Random House Goes Political

Old-ish news, but I feel it's still worth posting about: Random House recently released the news that they will be including a new clause in contracts with children's authors. The clause states that if an author acts in a way which damages his or her reputation as someone suitable to be associated with children, the publisher has the right to renegotiate and advance, delay publication of the book, or break the contract altogether.

I find this information rather frightening, personally. Most children don't even think to associate a face with what they read - they rarely consider the possibility that a real person is behind it. And also, these authors do not owe anybody anything. So long as they have provided an entertaining and somewhat educational book for their readers, whose business is it how they spend their leisure time? (So long as their extracurricular activities are legal, that is).

Thoughts?

Man Booker 2008 Shortlist Announced

The shortlist has been released for one of the more prestigious book awards: The Man Booker Prize. Two first-time authors, Aravind Adiga and Steve Toltz, made this year's list over Salman Rushdie's latest, The Enchantress of Florence.

The 2008 shortlist is:

Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger (Atlantic)
Sebastian Barry, Secret Scripture (Faber and Faber)
Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies (John Murray)
Linda Grant, The Clothes on Their Backs (Virago)
Philip Hensher, The Northern Clemency (Fourth Estate)
Steve Toltz, A Fraction of the Whole (Hamish Hamilton)

The winning author will be presented with the award and prize money at a ceremony the evening of October 14.

2008 ReLit Awards Announced

The ReLit committees have made their final decisions for this year's awards.

And the winners are....

Short Fiction: Long After Fathers by Roberta Rees (Coteau Books)

"Roberta Rees masterfully pulls the reader in from the opening page of Long After Fathers, her first collection of short fiction."
-Lynda Grace Philippsen, The Globe & Mail

Poetry: Soft Geography by Gillian Wigmore (Harbour Publishing)

"What a wonderful, fresh voice Gillian Wigmore brings to the page. These wise poems know the push and pull within family. They reveal the tender truths behind the rough edges of small-town life. Her voice resonates with authenticity, and whether she is writing about a near drowning or ice fishing, she is ultimately writing about the complications of love. These are poems you will not soon forget."
—Robert Hilles, Governor General’s Award-winner for Poetry

Novel: The Outlander by Gil Adamson (Anansi)

"The Outlander deserves to be read twice, first for the plot and the complex characters which make this a page turner of the highest order, and then a second time, slowly, to savor the marvel of Gil Adamson's writing. This novel is a true wonder."
-Ann Patchett

Book Review: Love Is A Mix Tape

I love books, and I love music. When the two are combined, that love becomes so strong that it could probably take on the superhero trifecta of Batman, Superman and Spider-man and STILL win.

Rob Sheffield has done a phenomenal job of combining my two lifelong loves in his 2007 memoir, Love is a Mix Tape. The book takes the form of a novel, but each chapter is prefaced with the play list of a mix tape from his past, and the stories recounted in each chapter are the memories Rob has of making and listening to those tapes. He focuses largely on the transformative power of music: the idea that one song has the ability to transport a person to another time, another place, simply because of an inherent emotional connection. It's something that is difficult to explain, but something that (I hope) everyone has experienced.

The story that Rob tells with these play lists is one of a deep unconditional love - that which he felt (and still feels) for his first wife, Renée. In this book, Sheffield allows the world a glimpse into the world that, for a short time, he shared with Renée, a woman who he depicts as vibrant, energetic, and his musical soul mate. We are also allowed a glimpse into his world after Renée's sudden, unexpected death in 1997. Both worlds, though vastly different, were filled with music.

The following is the playlist that I think best suits this book:

1. Anything by the band Pavement.
Pavement was Renée's favorite band, and one of Rob's favorites, too. They were an underground New York band with a small but dedicated following in the 1990s. I recommend checking out "Carrot Rope" as your introduction to them.

2. "5 Years" by David Bowie
Rob recalls how he and Renée got completely wasted on their fifth anniversary and blasted this song on repeat, despite the fact that the meaning behind it is anything but celebratory. Renée did not make it to their sixth anniversary, which contributes tragic irony to the lyrics "Five years/That's all we got".

3. "Thirteen" by Big Star
Rob and Renée met in a bar in 1989. The bartender put on the album "Radio City" by Big Star, and they were the only two patrons in the whole joint who perked up, prompting their initial conversation about music. "Thirteen" was their common favorite song off the album.

4. "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana
Rob admits to connecting more with Nirvana's In Utero more than their other, more popular albums, because In Utero was mostly about Kurt becoming a new husband, and the album was released around the same time that Rob got married, and he was facing many of the same dilemmas that Kurt sang about on the album.

5. "Mmmbop" by Hanson
Renée died on May 11, 1997, probably only weeks before this single hit the airwaves. Rob mentions a couple of times near the end of the book that there are songs he hears, even today, that he wishes he could share with her, because he knows that she would have loved them. This was one of those songs.

