Walt Whitman’s Secret by George Fetherling. (Random House, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Walt Whitman’s Secret

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

Walt Whitman is arguably America’s greatest poet, and his final years provide a basis for the new novel from the author and poet George Fetherling. Walt Whitman’s Secret is a reimagining of Whitman’s final years. The author of Leaves of Grass is an ill man, whose admirers view him as not only a venerated writer, but some sort of mystic. Whitman struggles with some personal secrets and demons, and in this book we also look at ideas of nationalism, identity, and celebrity. George Fetherling joins me from here in Vancouver to talk about this book and more. We’ll talk about his own writing, and whether he thinks Whitman is relevant to today. Walt Whitman’s Secret is published by Random House. It has already been described as ‘an extraordinary achievement,’ and a ‘resonant, shimmering work.’ Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, George Fetherling; Good morning, Mr. Fetherling.

Cyclist Bikelist: The Book for Every Rider by Laura Robinson. (Tundra Books, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Cyclist Bikelist

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line, and this is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

The journalist and author Laura Robinson joins me now. She’s in Vancouver this week and joins me now to discuss her new book: Cyclist Bikelist: The Book for Every Rider. It’s written for young readers, but I think it’s useful for a general audience. The season cyclist will find the book useful as a resource for tips on what to eat and wear when cycling, as well for the biographical sketches on famous cyclists and innovators throughout history. New riders will find the anatomy of the bike and stuff like that as a good introduction. Laura Robinson is a freelance journalist, former member of Canada’s national cycling team, as well, she is a former rowing champion. This Saturday, the 10th she’ll be at the Reckless Bike Store on Davie, as part of an event with the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition. Cyclist Bikelist is published by Tundra Books. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Laura Robinson; Good morning, Ms. Robinson.

Greedy Little Eyes by Billie Livingston. (Vintage Canada, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Greedy Little Eyes

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

The author and novelist Billie Livingston joins me now. She’s just published a new collection of short stories, Greedy Little Eyes. Ten stories are contained herein, and they explore the universal need for connection. We meet two fiercely courageous young girls, a flighty mom who ignores her own daughter for her friend and then takes the friend to Las Vegas to pursue a career in dance, we see a journalist questioning her own morals and ethics as she visits a friend in New York who’s in the midst of an affair with a married man. There are other fascinating characters, all of whom we seem to know, in that they’re accessible. Maybe we see them around here in Vancouver; maybe we know them. But deep down they’re all a little more complicated, a little more colourful, and certainly interesting. Greedy Little Eyes, which is also the title of one of the stories in the book, is published by Vintage Canada. The website for more is www.billielivingston.com. Her previous critically acclaimed books were Going Down Swinging and Cease to Blush. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Billie Livingston; Good morning, Ms. Livingston.

Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography by Alexandra Popoff. (Free Press, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Sophia Tolstoy

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line, and this is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

There’s a new book out, that’s gotten attention already and some great notices. It is called Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography. It’s the first biography of the wife of Leo Tolstoy, one that also sets out to debunk a lot of the misinformation that’s been out there about Mrs. Tolstoy. She’s been portrayed in history, in books and films on Leo Tolstoy as a saboteur to his work, shrill, and tormentor to him and those around them. What the author Alexandra Popoff has done in this book is tell us more about her, that she’s a lot less harsh than she’s been portrayed as, and that she was a dedicated wife, and a talented editor and writer in her own right. Alexandra Popoff joins me now. A native of Moscow, she is a journalist and writer having appeared in various Russian publications, and in the Philadelphia Inquirer. She was an Alfred Friendly Press Fellow, and she now lives in Saskatoon, where she joins me from this morning. The website for more is www.sophiatolstoy.com. The book is published by Free Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Alexandra Popoff; Good morning, Ms. Popoff.

Globish: How the English Language Became the World’s Language by Robert McCrum. (Doubleday, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Globish

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

An endlessly fascinating book is Robert McCrum’s Globish: How the English Language Became the World’s Language. The book documents English’s roots to where it is today, the world’s lingua franca. It is the tongue of technology, ubiquitous on the internet, on our cellular phones, and elsewhere. Four billion people have a functional knowledge of English. Robert McCrum joins me now. We’ll talk to him about the book, some of the people responsible for the development of English over some one thousand years, and where English, or Globish is headed. Will it usurp or subsume our other languages? Will English be dumbed-down? Where will technology take us and how we communicate? Robert McCrum is the associate editor of The Observer. He was previously its literary editor. He is the author of Wodehouse: A Life and My Year Off: Recovering Life After a Stroke. He lives in London, but joins me from Toronto today. He was a writer of The Story of English, its award-winning television series and book. Globish is published here in Canada by Doubleday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Robert McCrum; Good morning, Mr. McCrum.

The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things by Neil Pasricha. (Amy Einhorn, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Book of Awesome

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens were some of Oscar Hammerstein II’s favourite things, while some of Neil Pasricha’s awesome things include the smell of frying onions and garlic, ordering off the menu at a fast food place, or watching the Price is Right when you’re home sick. Those and many other of life’s small and simple pleasures are articulated in a new book, The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things. It’s based on the wildly popular blog www.1000awesomethings.com, an award-winning blog, written about and featured on various media. By day Neil Pasricha works in a dimly lit cubicle in the dusty corner of an office building in the suburbs. By night he writes about the tiny moments that make life sweet. This is a charming book. It’s published by Amy Einhorn Books, an imprint of Putnam. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Neil Pasricha, in Vancouver today; Good morning, Mr. Pasricha.

Ghosted by Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall. (Random House, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Ghosted

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall is highly regarded in the literary community here in Canada. His first book, a memoir, Down to This, received good notices and many award nominations. He has just published his first novel, a book described as ‘audacious,’ ‘not for the faint of heart,’ ‘harrowing,’ ‘spellbinding,’ as well as ‘Bukowski craggy and Hornby sweet.’ Mason is the lead character, and he’s not doing too well, battling gambling, alcohol and drug vices, he aspires to be a writer, but can’t seem to get it together. His landlord, creditor and dealer is his friend Chaz, who gets him to start selling hot dogs. He gets a gig as a writer, from some guy who asks him to write a love letter to this girl. The guy kills himself, and it turns out he’s just written the guy’s suicide note. The book goes on from here and we’ll get the author to tell us more. It’s called Ghosted, and it’s published by Random House. Mr. Bishop-Stall was also on the television program The Newsroom. In Vancouver today, please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall; Good morning, Mr. Bishop-Stall.

Borderlands: Riding the Edge of America by Derek Lundy. (Knopf, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Borderlands

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

Derek Lundy joins me now. He is the bestselling author of Godforsaken Sea, The Way of the Ship, and The Bloody Red Hand. He’s got a new book out now, Borderlands: Riding the Edge of America. I haven’t finished it yet, but it’s a book that looks at how Americans, as well as Canadians and Mexicans view the borders that we share. It’s also a wonderful adventure, as Mr. Lundy rides the borders on his motorcycle. 15,000 kilometres he rides, and he explores issues of politics, security, culture, immigration, and history, among other things. As well, as three of his close friends die, he looks at life, his own mortality, as he traverses the American-Canadian, and American-Mexican borders. Borderlands is published by Knopf. The website for more is www.dereklundy.com. He lives and rides on Salt Spring Island, but joins me from Vancouver today. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Derek Lundy; Good morning, Mr. Lundy.