Barbara Patterson Signing “Jenny” on Saturday, May 7 from 1-3pm

Come on down to Books on Beechwood on Saturday, May 7 to meet children’s author Barbara Patterson. She has written a book called “Jenny” and will be here in our store to sign from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.

“Jenny” is the story of a young girl named Jenny who spends a wonderful day with her Grandmother, awaiting the arrival of a new baby in the house.

A little bit about the author:
“Barbara Patterson has a background in portrait painting, religious art and design. She has studied at the Newfoundland Academy of Art in St. John’s, Newfoundland; The Chelsea School of Art and St. Martins School of Art in London. She also studied religious art at the Centre D’Art Sacre in Paris. She now lives in Ottawa, Canada and specializes in portrait painting.”

We hope you can all make it down to the store on Saturday, May 7! We look forward to seeing you!

“Cool Water” by Dianne Warren

coolwater.jpegA long drink of cool water is what you crave when reading Dianne Warren’s new book.

Suitably titled “Cool Water” the novel is set in the dusty sand dunes of Juliet, Saskatchewan. There is beauty as well as loneliness in the oasis on the edge of Little Snake Sand Hills. Warren lives in Regina, Saskatchewan and she has captured the mood of the Prairie people. Their day-to-day lives are a far cry from the life in Ottawa.

For one thing, there are lots of horses, including one that escapes his trailer and the adventures getting him back to his owner. The people are unassuming and matter-of-fact but they have hang-ups we all recognize and Warren describes them in a warm-hearted and witty way. There is the man afraid to take responsibility for the farm his adoptive parents left him; the shy middle-aged couple unable to acknowledge their feelings for one another.

Dianne Warren is the author of three books of short fiction and three plays. She has won the Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year, the Marian Engel Award for a woman writer in mid-career, and has been shortlisted for a Governor-General’s Award for Drama in l992.

Review by Anne McDougall

Valerie Knowles signing “Capital Lives Vol. II” on Saturday April 30th, 1pm-3pm

This follow-up to Valerie Knowles’ first edition of Capital Lives is a welcome addition to the growing literature concerning Ottawa’s more interesting inhabitants. In short, lively sketches feature well-known early settlers, such as Braddish Billings (1783-1864), to more modern, but little-known personalities like Isabel Percival (1903-1998), an astute businesswoman who devoted considerable time and effort to a number of worthy local causes. Along the way, Knowles introduces a fascinating cast of characters that will leave readers looking forward to a third volume.

Capital Lives Vol 2

Three cheers and a tiger to Valerie Knowles for the marvelous array of former Ottawa citizens she has brilliantly unveiled to us in these snapshot vignettes of their lives.
– Grete Hale, CM, LLD, GCLJ, FCGS, FRHSC, Chair Emeritus, Morrison Lamothe Inc.

It is a book to delight a reader anywhere who finds human animals the natural quarry of the historian, as well as a reader who ponders the places shaped by them.
– John Taylor, Prof. Emeritus, History, Carleton University, author of: Ottawa: An Illustrated History

“The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party” by Alexander McCall Smith

saturdaywedding.jpegAlexander McCall Smith has written another story about Precious Ramotse, the legendary Lady Detective of Botswana, and perhaps the most beloved of the many characters he has created.

As we all know by now, McCall Smith is author of the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, the 44 Scotland Street series and the Corduroy Mansions series. The secret to his success may lie in the fact that he keeps each series close to home. His people don’t travel far. We get an intimate picture of their day-to-day lives, walking to work, seeing their friends for a tea or coffee, with the occasional irregular happening which of course makes the story. In the case of the No. l Ladies Detective Agency series, we get vivid pictures of the sun setting over the Kalahari and Mma Ramotse sitting beneath an old acacia tree – at all times of day. McCall Smith used to live in Africa and is now attached to the University of Edinburgh -both settings he knows well.

In this one, Mma Ramotse is preoccupied in getting her sharp-tongued Assistant safely married. But the detective cases still come in, including quite a violent one involving the killing of some cattle in a remote cattle post. Precious is well-loved and trusted and her method of solving crimes is to get everyone involved talking to her. McCall Smith is professor emeritus of medical law and has served on many national and international organizations concerned with bio-ethics. His books reflect his interest. Rather than stick to superficial emotions he tells a real story that deeply touches the human heart. This is one of them.

