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<![CDATA[McNally Robinson Latest Articles]]> http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/ en-us Copyright (c) 2007 Mcnally Robinson. All rights reserved. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:51:30 -0600 5 McNally News 150 49 http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/ http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/img/icon.gif false Ron Romanowski -- Night Table Recommendations http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2278/Ron-Romanowski----Night-Table-Recommendations http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2278/Ron-Romanowski----Night-Table-Recommendations Events Winnipeg Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:45:56 -0600 stretching a tripping line from ginsberg to muldoon when the withering hand raises its statues chiseling Moloch-granites at their edge at the margins poetry grain by grain digs its gates seam by seam pulls the threads unnoticed unraveling <img src="images/editorials-022012/02-09-12bba6d.jpg" class="left" />The Israeli writer Amos Oz remarked on Charlie Rose's PBS interview show recently that he walks in the desert among the ancient stones near his home every morning to "put things in perspective". To me Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" is one of those lasting touchstones. With it I judge the quality of my own work and that of other writers. Editor Jason Shinder's twenty-six essay collection <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780374173449/jason-shinder/poem-changed-america?blnBKM=1">The Poem That Changed America: "Howl" Fifty Years Later</a> (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) is a book that I have kept on my night-table for a long time because it is fascinating to read how others value Ginsberg's 1956 poem, or not (the book is not all panegyric). Click *More* to read further... <a title="" href="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2278/Ron-Romanowski----Night-Table-Recommendations">more...</a> Canada Reads 2012 has a winner http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2277/Canada-Reads-2012-has-a-winner http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2277/Canada-Reads-2012-has-a-winner Chadwick Ginther Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:48:41 -0600 On the final day of the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/">Canada Reads: True Stories</a> debates Carmen Aguirre's darkly comic memoir <a href="product/item/702595/">Something Fierce</a> knocked off Ken Dryden's lauded hockey book, <a href="product/item/250052/">The Game</a>. This year marked the first time Canada Reads offered non-fiction. This dramatic, darkly funny narrative, which covers the decade from 1979 to 1989, takes the reader inside war-ridden Peru, dictatorship-run Bolivia, post-Malvinas Argentina and Pinochet's Chile. Writing with passion and deep personal insight, Carmen Aguirre captures her constant struggle to reconcile her commitment to the resistance movement with the desires of her youth and her budding sexuality. Something Fierce is a gripping story of love, war and resistance and a rare first-hand account of revolutionary life. Book of the Day: Classic Love Poems edited by Max Morris http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2275/Book-of-the-Day:-Classic-Love-Poems-edited-by-Max-Morris http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2275/Book-of-the-Day:-Classic-Love-Poems-edited-by-Max-Morris Chris Hall Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:50:03 -0600 Valentine's Day is next week. Had you heard? Here's a great gift idea or some ideas for what to put in that blank card or lines for that soliloquy you're planning to deliver from below your beloved's window. <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781840247114/max-morris/classic-love-poems?blnBKM=1">Classic Love Poems</a>, edited by Max Morris, has all the poets you'd expect to see in such a collection. Among the poets included are Elizabeth Barrett Browning, with five Sonnets from the Portuguese; Lord Byron has She Walks in Beauty among others; Emily Dickinson has four poems including If You Were Coming in the Fall; and, of course, Shakespeare is there with eleven Sonnets and two excerpts from Romeo and Juliet. The book is illustrated with lovely drawings and the book has a red ribbon to mark that page you need to retrieve in the near-dark under that window next Tuesday. Book of the Day: Thinking the Twentieth Century by Tony Judt http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2274/Book-of-the-Day:-Thinking-the-Twentieth-Century-by-Tony-Judt http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2274/Book-of-the-Day:-Thinking-the-Twentieth-Century-by-Tony-Judt Chris Hall Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:07:49 -0600 I was late discovering Tony Judt. By the time I started reading his essays in the New York Review of Books, I also learned that he was dying of a progressive neurological disorder. But I remember when his book <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780143037750/tony-judt/postwar?blnBKM=1">Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945</a> was released a few years ago and knew that Judt was clearly a top-rate historian. The sheer breadth of research and sympathy is remarkable. It leads to <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780143037750/tony-judt/postwar?blnBKM=1">Postwar's</a> claim to be the first truly European history of contemporary Europe, from Lisbon to Leningrad, based on research in six languages, covering thirty-four countries across sixty years which integrates international relations, domestic politics, ideas, social change, economic development, and culture -- high and low -- into a single grand narrative. Tony Judt is our <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/home/browse/category/1555/">Author of the Month</a> for February. In his new book, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781594203237/tony-judt/thinking-twentieth-century?blnBKM=1">Thinking the Twentieth Century</a>, the last century comes to life as an age of ideas--a time when, for good and for ill, the thoughts of the few reigned over the lives of the many. Judt presents the triumphs and the failures of prominent intellectuals, adeptly explaining both their ideas and the risks of their political commitments. I encourage you, if you haven't already read <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780143037750/tony-judt/postwar?blnBKM=1">Postwar</a> to read it, and then dive into <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781594203237/tony-judt/thinking-twentieth-century?blnBKM=1">Thinking the Twentieth Century</a>. Two Thumbs Up! http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2273/Two-Thumbs-Up! http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2273/Two-Thumbs-Up! Tracy Howard Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:09:24 -0600 <img align=left hspace=10 src="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-img/13283164322273.png" alt="" />Would you like to be the first to get your hands on a new book? Before it is for sale on our shelves? Before anyone else has even seen it? You can! We would like to offer kids and teens an opportunity to review hot (as in, hot off the press!), new books for our McNally Robinson website.