Media Hits: THE FUTURE, CROSSES IN THE SKY, THE HOLLOW BEAST, and more!

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IN THE NEWS!

THE FUTURE

The Future by Catherine Leroux, translated by Susan Ouriou (Sep 5, 2024) was featured in the Quill & Quire‘s article on “Independent booksellers’ top-selling Canadian titles of 2024”! The article was posted on June 26, and places The Future in the #2 and #3 spots on their top-sellers lists.

Check out the full article here.

Grab The Future here!

CROSSES IN THE SKY

Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brebeuf and the Destruction of Huronia by Mark Bourrie (May 21, 2024) was reviewed by Michael Taube in the Washington Examiner. The article was published online on June 21, and you can read it here.

Taube writes,

“Crosses in the Sky provides a detailed account of the giant-framed missionary who walked among the Hurons . . . This patron saint of Canada has long been given plenty of attention by Jesuits, whether for his missionary spirit or for his extreme suffering. It is good to see his legend now given serious historical treatment.”

Crosses in the Sky was reviewed in Guelph Today in bookseller Barb Minett’s column, “On the Bookshelf.” The review was posted on June 23, and can be read here.

Minett writes,

“Bourrie’s history of the attempted colonization of Huronia by the Jesuits and French is a torrent of information. Open the first page and you will be taken down a treacherous river full of gigantic rapids and waterfalls, and around every turn there is a skirmish or drought, an epidemic or blackflies . . . [This is] a very important book in the writing of Canadian history.”

Crosses in the Sky also made an appearance on Quill & Quire‘s article on “Independent booksellers’ top-selling Canadian titles of 2024.” The article, posted on June 26, places Crosses in the #25 spot. Check out the article here.

Get Crosses in the Sky here!

THE HOLLOW BEAST

The Hollow Beast by Christophe Bernard, translated by Lazer Lederhendler (Apr 2, 2024), was reviewed in the Literary Review of Canada. The review by Amanda Perry will appear in their July/August issue, and was published online on June 24 here.

Perry writes,

“It’s ambitious . . . [The reader] can tap into the author’s manic rhythm and admire the density of the world he creates . . . his technical mastery has generated all kinds of complex flavours, so long as one can stomach the initial shock of the taste.”

Grab The Hollow Beast here!

BARFLY

Barfly by Michael Lista (June 4, 2024) was reviewed in the Midwest Book Review. The review was posted in their Wisconsin Bookwatch on June 24, and can be viewed here.

The MBR writes,

“With his own distinctive style of cadence, rhythm, word driven imagery, and emotional reach, the poems comprising Michael Lista’s last volume of verse is an extraordinary, memorable, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Poetry collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists.”

Grab Barfly here!

ORDINARY WONDER TALES

Ordinary Wonder Tales by Emily Urquhart was featured in Book Riot! Kendra Winchester featured the essay collection in her newsletter Read this Book on June 26, and you can read it in full here.

Winchester writes,

“Emily Urquhart knows her stuff. She holds a doctorate in folklore, and publications around the world have featured her writing. In this collection of essays, Urquhart examines the magical and the everyday side by side.”

Grab Ordinary Wonder Tales here!

OFF THE RECORD

Off the Record edited by John Metcalf was reviewed in the Literary Review of Canada! The review by Sarah Hampson was published online on June 24, and will appear in their July/August issue. Check it out here.

Hampson writes,

“[Metcalf’s] appreciation for the challenges of being a published writer is reflected in the clever approach he takes in Off the Record . . . The authors in Off the Record chart the course of their careers with stories of rejection, bad publishing decisions, punishing reviews, eventual triumph, and formative experiences. Which is the best kind of education for any wannabe writer—and a reminder for readers of the commitment involved in creating the fiction they get to enjoy.”

Grab Off the Record here!

HELLO, HORSE

Richard Kelly Kemick, author of the forthcoming story collection Hello, Horse (Aug 2024), wrote an essay for The Walrus. The essay, “I Tried to Finish a Dead Man’s Novel” was published online on June 20, and is available to read here.

Order Hello, Horse here!

Media Hits: COMRADE PAPA, MAY OUR JOY ENDURE, THE NOTEBOOK, and more!

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IN THE NEWS!

CROSSES IN THE SKY

Crosses in the Sky by Mark Bourrie (May 21, 2024), has been reviewed in the Winnipeg Free Press. The review was published online on June 15, and you can read it here.

