An infusion of hot young writers, some added glamour and a dose of Irish charm make this year's author's fest a book-lover's fantasy

Books

A solid evening

By Zoe Whittall Posted on Oct 31, 2008 at 12:54 AM

The IFOA house was packed tonight by the time Maeve Binchy's voice came over the loudspeaker. Groups of booklovers mixed with local authors like Catherine Bush and Shyam Selvadurai. Novelist and poet Alison Pick was our gracious host, introducing award-winning poet Lorna Crozier who started off the night. 

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Books

Winning reads

By Zoe Whittall Posted on Oct 30, 2008 at 12:48 AM

Last night I attended a reading by the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize finalists, a diverse mix of writers. Some I'm just discovering, like the very witty Rivka Galchen, the prize-collecting Rawi Hage and cutie pie Lee Henderson.

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The author of this blog partying at the IFOA gala. For more images of authors and partiers, see the bottom of this article.

Susan G. Cole

Books

Scene, heard, and read at the IFOA gala

By Susan G. Cole Posted on Oct 28, 2008 at 12:47 AM

What makes an authors festival party rock? Writers, of course. And they were out in full force at last night's International Festival of Authors gala.

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Francine Prose and Anita Shreve's latest Oprah-approved novel

Books

Conquering Oprah-book club phobia

By Zoe Whittall Posted on Oct 27, 2008 at 12:16 AM

I made a festival rule after IFOA 2007: to only attend panel discussions, parties and Q&A's where the social gaffes, heated debates, and interesting insights abound.

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Book Review

Not so Big Easy

By Susan G. Cole Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

Amanda Boyden knows how to keep a narrative moving, but her quintet of New Orleans voices doesn’t quite harmonize.

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Authors Festival

Benioff’s semi-charmed life stories

David Benioff leads one of those charmed existences that seem to happen only in movies.

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Book Reviews

The 19th Wife

By Zoe Whittall Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

Polygamy voices

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Books Feature

Junot Diaz

By BARRETT HOOPER Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

Junot Diaz teaches creative writing at MIT.

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Book Reviews

Atmospheric Disturbances

By Susan G. Cole Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

Novels like Atmospheric Disturbances don’t come around very often. It’s a book of ideas, yet it’s full of emotion. It’s got romance, science, mystery, speculation. The narrative is elliptical, but it’s got a very precise logic.

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Book Reviews

The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics Of Contemporary Art

By Leah Sandals Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

Market madness

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Book Reviews

Submarine

By Susan G. Cole Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

Debut dazzles

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Book Reviews

The Wasted Vigil

By David Jager Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

Aslam ascends

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Books Feature

How to do the International Festival Of Authors: October 23-November 1

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Book Reviews

Coventry

By Susan G. Cole Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

Hail Humphreys

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Book Reviews

In The Dark

By Lesley McAllister Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

Billingham thrills

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Book Review

More

By Sigcino Moyo Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

More scores

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Book Reviews

Child 44

By Glenn Sumi Posted on NOW | October 22-29, 2008 | VOL 28 NO 8

Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44 has been compared to Gorky Park and 1984. But reading just a few pages of the British novelist’s unputdownable debut thriller convinces you that his voice is totally his own.

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Books Feature

Festival Listings

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• R.I.P. Whitney Houston
• Irrelevant? Not so fast, Mr. Ford
• Ladyhawk’s revenge
• Weekend eating: February 11-12
• Ladyhawk’s revenge
• BadBadNotGood, great
• A peek at Oscar’s shorts
• Zone
• In The Heights
• Province cuts Ford loose
• Glad Day saved, Ryerson Bookstore satellite goes down
• Bro down
• Transit City rides again
• Yamantaka//Sonic Titan take the stage
• Tepid Asteroids Galaxy Tour
• Messiah and Model City
• Weekend Tipsheet: February 11-12
• Scheiße Boy
• Creating Buzz Records
• Cat Power pulls plug on Israel
• Darcy Michael
• Daily Tipsheet: Friday, February 10
• Subway scoundrel
• Daily Tipsheet: Thursday, February 9
• High noon at City Hall
• Daily Tipsheet: Wednesday, February 8
• 2012 Juno Nominations
• Amen Dunes do Lee’s
• Daily Tipsheet: Tuesday, February 7
• Mirvish announces line-up for the upcoming season
• Happening Hopgood’s
• Juno Concert Series
• Toronto’s official Super Bowl party at Sound Academy
• Ford’s transit plans hijacked
• Daily Tipsheet: Monday, February 6
• My Super Bowl bet is on MIA
• Visiting Mr. Green
• Perfect Green and In Through Waves
• Is Madonna a vampire or a cannibal?
• Done deal
• Ben Gazzara, 1930-2012
• Bistro 990 goes condo
• Getting into feminist porn
• Weekend eating: February 4-5
• Weekend Tipsheet: February 4-5
• Daily Tipsheet: Friday, February 3
• Jonathan Byrd soars at the Cameron House
• Rob Ford’s "final offer"
• Daily Tipsheet: Groundhog Day
• Film Friday: Chronicle, The Innkeepers, Miss Bala and more
• So many movies...so little time
• The government is watching...Toronto theatre
• The Darkness shine in Toronto return
• Return of the Darkness
• The Real Jerk reprieve
• Souper Bowl
• The Fords vs. the integrity commissioner
• Daily Tipsheet: Wednesday, February 1
• Daft Punk tribute
• TTC board throws Stintz under the train
• Daily Tipsheet: Tuesday, January 31
• The Double
• Transit City is not dead, lawyer says
• End femicide but don’t promote hate
• All in the Timing
• Daily Tipsheet: Monday, January 30
• Yamantaka//Sonic Titan at the Garrison
• A$AP Rocky at the Opera House
• Burying Eglinton Crosstown would save money, Ford says
• Weekend Tipsheet: January 28-29
• If this is love
• Julie Doiron at Saving Gigi
• Cass McCombs at the Garrison
• Les Monts Groulx and Croix-livres
• Weekend eating: January 28-29
• Photographer Andrew MacNaughtan dies
• Art as protest, art as art
• Separate lanes at last
• All writers are hot
• Daily Tipsheet: Friday, January 27
• Oui Paris
• Ford plans to provoke strike, union says
• Q&A: Cass McCombs
• DIY accessibility
• Corin Raymond & the Sundowners at the Tranzac
• Daily Tipsheet: Thursday, January 26
• Crazy money
• Design issue outtakes
• Daily Dish: Market Mercanti
• At Soundscapes with John K. Sampson
• CB2
• Daily Tipsheet: Wednesday, January 25
• Absolutely Free and funky
• Revised transit plan could put LRTs on Sheppard, Finch
• Daily Tipsheet: Tuesday, January 24
• Oscar nominations 2012
• Little City, big band
• Chinese New Year
• Packed in with Pissed Jeans
• Daily Tipsheet: Monday, January 23

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