<a title="" href="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2273/Two-Thumbs-Up!">more...</a> Charles Dickens turns 200! http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2272/Charles-Dickens-turns-200! http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2272/Charles-Dickens-turns-200! Chris Hall Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:42:20 -0600 February 7, 2012 marks the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens. Dickens' work transcends his time, language and culture. Book sales two centuries after his birth continue to make him the envy of contemporary bestselling authors, and his work remains an influence throughout the world, inspiring film, TV, art and other works of literature. When he died in 1870, The Times of London successfully campaigned for his burial in Westminster Abbey, the final resting place of England's kings and heroes. Thousands flocked to mourn the best recognized and most-loved man of nineteenth-century England. His personal life, however, was in perpetual chaos. Last fall's <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780670917679/claire-tomalin/charles-dickens?blnBKM=1">Charles Dickens: A Life</a> by Claire Tomalin gives full measure to Dickens' virtues as a writer but does not shy away from his temperamental treatment of his friends and family, paying special attention to his lifelong affair with the young actress Ellen Ternan. Part of what made Dickens so revered was his ability to attract thousands of fans to his readings both in England and across North America. Not only did he give voice to his vast cast of characters, he was also a brilliant mimic and raconteur. Simon Callow explores this side of the public Dickens in <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780007445301/simon-callow/dickens?blnBKM=1">Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World</a>. In this short and lively study, Callow reveals an original genius who was driven as much by performance and showmanship as by literary endeavour. SANDBOX magazine launch rescheduled http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2271/SANDBOX-magazine-launch-rescheduled http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2271/SANDBOX-magazine-launch-rescheduled Events Winnipeg Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:32:41 -0600 <img align=left hspace=10 src="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-img/13282146702271.jpg" alt="" />The launch of the final issue of SANDBOX magazine originally scheduled for tonight, Thursday February 2, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 7th. More information on the launch can be found <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/event-11169/SANDBOX-magazine----Final-Issue-Launch-and-Second-Anniversary-Celebration/">here</a>. Come down to celebrate the immense accomplishments of the magazine that galvanized the creative community of Winnipeg and achieved such heights in such a short time, triumphing over adversity to the last! We are currently contacting all those that have made reservations to tonight's event to inform them of the change. February Author of the Month: Tony Judt http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2270/February-Author-of-the-Month:-Tony-Judt http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2270/February-Author-of-the-Month:-Tony-Judt Chris Hall Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:27:15 -0600 Our <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/home/browse/category/1555/">Author of the Month</a> for February is celebrated historian Tony Judt. Among the remarkable generation of historians who came out of Cambridge in the 1960s -- David Cannadine, Linda Colley and Simon Schama among others -- one name stands out. Well before his death in 2010 at the age of 62 from a progressive neurological disorder, Tony Judt proved himself a great historian of modern Europe and a brilliant political commentator. In his guise as a political and historical essayist, he was a fearless critic of narrow orthodoxies and bullying cliques, from communist apologists to the Israel lobby, from "liberal hawks" to progressive educationists. <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781594203237/tony-judt/thinking-twentieth-century?blnBKM=1">Thinking the Twentieth Century</a> is the final book by this unparalleled historian and public critic. Where Judt's masterpiece <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780143037750/tony-judt/postwar?blnBKM=1">Postwar</a> redefined the history of modern Europe by uniting the stories of its eastern and western halves, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781594203237/tony-judt/thinking-twentieth-century?blnBKM=1">Thinking the Twentieth Century</a> unites the century's conflicted intellectual history into a single soaring narrative. Spanning the entire era and all currents of thought in a manner never previously attempted, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781594203237/tony-judt/thinking-twentieth-century?blnBKM=1">Thinking the Twentieth Century</a> is a triumphant tour de force that restores clarity to the classics of modern thought with the assurance and grace of a master craftsman. Win Tickets to See Straight No Chaser in Concert http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2268/Win-Tickets-to-See-Straight-No-Chaser-in-Concert http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2268/Win-Tickets-to-See-Straight-No-Chaser-in-Concert Michael Wolch Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:57:53 -0600 <img align=left hspace=10 src="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-img/13281329812268.png" alt="" />Enter in the Grant Park store to win a pair of tickets to see Straight No Chaser in concert Tuesday March 6th at the Burton Cummings Theatre. <a title="" href="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2268/Win-Tickets-to-See-Straight-No-Chaser-in-Concert">more...</a> An Interview with James Maxey http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2264/An-Interview-with-James-Maxey http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2264/An-Interview-with-James-Maxey Chadwick Ginther Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:01:16 -0600 <img align=left hspace=10 src="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-img/13280291882264.jpg" alt="" />I had the pleasure of meeting fantasy author James Maxey while attending World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio. His new novel <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781907992728/james-maxey/greatshadow?blnBKM=1">Greatshadow</a>, Book One of the Dragon Apocalypse releases today. CG: What made you love fantasy? JM: Comic books. I devoured comics as a kid. Marvel published Conan the Barbarian, and DC had books like Warlord and Claw the Conqueror. When I read actual books in my youth, they were heavily weighted toward science fiction; I was only dimly aware of the fantasy genre. (This may have had something to do with small town libraries feeling it was okay to stock books about spaceships, but not okay to stock books about wizards and spell casting.) I didn't read Lord of the Rings until I was in college.<a title="" href="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2264/An-Interview-with-James-Maxey">more...