Sanctuary Line (McClelland & Stewart)

Set in the present day on a farm at the shores of Lake Erie, Jane Urquhart's new novel weaves elements from the nineteenth-century past, in Ireland and Ontario, into a gradually unfolding contemporary story of events in the lives of the members of one family that come to alter their futures irrevocably. There are ancestral lighthouse-keepers, seasonal Mexican workers; the migratory patterns and survival techniques of the Monarch butterfly; the tragedy of a young woman's death during a tour of duty in Afghanistan; three very different but equally powerful love stories. Jane Urquhart brings to vivid life the things of the past that make us who we are, and reveals the sometimes difficult path to understanding and forgiveness.

Jane Urquhart was born in Little Long Lac, Ontario, and grew up in Toronto. She is the author of five internationally acclaimed novels, one collection of short fiction, and four books of poetry, for which she has received and been shortlisted for many awards. Her work has been translated into numerous foreign languages. Urquhart has received the Marian Engel Award, and is a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France and an Officer of the Order of Canada, as well as the recipient of numerous honorary degrees. She lives in southwestern Ontario.

Live Music

Jazz

Sorceress: Chronicles of the Daemon Knights (Red Tuque Books)

Highly recommended by the Midwest Book Review, this book finds the Sorceress Magdalen stripped of her power with deadly foes at every turn. While seeking the safe haven of Toth, she becomes an unwilling witness to the murder of a FireDrake along the way, leading to her capture by a marauding band of Imperial Dog Soldiers led by the crazed fanatic Kaspar. Sir Rodney, the Balorian knight responsible for her downfall, forsakes his duty to the order for his compulsion to rescue the woman who continues to haunt his dreams. What is one man’s desire compared to the combined might of an empire, and are things truly the way they seem?

A Cloth Diaper Workshop from the owner of Baby Luv Boutique in Humboldt, SK.

Are you a new parent? Thinking about using cloth diapers? Not sure where to start? Join us for a workshop to learn what types are available, what you need to get started, how to care for cloth diapers, cost versus disposables, a question and answer session, and more.

Come and see samples first hand and learn how easy it is to use today’s modern cloth diapers. Seating is limited so please contact us to register by calling (306) 682-5746 Toll Free 1-866-231-5135 or email us at: workshop@babyluvboutique.com

Live Music

Jazz

Renowned American conductor and Music Director of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra since 2008, Anne Manson has led two hugely successful tours with the MCO, with soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Under Ms. Manson’s leadership the orchestra is undertaking a new recording scheme, and the MCO continues to explore and expand the chamber orchestra repertoire, commissioning several new works each season.

Join her in conversation with Vicki Young, General Manager of the MCO, as they discuss the opening of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra’s 2010/11 season.

The New Holistic Way for Dogs and Cats: The Stress-Health Connection (Random House)

This special presentation will cover what “holistic” philosophy really means and how it applies to our pets and ourselves, some disturbing health trends, defining stress and its implication in health, outlining the negative stress factors that are significant in our pets’ lives and examine how we can control the negative stress and encourage total pet wellness.

Dr. Paul D. McCutcheon graduated from Ontario Veterinary College in 1962. He founded and is currently Director of East York Animal Clinic Holistic Centre in Toronto. Dr. McCutcheon has a long history of media involvement and was awarded Veterinarian of the Year—Ontario Veterinary Association 1979 and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association 1983. He is past President of the Toronto Academy of Veterinary Medicine and past Director of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA).

Dog owners are invited and encouraged to bring their canine companions to this special event.

The Day the Music Died

This new work probes into the lives and deaths of musicians that graced the airwaves and big domes from as early as 1790 to the contemporary music industry of the 1900s and through to the 21st century. The book takes an intimate look at the passing of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Elvis Presley, Brian Jones, Bob Marley, John Lennon, George Harrison, Tupac Shakur, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, Selena, Michael Jackson, and many more. The Day the Music Died exposes the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of this much-celebrated industry, covering expected deaths from illness to the shocking news of a life taken away by suicide or murder.

Les MacDonald first began writing sports articles for several sports magazines about five years ago. After writing a book about Hollywood tragedies (Hollywood’s Unhappiest Endings: Legends Never Die) he turned his attention to those that have occurred in the music industry resulting in this, his second book. Les lives with his son Tristan in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and splits his time between Winnipeg and Las Vegas,Nevada.

From Above With Love

Join celebrated author, educator and clairvoyant, AuKeeRa Rayne, for a reading from her book From Above with Love. AuKeeRa Rayne is a Clairvoyant with over 20 years experience doing readings and counseling as well as working with the Divinatory Arts, Spirits (and communication with them), Ghosts (the communication and clearing of them), Past Life Regressions and Guided meditation.

The Jagged Years of Ruthie J. (Ekstasis Editions)

Winnipeg 1963. Eighteen year-old psychology student Ruthie J. is the bane of her traditional Jewish family. Briefly married, she drinks, swears, has casual sex and mixes with questionable characters, arguing incessantly with her father. When a bizarre car accident lands her in court, the confused teen is sent for testing and diagnosed with epilepsy – then considered a mental illness.

Against her wishes, Ruthie’s family admits her to a posh Maryland mental hospital, Chestnut Lodge of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden fame, where she is put at the mercy of a sadistic psychiatrist. The Jagged Years of Ruthie J. is the story of the friendship and love of Ruthie’s fellow patients and the tale of how, with the help of a remarkable therapist, Ruthie J. managed to free herself, discover her true sexual orientation and persevere in her dream to become a physician.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Dr. Ruth Simkin practiced family medicine for several decades and subsequently became a specialist in palliative care. She has studied all over the world and is the author of medical articles on women’s health as well as Like an Orange on a Seder Plate, a feminist Passover Haggadah. Retired from medicine, she now lives and writes in Victoria, BC.

Storied Landscapes: Ethno-Religious Identity and the Canadian Prairies (University of Manitoba Press)

Storied Landscapes is a sweeping examination of the evolving identity of major ethno-religious immigrant groups in the Canadian West. Viewed through the lens of attachment to the soil and specific place, and through the eyes of both the immigrant generation and its descendants, the book compares the settlement experiences of Ukrainians, Mennonites, Icelanders, Doukhobors, Germans, Poles, Romanians, Jews, Finns, Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes. It reveals how each group’s sense of identity was shaped by a complex interplay of physical and emotional ties to land and place, and how that sense of belonging influenced, and was influenced by, relationships not only within the prairies and the Canadian nation state but also with the homeland and its extended diaspora.

What's Wrong with Our Schools and How We Can Fix Them

A growing number of today’s schools no longer allow teachers to enforce deadlines. Many high school graduates are not prepared for college or the workforce. Some teachers and schools are much better than others. An anti-knowledge bias permeates the public school system. What’s Wrong with Our Schools and How We Can Fix Them examines the status of public education in North America and exposes many of the dubious instructional practices found in all-too-many schools.

Written by three experienced educators, this book provides readers with a direct window into public education. The language is straightforward, the case studies based on real events, and the research evidence clearly presented.

Join us this evening for a panel discussion with the authors, moderated by Richard Cloutier of CJOB and learn more about the book online.