I urge you all to read this book, especially if you're a music lover. Rob Sheffield is an amazingly astute writer, and he paints a lovely picture of a girl who I definitely would have liked to have known.

Details:
Love Is A Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 978-1400083022

Saskatoon Author Makes Good In UK

Alice Kuipers, a resident of Saskatoon, recently won the British Redbridge Book Award for her teen book Life on the Refrigerator Door. The book is called a novel by the publisher, but it is not written in a typical novel format - rather, it is made up of post-it notes written between a mother and her daughter and stuck to their refrigerator for the other to read.

I have not yet read the book, but I look forward to doing so eventually. I have been excited about it since the 2007 Saskatchewan Book Awards in November, where it won the Best First Book Award.

Congratulations to Alice on this international achievement.


I'll be posting a book review before the weekend, so keep watching!

ReLit Awards Committee Announces Shortlist

The shortlist for the 2008 ReLit Awards was announced on Friday. The awards will be presented at the Ottawa International Writers Festival in October.

SHORT FICTION

Up on the Roof, P.K. Page (Porcupine’s Quill)

Bix’s Trumpet, Dave Margoshes (NeWest)

Six Ways to Sunday, Christian McPherson (Nightwood)

Long After Fathers, Roberta Rees (Coteau)

Black Rabbit, Salvatore Difalco (Anvil)

Seven Openings of the Head, Liane Keightley (conundrum)

Long Story Short, Elyse Friedman (Anansi)

POETRY

I Cut My Finger, Stuart Ross (Anvil)

Soft Geography, Gillian Wigmore (Caitlin)

The Shovel, Colin Browne (Talonbooks)

All Things Said & Done, Marita Dachsel (Caitlin)

Two Hemispheres, Nadine McInnis (Brick)

AEthel, Donato Mancini (New Star)

Sitcom, David McGimpsey (Coach House)

NOVEL

The Outlander, Gil Adamson (Anansi)

Orphan Love, Nadia Bozak (Key Porter)

The Milk Chicken Bomb, Andrew Wedderburn (Coach House)

Big White Knuckles, Brian Tucker (Vagrant)

Crown Shyness, Curtis Gillespie (Brindle & Glass)

Soucouyant, David Chariandy (Arsenal Pulp)

The Reckoning of Boston Jim, Claire Mulligan (Brindle & Glass)

League of Canadian Poets Award Winners

This is a couple days overdue, but I'm sure you'll all forgive me that, right?

The League of Canadian Poets had their Poetry Fest and Conference this weekend in St. John's Newfoundland. On Saturday, they announced the winners of both the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award and the Pat Lowther Memorial Award. Alex Boyd took home the Lampert Award for his book Making Bones Walk (Luna Publications), and Anne Simpson won the Lowther Award for Quick (McClelland & Stewart).

The shortlists for both awards, along with judges comments on all the titles, can be found here.

Late Nights and Infinite Playlists

I've been in reading mode lately. I finally got to The Kite Runner, and then picked up Jennifer Weiner's Good in Bed. Finished that and re-read Monkey Business by Sarah Mlynowski (one of my favorite authors, and most definitely my favorite Canadian writer). Now I'm on to Elizabeth Hay's Giller-winning Late Nights on Air, a book based in Yellowknife - where I lived for two years as a teenager. Exciting!

I've been buying books, too. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer last weekend, and then yesterday I went and picked up Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Oh, and today I almost impulse bought this book. It looks amazing, and I just did some research and found out that the guy's father wrote a memoir also, about raising an addict. I'll likely read both, hopefully sometime soon.

So many books! I love it!

Keep an eye out for award news - The League of Canadian Poets is presenting the Pat Lowther and Gerald Lampert Awards in Newfoundland tonight.

ReLit Longlist and BEC

The longlist for the ReLit Awards was unveiled late last week, and long it was! The novel category alone includes 41 titles. But don't take my word for it. Go check it out for yourself!

Also, Book Expo Canada was held this past weekend in Toronto. Many big names came out for the event, including Robert Munsch, Paul Gross (the director/producer/star of the new film Passchendaele, which was just named the opening film at the Toronto International Film Festival), and the man of the month himself, Rawi Hage.

But really, the biggest story that came out of BEC 2008 is the rumor that it may be held in the fall next year. This drastic change may be accompanied by limited public access to Book Expo 2009, in an effort to create more buzz around the event. Thoughts?

Rawi Hage Takes It All

June 12, 2008: Rawi Hage is the second Canadian to win the prestigious IMPAC award for his novel De Niro's Game. The award is run by the Dublin Public Library System and funded by Improved Management Productivity and Control, a management consultancy based in Connecticut. The award included a monetary prize of 100, 000 pounds (about $150 000 CAD). This marks the first time a debut novel has ever won the award.

