Today @ Penguin (Canada)

John Grisham, #1 international bestselling author, will pen a new children's series for Penguin Young Readers Group

26 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST

Penguin Young Readers Group announced on February 25 that John Grisham, #1 international bestselling author, will write his first-ever children's series. The first two novels will be edited by Julie Strauss-Gabel, associate publisher of Dutton Children's Books.

Angelina Jolie to play Kay Scarpetta

26 Feb 2010 11:55:00 EST

With production of a Kay Scarpetta film slated to begin as early as this fall, the Los Angeles Times has confirmed that Angelina Jolie will play the lead role in the adaptation of Patricia Cornwell's bestselling series. The paper reports that the popular actress' interest in the books got the ball rolling after many years of starts and stops.

Uxbridge selects Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road for a city-wide reading project

26 Feb 2010 11:50:00 EST

Uxbridge, Ontario, is the latest city to select Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road (9780143056959 / Penguin Canada) for its city-wide reading project. These increasingly popular programs bring communities together to celebrate one great book with an entire year of related events and programs in bookstores, cafes, bars, and libraries. Titles are generally chosen by a grassroots panel, often chaired by a prominent bookseller or a city's mayor, and includes local book clubs and celebrities. These projects are a wonderful example of Canada's enthusiasm for reading, and a unique sales and promotional opportunity.

Goya's Dog and Under This Unbroken Sky are nominated for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize

25 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

Goya's Dog by Damian Tarnopolsky (9780670069736 / Hamish Hamilton Canada) and Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell (9780670068081 / Viking Canada) have been nominated for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize-an award recognized internationally for propelling authors into the literary spotlight-in the Caribbean and Canada region.

Piece by Piece storytelling mash-up contest and event

25 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

Piece by Piece: Stories about Fitting into Canada (9780670068494 / Puffin Canada / on sale March 9), edited by Teresa Toten, is an anthology featuring stories by some of Canada's finest authors who were born in other countries and went through the experience of trying to "fit in."

Olympic buzz for Penguin titles

25 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

Michael Slade's Red Snow (9780143167792 / Penguin Canada), a tale of murder and mayhem at the Vancouver Olympics, continues to draw major media, including the front page of The Globe and Mail book review section, another Globe and Mail review, as well as reviews in the National Post, Victoria's Times Colonist, the Ottawa Citizen, the Edmonton Journal, the Toronto Star, the Whistler Question, Pique, and more. The book was featured on The Bill Good Show, CTV BC, 1130 Radio, and CBC Radio One's The Next Chapter, and on a number of blogs.

Donna Morrissey teams up with her daughter for kids book Cross Katie Kross

16 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST

Buzz has already started to build for Cross Katie Kross, the new picture book by Donna Morrissey and her daughter, Bridgette, scheduled for release in October 2011.

Penguin to publish a memoir by David Clayton-Thomas

16 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST

Penguin Group (Canada) will publish a memoir titled Blood, Sweat and Tears by Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee David Clayton-Thomas in September 2010.

Booker-nominated author Jon McGregor comes to Toronto

16 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST

Jon McGregor, Booker-nominated author, will speak to a U of T literature class on March 19. A public launch for Even the Dogs will be held that evening at 6:30 p.m. at Ben McNally Books.

Daniel Poliquin receives a second award nomination for his Extraordinary Canadians biography Rene Levesque

09 Feb 2010 12:05:00 EST

Daniel Poliquin's Extraordinary Canadians biography René Lévesque (9780670069194 / Viking Canada) has been shortlisted for the Writers' Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.

Oscar nominations for Penguin books

09 Feb 2010 11:45:00 EST

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards were announced this week, and a number of terrific films based on Penguin books are in the running in multiple categories.

Susan Juby blogs about her upcoming memoir, Nice Recovery

09 Feb 2010 11:35:00 EST

Nice Recovery (9780670069170 / Viking Canada / on sale March 16) is a riveting story of addiction and the long road to recovery from Susan Juby, the bestselling author of Alice, I Think.

