New to me - this week's books

On my way to the BookCrossing meetup last night, I dropped by a used book store... surprise!

At Renaissance Books in New Westminster, BC, I found - mostly mysteries:

Surfeit of Lampreys by Ngaio Marsh
Nemesis by Jo Nesbø
The Art of Murder by José Carlos Somoza
The Summer Snow by Rebecca Pawel

and these - both history:

One Gal's Army by Sue Ward
She was in the Canadian Women's Army Corps in WW II.

The Last Great Sea: A Voyage through the Human and Natural History of the North Pacific Ocean by Terry Glavin

And at Seconds! the Burnaby/New Westminster BookCrossing Meetup, held at Waves on Columbia Street in New Westminster, I picked up:

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

I know Little Brother is on-line free, but let's face it, I still do prefer to hold a book in my hands. (Although again last night we BookCrossers were looking at e-readers. I still like the Kobo the best, available at Chapters/Indigo/Coles.)

Looking forward to reading all my 'new to me' books soon. I've already started the Ngaio Marsh mystery. This is one it seems I never read.

Books as Presents

So far, for seasonal presents, I've bought only two new books - if you don't count the ones I've got for myself (and I don't).

The first was Charlotte Gray's Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike (HarperCollins Canada, 2010). There was a nice review in the Yukon News by Michael Gates, 24 September 2010, or pick up a copy of the latest Canada's History magazine, Dec 2010-Jan 2010. (Yes, that's the one previously known as The Beaver. It's on newstands now.) I always enjoy Charlotte Gray's writing; I'm sure my friend will too.

The other was Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel, about a young boy who learns to live with, and care about, a baby chimp as his 'brother'. (Harper Collins Publishers Ltd., 2010). From 15 December, 2010 here's an interview at the author's blog, reprinted from A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust. I hope the young man who'd getting this book will enjoy it as I did, although his perspective on it will likely be a lot different than mine.

Winter Wonderland - The Blog Carolling Tradition

The FootnoteMaven's Blog Caroling Tradition.

I'm out carolling, carolling on this cold winter night with many of the ancestors and other rellies - the AXNERS, BROSTRÖMS, CARMICHAELS, DRUMMONDS, ERIKSSENS, GILCHRISTS, JOHANSONS, LÖFHOLMS, IRWINS, ROGERS, RYDBERGS, SAGGERS, SCOTTS, WHITES, and ZETTERBERGS and some I don't yet recognize. (Good thing I brought my netbook. Even while we're singing, I'm asking some questions and making notes.)

This special Carolling Night is now a GeneaBloggers tradition. Oh, dear, am I going to have to explain blogging to the great greats? (In antique Swedish or Gaelic??? Oh, my!) Even most of the 'old' songs we sing now aren't familiar to the family; this one was only written in the 1930s. But so far everyone is singing something and smiling, and admiring all the lights, so we're all good.

And, we'll share cocoa and Nanaimo bars later. Pretty sure the treats won't need any long explanations, but someone might want a recipe.

Right now we're singing one of my very favourite songs, "Winter Wonderland" by composer Felix Barnard and lyricist Richard B. Smith. While some of you know this has a bit of romance in it for me, snow where I live in the balmy southwest of British Columbia is an experience in itself, although there's tons on the mountains. Most days that's where I think it belongs, but I must admit once in a while it feels great to be out in the almost dark walking and singing while catching snowflakes in my mittens.

"When it snows, ain't it thrilling,
Though your nose gets a chilling
We'll frolic and play, the Eskimo way,
Walking in a winter wonderland." Full lyrics here.

Listen for us after the 15th of December when we'll be carolling at FootnoteMaven's place where she's hosting the FootnoteMaven Blog Caroling Tradition.

In the meantime, here's Cyndi Lauper singing "Winter Wonderland".

Cyndi Lauper, apparently performing on a Martha Stewart programme, uploaded by GilbertKiper at youtube.com, 15 Jun 2006.

Women's History Book Events coming up...

This should be a good week for reading and discussing women's history and women's issues.

There's the Women's History Network of BC (WHN/BC) conference this afternoon in Victoria to start. Mahinder Manhas will be there to discuss and read from her new book, Zhindagee, Selected stories of our first daughters, the history of Asian Indian first daughters in British Columbia, Canada from 1920-1950. I am really looking forward to hearing her. Manhas was one of the participants in the WHN/BC Women's History Fair in Vancouver this year and showed some of her photographs then. (To purchase the book, contact her through WHN/BC. Details on the website.)

On Monday evening, at the History Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver, there's the launch of the new book, Walk Myself Home, edited by Andrea Routley. This is an anthology of prose, poetry and non-fiction on the theme of violence against women. A number of authors will be there to read and discuss the book.

Then on Tuesday evening, early over dinner, Herstory Cafe is hosting a discussion of Jean Barman's book, Maria Mahoi of the Islands. That's at the Rhizome Cafe, one of my favourite Vancouver spots.

And what am I reading this weekend in sunny (I hope!) Victoria? Well, I'm re-reading Maria Mahoi, of course, but also a dystopian science fiction book, The Olive Readers, by Christine Aziz. It's not new - this was published in 2005 as the winner in a 'How to Get Published' competition (See Pan Macmillan for more about the book). It's had mixed reviews, I think, but so far, for me, it's very good. And, coming over to Vancouver Island I finished a novel mystery, The Face on the Wall by Jane Langton - one of her Homer Kelly books. (And I know just the person who'll want to read this next!)

And, of course, I'm hoping there will be time for bookstore hopping in sunny Sidney on Vancouver Island - Sidney's the Booktown of Canada!