De Niro's Game was published by House of Anansi Press in 2006. The book is about two childhood friends who are both trying to survive in war-torn Beirut, but in different ways. It was shortlisted for both the Governor General's Award and the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Rawi Hage is a writer and ex-cabbie from Montreal, Quebec. He had this to say upon winning the IMPAC award: "To all those women and men of letters, and all artists who have gone beyond the aesthetics of the singular to represent the multiple and diverse, to all those men and women who have chosen the painful and costly portrayal of truth over tribal self-righteousness, I am grateful. We should all be grateful."


The other shortlisted titles for the award were "The Attack," by Yasmina Khadra; "Let It Be Morning," by Sayed Kashua; "The Woman Who Waited," by Andrei Makine; "The Sweet & Simple Kind," by Yasmine Gooneratne; "Dreams of Speaking," by Gail Jones; "The Speed of Light," by Javier Cercas, and "Winterwood," by Patrick McCabe.

Book Review: Candy Girl

Have you ever been sitting at work and thought to yourself, “I’d rather be naked”?

Yeah, me neither. But in a 2006 interview with David Letterman, Diablo Cody claimed that that thought is what spurred her to start stripping in sleazy nightclubs in downtown Minneapolis. Her experiences throughout the following year were well-documented, first on her popular city pages blog and eventually, in a book called Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper.

Candy Girl is far from your run-of-the-mill memoir. For starters, Cody was in her mid-twenties when she wrote it. And despite popular belief (in Hollywood, at least), two decades seldom provide enough material to fill an entire book. In Diablo Cody’s case, however, she generated all the substance she needed in less than two years.

The book follows her through her entire stint in the sex trade. From her somewhat Cleaver-like childhood in Chicago, to listening to that first nub of a thought while she was typing copy at an ad agency, to taking off her clothes in front of strangers, giving lap dances, displaying her goods for peep shows, and finally a short stint in phone sex, it’s all there. And it’s all very, very graphic.

But don’t let that frighten you. Cody’s candidness plays a large role in the appeal of this book, because she holds nothing back. When I saw that she described a pair of high heels as being “clit-pink”, I was completely hooked. Reading the next dozen or so pages, I think I laughed out loud as many times. Once or twice I thought I was going to pee myself. But it’s not all humor. There is some emotion sprinkled in this book, mostly having to do with Diablo’s relationship with her boyfriend Jonny (who, by the way, was almost frighteningly supportive of her adventures) and his three year old daughter, who is called Peanut for the purposes of this book.

All in all, this was an entertaining, though sometimes discomforting, read. Highly recommended, but make sure you have a hot shower on hand. Believe me, you’ll feel like you need one at times.

Details:

Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper by Diablo Cody
ISBN: 978-1592402731
Publisher: Penguin Group, Inc.

Book Review: The Kite Runner

I loved this book. Plain and simple.

It took me a few days to actually become immersed in the story, but as soon as the pace picked up a little bit, I became an unstoppable reading machine. I stayed up past my bedtime on more than one occasion. I put off meals so I could read Just One More Paragraph. And I spent about 30 minutes sitting at my desk at work reading frantically so as to finish the book before my boss showed up and told me to get back to work.

Khaled Hosseini wrote an amazing novel about love, family, trust, and above all, betrayal and how to move forward from the wreckage that it creates. The book is relatable in a way that I would never have expected it to be. Amir, the main character, is Afghani and Muslim, and was born in the 1960s. I am Canadian, not religious at all, and was born in the 1980s. He is raised by his emotionally distant father, having lost his mother the same day he was born. I was raised by two parents who were anything but distant, and I have never lost a loved one.

All things considered, I should feel no connection to Amir. But Hosseini looks past these fairly shallow differences and gets to the root of what is really important: human nature, the connections we make with one another, and the fear of truly loving another person. Like Hosseini’s characters, I was forced to look beyond the initial disparity between myself and Amir, and see that religious and class differences do not make one person more equipped to handle this fear. It’s there, inside all of us, waiting to be acknowledged. And once we acknowledge that it is there, we can confront it, keep it from prohibiting us to care for one another.

I can’t believe it took me this long to finally read this book. Especially since I’m a sucker for books that have been made into movies. I like to read the book and then rent the movie as soon as possible to compare. (For the record, I watched the film version of The Kite Runner over the weekend. And it didn’t even compare to the book.)

Details:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
ISBN: 978-1594480003
Publisher: Riverhead Trade

InterFaceBook

I'm very close to finishing The Kite Runner. I should be done by the end of this week, and maybe this weekend I'll post reviews of both that and Diablo Cody's memoir, Candy Girl. I feel I should, since this blog is supposed to be book reviews and to date, I've posted one.

Ah well. No sense dwelling.

I've been slacking a bit at work this afternoon, for no real reason. I mean, it's not like I don't have mountains of work to get through. But I'm being lazy and unmotivated. It has to end.

