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There are a few people in my world who make me go gaga and I consider them my rocks stars even when this list tends to be mostly authors. Go figure, right? But here's the thing, I’m also a fan of some actual rock stars. What if there were a celebrity who was both a rock star and an author? Can you say Jian Ghomeshi? Yes, THE Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC Radio's "Q" and The Scotiabank Giller Prize plus the member of 90's band Moxy Früvous!
I had the awesome opportunity to attend the Blissdom Canada conference with a bunch of the YMC family thanks to Queen E. E.. This is where I meet the one and only Jian Ghomeshi (insert 14-year-old "SQUEE!") during a book signing for his memoir 1982. I must say it went very well despite my spazzy rambling. Jian read my Blissdom "Bookalicious" tag and thanked me for promoting authors and their books. I was delighted when Jian squeeze-hugged me but I reacted with a squinty face which was precisely the moment that a well-intentioned book lover took a photo of us. All I can say is I need a redo Ghomeshi! If you want to relive the 80's then FYI, 1982 is an entertaining, touching and inspiring must read.
The Scotiabank Giller Prize is the most distinguished literary prize in Canada. Each year the Giller awards a sweet $50,000 bounty to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English. The shortlist finalists receive $5,000 which is not too shabby!
Here are the five 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlisted books up for the jury's consideration on October 30th.
On Tuesday, October 30, 2012 Jian Ghomeshi will host the Giller gala. The Scotiabank Giller Prize will be broadcast on CBC Television at 9:00 p.m. / 9:30 p.m. NT. The event will also be live streamed on CBC.ca. CBC Books is holding a "Guess The Giller" contest where you can enter for a chance to win a Kobo eReader Prize Pack or a set of the shortlisted books.
So, what book(s) have you read on the Giller shortlist or the longlist? Which one do you want to win? Who do you think will win? Let's tune in to find out the big Giller winner together!
Relish reading,
Wanda
Main image credit: www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca
October is Autism Awareness month in Canada. This yearly campaign puts a spotlight on autism which is a cause that is near and dear to my heart as a parent to a child on the autism spectrum. One of my favourite authors Lisa Genova, has created a new work of fiction that tackles yet another mystery of the human brain. She addressed the topic of early onset Alzheimer's in her novel STILL ALICE and dealt with the subject of traumatic brain injury in her novel LEFT NEGLECTED. Her new novel LOVE ANTHONY was inspired by her cousin's son who has autism. I found the story in LOVE ANTHONY to be very touching and I have to admit, almost too real to read at times. Being an autism mom, it hit so close to home when it came to one of the character's perspective. Don't get me wrong, this novel is not at all sappy but rather spot on and I give a major tribute to the author who has brilliant writing and used her thorough research skills and drew upon her personal connection to autism to develop a superb novel. Lisa's story gives an excellent portrayal of an autism parent's experience and shows just how autism tends to shape and influence a person's life experience and even displays how sometimes this can be for the better. Whether you're an autism parent who has been there and done that, someone with a loved one on the spectrum, or just a person who wants to be enlightened by a story with an autism view, then this novel is for you. There are many more layers to the LOVE ANTHONY story. Read on and view the video to learn about the two women in the story who share their losses and learn from each other.
Lisa Genova is on her book tour but somehow she found the time in her hectic schedule to answer some questions for me and I'm glad to have this platform to share her answers with my readers. Check out my interview with Lisa where she shares her experience writing LOVE ANTHONY and make sure you check out the video interview with Lisa for even more insights.
Interview With Lisa Genova
Books play a big part in the lives of the two main fictional characters in LOVE ANTHONY. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time by Mark Haddon, The Siege by Clara Claiborne, and Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg are some of the books referenced in the novel. Did you happen to read House Rules by Jodi Picoult? What other books have influenced you as a writer?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Genova is a New York Times bestselling author with a degree in Biopsychology and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. You can find out more about Lisa and her novels by visiting her website lisagenova.com. To track Lisa's social media activity you can follow her on Twitter @LisaGenova, like Author Lisa Genova's Facebook Page, and find Lisa Genova on GoodReads.
AUTHOR APPEARANCES
Lisa will be making several appearances on her book tour. Check out Lisa's tour dates here and note the Canadian dates: October 5, 2012 at the Indigo Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West at 6:30pm in Toronto, Ontario, October 6, 2012 at Costco Nepean, 1849 Merivale Road at 12:00pm in Nepean, Ontario and October 13, 2012 at Chapters, 788 Robson Street at 2:00pm in Vancouver, British Columbia. To read from the novel you are welcome to browse inside Love Anthony from the Simon & Schuster Canada website.