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May & June 2016

 


 

IN THIS ISSUE

BOOKS
Seriously Entertaining || Carol Shields on Writing || What's On Your Fiction Plate? || Graphic Tales || Returning Home From War || New in PAPERBACK || What To READ || Author of the Month: Kay & Erdrich || Pedal Power || Horse Power || What's Up, Doc? || The Art of Healing || The Rocky Road to Success || Of a Mind || What's the World Coming To? || The Difference Makers || Without Reservations || The Poets Sing || Fire & Rain || Enjoy the Great Outdoors || The Birds and the Bees || Western Grapplers

NEWS, MEDIA, and GIFTS
7 Wonders Duel: Two Can Play This Game || Ink, Quill, and Blotters || Do You Have a French Accent? || Community Classroom: Water Lessons || The Word on the Street || Our Sights & Sounds: CDs, LPs, DVDs, and Blu Ray || Our Vibrant Communities: What's Coming Up in Winnipeg & Saskatoon || Prairie Ink Celebrates Moms, Dads, and Pirates

FOR BABIES, KIDS, and TEENS
Board Books for Your Baby || Shake, Rattle, and Roll || Sea Critters Have Feelings Too || Narwhal Blue Plus Toy || Celebrate the End of an Era with Elephant & Piggie || Yo, Ho, Ho! It's a Pirate Party! || Hey, Mom! Hey, Dad! These Picture Books Are for You || It's a Party, Harry! || Hogwarts Astronomy Tower 3D Puzzle || Imagine That: Novels of the Fantastic ||  Classics... Kinda || Finding Yourself... Finding Your Friends || Proud to Be || The "Be First" Book Club || Dangerous Times || Subversive Fiction

 

 

Seriously Entertaining


Hitman Anders, recently out of prison, is doing small jobs for the big gangsters. Then his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a female Protestant vicar (who also happens to be an atheist), and a homeless receptionist at a former brothel which is now a one-star hotel. The three join forces and concoct a business plan based on Hitman Anders' skills and his fearsome reputation. A seemingly perfect plan — until Anders finds religion, and the vicar and the receptionist have to find a new plan, quick.

Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All, the madcap new novel from the bestselling author of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, Jonas Jonasson, follows these bizarre but lovable characters on their quest to create a New Church, with all of Sweden's gangsters hunting them. Along the way, Jonasson explores the consequences of fanaticism, the sensationalist press, the entrepreneurial spirit and straightforward human stupidity. Underlying all of it, however, is the tenuous hope that it's never too late to start again. (Softcover. $22.99. HarperCollins. May)

Jonasson has been in the vanguard of carrying on the tradition of what Scotland's Alexander McCall Smith, in reference to his own work (The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books being but one of his bestselling series), has called "amusements." Jonasson's fellow Swede, Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg (The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules, The Little Old Lady Strikes Again) is another, as is Australia's Graeme Simsion (The Rosie Project, The Rosie Effect). These smart, well-written fictions play with the absurdities of modern life in charming and amusing ways. They are entertainments in the best possible sense of the word, serious books that don't allow themselves to be taken too seriously.

 

Carol Shields on Writing


In the course of her extraordinary career, which includes the novels The Stone Diaries, Larry's Party, The Republic of Love and Unless, Carol Shields was unfailingly encouraging of other writers. She taught writing classes and she spoke and wrote on the craft of writing. Now in her own words, Startle and Illuminate is a fascinating guide to the writing process, from conception to publication. Drawn by her daughter Anne Giardini and grandson Nicholas Giardini from Carol Shields' voluminous correspondence, her own essays, notes, criticism and lectures, this essential work is a last gift from one of our finest novelists meant for both aspiring and established writers. It helps answer some of the most fundamental questions about writing such as, why we write at all, whether writing can be taught, what keeps a reader turning the pages, and how a writer knows when a work is done. (Hardcover. $29.95. Knopf. May)  E  Winnipeg Event May 27

 

What's on Your Fiction Plate?


Kathleen Grissom, born and raised in Saskatchewan, and author of the grassroots bestseller The Kitchen House, continues the story of Jamie Pyke, son of both a slave and southern master, in Glory Over Everything. With nothing to lose after his deadly secret is exposed, Jamie sets out to keep an old promise. He soon gets caught up in a plan that takes him and two others on a treacherous journey along the Underground Railroad. Though they have help on the way, not all of them will make it out alive. (Hardcover. $32.00. Simon & Schuster. April)

In The Fireman by Joe Hill, a plague is spreading like wildfire across the country. The doctors call it Draco Incendia Trychophyton, a highly contagious spore that causes its victims to burst into flames. Millions are infected; blazes erupt everywhere. Only one man, wearing a dirty yellow fire fighter’s jacket, has learned to control the fire within himself, using it as a shield to protect the hunted and as a weapon to avenge the wronged. (Softcover. $24.99. William Morrow. May)

Award-winning author Maggie Siggins delivers her first work of fiction, Scattered Bones, a complicated story of the fragile and sometimes fatal relations between Indigenous people and settlers in Northern Saskatchewan in the 1920s. Based on historical events, Siggins weaves a colourful tale of the conflicts between Aboriginals and settlers, Protestants and Catholics, young and old, traditional and progressive, material and spiritual that shape life in this little Northern community. Ever eloquent, Siggins has created a compelling novel of the origins of the Canadian West. (Softcover. $21.95. Coteau Books. May)  E  Saskatoon Event May 4

Two young, upper-class friends, Thomas Argyle and Charlie Copper, attend what appears to be a classic English public school — except it isn’t. This is a world where children are born in sin, where Smoke emanates from their bodies when they lie or think a bad thought, and the purpose of this school is to cleanse their souls. Set in a Victorian England where revolutionaries, secret police, religious fanatics and cold-hearted scientists vie for power, Smoke by Dan Vyleta is a richly atmospheric dystopian fantasy of Dickensian intricacy. (Hardcover. $29.99. HarperCollins. June)

 

Graphic Tales


It was a golden age for the heroes of Midnight City. Since the end of the war, people have looked to them to maintain order and restore the public trust. But in Midnight City by Winnipeg's GMB Chomichuk, an eldritch cult has burrowed into the heart of Midnight City and is killing its heroic protectors. (Softcover. $21.99. ChiZine. May)  E  Winnipeg Event May 25

From a magical account of an Inuit legend to a farcical detective story starring an Inuk RCMP officer, Arctic Comics is a full-colour anthology for children and adults containing five tales of myth and adventure from the top of the world, written and drawn by Inuit, Northerners and other Canadians. (Hardcover. $17.99. Renegade Arts. May)  E  Winnipeg Event May 4

 

Returning Home from War


There are ancient tribal human behaviours — loyalty, inter-reliance, cooperation — that typify good soldiering. Drawing from history, psychology, and anthropology, Sebastian Junger (War, The Perfect Storm) explores how the structure of modern society is at odds with these tribal instincts, arguing that the difficulties many veterans face upon returning home from war do not stem entirely from the trauma they’ve suffered, but also from the individualist societies they must reintegrate into. Junger's book Tribe takes a critical look at post-traumatic stress disorder and the many challenges today’s returning veterans face in modern society. (Hardcover. $22.99. HarperCollins. June)

 

New in PAPERBACK


MAY 30% OFF: A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. $21.00. Our May 30% Off Price $14.70. Abby and Red Whitshank gather contentedly on the porch with their whole family: their two daughters and two sons, their grandchildren, even their faithful old dog. But Abby and Red are growing older, and decisions must be made about how best to look after them, as well as the house so lovingly built by Red's father. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author delivers a brilliantly observed novel that takes us across three generations of the Whitshanks to reveal the unguarded and richly lived moments that define who and what they are as a family. (Anchor. May)

JUNE 30% OFF: The Lake House by Kate Morton. $22.00. Our June 30% Off Price $15.40. After a party at their Cornwall estate, the Edevane family discover that their youngest child has disappeared, never to be seen again. Decades later, a young detective in the London police force, Sadie Sparrow, stumbles upon the now crumbling Edevane estate while visiting her grandfather in Cornwall. Her curiosity is sparked, setting off a series of events that reveal shocking truths about a past that remains more present than ever. From the author of The Secret Keeper and The Distant Hours, an intricately plotted novel filled with mystery and suspense. (Washington Square. June)

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume. $22.00. In 1987, Miri returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration of the worst year of her life. Thirty-five years earlier, Miri was fifteen, in love for the first time, and planes were falling out of the sky. In her first novel for adults in 17 years, Blume paints a vivid portrait of the early 1950s when even the thrill of hearing Nat King Cole singing “Unforgettable” couldn’t deflect the paranoia generated by the Cold War. Through it all, one generation reminds another that life goes on. (Anchor. May)

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. $19.99. Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch (“Scout”) returns from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise’s homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town, and the people dearest to her. Set two decades after her Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman captures a young woman in painful transition out of the illusions of the past with only her conscience as a guide. (HarperCollins. May)

Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving. $23.00. As we grow older — most of all, in what we remember and what we dream — we live in the past. Sometimes, we live more vividly in the past than in the present. Juan Diego is no exception. When he takes a trip to The Philippines, what travels with him most are his dreams and memories. “An aura of fate had marked him,” Irving writes. “The chain of events, the links in our lives can be mysterious, or simply unseen....” In John Irving’s latest novel Juan’s past not only catches up with him, it collides with his future. (Vintage. June)

Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly. $22.99. In January 1961 John F. Kennedy is struggling to contain the growth of Communism while learning the hardships, solitude and temptations of what it means to be president of the United States. Along the way he acquires a number of formidable enemies, including the head of the CIA and powerful elements within organized crime. O'Reilly recounts in gripping detail how a sequence of gunshots on a Dallas afternoon not only killed a president but sent the United States into the cataclysmic division of the Vietnam War and its culture-changing aftermath. (St. Martin's Press. May)

Canoe Country by Roy MacGregor. $24.00. Drawing on his own decades spent whenever possible with a paddle in his hands, MacGregor celebrates the essential and enduring love affair Canadians have with our first and still favourite means of getting around. This is a rollicking, personal, photo-filled history of the relationship between a country and its canoes, from the author best able (and most eager) to tell it. “...a beautifully realized picture of a time and place.” — Winnipeg Free Press (Vintage. May)

What's Happened to Politics? by Bob Rae. $16.99. Touching on everything from polling to issues of social justice to the way in which political parties package their candidates, Rae identifies the shortcomings of the current Canadian political framework, and what we, as citizens, can do to remedy it. Told from the point of view of an experienced statesman, What's Happened to Politics? is necessary reading for every Canadian, regardless of their political affiliation. (Simon & Schuster. May)

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. $21.99. A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a race against the inevitable, nations band together to devise a plan to ensure the survival of humanity in outer space. Five thousand years later, their progeny embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown, to an alien world transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth. A thought-provoking science fiction epic story of annihilation and survival. (William Morrow. May)

Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore. $19.99. Something strange is happening in the City by the Bay. People are dying, but their souls are not being collected. Someone, or something, is stealing them. No one knows where they are going, or why, but it has something to do with that big orange bridge. To get to the bottom of this abomination, a motley crew of heroes band together in Moore's delightfully madcap sequel to A Dirty Job. (HarperCollins. May)

The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak. $23.00. In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul where he comes to the attention of Mimar Sinan, the empire’s chief architect. He takes Jahan under his wing as they construct some of the most magnificent buildings in history. Yet dangerous undercurrents begin to emerge, with jealousy erupting among Sinan’s four apprentices. In a novel dealing with the clash between science and fundamentalism, Turkey’s preeminent female novelist spins an epic tale set during the height of the Ottoman Empire. (Penguin. June)

Down the Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison. $19.99. A spontaneous decision at age twenty-one transformed small-town Oregon girl Holly Sue Cullen into Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner’s #1 girlfriend. But like Alice’s journey into Wonderland, after Holly plunged down the rabbit hole, what seemed like a fairytale life inside the Playboy Mansion quickly became a nightmare. In this candid memoir, Madison opens up about life inside the Mansion, the drugs, the sex, the abuse, the infamous parties, and her behind-the-scenes life with Mr. Playboy himself. (Dey Street. May)

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain. $21.00. The latest novel by the author of The Paris Wife, takes readers to Kenya in the 1920s, where the beautiful young horse trainer, adventurer and aviator Beryl Markham tells the story of her life among the glamorous and decadent circle of British expats living in colonial East Africa. The complex love triangle she shares with the white hunter Denys Finch Hatton and Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa, changes the course of Beryl’s life, setting tragedy in motion while awakening her to her truest self. (Anchor. June)

 

What To READ


With the passing of the literary torch to a new generation, Chris Hall, a passionate reader with almost 20 years of bookselling experience, has taken up the challenge of continuing Holly McNally’s stewardship of our What to Read suggestions with personal recommendations that reflect attention to the care and craft of good writing.

Satin Island by Tom McCarthy. Softcover. $18.99. McCarthy's novels always explore the challenges of living an authentic life under our own control. In any given moment, to what extent are we pretending, performing or daydreaming? Technology only exacerbates the problem — are we ever living in the moment or only preparing to share it? McCarthy avoids what could be pretentious in many other hands by using his signature sense of humour to enjoy the serendipities and randomness of life. In the end, all the uncertainty feels just fine. (Jonathan Cape. April)

The Green Road by Anne Enright. Softcover. $21.00. Enright is a master of dysfunctional family gatherings, something she demonstrated in her Booker Prize winning novel, The Gathering. In this new novel, we meet Rosaleen Madigan and her four children, one at a time, through their own separate stories. We experience their Christmas homecoming as an intertwining of these stories when petty failings can be forgiven and love can heal old resentments. We emerge humbled by recognizing ourselves in the dysfunction, wiser for having taken the journey. (Emblem. May)

The World Beyond Your Head by Matthew Crawford. Softcover. $21.00. Crawford's earlier book, Shop Class As Soulcraft, celebrated manual competence as a way to know our physical environment. In his new book, Crawford examines the forces that seem to destroy our focus and disrupt our peace of mind. He argues that our current crisis of attention is only superficially caused by technology and should be understood as the collision of certain assumptions of Western culture with human nature. Crawford's book has implications for raising our children, designing public spaces, and even the survival of democracy. (Penguin. April)

The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens. Softcover. $21.00. The author of the popular novels Rush Home Road and The Wife's Tale now offers a tale of sacrifice and survival in the wilderness. On his 18th birthday, Wolf Truly goes to the top of a legendary mountain and encounters three women wandering in the wilderness. Through a series of missteps they all wind up stranded for five days, in view of the city below, but without a way down. In telling the story to his son in later life, he discovers the mountain still has a hold on him, composed of both beauty and terror. (Vintage. April)

Losing the Signal by Jacquie McNish. Softcover. $19.99. At the heart of the Blackberry story are two mismatched co-CEOs: Mike Lazaridis, a bookish innovator, and Jim Balsillie, an aggressive entrepreneur. We may think we know the story of Research in Motion’s spectacular rise and fall but reading Losing the Signal recalls just how spectacular its rise was. Learning the specifics of its fall provides a great opportunity for any leader to gain wisdom from others’ mistakes. (HarperCollins. April)

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. Softcover. $22.00. This is a wonderful example of what can happen when the right author connects with the right story. McCullough has won the Pulitzer Prize twice and his skills are on full display in telling the story-behind-the-story of Wilbur and Orville Wright. We all know they invented heavier-than-air flight, but less known are their far-ranging intellectual interests, ceaseless curiosity and drive. Nothing could stop them in their mission, not even the reality that every time they took off, they risked being killed. (Simon & Schuster. May)

The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard. Softcover. $21.00. Aron, the narrator of this novel, is an engaging if peculiar and unhappy boy whose family is driven by the Germans from the Polish countryside during WWII and into Warsaw where they are battered by deprivation, disease and persecution. Though rescued by Janusz Korczak, a doctor renowned throughout pre-war Europe as an advocate of children's rights, the Treblinka extermination camp awaits them all. Shepard uses Aron’s  child's-eye view of this dark moment in history to create a tale that is mesmerizing, sometimes comic, and truly heartbreaking. (Emblem. May)

Rain by Cynthia Barnett. Softcover. $23.00. It is the subject of countless poems and paintings; the cores of weather reports; the source of the world's water. Yet this is the first book to tell the story of rain and our physical and emotional relationship to it. Humans have spent thousands of years praying for rain; burning witches at the stake to stop rain or sacrificing small children to bring it; mocking rain with irrigated agriculture and cities built in floodplains. And now humanity has finally managed to change the rain, only not in ways we intended. As climate change upends rainfall patterns and unleashes increasingly severe storms and drought, Barnett shows rain to be a unifying force in a fractured world. (Broadway Books. April)

The Rival Queens by Nancy Goldstone. Softcover. $21.49. Allow me to present proof that nonfiction can be just as dramatic as fiction. In fact, I don’t know that any fictional additions would need to be added to this story of the rivalry between Catherine de Medici and her daughter Marguerite de Valois if some network executive wanted to turn it into a period mini series. Treacherous court politics, poisonings, international espionage and adultery form the background to a story that includes many celebrated figures of Renaissance France. This history will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. (Back Bay BooksMay)

The Master & Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Softcover. $23.00. One of my favourite classic novels turns 50 this year and what better way to celebrate than to reread, this Anniversary Deluxe Edition in a newly revised version of the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation. Part satire, part absurdist comedy, part tragedy, nothing compares with The Master and Margarita. One Spring afternoon, the Devil, trailing fire and chaos, weaves himself out of the shadows and into Moscow. Pontius Pilate is involved and there's a talking cat... Let me just say this is a darkly fun tale. (Penguin. May)

 

AUTHOR OF THE MONTH

MAY
Guy Gavriel Kay

Born in Weyburn and raised in Winnipeg, Guy Gavriel Kay is a master of historical fantasy. His work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages with global sales approaching three million copies. Kay is the recipient of the International Goliardos Prize for his contributions to the literature of the fantastic, and in 2014 he was named to the Order of Canada for his “outstanding contributions to the field of speculative fiction.”

