Chat Noir Books - A Voice in the Wilderness

Bruce Cockburn – Slice O Life - at the Classic Theatre

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:24:00 +0000

That is right Bruce Cockburn will be playing at the Classic Theatre this coming Monday! There still maybe tickets but call the Classic Theatre soon!

Bruce Cockburn - Folk / Rock

Date: November 16, 2009
Show Time: 8pm
Tickets - $50 Advance $55 door

Bruce Cockburn – Slice O Life

The best live albums create the illusion of being there, witnessing an artist in a memorable performance. Bruce Cockburn has recorded three previous live recordings: Circles in the Stream (1977), Live (1990) and You Pay Your Money and You Take Your Chance (1997), each critically acclaimed and featuring Cockburn in concert with a backing band. Now, the celebrated musician-activist delivers something new: his first-ever live solo album.

Recorded last spring over a series of dates in the northeastern United States and one in Quebec, Slice O Life is a double CD that showcases a cross-section of Cockburn’s finest songs and some of his most dazzling guitar work. The album, produced by longtime associate Colin Linden, also includes one new song, “City is Hungry,” three tracks recorded at sound checks on the tour and some between-song banter that shows Cockburn to be both a quick wit and an engaging storyteller.

Slice O Life features such hits as Cockburn’s controversial “If I Had a Rocket Launcher,” his classic “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” and his breakthrough “Wondering Where the Lions Are,” which he rightly quips may be the only song ever to make the Billboard chart that includes the word “petroglyph.” Originally recorded with a full band, these and other songs like “World of Wonders” have been rearranged and performed on acoustic guitar—often with stunning results. In particular, the polyrhythmic solo on “Rocket Launcher,” full of complex, cascading notes, is especially mesmerizing.

Besides the hits, the album recasts lesser-known songs such as “Wait No More” and “Celestial Horses,” both originally featured on Cockburn’s 2003 album You’ve Never Seen Everything, in a dramatic new light. The latter, full of slow, haunting reverb, now seems like an overlooked psych-folk masterpiece, while the former, played in a fast, bluesy drone on a Dobro guitar, takes on a compelling urgency. Similarly on “Tibetan Side of Town,” Cockburn’s single guitar conveys a full, rich accompaniment—fluid, jazzy treble notes and Big Bill Broonzy-style droning bass notes—for his vivid tale of sensory nights in Katmandu.

Cockburn has often cited the influence of the blues on his music, especially the work of country-blues pioneers like Mississippi John Hurt. The blues tinge shines through in several other performances on Slice O Life, including Cockburn’s gut-wrenching rendition of Blind Willie Johnson’s “Soul of a Man” and “City is Hungry,” an hypnotic urban blues number in which Cockburn warns “hear that rumbling underground/better think twice before you go downtown.”

Meanwhile, the sound checks and introductions to songs reveal another side of the award-winning artist. One sound check involves Cockburn jamming wildly on his 12-string guitar before segueing into “The Trains Don’t Go There Anymore,” a rare track he co-wrote in the 1960s with Ottawa poet Bill Hawkins. Cockburn’s humor comes across in anecdotes about panhandlers who claim to know his music and a mercenary who once offered him a summer job as a gun-runner while he was a student at Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music.

Fortunately for us, Cockburn turned down the job and stuck with music. Over 35 years, the Ottawa-born musician has recorded almost as many albums while earning respect for his charitable and activist work. “My job is to try and trap the spirit of things in the scratches of pen on paper, in the pulling of notes out of metal,” Cockburn said when he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2001. He was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada and has been the recipient of honorary degrees in Letters and Music from several North American universities, including Berklee and Toronto’s York University. His many other awards have included the Tenco Award for Lifetime Achievement in Italy and 20 gold and platinum awards in Canada.

As a songwriter, Cockburn is revered by fans and musicians alike. His songs have been covered by such diverse artists as Elbow, Jimmy Buffett, Judy Collins, the Skydiggers, Anne Murray, Third World, Chet Atkins, k.d. lang, Barenaked Ladies, Maria Muldaur and the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. As a guitarist, he is considered among the world’s best. The New York Times called Cockburn a “virtuoso on guitar,” while Acoustic Guitar magazine placed him in the esteemed company of Andrés Segovia, Bill Frisell and Django Reinhardt. With Slice O Life, all of Cockburn’s formidable gifts are on full display.

CBC The Current with David Suzuki and plans to 4 lane the North

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Just happened to have CBC radio on this morning to catch the new of HWY 11 being closed and low and behold David Suzuki is hosting The Current! So far the show has been really good, talking about how there has been no action on climate change on the Federal level, but great strides are being done on the Provincial level.

Which leads me into the great letter that was in last weeks The Temiskaming Speaker - Letters to the Editor. The Letter refers to CBC's Dan Lessard interviewing Judy Skidmore on Points North about a plan to spend 15 billion dollars over 25 years to four-lane the Northern Ontario highway. There was some great talk on feed back, which I think the letter below expands on. Just wish some of our local politicians and maybe the Northern Mayors would get on board with the idea of updating and expanding the ONR, which is also one of the last regional railways left in Canada!! Just imagine if we had a a modern railway in North Ontario all those students, teachers and people stuck on the South end of Latchford might of had another option to get into the City.

You can also read the letter at netnewsledger.com

No to four-laning. Yes to expanding our rail system

Dear Editor:
The Craziest Idea I heard this Century: Four-lane Highway11 Northern Ontario.
The idea I heard on CBC”s Dan Lessard show by Judy Skidmore to spend 15 billion dollars over 25 years to four-lane the Northern Ontario highway is misguided and 30 years out of date. It reminds me of the Rip Van Winkle story of the politician that went to sleep in 1990 and woke up in 2010 thinking nothing has change. Every think has changed. In Ontario, we are no longer a rich province and are operating at a significant deficit. Our manufacturing strength is depleted and our economy needs a new direction and new thinking.

The billions of dollars we are spending on imported energy and imported asphalt hurts our economy. We also have a global, climate change crises that is being confronted by world leaders next month. The result of this will be additional costs on petroleum based products in the form of a carbon tax. So, we can expect energy prices to go up more, way up. With traffic volume already headed down from energy cost increases who will be able to afford to use these expensive highways.

