March Bestsellers
1. Love and Ruin by Paula McLain
2. Ladies, Upstairs! by Monique Begin
3. Brother by David Chariandy
4. The Huntress by Kate Quinn
5. Claws of the Panda by Jonathan Manthorpe
6. Homes by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah
7. By Chance Alone by Max Eisen
8. Becoming by Michelle Obama
9. The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman
10. Educated by Tara Westover
Greetings Book Lovers!
While the war of the seasons continues to rage outside our windows, it’s not hard to spot the signs of spring inside the store these days. There are fun new gift items gracing our shelves, restocks of old favourites, and more new softcover books sprouting up than you can shake a stick at! Our in-store book signings, like migrating birds, have even returned from their winter hiatus, which is always a key indicator of a seasonal shift. So, with an extra bounce in our step and a birdsong in our hearts, it’s time to bid goodbye to winter (snow or no snow) and say hello to all the hopeful possibilities that come with spring, literary and otherwise!
If the return of the sun and disappearance of the ice isn’t motivation enough to make you dip your toes outside this month, why not make a special trip out to one of our upcoming book events? This coming Saturday, April 13, local science-fiction author John Haas will be in the store between 11:00am and 12:00pm to sign copies of Writers of the Future: Volume 35. His story, The Damned Voyage, is just one of 24 winners of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future competition featured in this amazing collection. Perfect for fans of fantasy and science-fiction stories, this book is not one to be missed! Jonathan Rotondo will be paying us a visit on Sunday, April 14 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm to sign copies of his new memoir, Airborne. Full of fascinating aviation history and exhilarating storytelling, this is, in essence, the story of a father and son and the ways in which we can learn more about our present by delving into our past. Be sure to stop by the store on Wednesday, May 1 to meet local poet and writer, Jacqueline Bourque. She will be here from 5:00pm to 7:00pm to launch The Dune as Bookmark, her new collection of poetry. Keeping things going into May, Invisible Publishing authors Bindu Suresh and Andrew Forbes are hitting the road this spring and will be stopping in to see us on Friday, May 10 to launch their new books, 26 Knots and Lands and Forests, respectively. Be sure to come by between 6:00pm to 8:00pm to meet these two great authors and enjoy an evening of readings, mingling, and bookstore fun!
With the NHL playoffs just kicking off, we’re sure at least some of you will be taking a short hiatus from your to-read pile to take in every pass, shot, and cross-check happening on the ice. Luckily, for those of you who won’t be glued to your TV sets in the coming weeks, there are lots of great new books flooding through our doors every day and we guarantee that when you’re next in the market, you’ll find something to entrance and entertain you in equal measure. At the Mountain’s Edge by Genevieve Graham is not only the newest novel from one of our go-to Canadian authors, but it’s also an eye-opening read about what might be a slightly lesser-known period of Canadian history. When Liza’s father decides to move his family from their comfortable Vancouver home to the wild streets of Dawson city in order to profit from the Kondike gold rush, he sets them all on a path that will change their lives forever. Full of breathtaking adventure, harrowing experiences, and burgeoning hope in times of extreme darkness, this unforgettable novel introduces readers to a determined, spirited young woman who must find her own way against all odds. From the mountains of the North to the rockstar tour buses of sunny California, Taylor Jenkins Reid has given us a fascinating read rumoured to have been inspired by the incredible Stevie Nicks and the legendary band Fleetwood Mac. Set in the 1970s and told in a classic rock biography style, Daisy Jones & The Six is a groovy trip back in time that will appeal to anyone who loved the movie Almost Famous!
There’s no doubt in our minds that one of the most fascinating books in the store right now is Mark Bourrie‘s Bush Runner. Exploring the life of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, one of the co-founders of the Hudson’s Bay Company, this new biography follows its subject far and wide from the communities of First Nations and French fur traders in North America, to the homes of influential Dutch families in Holland, to the cobblestone streets of London during the Great Plague and the Great Fire. Though perhaps not the most upstanding of characters – he double-crossed more people than you’d think one could in a single lifetime – Radisson definitely lead a varied and colourful life and, in keeping a personal journal of his adventures, has given us, through Bourrie’s writings, a unique and irreplaceable look back into 17th Century Canada. For a very different kind of history, why not take a peek at Classical Music: Expect the Unexpected by Kent Nagano? As a world-famous conductor, Nagano knows a thing or two about classical music and has been living and breathing the genre since he was a child. Part memoir, part social history, this book explores the journey the classical genre has taken over the years and the fact that its reach seems to be getting smaller and smaller. Where once it was a universal genre, it’s now in danger of becoming simply a hobby for the higher echelons of society. Written with love and passion, this book would be a good one for all music lovers to read.
