And the winner is...
It's been one of the most interesting Canada Reads series yet, and a few minutes ago, the votes were counted and Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner was awarded the 2010 Canada Reads crown, beating out a field that included Generation X, Fall on Your Knees, Good To a Fault and The Jade Peony.
Did the jurors make the right choice? You decide -- pick up your copy of Nikolski today!
A bevy of news!
Today was a big day, news-wise, for book-lovers!
*** In the continually unfolding story of CBC Radio's Canada Reads, panelists (and listeners) were stunned when Ann-Marie MacDonald's Fall on Your Knees was the second book eliminated from the competition. For those of you keeping score, that's both of the high-profile, iconic Canadiana titles eliminated in the first two rounds. The next few days should be interesting!
*** Bolen Books would like to congratulate Michael Crummey, whose novel Galore won the Commonwealth Writer's Prize for the Caribbean/Canada Region, making him a finalist for the overall Commonwealth Writer's Prize.
*** And speaking of prizes, the BC Book Prize Society released the lists of nominees for the BC Book Prizes, to be awarded in Victoria on April 24.
The complete list of nominees is at the Book Prizes site.
Canada Reads Wednesday Update
And with the third episode of Canada Reads, the first book is voted off the proverbial island. And what was the first noble title to fall? Well, if you had money on Douglas Coupland's Generation X, I'm very, very sorry...
Tune in to CBC Radio this week for Canada Reads (or pick up the video and podcasts at cbc.ca).
"No Rhyme or Reason - What I'd Read If I Could Read Anything" by Mr. Stacy Kuiack
Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan
This is, without doubt, the most highly anticipated cookbook of the season. And like David Chang’s entourage of haters, I wanted to hate this cookbook too. Just like I hate the glacial pace of the infinite lineup at the actual restaurant the book is based on. I wanted the book to fail, to let me down, to wallow in epic suckness, to be inconsistent like the early days of the restaurant were so many times. But . . . damnit . . . this is a great cookbook about a place everyone should have the privilege of getting to know in person. Chang 1, Kuiack 0.
David Chang turned the fancy ass world of New York Fine Dining on its ear when he opened Momofuku. Gone were the tuna tartare towers, out went the foie gras foam and redundant was the remoulade sauce (I know, that was a horrible, Tourette’s-like, sentence of shocking alliteration). What you find at Momofuku instead is truly legit, comfort food that looks, feels and tastes like the collision of Korea, Japan and the USofA masterminded by a chef with really, REALLY, good chops in the kitchen.
The book is drenched in profanity; totally expected from a guy who named his place the pornesque “Momofuku”, and this only adds to its addictive qualities. With every cuss word I wanted back in the kitchens I learned to cook in. Every great version of kimchi he lays out made me want to get off my ass and ferment cabbage – “Damn the horrific stench! This is IMPORTANT! AUTHENTIC! FOOD!” And I did . . . sorta . . . I’ve made 3 or 4 of the dishes in this book and they work like a goddamn charm. Damnit again. Chang 2, Kuiack 0.
It’s a ballsy maneuver basing a cookbook on your shop. You have to assume, or at least be ego manically deluded enough to believe, that people who have never darkened your doorstep will want to read about what just such an experience would be like. The book is an excellent narrative of the Chang Empire’s march from humble beginnings to the gastronomic force it is today. The evolution of his flavor profiles, the recipes and the team behind him are all given plenty of print time and the end result is a book full of inspiration, camaraderie and encouragement. Go buy it.
Chang 3, Kuiack 0.
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