Review by Anne McDougall

“The Woefield Poultry Collective” by Susan Juby

poultrycollective.jpegSusan Juby has concocted some far-out misfits for her new novel. But they are funny and they do grab your attention and finally your affection.

The story circles around a 20-year old American girl, living in New York and tired of her publishing job and longing to somehow “get back to the land”. Out of the blue she gets her dream when an uncle in Canada leaves her an inheritance of 30 acres of farmland on Vancouver Island. On checking out her new land, Prudence finds an assortment of neighbours that seem to come with the deal. There is a retired foreman, living in a cabin, doing odd jobs and playing the guitar. An alcoholic drop-out highschooler, hiding from a mild scandal with his drama teacher, comes from the house across the road and asks for work. Finally, an eleven year old girl, with a collection of prize-winning chickens, begs to join in and get away from her parents.

Prudence finds the so-called farm is growing almost nothing, and the bank is threatening to close it down. The book tells of the extraordinary measures all these people take to help keep it going. The last proves quite thrilling when the guitar-player turns out to have a world-famous brother in the music business and the ensuing concert brings in the entire neighbourhood and – we are quite sure – saves the farm.

Susan Juby lives with her husband on Vancouver Island and gets a good feeling about the beautiful and often gently eccentric place. She has written a number of novels, including the best-selling Alice series.

Review by Anne McDougall

“Extraordinary Canadians: Tommy Douglas” by Vincent Lam

tommydouglas.jpegThis is one of the most successful books in the Extraordinary Canadians series.

Dr. Vincent Lam, emergency physician and author of the prize-winning “Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures”, takes on the biography of the legendary Tommy Douglas, leader of the CCF government in Saskatchewan and responsible for introducing medicare legislation in that province that eventually spread to the whole of Canada.

Dr. Lam gives a sympathetic portrait of the young Scottish boy immigrating with his family to Winnipeg, l9ll, and later l9l9, their involvement in the Great Depression and Winnipeg General Strike, Tommy’s career as a Baptist minister in Weyburn, Saskatchewan and eventual involvement in politics as a more practical way to fix what he considered a broken and unjust economic system. He had already shown his willingness to fight, winning the lightweight boxing championship of Manitoba in l923. Perhaps more significantly, he had suffered as a boy from recurrent osteomyelitis in his right leg and was only saved from amputation when a renowned orthopedic surgeon offered to operate at no cost as a teaching case. He recovered but never forgot what the care meant to him.

In l932 J.C. Woodsworth, who founded the CCF party, introduced Douglas to M. J. Caldwell,the labour leader. In l935 Douglas ran as a CCF candidate in the federal election and won a seat for Weyburn, Saskatchewan. In l942 he became leader of the Saskatchewan CCF and in years after that introduced socialist measures in a prudently run mixed economy, e.g. universal hospital insurance, the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the rural electrification program.

Douglas own career took him to the leadership of the new NDP party in l96l. It was not until l964 that the Hall Commission recommended the adoption of universal medical care modelled on Saskatchewan’s plan.

Dr. Lam introduces Douglas’ family, his wife Irma, actress daughter Shirley and later adopted daughter Joan. Tommy Douglas retired as leader of the NDP in l97l and spent the rest of his life in Ottawa and a cottage in Wakefield, Quebec.

It is not hard to see why this feisty Scot was once named the most important Canadian of all time. He never gave up on his care for other people – and we all know that.

Review by Anne McDougall

Joseph Maingot signing “Politicians Above the Law” on Saturday, March 26 from 1-3p.m.

Come down to Books on Beechwood on Saturday, March 26 to meet author Joseph Maingot. He will be here signing his book Politicians Above the Law from 1:00p.m. to 3:00p.m.

From the jacket:
“More than 70% of the world’s nations spell out clearly in their constitutions that members of their parliaments or national assemblies are protected from the criminal process. This is called parliamentary inviolability. Only the Commonwealth parliaments and the Congress of the United States refuse to grant such special immunity to its members. This discourages good governance and encourages clashes among the three branches of government as the Craxi scandal in Italy (1993), the Juppe affair in France (2004), and the ongoing Berlusconi matter in Italy amply demonstrate.”
Buy the book to learn more!