Why is a $15B investment in a highway expansion a bad idea for people in the North? Because, private road transportation is the most expensive form of transportation (costing up to 50 per cent of average family income when road construction costs are included). In Sweden the CEO of Volvo AB determined that the car industry will not survive in the future and sold off their car division. A $15 billion dollar road system would trap us in our communities unable to move due to high energy costs. With no alternative low cost transportation system it would stall future development in the north and worst of all, would consume huge amounts of money needed to build a smarter transportation system. While the condition of current road could use some improvement, there is no business case that could rationalize any expansion.

What is the alternative?

The transportation energy model shows us the reciprocating engines used in cars are only less than 15 per cent efficient and that electric vehicles can travel five times as far with the same energy consumed. In an energy starved future, efficient electric vehicle that produce no Green house gas will be the future and the future will be soon upon us. Are we ready?
What would a Northern Ontario Energy strategy look like? For about 1/ 10th of the cost to four- lane we could put in a regional rail system that serviced communities across the North with timely service in modern cars with reasonable costs. To build this Ontario transportation network we could use steel rail manufactured in Sault Ste. Marie, gravel and concrete from the North and passenger rail cars manufactured in Thunder Bay. We could drive this transportation system with electric locomotives that take power from our renewable hydro electric plants. To travel throughout the North we would be able to use short range electric cars to deliver us to the rail station where they would be plugged in for recharge. Studies in countries that use public rail transport show it reduces overall transportation costs down to 8 to 10 per cent from the current 50 per cent we are now paying. This saves taxpayers billions in insurance and operating costs. The result would be a low cost transportation system that would make people accessible to each other, a primary requirement in economic growth. It would spur on tourism. If we want to reduce the accident rates and the death rate on the highway, reduce the insurance rates and amount of green house gas, if we want safer more relaxing and cheaper transportation rail is the answer. Highways are dangerous, weather dependent, stressful to use, expensive to maintain, and have a net costs six times that of public rail.
Highway expansion is an idea that belongs in the previous century along with the politicians that support it.

Let’s replace our current antique rail service with a modern efficient and cheaper form of transport that can serve the North. Instead of asking for $15B for a roadway expansion that we wouldn’t be able to use in the future, lets ask for $1B for a transportations system that will serve us for the next 100 years.

Government should:
•halt all four-lane construction and redirect these funds into modernizing our rail transport system while maintaining existing roadways if, volumes support it.
•Develop a provincial transportation policy that will function with high energy prices.
•Extend the GO transportation system throughout the province to create an efficient made in Ontario transportation system by adding a passenger rail track along side existing freight routes where required.
•Halt taxpayer subsidies to private auto industries. Let the market determine who survives not the government.
Let’s support leaders who promote building for the future not those stuck in the past.
The future belongs to those that plan for it,

Sincerely,
Ambrose Raftis
Community Economic Development Specialist
Charlton,

Giller Prize winner and New Stock!

noreply@blogger.com (Chat Noir Books - A Voice in the Wilderness) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:25:00 +0000

So this is a little late. I had planned on posting the Giller prize winner yesterday, I just ran out of time. So chances are you have already heard that Linden Macintyre has won the Giller prize for "The Bishop's Man". And if you hadn't you know now *grin*

The Bishop's Man
by Linden Macintyre

Book Description

From an award-winning writer and one of Canada’s foremost broadcast journalists, comes a deeply wise and moving novel that explores the guilty minds and spiritual evasions of Catholic priests.

Father Duncan MacAskill has spent most of his priesthood as the “Exorcist” — an enforcer employed by his bishop to discipline wayward priests and suppress potential scandal. He knows all the devious ways that lonely priests persuade themselves that their needs trump their vows, but he’s about to be sorely tested himself. While sequestered by his bishop in a small rural parish to avoid an impending public controversy, Duncan must confront the consequences of past cover-ups and the suppression of his own human needs. Pushed to the breaking point by loneliness, tragedy and sudden self-knowledge, Duncan discovers how hidden obsessions and guilty secrets either find their way to the light of understanding, or poison any chance we have for love and spiritual peace.

Review quotes

Praise for Linden MacIntyre:

“MacIntyre isn’t just another face and larynx from television [but] an honest-to-God writer…”

— Winnipeg Free Press

“MacIntyre is a fine writer.”

— Alistair MacLeod

About the Author

Linden MacIntyre is the co-host of the fifth estate and the winner of nine Gemini Awards for broadcast journalism. His most recent book, a boyhood memoir called Causeway: A Passage from Innocence won both the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction and the Evelyn Richardson Prize for Non-Fiction.

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Also just out is Charles de Lint's new book Medicine Road, with cover artwork by of Charles Vess. I just love Vess's work which you can check out at www.greenmanpress.com I'll need to find time to read this one. On a side note we still have mystery of grace book marks avaible at the store!! I don't think Charles Vess did the artwork for Mystery of Grace though I will check into that.

Medicine Road
by Charles de Lint Charles Vess

Book Description

Marking the return of the mischievous, red-headed Dillard twins, this bewitching fantasy entangles the lovely sisters in a 100-year wager in the Native American spirit world. Laurel and Bess are touring bluegrass musicians who encounter two mysterious strangers with a powerful secret in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to their animal natures, Jim Changing Dog and Alice Corn Hair have been given human forms by the powerful Coyote Woman, but in return they must both find their true human loves in 100 years or be exiled into the animal world alone. Although Alice has found her love, trickster Jim hasn’t been able to commit to one woman until he sets eyes on free-spirited Bess, just before the deadline. Battling time and a meddling motorcycle seductress, the two new lovers must risk intimacy and loss in their quest for love.

About the Author

Charles de Lint is the bestselling author of more than 60 adult, young adult, and children’s books, including The Blue Girl, Moonheart, The Onion Girl, Widdershins, and the World Fantasy Award-winner, Moonlight and Vines. He is a poet, songwriter, performer, and folklorist, and the fiction reviewer for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. He lives in Ottawa, Ontario. Charles Vess is an illustrator who has worked with Marvel, Dark Horse, Vertigo, and DC Comics, and collaborated with Neil Gaiman on Sandman and Stardust and with Steven Spielberg on the film Hook. He is the curator of the Dreamweavers, a traveling exhibition of fantasy artists, and has received the Ink Pot, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards. He lives in Abingdon, Virginia.

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WARNING!! Reading this book may cause loss of sleep in some readers!! It is a really really evil book! Thank God we serve coffee and espresso here in the store! The cover art for Under the Dome is great as well!

Under the Dome: A (Big Ass)Novel
Stephen King

Book Description

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when -- or if -- it will go away.

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens -- town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing -- even murder -- to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn't just short. It's running out.

