Blog
Holiday Gift Ideas Under $35!
Dec 17, 2012 • 0 Comment(s)
If you're anything like me you're a last minute shopper and right about now you're scrambling to find presents for pretty much everyone on your list. Here are a few suggestions. And one stop bookstore shopping is always a time saver!
For the celeb fan and fashion photography lover you can't go wrong with the gorgeous ICONS by Markus & Indrani (Running Press, $28.00)
“Markus Klinko and Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri are the dynamic duo of celebrity and fashion photography. "We look for that moment of connectedness – the ‘divine spark,’”explains Indrani. It’s certainly evident in this collection, showcasing more than 150 photos and featuring the authors’ candid reflections on each shoot. From Chris Rock to Lady Gaga, the images are striking. Forewords by model Iman and fashion guru Fern Mallis attest to the team’s undeniable talent." --HELLO! Canada
And for the foodie, why not Lucky Peach #5 (McSweeney's)? The China Town issue is the perfect antitode to the holiday eating your foodie friend is about to embark on. Say goodbye to turkey, stuffing and gravy for another year whilst checking out pictures of chow mein around the world or taking a tour of China Town in Vancouver. At $13.95 it makes the most economical of gifts.
And for the food historian or just plain old foodie I highly recommend Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson (Basic Books, $30.00). It's a lively and fascinating book on the history of kitchen gadgets. "This is an amazing journey into cooking technology from prehistory to the present that is at once profound and entertaining. Author Bee Wilson, a veteran British food writer, intrigues throughout by blending anthropology, archaeology, history and science with witty personal anecdotes about her own cooking experiences." --Winnipeg Free Press
And finally, a classic tale about a screaming latke for any friend that has playful sense of humour... or the slightly offbeat. The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming (McSweeney's, $14.50) by Lemony Snicket and Lisa Brown makes a great host/hostess gift and is a perennial office favourite.
Father’s Day Reads
Jun 13, 2012 • 0 Comment(s)
Books are the perfect present - so why not get your dad some reading material for Father's Day? Below are a few recommended reads for dads of all sorts on their special day.
Sentimental? Get him…
My Dad is Big and Strong, But… A Bedtime Story
Enchanted Lion
By Coralie Saudo
“Every night it's the same old thing, with dad refusing to go to bed. He wants to play, read stories, even sleep with me, and when he makes his pleading face, I always give in and read him another story. But that's it, since enough is enough. When it gets really tough, I tell myself, "Hang on, we're almost there."
From publisher Enchanted Lion, this story shows bedtime through the eyes of a little boy trying to put his dad to bed. My Dad is Big and Strong, But... pokes fun at how hard bedtime can be for parents, but is a story kids can enjoy over and over again.
Avid reader? Get him…
What It Is Like to Go to War
Grove/Atlantic Monthly Press
By Karl Marlantes
“Marlantes knows what he writes. . . Raw, unsettling honesty pervades the work.”—Time.com
In 1968, at the age of twenty-three, Karl Marlantes was dropped into the highland jungle of Vietnam, an inexperienced lieutenant in command of forty Marines. Marlantes takes a candid look at the experience and ordeal of combat. An interesting read for anyone, this book is a fantastic follow up to any dad who’s read Marlantes’ novel Matterhorn.
Brew Master? Get him…
The Oxford Companion to Beer
Oxford University Press
By Garrett Oliver
“Features more than 1,100 A-Z entries written by 160 of the world's most prominent beer experts. Attractively illustrated with over 140 images, the book covers everything from the agricultural makeup of various beers to the technical elements of the brewing process, local effects of brewing on regions around the world, and the social and political implications of sharing a beer.”
This book is a fun read for beer experts and novices alike. With a mix of definitions (the difference between “dry hopping” and “cask conditioning” for example), food pairings, and a little cultural history, readers can get a sense of how our drinking traditions have changed over time.
Griller? Get him…
1,001 Best Grilling Recipes: Delicious, Easy-to-Make Recipes from Around the World
Agate Publishing
By Rick Browne
The definitive book on grilling everything from appetizers and side dishes, to lamb, beef, hamburgers, sausages, fish & shellfish, wild game, chicken, game birds, turkey, pork, and desserts. Your dad will have endless recipes to try out this summer with the dozens of recipes for sauces, marinades, and rubs.
