McNally Robinson celebrates Manitoba

We had such fun putting together our book, Winnipeg by Winnipeg in 2013, which was made up of a collection of photos submitted by both amateur and professional photographers. Five years later we wanted to do it again but thought we should set our sights beyond the Perimeter Highway and see what Manitoba looks like to the people who live here.

For a second time we were not disappointed by either the quantity or quality of submissions. Manitoba is a province whose people are spread across a very large space. This is reflected in the photos; there are people in the images in this book but not always, as the landscape and the sky so often overwhelm the human presence.

We would like to take a moment to thank all the photographers who submitted images. We could feel your excitement during the collection process, and we felt our own as we went through the difficult process of selection. There are certainly some serendipitous moments captured in these pages but more often what is striking is the patience and time needed to get these shots. This time and effort is appreciated by us and will be appreciated by everyone who pages through your photos. Most of all, as the single images combine to create a larger picture of this province, your love of your home comes through. Thank you Manitoba.

Our new photo book, Manitoba by Manitoba, will be launched at our Grant Park store on Thursday March 14 at 7:00 pm in the Atrium. We look forward to seeing you there.

Man Booker International 2019 longlist

The longlist for this year's Man Booker International prize has been announced. The award, given annually to a single book in English translation, comes with a £50,000 prize that is shared equally between author and translator.

Of interesting note this year, only two of the thirteen books on the list come from major publishing houses — the rest were published by independent presses. This by itself is a win for independent publishers all around, as major awards such as the Man Booker are typically dominated by titles from major publishers.

Find the longlist after the jump...

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What To Read: March & April 2019

A collection of recent books particularly recommended by Chris Hall. Look for our in-store What To Read display tables.

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez. Softcover. $22.00. RRC Price $19.80. When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own battle against grief is intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, a huge Great Dane traumatized by the inexplicable disappearance of its master. Isolated from the rest of the world, increasingly obsessed with the dog's care, determined to read its mind and fathom its heart, she comes dangerously close to unraveling. But while troubles abound, rich and surprising rewards lie in store for both of them. (Riverhead Books. February)

The Long Take by Robin Robertson. Softcover. $22.95. RRC Price $20.65. Walker is a D-Day veteran with PTSD; he can't return home to rural Nova Scotia and looks instead to the city for freedom, anonymity and repair. As he finds his way from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco, we witness a crucial period in American history, one that allowed film noir to flourish. This is a tale of damaged people trying to find kindness in a world of cynicism and paranoia. Robertson uses verse to tell this tale of fracture across the postwar urban scene and into the heart of an unforgettable character. (Anansi. October)

See more What To Read picks after the jump...

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March's Author of the Month: DON WINSLOW

Bestselling author Don Winslow has written twenty novels, including the highly acclaimed epics The Power of the Dog, The Cartel, and The Force.

The son of a sailor and a librarian, Winslow grew up with a love of books and storytelling. At age seventeen, he left home to study journalism at the University of Nebraska.

Winslow’s travels have taken him around the world and into various jobs including movie theatre manager, tour guide, and private investigator. While travelling, Winslow wrote his first novel, A Cool Breeze On The Underground, which was nominated for an Edgar Award. With a wife and young son to support, Winslow went back to investigative work, mostly in California, where he and his family lived in hotels for almost three years as he worked cases and became a trial consultant.

In Winslow's latest novel, The Border, Art Keller has been on the front lines of America’s longest conflict: The War on Drugs, for over forty years. His obsession to defeat the godfather of the Sinaloa Cartel, Adán Barrera, has left him scarred and cost him the people he loves. Now Keller is elevated to the highest ranks of the DEA, only to find that in destroying one monster he has created thirty more that are wreaking even more chaos and suffering in his beloved Mexico. But not just there. Barrera’s final legacy is the heroin epidemic scourging America. Art Keller is at war with not only the cartels, but with his own government. And the long fight has taught him more than he ever imagined. Now, he learns the final lesson — there are no borders. (Softcover. $24.99. RRC Price $22.49. William Morrow. March)