Off the Shelf 2.18 03/05/2010
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman It takes a graveyard to raise a child. Nobody Owens lives in a graveyard and is raised by ghosts and ghouls that inhabit the place. He is known as Bod by his friends. But, living in a graveyard isn’t all fun and games, and if Bod tries to leave he runs the risk of being killed by Jack—the same man that murdered his family. Gaiman has won dozens of awards for his fantastic fantasy fiction. What is the What by Dave Eggers This is the novel based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng who along with thousands of other children—the so-called Lost Boys—was forced to leave his village in Sudan at the age of seven and trek hundreds of miles by foot, pursued by militias, government bombers, and wild animals crossing the deserts of three countries to find freedom. When he finally resettles in the US he finds a like of promise but also a myriad of new challenges. An absolutely astonishing story! Add Comment Off the Shelf 2.17 03/05/2010
Reclusive author J.D. Salinger passed away last week at the age of 91. His 1945 classic ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ follows Holden Caufield as he struggles with the pains of adolescence. This THE most read book in the LVR library. I Will Not Write an Uncensored, Unauthorized History of the Simpsons: by John Ortved Here is it. Before King of the Hill, before Family Guy there was The Simpsons. Ortved's books includes the history of the longest running show in television history--it wasn't even suppose to be a show. Interviews with cast members and writers including Conan O'Brien are peppered throughout the book. A must read for fans of The Simpsons, television, and all things sacred in popular culture today! Madness Betrayal and the Lash: The epic voyage of Captain George Vancouver by Stephen Bown Five years at sea, across 65 000 miles of ocean—equivalent of twice around the world, visiting every continent and mapping tens of thousands of miles of coastline it was the longest voyage in the history of humankind. Yet Vancouver died in disgrace, shunned, and in debt. For history buffs only! Whitewater Cooks at Home by Shelley Adams Yes, we finally have a copy of our own. Like the first one this is on its way to being a national bestseller. What It Is by Lynda Barry How do objects summon memories? What do real images feel like? For decades, these types of questions have permeated the pages of Lynda Barry's compositions, with words attracting pictures and conjuring places through a pen that first and foremost keeps on moving. What It Is demonstrates a tried-and-true creative method that is playful, powerful, and accessible to anyone with an inquisitive wish to write or remember. Each page is a full-colour collage that is not only a gentle guide to this process, but an invigorating example of exactly what it is: "The ordinary is extraordinary". Off the Shelf 2.16 03/05/2010
The Road by Cormac McCarthy Author of No Country for Old Men and All the Pretty Horses, has written perhaps his finest book; one that takes place in a post apocalyptic America, where everything is burned and nothing moves. The sky is dark. Ash still fills the skies and it is cold enough to crack stones. A father and son walk alone—their destination is the coast—although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them. They have nothing except a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes on their backs, a cart of scavenged food, and each other. Off the Chain by Ross Rebagliati One of the original BC-born shredders, and winner of the first Olympic gold medal for snowboarding in Nagano, Japan in 1998, the Whistler native brings you the history of snowboarding from the Snurfer to Jake Burton and Tom Sims showcasing their homemade boards at Mt. Baker, to backcountry bowls to big air, to the first half-pipe at the X Games over 12 years ago, to yes his ‘situation’ at the ’98 Games where he was temporarily stripped of his medal. All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland Canadian visual artist, author, and somewhat of an icon, Coupland’s 2001 novel is about the Drummond family reunion in Florida, perhaps the most disastrous in the history of fiction; adultery, hostage-taking, bankruptcy, addiction, AIDS, black market baby negotiations—all written with Coupland’s wit and insight. Vegan A Go-Go by Sarah Kramer Veganite and Victoria-based tattoo artist, Sarah Kramer, has been called the ‘world’s coolest vegan’ and has authored three vegan cookbooks. Her latest is a survival/travel manual for vegans on the road with over 30 quick and easier recipes (many require no baking)—it’s pocket-size; loaded with terrific photos and Kramer’s humourous musings. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith So, what do you get when you take a literary classic and rewrite it as a horror novel? You get this blood-dripping, brain-eating, heartbreaking, sword-fighting, corpse rotting, romancing masterpiece. I mean it is a universal truth that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains… First Post! 03/01/2010
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