In his latest novel, Children of Earth and Sky, Kay evokes a world inspired by the conflicts and dramas of Renaissance Europe.

With clouds of war looming on the horizon, a young woman sets out from a small coastal town to find vengeance for her lost family, while two very different people — a young artist purportedly on his way to paint the grand khalif at his request and a fiercely intelligent woman posing as a doctor's wife — set out from the wealthy city-state of Seressa.

Against a background of uncertainty and tumult, their fates — and the fates of many others — unfold on the borderlands where empires and faiths collide in Kay's latest spell-binding epic of historical fantasy. (Hardcover. $34.00. Viking. May)

 E  Saskatoon Event May 12 & Winnipeg Event May 15


JUNE
Louise Erdrich

Louise Erdrich — novelist, poet and writer of books for children — was born in Little Falls, Minnesota. The daughter of a Chippewa Indian mother and a German-American father, she explores Native-American themes in her works, with major characters representing both sides of her heritage. She is the winner of numerous awards, including the 1984 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction for Love Medicine and the 2012 National Book Award for Fiction for The Round House.

In her latest novel, LaRose, Erdrich wields her narrative magic in an emotionally haunting contemporary tale of a tragic accident, a demand for justice, and a profound act of atonement with ancient roots in Native American culture.

North Dakota, late summer, 1999. Landreaux Iron stalks a deer along the edge of the property bordering his own. He shoots with easy confidence, but when the buck springs away, Landreaux realizes he’s killed his neighbour’s five-year-old son. Following an ancient means of retribution, Landreaux and his wife give their own five-year-old son, LaRose, to the grieving family. “Our son will be your son now,” they tell them in this powerful exploration of loss, justice, and the reparation of the human heart. (Hardcover. $34.99. HarperCollins. May)

 

7 Wonders Duel: Two Can Play This Game


One of the most celebrated games in the world can now be experienced with only two players! 7 Wonders Duel takes the game play and excitement of the original and adapts it for one-on-one battles. Take control of your civilization and invest in science, military or prestige. Two new ways to win will keep you on your toes and watching every move your opponent makes. If you fail to build defenses your capital city may be destroyed, but ignore technology and your people may be left in the dark ages. It's a constant tug of war. 7 Wonders Duel is an exciting new way to play the game that took the world by storm. Recent winner of the Golden Geek Awards for Best Card Game and Best Two-Player Game. Ages 10 & up. Playing time 30 minutes. $42.00.

 

Pedal Power


“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.” — H.G. Wells

With his latest book, The Ultimate Bicycle Owner's Manual, Eben Weiss, aka Bike Snob, offers practical advice to bike "newbies" and veterans alike. Chapters cover Obtaining a Bike, Understanding Your Bike, Maintaining Your Bike, Operating Your Bike, Off-Road Riding, Co-existing with Drivers, Competitive Cycling, Bike Travel, Cycling with Kids, and What the Future Holds for Bikes in our Communities. Weiss takes the mystery and intimidation out of cycling and inspires even the most hesitant couch potato to get out and ride. (Softcover. $23.99. Black Dog & Leventhal. May)

The Mechanical Horse by Margaret Guroff reveals how the bicycle transformed North American life. As bicycling caught on in the nineteenth century, many of the country's roads were paved for the first time. Cyclists were among the first to see the possibilities of self-directed, long-distance travel, and some of them (including Henry Ford) went on to develop the automobile. The story of the bicycle is the story of mobility, a development which has created new opportunities for people in all avenues of life. (Hardcover. $34.95. University of Texas. May)

Books by Bicycle
McNally Robinson in Winnipeg partners with Natural Cycle Courier to offer year-round bicycle delivery service of books right to your door. Call McNally Robinson Booksellers (204-475-0483) or order online for “Same Day” or “Next Day” delivery within Winnipeg. More information can be found here.

May is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
During the week of May 14 to May 22, in support of MS Awareness Month, McNally Robinson Booksellers and Prairie Ink Restaurant & Bakery in Winnipeg are donating the proceeds from the sale of our Bicycle Cookies, made in-house by Prairie Ink Winnipeg’s reknowned Chef de Patisserie, Geoffroy Etienne Dextraze. Why Bicycle Cookies? Because 2016 marks the third year The McNally Robinson Book Pedlars will cycle the 170 kilometres from Stonewall to Gimili and back in the annual Biking to the Viking MS Society fundraiser August 20 and 21.

 

Horse Power


The history of the twentieth century is one of modernization. Many traditionalist Mennonites rejected these changes, however, especially the automobile, which they regarded as a symbol of pride and individualism. They became known as the “horse-and-buggy” people. Royden Loewen interviewed 250 Mennonites in thirty-five communities across the Americas about the impact of the modern world on their lives. Horse-and-Buggy Genius records their strategies for resisting the very things — ease, technology, upward mobility, consumption — that most people take for granted. (Softcover. $27.95. University of Manitoba Press. May)  E  Winnipeg Event May 12

 

What's Up, Doc?


In The Surprising Lives of Small-Town Doctors by Paul Dhillon, physicians share some of the most frightening and pivotal moments of their careers. From igloo house calls to bandaging animal bites to performing surgeries they are barely equipped to do, these accounts speak of the many rewards of practising medicine in small communities. They also detail the fears, failures, and challenges of providing health care in the farthest reaches of our country. Collectively, they capture the history and the future of rural medicine in Canada. (Softcover. $21.95. University of Regina Press. April)  E  Saskatoon Event May 19

The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies, weaves science, social history, and personal narrative to tell us the story of one of the most important conceptual breakthroughs of modern times: the quest to understand human heredity and its surprising influence on our lives, personalities, identities, fates, and choices. The story of Mukherjee's own family,with its tragic and bewildering history of mental illness, reminds us of the many questions that hang over our ability to translate the science of genetics from the laboratory to the real world. (Hardcover. $39.99. Scribner. May)

 

The Art of Healing


In Red With Living, a collection of poetry and art by Diane Driedger, the poet confronts the body in two different contexts: Trinidad and Tobago Carnival and breast cancer treatment. Raised Mennonite, Driedger explores the issues around celebrating the body, then proceeds to reflecting upon the experience of undergoing cancer treatment and of being chronically ill. (Softcover. $18.95. Inanna Publications. May)  E  Winnipeg Event May 1

 

The Rocky Road to Success


Pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows parents, educators, athletes, students and business people that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a focused persistence called “grit.” In her book, appropriately titled Grit, Duckworth draws on her own story as the daughter of a scientist who frequently bemoaned her lack of smarts. She describes her winding path through teaching, business consulting and neuroscience, a journey which led to the hypothesis that what really drives success is not “genius” but a special blend of passion and long-term perseverance. (Hardcover. $29.99. HarperCollins. May)

In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his car, Knight grossed $8,000 his first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In his memoir, Shoe Dog, Knight details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream. Above all, he recalls the formative relationships with his first partners and employees, a ragtag group of misfits who built a brand that changed everything. (Hardcover. $36.99. Simon & Schuster. May)

 

Of a Mind


Tim Falconer, a self-confessed "bad singer," is one of only 2.5 percent of the population that has been afflicted with amusia, ie: he is scientifically tone-deaf. Bad Singer chronicles his quest to understand the brain science behind tone-deafness and to search for ways to retrain the adult brain. Along the way, he explores ideas about why we love music and deconstructs what we are really hearing when we listen to it. Throughout this journey of scientific and psychological discovery, he puts theory to practice by taking voice and breathing lessons with a voice coach in order to achieve his personal goal: a public display of his singing abilities. (Hardcover. $29.95. House of Anansi. May)

The brain may be the engine of all human experience, but it's far from perfect. The Idiot Brain by Dean Burnett celebrates the laughable things our minds do to us, as well as exposing the fact that people are often mistaken in their thinking about how the brain works. For example, did you know that conspiracy theories and superstitions stem from your brain's insistence that the world isn't random? that the brain can miss something that's right under your nose? and that the way the brain processes information means that time really does fly if you're having fun? Discover these and other ways our brains trip us up at every turn. (Hardcover. $32.99. HarperCollins. May)

 

What's the World Coming To?