Penguin to publish a new book on Harper's first four years

01 Feb 2010 17:05:00 EST

Penguin Group (Canada) announced today it will publish bestselling author and Globe and Mail columnist Lawrence Martin's Harperland, a new book on Harper's first four years in power.

Harley Pasternak charms and educates Toronto audiences with The 5-Factor World Diet

01 Feb 2010 16:45:00 EST

Following on the heels of his hugely popular blockbuster, The 5-Factor Diet, celebrity trainer and nutritionist Harley Pasternak has searched the world to add a little variety and spice to your weight loss plan with The 5-Factor World Diet (9780670069231 / Viking Canada).

Nominations for 2010 Thriller Awards

01 Feb 2010 16:35:00 EST

Two awards nominations were announced this week.

The debate heats up on Lori Gottlieb's Marry Him

01 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough (9780525951513 / Dutton), is based on a highly controversial article Lori Gottlieb wrote for the Atlantic in 2008, where she argued that women should stop holding out for Mr. Perfect and settle down with Mr. Real.

More Awards News

25 Jan 2010 11:05:00 EST

Penguin Group (Canada) is proud to announce that Joseph Kertes has won the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction for his novel Gratitude (9780143053590 / Penguin Canada).

Greg Mortenson on The Hour

25 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST

After many successful events in Toronto and the Vancouver area, Greg Mortenson continues to hit media outlets with his appearance on The Hour, which aired on January 20.

Murder and Mayhem at the Olympics in Michael Slade's Red Snow

25 Jan 2010 10:55:00 EST

Red Snow by Michael Slade (9780143167792 / Penguin Canada) is a tale of murder and mayhem at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Joseph Kertes wins the National Jewish Book Award for Gratitude

18 Jan 2010 12:40:00 EST

Gratitude by Joseph Kertes (9780143053590 / Penguin Canada) has won the JJ Greenberg Memorial Award for fiction, part of the National Jewish Book Awards.

Greg Mortenson overwhelms audiences in Toronto

18 Jan 2010 12:35:00 EST

In addition to presentations at a number of schools in Toronto, Greg Mortenson appeared this week for a sold-out event at the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon to promote Stones into Schools (9780670021154 / Viking).

Lee Henderson endorses Miguel Syjuco's award-winning Ilustrado

18 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST

Syjuco's highly anticipated debut novel won the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize as well as the Palanca Award, the Philippines' highest literary honour. Ilustrado opens with Crispin Salvador, lion of Philippine letters, dead in the Hudson River.

Jeremy Rifkin on CTV's Canada AM to promote The Empathic Civilization

18 Jan 2010 12:20:00 EST

Jeremy Rifkin, called "one of the leading big-picture thinkers of our day" by Utne Reader, delivers his boldest work in The Empathic Civilization (9781585427659 / Tarcher).

Daniel Poliquin's Extraordinary Canadians biography, Ren� L�vesque shortlisted for the Charles Taylor Prize for Non-Fiction

11 Jan 2010 10:40:00 EST

Daniel Poliquin's Extraordinary Canadians biography, Ren� L�vesque (9780670069194 / Viking Canada), has been shortlisted for the Charles Taylor Prize for Non-Fiction (Tim Cook won the prize last year for Shock Troops).

Harley Pasternak promotes The 5 Factor World Diet on ET Canada

11 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST

Harley Pasternak appeared on ET Canada as part of its New You in the New Year series on Monday, January 4, where he promoted his new book, The 5 Factor World Diet (9780670069231 / Viking Canada).

Boyden, Henderson, Poplak, and more on the National Post's best books lists

11 Jan 2010 10:20:00 EST

The National Post announced its list of the Best Canadian Books of the Decade. Sitting at the #2 spot is Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road, of which the reviewer stated:…

Al Pacino acquires rights to Philip Roth's The Humbling

21 Dec 2009 16:50:00 EST

Al Pacino has acquired the rights to film Philip Roth's latest novel, The Humbling (9780670069712 / Hamish Hamilton Canada), a shattering account of inexplicable and terrifying self-evaluation.

