Decorating, Gardening, Art & Music, Travel, Sports, Crafts, Humour, Reading & Writing, did I miss any?

We also have all of our Calendars and Christmas Cards 25% Off!

The sale runs to the end of the month, which is Friday… we close at 6pm today, 7pm on Thursday, and 3pm on Friday (New Year’s Eve).

There are some very few restrictions to the sale, we’ll let you know if you run across them!

Best Wishes from the staff at Books on Beechwood.

“The Elephant’s Journey” by Jose Saramago

elephantjourney.jpegIt’s a brand new way to see Europe – travelling by elephant.

The renowned novelist, Jose Saramago, has written an enchanting story about a true journey, taken in l55l. King Joao lll of Portugal wanted to give a special wedding present to his cousin , Maximilian, Archduke of Austria. He had an elephant and his keeper in his possession and felt it would be an appropriate gift. How to get it to him?

Behind a commanding officer, a convoy of soldiers and labourers, with an oxcart to carry water and forage set out with the elephant and keeper, or mahout, by foot to go from Lisbon to the city of Valladolid in Spain. Here they were met by the archduke and his new wife and continued, to much consternation and celebration along the way, as well as threats from wolves in the surrounding hills. The elephant, called Solomon, has his name changed to Suleiman, and the keeper, called Subhro, becomes Fritz. Originally from India, the keeper has interesting exchanges with his Christian travelers about the Hindu religion which has an elephant head for one of its gods, Ganesh.

The caravan crosses the Mediterranean by ship with no trouble to Italy and then makes its way north through the cities of Genoa, Placenza, Verona, Venice and Trent. Along the way the elephant learns to kneel before authority; at one point he inadvertently kicks a priest. They make a triumphant entry into Vienna. Saramago fills the story with warmth and humour. It’s a gentle, magical tale for Christmas.

Review by Anne McDougall

Nathalie M Leblanc Signing Teen Fantasy Novel “Shrinking Forward” Saturday, Dec. 18, 1-3pm

shrinkingforwardbookcover.jpgDebut author Nathalie M Leblanc will be at Books on Beechwood on Saturday, December 18, from 1-3pm, signing her book “Shrinking Forward.” This is the first book in Nathalie’s fantasy series “The Magic Coat Series.”

From the jacket:
“Samantha did not like the idea. Her best friend, Catharine, wanted to celebrate her birthday by exploring the abandoned house that was said to have weird voices coming from inside. Little did they know the imminent danger close at hand.
The two junior high school students are lured into a supernatural reality that includes an evil wizard, magical faeries, dragons and other terrifying beasts.
Unwillingly thrust into the continuing battle between good and evil, their only tools are their friendship, their wits and a mysterious Magic Coat with a mind of its own.
Will they ever be able to return home?”

For more information about Nathalie or her book, visit her website at www.nathaliemleblanc.com.

We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday! Come by to meet the author, buy a book (or two) and get it signed!!!

“Beautiful Lie the Dead” by Barbara Fradkin

beautifulliedead.jpegBarbara Fradkin is a Montrealer who has lived in Ottawa for the past several years and knows both cities well. It gives her Inspector Green series a special flavour. You really feel you are hopping off a bus in Westboro, or driving up Cote des Neiges to a corner of the cemetery on Mt. Royal.

“Beautiful lie the Dead” covers both cities. The plot is intricate but convincing. The families include a leading McGill law professor known as much for his extra-marital affairs as his brilliant lectures. In Ottawa ,a prominent surgeon is two weeks away from his upcoming marriage when an old scandal out of Montreal completely disrupts his plans.

The unflustered Ottawa Police Inspector MIchael Green is well-known to readers of Fradkin’s seven novels before this one. Here, his calm judgment is put to the test by the constant trips and calls back and forth between Ottawa and Montreal. It makes for a highly readable book and keeps Fradkin on the list of active members of Canada’s crime-writing community.

She lives in Ottawa and works as a child psychologist, a profession offering plenty of scope for her writing. Her mysteries have been called “insightful writing that stirs up questions and emotional responses – and the satisfaction felt from a good book”. (The Hamilton Spectator).