About Stephen King

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Lisey's Story and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He was the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Maine with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

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This one should have gone in the Music Lovers list but we just got it in yesterday!

Whispering Pines: The Northern Roots of American Music . . . from Hank Snow to The Band
by Jason Schneider

Book Description

Providing the first comprehensive history of Canada’s songwriting legacy, this guide traces a distinctly Canadian musical identity from the 1930s to the end of the 1970s. The discussion shows how Canadian musicians have always struggled to create work that reflects their own environment while simultaneously connecting with mass audiences in other countries, particularly the United States. While nearly all songwriters who successfully crossed this divide did so by immersing themselves in the American and British forms of blues, folk, country, and rock 'n' roll, this guide reveals that Canadian sensibilities were never far beneath the surface. Canadian innovators featured include The Band, Ian & Sylvia, Hank Snow, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, and superstars Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Lively anecdotes and interviews round out the history, but the emphasis is always on the essential music—how and where it originated and its impact on the artists' subsequent work and the wider musical world.

Review quotes

"A fine piece of writing that condenses and contextualizes five decades of music into an entertaining and thoughtful document . . . Jason Schneider offers a concise, brilliantly organized and original take on Canadian cultural influence."

—Literary Review of Canada

About the Author

Jason Schneider is one of Canada’s most respected music journalists whose work regularly appears in Exclaim! magazine. He is the coauthor of Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985–1995 and the author of 3,000 Miles. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario.

David Suzuki Foundation Blog Garden and Fuzzy Monsters!

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:42:00 +0000

Chat Noir Books has joined David Suzuki's Blog Garden!! What is a Blog Garden you maybe asking?! Well the hope is to cultivate relationships with the internet community of like minded folks that like green stuff, like the environment and fuzzy monsters...ok you don't need to like fuzzy monsters, but it can't hurt!

The hope is that when people submit their blogs to the Blog Gardens Share page, they'll also probably end up linking back to the page from their blog. Cross-promotional style, thus creating a community of of fuzzy monster and environment loving people.

Ok so now you're asking how does Chat Noir Books fall into the sustainability issues, enviro news, eco trends and fuzzy monsters. Well first off Sesame Street celebrates its 40th anniversary today, and they have also gone green! Secondly here at Chat Noir Books we try and to recycle as much paper, plastic and tin as we can. We also compost all of our coffee grinds and tea bags. Plus all our coffee is fair-trade, organic or 100% grower direct --a premium quality coffee with a social, economic and environmental conscience. Finally we are also a member of the David Suzuki Foundation Book Club!

A big thanks also goes out to our friend Jenny Lee Silver over at the David Suzuki Foundation. Jenny Lee Silver is one of the people involved in helping to setup the Blog Garden, Check out here blog:

The personal blog of an eco-minded mom, mountain biker, photographer and self-proclaimed geek — the challenges of balancing everyday life with concern for the future of humanity in mind. Visit Some words from a Silver for more.

More on Wal-mart's, Target's and Amazon's price wars

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:21:00 +0000

Just read this great article by Jane Henderson, about the on going price war between Wal-mart, Target and Amazon. Defiantly thought it was worthy of a blog posting. I was very happy to see that some authors are starting to get involved in this debt, because it is not the death of "the book" that we are all worried about but the death of the community bookstore!

Big names, price war top fall book plots
By Jane Henderson
POST-DISPATCH BOOK EDITOR

"We run the risk of seriously devaluing our product," Grisham told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Albert Greco, a professor at Fordham University's Graduate School of Business Administration and senior researcher at the Institute for Publishing Research, says Wal-Mart wants to become the "Wal-Mart of the Internet." Already the biggest real-world retailer, it is rattling its e-business swords at Amazon.com, he says.

"Grisham is a very smart guy," Greco says.

Although an online price war will help sell more copies of Grisham's "Ford Country," eventually it would hurt stores that carry thousands more titles than Wal-Mart does. It's the more traditional stores that stock older Grisham titles.

"What he's looking at is the state of book retailing," Greco says.

Before Grisham became well-known, he asked small bookstores whether he could set up a table to sell his first book, "A Time to Kill." They gave him the chance to peddle his product, and several million books later he no longer needs that table. But he hasn't forgotten those stores, he says. Wal-Mart may want Grisham, but it isn't going to give the next unknown writer a chance.

Erwin, of Main Street Books, says that with all the attention paid to the horse race, "anything that isn't big can get lost in the shuffle."

Although the availability of book outlets has increased, what they carry varies. Bookstores such as Barnes & Noble may stock about 170,000 titles. A discount store like Target may stock 14,000, and a club store, such as Costco, may stock a few hundred. In an effort to promote stores, Publishers Weekly dubbed Nov. 7 National Bookstore Day.

Greco expects online retailers to discount even more titles this fall, although perhaps not as low as $9.

But why discount books?

"The belief that people aren't reading is inaccurate," he says. "To assume this is a bad category is not true."

U.S. publishers expect to net about $10 billion this year. That covers just adult and children's trade books and doesn't include the extensive textbook market.

"They've been talking about the death of the book for a long time," Greco says. "The numbers don't seem to bear that out."

Don't Panic! And Another thing!

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:01:00 +0000

It has been about 10 years since I read "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to The Galaxy" and for some reason that I cannot remember I stopped there and never read the rest of the series.

With the release of the new book in the Hitch Hikers novels, and a new biography about the man who gave us Marvin the Depressed Robot, I figured it was time for a reread of "Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker Trilogy".

So last night about 2 chapters into the book, I stopped and curiously enough the only thing that goes through my mind is Oh no, not again!

Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Paperback)
Neil Gaiman David K Dickson M J Simpson

Book Description

“It’s all devastatingly true — except the bits that are lies” — Douglas Adams

Upon publication, Don’t Panic quickly established itself as the definitive companion to Adams and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This edition comes up to date, covering the movie, And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer and the build up to the 30th anniversary of the first novel.

Acclaimed author Neil Gaiman celebrates the life and work of Douglas Adams who, in a field in Innsbruck in 1971, had an idea that became The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The radio series that started it all, the five — soon to be six — book ‘trilogy’, the TV series, almost-film and actual film, and everything in between.

About the Author

Neil Gaiman is a New York Times best-selling author and one of the most critically acclaimed living comics writers. There have been two recent movie adaptations of his work, Stardust and Coraline.