In Who Rules the World?, Noam Chomsky examines the nature of U.S. policies post-9/11, and the perils of valuing power above democracy and human rights. Through its military-first policies and its devotion to maintaining a world-spanning empire, Chomsky argues that the United States is both risking catastrophe and wrecking the global commons. From the expanding drone assassination program to the threat of nuclear warfare, as well as the flashpoints of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine, he offers insights into the workings of imperial power on our increasingly chaotic planet. Fierce and unsparing, Who Rules the World? is an incisive analysis of the current international situation. (Hardcover. $39.00. Henry Holt. May)

In Far and Away, Andrew Solomon delivers a riveting collection of essays about places in dramatic transition. Chronicling his stint on the barricades in Moscow in 1991, when he joined artists in resisting the coup whose failure ended the Soviet Union, his 2002 account of the rebirth of culture in Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban, his insightful appraisal of Myanmar as it fitfully pushes toward freedom, and many other stories of upheaval, Solomon provides a window on the social, political, cultural and spiritual change. Ranging across seven continents and twenty-five years, Far and Away demonstrates both how history is altered by individuals and how personal identities are altered when governments change. (Hardcover. $36.99. Scribner. April)

 

The Difference Makers


Maria Toorpakai hails from Pakistan's northwest tribal region where women are forbidden to play sports and girls rarely leave their homes. But she did, chopping off her hair and passing as a boy in order to play the sports she loved. A Different Kind of Daughter tells Maria's harrowing journey as she rose to become the number one female squash player in Pakistan, thrusting her not only into the national spotlight but into the crosshairs of the Taliban, who wanted Maria and her family dead. The incredible story of a girl who took on the Taliban and inspired the world. (Hardcover. $34.95. Viking. May)

Historically, issues of race and skin colour have been interpreted along black and white lines, leaving out millions of people whose stories of migration and racial experiences have shaped our modern world. Brown by Kamal Al-Solaylee, whose bestselling Intolerable was a finalist for Canada Reads and the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Nonfiction Prize, takes a global look at the many social, political, economic and personal implications of being a brown-skinned person in a world where images of whiteness are often the only indicators of beauty and desire. (Hardcover. $29.99. Hardcover. May)

 

Ink, Quill, and Blotters


Writing Sets & Supplies by J. Herbin


Established in 1670, J. Herbin is the oldest name in ink production in the world. J. Herbin made ink for Louis XIV, and a black ink for the sole use of Victor Hugo, author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables.

Sets start at $55.00. Individual quills and ink are also available. Ink $14.00, Quills $16.00-$20.00.

Please visit us in-store to browse these items.

 

Without Reservations


Arts of Engagement edited by Dylan Robinson & Keavy Martin focuses on the role that music, film, visual art, and Indigenous cultural practices play in and beyond Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential Schools. Using the framework of "aesthetic action," the contributors question the ways in which key components of reconciliation, such as apology and witnessing, have social and political effects for residential school survivors, intergenerational survivors, and settler publics. (Softcover. $39.99. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. June)

Price Paid by Bev Sellars untangles truth from some of the myths about First Nations and addresses misconceptions still widely believed today. Sellars begins with glimpses of the foods, medicines and cultural practices North America’s indigenous peoples have contributed to the rest of the world, then goes on to document the dark period of racist laws during the twentieth century and the re-establishment of Indigenous land and resource rights in the twenty-first century. The result is a candidly told personal take on the history of Aboriginal rights in Canada told from a First Nations point of view. (Softcover. $24.95. Talonbooks. May)

In Aboriginal Rights Claims and the Making and Remaking of History, Arthur Ray examines how claims-oriented research is often fitted to the existing frames of indigenous rights law and claims legislation and, as a result, has influenced the development of these laws and legislation. Through a comparative study of the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Ray explores the ways in which various procedures and settings for claims adjudication have influenced the use of historical evidence, made space for indigenous voices, and stimulated debates about the experiences of indigenous peoples since European contact. (Softcover. $29.95. McGill-Queens University Press. June)

In The Knowledge Seeker, Blair Stonechild shares his own sixty-year journey of learning — from residential school to PhD and beyond— looking all the while to find a place for Indigenous spirituality in the classroom. Encouraged by an Elder who insisted sacred information be written down, Stonechild explores the underlying philosophy of his people's teachings to demonstrate that Indigenous spirituality can speak to our urgent, contemporary concerns. (Softcover. $32.95. University of Regina Press. May)

Celebrate National Aboriginal Day, Tuesday June 21
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people showcase their cultures and achievements throughout Canada on National Aboriginal Day, Tuesday June 21.

In Winnipeg, a day-long program at The Forks includes free family-friendly activities and a free evening concert featuring a roster of award-winning and up-and-coming Indigenous entertainers. More information can be found at aboriginaldaylive.ca.

In Saskatoon, celebrate old-time Métis fiddle player Dallas Boyer, accompanied on guitar by his father Phil Boyer in our Prairie Ink Restaurant starting at 7:00 pm. This musical event will be accompanied by live readings of significant Métis texts both historical and contemporary.

 

The Poets Sing


The Red Files is the debut poetry collection from Saskatoon's Lisa Bird-Wilson, author of Just Pretending, which won four prizes at the 2014 Saskatchewan Book Awards. The collection takes its name from the federal government's complex organizational structure of residential school archives, which are divided into "black files" and "red files." In vignettes as clear as glass beads, her poems reflect on the legacy of the residential school system: the fragmentation of families and histories, with blows that resonate through the generations. Fiercely hopeful, The Red Files embrace the various types of love that can begin to heal the traumas inflicted by a legacy of violence. (Softcover. $18.95. Nightwood Editions. May)  E  Saskatoon Event May 30

Award-winning Nisga'a poet Jordan Abel's third collection, Injun, is a long poem about racism and the representation of Indigenous peoples. Composed of text found in western novels published between 1840 and 1950 — the heyday of pulp publishing and a period of unfettered colonialism in North America — Injun uses erasure, pastiche and a focused poetics to create a visually striking response to the western genre. While the subject matter of the source text is clearly problematic, the textual explorations in Injun help to destabilize the colonial image of the "Indian" in the source novels, the western genre as a whole and the Western canon. (Softcover. $16.95. Talonbooks. March)

 

Fire & Rain


In 2008, Danny Wolfe, a Winnipeg Aboriginal man, was 31-years-old and awaiting trial on two counts of first-degree murder in the Regina Correctional Centre. In spite of his young age, it wasn't his first time behind bars. In fact, Danny had found himself in and out of correctional facilities since his teenage years, sometimes even finding his own way out. The Ballad of Danny Wolfe by Joe Friesen, former Globe & Mail bureau chief based in Winnipeg, traces Wolfe's life from his birth in Regina to his founding of the Indian Posse, the Aboriginal street gang that became the largest street gang in Canada with over 12,000 members, to his death in 2010. A harrowing story of the life and death of a modern outlaw. (Hardcover. $34.00. McClelland & Stewart. May)

A Two-Spirit Journey is Ma-Nee Chacaby's account of her life as an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian. As a child, Chacaby learned spiritual and cultural traditions from her Cree grandmother and trapping, hunting, and bush survival skills from her Ojibwa stepfather. But she also suffered physical and sexual abuse by different adults, and in her teen years became alcoholic. Over the following decades, she achieved sobriety, raised her children, learned to live with visual impairment, and came out as a lesbian. A compelling, harrowing, but ultimately uplifting story of resilience and self-discovery, A Two-Spirit Journey provides unprecedented insights into the challenges still faced by many Indigenous people today. (Softcover. $24.95. University of Manitoba Press. April)

 

Do You Have a French Accent?


Made in France, these lovely accents give your kitchen a Provençal feel.

Herb box, "Herbs de Provence" $27.00
Herbs de Provence $16.00
Olive Oil Jug $30.00
Salt box, "Fleur de Sel Provence" $20.00
Sel de Guerande Gris Tradition Sea Salt $24.00

Please visit us in-store to browse these items.

 

Enjoy the Great Outdoors


In Fifty Places to Camp Before You Die, Chris Santella illuminates the best destinations for exploring the great outdoors. The book features the world's top spots for sleeping under the stars and enjoying a host of outdoor recreational activities that make camping such a time-honoured tradition. Featuring destinations from around the world, Santella provides helpful information and tips that will appeal to novice campers and seasoned outdoors enthusiasts alike. (Hardcover. $29.95. Stewart, Tabori & Chang. May)

Complete Guide to Camping and Wilderness Survival by Vin T. Sparano is the ultimate do-it-yourself guide for camping and wilderness survival. With more than 600 photographs, diagrams and illustrations, Sparano explains the most successful techniques for any camping or backcountry experience. Includes in-depth coverage of tents, bedding, footwear, camp and backpacking stoves, camp kitchens, tools, ropes and knots, and advice on boats, recreational and all-terrain vehicles. (Hardcover. $29.95. Rizzoli. April)

 

Community Classroom: Water Lessons


During the last two weeks of August, the Community Classroom in our Winnipeg store focuses on Water, featuring over a dozen different classes on the subject. Whether it’s about classical water music compositions, the politics of water or water as a spiritual element, check the list of August water classes (narrow the search by opening the "Category" drop-down menu and selecting "The Water Series") to find out what you want to and should know about water.

