The Man Who Forgot How to Read: A Memoir by Howard Engel is not a literary masterpiece but it is a masterful work. Howard Engel, author of the Benny Cooperman detective novels, woke up one day and discovered that he could not read the newspaper. Not the newspaper, books, street signs, any written text. In the night he suffered a stroke that affected the part of his brain responsible for reading. He could write but could not read.
The Man Who Forgot How to Read is Engel’s story of his struggle to regain reading, from the day of the stroke to the day of the manuscript completion that is this memoir. I say it isn’t a literary masterpiece because compared to something like Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ memoirs, this is plain writing. It’s not literary writing that flows into the memoir. It’s the straightforward story of a man who lost a significant part of his identity over night. An author who cannot read.
I do think it is a masterful work regardless. The incredible journey Engel takes in order to read and write and complete not just this manuscript but a new Benny Cooperman novel is worth recognition. Oliver Sacks, who writes the afterword, thinks it’s remarkable as well.
I just finished reading The Good Lie by Don Bailey, novelist and coordinator of the Professional Writing Cooperative Education Program at the University of Victoria. Don is a great self-promoter and initially contacted me in October last year before my trip to Malta. We have some mutual friends, including novelist and editor Wayne Tefs.
Because of Don’s position in the literary community, I felt the urge to give this novel a rather academic reading. But I fought that urge and instead enjoyed it as a novel rather than as a literary exercise. What I like about the book most is that the ending is not the ending I expected.
The novel starts plainly enough. Paul is on a kayak trip, the last in a series of lessons. He and another guest become separated from the group during the foggy return trip. There is a boat that topples them into the water, some panic, and other drama, all of which results in the other guest going into a coma and Paul being investigated as part of a lawsuit.
The quote at the beginning of the book, by Ben Stillwell, Paul’s lawyer, sums up the main thread of the novel: “In this profession you see everything. The thieves, the cokeheads, the pimps and prostitutes--of course they lie. Everybody expects them to lie. But sometimes, the good lie, too.”
This is exactly what Paul does. He lies about Jenny, the other guest, panicking and nearly drowning him. He lies about knocking her off him with his paddle, which likely resulted in her coma. He lies to his wife about the sense of fear and threat he feels about the pending lawsuit. It’s a book of lies.
Normally Paul isn’t the type of character I have any sympathy for. He is a coward. I can’t say he is a redeemable coward but my sympathies for him do increase at the book goes on, and as I mentioned at the beginning, the end of this book is not what I expected.
The Good Lie by Don Bailey is quite an enjoyable read--part literary, part soul searching, part crime drama. Thank you Don for introducing me to The Good Lie.
For those interested readers of fiction, I noticed on Don Bailey’s website, TheGoodLie.com that there is a book club section that offers 27 different questions and conversation points. I definitely think The Good Life is book-club worthy and Don’s dedication to providing a worthwhile website for readers is commendable.
The Good Lie by Don Bailey (published by Turnstone Press).
I like books and am always on the lookout for new books.
I subscribe to a bunch of email newsletters, in particular business newsletters and technology newsletters.
GrokDotCom is one of the newsletters and last week they wrote about the Johnny Bunko video.
I clicked on the link and watched the video, which is pretty cool.
Here’s what hooked me. I read and loved What Colour Is My Parachute? I religiously avoided Who Moved My Cheese? because it was the career book of business books for a time. The video nicely positions Johnny Bunko as THE career book of its time--the book for the new generation of employees entering the workforce.
Now I’m curious and want to read the book.
So mission accomplished. Effective video.
(Plus, I’m interested enough to write about the book and video here.)
What do you think of the video? Do you have another example of marketing unpacked?
Ayala Sender of Ayala Moriel Parfum, who I met at Portobello West a couple of months ago is teaching a class on how to make natural perfumes. I had my first class on Saturday and it was awesome.