Gift ideas for the Music Lover

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:19:00 +0000

Alright this list was inspired by Mark and Jack over at CJTT, who intervied author Jo-Ann Geffen this morning. Jo-Ann Geffen helped co-author the new Chicken Soup for the Soul book "The Story Behind the Song". Which will be out on November 10th.

So to go along with Mark and Jacks interview here is a list of great Christmas Gift ideas for "Music Lovers". And of course at the top list we have:

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song:The Exclusive Personal Stories Behind Your Favorite Songs
Jack Canfield Mark Victor Hansen Jo-Ann Geffen
Series: CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL
Published: November 10, 2009 Not Yet Released

Songs tell a story, and now popular singers and songwriters are sharing more of the story! These artists reveal the inspiration, influence, and background, and when and why they wrote their most famous songs, in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song. Book includes great photos of the songwriters and lyrics of many of the songs.

Songs, with personal stories behind them, many of which are being told for the first time, include:

Storyteller/Songwriter Song Title
Aaron Lewis, Staind Outside
Aaron Neville Yellow Moon
Aaron Tippin Kiss This
Amanda McBroom The Rose
Ang - lique Kidjo Batonga
And Lots more!!

About Jack Canfield

Chicken Soup for the Soul is a favorite publisher of books about family with many bestselling books about family and personal dynamics.

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen are co-founders of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Susan M. Heim is a long-time editor of parenting and family-oriented books.

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One of my favourite Music Trivia books!

Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza: And Other Misheard Lyrics
Sasquatch Books

Book Description

We've all done it — misheard a song lyric and sung along with the wrong words for months or years before being corrected. Whether you heard "Even if you're Ted Danson in the dark," instead of "Even if we're just dancin' in the dark," or confused "Jamie's out of gum" with "Janie's got a gun," this book is an ode to faulty hearing and mumbled lyrics everywhere. The artists presented here vary from pop idols Britney Spears, Billy Joel, and the Backstreet Boys to hard rockers like Def Leppard to urban groups such as Destiny's Child and Black Eyed Peas. Including parodies, fantasy duets, potential commercial soundtracks, and humorous tidbits, this book is perfect for both trivia lovers and those in search of a laugh.

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Next we have a new biography on Sir Paul McCartney.

Paul McCartney: A Life
Peter A Carlin

Book Description

More than a rock star, more than a celebrity, Paul McCartney is a cultural touchstone. As one half of the legendary Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo, he helped transform popular music, moving from the simplistic pop of "Love Me Do" to the avant-garde symphonics of "A Day in the Life" to generation-binding anthems such as "Hey, Jude" and "Let It Be." Along the way the Beatles ascended from the dank basements of working-class Liverpool to heights of fame and wealth no previous entertainer could ever have imagined.

McCartney's own ambitions fueled much of the group's progress. But even as he steered himself from childhood tragedy to his meeting with John Lennon to the gestation of the Beatles and their rise to international acclaim, the same appetites that drove the group to its greatest creative and commercial heights also served to tear the band members apart.

Still, McCartney's career didn't end with the Beatles' breakup. Nor, for that matter, did the bonds between the Beatles. And in this definitive biography, Peter Ames Carlin examines McCartney's entire life, casting new light not just on the Beatles era, but also on his years with Wings and his thirty-year relationship with his first wife, Linda McCartney. He takes us on a journey through a tumultuous couple of decades in which Paul struck out on his own as a solo artist, reached the top of the charts with a new band, and once again drew hundreds of thousands of screaming fans to his concerts. Carlin presents McCartney as a musical visionary, capable of crafting pop gems such as "Band on the Run" and "Maybe I'm Amazed." But he also reveals a layered and often conflicted figure, as haunted by his legacy -- and particularly his relationshipwith John Lennon -- as he was inspired by it.

Built on years of research and fresh, revealing interviews with friends, bandmates, and collaborators spanning McCartney's entire life, Carlin's lively biography captures the many facets of Paul McCartney and paints a vivid portrait of one of our era's living legends.

Review quotes

"The best thing about Peter Ames Carlin's book is the way he entangles the music and the life, so that we begin to understand them as what they are -- inextricable. This is the kind of book that Paul McCartney's solo work deserves -- enthusiastic but critical, a redemptive reevaluation of what's best about Paul's solo work without denying the worst, and a clear-eyed overview of the Beatles period as a part of a very active, creative, and personal life that endures." -- Dave Marsh, author of Bruce Springsteen on Tour: 1968-2005

About Peter A Carlin

Peter Ames Carlin was born in Syracuse, NY in 1963. The son of a psychologist and an arts administrator, he was a freelance writer in Portland for many years, then worked as a senior writer at People magazine in New York City. He has been the TV columnist for The Oregonian newspaper since 2000, and is the author of Catch A Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Published in 2006, Catch A Wave was acclaimed by Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks as "the essential Beach Boys saga." Peter lives with his wife and three children in Portland, Ore.

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With a foreword by Bruce Springsteen!

Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales

Book Description

For the first time ever comes the inside story of Clarence "Big Man" Clemons--his life before, during and beyond the E-Street Band, including unbelievable, never-before-told adventures with Bruce Springsteen, the band, and an incredible cast of other famous characters recounted by himself and his best friend, television writer/ producer Don Reo.

Here are just a few things you'll get from reading it:

* The truth behind the final hours of making Born To Run
* The real story of how the E-Street Band got its name
* What happened when Clarence and Ringo Starr were sitting in a hotel room and Clarence got the call that Bruce was breaking up the band
* How Bruce and Clarence met that dark, stormy night at the Student Prince
* The E-Street band's show at Sing-Sing prison where all of their equipment blows out right as they take the stage
* The secret that Robert De Niro told Clarence and Bruce they had to keep for 25 years

But that's merely a glimpse. This is not your average rock book. It is something creative, something unique, something new. It is the story of E-Street. It is the story of stories. It is the story of the Big Man.

Review quotes

"Big Man is too funny, soulful, outrageous and wise to have been written by two people. I suspect Don Reo is an invented character. A mystical book, an oddly beautiful book, a wonderful book."

--Kinky Friedman

About the Author

Clarence Clemons lives in Florida.

Don Reo is the writer/producer of many award-winning television series. He lives in Santa Barbara California with his wife Judith D. Allison.