Favourite educators Don Anderson, John Einarson, Karen Toole, Susan Moffatt, Christian Artuso and Lara Rae join a talented group of newcomers in our classroom, including Merrell-Ann Phare (Executive Director of the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources), Jake MacDonald (outdoors man and bestselling author), Paul Jordan (CEO of The Forks North Portage Partnership), Vicki Burns (Save Lake Winnipeg), Eva Pip (University of Winnipeg), and Tasha Spillett (activist and educator).

Pre-registration is required, and you must register separately for each class. Register in person at our Grant Park bookstore, over the phone at 204-475-0483 (please have a credit card ready), or online.

Please note that the Community Classroom program is only available at our Winnipeg location.

 

The Birds and the Bees


In One Wild Bird at a Time, Bernd Heinrich, author of the modern birding classics One Man's Owl and Mind of the Raven, returns to his great love: close, day-to-day observations of individual wild birds. Heinrich's observations lead to fascinating questions, and sometimes startling discoveries. A great crested flycatcher, while bringing food to the young in their nest, is attacked by another flycatcher. Why? One of a clutch of redstart warbler babies fledges out of the nest from twenty feet above the ground, but it can't fly. What will happen next? Heinrich shares these and other anomalous behaviours of individual birds in this engaging memoir of the opportunities for doing scientific research without leaving the comfort of one's own backyard. (Hardcover. $40.00. Houghton Mifflin. April)

Who knew modern civilization may be brought down, not by plagues or war, but by bees? Or, more correctly, by no bees? Victory Gardens for Bees by Lori Weidenhammer investigates the growing problem of bee mortality and offers practical, community-based measures we can take to make gardens, fields and landscapes healthy sanctuaries for bees. With the help of ten garden plans and planting guides, Weidenhammer shows how bee-friendly plants can be used in creative combinations for plots and pots of all sizes. With a wealth of photographs to help readers identify bees of all stripes, beekeeping tips and other interesting bee-phemera, this book is an inspiring guide for anyone who wants to do their part to save bees. (Softcover. $26.95. Douglas & McIntyre. May)  E  Winnipeg Event June 2

Birds are astonishingly intelligent creatures. In fact, according to new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. Although small, bird brains are packed with neurons that allow them to punch well above their weight. The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman not only tells the story of the recently uncovered genius of birds but also delves into the latest findings about the bird brain itself that are revolutionizing our view of what it means to be intelligent. An elegant scientific investigation and travelogue that weaves personal anecdotes with science, The Genius of Birds gives readers a new appreciation for the exceptional talents of birds and what birds reveal about our changing world. (Hardcover. $37.00. Penguin. April)

 

The Word on the Street Festival


The Word On The Street will present its 7th annual festival in Saskatoon on Sunday, September 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in the heart of downtown. For the past 25 years, The Word On The Street has been renowned across Canada for the quality and diversity of its event programming, and this year's festival will be no exception. The day will include presentations, workshops, readings, and panel discussions featuring authors from across the country and from right here in Saskatchewan, along with events and activities for children of all ages. Come and meet the authors, get autographed copies of their books, and enjoy a day of entertainment for the whole family. Anyone interested in volunteering at the festival can check out the details online at thewordonthestreet.ca. Stay tuned for more information about the day's program once this year's line-up is confirmed. See you there!

 

Western Grapplers


Long before the advent of today's WWE, forms of wrestling were practised by virtually every cultural group. C. Nathan Hatton's Thrashing Seasons tells the story of wrestling in Manitoba from its earliest documented origins in the eighteenth century to the Great Depression. Wrestling was never merely a sport: residents of Manitoba found meaning beyond the simple act of two people struggling for physical advantage on a mat, in a ring, or on a grassy field. Frequently controversial and often divisive, wrestling was nevertheless a popular and resilient cultural practice that proved adaptable to the rapidly changing social conditions in western Canada during its early boom period. In addition to chronicling the colourful exploits of the many athletes who shaped wrestling's early years, Hatton explores wrestling as a social phenomenon intimately bound up with debates around respectability, ethnicity, race, class, and idealized conceptions of masculinity. (Softcover. $27.95. University of Manitoba Press)  E  Winnipeg Event May 14

 

OUR SIGHTS & SOUNDS

Music CDs & Records

McNally Robinson in Winnipeg is partnering with CJNU 93.7 FM, Nostalgia Radio, to initiate a "Featured Artist of the Month" promotion. A selection of the artist's work will be displayed on our Wall of Sound. Check out the music on CJNU and then drop by McNally Robinson and select your favourites. Our Featured Artist for May is Tom Jones and for June The Beach Boys. CJNU is a non-profit community co-op that plays the best music and vintage radio shows from the 1940s, 50s & 60s. Watch for the CJNU remote studio broadcasting at the Grant Park Mall in June.

Andy Shauf. The Party. CD. $14.99. Vinyl $18.99. Born in Estaven, Shauf reordered his first album at home before touring Western Canada playing DIY punk venues with an acoustic guitar. His 2015 album, The Bearer of Bad News, was described by NPR as “an appropriately titled collection of mostly grim tales about small town drug addicts, murderous lovers and other weary underachievers.” With the 10 tracks on his new album which were recorded in Regina at Studio One, Shauf creates a cast of memorable and unique characters, all set to fuzzed-out guitars arrangements and dreamy synths. (Arts & Craft. May)

Matthew Barber & Jill Barber. The Family Album. CD. $16.99. Vinyl $22.99. Jill Barber has carved out a unique niche in the Canadian music landscape with her distinctive voice and repertoire, while her brother Matthew Barber is a Toronto-based troubadour known for his soul-searching ballads and clever hooks. Together they join forces on this 11-track collection of songs written by the renowned Canadian siblings themselves, as well covering tunes by such notable Canadian musicial icons as Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Ian Tyson, Gene MacLellan and more. (Outside Music. April)

Charles Bradley. Changes. CD $19.99. Vinyl $30.99. The 67 year-old soul singer's remarkable, against-all-odds rise since the release of his 2011 debut No Time For Dreaming continues with his third album. Having earned the moniker “The Screaming Eagle of Soul," the onetime James Brown impersonator is at his most versatile and complete on the new album which is anchored by the twin themes of love and heartache. These themes are epitomized by the title track when Bradley turns a Black Sabbath ballad about a breakup into an agonizing paean to his late mother. (Outside Music. April)

Kamasi Washington. The Epic. 3-disc CD Set $29.99. 3-LP Vinyl Set $57.99. A longtime sideman for Raphael Saadiq and Erykah Badu, the American jazz saxaphonist takes centre stage with his debut album. An extravagant love letter to soul jazz, John Coltrane (various periods) and 1970s fusion leaders like Miles Davis and Weather Report, Washington creates a generous musical canvas which he uses to widen the definition of jazz by flirting with elements of R&B, hip-hop, funk, soul, and string arrangements. (Outside Music. 2015) Catch Kamasi Washington at the 2016 TD Winnipeg International Jazz Fest in June.

 

DVD & Blu-Ray Movies

Arabian Nights directed by Miguel Gomes. 3-disc Blu-ray set. $54.99. The three-volume, six-hour film by acclaimed Portuguese director Miguel Gomes is an ambitious fusion of documentary, comedy, fantasy, vérité, and parable that portrays Portugal and the austerity measures imposed on it by the European Central Bank and others during the present financial crisis. At the heart of the film is a nesting doll-style journey down the political rabbit hole that is modern Portugual, elevating a seemingly surreal story into the realm of beautifully composed and intellectually stimulating satire. (KRK.May)

Janis: Little Girl Blue directed by Amy Berg. DVD. $19.99. Janis Joplin is one of the most revered and iconic rock & roll singers of all time, a tragic and misunderstood figure who thrilled millions of listeners and blazed new creative trails before her death in 1970 at age 27. This in-depth documentary presents an intimate and insightful portrait of a complicated, driven and often beleaguered artist. Joplin's own words tell much of the film's story through a series of letters she wrote to her parents over the years, many of them made public here for the first time. (KRK. May)

Buster Keaton: The Shorts Collection 1917-23. 5-disc Blu-ray set. $64.99. As new generations of viewers discover the magic of silent cinema, Buster Keaton has emerged as one of the era's most admired and respected artists. Behind the deadpan expression and trademark porkpie hat was a filmmaking genius who conceived and engineered some of the most breathtaking stunts and feats of visual trickery, while never losing sight of slapstick cinema's primary objective: laughter. This collection features 2K restorations and includes all 32 of Keaton's extant silent shorts filmed between 1917 and 1923, plus bonus material. (KRK. June)

Mustang directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven. DVD. $21.99. In a village in Northern Turkey, five free-spirited teenaged sisters splash about on the beach with their male classmates. Though their games are innocent fun, their family overreacts and removes all "instruments of corruption," like cell phones and computers, and subject the girls to endless lessons in housework in preparation for them to become brides. As the eldest sisters are married off, the younger ones bond together to pursue a future where they can determine their own lives in this timely portrait of female empowerment. (KRK. May)

 

 

McNALLY ROBINSON for Babies, Kids, and Teens

 

BABIES

Baby toys, teddy bears, clothing, gifts, and, of course, books in our baby boutique


Board Books for Your Baby


These bestselling picture books are now available in board book format. Perfect for little hands.