Find other books the PGC office recommends for Father's Day on our Pinterst page.
Season of the Grill!
Apr 19, 2012 • 0 Comment(s)
I heard my neighbors scrubbing and hosing down their barbecue the other day and thought, please do mine! Nothing says summer is coming like that first smell of barbecue wafting around your hood on an unseasonably warm early spring day.
If you need inspiration to get grilling I highly recommend you check out the latest cookbook from Running Press, The Gardener and the Grill: The Bounty of the Garden Meets the Sizzle of the Grill by Karen Adler & Judith Fertig
Vegetarians and meat-lovers alike will benefit from Adler and Fertig’s philosophy of wholesome and conscientious cooking. Full of delicious and simple recipes for meat and vegetable dishes, and complemented by beautiful photographs of home-grown vegetables and herbs, this book encourages readers to be involved in each step of food creation, from planting to plating.
Adler and Fertig instruct readers on the best ways to savor grilled delicacies from classic grilled vegetables, to strawberries, cheeses, and even gourmet pizzas. In addition to savory meats grilled to tender perfection, the authors show how the practice of harvesting vegetables according to season maximizes flavor and minimizes cost, and that grilling is the most flavorful way to cook.
The book publishes in May and will be available at bookstores everywhere.
What the Dickens!
Feb 06, 2012 • 0 Comment(s)
A post to celebrate the birth of literary master Charles Dickens born 200 years ago- Feb 7, 2012! 
We have two wonderful books by Frances Lincoln. First up is Charles Dickens: Scenes from an Extraordinary Life by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom. This beautifully and entertainingly illustrated 48 page picture book vividly dramatizes his life, beginning with his birth in Portsmouth and early childhood near the docks in Chatham, and follows the young Charles through the hardship of working in a blacking factory at the age of 10 to his years at school and his early career as a reporter.
"Its verve and wit are infectious... a wonderful, enduring introduction for young readers." - The New York Times Book Review
Second up is Charles Dickens At Home by Hilary Macaskill with photographs by Graham Salter. This book tracks the places Dickens lived, from his Portsmouth birthplace and childhood home in Chatham to his last home back in Kent, at Gad's Hill Place in Rochester. The book also covers his travels in England and abroad, where the locations provided the settings in his novels, such as Nicholas Nickleby's Yorkshire and in the East Anglia of David Copperfield, Charles Dickens's most autobiographical novel. Above all, it is London, where he lived in different homes for the majority of his life, which is so identified with Dickens and with his fiction.
"A tale of more than two cities, this home-bio serves up lively detail on the many homes Mr. D loved and used as inspiration for settings in his novels. Personal letters and broad research tell of a fastidious serial renovator who quickly moved up the Victorian property ladder." -The National Post
Both are available at fine bookstores everywhere.
New to Yoga? Helpful Books to Get You Started
Jan 17, 2012 • 0 Comment(s)
After being convinced by several friends that there are numerous benefits to yoga, I jumped on the New Year's Resolution bandwagon and resolved to make an effort to do a class once a week for 2012. Halfway through January, I haven’t wavered from my resolution yet, but as a yoga newbie, I’m still trying to 
get into the swing of it.
Looking to get in on the yoga fad? Here are some books I found helpful:
30 Essential Yoga Poses
For Beginning Students and Their Teachers by Judith Hanson Lasater
9781930485044 | Rodmell Press
Paperback | Price: $30.95
A comprehensive guide for beginning students and their teachers, this book provides 30 essential yoga poses, their variations, and breathing practices. This is a good guide to see what you’re getting into, and what poses you might be seeing at your classes.
Yoga for Computer Users
Healthy Necks, Shoulders, Wrists, and Hands in the Postmodern Age
By Sandy Blaine
9781930485198 | Rodmell Press
Paperback | Price: 19.50
Twenty-two illustrated poses and exercises, and breathing and relaxation techniques that can be performed no matter what your age or yoga experience. They will help you to increase range of motion and circulation and provide counter-movements to "computer slump" posture.