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Bowie: A Biography
Marc Spitz

Book Description

Finally an expansive biography of one of the twentieth century’s greatest music and cultural icons

From noted author and rock ’n’ roll journalist Marc Spitz comes a major David Bowie biography to rival any other. Following Bowie’s life from his start as David Jones, an R & B—loving kid from Bromley, England, to his rise to rock ’n’ roll aristocracy as David Bowie, Bowie recounts his career but also reveals how much his music has influenced other musicians and forever changed the landscape of the modern era. Along the way, Spitz reflects on how growing up with Bowie as his soundtrack and how writing this definitive book on Bowie influenced him in ways he never expected, adding a personal dimension that Bowie fans and those passionate about art and culture will connect with and that no other bio on the artist offers.

Bowie takes an in-depth look at the culture of postwar England in which Bowie grew up, the mod and hippie scenes of swinging London in the sixties, the sex and drug-fueled glitter scene of the early seventies when Bowie’s alter-ego Ziggy Stardust was born, his rise to global stardom in the eighties and his subsequent status as an elder statesman of alternative culture. Spitz puts each incarnation of Bowie into the context of its era, creating a cultural time line that is intriguing both for its historical significance as well as for its delineation of this rock ’n’ roll legend, the first musician to evolve a coherent vision after the death of the sixties dream.

Amid the sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll mayhem, a deeper portrait of the artist emerges. Bowie’s early struggles to go from follower to leader, his tricky relationship with art and commerce and Buddhism and the occult, his complicated family life, his open romantic relationship and, finally, his perceived disavowal of all that made him a touchstone for outcasts are all thoughtfully explored. A fresh evaluation of his recorded work, as well as his film, stage and video performances, is included as well.

Based on a hundred original interviews with those who knew him best and those familiar with his work, including ex-wife Angie Bowie, former Bowie manager Kenneth Pitt, Siouxsie Sioux, Camille Paglia, Dick Cavett, Todd Haynes, Ricky Gervais and Peter Frampton, Bowie gives us not only a portrait of one of the most important artists in the last century, but also an honest examination of a truly revolutionary artist and the unique impact he’s had across generations.

Review quotes

“BOWIE is inspired, edge-worn, loud, quiet, observant, humble, gorgeous, and humane. If the record business loved music as much as Marc Spitz does, there would still be a record business.”

—Dan Kennedy, author of Rock On: An Office Power Ballad

“A breezy, well-lit portrait of the ever-enigmatic rocker . . . Spitz’s encyclopedic knowledge and obvious appreciation for Bowie’s work separate this book from countless cookie-cutter rock stories.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Spitz concentrates on the complex evolution of Bowie’s music to deliver an evenhanded, critically thorough, while still reverential, life of the Thin White Duke.”

—Publishers Weekly

About the Author

MARC SPITZ’s writing on rock ’n’ roll and popular culture has appeared in Spin, the New York Times, Maxim, Nylon, Blender and Uncut (UK). He is the author of How Soon Is Never?; Too Much, Too Late; and Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green Day and coauthor with Brendan Mullen of We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk.

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Finally new this year for Chat Noir Books, we are carring the board game BANDthology

About BANDthology® Music Games

BANDthology Music Games is a Canadian company that develops top quality, highly entertaining board and travel games with a focus on music. Our products include the BANDthology® board game, the BANDthology® Touring Edition travel game and the BANDthology® Ultimate Canadian Edition booster pack.

BANDthology entertainment products include the BANDthology Live! Show for special and corporate events and our newly launched Digital Music Games for Mobile DJ's.

Music is the ultimate connector and BANDthology® is the ultimate game for music lovers of all ages and different music interests.

If you love music you'll LOVE BANDthology.

Downtown Festival of Lights Story Time

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Friday November 20th is the Festival of Lights in New Liskeard.

Here at Chat Noir Books we will be celebrating the evening with a good old story time before the lights go on. We'll have free hot chocolate for the little ones so come on down with your PJ's and enjoy some hot chocolate and a bedtime story.

Story time starts at 6:15pm and goes until approximately 6:45pm, so you can make it out to see the lights go on around 7:00pm.

MTG Tournament

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:12:00 +0000

Date: 21st November 09
Time: 5:00pm
Entry Fee: $10.00

Chat Noir Books is hosting a Extended Tournament on November 21st.

Entry fee is $10. Below is what you need to know on how to build your deck, or go to http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrextended

Extended Deck Construction

Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. The...re is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it must contain exactly fifteen cards.

With the exception of basic land cards, a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent. All cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest are basic.

The following card sets are permitted in Extended tournaments:

* Ninth Edition
* Tenth Edition
* Magic 2010
* Mirrodin
* Darksteel
* Fifth Dawn
* Champions of Kamigawa
* Betrayers of Kamigawa
* Saviors of Kamigawa
* Ravnica: City of Guilds
* Guildpact
* Dissension
* Coldsnap
* Time Spiral
* Planar Chaos
* Future Sight
* Lorwyn
* Morningtide
* Shadowmoor
* Eventide
* Shards of Alara
* Conflux
* Alara Reborn
* Zendikar (effective October 2, 2009)
* Worldwake (effective February 5, 2010)

The following cards are banned in Extended tournaments:

* Aether Vial
* Disciple of the Vault
* Sensei's Divining Top
* Skullclamp

Official information about Constructed formats and the Extended format can be found in the Magic: The Gathering Tournament Rules.

New Supply of Las Chicas Del Cafe Coffee

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:40:00 +0000

Just got a new supply of Las Chicas Del Cafe Coffee beans back in stock. Ohh and they smelling amazing!

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Chat Noir Books is also in the running for winning Raincoasts Zombies! Sea Monsters! Window Contest! Check it out http://ow.ly/yVON

Because Zombies are Cool!

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:11:00 +0000

I just happened to stumble upon this great blog called The Thrillionth Page where I found a trailer for The Living Dead edited by John Joseph Adams. The Living dead which came out last year, is an anthology of short stories about ZOMBIES, by some of the best Horror, Sci-fi and Fantasy authors out there! just check out this line-up: Joe Hill (Author), George R. R. Martin (Author), Clive Barker (Author), Neil Gaiman (Author), Laurell K. Hamilton (Author), Joe R. Lansdale, Poppy Z. Brite (Author), Harlan Ellison (Author), Stephen King (Author), and many others!!