A Little Stuck is a specially adapted board book edition of Oliver Jeffers’ laugh-out-loud classic, Stuck. Floyd gets his kite stuck up a tree. He throws up his shoe to shift it, but that gets stuck too. So he throws up his other shoe and that gets stuck, along with… a ladder, a pot of paint, the kitchen sink, an orangutan and a whale, amongst other things! Will Floyd ever get his kite back? A hilarious book with a wonderful surprise ending. (Board Book. $12.99. HarperCollins. June) (Ages 3-5)

Every book needs you to turn the pages. But not every book needs you to tap it, shake it, jiggle it or blow it a kiss. Innovative and timeless, Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson gives even the youngest reader the chance to help one lonely tree change with the seasons. Now that’s interactive — and magical! The board book edition of this acclaimed interactive picture book about the changing seasons combines the playful spirit and the sense of wonder that has made Matheson's original picture book a modern classic. (Board Book. $9.99. Greenwillow. June) (Ages 4-8)

Everyone knows cookies taste good, but these cookies also have something good to say. Turn to any page in Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jane Dyer and find out something about life — bite-size lessons now in a bite-size book! Big concept words such as Patient, Proud, Modest and Respect are defined in cookie-related terms that children can comprehend. For example, "Trustworthy means, If you ask me to hold your cookie until you come back, when you come back, I will still be holding your cookie." (Board Book. $9.99. HarperCollins. May) (Ages 1-4)

 

Shake, Rattle, and Roll


Hedgehog Accordion
This whimsical woodland creature is sure to engage your little one's imagination with hours of musical play. Designed with easy-to-grab handles, it's perfect for little hands. PVC-free & Phthalate-free. ($22.50. SkipHop) (Ages 6 months & up. Please visit us in-store to find this product.)


Three piece Owl, Hedgehog, and Fox Shaker Set
Each of these easy-to-hold egg shakers makes its own unique sound. Little ones will love to shake up playtime with these three cheerful characters! PVC-free & Phthalate-free. ($15.00. SkipHop) (Ages 3 months & up. Please visit us in-store to find this product.)

Musical Storytime
In Winnipeg, a three week program of stories, songs, and movement for toddlers aged eighteen months or older and accompanied by an adult. The group meets on three sequential Mondays from 10:00 to 10:30 am. There is one session remaining: May 2, 9, 16. Registration is $20 per child. For more information contact the Kids desk at 204-475-0492. (This program is only available at our Winnipeg location.)

 

 

KIDS

Sea Critters Have Feelings Too


Barnacle is stuck on the underside of a pier, wishing he had something to do. Every day is exactly the same. The tide comes in and Barnacle gets wet. The tide goes out and Barnacle dries off. Boring! Then a colourful fish swims by. Barnacle bets the fish doesn't have a boring life. In the end, it turns out exciting isn't always better. Barnacle is Bored by Jonathan Fenske is a playful picture book that answers any child's declaration of boredom! (Hardcover. $19.99. Scholastic. May) (Ages 3-5)

Did you know that the deepest parts of the ocean are over one mile deep, too far down for any sunlight to reach? That’s where Blobfish lives. The Blobfish Book by Jessica Olien is an irresistible picture book within a book that introduces the “ugliest fish in the sea”...or is he actually the fish who will steal your heart? Full of fun facts about sea creatures in the deepest reaches of the ocean, this book will also make you smile. (Hardcover. $21.99. HarperCollins. May) (Ages 4-8)

Meet Octicorn, the funny, sweet, and disarming character who is a champion for anyone who has ever felt a little bit different. And isn’t that everyone? Hello, My Name is Octicorn is by debut authors Justin Lowe and Kevin Diller with illustrations by Binny Talib. Octicorn is half octopus, half unicorn, half confused, which sometimes makes it hard to fit in. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing. (Hardcover. $21.99. HarperCollins. May) (Ages 4-8)

 

Narwhal Blue Plush Toy


This stuffed Narwhal is big and loveable! Made from the most luxurious materials, this blue narwhal from the deep is both realistic and playful! ($22.50. Douglas Toys) (Ages 24 months & up. Please visit us in-store to find this item.)

 

Celebrate the End of an Era with Elephant & Piggie


You are invited to a party! On Saturday, May 7 at 2:00 pm in the Atrium of our Winnipeg store, McNally Robinson is hosting a very special storytime, celebrating the release of the final book in Mo Willems' the Elephant and Piggie series, The Thank You Book! (Hardcover. $10.99. Disney) (Ages 6-8)

Join us for activities and refreshments and of course, your favourite BFFs Gerald and Piggie reading from a selection of their stories.

This event is taking place only at our Winnipeg location.

 

Yo, Ho, Ho! It's a Pirate Party!


On Sunday, June 12th (9:30 am in Winnipeg, 10:00 am in Saskatoon), Prairie Ink welcomes any and all aspiring buccaneers to join us for breakfast. Big or small, short or tall, you are free to pillage our kitchen and loot our bakery. We provide the grog and the entertainment along with Swashbuckling Bacon and Buccaneer Blueberry pancakes.

In Winnipeg, tickets are $23.00 per person (plus taxes and gratuity) and go on sale May 4th. They must be purchased in advance at Prairie Ink Restaurant or by calling 204-975-2659.

In Saskatoon, tickets are $15.00 per person (plus taxes and gratuity), and go on sale May 4th. They must be purchased in advance at Prairie Ink Restaurant or by calling 955-3579.

 

Hey, Mom! Hey, Dad! These Picture Books Are for You


You Made Me a Mother by Laurenne Sala and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser is a celebration of motherhood through which the universal message of unconditional love for a child shines. Author and illustrator combine to create a firsthand look at the powerful bond between mother and child from pregnancy to birth and beyond. (Hardcover. $19.99. HarperCollins. March) (Ages 4-8)

Thunder Boy Jr. is named after his dad, but he wants a name that's all his own. He wants a name that celebrates something cool he's done. But just when Thunder Boy Jr. thinks all hope is lost, he and his dad pick the perfect name…a name that is sure to light up the sky. Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Yuyi Morales celebrates the special relationship between father and son. (Hardcover. $21.49. Little, Brown. May) (Ages 5-8)

Told from the point of view of a puppy who is adopted by a cat, My New Mom and Me by Renata Galindo is a reassuring and heartwarming story about adoption, diversity and acceptance. When the puppy comes to live with his new mom, he is nervous. After all, his mom has stripes and he doesn’t. But his mom says she likes that they look different, and soon the puppy likes it, too. (And who cares what anyone else thinks!) (Hardcover. $21.99. Schwartz & Wade. April) (Ages 3-7)

In Tell Me a Tattoo Story by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler, a father tells his son the story behind each of his tattoos, and together they go on a journey through family history. There's a tattoo from a favourite book his mother used to read him, and one from something his father used to tell him. There's also a little heart with numbers inside, which might be the best tattoo of them all in this modern father-son love story. (Hardcover. $23.99. Chronicle. April) (Ages 3-5)

 

It's a Party, Harry!


In celebration of Harry Potter's birthday, J.K. Rowling's birthday, and the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, McNally Robinson Booksellers and Prairie Ink Restaurant are proud to present Harry Potter Parties in both Winnipeg and Saskatoon on July 30th, 2016.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the saga, featuring an adult Harry Potter grappling with the past and his youngest son, Albus, who is struggling with the weight of his family's legacy. It is the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage, and will debut on July 31st, 2016, in London's Palace Theatre. The script was written by Jack Thorne, with contributions from J.K. Rowling and John Tiffany, and will be released in book form to coincide with the play's debut.

Incidentally, July 31st is both Harry Potter and author J.K. Rowling's birthday.

To celebrate all of this, McNally Robinson and Prairie Ink Restaurant are hosting Harry Potter themed midnight-release parties. The Winnipeg party will take place in Assiniboine Park, and the Saskatoon party will be at our Saskatoon bookstore. Both parties will begin at 9:00 PM on July 30th and run until after midnight, which is when Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be officially released.

The parties are free and open to the public, and there will be plenty of entertainment and activities throughout the evening. For specific details on the party nearest you, visit the Winnipeg party listing or the Saskatoon party listing. You can also stay up to date on party details on Facebook (Winnipeg or Saskatoon) and Twitter (Winnipeg or Saskatoon).

At midnight (12:00 AM on July 31st) we will be releasing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Vouchers, required to claim the book, are now on sale at our bookstores, and will be available to purchase at the party. For those in Winnipeg who do not wish to attend the party in the park but would still like to claim a book at midnight, we will have booksellers at our Grant Park bookstore handing out copies.