Douglas J. Johnston writes:

“Bourrie is fast becoming the dean of Canadian literary non-fiction . . . Bourrie also manages to be panoramic in his historical descriptions of Huronia while concurrently focusing on biographical details of Brébeuf’s missionary work. This treatment of the problematic legacy of both the cleric and his religious order is top drawer.”

Grab Crosses in the Sky here!

THE EDUCATION OF AUBREY MCKEE

The Education of Aubrey McKee by Alex Pugsley (May 7, 2024) was reviewed in the Winnipeg Free Press. The review was published online on June 15, and you can check it out here.

Deborah Bowers writes,

“The characters are intense, with their creativity, angst, rebellion and ability to take life far too seriously (as one is apt to do in their 20s, navigating first loves and first jobs in 1990s Toronto) . . . It’s quite a thrill ride.”

The Education of Aubrey McKee was reviewed in The Miramichi Reader on June 15. You can read the full review here.

Heidi Greco writes,

“I adored this book.”

The Education of Aubrey McKee was also reviewed in the Ottawa Review of Books! The review was posted online on June 15, and can be read here.

Timothy Niedermann writes,

“There is an intoxicating quality to Pugsley’s prose . . . The Education of Aubrey McKee [has] an emotional immediacy rarely found in a novel. Hopefully, readers will see more of Aubrey McKee in the future.”

Grab The Education of Aubrey McKee here!

Check out the first book, Aubrey McKee, here!

MAY OUR JOY ENDURE

May Our Joy Endure by Kevin Lambert, translated by Donald Winkler (Sep 3, 2024), has received a starred reviewed in Kirkus Reviews. The starred review was published online on June 15, and can be read here.

Kirkus writes:

“Award-winning Canadian novelist Lambert weaves a hypnotic narrative, smoothly translated from French by Winkler, about greed and inequality, hypocrisy, and, not least, a “dangerous notion of purity” . . . An astute critique of entrenched power.”

Order May Our Joy Endure here!

THE NOTEBOOK

The Notebook by Roland Allen (Sep 3, 2024) also received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews! The starred review was published online on June 13, and can be read here.

Kirkus calls the book,

“An enthusiastic, informative cultural history.”

Order The Notebook here!

COMRADE PAPA

Comrade Papa by GauZ’, translated by Frank Wynne (Oct 8, 2024), was reviewed in the Guardian‘s list of “The best translated fiction – review roundup.” The article was published online on June 21, and you can read it here.

John Self calls it,

“[A] funny, ebullient, often chaotic tale of French colonial exploitation of Ivory Coast . . . Ivorian author GauZ’ was shortlisted for the International Booker prize for his novel Standing Heavy. Comrade Papa is even better.”

Order Comrade Papa here!

Media Hits: HELLO HORSE, THE UTOPIAN GENERATION, ON COMMUNITY, and more!

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IN THE NEWS!

HELLO HORSE

Hello, Horse by Richard Kelly Kemick (Aug 6, 2024) was highlighted in the Globe and Mail‘s list of “Thirty-four books to read this summer.” The article was published online on June 13, and you can check it out here.

Critic Emily Donaldson writes,

“The animal world interacts with the human one in confounding and sometimes wondrous ways in Kemick’s first collection, which abounds with the poet’s sideways, observational writing.”

Hello, Horse was also featured in BC Bookworld! The review was published in their Summer 2024 print issue, and is available to view online here.

BC Bookworld writes,

“Part of the joy of a collection of short stories is the surprising range of characters and situations that can spring from an author’s imagination. Richard Kelly Kemick’s debut collection of character-driven stories, Hello, Horse, range from the humorous to the bizarre.”

Order Hello, Horse here!

THE UTOPIAN GENERATION

The Utopian Generation by Pepetela, translated by David Brookshaw (Aug 13, 2024), was highlighted in the Globe and Mail‘s list of “Thirty-four books to read this summer.” The article was published online on June 13, and you can check it out here.

Critic Emily Donaldson writes,

“First published in Portuguese in 1992, this decades-spanning anti-colonialist novel from the early sixties by Angola’s most prominent writer (real name: Artur Pestana dos Santos) involves a group of students in Lisbon who, faced with the prospect of being conscripted to suppress a political uprising in their native land, end up (like Pepetela himself did) as guerilla fighters in Angola’s brutal 14-year war.”

