Category: Our Events

Don’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.”

“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:
“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!

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!

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!

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.

10:30am-12:30pm David Dyment is here signing his book Doing the Continental: A New Canadian-American Relationship
Come down to the bookstore between 10:30am and 12:30pm and meet author and teacher David Dyment.
From his website:
“David teaches political science at the University of Ottawa and at Carleton University where he is senior research associate in the Centre on North American Politics and Society. He has served on the staff of the governor general of Canada and as a senior policy adviser in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
As a media commentator, he has been heard on CTV, CBC Television and Radio, Radio-Canada (in French), and BBC. He received his doctorate from the Université de Montréal.”
Come by and meet the author, buy a book, and get it signed! We look forward to seeing you all here at the store on Saturday morning! If you’d like more information about David, visit his website at www.daviddyment.ca.

1:00pm-3:00pm Catherine McKenzie is here signing her novel Spin
Once you’ve had a nice lunch break after meeting David Dyment in the morning, make your way back to Books on Beechwood for a second round of book buying and signing. Catherine McKenzie will be here from 1:00 to 3:00 in the afternoon signing her book Spin.
From the book jacket:
“‘Imagine if Bridget Jones fell into a million little pieces, flew over the cuckoo’s nest, and befriended Lindsay Lohan along the way, and you are beginning to grasp the literary roller coaster ride that is Catherine McKenzie’s Spin. Filled with brutal honesty and wry humour, Spin is a story for anyone who has ever woken up hungover and thought, ‘Do I have a problem? Yes – I need to find a greasy breakfast.’ And by that I mean everyone I know.’ – Leah McLaren, Globe and Mail Columnist, author of Continuity Girl.”
(…)
“Spin is whip-smart and hugely engaging fiction from an exciting new talent.”
Come down to Books on Beechwood to meet and chat with the author, buy a book or two, and get them signed! We look forward to seeing you all there! For more information about Catherine, visit her website at www.catherinmckenzie.com.

Whether you spend part of your Saturday at the bookstore for one book signing or two, we very much look forward to seeing you here supporting your local book community and two great first time Canadian authors!

If you are a cat lover, a fan of poetry or someone who just enjoys a good chuckle, then Books on Beechwood is the place to be on Saturday, November 27 from 1-3pm. Barbara Florio Graham will be here signing her book “Mewsings, Musings,” a book she wrote with some help from her beautiful cat, Simon Teakettle.

From author’s website:
“The subtle wit and gentle satire of award-winning writer, Barbara Florio Graham, is back to back with her celebrity cat, Simon Teakettle, in a clever flip book designed to ‘a-muse’ readers of all ages.
Barbara’s satiric pieces on writing and teaching are coupled with several of her award-winning humorous poems as well as witty comments on living with the ‘classy cat in the black fur tuxedo.'”
(…)
“Barbara Florio Graham is a writer, teacher and communications consultant. She has contributed to more than 30 magazines and newspapers around the world, websites in 44 countries in 11 time zones, and 35 print anthologies in five countries.
“Mewsings, Musings won an Award of Excellence in the Cat Writers’ Association’s international contest in 2001.”

Come on down to Books on Beechwood on November 27 to meet Barbara in person, have a chat, buy a book, and get it signed! We look forward to seeing you all here!

For more information on Barbara, Simon Teakettle, or any of their work, please visit their website at www.simonteakettle.com.

Meet author David Hugill on Thursday, November 25th from 5pm to 7pm at Books On Beechwood and pick up a signed copy of his book, Missing Women Missing News: Covering Crisis in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

From the publisher:

In a country with comparatively little violent crime, murders usually generate a flurry of media attention and police action, but this was not the case for the sixty women who were murdered or went missing from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside between 1978 and 2002. When police charged Robert Pickton in 2002, the media suggested that these long years of inaction and silence were the result of individual incompetence and bureaucratic failure.

Through a critical analysis of the print coverage of the Pickton trial, Hugill demonstrates how news narratives reproduce a dominant “commonsense” framework that rationalizes the victimization of people on the margins. He argues that while journalists exposed the failure and incompetence of a few individuals within the police force and the state, they did little to reveal the disturbing socio-political context that made it possible for these murders to continue unabated for so many years. In this insightful critique Hugill shows how the mainstream press squandered the opportunity to examine the continued workings of colonialism, racism and patriarchy in Canadian society.