</a> Book of the Day: MWF seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2263/Book-of-the-Day:-MWF-seeking-BFF-by-Rachel-Bertsche http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2263/Book-of-the-Day:-MWF-seeking-BFF-by-Rachel-Bertsche Chris Hall Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:14:52 -0600 When Rachel Bertsche first moved to Chicago, she was thrilled to finally share a zip code, let alone an apartment, with her boyfriend. But shortly after getting married, she realized that her new life was missing one thing: friends. In her uproarious memoir, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780345524942/rachel-bertsche/mwf-seeking-bff?blnBKM=1">MWF seeking BFF</a>, Bertsche describes how she went on fifty-two friend-dates, one per week for a year, in hopes of meeting her new Best Friend Forever, and discovers how difficult -- and hilariously awkward -- it can be to make new friends as an adult. In a time when women happily annnounce they need a man but are embarrassed to admit they need a BFF, Bertsche uncovers the reality that no matter how great your love life is, you've gotta have friends. Book of the Day: Markets Never Forget (But People Do) by Ken Fisher http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2262/Book-of-the-Day:-Markets-Never-Forget-(But-People-Do)-by-Ken-Fisher http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2262/Book-of-the-Day:-Markets-Never-Forget-(But-People-Do)-by-Ken-Fisher Chris Hall Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:09:40 -0600 Sir John Templeton, legendary investor, was famous for saying, "The four most dangerous words in investing are, 'This time it's different.'" Though history doesn't repeat, not exactly, he knew that history is an excellent guide for investors. In <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781118091548/ken-fisher/markets-never-forget-people-do?blnBKM=1">Markets Never Forget (But People Do)</a>, long-time Forbes columnist and CEO of Fisher Investments, Ken Fisher, takes aim at some major market memory mishaps -- like the idea that stocks have become inherently more volatile or that wildly above- or below-average returns are abnormal. He shows how, early in every recovery, investors don't believe in it, often at a huge cost. In investing, ideology is deadly. For another great book on a similar subject, check out <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780691152646/carmen-m-reinhart/this-time-different?blnBKM=1">This Time is Different</a> by Carmen M Reinhart and Kenneth S Rogoff. Book of the Day: Guitar Zero by Gary Marcus http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2261/Book-of-the-Day:-Guitar-Zero-by-Gary-Marcus http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2261/Book-of-the-Day:-Guitar-Zero-by-Gary-Marcus Chris Hall Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:27:54 -0600 Are you thinking of taking up those piano lessons you abandoned a couple of decades ago? Well before you do have a look at this book. On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Gary Marcus, an internationally renowned scientist with no discernible musical talent, becomes his own guinea pig to look at how human beings become musical- and how anyone of any age can master something new. <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781594203176/gary-marcus/guitar-zero?blnBKM=1">Guitar Zero</a> traces his journey, what he learned, and how you can learn, too. In addition to being a groundbreaking look at the origins and allure of music, Marcus's journey is also an empowering tale of the mind's plasticity. Who knows? With a little science and a lot of humility, maybe you'll make your name as a middle age prodigy. Book of the Day: Design in Nature by Adrian Bejan http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2260/Book-of-the-Day:-Design-in-Nature-by-Adrian-Bejan http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2260/Book-of-the-Day:-Design-in-Nature-by-Adrian-Bejan Chris Hall Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:10:42 -0600 In <a href="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780385534611/adrian-bejan/design-nature?blnBKM=1">Design in Nature: How the Constructal Law Governs Evolution in Biology, Physics, Technology, and Social Organization</a>, Adrian Bejan takes the recurring patterns in nature--trees, tributaries, air passages, neural networks, and lightning bolts--and reveals how a single principle of physics, the Constructal Law, accounts for the evolution of these and all other designs in our world. Everything--from biological life to inanimate systems--generates shape and structure and evolves in a sequence of ever-improving designs in order to facilitate flow. River basins, cardiovascular systems, and bolts of lightning are very efficient flow systems to move a current--of water, blood, or electricity. Likewise, the more complex architecture of animals evolve to cover greater distance per unit of useful energy, or increase their flow across the land. Such designs also appear in human organizations, like the hierarchical "flowcharts" or reporting structures in corporations and political bodies. All are governed by the same principle, known as the Constructal Law, and configure and reconfigure themselves over time to flow more efficiently. Written in an easy style that achieves clarity without sacrificing complexity, Design in Nature is a paradigm-shifting book that will fundamentally transform our understanding of the world around us. Book of the Day: Les Tres Riches Heures de Mrs. Mole by Ronald Searle http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2259/Book-of-the-Day:-Les-Tres-Riches-Heures-de-Mrs.-Mole-by-Ronald-Searle http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2259/Book-of-the-Day:-Les-Tres-Riches-Heures-de-Mrs.-Mole-by-Ronald-Searle Chris Hall Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:17:04 -0600 <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780007449101/ronald-searle/les-tres-riches-heures-de-mrs-mole?blnBKM=1">Les Tres Riches Heures de Mrs. Mole</a> is a touching book. There is almost no text in it at all yet the drawings are no less profound for their silence. On New Year's Eve 1969, Monica Searle was diagnosed with a rare and virulent form of breast cancer. Each time she underwent treatment, Ronald Searle produced a Mrs Mole drawing 'to cheer every dreaded chemotherapy session and evoke the blissful future ahead'. Filled with light and illuminated in glowing colours, the drawings speak of love, optimism and hope. Like the medieval illuminated manuscripts such as the 15th-century Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, to which the title of this book refers, the 47 drawings are on an intimate scale and were never intended for publication. The story of Monica's survival against the odds and the part played by the encouragement of her husband will move many people who have either experienced cancer for themselves or been affected through a close family member or friend. The drawings in this book are truly moving. I encourage you to have a look when you get a chance. The Newbery Award and More http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2257/The-Newbery-Award-and-More http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2257/The-Newbery-Award-and-More Alexandra K Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:42:00 -0600 <img align=left hspace=10 