Harper Lee Returns

After a lifetime of maintaining that she would never publish another novel, the media-shy Harper Lee finds herself in a place she traditionally has avoided for most of her career: the news. That’s because this summer her heretofore only published novel, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), is being joined by its sequel, Go Set a Watchman. In a statement delivered through her publisher, the book’s long-lost manuscript was discovered by her lawyer, “in a secure location where it had been affixed to an original typescript of To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Originally written in the mid-1950s, Lee submitted Go Set a Watchman to her publisher before To Kill a Mockingbird. It features many of the characters from the iconic novel some twenty years later as they find themselves adjusting to the turbulent events transforming mid-1950s America. Returning home to Maycomb to visit her father, Jean Louise Finch — Scout — struggles with issues both personal and political, involving Atticus, society and the small Alabama town that shaped her. Exploring the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird in a time of evolving social flux, Go Set a Watchman casts a new light on Lee’s enduring classic, while at the same time standing as a powerful novel in its own right.

Go Set a Watchman is available now in hardcover. Purchase online, or contact your nearest McNally Robinson bookstore to place an in-store hold.

26th Manitoba Book Awards: The Winners

The winners of the 2013 Manitoba Book Awards were announced and honoured during the Awards Gala this past Sunday, April 27th. As is usual for the event, there were plenty of great presentations and a lot of wonderful words spoken by the winners. In short, another splendid evening celebrating some of Manitoba's best literature.

Here is a complete list of this year's winners:

> McNally Robinson Book of the Year: Kisiskatchewan: The Great River Road by Barbara Huck

> Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction: 'Indians Wear Red': Colonialism, Resistance and Aboriginal Street Gangs by Elizabeth Comack, Lawrence Deane, Larry Morrissette and Jim Silver

> The Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book: Breathing Life Into Stone Fort Treaty: An Anishinabe Understanding of Treaty One by Aimée Craft

> Best Illustrated Book of the Year: 300 Years of Beer: An Illustrated History of Brewing in Manitoba by Bill Wright and Dave Craig

> Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award: Stuck in the Middle: Dissenting Views of Winnipeg written by Bartley Kives with photos by Bryan Scott

> John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Writer: Jonathan Ball

> Landsowne Prize for Poetry: Tether by Laurelyn Whitt

> Manuela Dias Book Design of the Year: 100 Masters: Only in Canada by Stephen Borys with Andrew Kear, design by Frank Reimer

> Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction: The Insistent Garden by Rosie Chard

> Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher: Manitoba Butterflies: A field guide by Simone Hébert Allard

> McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award
    > Younger category: Powwow Counting in Cree by Penny M. Thomas
    > Older category: The Fall by Colleen Nelson

> Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction: Thunder Road by Chadwick Ginther

Congratulations to all of the winners! You can be sure we are well stocked of the winners, so stop by today to pick up any of the titles above.

Welcome home, Ms. Toews

Tonight we hosted the launch of Miriam Toews' new novel, All My Puny Sorrows, inside of our Winnipeg store.

And it was a spectacular event. From the emotional introduction and reading given by Ms. Toews as well as the massive crowd that clung to each of her words, to the winding lineup and the eager fans waiting for their turn to say hi and get a signature, the launch was incredible for all involved -- we the booksellers, our guests, and perhaps most of all Ms. Toews herself.

Thanks to everyone who came out, and thank you, Miriam, for coming home. It was fun.

All My Puny Sorrows is now available in hardcover. We've got a limited supply of signed copies left over from the event so contact us as soon as possible to get one set aside.

You can see some photos of the event on our Pinterest board, Canada's Most Eventful Bookstore.

Record Store Day 2014 is approaching!

Record Store Day is almost here! And again our Winnipeg store is proud to be participating in the festivities.

In just a week, on Saturday April 19th, we'll be selling plenty of unique, rare, and collectible LPs that are only available to independent retailers such as ourselves.

We'll be open at 9:00 am that morning, and if previous years are any indication we're expecting a lineup outside! So if you're hoping to snag something in particular, be sure to get here extra early.

If you're wondering what stock we'll be getting for the 19th, feel free to contact our store at 1-800-561-1833 and ask for our Music department.

Please note: All items received specially for Record Store Day will be available on a first-come-first-claim basis. This means that we cannot place holds or pre-orders on any Record Store Day albums before April 19th.