Eat, Pray, Love movie starring Julia Roberts set for August 2010 release

21 Dec 2009 16:45:00 EST

The long awaited film version of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love, starring Julia Roberts as Elizabeth and Javier Bardem as Felipe, is set for wide release in Canada on August 13.

New Puffin Classic tie-in edition for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

21 Dec 2009 16:40:00 EST

From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes a magical reimagining of one of the most beloved stories of all time. Set for wide release on March 5, 2010, Alice in Wonderland stars Mia Wasikowska as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl …

The Globe and Mail releases the top 100 best-reviewed, buzziest books of 2009

9 Dec 2009 15:40:00 EST

The Globe and Mail released its 12th annual pick of the 100 best and most influential books of the year, including prize–winners and surprises, writers allegedly famous and those about to be, prose and poetry, science and social studies, memoir and manifesto, and much, much more.

Half World featured in Quill and Quire's Books of the Year

9 Dec 2009 15:35:00 EST

In Quill & Quire's Books of the Year piece, Hiromi Goto's Half World (9780670069651 / Puffin Canada) was listed as one of the Overlooked Books of the Year.

Denialism author Michael Specter on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart

9 Dec 2009 15:30:00 EST

In the provocative and headline&ndsash;making book Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives (9781594202308 / The Penguin Press), Michael Specter confronts the widespread fear of science and its terrible toll on individuals and the planet.

Three Penguin titles shortlisted for Costa Book Awards

30 Nov 2009 17:58:00 EST

Costa Awards are given annually to authors based in the United Kingdom and Ireland for what the jury deems the "most enjoyable books of the year." On November 24 shortlists for the 2009 awards were announced, with three Penguin titles making the list.

International PEN President John Ralston Saul at the ROM

30 Nov 2009 17:56:00 EST

Award-winning essayist and bestselling author John Ralston Saul speaks on A Fair Country (9780143168423 / Penguin Canada) to the Royal Ontario Museum on December 1. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. (book signing to follow) in the Signy and Cl�oph�e Eaton Theatre, level 1B at the ROM, with tickets available to the public for $18, members for $15, and students for $10.

Colin McAdam wins the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction

24 Nov 2009 13:58:00 EST

At the annual Quebec Writers' Federation Awards on November 17, Colin McAdam's Fall took home the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction.

Obama campaign architect David Plouffe coming to Toronto

24 Nov 2009 13:56:00 EST

David Plouffe not only led the effort that put Barack Obama in the White House, but he also changed the face of politics forever and reenergized the idea of democracy itself. The Audacity to Win (9780670021338 / Viking) is his story of that groundbreaking achievement, taking readers inside the remarkable campaign that led to the election of the first African American president.

Christopher Hitchens on Steig Larsson in the December issue of Vanity Fair

24 Nov 2009 13:54:00 EST

Hard to miss this month's issue of Vanity Fair with Twilight's Robert Pattison on the cover. But read inside for a hugely entertaining piece by Christopher Hitchens on Steig Larsson. Larsson, says Hitchens, "conjured a detective double act so incongruous that it makes Holmes and Watson seem like siblings".

Penguin to publish multi-generational Chinese-Canadian award contender

16 Nov 2009 16:20:00 EST

Penguin Group (Canada) has acquired Canadian publication rights to an epic Chinese-Canadian novel by Zhang Ling, published in China to rave reviews. Gold Mountain Blues is the story of the great Chinese migration to Canada (called Gold Mountain by the Chinese wooed with stories of a "promised land").

Eighteen Penguin titles longlisted for the 2010 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award

10 Nov 2009 12:50:00 EST

The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is the largest and most international prize of its kind. This year, 156 writers have been nominated for the world's most valuable annual literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English with a value of 100,000 euros. The nominations come from 163 libraries in 123 cities and 43 countries worldwide. Dublin City Council will announce the shortlist on April 14th, 2010 and the winning novel will be revealed by the Lord Mayor on June 17th, 2010.