src="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-img/13274277722257.gif" alt="" />Some very prestigious kids and teen awards were announced this weekend. The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature went to Jack Gantos' <a href="product/item/681602/">Dead End in Norvelt</a>. The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children went to <a href="product/item/661744/">A Ball for Daisy</a>, illustrated and written by Chris Raschka. Finally, the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults went to <a href="product/item/703725/">Where Things Come Back</a>, written by John Corey Whaley. Amongst the Printz Honor books are <a href="product/item/696951/">Why We Broke Up</a> by Daniel Handler, which was featured in our most recent <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/newsletter">newsletter</a>, and <a href="product/item/677436/">The Scorpio Races</a> by Maggie Stiefvater, which our <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-1967/The-Be-First-Reading-Club">Be First Club</a> absolutely loved. For a full listing of more ALA award winners and honor books, see the <a href="http://ala.org/news/pr?id=9108">ALA press release</a>. Congratulations to all the authors involved! Canada Reads, Manitoba Style: Assiniboine Park Zoo vet Dr. Chris Enright tracks John Vaillant's "The Tiger" http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2256/Canada-Reads,-Manitoba-Style:-Assiniboine-Park-Zoo-vet-Dr.-Chris-Enright-tracks-John-Vaillant's-'The-Tiger' http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2256/Canada-Reads,-Manitoba-Style:-Assiniboine-Park-Zoo-vet-Dr.-Chris-Enright-tracks-John-Vaillant's-'The-Tiger' Events Winnipeg Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:52:11 -0600 <img align=left hspace=10 src="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-img/13270914862256.jpg" alt="" />In the latest installment of CBC Manitoba SCENE's talks with the presenters at our Canada Reads, Manitoba Style evening next Wednesday, Head Assiniboine Park Zoo vet Dr. Chris Enright tracks John Vaillant's The Tiger. Visit the SCENE website to read the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/books/2012/01/19/canada-reads-manitoba-style-assiniboine-park-zoo-vet-dr-chris-enright-tracks-john-vaillants-the-tige/">article</a>. For more information on the event itself, click <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/event-11092/CBC-Radio-presents-Canada-Reads,-Manitoba-Style">here</a>. Book of the Day: The Other Walk by Sven Birkerts http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2255/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Other-Walk-by-Sven-Birkerts http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2255/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Other-Walk-by-Sven-Birkerts Chris Hall Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:49:30 -0600 In <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781555975937/sven-birkerts/other-walk?blnBKM=1">The Other Walk</a>, Sven Birkerts looks through his own life and at the lives of his children in a series of autobiographical pieces. This engaging collection of essays, by a master of reflection and slow time, presents the humblest objects -- remembered places, lost-objects-found -- that trigger his keen eye and sinuous prose. But the most winning object of all is the emerging character of Birkerts himself. We learn great respect for the loyal friend, the caring father, the traveller, the one-time bookseller, the writer, and throughout it all, the attentive, passionate reader. Book of the Day: Everything Happens Today by Jesse Browner http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2254/Book-of-the-Day:-Everything-Happens-Today-by-Jesse-Browner http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2254/Book-of-the-Day:-Everything-Happens-Today-by-Jesse-Browner Chris Hall Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:51:40 -0600 In the course of one day everything will happen to seventeen year old Wes: he will lose his virginity to the wrong girl and break his own heart, try to meet a Monday morning deadline for a paper on War and Peace, and prepare an elaborate supper he hopes will reunite his family. With a nod to J.D. Salinger, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781609450519/jesse-andre-car-browner/everything-happens-today?blnBKM=1">Everything Happens Today</a> is a funny, moving, generous and exhilarating novel about a memorable young man who comes to the poignant understanding of how fragile but attainable personal happiness can be. From Europa Editions, the same publisher that brought us <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781933372600/muriel-jr-barbery/elegance-hedgehog?blnBKM=1">The Elegance of the Hedgehog</a>. Canada Reads, Manitoba Style: Claudia Garcia dela Huerta attests to "Something Fierce" http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2253/Canada-Reads,-Manitoba-Style:-Claudia-Garcia-dela-Huerta-attests-to-'Something-Fierce' http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2253/Canada-Reads,-Manitoba-Style:-Claudia-Garcia-dela-Huerta-attests-to-'Something-Fierce' Events Winnipeg Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:34:03 -0600 <img src="images/editorials-012012/01-18-12bacde.jpg" class="left" />Paging all booklovers! On January 25th, at 8 p.m., CBC Radio and McNally Robinson Booksellers invite you to Prairie Ink Restaurant for an evening we're calling: 5 Writers, 5 Readers, 5 Minutes. Canada Reads 2012 features five non-fiction titles this year, and in our regional warm-up to the national CBC Radio book brawl, five well-known Manitobans have been matched with the five titles. Up to Speed host Larry Updike will invite each reader to share their insights with the audience, each with a unique presentation lasting only five minutes. Well, maybe ten. No debating, no brawling, but plenty of insight, humour and stories. Find out more about the evening and corresponding Big Ticket Contest that could see one lucky person walk away with the five nominated books and dinner for two at Prairie Ink Restaurant by visiting the CBC Manitoba SCENE <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/contests/">website</a>. You can also visit them on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CBCManitobaSCENE">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/CBC_Scene">Twitter</a> and stay tuned to our own front page for a feature interview with all five of the evening's advocates! The Joy of Books Video Goes Viral http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2252/The-Joy-of-Books-Video-Goes-Viral http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2252/The-Joy-of-Books-Video-Goes-Viral Chris Hall Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:54:06 -0600 Check out this video where books come alive! <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SKVcQnyEIT8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Book of the Day: The Western Lit Survival Kit by Sandra Newman http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2249/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Western-Lit-Survival-Kit-by-Sandra-Newman http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2249/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Western-Lit-Survival-Kit-by-Sandra-Newman Chris Hall Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:22:26 -0600 For