“How It All Began” by Penelope Lively

The widely-recognized British writer Penelope Lively has done it again in “How it all Began” – a subtle novel full of characters you get to know and believe in from the moment they are introduced.

The only violence comes in the first pages and of course sets the story. Friends as well as strangers rally to help the victim recuperate. We meet an aged Academic, retired, Lord Henry Peters, eager to get on TV or radio or even print with what he considers his invaluable Memoirs. There is the Grannie who helps the attractive East European immigrant with his English, only to have him fall in love with her married daughter. In the interior design business one clever operator meets another, only to have her savings nearly wiped out.

Lively shows the coincidences in life that pull people together – or apart. She is believable and delightful to read, with nineteen novels to her credit, including the most famous “Moon Tiger”, as well as three books of autobiography. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a member of PEN and the Society of Authors and a recipient of the OBE and CBE.

Review by Anne McDougall

Richard Rathwell Signs “Jump the Devil” on Sunday, June 3 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Ottawa born author Richard Rathwell will be signing copies of his new book “Jump the Devil” in our store on Sunday, June 3 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.

About the Book:
With Jump the Devil, Richard Rathwell has masterfully interwoven the plots of five seemingly unrelated storylines to create one coherent narrative that spans the globe and works to blend the seemingly mundane with the profound, deftly providing readers the necessary clues to unlocking the story. Transcending borders, cultures, generations, and social mores, Jump the Devil brings to life the notion of the global village as it exists in the 21st Century.

“There must have been a bad bite. Something had gestated. He wasn’t imagining it. There were wet, frozen pebbles tumbling in his veins. There was a sugary sense of euphoria, a smell of orange blossoms, of piss, of diesel.”

A man in a crawlspace. A woman and her cart. A doctor in an African village. A girl celebrating New Year’s. And an Egyptian Revolutionary in front of a computer screen. These five, seemingly unrelated narratives span the globe, blurring the boundaries between the trivially mundane and the profound. Jump the Devil brings its readers on a cross-cultural voyage which inextricably links the lives of the narrators, asking the reader to decipher the clues tucked away in the pages with a deft subtlety.

Rathwell’s writing is “a fistful of sentences written with the subtlety of a geisha and the terse certainty of stainless steel.” – John Olson, Author

We look forward to seeing you all here for this exciting book signing event! Come meet the author, buy a book, and get it signed!

William P. McElligott Signing His Photography Book “Ottawa, Canada” on Saturday, June 2 from 11:00am to 2:00pm

Local author William P. McElligott will be in the store on Saturday, June 2 from 11:00am to 2:00pm signing copies of his new photography book “Ottawa, Canada.” It’s a beautiful hardcover coffee table book filled with gorgeous photographs of Ottawa taken during each of our four seasons. It would make a wonderful gift for friends and family, or as an exciting treat for yourself!
For more information about William or his book, visit www.wpmcelligott.com.

We look forward to seeing you all here on Saturday!

Book Launch on Friday June 1st: “Vein Storm” by Rick Houle

Local author Rick Houle will be here in the store launching his debut novel, Vein Storm, on Friday, June 1 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

About the book:

A couple in their late thirties take off for their first summer vacation at a cottage rental. While they expect serenity at their lakeside setting, their experience on cottage turf takes a turn for the worse as they discover a horrible secret about their etiquette-challenged neighbors.
Vein Storm is a psychological thriller set in a remote cottage township in Northern Ontario.

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE COTTAGE STAYS AT THE COTTAGE
For more information about the book, visit www.veinstorm.com

About the author:
Cartoonist, musician, Web developer, graphic designer, digital photographer and videographer
Rick Houle launches his first novel, a psychological thriller titled Vein Storm.
Rick Houle was born in Ottawa and continues to live and work in the Ottawa area wearing multiple hats. He works in the public service as a Web developer and also creates and maintains websites for himself and for private clients. His original cartoons can be found on the website www.rhcomix.com.

Vein Storm is the first novel in a planned trilogy and a science fiction and detective novel are also on the way.

Linda Wiken (a.k.a. Erika Chase) Signing “A Killer Read” on Saturday, May 26 from 11:00am to 1:00pm

Linda Wiken (who writes as Erika Chase) will be in the store on Saturday, May 26 from 11:00am to 1:00pm signing copies of her new mystery novel “A Killer Read” – the first in an exciting new series!
From the jacket:
“Reading specialist and mystery book lover Lizzie Turner was excited for the first meeting of the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society hosted in Molly Matthew’s old Southern mansion. But she didn’t expect the gathering to become the scene of an actual murder. A stranger has been shot – and nobody knows who the victim is, or how Molly’s antique gun came to be used as the murder weapon.
As the plot becomes all too real, the police chief – Lizzie’s former high school crush – steps in to investigate. Then Lizzie begins finding mysterious manuscript chapters in her mailbox, and Molly surfaces as the next name on the killer’s list…”

Come on down to the store on Saturday to meet the author, buy a book, and get it signed! We hope to see you then!

