Advent Snow Dog. Photo: Kris Krug

When the J-Dub (Julie ‘Book Madam’ Wilson) and I started this whole Advent Book Blog thing in that seminal year of 2009 all that we had was a wordpress.com site, collections of connections locally, and the groundswell that emerged from the original Bookcamps in Toronto and Vancouver.

It was a year of massive change for the publishing industry, and people – readers, writers, editors, designers, booksellers, everyone – were beginning to reorganize.

Twitter became ubiquitous, authors and publishers began to thaw their resistance to the lawless potential of the web, and the voice of the fan, recognized for its refreshing honesty, suddenly had a platform.

Book blogs blossomed across the web and permanently changed the tone of the conversation around books for the better.

Barriers dissolved, new voices emerged, and the sharing culture of the social web – Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc… – meant that people could route themselves around the ‘Editorial Board’ of various traditional media sources to find the books that they wanted to hear about from voices that spoke in plain English.

It occurred to me and Julie in the grim days of early November of that year that we were approaching an opportunity to do something really cool and unique.

A kind of choral work. Many voices from many places singing together in homage to the books that they love.

Harmony from cacophony was the vague goal.

Hey, it was an experiment!

Could we take the connections and enthusiasms generated by the Bookcamps and build something online that gave voice to people’s passion for books?

What would happen if we could tap the power of the web and the genuine enthusiasm of the fan then share it through the instantaneous broadcast of the social media channels?

Would this work? Would people participate? Would anyone care?

Those were the big early questions and to each the resounding response was ‘Yes’!

Advent Snow Dog. Photo: Kris Krug

With our Google Analytics in place we could see that our readership was overwhelmingly Canadian. That people from Tofino to Iqaluit to St John’s to Windsor were reading the Advent Book Blog.

And we were getting interesting numbers from other places, too. New York City, London, Melbourne, and Tokyo.

There was an audience. Bigger than we had imagined.

But, really, whatever about the analytics. That’s just some data to interpret.

The real question was: could we actually sell some books this way? Could the Advent Book Blog act as a source for awareness of great books recommended by great people?

Could we inspire people to go out and buy a book? Could we transmit enthusiasm for a book across the web and activate readers to go out and make the purchase?

The answer again is ‘Yes’!

And that, my friend, is the biggest success that we could hope for. A generous gift given and received by all involved.

We’re selling books. Good books.

Thanks to everyone who has participated this year!

To those still stuck in the primordial ‘literature is dead, nobody reads/cares anymore’ loop of eternal obliviousness, we proudly submit this 3rd Edition of the Advent Book Blog as ‘Exhibit A’ in support of the motion that books, reading, literature and their native communities are not only alive but racing through snow shackled ancient rainforests in the company of loyal snow dogs.

Let’s discuss this in detail at Bookcamps Vancouver, Halifax & Toronto in 2012.

Happy Holidays, everyone, and thanks again!

- Sean Cranbury, December 26, 2011, Vancouver, BC.

Howling for You. Photo Kris Krug.

I was away from home for the first week or so of the Advent, and the intrepid creators behind the blog found help from three amazing elves; but returning to the fray was a glorious boost to my season. I am surrounded here by a magic which I call bookjoy.

Bookjoy is the phone call I received this Christmas morning: glad tidings and a gleeful report of the binded gems of typeface, stories & adventure which Santa had left. And bookjoy is the giddy enthusiasm in letters, on Facebook & on Twitter about books unearthed and recommended on the Advent Book Blog for this season of gift-giving. There is nothing so joyful as a genuine enthusiasm for books – and this blog is brimming with that joy, from its creators, its contributors and its readers. And I am so grateful to be a part of it. I think that if this is the death of a book-reading culture, then give me these ghosts.

Rather than talk more about how much I enjoy book recommendations, let me recommend another book. This is a great one:

Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi

Publisher: Penguin (2011)

ISBN: 978-0143179238

Cover Price: $22

The Recommend

Helen Oyeyemi’s fourth novel, Mr. Fox, is the best company one could have on a long night’s read. Within a page we are assured of charm & wit; by the end of the first chapter we are smitten; and each subsequent chapter gives way to increasing and awe-inspiring brilliance. The title character is spun from the classic Bluebeard myth, but the women maimed and murdered by this Mr. Fox are his female characters, while Mary Foxe, the woman who dares challenge him, is an imaginary muse. Their battle is a written challenge; a duel resulting in nine stories where the relationships and transformation of the supposed authors are as cleverly presented as those of their characters. The stories cause Mr. Fox to be as much a collection of superb, stand-alone short stories as it is a complex and intelligent novel. That such a refreshing experiment in form is used to present a serious examination of violence against women even and especially in art makes this novel – and I say this after much thought, and with much conviction – one of the most important books written in the last decade. Most impressively, the writing itself is, in a word, delightful. Every page is infused with language that I can only describe as magical. Mr. Fox is a wonder and truly a joy to read.