all too many of us, the Great Books evoke angst: The Renaissance dramas we bluffed our way through in University, the dusty Everyman's Library editions that look classy on the shelf but have never been opened. In <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781592406944/sandra-newman/western-lit-survival-kit?blnBKM=1">The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverant Guide to the Classics, from Homer to Faulkner</a>, Sandra Newman reminds us that the classics were written to be savoured, not feared. Beginning with the Greeks ("In any conversation about classical literature, it is smart to interject, with a worldly smile, 'Of course, homosexuality was considered normal in ancient Greece.' Since everyone already knows this, it's crucial to speak quickly, before anyone can beat you to the punch.") and the Romans ("Rome as a political entity existed for more than a thousand years, going from kingdom to republic to empire to hot mess"), she takes us through hilarious detours and historical tidbits on the road to modernism. Along the way we discover the common ground between Rabelais and South Park (Rabelais is more disgusting), Jonathan Swift and Jon Stewart (Swift's satire of contemporary events is much edgier), St. Augustine and Augusten Burroughs (Confessions...). Uncovering the humour and riskiness that once propelled great authors to celebrity, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781592406944/sandra-newman/western-lit-survival-kit?blnBKM=1">The Western Lit Survival Kit</a> is an arsenal of erudition and wit you'll find yourself using from the classroom to the cocktail party. Book of the Day: The Social Animal by David Brooks http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2248/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Social-Animal-by-David-Brooks http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2248/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Social-Animal-by-David-Brooks Chris Hall Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:36:12 -0600 In books like <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780684853789/david-brooks/bobos-paradise?blnBKM=1">Bobos in Paradise</a> and <a href="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780743227391/david-brooks/paradise-drive?blnBKM=1">On Paradise Drive</a>, as well as in his columns for the New York Times, David Brooks has long explored and explained the way we live. Now, in <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780812979374/david-brooks/social-animal?blnBKM=1">The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement</a>, Brooks turns to the building blocks of human flourishing in a multilayered, profoundly illuminating work grounded in everyday life. This is the story of how success happens, told through the lives of one composite American couple, Harold and Erica. Drawing on a wealth of current research from numerous disciplines, Brooks takes Harold and Erica from infancy to old age, illustrating a fundamental new understanding of human nature along the way: The unconscious mind, it turns out, is not a dark, vestigial place, but a creative one, where most of the brain's work gets done. This is the realm where character is formed and where our most important life decisions are made--the natural habitat of <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/product/category/0/item/704344/david-brooks-social-animal">The Social Animal</a>. Brooks reveals the deeply social aspect of our minds and exposes the bias in modern culture that overemphasizes rationalism, individualism, and IQ. He demolishes conventional definitions of success and looks toward a culture based on trust and humility. <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/product/category/0/item/704344/david-brooks-social-animal">The Social Animal</a> is a moving intellectual adventure, a story of achievement and a defense of progress. It is an essential book for our time--one that will have broad social impact and will change the way we see ourselves and the world. The Google eBooks for all three of these titles are available. Book of the Day: The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2247/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Keeper-of-Lost-Causes-by-Jussi-Adler-Olsen http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2247/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Keeper-of-Lost-Causes-by-Jussi-Adler-Olsen Chris Hall Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:06:46 -0600 What's going on in Scandinavia? There's so much crime...writing. The first book in Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q series, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780525952480/jussi-adler-olsen/keeper-lost-causes?blnBKM=1">The Keeper of Lost Causes</a>, features the deeply flawed chief detective Carl Mørck. After he is held culpable in an incident that took the lives of two of his colleagues, Carl is given a stack of Copenhagen's coldest cases to keep him out of trouble. The case of a missing politician captures his interest, and while the world assumes she's dead and his colleagues snicker at his efforts, Carl may have the last laugh. Because she isn't dead -- not yet. From one of Denmark's premier crime writers. Book of the Day: The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2245/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Sweet-Life-in-Paris-by-David-Lebovitz http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2245/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Sweet-Life-in-Paris-by-David-Lebovitz Chris Hall Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:43:47 -0600 After a two-decade career as a pastry chef and cookbook author, David Lebovitz moved to Paris expecting to discover the city of his dreams. But he soon discovered it's a different world en France. <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780767928892/david-lebovitz/sweet-life-paris?blnBKM=1">The Sweet Life in Paris</a> details these discoveries, from learning the ironclad rules of social conduct and the mysteries of men's footwear, to coping with shopkeepers who don't want to sell you anything and the etiquette of working your way around the cheese plate. Lebovitz recounts how he fell in love with -- and even understands -- this glorious, maddening city. The <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780767928892/david-lebovitz/sweet-life-paris?blnBKM=1">Google eBook</a> is also available. Reginald Hill Dies, Aged 75 http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2244/Reginald-Hill-Dies,-Aged-75 http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2244/Reginald-Hill-Dies,-Aged-75 Chadwick Ginther Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:27:22 -0600 <img align=left hspace=10 src="http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-img/13266614772244.jpg" alt="" />British crime writer Reginald Hill passed away Jan 12, 2012. A winner of the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement in 1995, Hill was the author of over fifty novels, but he was best known for his characters Dalziel and Pascoe. In addition to starring in twenty of Hill's novels, the characters were also dramatized on the BBC. His most recent novel, <a href="product/item/684693/">The Woodcutter</a>, was published in Fall 2010. Book of the Day: It's Fine By Me by Per Petterson