“Missing Women, Missing News demonstrates how journalism unwittingly upholds structures of power and domination.
David Hugill’s careful examination of the corporate news media shows how journalists routinely ignore central issues of race,
class and gender, allowing Canadian governments to escape blame for systematic legal, cultural and economic oppression.
This book should be required reading for every Canadian journalist.”
—Bruce Wark, Inglis Professor of Journalism, University of King’s College, Halifax, Nova Scotia

On Saturday, November 20, author Dave Mullington will be at Books on Beechwood signing his book “Charlotte: The Last Suffragette,” the story of Charlotte Whitton.

From the publisher:
“Passionate. Controversial. A trailblazer. Charlotte Whitton was all of these, which Ottawa native, Dave Mullington, has captured in his lively biography of the Ottawa Valley native.”
(…)
“As Canada’s woman newsmaker of the year six times during the 1950s and ’60s, Charlotte Whitton made headlines regularly as mayor of Ottawa. But she was no stranger to the spotlight. Prior to becoming the first female mayor of a Canadian city in 1951, Charlotte had already made an international name for herself as a driving force in the develping field of social welfare.”
(…)
“A determined feminist, Charlotte has often been credited with saying, ‘Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be half as good. Luckily this is not difficult.’ It was this attitude that propelled her from humble beginnings in the Ottawa Valley to become advisor and combatant of legislators and policy makers, at home and around the world.”
(…)
“Charlotte Whitton has recently been nominated as a person of national significant interest, sparking much discussion and controversy. Charlotte would expect nothing less.”

About the author:
“As a retired journalist and the author of Chain of Office: Biographical Sketches of the Early Mayors of Ottawa (1847-1948), it was only natural that Dave Mullington would turn to Charlotte Whitton as the topic of his second book. He never met Charlotte, but remembers as a boy his mother’s enthusiastic support for the outspoken advocate.”

For more information on Dave and his books, visit his publisher’s website at www.gsph.com.

We hope to see you here at the store on Saturday, November 20 between 11am and 1pm. Come on down, meet the author, buy a book, and get it signed! See you all next Saturday!

Ottawa Citizen Columnist Randall Denley will be at Books on Beechwood from 1-3pm on Sunday, November 14 to sign his new book “One Dead Sister.”

From the book jacket:

“For Ottawa Citizen columnist Kris Redner, her Adirondack hometown is a place of bad memories buried deep in the past. Then she receives a videotape that brings the past into the present. Kris recognizes her sister Kathy, murdered nearly thirty years ago.
When Kris returns home to dig for the truth, she discovers that she’s the last loose end in a story that the town definitely doesn’t want told. One Dead Sister pits Kris against one of the most powerful men in America and a town that considers her sister’s death old, bad news.
One Dead Sister is a story about political power and the extreme measures that people will engage in to keep it. It is the third novel by Ottawa Citizen columnist Randall Denley.”

Come by on Sunday, meet the author, and get a book signed! We look forward to seeing you then!

Come down to Books on Beechwood on Saturday, November 13 between 1pm and 3pm and meet Roy MacSkimming. He will be here signing copies of his latest novel “Laurier in Love.”

Quoted from his website, the publisher writes:
“Laurier in Love reveals Sir Wilfrid Laurier as Canadians have never known him: deeply enmeshed in a passionate, enduring love triangle as he leads his country into a new century.”
(…)
“Boldly imagined and brilliantly executed, Laurier in Love portrays Laurier the gifted statesman, emerging onto the world stage at Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee; Laurier the silver-tongued orator, charming Americans in Chicago; Laurier the conciliator, bridging conflicts between English and French as Canada fights a distant imperial war in South Africa. Above all, we feel the joy and pain of two women who tie their destinies to the same man – until in the end he must act to resolve the impasse.”

Come visit us at the bookstore to meet the author, buy a book and get it signed! We look forward to seeing you all on November 13!

For more information about Roy MacSkimming and his other fiction and non-fiction titles, visit his website at www.roymacskimming.com.