Review: Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan | Kendra Martin
My favourite aspect of this enjoyable read was the narrative voice of Sid Griffiths, which gave the story a very personal feel. I had a similar sensation reading Catcher in the Rye, as Holden draws me into his worldview through his slang and off-the-cuff language. Sid is a compelling and personal narrator, who kept me […]
My new adventures in ebook development
2011 was the year I expanded my skills in print book layout and typesetting, taking courses at George Brown in Digital Publishing software, but mainly practicing on my own initiative to learn typesetting. The actual technical skills weren’t too hard to obtain because I’ve been using InDesign for three years now. It was all about […]
Movember
For the second year, Jared has decided to participate in Movember, the moustache-centred fundraiser for men’s health. His moustache is actually better this year. But I can’t say I’ll be sorry when it’s shaven in December… If you’re interested in donating, check out his mospace.
Review: Monoceros by Suzette Mayr
At the centre of Suzette Mayr’s novel is Patrick Furey, a senior in high school who commits suicide after he is dumped by his secret boyfriend and is bullied by his boyfriend’s girlfriend (it’s complicated). From this shocking event unf olds the stories of seven people whose lives are deeply changed as a result of […]
Review: The Perfect Order of Things by David Gilmour
In The Perfect Order of Things, David Gilmour writes a quasi-autobiographical novel, with a narrator we are encouraged to view as being the voice of David Gilmour. However, he very carefully fashions a novel that jumps and skips lightly over moments in a life. Moments that are personally painful. Links to the present day appear […]
Are you excited for the fall season of CanLit?
You know that feeling of going back to school? I usually dread it, because it means the end of summer’s carefreeness and warm weather, but at the same time I get a feeling of anticipation. Getting new school clothes (and choosing the perfect outfit for your first day) and all those shiny new school supplies […]
BookCampTO 2011 — #bcto11
Here’s a quick recap for this annual publishing unconference that took place in Toronto on Saturday, August 20, 2011. This is the second time I’ve attended BookCampTO. For me, last year’s BookCamp was inspiring and invigorating. I spoke to and heard from people who were doing interesting things in publishing, and who had amazing ideas. […]
Everything you wanted to know about Stieg
I opened the March 2011 issue of The Walrus and read a delicious gossipy article by Paul Wilson about Stieg Larsson, his Millennium trilogy, and the geography of Sweden as it’s portrayed in Larsson’s novels. I’m a fan of the Dragon Tattoo trilogy; I’ve decided I love the books because of the excellent mixture of […]