http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2243/Book-of-the-Day:-It's-Fine-By-Me-by-Per-Petterson http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2243/Book-of-the-Day:-It's-Fine-By-Me-by-Per-Petterson Chris Hall Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:58:42 -0600 Per Petterson won the Impac Dublin Award in 2007 for his novel <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780099506133/per-petterson/out-stealing-horses?blnBKM=1">Out Stealing Horses</a>. Two previously-written novels were translated and released in North America in the years following, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780099523444/per-petterson/siberia?blnBKM=1">To Siberia</a> and <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780099520740/per-petterson/wake?blnBKM=1">In the Wake</a>. Then in 2010 a new novel, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780307399397/per-petterson/curse-river-time?blnBKM=1">I Curse the River of Time</a>, was released in English and now another earlier novel, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781846553691/per-petterson/its-fine-me?blnBKM=1">It's Fine By Me</a>, has arrived on our shelves. Per Petterson is from Oslo, Norway and his writing has been described in the New York Times as "simultaneously restrained and terribly tender ... There is a quality that I can only call charm, or something like charm, to Petterson's essentially dark and lonely sensibility." The Scotsman says, "He unpacks the folly and pain of the human condition, leaving space for wit." While I can't promise you an uplifting, happy experience reading Petterson, you can be guaranteed a glimpse into the truth of bright and bad sides of being human. Book of the Day: Satan is Real by Charlie Louvin http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2242/Book-of-the-Day:-Satan-is-Real-by-Charlie-Louvin http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2242/Book-of-the-Day:-Satan-is-Real-by-Charlie-Louvin Chris Hall Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:01:52 -0600 <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780062069030/charlie-louvin/satan-real?blnBKM=1">Satan is Real</a>, the Book: the saga of the Louvin Brothers -- one of the most legendary country duos of all time -- is one of music's great untold stories. Charlie Louvin was a god-fearing, churchgoing singer, but his brother Ira had the devil in him. Taking its title from the brothers' 1959 classic recording, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780062069030/charlie-louvin/satan-real?blnBKM=1">Satan is Real</a> is the tale of Charlie Louvin's sixty-five-year career, the timeless murder ballads of the Louvin Brothers, and an epic tale of two men bound together by love, hate, alcohol, blood and music. Charlie Louvin passed away in January 2011 but his story and his music live on. <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/product/item/699128/">Satan is Real</a>, the CD: this double CD set features the original 1959 album and 14 other landmark songs. Re-mastered from the original tapes and with a 40-page booklet and an exclusive interview with Charlie Louvin recorded in Nashville in 2010, Disc 1 features the Louvin Brothers' 1959 classic combination of high lonesome country and dark southern gospel. Disc 2, performed by the Louvin Brothers and selected by the artists they inspired, is an essential best-of collection spanning the years from 1955 to 1962. <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/product/item/699129/">Satan is Real</a> is also available as an LP. Charles Taylor Prize Shortlist has been Announced http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2241/Charles-Taylor-Prize-Shortlist-has-been-Announced http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2241/Charles-Taylor-Prize-Shortlist-has-been-Announced Chris Hall Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:48:21 -0600 The five finalists for the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction were announced at a press conference Tuesday morning. The prize winner will be announced on March 5 in Toronto. The finalists for the $25,000 prize are: Wade Davis, author of <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780676979190/wade-davis/into-silence?blnBKM=1">Into the Silence</a> Charlotte Gill, author of <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781553659778/charlotte-gill/eating-dirt?blnBKM=1">Eating Dirt</a> J.J. Lee, author of <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780771046476/jj-lee/measure-man?blnBKM=1">The Measure of a Man</a> Madeline Sonik, author of <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781897535677/madeline-sonik/afflictions-departures?blnBKM=1">Afflictions & Departures</a> Andrew Westoll, author of <a href="The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary">The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary</a> The January/ February Bookseller is now online. http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2240/The-January.-February-Bookseller-is-now-online. http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2240/The-January.-February-Bookseller-is-now-online. Joel Rempel Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:51:09 -0600 <img src="images/editorials-012011/01-13-118fe59.jpg" class="left" /> The January/February issue of our newsletter The Bookseller is now available online. The Bookseller is a worthy read for all book lovers. <a href="http://www.epaperflip.com/aglaia/viewer.aspx?docid=3c88575045d84996a847990a76227a59">Click here to view The Bookseller, Winnipeg.</a> <a href="http://www.epaperflip.com/aglaia/viewer.aspx?docid=b701a4b8e7a640afa47b6eaf4178d3bc">Click here to view The Bookseller, Saskatoon.</a> Book of the Day: The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2237/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Invisible-Ones-by-Stef-Penney http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2237/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Invisible-Ones-by-Stef-Penney Chris Hall Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:04:03 -0600 Many of you will remember reading <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780143052135/stef-penney/tenderness-wolves?blnBKM=1">The Tenderness of Wolves</a> by Stef Penney when it came out in 2006. It won the Costa First Novel Award that year which helped its popularity but even more important, for Canadian readers, is that it was set in Canada in the mid 1800s. It dealt with the mystery of the murder of one man and the disappearance of a seventeen year-old boy. It weaved together adventure, suspense, revelation and humour, as well as winter, and was one of the best books of that year. Now Stef Penney is back with <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780670066315/stef-penney/invisible-ones?blnBKM=1">The Invisible Ones</a>, another tale of suspense this time set among the secrets and myths of the Romany. Small-time private investigator Ray Lovell veers between paralysis and delirium in a hospital bed. But before the accident that landed him there, he'd been hired to find Rose Janko, the wife of a charismatic son of a traveling Gypsy family, who went missing seven years earlier. Half Romany himself, Ray is well aware he's been hired more for his blood than his investigative skills. Still, he's surprised by the intense hostility he encounters from the Jankos, who