Anyway, I was browsing the internet, and I cam across the loldogs website. How did I not know about this sooner? I'm completely addicted to lolcats. People think I'm crazy because I sit at my desk and laugh hysterically at them. And now? NEW ones. Never before seen (by me)! How exciting!

Frank Warren of postsecret has brought his project to facebook, and the general response has not been good. People are pissed because comments have been enabled on the uploaded postcards, and that messes with the anonymity. Which I agree with, but my sympathy lies more with the poor schmucks who leave a comment expressing their true thoughts without realizing that on facebook, you're not hiding behind a screen name. You're out there for the world to see. As is your hometown/high school/college/whatever. It takes a lot of guts to publicly lash someone for a secret when they can see your name but you don't know theirs.

Thoughts?

Holy MIA, Batman.

I went one week without posting, then 2 weeks after that, and now it's been 3. I think I should cut it out, if for no other reason than I am tired of beginning my entries by acknowledging that I haven't been around in awhile and then apologizing for it.

So Hollywood is making a Goosebumps movie. There's absolutely no information about it on IMDb yet, but it is happening. I will definitely go see it. I used to love those books.

There isn't a hell of a lot of other book news to discuss, other than a couple minor points:

-James Frey's novel finally hit shelves this week. If you haven't yet, check out the NY Times review of it. The writer adopted Frey's style to critique the book, and it was really effective.

-I bought this book yesterday. I was ALMOST out of Chapters empty-handed when I saw it sitting on the new releases table, and I couldn't help myself. The blurb on the back described the main character to be so similar to me that I had to have it. And now I do. Go cyber-lurking!

I also went on a bit of a spending spree over the long weekend. I finally bought Juno, which I've seen three times and have been tempted to rent more than is necessary. I also got the new Death Cab for Cutie album. I listened to it once, and I'm not sure what I think yet. It's good - there was never any doubt about that - but I think I like their old stuff a little more. And, because of my ongoing addiction to once, I bought a Glen Hansard/Marketa Irglova album, which includes a couple songs from the movie and a few others. It's lovely.

It's 10:41 and I've done nothing today. I'm out.

Children's Literature MAYHEM!

I suppose you were all wondering if I was alive (all...one of you who reads this, anyway. Hey, if you read and I don't know about it, let me know, k? I'd like to get to know my lurkers.)

ANYWAY. I'm alive. I'm just ridiculously busy lately. I'm moving tomorrow, and some friends left the country this past weekend, so I had to say goodbye to them, and there's been stuff to buy for my new place, and I'm generally just overwhelmed.

But I'm here now, and that's what matters, right?

In the world of publishing, my news is all kid-focused lately. First off, a couple children's books that should never have been published. The first one is just reasserting what society has already made perfectly clear: that even nature should not mess with our bodies, because we have to look fantastic ALL THE TIME. Or else no one will love us. Also, kids? Mommy wouldn't need to have work done if it weren't for YOU. Right?

Next up: a picture book in which little Janie catches her parents smoking a joint. Clearly, she's going to ask questions. Now they can be answered with fun, colorful pictures!

Hey, Janie. I know a better way to see fun colors if that's what you're really after.

I feel like this book did not need to be written. Yes, some kids are exposed to pot at an early age. But generally, the parents who are smoking pot around their kids are the least likely to want to explain it to them in this fashion. Am I right?

Finally, I was in the bookstore a few days ago and I noticed that they've reprinted Sweet Valley High. It's been 25 years since the first book in this series was originally published, and apparently the books are still relevant. I agree wholeheartedly, and will very likely buy the 12 titles that are being reprinted. Because what's a book collection without Francine Pascal?

Bright Shiny Harry Potter

I haven't been around in awhile, and I apologize. Sometimes life just gets kind of hectic, and it's hard to juggle 17 million things at once. And since I get paid to do my work, and not this, then that had to take priority. (Of course, so did sleeping, watching movies, going to an art gallery, going out for supper with friends...)

Moving on. Have you guys heard about this? J.K. Rowling is involved in a lawsuit. It appears that Steve Vander Ark has attempted to publish a reference guide for her books called The Harry Potter Lexicon, titled after the website of the same name. Rowling is kind of pissed about this – she claims it infringes on her intellectual property rights, and that she was planning on publishing her own reference guide. Vander Ark's counter-argument is that Rowling is just trying to claim a monopoly on all things Harry Potter.

To which I have to say, that's her RIGHT. As a writer, I definitely have to take Rowling's side in this. Harry Potter is her creation, and she has a right to say who can and cannot make a profit off of her imaginary world. And I don't see this as a strictly individual case. Artists have been struggling with the issue of intellectual property rights for an extremely long time, and maybe it will take someone as famous and rich as Rowling to get us what we need. If that's the case, so be it. As long as artists get what they're asking for, I personally don't care where the fairness originates.

