Beth Powning, author of A Measure of Light

Beth Powning – A Measure of Light

Wednesday, March 18, 7pm at Words Worth Books

Beth Powning has proven herself adept at making the past come alive in her fiction.  With delicacy and finesse she brings atmosphere and authenticity to bear on each of her characters to the point that they seem to actually breathe.  One such character is Mary Dyer who counts among the first American Quakers to practice in the New World.

Like many Puritans who wished to worship freely, Mary Dyer came to the British colony in New England in the 1630s.  Unfortunately, the strictures of the Old World followed them.  With measures enacted to restrict facets of worship, trade, and custom, the lingering spectre of patriarchal Christianity was set at odds against the “New Jerusalem” that came to be the hope of the settlers.

Mary befriends Anne Hutchinson, a midwife who leads increasingly popular Biblical discussion groups in her home.  Ever watchful for heretics, they both come to the attention of the Puritan leadership, and when Mary births a deformed stillborn child, word spreads that her offspring is punishment for her support of Hutchinson’s sacrilegious Quaker beliefs.  What follows is a story of persecution, despondency, banishment, and martyrdom.

A chronicling of the corrupting effects of power has long been a literary mainstay, and that perhaps is at the heart of some truly great books.  Beth Powning has written a standout novel that finds its modern correlates in extremist movements throughout the world.  How power germinates, how it is enforced, and where are found the blind-spots of those who decree morality; all are examined here with sensitivity, grace, historical accuracy, and high style.

Since her first appearance at Words Worth with her inimitable Hatbox Letters, Beth Powning has been a favourite around here and we are very pleased to welcome her back.

Wednesday, March 4, 7pm: Elisabeth De Mariaffi & Claire Cameron

Given the prolonged deep freeze outside, no one needs a reason to welcome an early spring this year more than we do! In that spirit, Words Worth Books would like to kick off our spring events with a couple thrillers that will get your blood pumping!

In a year of Gone Girl-mania, (and now an assortment of copycat novels,) Elisabeth de Mariaffi's The Devil You Know offers welcome respite from a quickly tiring formula.

There's not much we like more than a truly fine thriller, and de Mariaffi's second novel, following the Giller-longlisted How to Get Along with Women, works on every level.

Evie is a young reporter for an Ontario paper in the early 90s. She is covering a developing story involving a series of missing girls and a possible serial rapist. Resourceful and mercurial, Evie is uncomfortably aware of her unique personal and professional connection to the story; she is haunted still by the unsolved murder of Lianne, her best friend from childhood.

The Devil You Know is atmospheric, very smart, and there's much more going on here than most thrillers allow for.

Whatever Elisabeth de Mariaffi does next will be worth the wait.

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Claire Cameron first came on the scene with her spare and harrowing novel, The Line Painter. Her new book, The Bear, has garnered international acclaim with reviews in The Globe & Mail, The National Post, Independent (UK), Chatelaine, and O Magazine.

Told in the voice of five-year-old Anna who, with her little brother, fights to survive in the Algonquin wilderness after their parents are killed in a savage bear attack. Sure of hand and large of heart, Cameron has crafted a gripping and mesmerizing exploration of the Anna’s psyche as she struggles to protect her brother while at the same time protecting herself from fully realizing the horror of her situation.

Clear, propulsive, and poignant, The Bear is worthy of the attention it has received.

Join us at the store on Wednesday, March 4 at 7pm in welcoming Elisabeth de Mariaffi and Claire Cameron for a reading, Q&A, and autograph session. Free Event!

Guess the Winner! 2014 Giller & Governor General's Award

Words Worth Books is betting on your predictive skills around this year's Giller and Governor General's Literary Prizes. Simply guess the winner from BOTH short-lists and you'll be entered in a draw for a copy of each winning book (or a gift certificate of equal value).

Deadline: November 9th, 2014

The Giller Prize will be revealed on November 10, and the Governor General's Award for fiction will be announced on November 18.

* Fill out a ballot in the store * Post your guess on Facebook * Tweet your guess with the hashtag #WWBwinners

Scotia Giller Prize Nominees

Frances Itani - Tell

David Bezmogis - The Betrayers

Sean Michaels - Us Conductors

Heather O'Neill - The Girl who was Saturday Night

Padma Viswanathan - The Ever After of Ashwin Rao

Governor General's Literary Award Nominees

Michael Crummey - Sweetland

Claire Holden Rothman - My October

Bill Gaston - Juliet was a Surprise

Joan Thomas - The Opening Sky

Thomas King - The Back of the  Turtle

Ian Hamilton Prize Pack of Awesome!!!

Continuing our celebration of 30 years as your independent bookstore, we're giving away the complete Ava Lee library!  You could win:The Water Rat of Wanchai

The Disciple of Las Vegas

The Wild Beasts of Wuhan

The Red Pole of Macau

The Scottish Banker of Surabaya

The Two Sisters of Borneo

In addition to these books is a hardcover & slipcased, limited edition, autographed copy of the prequel: "The Dragon Head of Hong Kong".  There were only 100 copies of this book made; this is number 56. Some of you may know that Ian Hamilton is among our favourite authors, but did you know that House of Anansi Press is among our favourite publishers?  They started in 1967 as a small press founded by Dennis Lee (Alligator Pie) and Dave Godfrey (The New Ancestors).  They have a proven knack for finding and developing new Canadian talent and we'd like to thank them for their incredible generosity and unflagging support of independent booksellers everywhere!

http://www.houseofanansi.com/

To win this mindblowingly awesome prize, respond in the comments field with the title or author of another of your favourite Anansi or Groundwood books.  The winner will be chosen at random on Monday, May 26.

Dog Days of Summer Giveaway

In these last lazy days of August, we needed a distraction. And what better way to distract ourselves than to find out what all of you have been doing with your summers? We want to know what you've been reading and where you've been reading and the books you've been falling in love with... or not falling in love with.

Here are the ways you can tell us:

1) Instagram

Snap a photo of the pile of books you’ve read this summer (or the pile of books you have yet to read) Snap a photo of the place you spent the summer reading. A hammock or a nook or wherever else you like to cozy up and crack open a book. Snap a selfie of you and your favourite summer read. Surprise us.

When you post your photo, tag us (@WordsWorthBooks) and use the hashtag #DogDaysOfSummer.

2) Twitter

Summarize a book you read this summer and express your love or loathing in 140 characters or less. Tell us about a book you read in haiku form. Tweet us a line from a book that moved you or made you laugh, or one you thought was particularly clever. Be creative.

Similarly, tag us @BooksWordsWorth (note: our instagram name and our twitter name are slightly different) and use the hashtag #DogDaysOfSummer.

And here’s what you can win:

We’ll be choosing photos and tweets we particularly like and re-posting them daily. We’ll be choosing a winner out of those on August 31 and announcing it here on the blog. There is one single condition: the winner MUST be able to pick up their books in-store. Okey dokey?

That's it! We’re dying to know what you come up with...

~Kristen