Author: Hilary

March Bestsellers

1. Transforming Ottawa by Alain Miguelez
2. Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis
3. Birdie by Tracy Lindberg
4. The Illegal by Lawrence Hill
5. H Is For Hawk by Helen MacDonald
6. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
7. The Lady From Zagreb by Phillip Kerr
8. The Hero’s Walk by Anita Rau Badami
9. Moonlight Over Paris by Jennifer Robson
10. The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel

Welcome to April! It may not feel like it right now, but if you believe the weather forecasters, there is light (and heat) at the end of the tunnel.

Although it’s still a little chilly out, now is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the warm sunshine (when it appears) and breath in all that fresh, clean air. It’s also a great time to attend book events, and what better book event is there than a Titles@Table40 evening? Yes, that’s right! Titles@Table40 is back, and not only do we have one event to tell you about, but two! Our first event of 2016 will be on Sunday, April 24 with prolific Canadian historian, John Boyko. He will be speaking about his newest book Cold Fire: Kennedy’s Northern Front, which explores the relationship between John F. Kennedy, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, and Nobel Prize-winning diplomat, Lester Pearson. A month later, on Sunday, May 29, Alain Miguelez, the author of the tremendously successful Transforming Ottawa, will be joining us for an evening at Table 40. With the added enticement of a power point presentation full of wonderful pictures of Ottawa circa 1937-38, this Titles@Table40 evening should be a real treat!

As with previous Titles@Table40 events, the evening starts at 5:30pm with dinner, followed by the author presentation and book signing. Attendees must reserve their spot through the bookstore with a non-refundable deposit of $20.00 which will go towards the cost of the meal (a set menu with a vegetarian option). The total cost of the meal is $40.00, which includes a three course meal (family-style). No substitutions will be allowed. Tax, 18% gratuity, and refreshments are not included. Tickets for both our Titles@Table40 events are on sale now, so call, e-mail, or visit us to reserve your seat today!

If a dinner event is not your thing, why not visit us in-store for a great local author signing? On Saturday, April 16, local professor Georg Northoff will be here from 12:00-2:00pm signing copies of his new book Neuro-Philosophy and the Healthy Mind. Ontario author, Karen Molson will be in the store on Saturday, April 23 to launch her new novel, The Company of Crows from 12:00-2:00pm. To round out the month, on Saturday, April 30, we will be celebrating the second annual National Authors for Indies Day! We will have a number of local authors paying us a visit throughout the day including Sarah Jennings from 11:00am-12:00pm (Art and Politics), Her Excellency Sharon Johnston from 11:30am-12:30pm (Matrons and Madams), Charlotte Gray from 12:00-1:00pm (The Massey Murder), mystery author Brenda Chapman from 1:00-2:00pm (Tumbled Graves), David Holdsworth from 2:00-3:00pm (Tough on Crime), and poet Frances Boyle from 3:00-4:00pm (Light-Carved Passages). It will be a great day filled with wonderful authors and fabulous books! Don’t miss it!

With amazing titles continuing to pack themselves onto our shelves every day, we’re sure to have something for whatever mood this changeable season puts you in. On the fiction front, Helen Simonson, the beloved author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, has just released The Summer Before the War – a story centered on the sleepy village of Rye, England and the life and loves of its inhabitants. If you’re feeling nostalgic for a time when neon was in and scrunchies and leg warmers ruled the fashion world, why not try the debut novel, Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss? While we can’t guarantee that these 80s staples actually play a role in the story, the vibrant descriptions of the gritty New York art scene and the characters struggling to carve out a place for themselves in it, more than make up for any fashion omissions. On the non-fiction side of things, a lovely, quirky book that has just landed on our shelves, The Legend of Zippy Chippy: Life Lessons from Horse Racing’s Most Lovable Loser by William Thomas, may be just the thing to brighten your day as we wait for spring to come. Also worth a try are, the new Alan Cumyn tongue-in-cheek teen read, Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend and the beautifully charming Miss Moon: Wise Words from a Dog Governess by Janet Hill – a staff favourite right now!

So, whether you’re looking for something that will make you laugh, cry, or hide under the covers, a trip to the corner bookstore is never wasted. Just remember, books may not give off heat, but they still make the best cuddlers.

Happy Reading!

-The Staff of Books on Beechwood