In other news, I got a comment on my last entry asking whether I recommend James Frey's work. My answer is 100 percent YES. It's so "yes" that I plan on buying his novel as soon as it comes out without a clue as to what it's about.

My thoughts on the whole Frey scandal are this: Who cares whether A Million Little Pieces was fact or fiction? It was a good read either way. And for those of you claiming that you were "misled" and getting your money back? Suck it the hell up. You bought a book. You probably enjoyed it. Even if you didn't, you still were willing to put out the money in the first place. I honestly don't know how you can feel that it is a personal attack against ANY of you if the work was not entirely factual. How did it honestly affect your daily life? (Unless, of course, you know Frey personally and were depicted in the book, in which case you probably shouldn't have paid for your copy anyway, you sucker.)

Anyway, back to the point. James Frey is an amazing storyteller and obviously has an extraordinary imagination. I will gladly pay for (and read) anything he writes.

Signing off to go send some rejection letters. This has been avery jenner.

My Friend James

This morning I got an e-mail from amazon.ca listing all the much-anticipated spring titles being released by various publishers in the next few months. I took the bait and headed on over to their site (mainly to research whether any of our titles made the list [none did]).

In my journey, though, I did come across something pretty interesting: James Frey's first novel, Bright Shiny Morning, has been published and will be in bookstores in May.

In case you don't remember, James Frey is the guy who caused a buttload of controversy in late 2005 with his 2003 memoir, A Million Little Pieces. The book was a runaway bestseller until The Smoking Gun website revealed that parts of it were fabricated. The news resulted in an appearance by Frey on Oprah (who helped sell millions of copies of the book when she added it to her book club), during which she made him shed a few tears.

The publisher of the book, Doubleday, received a ton of complaints and ended up refunding readers over $2 million because they felt "cheated". Doubleday also pulled out of pending book deals with Frey, one of which included the publication of Bright Shiny Morning. In September 2007, Harper Collins struck a deal with Frey to publish the novel.

In other James Frey news, the NY Observer reported last week that he recently purchased the single-bedroom apartment next door to his current 3-bedroom dwelling for nearly $1 million.

Disney + Harper Collins = Publishing News

At the end of February 2008, a meeting between Robert S. Miller and Jane Friedman mutated into what could very well be the new face of publishing.

Miller, the founding publisher of Hyperion (the adult books division of the Disney corporation) met Friedman, the CEO of Harper Collins, to discuss the launch of a new publishing program. The program is being put in place to cut costs in the publishing world. The program will no longer allow retailers to return unsold copies of books to publishers, and will pay little or no advances to authors for their work.

As well, the imprint is unlikely to continue the common practice of paying good money for quality shelf space in book stores. Instead, it will put that money towards internet marketing, where book sales have increased dramatically in recent years (in tandem with the decrease in book sales at retail stores).

The new program has yet to be named.

Snorting Dorito Dust is Fun, Right?

I don't know what happened, but I ate my lunch, and ever since I've had absolutely no motivation to actually do my job. I'm about as useful as a Smurf.

I'm having a Blueberry Pomegranate White Tea Refresher from Nestle right now. I'm still not a hundred percent convinced I like these things (you can totally taste the artificial sweetener), but I got a case of 35 bottles, so I really have no choice but to drink them. And I will.

I'm so boooored and uncreative. And very tempted to finance (!) a laptop. It just doesn't seem bad when you only have to pay 9 dollars a month. Except then you actually take a minute to THINK about it, and it's like "Why the crap would someone pay $700 for a $500 laptop?"

Because it's not all at once. That makes it better.

Right?

Do you think I'll have more or fewer amusing anecdotes about my day-to-day life when I live with just a cat as opposed to a cat and my ex-boyfriend? I think more, because I'll get to actually date people and then blog about their shortcomings and insecurities like the lovely, thoughtful person I am. Right now, my ex uses my computer, so if I blog about his shortcomings and insecurities, there's a good chance that he'll find my indiscretion in my browser history. And then kick me out early or something. That would suck.

Feel free to weigh in. Feel free to not judge me for breaking up with a guy and then continuing to live with him for 3 months. You don't know.

Well, I should obviously be working. So I'm going to the convenience store for Doritos and Pepsi. Anyone?

A Myriad

First off, I know I said that this blog wasn't going to get all political on your ass, but I have to throw this out there. Have you guys heard about the latest Sask-scandal? Brad Wall (our Premier) and Tom Lukiwski (Tory MP) star in the latest video release from the Saskatchewan government. The 16 year old tape features the two of them making all kinds of juicy derogatory comments about women and homosexuals. Oh, and they threw in a few racial slurs for good measure. The blockbuster was found by the Saskatchewan NDP when they moved into the opposition offices in the fall of '07.

The event was quite clearly filmed in a campaign office during the 1991 provincial election.