About the author:
“J.P. Joseph Maingot Q.C. is a consultant in parliamentary matters. Formerly Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons and Member of the Law Reform Commission of Canada, he is the author of the standard classic reference, Parliamentary Privilege in Canada, 2ed 1997, which is also known at Westminster. He has advised on parliamentary matters in Canada and in Yemen, the Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan) and, East Timor.”

Come down to the bookstore on Saturday afternoon, meet the author, and buy a book! We look forward to seeing you all then!

Grete Hale Signing “Baker’s Daughter” Saturday, March 19 from 12pm to 2pm

gretehale2.JPGGrete Hale is coming back!!! For those of you who missed her when she was here in January, or if you just want to come and see her again, she will be here signing her book “Baker’s Daughter: The Story of a Long, Rich and Very Canadian Life” on Saturday, March 19 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm.

What readers are saying:
“If you have a treasured place where you keep precious delights, then you will experience an instant appreciation for the treats that Grete serves up in this delightful and heartwarming book.” -Jim Orban

“Reading these stories is much like being in Grete’s presence – having a thoroughly entertaining time while learning about the past and being inspired for the future. Generations after us will be grateful that she has taken the time to write down the tales she tells so well.” -Barbara McInnes, CM

“Grete Hale is a wonderful storyteller with a penchant for colourful detail that invites you to read on as she shares a unique perspective to the life of a city and the intrinsic family bond that has remained steadfast for nearly 100 years. Grete has worked hard for everything she has accomplished and she takes neither her family or the community for granted.” -Roger Greenberg

The book retails for $19.95 (plus tax) and net proceeds go to the Ottawa-based “CanHave Children’s Centre,” helping young people in Uganda.

Come down to the bookstore on Saturday to meet Grete, buy a book, and get it signed! We look forward to seeing you all here!

“The Best Laid Plans” by Terry Fallis

bestlaidplans.jpeg Nothing like a good story – especially one set in Ottawa, where you can recognize the people and the places if you live here too.

Terry Fallis creates some memorable characters in “The Best Laid Plans”: the crusty Scots engineering professor who never planned to get into politics; the ragtail set of students who helped get him in, and what happened when he got there.

The book is a satire on Canadian politics, especially the current Ottawa version which is sometimes funny enough all by itself. Terry Fallis runs a public relations agency in Toronto, but writes with an intimate knowledge of a small eastern suburb of Ottawa, as well as downtown and up on Parliament Hill. The satire covers all aspects of life in the hallowed halls of Parliament including some unexpected after-hours drama.

The publication of the book is a story in itself. Fallis got tired of trying to find a publisher, and so recorded a reading of his novel and brought it out chapter by chapter as a podcast. He then published the book on his own. After that it won the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour. It is indeed very clever, very well written and very funny. “Brisk and humorous”, says the Ottawa Citizen.

Review by Anne McDougall

David Holdsworth Signing “The Ambassador’s Camel” on Saturday, March 12 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm!

ambassadorcamel.jpgCome on down to Books on Beechwood on Saturday, March 12th and meet local Ottawa author David Holdsworth and illustrator Jean-H. Guilmette. They will be here signing their new book The Ambassador’s Camel: Undiplomatic Tales of Embassy Life between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

The book is a collection of funny short stories on diplomatic life in a Canadian embassy in a fictional Asian country, along the lines of Lawrence Durrell’s famous spoof of the British Foreign Service, ESPRIT DE CORPS.

From the jacket:
“When politics and policy clash, politics always win. And in this case, senior diplomat Percy Williamson loses. At odds with Canada’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Percy draws an overseas assignment as ambassador to Bharalya, a small country in Asia that recently discovered a big cache of oil. When Percy and his wife Marilyn arrive in Bharalya they are quite unprepared for the experiences they will share and the eccentric people they will meet. There’s the king who’s addicted to collecting medals from foreign governments, a junior diplomat who impersonates his own foreign minister, a visiting minister caught by the press in a brothel, and a travel-averse diplomat reduced to jelly by his one and only trip outside the capital. Regularly erupting at the most awkward moments is the dreaded Bharali amoeba, scourge of the diplomatic intestinal tract. But all frivolity is set aside when the government threatens to close down the embassy; the Foreign Service springs into action, with surprising results.”

Be sure to stop by on Saturday, March 12 between 2:00pm and 4:00pm to meet David and Jean-H., have a chat, buy a book, and get it signed! We look forward to seeing you all then.