Category: Our Events

Books on Beechwood and the Mackay Clocktower Brew Pub Announce…Books ‘n Brew!

Starting in September 2013, in conjunction with the Clocktower, we will be holding a number of literary evenings.
Each evening will begin at 6:00pm with dinner at the pub, which will be followed by the author’s presentation, a Q&A session, and a book signing.

Books ‘n Brew Schedule:
September 30: Charlotte Gray presents The Massey Murder
October 28: Nathan Greenfield presents The Forgotten
November 11: Don Newman presents Welcome to the Broadcast
November 25: Mary Lawson presents Road Ends
December 1: Denise Chong presents Lives of the Family
December 15: Robert Sibley presents The Way of the 88 Temples

Attendance includes 15% off the featured author’s book and 15% off the cost of your meal if accompanied by one of the Clocktower’s famous custom brews.

Reservations necessary. Please book your table with the Clocktower at 613-742-3169.

Local author Elizabeth Kelly will be in the store signing copies of her new book The Last Summer of the Camperdowns on Saturday, July 13 from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

About the book:

“The Last Summer of the Camperdowns introduces Riddle James Camperdown, the twelve-year-old daughter of the idealistic Camp and his manicured, razor-sharp wife, Greer. It’s 1972, and Riddle’s father is running for office from the family compound in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Between Camp’s desire to toughen her up and Greer’s demand for glamour, Riddle has her hands full juggling her eccentric parents. When she accidentally witnesses a crime close to home, her confusion and fear keep her silent. As the summer unfolds, the consequences of her silence multiply. Another mysterious and powerful family, the Devlins, slowly emerges as the keepers of astonishing secrets that could shatter the Camperdowns. As an old love triangle, bitter war wounds, and the struggle for status spiral out of control, Riddle can only watch, hoping for the courage to reveal the truth. The Last Summer of the Camperdowns is poised to become the summer’s uproarious and dramatic must-read.”

Be sure to check out this great event and add another book to your summer reading list! We hope to see you all here!

Come by the store on Saturday, June 22 to meet Toronto author Mel Bradshaw. He will be here from 11:00am to 1:00pm signing copies of his new book Fire on the Runway. It is the newest novel in his Paul Shenstone Mystery series.

From the jacket:

“As Torontonians move to the beat of the Jazz Age, war is the furthest thing from their minds. Then a fatal grenade explosion outside a west end hotel room breaks the rhythm. The room’s registered occupant, a mysterious European woman calling herself Lucy, disappears before she can shed any light on the incident.

Police detective Paul Shenstone believes someone is trying to assassinate Lucy. Once he has found her, he will learn the reason.”

For more information about Mel and his books, visit: http://www.dundurn.com/books/fire_runway

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Local author Liane Tanguay will be in the store on Monday, June 17 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, to launch her new book Hijacking History: American Culture and the War on Terror.

From the jacket:

“In Hijacking History, Liane Tanguay unravels the ideology behind an American enterprise unprecedented in scope, ambition, and brazen claim to global supremacy: the War on Terror. She argues that the fears, anxieties, and even the hopes encoded in American popular culture account for the public’s passive acceptance of the Bush administration’s wars overseas and violation of many of the rights, privileges, and freedoms they claimed to defend.

A timely retrospective on the War on Terror, Hijacking History examines popular representations of US military action, dissects both the logic and the aesthetics by which the dominant discourses strive to justify war, and reveals how some of these forces can ultimately contribute to an ideology of resistance.”

We hope to see you all come out for this great event!

Be sure to come by the store on Saturday, June 15 to meet local author John Kneale. He will be here from noon to 2:00pm signing copies of his new book Volcano Rising: An Ambassador’s Diary.

From the jacket:

“During the three years that the author was Canadian ambassador in Quito, Ecuador, the country experienced – often simultaneously – volcanic eruptions, economic collapse, indigenous uprisings and a coup d’etat by the military. Adding to the crisis was a kidnapping of Canadians in the Amazon region. This diary details day by day the threats and challenges faced by the ambassador, his family and the embassy staff.

In spite of the chaos, Canada emerged during this period as a major player in Ecuador’s political and economic life. This story will intrigue readers with its account of a developing nation’s struggles, as well as descriptions of the Andes, the Amazon and the magnificent Galapagos Islands.”

We hope to see you here for this great event!

Come by the store on Saturday, June 8 to meet local author Sonia Tilson. She will be here from 1:00pm to 3:00pm signing copies of her debut novel The Monkey Puzzle Tree.

From the jacket:

“Gillian Davies is six years old when her mother sends her to Croessfordd to escape the Blitz. But can she escape her child-molesting cousin Angus? Alternating between WWII Wales and present-day Canada, The Monkey Puzzle Tree is the story of Gillian’s struggle to accept her childhood trauma, forgive her mother, and confront Angus-who, it seems, is as dangerous as ever.”

We hope to see you all on Saturday!

Come by the store on Thursday, June 6 to meet local author Gene Bodzin. He will be here from 6:30pm to 8:30pm to launch his new book Making Your Life into a Work of Art: The Techniques of Memoir Writing.

About the book:

This comprehensive guide explores the issues facing writers of life stories. It draws on the author’s experience and observations as he wrote his memoir.

In readily accessible language, Bodzin’s new work focuses on two key elements – memory and the writing process – with topics ranging from neuroscience to moral and legal issues. It does not shy away from discussing false memories, family myths, and the use of fiction in memoir.

The cross-country all female book tour, The FictionKNITstas, will be making a stop at our store on Monday, June 3 at 6:00pm. The three authors who will be here signing and chatting about their books are:

Faith Johnston, author of The Only Man in the World

“Heather York is trying to find balance in her life. Sure, her son Jeff is every parent’s dream, but Winn, headstrong and independent, makes being a single mom a real struggle. When a guilty conscience calls Heather to the side of her dying uncle, wheels are set in motion that will change her life forever. The Only Man in the World is an understated story of what if means to be a woman and how to live a life of integrity and grace amid the changing fortunes of love.”

 Stella Harvey, author of Nicolai’s Daughters

“Compelled to fulfill her father’s dying wish to find the half-sister he kept from her, Alexia arrives in her father’s village of Diakofto on the edge of the Peloponnese. There she discovers a culture she knows nothing about, a country in financial crisis and an extended family with too many secrets.

Told in the alternating voices of Alexia and Nicolai, who each return to Greece to mourn a loss and find solace, Nicolai’s Daughters uncovers the secret shame that festers in a family, refusing to heal until the truth is revealed.”

 Sheila Fischman, translator of Christine Eddie’s The Douglas Notebooks

“On the same fateful day, two adolescents escape destinies that would scar them for the rest of their lives. Romain, awkward and contemplative, resolves to abandon a lineage of wealth. Elena, resourceful and single-minded, flees a home of blood and thunder.

From the initial meeting of these two wounded souls, Christine Eddie weaves a fable for all times.”

The event will be hosted by local author Mary Hagey, the author of Castles in the Air.

We look forward to seeing you all come out on Monday evening for this great event!

For more info visit: http://fictionistascanada.wordpress.com/fictionknitstas/