Since lots of vacationers tend to hit the bookstores for summer reading material, I thought I’d share with you my suggestions from Dundurn’s catalogues. So, if you’re planning on curling up and doing some long weekend reading, consider these titles:

Before You Say Yes by Doreen Pendgracs
Lots of charitable organizations plan summer events and look for volunteers to sit on their board of organizers. It’s a great opportunity to get involved with your community and help out with worthy causes… just make sure you know what you’re getting into before you take the plunge. This book will take you through everything you need to know about volunteer boards. So whether you’re going to help organize a local fundraiser, help out with your child’s sports team or join an event planning committee, educate yourself on what to expect.

Wolfe Island by Barbara Wall La Rocque
I love this book! I spent four years in Kingston attending Queen’s University and frequented Wolfe Island often. This book details the awesome history of the area and the unique spots that make it one of the most popular destinations in the 1000 Island region, for both tourists and residents alike. It’ll give you great ideas if you’re planning a roadtrip this summer… and if you’re not, it just might inspire you to do so.

Now You Know Baseball by Doug Lennox
Baseball is the official sport of summer, and while support for the Toronto Blue Jays may be waning, there are so many quirky facts crammed into this book. (Random Factoid: Did you know Babe Ruth hit his first homerun in Toronto? Now you know!) Fans and baseball newbies alike will gobble up the stories inside. A must read for any one who strives to become the ultimate Trivial Pursuit champion.

Jalna by Mazo de la Roche
Way back in the 1920s, Mazo de la Roche was impoverished and struggling to survive. Then she won a $10,000 prize from a magazine for her book, Jalna, and she was thrust into great Canadian celebrity. Jalna is the first book in the series chronicling 100 years of the Whiteoak family. Revisit this Canadian classic and become more familiar with Renny, Adeline and the entire Whiteoak clan.

Happy Long Weekend!

And it is. Not only am I revisiting an old manuscript (working title: Up Where We Go), but I am revisiting the person I was 25 years ago. The experience is not unlike looking at an old photo album, or rummaging through a chest of toys you had as a child. The writing is youthful and lyrical and, admittedly, derivative (of Hemingway, Faulkner, and Steinbeck). And the characters — naive and idealistic compared to the grizzled and world-weary characters I use today — are refreshing, even though I know that life will beat them down, even during the progress of this story.

But I shouldn’t project too far into the book. I haven’t reread it in all these years, and although I have a rough idea of how the plot unfolds, I am constantly being surprised by what happens next. I have no recollection of writing certain scenes; odd, because sometimes I’ll remember precisely the next six or eight words that complete a sentence I haven’t seen in a quarter of a century.

I’ve also noticed that I use “free indirect style” (a species of third person narration in which the narrator possesses some, but not too much, of the attitude of the character over whose shoulder he is looking). I was just reading about this technique several weeks ago in James Wood’s edifying How Fiction Works, and didn’t think I’d ever heard of it before. Well, in fact, I hadn’t. I just used it in ignorance back when I was beginning to write, before I settled down with more conventional forms of narration.

I’ve just completed Chapter 1. I’ve changed a few things here and there, but I haven’t tampered with the spirit of the story. That would be a mistake. So far, I’m having fun. And I’m very excited to see how it ends.

What if we could connect people to books via a salad dressing that they enjoyed? Just for fun, I took a look at office fridge and this is what I found:

Renne’s Gourmet Vinaigrette: Spring Herb Italian

Kraft Signature Balsamic Vinaigrette

Kraft Signature Greek with Feta & Oregano

Kraft Italian

Newman’s Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette

Litehouse Organic Raspberry Lime Vinaigrette

I then asked people around the office what book, that we publish, they would associate with each particular salad dressing and here are a few results:

Renne’s Gourmet Vinaigrette: Spring Herb Italian -> Suggestions: Canadians at Table and For the Record

Kraft Signature Balsamic Vinaigrette -> Suggestions: To Timbuktu for a Haircut, and The Dells

Kraft Signature Greek with Feta & Oregano -> Suggestions: The Footstop Cafe

Kraft Italian -> Suggestion: Angel in the Full Moon

Newman’s Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette -> Suggestions: Doug Lennox’s Now You Know and To Timbuktu for a Haircut

Litehouse Organic Raspberry Lime Vinaigreete -> Suggestions: Porcelain Moon and Pomegranates

Perhaps at another time, we’ll take a more in-depth look at how our tastebuds just might be connected to what we read.

Fans of author Kim Moritsugu and literary fiction will be pleased to hear that there will be a rebroadcast of The Restoration of Emily on CBC Radio One.  The book is read by Karin Konoval and the broadcast will air at 1:30pm on Monday December 3rd, 2007.  Listen to the broadcast live online!