Coach House's Top Five Valentine Books

Valentine's Day is almost here (five more days, I checked..), and I'm happy to bring you few recommendations of Evan Munday, a publicist from Coach House Books (a Canadian publisher and printer of high-quality innovative fiction and poetry since 1965) on how to celebrate Valentine's day with your loved ones a unique literary way:

We know that day of forced romance is soon upon us, so if you're infatuated with a lover of great Canadian literature, we guarantee you'll be able to woo your Canlit casanova with one of these sigh-worthy Coach House titles:

1.) Pulpy and Midge: Our titular couple spends their evenings ice-dancing, and their lunch breaks talking on a food court pay phone. Will Pulpy and Midge's happy marriage disintegrate when tyrannical office boss Dan and his lascivious wife Beatrice enter their lives?

2.) The City Man: The City Man is a darkly funny romance between a newspaperman just recovering from a breakdown and a member of a Kensington Market pickpocket ring. It'll steal your heart faster than a stall can pinch a poke.

3.) All My Friends Are Superheroes: Shelia Heti (The Middle Stories, Ticknor) said it best: 'This book is like a kiss in the afternoon sun ... I expect this story will replace boxes of chocolates and flowers in courting rituals to come.' The future is now, people.

4.) Age of Arousal: Corsets burst with unbridled desire and petticoats are raised with much relish in this lavish, sexy play set in 1885, after the advent of the suffragettes and the typewriter.

5.) Nellcott Is My Darling: Who hasn't fallen in love with a boy who works at a record store, smokes too many cigarettes and is just wrong for you? That's why we're sure you'll love this novel, which was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award.

Check out these and other Coach House titles, as well as our February events - including David McGimpsey in Toronto, Cara Hedley in Vancouver, a launch for Reel Asian: Asian Canada on Screen and more - at http://www.chbooks.com.

Thank you Evan for these great recommendations. If you want to get future updates from Evan, you are welcome to join Coach House Books Facebook group.

And if you missed yesterday's post, I remind you that if you are anywhere near Soho Square in London on Valentine's Day, Do The Green Thing invites you to come to be there at 1.30pm and become a part of the world's first Body Warmth Flash Hug.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

February's green thing - use body warmth

We follow 'do the green thing' for a couple of months (check the green thing for November, December and January), and we're always happy to follow their advice. This month we're called to Use Body Warmth (and turn your heating down a bit or off for a bit).

The Green Thing explains the logic behind it: It’s not an overnight job to stop the planet from overheating, but one way we can help is by not overheating our homes. Heating uses more energy than anything else indoors and creates the most CO2 which is the main cause of climate change. So if you turn your heating down a bit or off for a bit it’s a great way of doing your bit for the planet.

You’ll probably find you’re quite comfortable living at lower temperatures but if you’re chilly, don’t reach for the radiators. Try putting on a jumper. Even better, put on a person. Either way, use some body warmth. However you do it, you'll save nearly half a tonne of CO2 over the year if you keep doing it. However you do it, you'll save nearly half a tonne of CO2 over the year if you keep doing it.

And here's a little visual example how it can be done:



and there's also a special green activity planned for Valentine's Day:

Come to Soho Square at 1.30pm on Valentine's Day and be part of the world's first Body Warmth Flash Hug.

The plan: turn the heating down or off for a bit in your homes or offices, come to Soho Square at lunchtime, hug some beautiful people (or some of the Green Thing team) then go back to your unheated homes and offices with a huge body warmth boost.

If you're on Facebook then sign up to the event here.

Enjoy doing your green thing,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read