 

Hogwarts Astronomy Tower 3D Puzzle


Renowned for their attention to detail and sturdy construction, Wrebbit Puzzles continue to blaze new trails in the world of 3D puzzles. Harry Potter fans can gain a whole new appreciation of the world of Harry Potter with the latest 3D puzzle from Wrebbit: The Astronomy Tower, which connects to the Great Hall in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. $45.00 (Wrebbit)

 

Imagine That: Novels of the Fantastic


How do you punish an immortal? By making him human. In The Hidden Oracle, the first book of Rick Riordan's new series The Trials of Apollo, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus after angering his father Zeus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy who must learn to survive in the modern world. Now, without his godly powers and in need of help until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour, the four-thousand-year-old deity seeks out an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood. (Hardcover. $19.99. Our May/June 30% Off Price $13.99. Disney) (Ages 10-14)

In Flickers by Saskatoon's Arthur Slade, orphaned twins Isabelle and Beatrice Thorn are living a glamorous 1920s Hollywood life as wards of Mr. Cecil, a mysterious and influential director. Isabelle is a starlet, destined to play a key role in Mr. Cecil's next movie, while Beatrice spends her days hidden away on the Cecil estate where strange things are happening. She soon realizes the director doesn't want to simply make a movie. He wants to use the film to unlock a door onto another dimension and summon something beyond all imagining. And Isabelle is the key. (Hardcover. $19.99. HarperCollins. May) (Ages 8-12)

 

Classics... Kinda


Can’t stomach all of Frankenstein? Lacking the strength to read The Odyssey? Don’t have 1,001 nights to get through Scheherazade’s ordeal? Never fear, Scott Nash's Shrunken Treasures are here! Nine of the world’s best-known stories and books have been reduced, like slowly simmered cherries, to tart and tasty mouthfuls. Nine weighty literary classics are transformed into delectable morsels with Scott Nash’s playful versification and whimsical illustration. The Metamorphosis, Remembrance of Things Past, Don Quixote and others have been delivered from dense duty to delightful ditty in this collection of hallowed classics, featuring notes about the original texts at the end. (Hardcover. $21.00. Candlewick. April) (Ages 5-8)

Read classic literature from the eyes of the dinosaurs. The Prehistoric Masters of Literature by Saskia Lacey mixes prehistoric dinosaur humour with some of the great names of literary history to teach the classics in a fun way to children of all ages. The first book in the new Jurassic Classics series features an assortment of well-known authors, such as the Brontë sisters, Jane Austen and William Shakespeare, all under the guise of favourite dinosaur mashups (i.e. the "Brontesaurus" sisters). Each brief "dino" biography includes real facts about the author intertwined and modified to fit with the prehistoric theme. (Hardcover. $17.95. Walter Foster. March) (Ages 8-11)

 

 

TEEN SCENE

Finding Yourself... Finding Your Friends


We all know that high school can be difficult, a place where you have to discover who you are, a place where your friends can both define and restrict you. These new books show us that maybe sometimes we have to re-think what it means to be a friend and where we can look for support.

In Shooter by Caroline Pignat, five very different students are barricaded together in a school washroom during a lock down. Can they let go of their preconceptions long enough to survive? (Hardcover. $22.99. Razorbill. May)

Lisa Moore's first YA novel, Flannery, features poverty-stricken Flannery who loses both her best friend and her childhood pal Tyronne (who could have been her first love) when they both betray her. (Hardcover. $18.95. Groundwood. May)

In Saving Montgomery Sole by Mariko Tamaki, Montgomery fights back against homophobia and bullying with the help of her faithful friends Thomas and Naoki. (Hardcover. $22.99. Razorbill. April)

Teresa Toten's Beware That Girl finds senior scholarship student Kate O'Brien chumming around with a rich and powerful friend named Olivia Summers. Can they protect themselves against a conniving, charismatic administrator with his own agenda? (Hardcover. $21.99. Doubleday. June)

 

Proud to Be


Teen activist and trailblazer Jazz Jennings — named one of "The 25 Most Influential Teens" of the year by Time — shares a very public transgender journey in her memoir Being Jazz. At the age of five, Jazz transitioned to life as a girl, with the support of her parents. A year later, her parents allowed her to share the journey in her first Barbara Walters interview, aired at a time when the public was much less aware of the transgender community. But it hasn't all been easy. Jazz has faced many challenges, bullying, discrimination and rejection, yet she perseveres as she educates others about her life as a transgender teen. (Hardcover. $23.99. Crown Books. June)

For the LGBTQ community and allies, annual Pride events are an opportunity to honour the past, protest injustice, and celebrate diversity. The highlight of Pride, the Pride Parade, is spectacular and colourful. But there is a lot more to Pride than rainbow flags and fabulous outfits. How did Pride come to be? And what does Pride mean to the people who celebrate it? Pride: Celebrating Diversity & Community by Robin Stevenson answers these questions with bright pictures and editorials from Pride’s beginnings to its many incarnations around the world today. (Softcover. $24.95. Orca Books. April)

 

The "Be First" Book Club in Winnipeg


Our “Be First” reading group for teens in Winnipeg is a book club with a difference. Receive a preview copy of a selected title, read the book before it even hits the shelves, then join us to discuss it. The registration fee is $5.00. The pre-publication copies are limited. Please sign up asap. For more information, visit the Kids desk or call 204-475-0492.

Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters, the only two in Russia, and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side. And so he initiates the Crown's Game, an ancient duel of magical skill, the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The Crown's Game from debut author Evelyn Skye is a historical fantasy set in Imperial Russia about two teenagers who must compete for the right to become the tsar's enchanter — or die in the process. (Hardcover. $21.99. HarperCollins. May)

Our discussion group meets Thursday, May 19 at 7:00 pm.

Please note: This program is only available at our Winnipeg location.

 

Dangerous Times


Convictions by Regina's Judith Silverthorne, an award-winning author of teen fiction and books for children, is a gripping historical novel about standing true to one’s convictions.

It’s 1842. 14-year-old Jennie Lawrence finds herself aboard one of the few women-only convict ships destined for Australia. Jenny's crime and that of her inmates? Stealing food in an effort to feed themselves and their families. Jennie had been desperate, and as she gets to know the other women on the convict ship, she realizes she’s not the only one. Women are sea sick and ill from the lack of decent food and clean water, they are beaten if they disobey orders, and sleep brings no reprieve, as bed bugs, rats and other parasites attack them in the night.

The only way for the women to survive the boat ride is if they band together. And so, with the help of her new “family” — Sarah, Bridget, and Alice — and other convicts, Jennie battles the jailers, the ship and the sea. But will it be enough to set them free? (Softcover. $16.95. May)

 

Subversive Fiction


Contracts at OneEarth Bank’s logging camp don’t stand a chance. They die or vanish without a trace.

Fearing for the life of her friend Nathan, Rielle assumes a false identity and is sold back into the OneEarth Bank system as a Contract — a slave — to free him. In One Bright Future: Subversion by Melinda Friesen, Rielle's act of subversion uncovers OneEarth Bank’s real objective: a dark plot of destruction and domination. Can Rielle and Nathan escape and expose the truth before it’s too late? (Softcover. $14.99. Rebelight Publishing. May)  E  Winnipeg Event June 20

 

 

OUR VIBRANT COMMUNITIES

What's coming up in Winnipeg & Saskatoon


Winnipeg

Camerata Nova's British Mysteries
April 30 & May 1. Crescent Fort Rouge United Church. John Wiens leads an acappella concert of the music of modern mystic John Tavener and (he claims) his great-great-great-great… grandfather, composer and singer John Taverner. Also includes great motets by both Tave(r)ners and feature composers from each era, including early works by Thomas Tallis and William Byrd and contemporary pieces by James McMillan and Gavin Bryars. cameratanova.com

Royal Winnipeg Ballet
May 4 to 8. Peter Pan. Centennial Concert Hall. Perfect for families, and anyone who never wants to grow up, Peter Pan is a magical flight, filled with family entertainment, fantasy and marvelous thrills. rwb.org

Winnipeg Jewish Theatre
May 7 to May 15. Buyer and Cellar. Berney Theatre. Alex More is an out of work actor who lands a unique job as shopkeeper in Barbra Streisand's underground mall on her private Malibu estate. A sophisticated comedy that offers an unconventional glimpse into one of the most idolized Jewish icons of our times. wjt.ca

Virtuosi Concert Presents Trio con Brio Copenhagen
May 7. Eckhardt Gramatté Hall. Founded in Vienna in 1999, the Trio con Brio Copenhagen is “one of the finest piano trios on the current scene." (The New Yorker). Performing Shostakovich Piano Trio No.1 in C minor; Beethoven Piano Trio in E flat major; Mendelssohn Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor. virtuosi.mb.ca