have been touched by tragedy -- they're either cursed or hiding a terrible secret. Ray can't help but suspect that this mystery in their past is connected to Rose's disappearance. Seamlessly toggling between Ray's past and present, and the perspective of the missing woman's young nephew JJ, Stef Penney builds an irresistible page-turner with an ending that will blow you away. Book of the Day: The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2235/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Map-and-the-Territory-by-Michel-Houellebecq http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2235/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Map-and-the-Territory-by-Michel-Houellebecq Chris Hall Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:05:32 -0600 I remember when Michel Houellebecq released <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780375727016/michel-houellebecq/elementary-particles?blnBKM=1">The Elementary Particles</a> in 2000 (at least the English translation was released in 2000). Critics were split as to whether a new literary genius had been discovered or just a writer who could be so controversial that the writing seemed better than it was. It won the Impac Dublin Award and many readers were talking about this new French author. Houellebecq's follow up though, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781400030262/michel-houellebecq/platform?blnBKM=1">Platform</a>, convinced most readers that he was primarily a provocateur and secondly a writer, a judgement seemingly confirmed by his next book <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780307275219/michel-houellebecq/possibility-island?blnBKM=1">The Possibility of an Island</a>. I've always said that these two books are worth reading just for their sheer nerve and I feel justified now that Houellebecq's newest was released to great acclaim in France last year. It appears again that a writer of considerable merit had indeed arrived so many years ago. <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780307701558/michel-houellebecq/map-territory?blnBKM=1">The Map and the Territory</a> won the Prix Goncourt, France's most prestigious literary award and tells the story of an artist, Jed Martin, and his family and lovers and friends. His earliest photographs, of countless industrial objects, were followed by a surprisingly successful series featuring Michelin road maps. But global fame and fortune arrive when he turns to painting and produces a host of portraits that capture a wide range of professions, from the commonplace (the owner of a local bar) to the autobiographical (his father, an accomplished architect) and from the celebrated (Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Discussing the Future of Information Technology) to the literary (a writer named Houellebecq, with whom he develops an unusually close relationship). Then, while his ageing father (his only living relative) flirts with oblivion, a police inspector seeks Martin's help in solving an unspeakably gruesome crime -- events that prove profoundly unsettling. Even so, now growing old himself, Jed Martin somehow discovers serenity and manages to add another startling chapter to his artistic legacy, a deeply moving conclusion to this saga of hopes and losses and dreams. I can once again recommend Michel Houellebecq as an author worth reading. He pokes and he provokes but ultimately he has something really interesting to say. Book of the Day: Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2234/Book-of-the-Day:-Twelve-Steps-to-a-Compassionate-Life-by-Karen-Armstrong http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2234/Book-of-the-Day:-Twelve-Steps-to-a-Compassionate-Life-by-Karen-Armstrong Chris Hall Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:35:30 -0600 One of the most original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world, Karen Armstrong has established herself with such titles as <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780345391698/karen-armstrong/battle-god?blnBKM=1">The Battle for God</a>, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780307397447/karen-armstrong/case-god?blnBKM=1">The Case for God</a>, and <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780345384560/karen-armstrong/history-god?blnBKM=1">A History of God</a>. In <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780307400666/karen-armstrong/twelve-steps-compassionate-life?blnBKM=1">Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life</a>, Armstrong offers a practical book that can help us make the world a more compassionate place. The twelve steps Armstrong suggests begin with "Learn Your Enemies." Throughout, she suggests concrete ways of enhancing our compassion and putting it into action in our everyday lives, all the time making clear that a compassionate life is not a matter of only heart or mind but a deliberate and often life-altering commingling of the two. The I Love Reading Club http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2233/The-I-Love-Reading-Club http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2233/The-I-Love-Reading-Club Alexandra K Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:16:13 -0600 Hear ye, hear ye! We now have a date for our next session of the I Love Reading Club. Our next session will be Tuesdays, March 20th, April 3rd and April 17th. We will be reading: <a href="product/item/208245/">Tunnels of Time</a> by Mary Harelkin Bishop, <a href="product/item/226094/">The Wreckers</a> by Iain Lawrence, and <a href="product/item/684253/">Alchemy and Meggy Swann</a> by Karen Cushman. The I Love Reading Club is a discussion group for enthusiastic readers in grades 4 to 6. The fee for the program is the price of the books to be discussed. Pre-registration is required. Book of the Day: The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2231/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Stranger's-Child-by-Alan-Hollinghurst http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2231/Book-of-the-Day:-The-Stranger's-Child-by-Alan-Hollinghurst Chris Hall Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:32:38 -0600 Alan Hollinghurst became known to us when he won the Man Booker Prize in 2004 for <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781582346106/alan-hollinghurst/line-beauty?blnBKM=1">The Line of Beauty</a>. Now he's back with what some are calling his masterpiece. From Edwardian suburbs to the offices of the Times Literary Supplement of the 1970s, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780307398420/alan-hollinghurst/strangers-child?blnBKM=1">The Stranger's Child</a> is by turns a gripping literary mystery, an absorbing social study, and a sensuous exploration of the secret passions that determine our lives. Hollinghurst casts a clear eye on the ways that each new generation tries to keep its family's secrets buried and on the outsiders who try to dredge those secrets to the surface. Whether you try the new book or go back to his prize-winning last novel, Hollinghurst won't disappoint. McNally Robinson Booksellers is opening up a Community Classroom http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2230/McNally-Robinson-Booksellers-is-opening-up-a-Community-Classroom http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2230/McNally-Robinson-Booksellers-is-opening-up-a-Community-Classroom Chris Hall Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:20:29 -0600 McNally Robinson Booksellers is opening up a <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/home/browse/category/1670/">Community Classroom</a> with the first <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/home/browse/category/1670/">classes</a> commencing on February 1st. Offering small <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/home/browse/category/1670/">classes</a> in a new, intimate, and aesthetically-pleasing classroom located within the walls of the Winnipeg Grant Park store, you will find captivating, content-rich courses, led by compelling <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/classroom-educators">educators</a> that will help fulfill your yearning to learn. Register today as there is limited enrollment. <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/home/browse/category/1670/">Click here</a> to get started. Book of the Day: Dr. Seuss and Philosophy edited by Jacob M. Held http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2229/Book-of-the-Day:-Dr.