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Recently prolific anthologist Adams (Seeds of Change) delivers a superb reprint anthology that runs the gamut of zombie stories. There's plenty of gore, highlighted by Stephen King's Home Delivery and David Schow's classic Blossom. Less traditional but equally satisfying are Lisa Morton's Sparks Fly Upward, which analyzes abortion politics in a zombified world, and Douglas Winter's literary pastiche Less than Zombie. Also outstanding, Kelly Link's Some Zombie Contingency Plans and Hannah Wolf Bowen's Everything Is Better with Zombies take similar themes in wildly different directions. Neil Gaiman's impeccably crafted Bitter Grounds offers a change of pace with traditional Caribbean zombies. The sole original contribution, John Langan's How the Day Runs Down, is a darkly amusing twist on Thornton Wilder's Our Town. There's some great storytelling for zombie fans as well as newcomers. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The High Wizard of Silvinesh now in stock!

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:36:00 +0000

We now have copies of Northern Author R.A. Scully new book The High Wizard of Silvinesh in stock at Chat Noir Books!!

The High Wizard of Silvinesh
R A Scully

Book Description

It is a time of darkness . . . only days remain before a deadly war is set to begin, between the minions of the Ever-Night Realm and the White Wizards of Silvinesh. An ancient message is found that gives the elvin heroes a glimmer of hope, and with it, they take a chance, and seek out a lost power, hidden, somewhere within Crystal Mountains. After narrowly escaping with their lives, the heroes return to Thelentia on the eve of battle, to aid their human allies against the deadly dark elvin threat. Journey with the brave group of friends and family, as they unravel the mysteries of the past, and find a way to save the world they love.

About the Author

Mr. Scully was born in the picturesque northern community of Wawa Ontario Canada, near the shores of beautiful Lake Superior. His dream is to one day return, and build a home for his family by one of the many pristine lakes found throughout Michipicoten's enchanting lands. For Mr. Scully, the countless places in the endless forests, remind him of Silvinesh and the elvin woods he describe in his novels. Many of my inspirations have come from this place he calls home, and now, he wishes to share his world of magic with all of you.

You can find out more about the R.A. Scully at www.highwizardofsilvinesh.com

Blog update

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Finally had a chance to check out some of the coding for Blogger and decided to update a few things. Changed around some of the fonts, made the main content area a little wider and add a new header. Hope you all like the new layout.

Which reminds we moved a few things around in the store as well. So if you cannot find the book or section the book should be just ask one of the staff to point it out for you.

Gift ideas for the Inquisitive Mind(Feed your inner Geek!)

noreply@blogger.com (Chat Noir Books - A Voice in the Wilderness) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:55:00 +0000

Just some Monday morning gift idea's from crew at Chat Noir Books.

Tesla: Man Out of Time
Margaret Cheney

Book Description

In Tesla: Man Out of Time, Margaret Cheney explores the brilliant and prescient mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest scientists and inventors. Called a madman by his enemies, a genius by others, and an enigma by nearly everyone, Nikola Tesla was, without a doubt, a trailblazing inventor who created astonishing, sometimes world-transforming devices that were virtually without theoretical precedent. Tesla not only discovered the rotating magnetic field -- the basis of most alternating-current machinery -- but also introduced us to the fundamentals of robotics, computers, and missile science. Almost supernaturally gifted, unfailingly flamboyant and neurotic, Tesla was troubled by an array of compulsions and phobias and was fond of extravagant, visionary experimentations. He was also a popular man-about-town, admired by men as diverse as Mark Twain and George Westinghouse, and adored by scores of society beauties.

From Tesla's childhood in Yugoslavia to his death in New York in the 1940s, Cheney paints a compelling human portrait and chronicles a lifetime of discoveries that radically altered -- and continue to alter -- the world in which we live. Tesla: Man Out of Time is an in-depth look at the seminal accomplishments of a scientific wizard and a thoughtful examination of the obsessions and eccentricities of the man behind the science.

About Margaret Cheney

Margaret Cheney is a biographer of unusual versatility. In addition to her two major studies of Tesla (most recently Tesla: Master of Lightning, with Robert Uth), she has written Midnight at Mabel's, a biography of the great cabaret singer and song stylist Mabel Mercer. Cheney is also the author of Meanwhile Farm and Why: The Serial Killer in America. She lives in California.

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Just For Fun
Linus Torvalds David Diamond

Book Description

Once upon a time Linus Torvalds was a skinny unknown, just another nerdy Helsinki techie who had been fooling around with computers since childhood. Then he wrote a groundbreaking operating system and distributed it via the Internet -- for free. Today Torvalds is an international folk hero. And his creation LINUX is used by over 12 million people as well as by companies such as IBM.

Now, in a narrative that zips along with the speed of e-mail, Torvalds gives a history of his renegade software while candidly revealing the quirky mind of a genius. The result is an engrossing portrayal of a man with a revolutionary vision, who challenges our values and may change our world.

About the Author

Linus Torvalds was born in Finland. He graduated from the University of Helsinki and lives with his wife, the six-time karate champion of Finland, and his children. Linus currently works as a programmer on several projects for Transmeta.

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Mind Hacks: Tips & Tools for Using Your Brain
Tom Stafford Matt Webb

Book Description

The brain is a fearsomely complex information-processing environment--one that often eludes our ability to understand it. At any given time, the brain is collecting, filtering, and analyzing information and, in response, performing countless intricate processes, some of which are automatic, some voluntary, some conscious, and some unconscious.

Cognitive neuroscience is one of the ways we have to understand the workings of our minds. It's the study of the brain biology behind our mental functions: a collection of methods--like brain scanning and computational modeling--combined with a way of looking at psychological phenomena and discovering where, why, and how the brain makes them happen.

Want to know more? "Mind Hacks" is a collection of probes into the moment-by-moment works of the brain. Using cognitive neuroscience, these experiments, tricks, and tips related to vision, motor skills, attention, cognition, subliminal perception, and more throw light on how the human brain works. Each hack examines specific operations of the brain. By seeing how the brain responds, we pick up clues about the architecture and design of the brain, learning a little bit more about how the brain is put together.

"Mind Hacks" begins your exploration of the mind with a look inside the brain itself, using hacks such as "Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Turn On and Off Bits of the Brain" and "Tour the Cortex and the Four Lobes." Also among the 100 hacks in this book, you'll find:

Release Eye Fixations for Faster Reactions
See Movement When All is Still
Feel the Presence and Loss of Attention
Detect Sounds on the Margins of Certainty
Mold Your Body Schema
Test Your Handedness
See a Person in Moving Lights
Make Events Understandable as Cause-and-Effect
Boost Memory by Using Context
Understand Detail and the Limits of Attention

Steven Johnson, author of "Mind Wide Open" writes in his foreword to the book, "These hacks amaze because they reveal the brain's hidden logic; they shed light on the cheats and shortcuts and latent assumptions our brains make about the world." If you want to know more about what's going on in your head, then "Mind Hacks" is the key--let yourself play with the interface between you and the world.