I smelled Rose Absolute, Basil Oil, Labdumum and all sorts of interesting things that one day I’ll make into perfumes. Yippee.
Kyle Bean is a very clever designer who has created a paper laptop to demonstrate how technology has changed the way we source information relate to books.
We are becoming a society that is more virtual. We download music rather than purchase CDs, we research on the net, rather than going to the library and reading books. According to Kyle, “Books also have personality - they have textures and smells which the internet can’t offer”. Kyle wanted to illustrate this issue by using a book turned into a laptop. The object is made from a book purchased at a discount bookstore for only £1.50, as well as a few electrical components to illuminate the screen.
Flat World Knowledge is a resource site for finding free, open, online college textbooks. There is a little promo video that explains what the site is about.
Juicespot.ca is a place for book readers to go when they are looking for the next good read. You can Dig or Dis a book, create your own page, see what others are reading, review books, answer polls and win stuff.
So Misguided has been awfully light on the book reviews this year. That’s because I have been quietly slaving away as a juror of the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award, part of the Manitoba Literary Awards. See the Manitoba Literary Awards announcement of winners.
The purpose of the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award is to honour books that evoke the special character of Winnipeg and contribute to the appreciation and understanding of the City.
The Award is administered by the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers on behalf of the Winnipeg Arts Council, and carries a cash prize of $5,000 for the author of the winning book.
Congratulations to the 5 finalists, whose books I very much enjoyed. And to winner of the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award, Roland Penner.
Winner: A Glowing Dream: A Memoir by Roland Penner, published by J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing.
Other finalists for the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award:
* Influenza 1918: Disease, Death and Struggle in Winnipeg by Esyllt W. Jones, published by University of Toronto Press
* Holding My Breath by Sidura Ludwig, published by Key Porter Books
* The North End: Photographs by John Paskievich, introduction by Stephen Osborne, published by University of Manitoba Press
* The Winnipeg Jets: A Celebration of Professional Hockey in Winnipeg by Scott Taylor, published by Studio Publications.
A Glowing Dream: A Memoir by Roland Penner is a fascinating personal history of the Penner family in Winnipeg as well as a social and political history of Winnipeg, one which is not widely known. Roland’s father Jacob was a social and political activist who arrived in Winnipeg in 1904 from Southern Russia. Jacob Penner was one of the founders of the Communist Party of Canada in 1921 and later a Winnipeg City Councillor for 25 years. Roland become a litigation lawyer and academic. He grew up Red but left the Party and later became the Attorney General. The Penner family was an active part of political life in Manitoba for many, many years.
WINNIPEG—The Winnipeg Art Gallery was the scene of a momentous occasion last evening. For the twentieth consecutive year the Manitoba Book Awards honoured its best and brightest in the writing and publishing community. While there were no runaway winners, poet and academic, Alison Calder took home two awards for her collection of poems, Wolf Tree. With long-time author and editor Wayne Tefs winning Book of the Year for his fictionalized true-life survival tale, Be Wolf, and former Attorney General of Manitoba, Roland Penner, winning the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award for his memoir, A Glowing Dream, Manitoba has a healthy and diverse writing and publishing community that will know doubt thrive for twenty more years and beyond.
And the winners are…
McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award ($5,000)
Winner: Be Wolf by Wayne Tefs, published by Turnstone Press.
Other finalists for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award:
So this is the world & here I am in it by Di Brandt, published by NeWest Press • The Penance Drummer and Other Stories by Lois Braun, published by Turnstone Press • The North End: Photographs by John Paskievich, introduction by Stephen Osborne, published by University of Manitoba Press.
McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award—Older Category ($2,500)
Winner: Sandbag Shuffle by Kevin Marc Fournier, published by Thistledown Press.
Other finalists for the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award—Older Category:
Mistik Lake by Martha Brooks, published by Groundwood Books • Exploits of a Reluctant (But Extremely Goodlooking) Hero by Maureen Fergus, published by Kids Can Press • The Whirlwind by Carol Matas, published by Orca Book Publishers • Dear Canada: Not a Nickel to Spare by Perry Nodelman, published by Scholastic Canada.
John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer ($2,500)
Winner: Carolyn Gray, author of The Elmwood Visitations.
Other finalists for the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer:
Alison Calder, Poet • Brenda Hasiuk, Novelist.
Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher ($1,000)
Winner: The North End: Photographs by John Paskievich (University of Manitoba Press), introduction by Stephen Osborne.
Other finalists for the Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher:
Framing Identity: Social Practices of Photography in Canada (1880-1920) by Susan Close, published by Arbeiter Ring Publishing • The Land Where the Sky Begins: North America’s Endangered Tall Grass Prairie and Aspen Parkland photographs by Dennis Fast, text by Barbara Huck, published by Heartland Associates • Sunny Dreams by Alison Preston, published by Signature Editions.
Aqua Books Lansdowne Prize for Poetry / Le Prix Lansdowne de poésie ($1,000)
Winner: Wolf Tree by Alison Calder, published by Coteau Books.
Other finalists for the Aqua Books Lansdowne Prize for Poetry / Le Prix Lansdowne de poésie:
heures d’ouverture by Charles Leblanc, published by Les Éditions du Blé • Exaucée by Christian Violy, published by Les Éditions des Plaines.
Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction ($3,500)
Winner: The Penance Drummer and Other Stories by Lois Braun, published by Turnstone Press.
Other finalists for the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction:
A Possible Life by Simone Chaput, published by Turnstone Press • Twenty Miles by Cara Hedley, published by Coach House Books • A Feast of Longing by Sarah Klassen, published by Coteau Books • Be Wolf by Wayne Tefs, published by Turnstone Press.
Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-fiction ($3,500)
Winner: Canada’s Wheat King: The Life and Times of Seager Wheeler by Jim Shilliday, published by the Canadian Plains Research Centre / University of Regina.
Other finalists for the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-fiction:
Building Communities: The Changing Face of Manitoba Mennonites by John J. Friesen, published by Canadian Mennonite University Press • Take Comfort: the Career of Charles Comfort by Mary Jo Hughes et al., published by The Winnipeg Art Gallery • Influenza 1918: Disease, Death and Struggle in Winnipeg by Esyllt W. Jones, published by University of Toronto Press • Paddling South: Winnipeg to New Orleans by Canoe by Rick Ranson, published by NeWest Press • Imagined Homes: Soviet German Immigrants in Two Cities by Hans Werner, published by the University of Manitoba Press.
Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award ($5,000)
Winner: A Glowing Dream: A Memoir by Roland Penner, published by J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing.
Other finalists for the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award:
Influenza 1918: Disease, Death and Struggle in Winnipeg by Esyllt W. Jones, published by University of Toronto Press • Holding My Breath by Sidura Ludwig, published by Key Porter Books • The North End: Photographs by John Paskievich, introduction by Stephen Osborne, published by University of Manitoba Press • The Winnipeg Jets: A Celebration of Professional Hockey in Winnipeg by Scott Taylor, published by Studio Publications.
The Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book by a Manitoba Author ($1,500)
Winner: Wolf Tree by Alison Calder, published by Coteau Books.
Other finalists for the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book by a Manitoba Author:
Framing Identity: Social Practices of Photography in Canada (1880-1920) by Susan Close, published by Arbeiter Ring Publishing • Influenza 1918: Disease, Death and Struggle in Winnipeg by Esyllt W. Jones, published by University of Toronto Press.
Manuela Dias Book Design of the Year Award
Winner: Take Comfort: the Career of Charles Comfort, designed by Frank Reimer Design, photographs by Ernest Mayer, published by The Winnipeg Art Gallery.
Other finalists for the Manuela Dias Book Design of the Year Award:
Architecture University of Manitoba: Catalogue ‘07, designed by Evan Marnoch and Zach Pauls, published by the Department of Architecture, University of Manitoba • Framing Identity: Social Practices of Photography in Canada (1880-1920), designed by Zab Design, published by Arbeiter Ring Publishing • Gertrude Unmanageable, designed by Zab Design, published by Arbeiter Ring Publishing • Marconi in the Sculpture of John McEwen, designed by Lisa Friesen, photographs by Ernest Mayer, published by The Winnipeg Art Gallery.
Best Illustrated Book of the Year Award
Winner: Take Comfort: the Career of Charles Comfort, designed by Frank Reimer Design, photographs by Ernest Mayer, published by The Winnipeg Art Gallery.
Other finalists for the Best Illustrated Book of the Year Award:
heures d’ouverture, designed by Bernard Léveillé, illustrated by Brigitte Dion, published by Les Éditions du Blé • The North End: Photo graphs by John Paskievich, designed by Steven Rosenberg (Doowah Design), photographs by John Paskievich, published by University of Manitoba Press.
The Manitoba Book Awards is co-produced by the Manitoba Writers’ Guild and the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers. Nominees and winners are selected by juries comprised of members of Canada’s literary community. The administrators gratefully acknowledge the support of The Manitoba Foundation for the Arts, The Manitoba Arts Council, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council, The Winnipeg Foundation and Friesens.
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For more information, please contact:
Jamis Paulson, Programming and Outreach Director
Manitoba Writers’ Guild, 206-100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg, MB. R3B 1H3
(204) 947-5273; toll free (888) 637-5802
The Manitoba Literary Awards yesterday got me thinking about Winnipeg books that I’ve enjoyed and have yet to post about. Here’s a short round-up of my Winnipeg favourites that deserve mention.
Influenze 1918: Disease, Death and Struggle in Winnipeg by Esyllt W. Jones (nominated for the Carol Shields Award)
Although an academic account of how the 1918 influenza epidemic affected Winnipeg, Jones still manages to render an engaging look at the personal ways the disease affected the city. This is a thorough social history and study of the impact of influenza on various levels of society. And it freaks me out that a short-term but serious health crisis can devastate a city. These things do not change. SARS was a good example of this.
Holding My Breath by Sidura Ludwig (nominated for the Carol Shields Award) is a skillful exploration of one Jewish family in the North End of Winnipeg during the aftermath of the Second World War. Despite the potential for world events to dominate the narrative, Ludwig deftly weaves historical markers and references to Winnipeg into the story, allowing the reader to focus on the characters, their ambitions, triumphs and tragedies. Holding My Breath is a polished and satisfying novel.
The Winnipeg Jets: A Celebration of Professional Hockey in Winnipeg (nominated for the Carol Shields Award) is a treat for any Jets fan. Published by Studio Publications, this retrospective offers a comprehensive yet entertaining look at the game, from as early as 1890, when the first recognized game was played at the Winnipeg Street Railway Rink, through the days of Bobby Hull, the Swedish imports, Dale Hawerchuk and White Outs to the great farewell. It’s the good, the bad and the ugly: the famous players, the behind-the-scenes politics, the trades and the fans. Go Jets Go!
The North End: Photographs by John Paskievich (nominated for the Carol Shields Award)
The introduction to this book is by Stephen Osborne, a man whose photographic eye I will happily bend to. This is gorgeous photo book clearly evokes a time and place, that of Winnipeg’s North End. The ethnicity of the place, the class structure, the culture, the complex state of joy and anguish in this part of the city are all cleverly portrayed in the photos. A visual masterpiece.
Sandbag Shuffle by Kevin Marc Fournier
The Winnipeg Flood is one of those moments in Winnipeg history that continues to capture the imagination. This is the story of Owen and Andrew who escape from their group home in North Dakota and make their way north during the chaos of evacuations. Cheerful and irresponsible, these boys use the flood to their advantage, along with any caring soul they meet along the way. Although the narrative arch of this novel is problematic, it’s still an interesting perspective of lives during the 1997 flood.
Stay Black & Die by Addena Sumter-Freitag
I’m not sure why every book I happened to reading on Winnipeg tended to focus on the North End, but such is the randomness of life. This North End Winnipeg story is a play about a girl growing up Black during the 1950s. I thought this was a great story. Really engaging and definitely a side of Winnipeg that is often untold. I also don’t read a lot of plays so when I do it’s because they are good.
Prairie Writers: Volume 3 edited by MD Meyer
I like short stories a lot. These self-contained snippets of a character’s life represent the diversity of Prairie life. Some are good. Some are okay. But together they pull me back to the Prairies like a warm summer wind.
The Hermetic Code by the Winnipeg Free Press
No list of Winnipeg books is complete without The Hermetic Code. I think this is the book that most captured Winnipeggers this year. The Manitoba Legislature Building is an iconic building and made all the more interesting because of the secrets this book unlocks. Here’s my original review of The Hermetic Code.
The Musical Strike! by Danny Schur and Rick Chafe
Like the 1918 Influenza epidemic and the North End of Winnipeg, the 1918 Strike is iconic. I haven’t read a musical in a long, long time. Perhaps not since high school when I was auditioning for Annie. But unions and democratic dreams are part of my family history so this book caught my eye. There is a CD that you play while you read. I think this is the first interactive book that’s made sense to me.
MTC 50: Manitoba Theatre Centre 50 Years
Studio Publications is a company that caught my eye last Christmas. They published the Deluca Cookbook. Deluca’s is an Italian institution in Winnipeg. A wonderful, tasty place. The book was beautiful and left me salivating. So when I saw the gorgeous white cover of The Winnipeg Jets book and then the striking black cover of the MTC book, I couldn’t resist having a closer look. This is a beautifully produced snapshot of the history of the theatre scene in Winnipeg over the past 50 years.
Sunny Dreams by Alison Preston
I liked this book a lot. It’s a spring day in 1925 when Sunny Palmer is kidnapped from her baby carriage in broad daylight, in the middle of a busy restaurant. The kidnapping devastates the Palmer family. Violet Palmer, Sunny’s older sister, is the protagonist of this novel and we follow her to adulthood and through the summer of 1936 when two drifters arrive with clues to Sunny’s disappearance.
Quite the list. I’ll stop there for now. McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg is one of the best places to find books by Prairie writers. They have a great local section, I love the store, and if you want to read any of these books, they will be the best place to find them. Online sales too, yah!
SoMisguided is my external brain. I like to post things here about clever online marketing campaigns and the book business but the first part of the year has totally had it’s way with me.
If you have a clever online campaign or if you’ve seen one your really liked, please let me know what I’ve missed. In turn, I promise to pay attention.
Here are 2 big ones I failed to write about in a timely fashion.
Harper Collins Canada March Mystery Madness
6 weeks, 64 books, 4 conferences, tonnes of “games,” and 1 winner. Deanna from Harper says, “essentially, it’s the NCAA basketball tournament only with mystery books.” A perfect description. I’ve totally missed on this one, but I understand there are 2 books left and you can still vote for your favourites in the poll here: http://www.harpercollins.ca/marchmysterymadness/poll.html
One person wins 64 books.
Know about a clever online marketing campaign involving books? Let me know.
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin is the story of the King’s daughter who Aeneas fights to claim in Vergil’s The Aeneid. I know this sounds heavy, but it’s not. Le Guin does a fantastic job of bringing a tertiary character to life.
Lavinia is about the war that takes place for Lavinia’s hand in marriage (which is really about the amount of land and goats the boy gets). Lavinia is a head-strong girl who grows up during the peaceful reign of her father and has to endure the trials and tribulations of suitors, her crazy mother who wants to marry her off to a cousin (ok in those days), and the war that takes place when a foreigner (Aeneas) arrives on the scene just after an oracle declares that Lavinia must be married to a foreigner. Despite seeing the guy once from a hilltop, Lavinia is super keen to follow orders. I think she’s looking for an escape from the cousin.
Trojan horses, Vergil’s The Aeneid, ancient Italy, prophecies and quick witted maidens: Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin offers a lot to like.
I give it a 4 out of 5. High entertainment value. The beginning was a little difficult to get into. I was having troubles figuring out who was narrating, Lavinian, Vergil? I’m sure the blame rests with me and not with Le Guin.
Grokdotcom has a great article on changes that Amazon made to its product pages to increase visibility of key information related to the buying decision.
There are before and after shots and a good explanation of why bigger is better.
One of the great things about reviewing books is getting a chance to look at books that I wouldn’t normally choose for myself. For example, picture books. I have a small collection of picture books that I’ve bought because of the incredible artwork but these are not books I actively seek--unless I’m buying for my friends’ kids. (Ok, I secretly look at lots of picture books because I like illustration. I even hang out at “Make Things Night” with friends who are illustrators I just a hanger on.)
Raincoast Books recently sent me a couple of new Spring books from Chronicle Books that fall under the “beautiful artwork” category. They also have lovely stories.
Grandma Calls Me Beautiful by Barbara M. Joosse and illustrated by Barbara Lavallee
Team Barbara is well known to me because they previously published a very popular series called Mama, Do You Love Me and Papa, Do You Love Me. These were simple story books about a parents unconditional love. Barbara Lavallee’s watercolour illustrations are spectacular. In this book the setting appears to be Hawaii. I love the way she depicts Hawaiians and Alaskans in her paintings.
Wave by Suzy Lee
No text in this book. It’s a great graphic story book about a little girl playing in the waves. This is a fun book. Simple, beautiful. Black, white, blue and fun all over. I wanted to play in the waves after looking at this book. If I’m not mistaken this is the same Suzy Lee who published a very cheeky book called The Black Bird.
Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosental and Jen Corace
Amy and Jen are the creators of Little Pea, one of my favourite picture books of all time. Little Pea is about a little pea whose parents force him to eat all his candy. It’s horrible: candy for breakfast, sweets at lunch, treats at dinner. Little Pea just wants his veggies. Little Hoot has a similar problem. He’s a little owl and his parents won’t let him go to bed early. Owls stay up late! And that’s that.
Only in Dreams: a Paul Frank Book by Parker Jacobs
Julius the Monkey is brought to life in the Paul Frank Books. I love this monkey. Who doesn’t love monkeys? The colours are bold! In this story Julius is off to dreamland. My favourite page is Julius paddling down a strawberry-milk river, near a frosted-cupcake village. I like this dream a lot.
Chronicle Books isn’t the only publisher with great picture books that take an irreverent approach to kids books. Harcourt Books has a fab book this season too.
Janet and Susan has have an interview about writing the book. Get the inside scoop. Mr. Mutt is super cute. Find out if he or any of the other pups are based on Janet or Susan’s pets.
I haven’t written about tap dancing for a while so let me tell you about figure skating.
My friend Julie, who I visited in Malta last year, is back in town and actively promoting her figure skating blog, called Boot and Blade.
It’s an interesting look into the figure skating world from the perspective of someone who spent an awful lot of time on the rink skating and coaching. I have a passing interest in figure skating but Julie definitely knows how to hook me. I think I even watched part of the World’s with her last year just so I could get the inside scoop on who should or shouldn’t win and what moves were tough vs. crowd pleasers.
The Man Who Forgot How to Read: A Memoir by Howard Engel is not a literary masterpiece but it is a masterful work. Howard Engel, author of the Benny Cooperman detective novels, woke up one day and discovered that he could not read the newspaper. Not the newspaper, books, street signs, any written text. In the night he suffered a stroke that affected the part of his brain responsible for reading. He could write but could not read.
Via TrendHunter.com:
