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QUICK READS

These are books you'll enjoy taking on vacation, to the beach, or into the bathroom.
They contain individual stories that can be read at one sitting,
in a waiting room, a parking lot, on a bus, train or plane.
Some of the pieces in this book are short stories; others are real stories anyone can relate to.

a collection of 34 first-person stories 
from 18 professional writers
in 14 locations across Canada

With subjects ranging from his experiences as a  soldier in the militia, movie extra, armored truck guard, apprentice chef and resort cook, as well as a stay-home dad, Steve makes true stories come to life.

Find out more at http://stevepitt.ca

Mewsings/Musings contains 10 humor pieces by
Barbara Florio Graham, and 10 by her cat
80 pages; illustrated. 

Some of the pieces in this award-winning book have won prizes for humor, and appeared in newspapers and magazines, as well as on CBC radio.

Table of Contents, reviews, etc. at:
http://SimonTeakettle.com/musmews.htm

After a career as a biomedical scientist, Jesse Sisken began formal studies of Greek and Roman Art, Ancient Greek Archaeology and Creative writing. This book, an eclectic collection of short stories set in the modern world, is one of the outgrowths of those studies.   jessesisken.com

Ottawa Independent Writers  has produced four anthologies in the past four years, which indicates how productive members of this organization are!

Twenty in Eighteen features twenty pieces of short fiction, ranging from history to futuristic speculation, from personal memoir to wry comedy. 

The twenty-four stories in the 2019 anthology range across the gamut of fiction and non-fiction, delving into speculation and introspection, exploring the future, the past and the present. Every taste is represented—wit and comedy, poignant moments and grand sweeps of imagination. 

Open either of these books, dip in, and see where the story takes you. Our authors offer their readers an enjoyable escape.

Both Twenty in Eighteen and A Two-four of Tales demonstrate the versatility and energy of their authors, and a deep appreciation of the talent that OIW boasts among its membership. There is something here for every literary taste.

Edited by Bob Barclay.

Published by Dundurn.

A collection of haunting legends, delightful yarns, and spine-tingling ghost stories from the author of Shipwrecks and Seafaring Tales of Prince Edward Island.

Swathed in mist, surrounded by the secretive sea, wind wailing like the lost souls of sailors around its shores, Prince Edward Island is the ideal setting for the strange and incredible, even the supernatural. Islanders have handed down, from one generation to the next, many legends and ghost stories of visiting spirits, buried pirate treasure, sea serpents, and ghostly apparitions.

Who dares to doubt the veracity of the sailors who met a phantom schooner, the fishermen who fled from a sea monster, or the countless Islanders who have dug for pirate gold, only to be terrified by something uncanny and to have abandoned their search?

Curl up on a dark night with this new second edition and find yourself transported to the magical and mysterious Prince Edward Island.

Julie Watson is a prolific author of books on cooking, money management, small business, and diabetes, although her speciality has always been regional history. She lives in Charlottetown.

Illustrated with stunning black and white photos by John C. Watson.

A timely celebration of Canada during our sesquicentennial year, this collection contains contributions from 16 authors from the London & Southwestern Ontario chapter of the Professional Writers Association of Canada.

Encounter a famous dead elephant, a national hero, possibly Canada’s worst ever hockey team, train travellers, an angry bear, beautiful sunsets, and northern lights. All of them offer a slice of truth about what this country is about – even one about a fur-bearing trout.

Many of these authors have extensive writing credits. Mark Kearney, who spearheaded the project, also contributed to Prose to Go: Tales from a Private List, and is the co-author of 10 best-selling  Canadian trivia books.

https://www.facebook.com/PWAC-London-Southwestern-Ontario-Chapter-260397618847/

 

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson wrote the introduction to this book:

This anthology brings to life our collective creative spirit, whether through works of fact or fiction, and to have it showcased for everyone to appreciate. These pieces reflect on our country’s history and heritage, on our present, and upon the potential and possibility of our future. Each work, in its own way, is a reminder of the unique beauty that is Canada and how blessed we are to live in the best country in the world. I hope you will enjoy Ottawa One Five O as a piece of celebration of our Canadian culture in this special year.

Divided into five sections, these stories cover the past (from 1900) through the present, first in fact, then in fiction, with the final chapter projecting into the future. All authors are members of Ottawa Independent Writers, and many also contributed to that organization's 30th anniversary anthology,
Thirty at Thirty. See that book on the Recommended Books page.

 

To the moon and back, here are ten tales with a twist. The unlikely characters have one thing in common--they're ready and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. As the old saying goes, you have to watch out for the quiet ones.

From a quirky inventor, humored by his neighbors, to two old men out to dinner, to a more-than-meets the eye beverage maker, the stories will take you into the minds of the overlooked and unseen. Ignore them at your own risk.

A member of SPAWN who edits their newsletter, Sandra Murphy writes articles for Animal Wellness and Natural Awakenings magazines and online, for Sniff and Barkens. She has written short stories for three anthologies (Flash and Bang, The Killer Wore Cranberry #4 and Dogs and Dragons).

Published by Untreed Reads, and also availalbe from Amazon and other e-book outlets.

 

           Gibberish: Tall Tales and Domestic Disasters From Beyond the Microphone is a compilation of essays having previously appeared in The Peterborough Examiner, as well as Canadian Living, Chatelaine, MacLean’s and The Globe and Mail, among others.
           Gordon Gibb is a popular broadcaster in Peterborough, Ontario, and one of the contributors to Prose to Go: Tales from a Private List.
          The soft cover books are $20, with $2 from each book ordered locally donated to Homegrown Homes, a Peterborough-based provider of affordable housing.
Available from www.GordonGibb.com and Amazon.

Thought-provoking true stories:
http://www.katzcommunications.ca/ 

Helena Katz is a multi-talented journalist who has a degree in criminal justice and is also an award-winning travel writer.

A contiributor to Prose to Go: Tales from a Private List, she lives in the Northwest Territories where she and her partner have an alpaca farm.

 

The Big Book of Canadian Trivia
by Mark Kearney and Randy Ray
Paperback, 504 pages, with more than 60 illustrations
Details at: www.triviaguys.com

 

 

Whatever Happened To...? 
Catching Up With Canadian Icons
by Mark Kearney and Randy Ray
Details at: www.triviaguys.com