About Tom Stafford

Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford (Ret.) has been awarded many honors, including two Distinguished Service Medals and two Exceptional Service Medals from NASA, and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. He lives in Florida.

About Matt Webb

Webb is an engineer and designer.

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The Hungry Scientist Handbook
Patrick Buckley Lily Binns

Book Description

Inventive, (mostly) edible DIY gadgets and projects guaranteed to captivate

The Hungry Scientist Handbook brings DIY technology into the kitchen and onto the plate. It compiles the most mouthwatering projects created by mechanical engineer Patrick Buckley and his band of intrepid techie friends, whose collaboration on contraptions started at a memorable 2005 Bay Area dinner party and resulted in the formation of the Hungry Scientist Society—a loose confederation of creative minds dedicated to the pursuit of projects possessing varying degrees of whimsy and utility.

Featuring twenty projects ranging from edible origami to glowing lollipops, cryogenic martinis to Tupperware boom boxes, the book draws from the expertise of programmers, professors, and garden-variety geeks and offers something to delight DIYers of all skill levels.

About the Author

Patrick Buckley, a graduate of MIT, has worked at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories as a mechanical engineer. When not tinkering or inventing, he can be found kiteboarding, paragliding, or training for Ironman triathlons. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Happy Halloween!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chat Noir Books - A Voice in the Wilderness) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:14:00 +0000

Happy Halloween everyone!!

Hope you all have a fun and safe time tonight!

Here are a few new title that have just come in.

Star Wars: Death Troopers
by Joe Schreiber

This Halloween, Star Wars publishing goes someplace very new and very scary, with the release of the first Star Wars horror novel, Deathtroopers, by Joe Schreiber.

"I had the time of my life on this one, I have to say. I’m doing the final edits now, and I’ve tried to make it into exactly the kind of book you’d want to read if you were a child of the 70s who grew up with the original Star Wars trilogy and really digs horror in the vein of The Shining and Alien, with a little dose of William Gibson mixed in.''"
―Joe Schreiber

Book Description

When the Imperial prison barge Purge–temporary home to five hundred of the galaxy’s most ruthless killers, rebels, scoundrels, and thieves–breaks down in a distant, uninhabited part of space, its only hope appears to lie with a Star Destroyer found drifting, derelict, and seemingly abandoned. But when a boarding party from the Purge is sent to scavenge for parts, only half of them come back–bringing with them a horrific disease so lethal that within hours nearly all aboard the Purge die in ways too hideous to imagine.

And death is only the beginning.

The Purge’s half-dozen survivors–two teenage brothers, a sadistic captain of the guards, a couple of rogue smugglers, and the chief medical officer, the lone woman on board–will do whatever it takes to stay alive. But nothing can prepare them for what lies waiting aboard the Star Destroyer amid its vast creaking emptiness that isn’t really empty at all. For the dead are rising: soulless, unstoppable, and unspeakably hungry.

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The Gathering Storm
by Robert Jordan Brandon Sanderson

We've finally got the latest in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, The Gathering Storm, and it is a big one! This is a collaboration with Brandon Sanderson, author of the Mistborn Trilogy which we also have in stock in the store.

Book Description

Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready. The final volume of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, was partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, was chosen by Jordan’s editor&mdash-his wife, Harriet McDougal&mdash-to complete the final book. The scope and size of the volume was such that it could not be contained in a single book, and so Tor proudly presents The Gathering Storm as the first of three novels that will make up A Memory of Light. This short sequence will complete the struggle against the Shadow, bringing to a close a journey begun almost twenty years ago and marking the conclusion of the Wheel of Time, the preeminent fantasy epic of our era. In this epic novel, Robert Jordan’s international bestselling series begins its dramatic conclusion. Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. As he attempts to halt the Seanchan encroachment northward&mdash-wishing he could form at least a temporary truce with the invaders&mdash-his allies watch in terror the shadow that seems to be growing within the heart of the Dragon Reborn himself. Egwene al’Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is a captive of the White Tower and subject to the whims of their tyrannical leader. As days tick toward the Seanchan attack she knows is imminent, Egwene works to hold together the disparate factions of Aes Sedai while providing leadership in the face of increasing uncertainty and despair. Her fight will prove the mettle of the Aes Sedai, and her conflict will decide the future of the White Tower&mdash-and possibly the world itself. The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

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And Another Thing
byEoin Colfer

Are you Froody? The 6th book in the Hitchhiker's trilogy,(yes we know it not really a trilogy anymore) is out as well.

Book Description

You may not have noticed, but there's something stirring in the Galaxy...

Despite the efforts of the Vogons, and even those of a more-than-typically troubled teenager, the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy continues, much to the delight of its fans (and to the annoyance of the Vogons).

And Another Thing, the 6th book in the Hitchhiker's trilogy, or rather 'double trilogy' as it has now become, is to be written by the brilliantly funny Eoin Colfer, international number-one bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl novels. Colfer is not unaccustomed to strange going-ons and far-fetched story-lines with his celebrated Artemis Fowl novels. Widow Jane Belson said of Eoin Colfer, 'I love his books and could not think of a better person to transport Arthur, Zaphod and Marvin to pastures new.'

Douglas Adams himself once said: 'I suspect at some point in the future I will write a sixth Hitchhiker book. Five seems to be a wrong kind of number, six is a better kind of number.'

Colfer, a fan of Hitchhiker since his schooldays, said:
"I have decided to embark on a very different project. Something unique that I hope will interest you as much as it does me. I have written the official 6th book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series. Most of you have probably already read Douglas Adams' insanely brilliant space series. If you haven't then you don't know funny. Take it from me, the Hitchhiker books are bar none the funniest sci-fi books ever written. People have laughed so much reading Hitchhikers that they have had to have organs removed. One guy in France popped an eyeball. I kid you not.

So, what's it all about, this Hitchhikers, I hear you cry. Actually I don't hear you, if I did I would be sitting outside in your driveway, which would be a bit freaky and show how few friends I have. What's it all about, this Hitchhikers, I imagine you cry. It's about Arthur Dent, one of the last humans left alive after the Earth has been destroyed by the remorseless Vogons. Arthur manages to hitch a ride on a spaceship and go planet hopping with his friends Ford Prefect, the Betelgeusean journalist. Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two headed president of the galaxy, pirate and worst dressed man in the universe. And Marvin, the paranoid andriod.