Extraordinary Canadians in Toronto

10 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST

Extraordinary Canadians authors Adrienne Clarkson, Mark Kingwell, Daniel Poliquin, with moderator and General Editor John Ralston Saul, will be in Toronto on December 8 for a special event presented by Sheila Hawks and Wendy Steepe (see poster for full event details).

Esteemed media analyst Ken Auletta coming to Toronto

10 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST

Ken Auletta, author of GOOGLED: The End of the World As We Know It (9781594202353 / Penguin Press) is coming to Toronto at the end of November for a breakfast event book launch with Bob Ramsay in partnership with The Globe and Mail and Mackenzie Investments. The event will be promoted with an e-blast to The Globe and Mail's subscriber list and via a print ad in the newspaper.

Governor General Award nominee Deborah Willis captivates audience at the IFOA

02 Nov 2009 11:55:00 EST

Victoria's Deborah Willis read from her Governor General Literary Award nominated short story collection at the IFOA on October 26. Willis closed the evening, reading both the father and daughter parts from the short story The Weather, and the power of her sharp prose shone through every word. A portion of her reading aired on CBC's As It Happens on October 28, and you can listen to the full reading on the Globe and Mail's online books section.

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award

02 Nov 2009 11:50:00 EST

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen (9780670069750 / Hamish Hamilton Canada) has been shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award in the U.K. As written in The Guardian…

Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed wins the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year

02 Nov 2009 11:45:00 EST

Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World (9781594201820 / Penguin Press) has won the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, which aims to identify the book that provides "the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues, including management, finance and economics".

Booklist picks Shandi Mitchell's Under This Unbroken Sky as one of ten best first novels of the year

26 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST

Booklist has released their top ten first novels list, which includes the critically-acclaimed Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell (9780670068081 / Viking Canada). Reviewer Brad Hooper writes "The author's screenwriting skills serve her well in this remarkable portrait of a Ukrainian farming family in Alberta during the late 1930's."

Kerry Pither wins Ottawa Book Award for Dark Days

26 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

The winners of the Ottawa Book Awards were announced this week, with Kerry Pither announced as the winner in the English Non-Fiction category for Dark Days: The Story of Four Canadians Tortured in the Name of Fighting Terror (9780670068531 / Viking Canada). Dark Days recounts how a Canadian national security investigation went terribly wrong, culminating in the overseas detention and torture of four Canadian Muslim men. It chronicles the activities of the investigation itself, and the experiences of those it targeted-Ahmad El Maati, Abdullah Almalki, Maher Arar, and Muayyed Nureddin. Two inquiries have since effectively cleared their names, and corroborate Pither's account of Canadian complicity in their brutal torture.

Vanishing and Other Stories by Deborah Willis nominated for Governor General Literary Award

26 Oct 2009 12:45:00 EST

The brilliant debut short story collection by Victoria's Deborah Willis has been nominated for the Governor General Literary Award for Fiction. Evocative and passionately written, Vanishing and Other Stories (9780143170228 / Penguin Canada) explores emotional and physical absences, the ways in which people leave, are left, and whether or not it's ever possible to move on. Readers will encounter a skinny, freckled ice-cream scooper named after Nina Simone, a vanishing visionary of social utopia, a French teacher who collects fiancés, and a fortune-telling mother who fails to predict the heartbreak of her own daughter. In the title story, a writer vanishes, leaving unfinished work and unanswerable questions. In these stories, secrets are both kept and unearthed, and lives are shaped by missing lovers, parents and children.

Nora Roberts talks to the Toronto Star

26 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST

Bestselling author Nora Roberts did her first-ever Canadian interviews last week, one of which was published in the Toronto Star on the front page of the Entertainment section. Her other interview will be published in an upcoming issue of Wedding Bells magazine. The highly-anticipated second book of Roberts' Bride Quartet series, Bed of Roses (9780425230077 / Berkley) comes out October 27.