Lukiwski has apologized for the comments he made on the tape. Whether his apology is sincere is up for debate (as is whether it will make a difference in his punishment). Wall, on the other hand, simply claims that he has no recollection of that tape ever having been made. This, despite him STARING into the camera.

I'm amused. It's a terrible thing, and the NDP is also sort of at fault for giving the tape to the media, but when this kind of ignorance/intolerance/stupidity is highlighted, it makes me giggle. Way to represent Saskatchewan, boys. Way to represent.

Moving on, I shall talk NHL. I cried a little bit on Tuesday night.

Well not really, but I gave myself a sore throat with all the screaming I did. (I'm an Edmonton Oilers fan. The Calgary Flames knocked them out of the playoff race on Tuesday). Now? I'm cheering for the Washington Capitals. Why? Well because they're the semi-underdog in the East. Also, who would EVER expect the friggin Washington Capitals to win the Stanley Cup?

That's right. No one.

I'm back in publishing. April 1 was my first day back at my old job as a marketing assistant, and I'm remembering why I loved it so much already. The people I work with are absolutely wonderful, I care deeply about what I do, and I'm actually GOOD at it. Never mind that I spent three hours ripping my hair out yesterday while trying to fix the website. I figured it out eventually. And it was the best feeling ever.

Also, today, my third day back, we all went for lunch. For two and a half hours. And there was beer. Who WOULDN'T love my job? Hmm?

My application for my new apartment was approved today. I move May 1. I guess I'd better start packing. I'm very very excited about this. I've never lived on my own before. Hopefully I'm good at it.

ANYWAY. I have nothing left to write about. Next time, I'll try to be more creative. Right now, all I can think about is pizza. I'm going to go eat some now.

Holy HELL

OMG.

One of my old classmates, Mr. Dustin Milligan, has been CAST AS ETHAN WARD ON THE 90210 SPINOFF!


Can I just take a moment to catch my breath? This is HUGE. Because a) I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH HIM, and b) HE'S GONNA BE LINKED TO THE LIKES OF LUKE PERRY! AND SHANNON DOHERTY! AND JASON PRIESTLEY!

Do you guys think this means I'll get to meet Tori Spelling?

Yeah, me neither. But it's still HUGE. 'Specially for Dustin. Well done, guy. You're really there.

Back to work it is.

In other news

1. Halfway through the 'S' section of that meme, I got up to go to the bathroom and damn near busted a blood vessel in my left index finger. It hurt. Like a little bitch.

2. I highly recommend that you watch 'once' and then go buy the soundtrack. It's AMAZING. Turn it on with all the lights off and just let the music wash over you. To quote Natalie Portman, it will change your life.

3. FOO FIGHTERS TOMORROW NIGHT! It will be my second time seeing them, and I am PUMPED. I bought the new album on Monday, and love most of it. My favorite track is #6 ('Stranger Things Have Happened'). My least favorite is #5 ('Come Alive').

4. I have done no work today. At all. I'm going to put labels on envelopes for a couple hours.

Sask Politicos and Something Light

Today I spent a couple of hours visiting every link on http://saskblogs.catprint.ca to see who my company is going to be in this whole endeavor. And man oh MAN, are people in this province ever political. I'm pretty sure that reading so many politically charged blog entries in one day is the primary cause of my current headache (clearly there's no chance that it stems from the sinus infection I can feel myself getting...)

I think I'm going to make it clear right now that this blog is going to be far from political. It's not that I don't *care* about politics - I do, somewhat. It's just that a) I write for fun, not to piss people off, and b) everyone is blogging about the same thing, and sometimes, I think that people just want to read something different. Also, I'm not at all interested in getting involved in the ongoing war between Sask. Liberals and Conservatives that I noticed today. Not for me, thanks. This barista plans to keep things light.

Case in point, an alphabetized meme:

A
- Available: For some things. Not others.
- Age: 22
- Annoyance: Misuse of apostrophes, and people walking too closely behind me.
- Actor: Kevin Kline, for now. First one who came to mind.

B
- Beer: No, thanks.
- Birthday/Birthplace: June 27, Comox, BC
- Body Part on opposite sex: Arms.
- Best feeling in the world: Being completely surrounded by an amazing song.
- Big words: Pejoration.
- Best weather: First snow of the season, or bright and sunny but not too hot.
- Been in Love: Unsure, which apparently means no.
- Been bitched out?: Who hasn't?
- Been on stage?: Yes.
- Believe in life on other planets: I don't know.
- Believe in miracles: Not overly. I think someone, somewhere, has to work for everything that happens.
- Believe in Magic: No.
- Believe in God: On the fence.
- Believe in Satan: I try not to.
- Believe in Santa: Never did.
- Believe in Ghosts/spirits: I don't know.
- Believe in Evolution: Wholeheartedly.