Review by Anne McDougall

Here’s One for the Kids!!! Rachna Gilmore and Ben Hodson signing on Sunday, December 12 from 1-3pm

troubledilly.jpegDon’t know what to do with your children this coming Sunday afternoon between 1:00pm and 3:00pm? Bring them down to Books on Beechwood to meet children’s illustrator Rachna Gilmore and illustrator Ben Hodson! Rachna will be signing her latest books “Catching Time” and “The Trouble With Dilly.” Ben Hodson will be here – with pencil and paper in hand – to sign his latest, “Richard Was A Picker.”

“The Trouble With Dilly” (ages 8-12) is the story of a young girl named Dilly who sees the new boy in her community, Gedion, shoplifting from her parent’s store. After tattling on him to her parents, Dilly realizes that there are certain things that should just be left unsaid. To make up for what she’s done, Dilly decides to plan a Christmas party for Gedion’s family. Before she knows it, the whole community is behind her. Will Dilly be able to see the project through to the end or will people start saying the the trouble with Dilly is that she always starts things that she doesn’t finish?

From author’s website:
“A story of friendship and laughter, good heartedness and community—and what it means to be truly generous.”

catchingtime.jpeg“Catching Time” (picture book)
From the jacket:
“With a preserve jar from Mom’s cupboard in one hand and a butterfly net in the other, [Sara] sets out to capture time itself. But where can it be? Is it underneath a desk, or is it twinkling in the sunlight?”
(…)
“With lively text by multi-award winning author Rachna Gilmore, and beautifully airy illustrations by Kirsti Anne Wakelin, Catching Time is the perfect remedy to today’s fast-paced lifestyle – a vivid reminder that time with family is precious and, in the end, the very best time of all.”

“Richard Was A Picker” (picture book) is the story of a young boy who, one day, when trying to pick his nose, gets his whole body stuck up inside his nose, essentially turning himself into one big booger. Richard thinks he has a solution to his problem, but before he can get to his destination, a mob forms up and chases him all through town. Will Richard make it to his destination without getting picked to pieces on the way?
From the jacket:
richardpicker.jpeg“Richard Was A Picker is zany and fun. Packed with rhythm, music and rhyme, it may even be a cure for nose-picking.”

For more information on either Rachna Gilmore or Ben Hodson, visit their websites, www.rachnagilmore.ca and www.benhodson.ca.

We hope to see you all on Sunday afternoon, kiddies in tow!

“One Cat’s Life: Telling Horatio’s Tale” – Author Angela Marcus Signing Sat. Dec. 11, 12-2pm

Come by Books on Beechwood on Saturday, December 11 between noon and two o’clock to meet Angela Marcus. She is the author of the new book “One Cat’s Life: Telling Horatio’s Tale.”

From the jacket:
“Anne and Bruce Barnaby were not aware that they needed a pet, until the afternoon a cat appeared on their patio, and took them over. Horatio chose them as his second family, although he already had a family and a comfortable home in the neighbourhood.”
(…)
“This story is based on the life and character of a cat who did exist. Horatio started out as a stray, and the story tells how he corralled a life for himself through his looks, character and charm. From the picturesque village of Merrickville to Canada’s capital, Ottawa, a band of humans loved and supported Horatio through his relationships with a variety of people, a business venture, illness, modest celebrity, and philanthropic deeds. He even almost learned to type.”
(…)
“Horatio opened up an unexpected world for his second family, whose tale is inseparable from his.”

We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday!

Gordon Forbes Signing Sunday Dec. 5 from 1-3 pm “We Are One: The Story of the Worst Peacetime Disaster in the History of the Canadian Navy”

Author Gordon Forbes will be at Books on Beechwood on Sunday, December 5 from 1:00 – 3:00pm signing his book “We Are One: The Story of the Worst Peacetime Disaster in the History of the Canadian Navy.”

From the jacket:
“This book describes the background to that day [October 23, 1969], the details of the actions of the men during that horrible day, and the aftermath of the event culminating in the emotional gatherings for the fortieth anniversary in Plymouth, England and in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is a story of everyday men doing heroic things to save their ship and of the emotional drain that haunted many of them for years afterward.”

Come by to meet the author, buy a book, and get it signed! We look forward to seeing you!

Book Club 2010-2011

The books for the 2011 half of the 2010-2011 Book Club have now been chosen, and are listed (and kept up to date) on our Book Club page.

In the month prior to every Book Club meeting, the book in question is always 20% off for Book Club members and store customers. New members to the Book Club are always welcome.