If there were an award for biggest book release of the year so far, beloved children’s author Jeff Kinney would definitely be the 2019 recipient! His newest release, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, gives readers a bit of different perspective into the Wimpy Kid world as it’s the diary of Rowley Jefferson instead of Greg Heffley. In this new book, Rowley actually decides that he’s going to write Greg’s biography since everybody knows that Greg is going to be famous someday. The result is a hilarious, topsy-turvy mess and fans of the original series will be endlessly entertained by all the ups and downs in this singular Wimpy Kid story! Though it’s hard to imagine a Monty Python story for kids, Matt Phelan seems to have produced just that in his new book Knights vs Dinosaurs. King Arthur’s court is at peace and there seem to be far fewer dragons around than there used to be. As a result, the Knights of the Round Table have been doing a fair bit of thumb twiddling recently. So when Merlin decides that he’s going to send the knights out on a real adventure to a land filled with the most dangerous lizards of all time, you know you’re in for a wild ride! Perfect for fans of How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, and The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett!
Finally, because it’s almost Easter, we want to highlight one of our favourite picture book releases from recent days. Though it’s not about Easter at all, it does feature an adorable bunny, and that’s close enough for us! The Rabbit, The Dark, and the Cookie Tin by Nicola O’Byrne is a beautifully illustrated story about a little bunny who doesn’t want to go to sleep. Since darkness seems to be a key element to bedtime, this little bunny decides that if he gets rid of the dark, he’d be able to stay up as long as he wants. Unfortunately, stuffing the dark inside a cookie tin creates other problems for little bunny and his friends – no bedtime stories being one of the major ones! Charming, sweet, and cute beyond belief, this picture book is bound to become a story time favourite!
We wish we could tell you about all our favourite new books in great detail, but our newsletter is not nearly long enough for that, and we’re not entirely convinced anyone would want to read hundreds of pages of us waxing poetic about books. So, here are some other new and forthcoming releases that we’re excited to share with you: The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear; Heat Wave by Maureen Jennings; European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss; Warbears by Margaret Atwood; Operatic by Kyo Maclear; Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young; The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman; The New Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan; The Book of Dreams by Nina George; Why Don’t You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It? by Roz Chast and Patricia Marx; Why Do Onions Make Me Cry? by Jay Ingram; Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants by Andrea Beaty (April 16); The Department of Sensitive Crimes by Alexander McCall Smith (April 16); The Ice Chips and the Invisible Puck by Roy and Kerry MacGregor (April 16); The Binding by Bridget Collins (April 16); Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan (April 23); Love & Courage by Jagmeet Singh (April 23); Aru Shah and the Song of Death by Roshani Chokshi (April 30); The Runner by Peter May (May 7); The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grimes (May 7); Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (May 7); The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (May 7).
No matter what the weather is doing outside, you can always count on us to observe the appropriate season here in the store, and these dreary April days are no exception. So, if you’re feeling starved for a bit of spring sunshine and light, be sure to pay us a visit! We have lots of great new reads and fun products on our shelves, and are more than happy to help banish your winter blues with books!
Happy Reading!
— The Staff of Books on Beechwood
Holiday Hours
We will be CLOSED on Friday, April 19 and Sunday, April 21 for Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Regular store hours will be observed on Saturday, April 20 and Monday, April 22.
We hope the Easter Bunny is good to you all!
Happy Easter!
Hilary’s Bookshelf
What I’m Reading: The Witch’s Kind by Louisa Morgan
“After reading her previous book, The Secret History of Witches, I couldn’t wait to dig into Louisa Morgan’s new novel. Though the structure of this book is slightly different – it focuses on one woman’s journey instead of travelling through multiple generations of a family – the beauty, magic, mysticism, and love are all still there! Set in the U.S. at the beginning of WWII and featuring two modern witches, a seaside foundling, and the reappearance of an estranged husband, this historical novel is a real winner!”
Visit us on Wednesday, May 1 between 5:00pm and 7:00pm to meet Ottawa poet Jacqueline Bourque as she launches her new chapbook of poetry, The Dune As Bookmark.