Penguin Group Canada to publish Great Food At Home by Canadian Celebrity Chef Mark McEwan

16 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

Chef Mark McEwan - Photo courtesy of Food Network Canada

Toronto, October 13, 2009 – Penguin Group (Canada) announced today it will publish GREAT FOOD AT HOME by celebrity ;chef, restaurateur, and Food Network TV Host of The Heat, Mark McEwan.

The book was acquired by Andrea Magyar, Managing Director at Penguin, who said: "Penguin Group (Canada) is absolutely thrilled to be publishing Mark McEwan’s cookbook. ;Mark is one of ;the best chefs in Canada ;and GREAT FOOD AT HOME will definitely be a must-have for all our kitchens."

Colin McAdam and Kim Echlin Short-Listed for the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize for Fiction

15 Oct 2009 15:30:03 EST

The first two Canadian authors published under Penguin Canada’s new Hamish Hamilton Canada literary imprint have been short–listed for Canada’s prestigious Scotiabank Giller Prize for fiction.

The news was announced October 6th at a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto. The five finalists were selected by an esteemed jury panel made up of celebrated American novelist and short story writer Russell Banks, acclaimed UK author and journalist Victoria Glendinning, and distinguished professor and award–winning author Alistair MacLeod. The shortlist was chosen from 96 books submitted for consideration.

Winnie-the-Pooh Returns October 5!

15 Oct 2009 15:20:03 EST

Penguin Young Readers Group revealed the much–anticipated cover and first chapter, including art, of Return to the Hundred Acre Wood (9780525421603 / Dutton / on sale October 5), the first authorized sequel to A.A. Milne’s Winnie–the–Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner in more than 80 years. This is the first glimpse readers have been given of the new book, which was announced in January 2009. No review copies have been released, and the manuscript has been under lock and key at Penguin since it was delivered earlier this year. The remainder of the book is embargoed until October 5, when it lands in stores.

The National Post is running an excerpt in its Saturday, October 3, edition. Fans young and old are rediscovering the charm of Winnie–the–Pooh. Bookstores have created "Pooh–tiques," dedicated spaces for Winnie–the–Pooh and friends. Many of these stores are hosting Pooh tea parties with honey flavoured food, count–the–honey–candies–in–the–jar contests, story times with favourite Pooh books, bring–your–favourite–bear–from–home story times, and activities such as "pin the tale on Eeyore." On October 16, you’ll be able to see Winnie–the–Pooh walking around Toronto, giving out stickers to celebrate the release of his new book. ;

Readings by Boyden, Finucan, and Tarnopolsky in Guelph and Barrie

15 Oct 2009 15:10:03 EST

Joseph Boyden, Stephen Finucan, and Damian Tarnopolsky travelled to Guelph and Barrie this past week for eagerly anticipated public readings at The Bookself and Georgian College. The Barrie event supported the Simcoe County Board of Education’s Ideology Program, a university bridging class that works to prepare students for careers in journalism and publishing. Finucan and Boyden discussed the event in the National Post on September 27, where Finucan was guest blogging for The Afterword (read his other posts here).

Anthony Zuiker brings Level 26 to Toronto

15 Oct 2009 15:00:03 EST

Anthony Zuiker, CSI creator and author of the new digi–novel thriller Level 26: Dark Origins (9780525951254 / Dutton), was in Toronto this week to promote his new cross–platform experience combining books, film, and interactive digital technology. Zuiker was interviewed onstage by CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos at Indigo Manulife Centre, followed by a book signing. He was also on CP24’s LeDrew Live on September 28 and on CTV’s Canada AM on September 29. Other media includes a Reuters interview, picked up by the National Post, the Vancouver Sun, and CBC.ca, and more interviews on 680 News’ Morning Show, CBC National News The Scene, The Globe and Mail (plus a review), CBC’s Q and The Hour, The Strombo Show, VIRGIN Radio’s The Rush, MTV Canada, Canoe.ca, and the Halifax Chronicle Herald.