Order The Utopian Generation here!

SORRY ABOUT THE FIRE

Colleen Coco Collins, author of Sorry About the Fire (Apr 2, 2024), was interviewed on the All Write in Sin City podcast! The interview was posted online on June 9, and is available to listen to in full here.

Grab Sorry About the Fire here!

YOUR ABSENCE IS DARKNESS

Your Absence Is Darkness by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated by Philip Roughton (Mar 5, 2024), was reviewed in The /tƐmz/ Review! The review was published online on June 10, and you can read it here.

Reviewer Marcie McCauley writes,

“Jón Kalman Stefánsson’s writing is steeped in love and loss; his stories are sorrow-soaked, the kind that linger.”

Grab Your Absence Is Darkness here!

LOVE NOVEL

Love Novel by Ivana Sajko, translated by Mima Simic (Feb 6, 2024), was reviewed in The /tƐmz/ Review! The review was published online on June 10, and you can read it in full here.

Reviewer Alex Carrigan writes,

“The true love story in this novel is the love between the reader and the characters, asking the reader to sympathize with the flawed, struggling characters and to empathize with how easy it is to fall into cynicism and to forget the joy in life . . . Sajko’s novel can remind you that some relationships are too interwoven to be truly cut apart, and it’s in finding how they’re tied together that one will remember to persist regardless.”

Get Love Novel here!

ON COMMUNITY

On Community by Casey Plett (Nov 7, 2023) was feature in CBC Books’ list of “25 books for Pride Month.” The list was posted online on June 14, and is available to check out here.

CBC Books writes,

“Plett uses her firsthand experiences to eventually reach a cumulative definition of community and explore how we form bonds with one another.”

Get On Community here!

BEST CANADIAN SERIES 2024

The Best Canadian 2024 Series launch, part of TIFA’s Toronto Lit Up programme, was highlighted on their YouTube channel! The short video was posted on June 12, and you can watch it here.

Get Best Canadian Essays 2024 here!

Get Best Canadian Poetry 2024 here!

Get Best Canadian Stories 2024 here!

Get all three Best Canadian anthologies here!

COCKTAIL wins the 27th Danuta Gleed Literary Award!

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Today at 12 PM ET, Cocktail by Lisa Alward won the Writers’ Union of Canada 2023 Danuta Gleed Literary Award! Cocktail was published in September 2023 by Biblioasis. You can read the full winner’s announcement here. 

The 2023 Danuta Gleed Literary Award jury members Danila Botha, paulo da costa, and Souvankham Thammavongsa on Cocktail:

“Lisa Alward’s Cocktail is skilful in its ability to capture the nuance and details of daily life in a way that is striking and deeply felt. With beautiful, precise descriptions and expert pacing, she effortlessly reveals tensions that feel both classic and utterly her own. Exploring the emotional and sexual tensions of couples and families in the Sixties and Seventies, these narratives bring the reader to the core of those unspoken moments, leaving us unsettled. The clarity of sound in Lisa Alward’s sentences—word after word after word—makes it impossible to turn your ear away. This is a quiet voice that booms.”

“Everyone at Biblioasis is very happy for Lisa,” says Dan Wells, owner and publisher of Biblioasis. “Cocktail is an exceptional collection, let alone debut; smart, savage, elegant, and hyper-focused, these stories exemplify what short fiction does best. It’s been wonderful and gratifying to see Lisa’s book continue to reach readers. We also want to thank the jury, who collectively knows more than a thing or two about the writing of excellent short fiction.”

This is the second Biblioasis book to win the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, Bad Things Happen by Kris Bertin won in 2016. This is the eighth Biblioasis book to be nominated for the award. 

 The Danuta Gleed Literary Award was created in 1998 as a celebration of the life of Danuta Gleed. The Danuta Gleed Literary Award recognizes the best first collection of short fiction by a Canadian author published in 2023 in the English language. The Award consists of cash prizes for the three best first collections, with a first prize of $10,000 and two additional prizes of $1,000 each.

Grab a copy of Cocktail here!

ABOUT COCKTAIL

Winner of the 2023 Danuta Gleed Literary Award • Longlisted for the 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction • Winner of the New Brunswick 2023 Mrs. Dunster’s Award for Fiction • One of the Globe and Mail’s “Sixty-Two Books to Read This Fall” • Listed in CBC Books Fiction to Read in Fall 2023 • A Miramichi Reader Best Book of 2023 • A Tyee Best Book of 2023

A girl receives a bedtime visit from a drunken party guest, who will haunt her fantasies for years. A young mother discovers underneath the wallpaper a striking portrait that awakens inconvenient desires. A divorced man distracts himself from the mess he’s made by flirting with a stranger. These intimate, immersive stories explore life’s watershed moments, in which seemingly insignificant details—a pot of hyacinths, a freshly painted yellow wall—and the most chance of encounters come to exert a tidal pull. Set in the swinging sixties and each decade since, Cocktail reveals the schism between the lives we build up around us and our deepest hidden selves.

Credit: Maria Cardosa-Grant

ABOUT LISA ALWARD

Lisa Alward’s stories have won The Fiddlehead Prize and the Peter Hinchcliffe Short Fiction Award and have appeared in Best Canadian Stories as well as The Journey Prize Stories. Cocktail has been nominated for the 2024 Carol Shields Prize and won the 2023-24 New Brunswick Book Awards’ Mrs. Dunster’s Award for Fiction. She grew up in Halifax and worked for several years in literary publishing in Toronto before moving with her family to Vancouver and ultimately to Fredericton, where she lives with her husband, John.

Media Hits: THE FUTURE, BARFLY, COCKTAIL, and more!

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IN THE NEWS!

THE FUTURE

The Future by Catherine Leroux, translated by Susan Ouriou (Sep 5, 2024), was reviewed in Alberta Views! The review was published online on May 31, and is available to read here.

Reviewer C. S. Wiesenthal writes,

“While the setting of The Future is indeed dystopian—a ruined and toxic Fort Détroit—the story told here is one that won’t leave you despairing . . . the novel’s overall vision [is] of regenerative potential: the cycle of time and the transformation of all life forms offer possibilities for redemption and hope.”

Get The Future here!

BARFLY

Barfly by Michael Lista (June 4, 2024) has been reviewed in The Seaboard Review by Michael Greenstein. The review was posted online on June 3, and you can read it here.

Greenstein writes,

“With liquid refreshment, firehose, and fire escape, besotted Barfly is a sobering experience.”

Barfly was also featured in Lit Hub‘s list of ’26 new books out today’ along with an excerpt! The list was published on Jun 4 and can be viewed here, and you can read June 7’s excerpted poem, “Auld Lang Syne” here.

Grab Barfly here!

THE EDUCATION OF AUBREY MCKEE

The Education of Aubrey McKee by Alex Pugsley (May 7, 2024) was featured in CBC’s article “10 books you heard about on CBC Radio recently.” The article highlighted Alex Pugsley’s recent interview on CBC’s The Next Chapter. The list was posted on June 4, and you can check it out here.

Get The Education of Aubrey McKee here!

Pick up the first book, Aubrey McKee, here!

WORK TO BE DONE

Work to Be Done: Selected Essays and Reviews by Bruce Whiteman (Mar 12, 2024) was reviewed in the Winnipeg Free Press! The review was published online on June 1, and you can read it in full here.

Reviewer Ron Robinson writes,

“Poet, translator, culture historian, book reviewer and lover of language, Bruce Whiteman has sifted and scrutinized 50 years of his critical writings and selected those that still have delight to offer the curious reader.”

Grab Work to Be Done here!

THE ART OF LIBROMANCY

Josh Cook, author of The Art of Libromancy (Aug 22, 2023), was interviewed on Lit Hub‘s podcast Write-minded: Weekly Inspiration for Writers. The interview, about the behind-the-scenes of selling books, was posted online on June 3, and you can give it a listen here.

Grab The Art of Libromancy here!

IN AWARDS

COCKTAIL

Cocktail by Lisa Alward (Sep 12, 2024) has won the New Brunswick Book Awards’ Mrs. Dunster’s Award for Fiction! The announcement was made on June 1, and you can check out the full list of award winners here. Congratulations to Lisa!

Grab a Cocktail to celebrate here!

PRESS SPOTLIGHT

Photo Credit: Joanna Gigliotti

Biblioasis Press made the news this week, featured in the Globe and Mail! The article by Ira Wells focused on Biblioasis’ place and recognition in the publishing trade.

The article was published online on June 3, and you can check it out here.