-Seuss-and-Philosophy-edited-by-Jacob-M.-Held- http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2229/Book-of-the-Day:-Dr.-Seuss-and-Philosophy-edited-by-Jacob-M.-Held- Chris Hall Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:22:42 -0600 "If you are a person who likes to ask 'Why?' But who finds the philosophers just a bit dry, Then this book's for you, since it's not so abstruse, When your guide to Deep Thinkers is -- the wise Dr. Seuss!" This blurb, written by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, authors of <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780143113874/thomas-cathcart/plato-platypus-walk-into-bar?blnBKM=1">Plato and a Platipus Walk into a Bar</a> and <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780143118251/thomas-cathcart/heidegger-hippo-walk-through-those-pearly-gates?blnBKM=1">Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates</a>, may be the only one I've ever seen written in rhyming couplets. But it captures the spirit of <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781442203112/jacob-m-held/dr-seuss-philosophy?blnBKM=1">Dr Seuss and Philosophy</a>. Here's a sampling of the chapters: Oh, the Places You'll Go! The Examined, Happy Life; Gertrude McFuzz Should've Read Marx, or Sneetches of the World Unite; Neither Here, nor There, nor Anywhere?; and From There to Here, from Here to There, Diversity is Everywhere. Anyone who loves Dr. Seuss or is interested in philosophy will find this book to be intriguing and enlightening. And the introduction by Jacob Held, also written in rhyming couplets, is not to be missed. Book of the Day: New by Winifred Gallagher http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2228/Book-of-the-Day:-New-by-Winifred-Gallagher http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2228/Book-of-the-Day:-New-by-Winifred-Gallagher Chris Hall Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:57:58 -0600 Are you a neophiliac? Probably. Behavioural science writer Winifred Gallagher explains in her new book, appropriately entitled <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9781594203206/winifred-gallagher/new?blnBKM=1">New: Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change</a>, that we are all neophiliacs to one degree or another. In today's fast-paced world we might complain about feeling overwhelmed by mind-boggling new things -- products, ideas, information -- but secretly we love it. We are all addicted to the "new," we are all neophiliacs. Adapting to new circumstances is so crucial to our survival that "love of the new" is hard-wired into our brains at the deepest levels. With wit and clarity, Gallagher takes us to archaeological sites and neuroscience laboratories to explore the human genius for responding to the new with curiosity and creativity. January's Author of the Month: Stewart O'Nan http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2227/January's-Author-of-the-Month:-Stewart-O'Nan http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2227/January's-Author-of-the-Month:-Stewart-O'Nan Chris Hall Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:59:46 -0600 Stewart O'Nan is author of such wonderfully imagined novels as <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780143114420/stewart-m-onan/last-night-lobster?blnBKM=1">Last Night at the Lobster</a>, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780312428914/stewart-onan/prayer-dying?blnBKM=1">A Prayer for the Dying</a>, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780802139894/stewart-onan/wish-were-here?blnBKM=1">Wish You Were Here</a> and <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780143116028/stewart-f-onan/songs-missing?blnBKM=1">Songs for the Missing</a>. <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780143120490/stewart-onan/emily-alone?blnBKM=1">Emily, Alone</a> is his spring 2011 release, now available in paperback. When you pick up a Stewart O'Nan novel, you're pretty sure to discover it won't be like the last one. He has a literary curiosity that drives him to write in a number of styles and genres. In a 2011 interview in <a href="http://www.theday.com/article/20110722/ENT03/307229996/1044">theday.com</a>, he did not dodge the issue: "I love to read all different kids of books, so it makes sense that I'd write them. Plus, it's much more exciting and challenging to try something new." His thirteenth novel, <a href="https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780670023165/stewart-onan/odds?blnBKM=1">The Odds</a>, is no exception. In an original and bittersweet gem, Art and Marion Fowler flee their Cleveland suburb for Niagara Falls. Jobless, with their home approaching foreclosure and their marriage on the brink of collapse, Art and Marion risk everything they have -- their savings and each other -- at the roulette wheel. Their desperate attempt to get their life back yields a tender yet honest exploration of faith, forgiveness and last chances. Upcoming Kids Events in January http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2226/Upcoming-Kids-Events-in-January http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-2226/Upcoming-Kids-Events-in-January Alexandra K Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:12:36 -0600 Sandi Sellen: Launching <a href="product/item/702236/">The Duck's Vacation</a>, a children's picture book. Saturday January 14, 2:00 pm in the Atrium. Elizabeth Budney: <a href="product/item/703545/">Signing My Little Red Mittens</a>, a children's picture book. Saturday January 21, 2:00-4:00 pm by the cash desk. David Alexander Robertson & Scott B. Henderson: Launching <a href="product/item/705275/">Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story</a>, a graphic novel for young adults on Thursday, January 26th at 7:30 pm. in the Cafe. Learn to Knit: For children ages 8 and up. The cost is $30.00, supplies included. Wednesdays, February 1st, 8th, 15th, 7:00-8:00 pm. Events in the new Community Classroom (registration required): Gee-Whiz Science: Find out the science behind some simple hands-on experiments. For children ages 8-12. Thursdays, February 9th and 16th, 6:30-8:30 pm. Cost is $20.00. Words Worth: How to Hold an Audience's Attention. Learn about public speaking. For ages 12 and up. Saturdays, February 18, 25, March 3. Cost is $75.00.