Old City Hall and Abby to carve

We just got in an advanced readers copy of Robert Rotenberg's new book "Old City Hall"!! I can't wait to start reading it and you know this is going to be a great book just check out these comments by other authors!

"Clever, complex and filled with an engaging cast of characters, Old City Hall captures the vibrancy and soul of Toronto" -Kathy Reichs

"An amazing debut...this one has winner written all over it." - Nelson Demille

"Breathtaking.... A tightly woven spiderweb of a plot and a rich cast of characters make this a truly gripping read...Robert Rotenberg does for Toronto what Ian Rankin does for Edinburgh." - Jeffery Deaver

As a side note Jeffery Deaver is not known for giving out cover blurbs!!

Now if I can just finish the set for the Classic Theatre's production of "The Sound of Music"!!

The Staff May Need Sleep

Although I'm not proud to admit this I know how funny it is so I'm sharing anyway.

I just tried to answer the stapler.

There was this ringing sound (the phone)

I reached for the cordless phone (actually the stapler)

Held it up for a moment looking for the "talk button" before realizing that the phone was actually on the other side of the desk.

:)

Please forgive me if I say something dumb if you're here today.

Because all the cool kids are doing it

25 Random Things about Chat Noir Books

1. Our name comes from a famous poster for an 1800's cabaret show in Paris.

2. We opened on Halloween Day.

3. We've had someone ask to film a horror movie in our very scary basement.

4. No we do not lend books. The library is across the street.

5. We had a photo shoot for our fifth year anniversary in the scary basement.

6. Stewart McLean once gave us less than 40 minutes notice he would be here for a meet and greet.

7. We had two ladies tell us they came all the way from B.C. to try our coffee. (I'm not sure I believe them but hey...)

8. The first person who applied to work here did so before we even finished construction and although he had to wait three years he still works here now.

9. We have a walk-in safe the same size as the trailer on a semi. We're not sure what we should put in it.

10. If reading isn't listed on your resume as an interest and we don't know you by name because you're in here all the time you will not be getting a call about a job.

11. No we do not have the fifth Stephenie Meyer's Twilight book that is partially available on her website. We promise to order it when it is published.

12. Clive Barker thinks that Chat Noir Books is the "Best Pussy Ever" (We have this in writing)

13. We get offers on our store decor items so often that I sometimes wonder if we shouldn't be personal shoppers or interior designers.

14. We have a store gnome. His name is Ergglle. Unfortunately he does not clean or put stock away.

15. We started drawing cats with names on our Java Jackets as a joke and now get into trouble from the customers if we fall behind drawing or naming them.

16. We have customers that randomly drop off food for us. This is MUCH appreciated.

17. We have a fairy door and we're pretty sure there is a family of fairies living in our wall.

18. We pay to listen to a listener supported radio station because the full time employees would probably snap and kill someone if they had to listen to radio commercials all day.

19. No we haven't read everything in the store, we'd love to and we've tackled a large chunk of it but we're still human and need sleep too - why do people ask that?

20. If you can find a spot in the building that is level, plumb and square you can be our hero. There isn't one. Anywhere. We've looked. Oh well, if we only have this many saggy bits at over 100 years old we'll be looking good.

21. We were only the second place to get a pre-release reading from Joseph Boyden's Through Black Spruce. We LOVE Joseph Boyden's books (and He's pretty darn cool too), READ them!!!!!!

22. After reading a copy of "The Invitation" by Oriah we figured out that the author was describing downtown New Liskeard at the beginning of the chapter called Finding our way home. We emailed her about it and the next year she came for a signing. Small World.

23. We have a black Manekineko that took a friend of ours an entire teaching contract to find for us. Manekineko are cat-shaped lucky charms and they are most often white. Maneki means beckoning and neko means cats in Japanese. A Manekineko raises one of its front paws and beckons.You see manekineko in many Japanese stores.

24. There are currently two swords displayed in the Fantasy section. They are not for sale - you never know, we may need them in case of Zombie attacks.

25. If it wasn't for the continued support of family, friends, random author drop-ins and our fantastic customers, we wouldn't have an independent community bookstore in New Liskeard. Thank you to ALL of you.

Just a rainny Tuesday Morning in Feb!!

So the road coming in was not to bad, but we did call Mark and asked him to open the store for us just in case we didn't make it in.(Just a little freezing rain)

It has been a pretty quite morning, so here is a list of music that Jenn and I have been listening to lately. Just because Music, Coffee & books go so well together!

