Mini Book Expo For Bloggers

Elysium & Other Stories [Christopher's review]

Christopher delivers an editorial smack down to Elysium & Other Stories in his review, "Hideous for all the Wrong Reasons":

Because my review is complex I'm writing it in two parts. This first one addresses a slew of frightful problems that should have been caught by the author or editor.

It really saddens me to see what could be a great independent publisher cranking out a work so full of mistakes. And I really don't understand. Is the writer so uncaring she doesn't check what she writes? Is the editor so blind s/he misses the errors? Is this a symptom of sloppiness or laziness that infects this author?

So, in this first part of the review I'm going to merely catalogue some of Elysium's mistakes as we ponder whether or not to trust anything the author has written. If they can't get the simple things right, how can we expect them to handle the complexities of writing?

Keep reading Christopher's review...

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More information

• Anvil Press | Chapters.ca  | Amazon.com
• ISBN-10: 1895636914 
• ISBN-13: 978-1895636918

Dirtbags [Tina's Review]

Do you see bad behaviour in today's young adults as a result of upbringing or environment? Or both? Tina, over on Bookshipper, felt there was a bad message in Dirtbags and poo poo-ed the book. Here's a clip:

The novel then proceeds to detail, for us, all of the misguided, crazy, illegal and immature things these young people actually put themselves , each other and other people through. There are lots of drugs, booze, sweating, screaming and general upheaval.I am sorry, but this story was depressing,

Keep reading Tina's review...

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More information

• Author Site: [Link to author's site or blog]   
• Book Site: [link to dedicated site or blog about the book]   
• Extra Info:    
• Anvil Press | Chapters.ca  | Amazon.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages 
• Publisher: Anvil Press (November 29, 2007) 
• Language: English 
• ISBN-10: 1895636884 
• ISBN-13: 978-1895636888

Elysium & Other Stories [Pamela Stewart]

Courtesy of Anvil Press

Pamela Stewart is a self-described “literary proctologist,” and her writing often looks into places that people generally don’t want to look. The stories in Elysium are about the difficulties of life we all encounter as human beings, the fragility of life—the physical, mental, and spiritual challenges we must try to overcome. They are about ordinary people, characters searching for meaning. People are rescued, but not always in the way they hoped for or expected. Stewart’s work is character-driven and empathetic. 

Pamela Stewart spent twenty years as a private investigator, which gave her a special insight into human behaviour. “Because I spent so many years alone in a car watching people, my perspective on people is a bit different. I would watch someone for three or so days in a row, and in that time get a capsule version of their life; but it was skewed because I was part of their life, yet not part. They didn’t know I was in it,” she says. “Writing about people is kind of like that too.”

 

About the Author
Pamela Stewart lives in downtown Toronto. Her stories have been published in Ars Medica, Descant, Other Voices, subTerrain, and Rosebud. She took second place in the Toronto Star’s short story contest, and she was short-listed in the 3-Day Novel Contest.   In addition to writing, Stewart is a photographer and has had her photography exhibited at various venues and published in a variety of magazines. She’s been involved in social activism and causes for social justice, in particular as a peace activist. She also makes jewellery and has her own business, Pamela’s Planet, with a portion of proceeds going to charity. She attends Quaker meetings, and is a breast cancer survivor.

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More information

• Anvil Press | Chapters.ca  | Amazon.com

Product Details

• 1 copy available This book is CLAIMED.
• Paperback: 208 pages 
• Publisher: Anvil Press (March 15, 2008) 
• ISBN-10: 1895636914 
• ISBN-13: 978-1895636918

Shipping within Canada sponsored by Anvil Press

Black Rabbit & Other Stories [Salvatore Difalco]

Courtesy of Anvil Press

Black Rabbit & Other Stories is a debut collection of great intensity and versatility. The stories range from the fantastic to the gritty, from urban dystopias to worlds of dreamlike possibility. 

Even in their frequent explorations of brutality, the author remains honest and true to the motivations of his characters and the machinations of the worlds in which they find themselves. These are sure-footed narratives that move with a pre-destined deliberation into a universe that is often fraught with desperation and apparent hopelessness; but, ultimately, we find ourselves on a path to redemption, an acceptance of what is, in the final analysis, an incomprehensible matrix. 

Existential and reflective, brutal and honest, these are stories that will leave you questioning the essence of existence, your own humanity, and the humanity of those around you. This is deft storytelling from a talented new voice.

About the Author

Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, the son of Italian immigrants, Difalco attended the University of Toronto, where he completed an M.A. in English. After several years of writing poetry, Difalco turned to short fiction in 2004. He has since released one chapbook of stories, Outside (Black Bile Press) and has had numerous stories published in journals and literary magazines. Difalco is married to poet and short story writer Alexandra Leggat. They currently reside in Niagara Falls with their dog, Monk.

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More information

• Anvil Press | Chapters.ca  | Amazon.com

Product Details

• 1 copy available  This book is CLAIMED 
• Paperback: 208 pages 
• Publisher: Anvil Press (March 15, 2007) 
• ISBN-10: 1895636787 
• ISBN-13: 978-1895636789

Shipping within Canada sponsored by Anvil Press

Dirtbags [Teresa McWhirter]

Courtesy of Anvil Press

Spider is a scrappy kid growing up in rural B.C., and when a tragic event causes her world to implode she heads to Vancouver for solace, distraction, and experience.

We witness a shifting morality as Spider moves through chaos and anarchy, often of her own choosing, with no certainty of truth besides what is found in brief encounters. She soaks up the world around her, getting swept up in an accelerated scene of punk music, partying, booze and drugs, but she is forever dogged by a nagging question from her past: “When everything in your life is fleeting, what do you hold onto?”

Dirtbags deals with the bonds between women, the cycle of poverty, self-destruction, loss of family, the outlaw code, and the fragile beauty of the human condition. This is Teresa McWhirter’s follow-up novel to Some Girls Do.

About the Author

Teresa McWhirter grew up in the Kootenays of interior British Columbia. After finishing high school she went to Europe and later returned to attend the University of Victoria, receiving a BA with a double major in English and Creative Writing. Upon graduating she taught English in Korea, spent time in Thailand and Costa Rica, and traveled extensively throughout Canada and the US. 

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More information

• Author Site: [Link to author's site or blog]   
• Book Site: [link to dedicated site or blog about the book]   
• Extra Info:    
• Anvil Press | Chapters.ca  | Amazon.com

Product Details

• 1 copy available  This book is CLAIMED
• Paperback: 224 pages 
• Publisher: Anvil Press (November 29, 2007) 
• Language: English 
• ISBN-10: 1895636884 
• ISBN-13: 978-1895636888

Shipping within Canada sponsored by Anvil Press