Carmel Purkis 

Carmel Purkis spends most of the year as a writer, editor & researcher with a fondness for experimental art & French bread. In December, however, she dons an elf cap & merrily joins in the fun that is working on the Advent Book Blog.

The Book Madam, Julie Wilson (photo credit: Jeff Kelly)

Every summer: Sean Cranbury and I have a Skype to talk about The Advent Book Blog. How can we make it better? How can we reach a wider audience? Are we still cool with not monetizing the project? (Answer: Hells, yeah.)

Every winter: FULL STOP! IT’S GO TIME!

And, just when we could start to freak out—every winter—you show up. With your recommendations. With your shares and RTs. With your pride in the books you love.

This just in: The industry is in trouble. The industry as we know it is dead or at least dying. And if it’s dying, we missed the part where the knife was turned, and, ruh roh, there’s no saving him now, Jim.

Sean and I don’t claim to know how to save the industry. In fact, we’re pretty sure it’s effed up for some pretty good reasons.

But, listen: It works because it’s broke. [insert slow, building maniacal laughter]

So, raise a glass, and here’s a silly, sappy, sloppy toast to another year of stories, and a Hallelujah to the nutsos who work tirelessly to share them. God bless us, each and every one!

Happiest of all holidays! Tremendous thanks to our Elves. Meet them again. And, yes, let’s do this again like we did last winter.

xo Julie Wilson (@BookMadam and @SeenReading)

The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay

Publisher: Knopf Canada (2011)

ISBN: 9780676979565

Price: $32.00

The Recommend

Ami McKay’s second novel is as good as her first! The Virgin Cure is a perfect read for fans of McKay’s bestseller The Birth House, and for anyone who likes historical novels written with a modern approach. The story follows the blossoming of a street girl Moth into a groomed young lady. It’s the 1800s and New York is bustling, except for those born in the slums. For girls as young as 12, the options are work houses, the street or the brothel. And the brothels look pretty inviting to unaware girls who are easily lured by fancy dresses and nights out with gentlemen. The question is whether Moth will adhere to Miss Everett’s plans for her or take Dr. Sadie’s advice and leave the brothel.

Monique Sherrett | @somisguided

Monique Sherrett (formerly Trottier) is the litblogger behind SoMisguided.com. She’s a writer, internet marketer, point-and-shoot photographer, web aficionado, perfumer and book reader. Find her on Twitter and Pinterest @somisguided.

Daytripper

Publisher: Vertigo (2011)

ISBN: 9781401229696

Cover Price: $22.95

The Recommend

Brás de Oliva Domingos is a writer, a dreamer, and a man who does not know how to define his own purpose in life. He struggles with the curses and passions he inherited from his father, of which, he comes to realize, are one and the same. He dreams of writing, of changing the world through literature, and finds himself instead giving solace to the families of loved ones left behind as an obituary writer.

Each chapter in Daytripper is another day, or another week at a different point on the non-linear thread of Brás’ life, and each chapter ends the same way—with his death. But death is never the end for Brás. Death is understanding. Death opens his eyes, shows him his worth, his place in the world, through the eyes of those he loves, and those who will miss him the most. Through his many postcard existences, Brás loses his life to love found and love lost; he sacrifices himself to save a friend; he gives in to weaknesses of the body he never knew he had, but were remnants of a shadow he could not escape. Everything Brás ever was, ever would be, ever could be, exists in the moments where and when and how his life comes to an end. But never are these deaths more relevant, more impactful, than in the understanding that all these lives and all these deaths serve to illustrate only one thing: the only way to truly live is without fear. Beautifully illustrated and moving, Daytripper was one of my happiest surprises in 2011.

Andrew Wilmot | @EdensHeel

Andrew Wilmot is a writer, editor, painter and all around book nerd. He is also the marketing and production coordinator for Edmonton’s NeWest Press, and reviews books at the Backlisted blog.

Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton

Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly (2011)
Author Website: harkavagrant.com
ISBN: 9781770460607
Cover Price: $19.95

The Recommend

Like most people, I first discovered Kate Beaton’s work online at harkavagrant.com. When I found out she had a new book out, I had to buy it, and I’m so glad I did.

Hark! A Vagrant takes staples from literature and history and infuses them with a modern sensibility with hilarious results. Whether tackling the Brontes, mocking hipsters, domesticating Wolverine, or writing sexy Batman, Beaton is always on target. She has a gift for wonderfully expressive faces and, it’s true, butt jokes.