C
- Car: What color?
- Candy: Sour Patch Kids, and Dinosours (this is the answer that was there already, and I can't bring myself to change it - the person is SO right)
- Colour: All of them
- Cried in school: Of course.
- Chocolate/Vanilla: Chocolate
- Chinese/Mexican: Mexican.
- Cake or pie: PIE!
- Country to visit: Greece

D
- Day or Night: Late night/early morning
- Dream vehicle: I don't dream of vehicles
- Danced: And it led to nothing but embarrassment.
- Dance in the rain?: Maybe?
- Do the splits?: Never.

E
- Eggs: Poached.
- Eyes: Blue-grey
- Everyone has a(n): toilet. I hope.
- Ever failed a class? No.

F
- First crush: The earliest I can remember is Blake in kindergarten.
- First kiss: Don't remember.
- Full name: Avery Jenner
- First thoughts waking up: Turn down the sun.
- Food: Is for eating.

G
- Greatest Fear: heights and water. Especially heights leading to water.
- Goals: Make more money than I spend, write a novel, see the rest of Canada.
- Gum: is for chewing.
- Get along with your parents: Very much so.
- Good luck charm: My martini underwear.

H
- Hair Colour: Dirty blonde.
- Height: 5'1"
- Happy: Sometimes.
- Holiday: Christmas.
- How do you want to die: I don't tend to plan my own death.
- Health freak?: Yeah right. I'm sitting in an office with artificial light drinking a Caramel Coretto and eating sour patch kids.
- Hate: most reality TV.
- Hockey Team: OILERS

I
- Ice cream: Cookie dough
- Instrument: Guitar and piano lately. (Listen, not play)

J
- Jewellery: I think I own one necklace.
- Job: Publishing.
K
- Kids: Can't imagine having any.
- Kickboxing or karate: Kickboxing.
- Keep a journal?: 4, I think.

L
- Love: Cats. Lemonade. The internet. Degrassi. Many others.
- Laughed so hard you cried: With some friends on Monday night.
Longest car ride: New Brunswick to Edmonton. Summer 1998. 5 people. One car. 8 days.
- Love at first sight: Never experienced it.
- Long Distance Relationships: Don't work.

M
- Milk flavour: Chocolate.
- Movie: Life as a House
- Mooned anybody: As a child.
- Marriage?: Don't see it happening any time soon.
- Motion sickness? Yes.

N
- Number of Siblings: 2
- Number of Piercings: 1
- Number: 49

O
- Overused Phrases: "I'm not even kidding" "I'm not gonna lie"
- One wish: Have a book published.
- One phobia: Water. Heights. Have we not been through this?

P
- Place you'd like to live: Toronto or Vancouver Island. Or Greece. Or NYC. Or California.
- Perfect Pizza: Pepperoni.
- Pepsi/Coke: Lime Pepsi.

Q
- Quail: will get you 42 points on a triple word score in scrabble.
- Question: How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

R
- Reason to cry: Death. Severe pain. Rejection.
- Reality T.V.: Beauty and the Geek, Canadian Idol.
- Radio Station: Z99.
- Roll your tongue in a circle? Yes.
- Rolling Stones/ Rascal Flatts: Stones.


S
- Song: "Simon" - Lifehouse
- Shoe size: 6.5
- Salad Dressing: Ranch
- Sushi: Yum
- Scent: Peppermint
- Slept outside: In a tent.
- Seen a dead body? Yes. :(
- Smoked?: Never
- Skinny dipped? I think so
- Shower Daily?: Yes. Sometimes more than once.
- Sing well? Depends on your definition of "well"
- In the shower? Yes
- Swear?: Yes
- Stuffed Animals?: I have many
- Single/Group dates: Depends
- Strawberries/Blueberries: Strawberries
- Scientists need to invent: A cure for many diseases. Or a juice that makes you immortal, as well as an amazing writer.


T
- Time for bed: Between 11 and midnight
- Thunderstorms: LOVE
- TV: Lately, Friday Night Lights
- Touch your tongue to your nose?: Can't do it
- Truck: What about them?
- Tattoos: I have none

U
-Unpredictable: Sometimes
-Unpredictability: ??

V
- Vegetable you hate: Canned peas, cooked spinach, mushrooms
- Vegetable you love: Corn, carrots, celery, potatoes
- Vacation spot: Too many

W
- Weakness: Boys in hoodies. Money. Coffee. Candy. Popcorn. CDs
- When you grow up: Everyone will be surprised
- Which one of your friends acts the most like you: My sister?
- Who makes you laugh the most: All of them
- Worst feeling: Boredom. Sadness. Anxiety.
- Wanted to be a model?: I like food too much
- Where do we go when we die: Into a coffin, duh
- Worst weather: WIND

X
-X-Rays: Never needed one

Y
-Year it is now: 2008
-Yellow: My sheets are yellow

Z
-Zoo animal: Tigers. Elephants. All of them.
-Zodiac sign: Cancer is mine

Man charged with Regina's second homicide of 2008
Leader-Post
Published: Wednesday, March 19, 2008

REGINA -- A 21-year-old man is to appear in court Wednesday afternoon in connection with Regina's second homicide of 2008.

