Book Review

Book Title: The Art of McSweeney’s
Author: The Editors of McSweeney’s
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pages: 256
Year: 2010
ISBN: 9780811866231

Reviewed By: Richard Lam

“Impossible, you say? Nothing is impossible when you work for the circus.”

It’s hard to explain McSweeney’s to the uninitiated. They don’t have a consistent logo or look. Issues are released sporadically and contain random artifacts such as magnets or a even a comb. But two things are constant with every new McSweeney’s release: there is great writing contained inside, and the packaging is always a one-of-a-kind object well worth owning. A sort of lit-geek heaven.

To follow suit, The Art of McSweeney’s is not strictly an art book, just as the McSweeney’s publication isn’t strictly an anthology for short stories. To pigeonhole them as such is to do them a great disservice, as McSweeney’s is one of the most adventurous and unique entities on the literary map. Following that, this book is a look at the series’ artwork, no doubt, but it is also a chronological narrative of a company, a behind-the-scenes peek at a literary magazine, and a love letter to the printed word. Add a comment

Book Review
Title: Juliet
Author: Anne Fortier
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: 2010
Pages: 464
ISBN-10: 1554684994
ISBN-13: 978-1554684991

Reviewed By: Christine Bode

When HarperCollins Canada asked me if I would like to be a part of their blog tour for author Anne Fortier and her impressive sophomore novel, Juliet, I jumped at the chance after reading the book’s synopsis:

Juliet follows Julie Jacobs on a trip to Siena, Italy where she is to locate an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a precarious journey into the true history of her ancestor Giulietta, whose legendary love for a young man named Romeo turned medieval Siena upside down. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in Shakespeare’s unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorious curse — “A plague on both your houses!” — is still at work, and that she is the next target. It seems the only one who can save her from her fate is Romeo . . . but where is he?

Juliet is a splendid romantic mystery, set in Siena, Italy, involving 25-year-old American Juliet Jacobs, a.k.a. Giulietta Tolomei, a direct descendant of THE Juliet of Romeo and Juliet notoriety. Juliet’s story is told in two centuries, Jacobs’ own, and the 14th century when the original Romeo and Giulietta’s tale unfolded in Siena (not Verona as Shakespeare had us believe). Add a comment

Written By: Kindah Mardam Bey (Editor-in-Chief)

What a delight it is as a businesswoman to sit down and read a book like Erica Diamond’s 99 Things Women Wish They Knew Before….Starting Their Own Business. Of course, I wish this book had appeared on my desktop prior to publishing Press+1, but it was reassuring to know that many of the pitfalls, hardships, learning curves and successes along the way were not my own – they were shared by other businesswomen on a similar journey.

A new ‘Adopt a School’ program strives to put 38,000 books into the hands of Canadian Children