The Sea Captain’s Wife by Beth Powning. (Knopf, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Sea Captain’s Wife

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

The Sea Captain’s Wife is a new book from Beth Powning. It’s described as a gripping novel of love and obsession set on the high seas of the 1860’s. It takes us from the Bay of Fundy, where Azuba Galloway was born and where she often dreams of seeing the world. She marries a captain, but she can’t see the world as she’d like. Beth Powning is the author of The Hatbox Letters, Edge Seasons, and Shadow Child. She lives in Sussex, New Brunswick in an 1870 farmhouse, with her husband the artist Peter Powning. She joins me from here in Vancouver this day. The website for more is www.powning.com. The Sea Captain’s Wife is published by Knopf. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Beth Powning; Good morning, Ms. Powning.

Motorcycles and Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor. (Knopf, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Motorcycles and Sweetgrass

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Drew Hayden Taylor is a prolific writer, journalist, comic, and playwright. He’s produced documentaries on the Native experience, and has written for such programs as Street Legal, the Beachcombers, and North of 60. He is an Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations. Despite over 20 books, he is interestingly enough one of Random House’s New Faces of Fiction with his debut novel, Motorcycles and Sweetgrass. It’s described as a story of magic, family, raccoons, and a mysterious stranger. www.drewhaydentaylor.com is his website. The book is published by Knopf. Joseph Boyden says of the book: “A wisdom exists in these pages that only comes from someone who writes from the heart.” We join the interview in progress as the first portion of the interview was lost due to a technical snafu at my end here in Vancouver. I had been asking Mr. Taylor about his mother’s influence and we pick up where I ask him about his ability to make spaghetti from scratch, which his mother was really impressed with. Mr. Taylor joined me from Toronto.

Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-2000 by John English. (Knopf, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Just Watch Me

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Three years ago, John English published the first of two volumes of a biography of Pierre Trudeau. That first book was bestselling, critically acclaimed, and award-winning book. Now, he returns with the second volume, which is already a bestseller. Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-2000 is the awaited volume that begins when he is sworn in as Canada’s 15th prime minister. It takes us through the October Crisis, his subsequent near-defeats, wins and defeats in those elections he contested, as well as the patriation of the constitution, and battles over Quebec with Rene Levesque and the Sovereigntists. There’s discussion of the women in Trudeau’s life from Barbra Streisand, to the mother of his three sons, Margaret Sinclair, to Deborah Coyne, with whom he had a daughter, Sarah, and those women in-between. It’s a compelling book, accessible yet definitive. John English won numerous awards for the previous Trudeau volume, as well as his two-volume biography of Lester Pearson. He is a professor of history at the University of Waterloo, and the executive director of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and general editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Just Watch Me is published by Knopf. I’m pleased to welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, John English; Good morning, Professor English.

Gretzky’s Tears: Hockey, Canada, and the Day Everything Changed by Stephen Brunt. (Knopf, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Gretzky’s Tears

Text of introduction by Anjan Chaklader:

This is the Planta: On the Line program, at THECOMMENTARY.CA.

I am Anjan Chaklader sitting in for Joseph Planta. He is the foremost sports book author in Canada today. Stephen Brunt has written best selling and internationally acclaimed books on boxing, baseball and hockey. His most recent work is Gretzky’s Tears which chronicles the Wayne Gretzky trade in 1988. The book is part history, part biography and all interesting. Mr. Brunt is also a columnist with the Globe and Mail and can be seen and heard regularly on Canada’s most popular sports talk show, Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown. Gretzky’s Tears: Hockey, Canada, and the Day Everything Changed is published by Alfred A. Knopf. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Stephen Brunt; Good Day Mr. Brunt.