Highly recommended for your more intelligent friends. They’ll never look at Batman the same way again.

Nico Mara-McKay | @plutopsyche

Nico Mara-McKay is a writer living in Toronto. Her poetry has been published in or is forthcoming in Line Zero, The Antigonish Review and Contemporary Verse 2, among others journals. She can be found online at http://nicomaramckay.com and on Twitter.

Alchemists of Kush

Publisher: Narmer’s Palette (2011)

ISBN: 978-0-9869024-2-0

Price: $19.99

The Recommend

Award-winning sci-fi novelist and radio personality, Minister Faust returns with his third novel, a self-published venture of astonishing story-telling.

Mixing myth and modern day, the Alchemist of Kush tells the story of a young black man growing up in the Edmonton inner-city neighbourhood of Kush, and retells the story of Horus.

Faust’s language is driven and frenetic, and his story and views of Edmonton and its African communities, is stunningly original.

Forget The Book of Negros, The Alchemists of Kush is a modern tale of African Canadians.

About Wayne Arthurson:

Keith Moon

Wayne Arthurson is an Edmonton writer, author of the bestselling and critically-acclaimed mystery, Fall From Grace.

The follow up novel, A Killing Winter, will be published in 2012.

The Peep Diaries by Hal Niedzviecki

The Peep Diaries: How We’re Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors by Hal Niedzviecki

Publisher: City Lights
Author Site: thepeepdiaries.com
ISBN: 9780872864993
Price: $21.95

The Recommend

If you’ve ever wondered what compels bloggers, tweeters and reality show participants to share or “overshare” personal information and experiences, or asked yourself what appeal these revelations hold for readers and viewers, The Peep Diaries provides a plausible and intriguing explanation. Filled with interviews and first person accounts (based on the author’s own forays into peep participation) the book explores our willingness to surrender our privacy for the promise of notoriety. Although the book was released in 2009, I picked it up after seeing the documentary Peep Culture released this year. In the two years since the book’s publication, Peep culture has become even more mainstream, sucking in many of the staunchest Facebook and Twitter holdouts. Sharply-written and often humourous, the book offers its own titillating glimpse into what  this cultural shift could mean for our communities and our identities as individuals.

Trisha Causley | @tcausley

Trisha Causley!

Trisha Causley is a writer and undisciplined gardener living in the suburban wilds north of Toronto, Ontario.

A reformed all-around bossy girl, Trisha now restricts herself to being overly concerned with what people read and eat.

Post-Apothecary

Publisher: Pedlar Press (2011)

ISBN: 9781897141458

Price: $20

The Recommend

Rarely and miraculously I read something that stays with me as Post-Apothecary has done, a book which caught in my throat with its lilt and its language, its utterly mesmerizing tone. Inspired by a visit to a building that was once a tuberculosis sanatorium, the poems in Post-Apothecary are the shiverings of the afflicted, the captive and the still-living; a tender and unflinching understanding of loss of control.

If you haven’t read aloud recently, this is the book you need to gift yourself with. There is a sharp awareness of breath here that makes reading aloud a pleasure; pauses by turns soft and gasping give way to revelations both fevered and lucid. Journeys through terrifying emotions — illness, isolation, hurt and threat of more hurt — examine incomprehensible states. Ridley is a master of control, of gentle voice expressing horror and fever pitch reaching joy. There is intensity to this tumult; a visceral, scary and ultimately happy intensity of being grounded in present and post.

Carmel Purkis

A retired bookseller, Carmel Purkis spends most of the year as a writer, editor & researcher with a fondness for experimental art & French bread.  In December, however, she dons an elf cap & merrily joins in the fun that is working on the Advent Book Blog.

Mongrel

Publisher: Mansfield Press (2011)

Author Website: www.markosijan.ca

ISBN: 9781894469548

Cover Price: $19.95

The Recommend

Marko Sijan’s novel, Mongrel, is one of the bravest, most harrowing and hilarious depictions of North American youth that I have ever read. Set on a single day in 1999 and told from the perspective of five very different teenagers, it chronicles, in pitiless detail, their increasingly desperate quests for love, for revenge, for belonging.

Mongrel is a book full of pleasure points. If you dig sex, drugs, Detroit techno, or just the simple pleasure of watching folks with terrible judgment do ill-advised things, you’ll dig this novel. It’s a headlong book. A book for people who believe that children are not our future.

David Whitton | @davidwhitton

David Whitton is the author of The Reverse Cowgirl (Freehand Books, 2011). He can be found online at www.dwhitton.com or @davidwhitton.