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The Dead Letter

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Ship Ornament on Tree

There’s no need to stress about your holiday shopping — Atlantic Books Today has you covered. Looking for something for your sports-crazed cousin, foodie pal, or mystery-loving Secret Santa? Our curated suggestions will have you wrapping up local books for friends, family and more in no time. Maybe you’ll even find a read (or two) to add to your own wish list!

For the Armchair Detective

The Dead LetterOne Hit Wonders

Our picks for mystery lovers both take a bit of a detour from the path of traditional whodunits. Our first pick, The Dead Letter, returns readers to PEI and its reluctant private detective, Anne Brown. When she receives an 11-year-old letter addressed to her late uncle and finds out the letter’s author is now also dead, she must decide whether to delve into crimes past. For a more humorous and satiric take on murder and mayhem, we suggest One Hit Wonders. When Lila turns up dead, the motley crew of men in her life are among the prime suspects in this no-holds-barred crime caper.

For the Sports Fan

Nathan MacKinnonThrowing Rocks at Houses

The winter months are a prime time for sports in Canada and these new releases focus on two of the hottest sports on ice. Nathan MacKinnon: The NHL’s Rising Star charts the career of the Nova Scotia-born NHL first-overall draft pick. From his minor hockey days in Cole Harbour and leading his hometown Halifax Mooseheads to a Memorial Cup win to being named the NHL’s top rookie, this book has all the inside information, interviews, facts and figures to score with any hockey fan. If curling is more their game, world champion curler Colleen Jones’ new memoir, Throwing Rocks at Houses, gives an intimate look at her life in and out of the rink, including how her battle with a serious illness changed her perspective on sports, work, and life.

For the Home Chef

Out of New NS KitchensRock Recipes 2

We all know someone who’s always in the kitchen whipping up something new. These Atlantic Canadian cookbooks will provide more than enough inspiration for the foodie in your life. Known as a champion of the local food movement, Craig Flinn’s latest cookbook, Out of New Nova Scotia Kitchens, offers modern twists on classic and popular East Coast recipes, like donairs, lobster rolls, and seafood chowder. With Rock Recipes 2, food blogger Barry C. Parsons is back with even more Newfoundland-inspired dishes. This cookbook offers real food from a real Newfoundland kitchen for home chefs everywhere, including photos of each recipe and helpful tips.

For the History Buff

AftershockA Beautiful Sight

Though Atlantic Canada has a rich history going back hundreds of years, our picks for those who love the true stories of our region shine the spotlight on the people and events that shaped the place we call home in the 20th century. Aftershock: The Halifax Explosion and the Persecution of Pilot Francis Mackey explores the aftermath of the blast and how Mackey, the pilot of the munitions ship Mont Blanc, became an unfair target of blame among citizens and federal officials. Celebrating 50 years as a federal port, A Beautiful Sight: Stories from the Port of St. John’s tells the story of this important cultural and economic terminal directly from those who work its waters.

For the Art & Music Lover

Wicked and WeirdJohn Greer: retroActive

For those who can’t get enough culture in any form, we have book picks for the visual and musical arts enthusiast. Nova Scotia’s Rich Terfry may be better know as music-maker Buck 65 and as a CBC Radio host. But it’s his talent for storytelling that’s on display in our music pick, Wicked & Weird: The Amazing Tales of Buck 65, a boisterous look at the unbelievable adventures of his musical alter-ego. Any patron of the arts would love to receive John Greer: retroActive. This comprehensive tome contains more than 300 representations of this sculptor, conceptual artist and unconventional art maker’s moving reflections on the human environment. A must for the art collector!

For the Young Reader

Asp of AscentionSmall Bones

An intriguing story is always exciting for any young reader to receive and these adventures are sure to please. Egyptian artifacts, a curious disappearance, and high school combine to thrust teenager Nefertari “Terry” Hughes into the spotlight and into the heart of an ancient mystery in Asp of Ascension. In our other pick, Small Bones, Dot has a different kind of mystery to solve. Searching for the truth about her parents, she investigates the past and learns more than she bargains for about the legacy of love and lies.

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Katherine Dewar, author of Those Splendid Girls, reads in the window of Bookmark Bookstore. Photo credit: Melanie Fishbane
Katherine Dewar, author of Those Splendid Girls, reads in the window of Bookmark Bookstore. Photo credit: Melanie Fishbane

For one week in May, the National Reading Campaign transformed Charlottetown into Reading Town Canada

The lights are low, the food is local, the wine is flowing, and the conversation shows no sign of slowing down. A group of people is gathered around a table in a cozy attic-like lounge. The talk is animated, and occasional bursts of laughter interrupt nearby conversations.

That was the scene in Marc’s Lounge on Charlottetown’s Sydney Street on May 9th, just a few hours shy of one week into Reading Town Canada, a travelling literary festival spearheaded by the National Reading Campaign.

And this was the kind of scene the festival fostered. Reading Town Canada, which debuted last year in Moose Jaw, SK, puts a unique spin on the age-old tradition of the literary festival. Although it has plenty of the usual workshops and signings, the Charlottetown version, which was supported by the PEI Literacy Alliance, also featured little libraries set up in wooden cabinets on the street, poems delivered in pizza boxes, people reading aloud from a rocking chair in Bookmark Bookstore’s window.

Dave Atkinson spent an evening chatting with fans at the Tween Reading Café at Beanz Espresso Bar and Café
Dave Atkinson spent an evening chatting with fans at the Tween Reading Café at Beanz Espresso Bar and Café. Photo credit: Melanie Fishbane

“We didn’t have many people sign up before Reading Town started, but as people started sitting in the window, more people got interested,” says Lori Cheverie, manager of Bookmark. “We heard nothing but positive feedback. There were always people stopping and looking, and some people would come in to ask about Reading Town.”

The festival hosted a variety of local authors, like Glenna Jenkins, author of Somewhere I Belong, who ran a workshop on writing from family history; Finley Martin, who launched his new Anne Brown mystery, The Dead Letter, at Carriage House; and Dave Atkinson, author of Wereduck, who spent an evening chatting with fans at the Tween Reading Café at Beanz Espresso Bar and Café.

There were also some notable authors from elsewhere in Canada, including Zarqa Nawaz, creator of “Little Mosque on the Prairie”, who read from her new book, Laughing All the Way to the Mosque.

“Her book is about growing up in Canada,” says James Roy, Reading Town’s project manager. “She’d never been to the East before this week. I took her to a school on Tuesday afternoon, and she gave a talk to a grade 11 class and it went really well. She tried to use the opportunity to bridge the gap between cultures.”

The event also welcomed Debra Komar, who launched her newest book, The Bastard of Fort Stikine: The Hudson’s Bay Company and the Murder of John McLoughlin Jr., at the Confederation Centre Public Library.

Although the entire festival served to unite the Charlottetown community in a celebration of reading, there were two events in particular that really brought people together, and both were organized by Bookmark.

Little libraries popped-up around the city. The tiny cabinet-like libraries encourage users to discover new books and drop off old ones.
Little libraries popped-up around the city. The tiny cabinet-like libraries encourage users to discover new books and drop off old ones. Photo credit: Melanie Fishbane

The first was a private event honouring its 10 top-selling Island authors from last year. The second was Reading at the Mall, a last-day-of-the-festival family event that featured readings, signings, and visits from picture book characters.

“We were just so busy, we’re only absorbing it all now,” says Cheverie. “Every day we were involved in something, and Saturday was far bigger than we thought it would be. There were hundreds of kids here. The other tenants in the mall were so happy about the buzz we’d created. It was amazing to see that, as a bookstore, we could create such a positive draw. Books are just so important.”