The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture by Terry O’Reilly and Mike Tennant. (Knopf, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Age of Persuasion

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Terry O’Reilly joins me now. The host of the award-winning CBC Radio program The Age of Persuasion, with Mike Tennant, has written an aptly titled book, The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture. Like the program it is a highly engaging and endlessly fascinating book. It’s very readable and witty, not to mention informative and of course, entertaining. The book takes us into the world of advertising, how the ads we see, hear and, to the marketer, hopefully feel—are made. We also get a good history of ourselves, through the ads that we’ve been exposed to. It’s a great primer on how to be media savvy. Terry O’Reilly co-founded the audio production company, Pirate, and has had a long history in the advertising business. He has been inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends. The radio program returns in January. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in Vancouver, Terry O’Reilly; Good morning, Mr. O’Reilly.

The Sibley Guide to Trees by David Allen Sibley. (Publisher, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Sibley Guide to Trees

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

David Allen Sibley joins me now. He’s been watching and drawing birds for over 40 years. His previous guides to birds have been considered revolutionary following in the footsteps of John James Audubon and Roger Tory Peterson. Now comes The Sibley Guide to Trees, a book that is bound to be the standard guide to trees. There are over four thousand meticulously detailed paintings, highlighting more than six hundred tree species that are found in the United States and Canada. The illustrations were done by Mr. Sibley, and it’s just tremendously fascinating to look at them. They’re very detailed, and obviously instructive. The book arranges the tree species taxonomically, which makes it an ideal companion when you’re tree watching, or if you want to learn more about some tree in your yard or on the street. The book is published by Knopf. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program in Vancouver, David Sibley; Good morning, Mr. Sibley.

Weblinks:
David Allen Sibley website

The Wife’s Tale by Lori Lansens. (Knopf, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Wife’s Tale

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Lori Lansens joins me now. Her new novel is called The Wife’s Tale. It is described as deeply humane and entirely convincing. It’s set in Leaford, Ontario, which was also the setting of her first two novels. We’ll ask her where that is on the map. On the eve of Mary Gooch’s 25th anniversary, she discovers her husband isn’t coming back. She sets forth on a journey of self-discovery that takes her to the big city, then to another country for the first time. Mary is just over 300 lbs, and though she’s got a pretty face, she’s obese. Lori Lansens is the author of two previous books, Rush Home Road, and The Girls, which was a Richard and Judy Best Read of the Year. Her website is www.lorilansens.com. The Wife’s Tale is published by Knopf. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, from her home just outside of Los Angeles, Lori Lansens; Good morning, Ms. Lansens.

Border Songs by Jim Lynch. (Knopf, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Border Songs

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

Jim Lynch is the author of a new novel, Border Songs; it’s described as ‘a big-hearted satirical portrait of a time and place that is also an extraordinary love story and a celebration of the coincidental and the miraculous.’ Brandon Vanderkoop is the book’s main character. He’s a tall, unlikely law enforcement officer, what with his unusual solitary disposition. But he’s good at thwarting marijuana traffickers that traverse the Canada-US border. Jim Lynch’s first novel, The Highest Tide was a international bestseller and prizewinner. He is a former journalist, and he lives in Olympia, Washington. The book is published by Knopf. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jim Lynch; Good morning, Mr. Lynch.

Slow Death By Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie. (Knopf, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Slow Death By Rubber Duck

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

In a groundbreaking and thoughtful new book, Slow Death By Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health, its authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie have revealed the toxins in our daily lives, and how they impact our health. Everything from baby bottles, air fresheners, non-stick pans, and yes, the rubber duck, have toxins in them that aren’t good for us. The authors did something very interesting in writing this book, they actually lived with the toxins we have and use, and tested their blood and urine regularly. What was found was frightening. There was an increase in toxin levels in blood that signal to us, the reader, that perhaps we should make some changes. I’m joined now by Bruce Lourie, an influential environmental thinker, and the founder of one of Canada’s largest environmental consultancies. He is president of the Ivey Foundation. The book is published by Knopf Canada. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Bruce Lourie; Good morning, Mr. Lourie.