“The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection” by Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith was born in a part of Africa that was a British Protectorate. His books are never political. He does however bring out qualities of generosity and humour of this country at its best.

The new book is part of the No. l Ladies Detective Agency series (he has a number of other series, all of which he writes from his home in Edinburgh). His readers know and love the lady detective, Precious Ramotse and her family. In this story there are the usual complications from nearby neighbours. An unusual addition is the arrival of a tall stranger from overseas who turns out to have written the manual on detective work that Precious and her assistant use in their work. He helps right the injustice that Precious had been struggling with and in the process discovers something new about being a good detective.

Like all McCall Smith’s books, this one is “charming and hilarious” – to quote The Seattle Times. Also pure pleasure for a holiday weekend.

Review by Anne McDougall

“The Pursuit of Perfection – A Life of Celia Franca” by Carol Bishop-Gwyn

This is a penetrating biography of one of Canada’s most important dancers, by an author who is a writer as well as dance historian, with degrees in dance history from both Canada and England. She tells Franca’s story with sharp insight and considerable detail. It is an impressive feat.

Celia Franca was born in l92l to a Polish-Jewish family in east-end London. Her parents had very little money to back their daughter when she began dancing around the house and at parties, but her obvious talent did lead to music, then dance lessons. Celia was rather short, with sturdy legs but not the high arch of most ballet dancers. She made up for this with a great sense of rhythm, of drama and showmanship, a long beautiful neck, and a high jump. She won a professional audition, got into Ballet Rambert and eventually Sadlers Wells. By this time she had made her mark outside England, and then came the offer to start a national school of ballet in Canada.

The rest is history and Carol Bishop-Gwyn describes the challenges Franca faced in getting dancers and money for the National Ballet of Canada. The book is full of all the dancers of this generation from de Valois, to Rudolph Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, Veronica Tennant, and Karen Kain. There were lots of heartbreaks for the determined Franca – but nothing stopped her and her high standards gave this country a fine ballet company. The book is full of photographs showing Franca with her three husbands, but also being feted in countries around the world. She paid the cost of her pursuit, but we see that she had no choice.

Review by Anne McDougall

Elizabeth Sellers Signs “If Horses Were Wishes” on Saturday, May 19 from 11:00am to 1:00pm

Elizabeth Sellers will be here signing her new young adult book “If Horses Were Wishes.”
From the jacket:
“Katy, an unhappy foster child, daydreams constantly. But when she dreams of doing something admirable to impress popular Sandra Magill, the results aren’t quite what she had in mind – waking up as a horse! Being cared for by Sandra and her friends (and pony!) all help. Through various adventures unexpected friendships develop, bu the burning question is: will Katy prefer being a horse, or will she try to become a girl once more?”
For more information about Katy and her adventures, visit www.elizabethsellers.com

We hope to see you all on Saturday!

Kathleen O’Hara Signing New Book Lost and Found in London Saturday, May 5 from 11:00am to 1:00pm

Kathleen O’Hara will be in the store signing copies of her new book “Lost and Found in London” on Saturday, May 5 from 11:00am to 1:00pm.
From the jacket:
“Kathleen was lost in London; now she’s about to be found. Her stay has been rich and exciting – museums, galleries, influential people. Romantic trips with a new lover. But UK authorities say it’s time to go. It’s not their problem she doesn’t want to leave, and has no idea what to do next. Fortunately, the right person comes along…”
This book is “a timely, thought-provoking, and fun guide for these uncertain times that could potentially change your life.”

We hope to see you here at the store on Saturday!

Dick Bourgeois-Doyle Book Signing on Thursday, May 3 from 5:00 to 6:00pm to Celebrate Machiavelli’s Birthday!

Come down to the store on Thursday, May 3 between 5:00pm and 6:00pm to meet local author Dick Bourgeois-Doyle and celebrate Machiavelli’s birthday. Dick will be signing copies of his new book Il Principio – The Principle which satirizes Machiavelli’s famous work, The Prince.
From the jacket:
“In this book, humorist Dick Bourgeois-Doyle as Piccolo Mochiavelli (Little Mock of Machiavelli) presents a collection of apocryphal tales that poke fun at the Italian philosopher as well as the messy blend of ideology, people and process that makes up politics and government in any time and place.
It is the second in a series that includes the tale of a quixotic government administrator: The Most Strategic, Integrated and Aligned Servant of the Public Don Quincy do la Mangement.”