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra
May 8. Muriel Richardson Auditorium. The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra closes its 2015-2016 season on a Spanish note with Besame Mucho performing music from Spain, Mexico and Latin America, with a nod to cultures further north, including the homeland of Icelandic guest composer/saxophonist Stefan Stefansson. winnipegjazzorchestra.com

Winnipeg Art Gallery
May 14 to September 4. Oviloo Tunnillie (1949-2014) Retrospective. The WAG brings together some 60 sculptures by one of the most respected Inuit artists from the Canadian Arctic. The retrospective surveys the development of her work from finely-crafted birds and animals of the 1970s, to her exploration of social issues in the 1980s, to autobiographical themes in the 1990s. wag.ca

The Winnipeg Singers
May 15, 4:00 p.m. Westminster United Church. The Winnipeg Singers, Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir and the Arrowhead Chorale from Duluth, MN., with TWS's Yuri Klaz conducting, combine in a 100 + voice performance of Rachmaninoff’s choral masterpiece Vespers. winnipegsingers.com

Manito Ahbee Festival & Indigenous Music & Arts Program
May 18 to 22. Various venues throughout Winnipeg. Manito Ahbee unites residents and visitors in a spirit of celebration that honours the Creator and the seven sacred teachings: love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth. manitoahbee.ca

Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
May 18. Westminster United Church. Grammy Award-winning violinist James Ehnes and Andrew Armstrong perform a variety of virtuoso works. themco.ca

Pride Winnipeg Festival
May 27 to June 5. Various venues throughout Winnipeg. Over a period of 10 days, the Festival hosts community events and activities across the city, culminating with The Pride Outdoor Concert & Festival at The Forks June 4-5. Pride Day, the day of the Rally and Parade is June 5. pridewinnipeg.com

Table for 1200 More
May 28. Esplanade Riel. Table For 1200 More highlights Winnipeg's emerging design scene by bringing together architecture, design, and the culinary arts to create an evening of entertainment and stimulating conversation in a unique setting. tablefor1200more.ca

Doors Open Winnipeg
May 28 & 29. Various venues throughout Winnipeg. This free annual event celebrates Winnipeg's unique spaces, architecture and history, showcasing more than 80 remarkable buildings and sites. Go on tours, see exhibits, take photos, and explore Winnipeg's rich history. doorsopenwinnipeg.ca

Winnipeg International Children's Festival
June 9 to 12. The Forks. Don't miss the chance to see some of the world's greatest child performers. kidsfest.ca

TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival
June 16 to 26. Various venues throughout Winnipeg. Enjoy Canadian and major international artists in a variety of related jazz genres. McNally Robinson is proud to be the exclusive on-site source for all CDs by the Festival artists (also available at our Grant Park store before and after the Fesitival). jazzwinnipeg.com

The Manitoba Marathon
June 19. The Manitoba Marathon is a Father's Day celebration of fitness, family and fundraising. It offers a "runner-approved" course through many of Winnipeg's loveliest neighbourhoods. manitobamarathon.mb.ca

 

Saskatoon

Wanuskewin Heritage Park
May 4 to June 17. Archaeological Dig Site, Monday to Friday 9:30 am-2:30 pm. Weather dependent. Wanuskewin offers a unique opportunity to see a real dig site, meet with Dr. Ernie Walker and his team of archaeological students from the University of Saskatchewan, and witness history come to life. wanuskewin.com

Vesna Festival
May 7. Prairieland Park, Saskatoon. Discover the excitement, colour and energy of Ukrainian culture. From the moment you walk in the main doors to the time you leave, you will be delighted with the sights, sounds, and tastes of Ukrainian culture. vesnafestival.com

100 Years Ago: Remembering WWI
Through May 2016. Western Development Museum. Saskatoon's WDM is marking the outbreak of the First World War with a four showcase exhibit. Saskatchewan based stories include Ernest Elmer Auckland, and William Hurst Bothwell’s Uniforms, William Hurst Bothwell’s Gas Mask and Rev. Frank Herbert King’s Communion Set. wdm.ca/stoon

Canadian Light Source Tours
Through June. 44 Innovation Boulevard. Saskatoon. The synchrotron is one of the largest science projects in Canadian history and was the product of an unprecedented collaboration of federal, provincial and municipal governments agencies and universities from across the country. Tour availability is subject to student guides’ schedules, and booking 5 business days in advance of your desired time is advised. lightsource.ca/pages/book_a_tour.html

Jane's Walk Saskatoon
May 6 through 8 at various times. Jane’s Walk is a global movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by urban activist and author Jane Jacobs. The walks get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their cities, and connect with neighbours. janeswalk.org/canada/saskatoon

Live Five, Independent Theatre
Salt Baby by Falen Johnson May 12 to 22 at 8:00 pm. Salt Baby, a young woman born and raised on Six Nations reserve, struggles to find a place of her own. A new relationship with a non-Native man, Alligator, stirs the pot even further. Salt Baby is a comedic journey of self-discovery, and finding the difference between racism, ignorance, and indifference. livefive.ca

Bassment Blues Series
Paul Reddick. May 13 at 8:00 pm. Melding poetry, mystery, darkness and light, Reddick is one of the most popular figures on the blues and roots music scene today and the unofficial poet laureate of Canadian blues. saskatoonjazzsociety.com

Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre
Popcorn Elder. May 19 to 29. A provocative look at the practice of plastic shamans and other fraudsters in the indigenous community, this co-production with Dancing Sky Theatre is inspired by the Arizona sweat lodge incident of 2009. Ages 12 & up. gtnt.ca

PotashCorp Children's Festival of Saskatchewan
June 4 to 7. Saskatoon celebrates the start of summer with the 28th annual PotashCorp Children's Festival! Get your tickets early for the best in children's theatre, music, dance, puppetry, and more. Hands-on creative learning activities like Childhood Around the World, Lego Community Build, Circus Arts, and Fossil Find make the day special for the whole family. New Festival Pass tickets ensures access to all shows and activities for one low price of $10. potashcorpchildrensfestival.com

Jazz Singer Fest
June 4 at 8:00 pm. If you are a fan of jazz vocal standards, then the Jazz Singer Fest is for you. This is a celebration of great songs, and great singers: Maureen Butler-Kennedy, Colleen Carr, Jamie Donlevy, Graham Dyck, Kathi Lewis, Jessica Robinson, Tatrina Tai, and Drew Tofin. Pianist and arranger Kim Salkeld is joined by Sheldon Corbett (sax), Arlan Kopp (drums), and Gent Laird (bass). saskatoonjazzsociety.com

Saskatoon Pride Festival
June 5 to 12. The Saskatoon Pride Festival provides an accessible environment in which to celebrate queerness, foster pride and raise awareness of queer culture within the larger community. saskatoonpride.ca

Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival
June 24 to July 3. For ten days each summer, the city of Saskatoon bursts into song as the Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival plays host to hundreds of world class artists. Over 85,000 music fans devour the sounds of jazz, blues, funk, pop, and world music each year, with a program that spans as many genres as it does continents. saskjazz.com

 

 


Mother's Day Brunch Buffet May 8th
Put Prairie Ink on your calendar for a special Mother's Day Brunch Buffet on Sunday, May 8th, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. In Winnipeg, the cost per person is $35.00 (plus taxes and gratuity). In Saskatoon, the cost is $25 per adult and $14 per child under the age of 12 (plus taxes and gratuity). Diners will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis. Regular menu service will not be available during the Brunch Buffet. Regular service resumes at 2:00 pm.

Pirate Party Sunday June 12th
Sunday, June 12 at 9:30 am, in both Winnipeg and Saskatoon, Prairie Ink welcomes any and all aspiring buccaneers to join us for a Pirate Breakfast. Big or small, tall or short, you are free to pillage our kitchen and loot our bakery. We provide the grog and the entertainment along with Swashbuckling Bacon and Buccaneer Blueberry pancakes. Tickets go on sale May 4th, and cost $23.00 per person (plus taxes and gratuity) in Winnipeg, and $15.00 per person (plus taxes and gratuity) in Saskatoon. Tickets must be purchased in advance at Prairie Ink Restaurant or by calling: Winnipeg 204-975-2659, Saskatoon 955-3579.

Father's Day Special June 19th
Treat your Dad to a big Hungry Man Style Breakfast at Prairie Ink in Winnipeg on Father's Day. This Father's Day breakfast special is available all day. Regular service is also available all day Father’s Day. (Winnipeg location only.)

Prairie Ink's New Cocktail Menu is Coming Soon
You will soon be able to enjoy a variety of classic and specialty cocktails at Prairie Ink in Winnipeg. Made with the best spirits, liqueurs, fresh juices and garnishes, Prairie Ink has plans to serve you the coolest cocktails in town. (Winnipeg location only.)

For more information on Prairie Ink, or to make a reservation, please give us a call.
Winnipeg 204-975-2659 | Saskatoon 306-955-3579

Visit our Prairie Ink site for hours, menus, upcoming events, and more.

 

 

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