Fist up is Joel Plaskett album La De Da. Thank you Heather and Mark for tuning us on to Joel's music.










Michael Franti & Spearhead - all Rebel Rockers. This is a great CD! It is full of songs that are very upbeat and with some great lyrics. Radio Paradise has beening playing their stuff a lot lately. Luckily our friends Leigh and Temma gave us a copy for Christmas. Thanks guys!





Far End of Summer by David Francey. Ok so CBC radio was playing one of David's songs last week on the morning show. I missed who the name of the artist and album but loved the song and I remembered that it had February & Drive in the title. Jenn thought it might be February & morning. Well we were both wrong...kinda...the song title was actually "February Morning Drive". I love the fact that CBC plays music you wouldn't normally hear on other radio stations! Great Folk album by the way.

Soul Jazz Orchestra - Freedom No Go Die has been in my CD player a lot lately as well. Phil and Steven two locals are both members in the band. Souljazz also has a new CD out! Freedom No Go Die is available at Chat Noir Books. I am waiting to her from Phil to see if we can get some of the new CDs.





I finally also got a copy of Kim Barlow's Cd Luckyburden. Thank you Garnet and Brian for the "Yukon Tunes" Cd. Kim is another musician I would love to see at the Classic...actually I would to see all these guys at the Classic!

Finally finished The Mystery of Grace

So I just finished reading the "The Mystery of Grace" by Charles De Lint, which will be out March 17, 2009. I tried to finish it last night... but I it was just to late! So I brought it into work to finish. What can I say it was the end of the book, and I wasn't going to wait all day to find out how it ends. I do work in a bookstore... and reading is part of my job. Plus I only had 12 pages left to read, though I didn't realized that last night...anyways.

If your Charles De Lint Fan your going to love this Ghost story. It may not be Newford but this fictional southern Californian Latino community that he creates has a cast of interesting characters and places. The story centers around the main character Grace who is a car enthusiasts who works in a shop with a bunch of gear heads rebuilding hot-rodders. If my Cd's were not still packed away I would have popped in my Reverend Horten Heat or Stray Cat Cd's every time I picked up the book. Lucky De Lint lists off a great soundtrack of old-school rockabilly and surf music, which I am definitely going to check out! What I love about his stories is that Charles De Lint always gives you a well written story that feature great characters!!

Mystery of Grace

Three years after his last major adult novel, Charles De Lint returns with a new tale of magic, loss, and redemption, his first book set in the Southwest. Centered on a remarkable female protagonist and entirely self-contained, this is a modern contemporary fantasy as invented band pioneered by de Lint himself. Altagracia—her friends call her Grace—has a tattoo of Nuestra Señora de Altagracia on her shoulder; she's got a Ford Motor Company tattoo running down her leg; and she has grease worked so deep into her hands that'll never wash out.

Grace works at Sanchez Motor Works, customizing hot rods. A few blocks around her small apartment building is all her world—from the grocery store where she buys beans, tamales and cigarettes to the library, the little record shop, and the Solona Music Hall. Which is where she meets John Burns, just two weeks too late.

Grace and John fall for one another, and that would be wonderful, except that they're both haunted by unfinished business. Before their relationship can be resolved, they're both going to have to learn things they don't know about the world of the living and the world beyond. About why it's necessary to let some things go.

If your just discovering Charles De Lints work you might want to know that doesn't just write urban fantasy but also has some fantastic horror novels done under the Samuel M. Key pseudonym. His novel Savha is also a great sci-fi read and De Lint has also written some young adult works as well as children books.

Svaha

Out beyond the Enclaves, in the desolation between the cities, an Indian flyer has been downed. A chip encoded with vital secrets is missing. Only Gahzee can venture forth to find it—walking the line between the Dreamtime and the Realtime, bringing his people's ancient magic to bear on the poisoned world of tomorrow. Bringing hope, perhaps, for a new dawn.

Douglas Pollard Order of Canada

Some more Northern Ontario Book News

If you live in the Temiskaming area you have heard of the Highway Bookshop, heck if you have travelled Highway 11 North From North Bay to Thunder Bay, you have probably passed by the Highway Bookshop at some point.

And if you have ever stopped at the Highway Bookshop you have probably met Mr. Pollard or his wife Lois who have owned and operated the Highway Book Shop, since 1957. For almost 60 years now Mr. Pollard has be helping to publish local author's who have written about our area, including my Grandfather Dave McLaren.

Well this year owner, publisher and author Douglas Pollard has been given Canada’s highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada.

Chat Noir Books would like to add our congratulations.