The man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a 41-year-old man who was discovered at around 2 a.m., in the 1300 block of Kramer Blvd. Emergency personnel responded, but the man died at the scene.

The Regina Police Service is continuing its investigation, but it has called the incident a homicide.

And this is mere DAYS after Regina was declared "the most dangerous city in Canada". This murder happened in one of the safest neighborhoods in the city. I guess we can quit being angry about our new title, huh?

Book Review: The Jane Austen Book Club

I'm going to be straight. I've never read any of Jane Austen's stuff. Or seen any of the film adaptations. I tend to be drawn to more contemporary stuff most of the time. However, after reading Karen Joy Fowler's book The Jane Austen Book Club, I have a feeling that within the next year or 2, I'll end up reading Austen's entire works.

In this book, Fowler has created 6 very real, very emotional characters who start a book club devoted entirely to the work of Jane Austen. Grigg, Jocelyn, Allegra, Bernadette, Prudie, and Sylvia each choose their favorite book, and then host the club to discuss it. The club meets once a month. However, this book does not simply study the characters as they discuss literature. Rather, it makes connections between Austen's books and the lives of these 6 modern people. Each of the six sections delves into the personal life of the host that month.

I especially enjoyed that the sections were not completely distinct from one another. Fowler was able to delve into the relationships by the characters, and by Sylvia's section (the last in the book), the plot has come around so that the section looks at all six characters, and the way they interact with Sylvia, who is in the process of divorcing her husband throughout the book.

My personal favorite character was Grigg, the only man in the book club. While he is not the most complex character in the story (there seems to be a six-way tie for that title by the end of the novel), he is, in my opinion, the most interesting. I loved the flashbacks to his childhood and the story of why he was invited to join the book club in the first place, despite the fact that he had never read Austen. As a science fiction reader, he is initially shunned from the group, and this tension ensures that all of the main characters have to grow as individuals throughout the book, as they gradually learn to accept him - and, in some cases, even give science fiction a second chance.

I enjoyed the book immensely; however, it is one of those reads that is hard to WANT to pick up sometimes, because there is not a lot of suspense. Also, despite the fact that the six sections create a novel, they almost read like a collection of short stories in the beginning, so it becomes easy to walk away from the book for a few days and not feel like you're missing any information. Of course, as the reader gets further into the book, this begins to change - the characters become more interconnected, and the book begins to focus more on present events than independent stories from the characters' pasts. It took me a couple of weeks to get through it, but I'm glad I finally did.


Details:
Publisher: Plume; Reprint edition (May 3 2005)
ISBN-10: 0452286530
ISBN-13: 978-0452286535

Average customer review (from amazon.ca): 3.5/5

You're On My Heart Just Like A Tattoo

Tonight, I got bored and watched the last 30 minutes of American Idol. I DON'T KNOW WHY, OKAY? Paula Abdul is crazy. I plan on getting Sass Jordan on the phone and begging her not to turn into a bucket of crazy this summer.

Anyway, I watched 3 contestants do their thang, and decided to post my thoughts about their performances.

Now, let's all keep in mind that this is the most Idol I have ever watched, ever. Before this, all I ever saw was the Honey Nut Cheerios recap while waiting for something else to come on. So I have no idea who these people are outside of the blog-iverse.

The first guy I saw sing was Michael Johns. It was a Beatles-themed night, so he sang Across the Universe. (Silly moi, I had no idea this was actually the title of a Beatles song until tonight. See? AI CAN enhance your life.

Anyway, all I have to say about Michael is that I LOVED him. I don't know if it's because the song is awesome or because he's awesome or a combination therein, but I got shivers in the spine as soon as he started singing. It was fantabulous.

The next singer was Kristy Lee Cook. As soon as her pre-performance interview started, I started gushing. Out loud. To myself, as there was no one else in the room. She's friggin aDORable. Kristy sang Eight Days A Week, country style. I thought she was doing a good job right up until the horrendous last note, but Simon Cowell thought otherwise, and when he compared her performance to a cheap, small-town county fair show, I couldn't help but agree. It was pretty hokey.

Finally, I saw the famous David Archuleta sing We Can Work It Out. I have no idea whether I liked his performance or not because I could not get past the lip-licking. What the crap, David? Ever heard of Vaseline, man? My only other thought was "Holy High School Musical, Batman!" The guy is a shoe-in for Zac Efron's understudy, for real.

Random Thoughts

You know those days when you feel so utterly useless at work that it's hard to imagine why they hired you in the first place?

That's EVERY day for me at this job.

Also, it smells like yeast in the hallway and poo in the bathroom. Someone has a weird disease, folks...

Upcoming Reviews

Forthcoming book reviews:

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
Candy Girl by Diablo Cody
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini