Saffron Beckwith's Picks • Kate Walker & Company • [email protected] Plastiki by David de Rothschild Chronicle Books Ecology/Current Events 978-1-4521-0002-9 $27.50 (US) HC 250pp April Explorer, global green leader, and eco-TV host David de Rothschild recounts the extraordinary journey of the Plastiki, an innovative and mostly untested sixty-foot catamaran that floats on 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles. It was a voyage that took de Rothschild and a five-person crew 10,000 miles from the U.S. to Australia, sailing through rarely traveled, dangerous waters, risking their lives to call attention to our fragile oceans. Visual Complexity by Manuel Lima Princeton Architectural Press Art 978-1-56898-936-5$50.00 HC 240pp May Our ability to generate information now far exceeds our capacity to understand it. From representing networks of friends on Facebook to depicting interactions among proteins in a human cell, Visual Complexity presents one hundred of the most interesting examples of information-visualization by the field's leading practitioners. The Klondike by Zach Worton Drawn and Quarterly Graphic Novels/Literary 978-1-897299-87-6 $25.95 PB 320pp May The history of how a handful of colourful characters sparked the largest mobilization of gold seekers in history is brought vividly to life in this debut graphic novel. Worton draws the reader into an absorbing historical tale of political intrigue and personal adventure, played out amid the free-for-all atmosphere of the Wild West Sins of the House of Borgia by Sarah Bower Sourcebooks Fiction 978-1-4022-5963-0 $14.95 (US) PB 544pp March In 1492, when Ferdinand and Isabella expel the Jews from Spain, six year old Esther Sarfati finds herself travelling to Rome. Nine years later, Pope Alexander VI offers Esther a place in the household of his daughter, Lucrezia. Against her own better judgment, Esther converts to Christianity. Flattered by Lucrezia''s favour, seduced by the friendship of her cousin, and swept off her feet by Lucrezia''s glamorous and dangerous brother, she is drawn into a web of intrigue and deceit which will test her heart to its utmost and burden her with secrets she must carry to her grave. Song of Slaves in the Desert by Alan Cheuse Sourcebooks Fiction 978-1-4022-4299-1 $25.99 (US) HC 528pp March Based on historically accurate roots, this novel explores one New Yorker''s involvement in his family''s rice plantation and the wild tensions involved as he tries to right the wrong he sees at work in his family. Beginning in Timbuktu in the 1500s, this is a story about one man''s struggle with the legacy of slavery and the loyalty of family, brought into sharp focus as he finds himself attracted to one young slave woman. Eat Naked by Margaret Floyd New Harbinger Health 978-1-60882-013-9 $16.95(US) PB 192pp May In Eat Naked, nutritionist and holistic health counselor Margaret Floyd introduces readers to the easy-to-implement Eat Naked lifestyle. Eating naked means eating without the extra sodium, corn syrup, additives, and packaging so common in the American diet. This book shows readers simple ways to begin eating naked right away, offering guidance for eating naked in every food group and preparation techniques that help maximize the nutritional value of food. That Summer in Franklin by Linda Hutsell-Manning Second Story Press Fiction 978-1-89787-89-0 $18.95 PB 320pp March In 1955, two fifteen-year-olds with immeasurable optimism shared a summer working as waitresses in the small town of Franklin's flourishing Britannia Hotel. Forty years later, Hannah, now a successful teacher with a younger lover, rushes home from Toronto to find her mother in hospital while Colleen, still in Franklin and married with five children, copes with her alcoholic father. Both women try to deal with the pain and guilt of admitting their parents to the local nursing home. Reinventing the Rose by Kenneth J. Harvey Dundurn Fiction 978-1-55488-921-1 $22.99 PB 328pp June Anna discovers she is pregnant, but her gynecologist boyfriend, Kevin, considers the time just not right to have children. Anna moves to a 100-yearold house in Bareneed, an abandoned cove in Newfoundland. All goes well until a car arrives delivering a court summons. Kevin has filed a statement of claim seeking the termination of the embryo as "return of property." The Sixth Extinction by d Leonard freeston Dundurn Fiction 978-1-55488-903-7 $22.99 PB 424pp September Jason Conrad, a man with the wealth of Bill Gates, decides to preserve for posterity the seeds of as many animal and plant species as possible in a vast and remote underground facility. Soon it becomes apparent that highly organized, ruthless abduction teams are raiding seed banks around the world, as well as scooping up the finest animal specimens from zoos, nature preserves, and the wild. The Astonishing General by Wesley B. Turner Dundurn Biography 978-1-55288-777-4 $35.00 PB 304pp July The Astonishing General is about Major General Sir Isaac Brock (1769-1812). It tells of his life, his career and legacy, particularly in the Canadas, and of the context within which he lived. Storyteller Guitar by Doug Larson Dundurn Music 978-1-55488-887-0 $39.99 PB 224pp May Every object around us contains the history of all the people and places that brought it here. But rarely is that history explored. In this book, instead of breaking an object apart to reveal those stories, they are told by building the object - a guitar named Storyteller - from scratch. The text and illustrations reveal the rich lives of the people, places, and projects that breathed life into it. Walking Backwards by Mark Frutkin Dundurn Travel 978-1-55488-932-7 $19.99 PB 208pp May Walking Backwards is a return to 10 cities and what happened there. Whether inadvertently smuggling "cloth" into Istanbul, reading poetry in New Delhi to a crowd expecting a world-famous pianist, or wandering endlessly through Mantua searching for a non-existent hotel on a street that has fallen off the map, Mark Frutkin is a master at rediscovering the magic at the heart of all travel. The Suite Life by Christopher Heard Dundurn Travl 978-155488-862-7 $24.99 PB 312pp April The Suite Life is the culmination of a lifelong fascination with iconic hotels and those who have opted to reside in them. It tells of the enchantment of being exposed to many varied energies at the same time and describes the uniqueness of life lived in a place where people can let their inhibitions relax. Talk – Action = Zero by Joe Keithley Aresenal Pulp Press Music 978-1-55152-396-5 $24.95 PB 224pp April This large-format book is a sprawling visual history of the music group D.O.A. as told by lead singer/guitarist Keithley. The book is made up of vintage photographs, posters, handwritten lyrics, and other various ephemera that offers a visceral glimpse into the hardcore life of one of the hardest-working punk bands in the business. Crass Struggle by R. T. Naylor McGill-Queens University Press Cultural Studies - Economics 978-0-7735-3771-2 $34.95 HC 560pp May A critique of the lifestyles of today's ultra rich Crass Struggle provides a humorous commentary on "the bad side of the good life." Through a series of outrageous but all too true stories, Crass Struggle reveals the appalling consequences of consumerism run amok and its links to repetitive financial swindles and the alarming degradation of the biophysical environment. A Gentleman of Pleasure by Brian Busby McGill-Queens University Press Biography – Literary Studies 978-0-7735-3818-4 $39.95 HC 400pp April A Gentleman of Pleasure not only spans John Glassco's life but delves into his background as a member of a once prominent and powerful Montreal family. In a lively account of a man given to deception, who took delight in hoaxes, Busby manages to substantiate many of the often unreliable statements Glassco made about his life and work. Phoenix by Roderick Stewart & Sharon Stewart McGill-Queens University Press Biography – Canadian History 978-0-7735-3819-1 $39.95 HC 488pp May In Phoenix, Roderick and Sharon Stewart provide the intriguing details of Norman Bethune''s controversial career as a surgeon, his turbulent personal life, his passionate crusade to eradicate tuberculosis, and his pioneering commitment to the establishment of medicare in Canada. They also examine the reasoning that led Bethune to embrace Marxism and show the depth of his faith in the triumph of communism over fascism. The Man in Blue Pyjamas by Jalal Barzanji The University of Alberta Press Memoir/Human Rights 978-0-88864-536-4 $24.95 PB 256pp April From 1986 to1989 poet and journalist Jalal Barzanji endured imprisonment and torture under Saddam Hussein's regime because of his literary and journalistic achievements. . It was not until 1998, when he and his family took refuge in Canada, that he was able to consider speaking out fully. This literary memoir is the project Barzanji worked on while Writer-in-Exile. The Pregnant Body Book by Dorling Kindersley Dorling Kindersley Health & Fitness 978-0-7566-7559-2 $45.00 HC 256pp June The Pregnant Body Book is a comprehensive visual guide to every aspect of conception, pregnancy and birth exploring the important changes that take place in a completely revolutionary way. State-of-the-art images, extraordinary photography and accessible text track each stage of both the mother and baby's development from fertilisation to birth week-by-week. Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope by Morgan Spurlock Dorling Kindersley Popular Culture 978-0-7566-8342-9 $27.99 HC 196pp May Get an insider's look at the biggest pop culture and fan convention in the USA! This 196 page hardcover book offers an in-depth look at the experience of Comic-Con, minus the parking fees and hotel. And Me Among Them by Kristen den Hartog Freehand Books Adult Fiction 978-1-55481-054-3 $21.95 PB 200pp April The protagonist in Kristen den Hartog’s new novel is a girl with gigantism. From a bird’s-eye perspective, Ruth recollects her struggles to connect with other children in small-town, post-WWII Canada, and observes the lives of her parents, Elspeth, an English war bride and seamstress, and James, a mailman. Ortona Street Fight by Mark Zuehlke Orca Book Publishers History 978-1-55469-398-6 $9.95 PB 128pp April December 20, 1943: Two Canadian infantry battalions and a tank regiment stand poised on the outskirts of a small Italian port town. They expect to take Ortona quickly. But the German 1st Parachute Division has other ideas. Ortona Street Fight is a riveting telling of what is considered one of the most epic battles that Canadian soldiers have ever fought. Generation Us by Andrew Weaver Orca Book Publishers Reference 978-1-55469-804-2 $9.95 PB 128pp April Generation Us explains the phenomenon of global warming and outlines the threat it presents to future generations. Dr. Weaver, one of the world's leading experts in the field, contends that, just as humans have been responsible for creating the problem of global warming, we must also be the solution. The Odious Child by Carolyn Black Harbour Publishing Adult Fiction 978-0-88971-254-6 $21.95 PB 200pp March In The Odious Child, Carolyn Black conceives of multiple situations, both believable and fantastic, in which adeptly written characters attempt to channel their powerful, desperate yearning for fulfillment within the intricate labyrinths of social interaction. Chicken Poop for the Soul by Kristeva Dowling Harbour Publishing Current Affairs/Food 978-1-894759-60-1 $24.95 PB 256pp April In the tradition of the "back-to-the-landers" of the '60s, Dowling sheds the habits of her urban life and, with no agricultural background, begins an emotional and political journey towards independence. Between rendering maple syrup, mothering baby chicks, canning hundreds of pounds of preserves, tracking wild game and growing her own wheat, Dowling finds time to reflect on her new-found tangible skills, her intangible problems and the politics and legislative barriers that face BC's small farming community.
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