All this hitching and adventuring went on for five books and then Douglas Adams passed away before he could write book six. Hitchhiker has been heard on radio, seen on tv and enjoyed on the cinema screen, there was even a musical version. But the story could never end, until now. I am going to continue on where Douglas left off. Unfortunately for me, he left off on rather a large cliffhanger. Everyone was dead. Which means I have rather a large challenge ahead of me, but it is one I am looking forward to.

The book will be out later this year. It will be called And Another Thing. And I really hope you will board the spaceship with me so we can travel through Douglas Adams' hilarious galaxy together, which will save me having to hang around in your driveway.

See you at Barnard's Star."

Quote of The Day

noreply@blogger.com (Chat Noir Books - A Voice in the Wilderness) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:57:00 +0000

Quotation of the Day
'There is Still No Substitute for a Book'

"I am sure I will use the Kindle again, the next time I travel. But for me, there is still no substitute for a book that can be passed around, passed on, discussed with friends and family and, ultimately, donated to the local library. Besides, if I don't need to conserve room and weight for travel, it is nice to give the business to our local book store--last time I looked, it was not reporting record earnings."--Marina Park, Girl Scouts of Northern California CEO, in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Local Events!

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:33:00 +0000

Come out and help support the Classic Theatre at these 2 really cool upcoming events!

Halloween Bash located at the New Liskeard Community Hall and featuring Otis and the Groove. All proceeds to support the Classic Theatre. Prizes for best costume!

Tickets available at Robertson's, Classic Theatre, RU Hungries, Chat Noir Books and Designer Den Home & Floral.

Date: October 30st 2009
Time: 8:00pm to 1:00am
Tickets: $10 cover

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Lost Fingers - Jazz / Pop / Acoustic

This acoustic trio based in Quebec city plays standards of the gipsy jazz repertoire (à la Django Reinhardt) as well as their arrangements of hits of the 80'. Their young history as a band has already seen them opening for the french guitarist Patrick Saussois and playing in three international music festivals (including ten nights at the Montreal International Jazz Festival), as well as playing live on several television and radio shows.

Trio basé à Québec, les Lost Fingers interprètent les classiques du répertoire jazz manouche (à la Django Reinhardt) ainsi que leurs ré-arrangements dans ce style de grands succès des années 80. Ils ont assuré la première partie du guitariste français Patrick Saussois à Québec ainsi que du Pascale Picard Band à Montréal et se sont notamment produits dans le cadre du Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, du Festival d'Été de Québec ainsi que du Festival des Guitares du Monde de Rouyn-Noranda, en plus de jouer en direct à plusieurs émissions de télévision et de radio.

Date: October 31st 2009
Time: 9:00pm
Tickets: $30 Advance $35 door

Classic Theatre Great Performance Season

Radio Paradise - DJ-mixed modern & classic rock, world, electronica, acoustic, and more - 100% commercial-free

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Radio Paradise - DJ-mixed modern & classic rock, world, electronica, acoustic, and more - 100% commercial-free

Ok Radio Paradise just played Billy Jean by "The Lost Fingers", who happen to be playing at the Classic Theatre on Oct 31st...Huh!

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Penny Arcade/PvP Podcast)

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:38:00 +0000

D&D is Not Dead

New to D&D 4th Edition?
Dungeons & Dragons is a world apart from other games, and playing it is unlike anything else. Whether you're just starting out with D&D, you're an experienced player wondering about the 4th Edition, or you're someone who's never played Dungeons & Dragons but would like to know what all the excitement is about, check out the Dungeons & Dragons Office website they have all the answers you're looking for. You can watch our quick videos or even download the basic rules and try the game for yourself! The monsters are scary, but the rules aren't.

Also...

The folks at Penny Arcade and PvP sat down with R&D’s Chris Perkins to play 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons (for some of them, it was their very first game of D&D). How did it go? Well, they recorded the entire session—which we’re thrilled to offer in episodic podcasts, along Penny Arcade comics commemorating the game!

In this episode, the players make their most difficult decision: What to name their characters. And although they don’t quite meet the infamous rat king, they do experience the horrors of a rat swarm.

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Penny Arcade/PvP Podcast) Warning: This podcast contains strong language.

Book Signing Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Chat Noir Books - A Voice in the Wilderness) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:58:00 +0000

Mags Storey is a writer, editor and journalist. Born in Canada she grew up in the United States and Middle East before studying journalism at Ryerson in Toronto. She has written for various publications in the UK, USA and Canada, and is currently a correspondent with ChristianWeek. She now lives in Canada with her husband Mike and their two daughters. Her first novel, If Only You Knew, was published in February 2009.

Mags Storey will be at Chat Noir Books in New Liskeard
Saturday October 10th from 2-4pm

Author Event this Friday!!

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Charlie has come in "from the bush" and you are invited to visit with him at Chat Noir Books in New Liskeard on Friday, October 9th from 2 to 4 in the afternoon!

Help Charlie launch his latest book "Crazy Charlie - Memoirs of An Ex-Psychiatric Patient" in celebration of Mental Illness Awareness Week.

Leviathan Contest!!

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:27:00 +0000

Leviathan books are now in stock at the store! Also check out the Leviathan Book trailer below!!

Punch Me Hard on CBC Radio 3

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:07:00 +0000

Mark Bradford our Official Czar of the obscure, transcendental & sphinx-like knowledge is also local musician Punch Me Hard We are trying to get Mark some play time on CBC radio 3, so if you have a minute or two take a wonder over to http://radio3.cbc.ca/bands/punch-me-hard/ and check out some of Marks amazing of music.

btw. . . he also has a new cd coming very very soon...

New Magazine Titles in stock!!

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:06:00 +0000

These titles have just come in:

Uncut magazine feature "THE WHO" and "SEEING FOR MILES" CD 12 amazing new psych-rock classics!

Net magazine which I think was Practical Webdesign, not sure when they changed the name? Anyway the new issues features the *top 20 web designers* and how to Become a one man web agency.

BBC History with a WWII Anniversary Issue - Was Britain ready for war in 1939?

The Case of Tea Pot Photos!!

pmclaren@gmail.com (Cracklin Creations) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Just got a weird request from author Robert Rotenberg;

Can you take a picture of one of the tea pots that you use at the coffee shop and send it to me.

Of course we can but now I have to wait for his next book to find out what this is all about!!

Everyone should check out his new website and read "Old City hall"!! Check out the Trailer below.