Stretching
By Bob Anderson
9780936070469 | Shelter Publications
Paperback | Price: 24.95
While not necessarily yoga related, stretching provided some options for what my goals are of taking yoga in the first place – staying flexible and fit. The books reflects on the idea that stretching is the simplest of all fitness activities, and can be done throughout the day – not just during a designated class.
Ashfall by Mike Mullin Makes the Kirkus Best Teen Books of 2011 list!
Dec 05, 2011 • 0 Comment(s)
"In this chilling debut, Mullin seamlessly weaves meticulous details about science, geography, agriculture and slaughter into his prose, creating a fully immersive and internally consistent world scarily close to reality."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
About the book:
Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don’t realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying super volcano, so large that the caldera can only be seen by plane or satellite. And by some scientific measurements, it could be overdue for an eruption.
For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone super volcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to search for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.
Published by Tanglewood Books
For the full list visit: http://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2011/teen/
Say Her Name and Witches on the Road Tonight Make the Globe and Mail’s Top 100!
Dec 05, 2011 • 0 Comment(s)
Say Her Name by Francisco Goldman made the best reviewed non-fiction titles of the year list. From that review: "Goldman’s sublime and heart-rending story of his marriage to Mexican writer Aura Estrada, and of her tragic death is a book about loss and grief and the attendant "guilt, shame, and dread, on an endless loop." Say Her Name is also an unforgettable love story, a testament to a great love and love’s greatness." (coming in paperback in April 2012)
Francisco Goldman was also interviewed on CBC’s Writers and Company with Eleanor Wachtel when he was in Toronto this past fall for IFOA. It aired November 27th. Catch the full interview here
Witches on the Road Tonight by Sheri Goldman made the best foreign non-fiction list. Here’s what reviewer Andrew Pyper had to say: "Holman jumps between pre-Second World War Appalachia and present-day New York in a tale of magic, love and deep, dark secrets. There is humour in her prose, but no camp, no ghoulish excess. Witches is a serious novel about America’s relationship with home grown mythologies: horror B-movies, Southern black magic and, yes, witches." (now available in paperback)
Both are published by Atlantic Monthly Press
A Thousand Sisters Book Launch and Fundraiser
Apr 27, 2010 • 0 Comment(s)
Zerofootprint Foundation Invites you to join Lisa Shannon, author of A Thousand Sisters and Dominique Bikaba of the Congolese Pole Pole Foundation for two inspirational events to fundraise for Zerofootprint Foundation projects supporting women and the environment in the Congo.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Private Reception, 5:30pm
Meet Lisa Shannon and Dominique Bikaba for an intimate reception.
Panorama Lounge, 51st Floor, Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West, Toronto
For every $150 donated, one ticket and signed book will be issued.
Book Reading, 7:00pm
A special appearance by Lisa Shannon. Open to all, A free event!
Indigo Books, Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West, Toronto
30% of the proceeds from book sales at the event will go towards supporting the Congo.
Contact Doree at
doree.marentette@zerofootprint.net or at (416) 365-7557 x 167.
Learn more about Zerofootprint’s projects in the Congo click here!
Award Winner!
Mar 23, 2010 • 0 Comment(s)
Sherman Alexie has won the PEN/Faulkner Award! Alexie's 2009 novel, War Dances, came out on top of a list of finalists that included literary greats Barbara Kingsolver and Lorrie Moore, along with Coleson Whitehead and Lorraine N. Lopez.
Sherman Alexie has previously won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, awarded in 2007 for "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," as well as the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 for his contribution to Native American writing. Alexie's writing, which includes four novels, three short story collections, and poetry, focuses on Native American characters and issues, though he is well known for making these topics widely accessible and relatable.
PEN/Faulkner judge Al Young commented on choosing "War Dances":
""War Dances" taps every vein and nerve, every tissue, every issue that quickens the current blood-pulse: parenthood, divorce, broken links, sex, gender and racial conflict, substance abuse, medical neglect, 9/11, Official Narrative vs. What Really Happened, settler religion vs. native spirituality; marketing, shopping, and war, war, war. All the heartbreaking ways we don't live now--this is the caring, eye-opening beauty of this rollicking, bittersweet gem of a book."
Available at bookstores everywhere.