In Town This Week

Sherman Alexie is in Toronto for IFOA this week!
He is here promoting his latest collection of short stories - War Dances published by Grove Press.

Sherman participates in a roundtable discussion Friday, Oct 23rd at 8:00pm and has a reading Saturday, Oct 24th at 8:00pm.

For more check out: Readings.org

Also in town for IFOA- Michael Thomas, author of the IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize-winning Man Gone Down. His reading takes place Friday, Oct 30th at 8:00pm
Readings.org

And finally, we are thrilled that Elina Hirvonen will also be in Toronto. Her novel When I Forgot published in the spring to much critical acclaim. She is from Finland. She participates in a roundtable Friday, Oct 30th at 8:00pm and a reading on Saturday, Oct 31st at 1:00pm. Readings.org

Go Wild!

It's here, it's here! The Wild Things by Dave Eggers is a novelization of the Where The Wild Things Are screenplay he co-wrote with Spike Jonze.

About:
The Wild Things — based very loosely on the storybook by Maurice Sendak and the screenplay cowritten with Spike Jonze — is about the confusions of a boy, Max, making his way in a world he can’t control. His father is gone, his mother is spending time with a younger boyfriend, his sister is becoming a teenager and no longer has interest in him. At the same time, Max finds himself capable of startling acts of wildness: he wears a wolf suit, bites his mom, and can’t always control his outbursts. During a fight at home, Max flees and runs away into the woods. He finds a boat there, jumps in, and ends up on the open sea, destination unknown. He lands on the island of the Wild Things, and soon he becomes their king. But things get complicated when Max realizes that the Wild Things want as much from him as he wants from them.


The movie opens in theatres everywhere Friday, Oct 16th and the book is now available at your favourite local book store or here:

Chapters.Indigo.ca
Amazon.ca

In the News

A great review of Guardians of Being in today's Shelf Awareness

A couple highlights:
". . . superb new picture book . . . packed with hilarious, big-hearted art by Patrick McDonnell, the creator of the comic Mutts."

and:
"According to Tolle, when I pet my cat, I'm participating in his "nowness," that my grumpy, comical, bossy feline friend is constantly teaching me and healing me, attuned to the moment, living effortlessly in the now. Proving this point are McDonnell's illustrations that are pure genius, achingly touching and quietly goofy and unpretentiously wise."

Now Available!

Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle and Illustrated by Patrick McDonnell

This wonderfully unique collaboration brings together two masters of their fields, joining original words of wisdom by Eckhart Tolle with delightful illustrations by Patrick McDonnell. Inhabited by beloved MUTTS characters, every heartwarming page provokes thought, insight, and smiling reverence for each moment. Sure to be a classic, this charming book will inspire readers everywhere to recognize the lessons of the present moment, as embodied by the dogs and cats who share our world.

Praise for MUTTS: “One of the best comic strips of all time.”
—Charles Schulz, Peanuts creator

Praise for Eckhart Tolle: “He is a prophet for our time.”
—O, The Oprah Magazine

Patrick McDonnell is the award-winning creator of the MUTTS comic strip, which appears in over 700 newspapers in 20 countries and has an estimated daily readership of 50 million, as well as the author and illustrator of the picture books The Gift of Nothing, Hug Time, and the upcoming October release, Wag! (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers). He lives in New Jersey. His website is www.muttscomics.com

Eckhart Tolle is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Now (3 million copies sold) and A New Earth, the fastest-selling Oprah Book Club selection ever (5 million copies sold). He speaks and teaches extensively throughout the world. He lives in Vancouver, Canada and his website is www.eckharttolle.com

Published by New World Library

Available at your favourite local bookstore or here:
Amazon.ca
Chapters.Indigo.ca

How to Survive a Zombie Holocaust? Handbook Required

THE ZOMBIE HANDBOOK by Rob Sacchetto

You may be familiar with Rob already - that's right, he's the Sudbury born (and still living in) creator of the website ZombiePortrait.com
You send in a photo and he zombie-fies it for you.

His latest zombie contribution is a new handbook that tells you: How to Identify the Living Dead and Survive the Coming Zombie Holocaust.

This definitive study combs through every zombie-ological subject, from feeding habits to favorite sexual positions. Of course, the book's most important section is surviving and fighting the brain-eaters when the inevitable zombie apocalypse arrives. There's vital information on everything from weaponry and battling techniques to booby traps and zombie-proofing a home.

Beginning with a fascinating historical retrospective on the "living dead" and continuing with an in-depth look at modern zombies, the book also addresses the crucial question of the day—can human beings and zombies peacefully coexist?

Rob will also be appearing at the Rue-Morgue Festival of Fear National Horror Convention this August 28th-30th. He'll be exhibiting at the Metro Convention Centre.

The Zombie Handbook
Published by Ulysses Press
In stores now

It's All In the Cover

Another reason to buy Zeitoun - it's beautiful design a lovely addition to any personal library.

In the News

Can't wait to see this weekend's Picture Perfect selection in The Globe and Mail!
This book is both fascinating and macabre. The 'Dark Humour' being the most intriguing of all sections in the book. I'll let you see the review, then buy the book!

Dissection: Photographs of a Rite of Passage in American Medicine 1880-1930
by John Harley Warner
9780922233342 * Blast Books

ZEITOUN by Dave Eggers is starting to get some media attention.
Brian J Davies wrote a lovely review in this week's EYE. A taste here:
"While much outrage has been focused on the lack of federal response to the flood, the Zeitouns’ story puts front and centre the nightmare response the government actually came up with. By turning a humanitarian disaster into a military operation with National Guard troops frazzled from Afghanistan and Iraq, war was brought home. Yes, there are faxes in which the government literally warns that terrorists would be likely to operate during a hurricane. One hopes that with Zeitoun, any debate about the ways in which Eggers chooses to tell stories is put to rest. Let's just be glad that they're being told."

For the full review: EYE WEEKLY