For the two weeks ending May 20, 2012:

1. Pot It Up, Frankie Flowers
(HarperCollins Canada, $26.99 pa, 9781554688340)

2. Landscaping with Stone, Pat Sagui
(Creative Homeowner/Thomas Allen & Son, $22.95 pa, 9781580114462)

3. Landscaping for Your Home, Catriona Tudor Erler
(Creative Homeowner/Thomas Allen, $24.95 pa, 9781580115056)

4. The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener, Niki Jabbour
(Storey Publishing/Thomas Allen, $23.95 pa, 9781603425681)

5. Gardening with Colour, Rob Sproule
(Lone Pine Publishing, $24.95 pa, 9781551058733)

6. Canadian Gardener’s Guide, Lorraine Johnson
(Tourmaline Editions, $30 cl, 9781553631781)

7. Small Space Gardening for Canada, Laura Peters
(Lone Pine, $24.95 pa, 9781551058603)

8. Vegetable Gardening for Ontario, Laura Peters
(Lone Pine, $24.95 pa, 9781551058634)

9. Seed to Weed: A Pot Enthusiast’s Guide to Growing Marijuana, Chris Stone
(Ten Speed Press, $15.99 pa, 9781607741091)

10. Small Plot, Big Harvest, Lucy Halsall
(Dorling Kindersley/Tourmaline, $23.95 pa, 9780756690557)

11. Get Growing, Frankie Flowers
(HarperCollins Canada, $26.99 pa, 9781554688333)

12. Gardening: The Complete Guide, Miranda Smith
(Creative Homeowner/Thomas Allen, $23.95 pa, 9781580115438)

13. Perennials for Ontario, Alison Beck and Kathy Renwald
(Lone Pine, $21.95 pa, 9781551052625)

14. All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space! Mel Bartholomew
(Cool Springs Press/Georgetown Publications, $24.99 pa, 9781591862024)

15. Perennials for Alberta, Donna Dawson and Laura Peters
(Lone Pine, $24.95 pa, 9781551053905)

16. Vegetable Gardening for British Columbia, Laura Peters
(Lone Pine, $24.95 pa, 9781551058610)

18. Great Canadian Plant Guide, Trevor Cole
(Tourmaline, $19.95 pa, 9781553631774)

18. Tree and Shrub Gardening for Alberta, Don Williamson
(Lone Pine, $21.95 pa, 9781551056340)

19. Vegetable Gardening for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Laura Peters
(Lone Pine, $24.95 pa, 9781551058627)

20. Better Homes & Gardens Gardening Made Simple: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Gardening
((John Wiley & Sons Canada, $29.99 pa, 9780470638545)

The former ad agency executive beat out Conrad Black and journalist Chris Turner to take home the $20,000 prize. All three finalists were present at a gala luncheon in Toronto.

Philp left his career in marketing in part to pursue writing. He is also the author of 2008′s The Orange Code: How ING Direct Succeeded by Being a Rebel with a Cause, co-authored by ING founding CEO Arkadi Kuhlmann.

In Consumer Republic, Philp argues that brands make corporations more accountable to consumers.

Jury chair Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, said in a press release: “Consumer Republic is a balanced, intelligent, sophisticated and timely message for a world addicted to constant consumption. At the same time a serious warning and an optimistic prod, the book is a worthy winner of this year’s award.”

Consumer Republic was nominated for the prize alongside Black’s memoir A Matter of Princple (M&S) and Turner’s The Leap: How to Survive and Thrive in the Sustainable Economy (Random House Canada).

Melanie Little, who joined the firm two years ago as senior editor of Canadian fiction, is stepping down to pursue her own writing, the company announced in a press release. She will continue to edit the work of Lisa Moore, Lynn Coady, Saleema Nawaz, and Théodora Armstrong.

Little is the former editor-at-large for Annick Press and the founding editor of Broadview Press’s literary imprint, Freehand Books. She is also the author of the short story collection Confidence (Thomas Allen Publishers) and the YA novel The Apprentice’s Masterpiece (Annick).

Little’s departure has led to a slew of promotions within Anansi. Former managing editor Jared Bland, who joined the firm a year ago, has been promoted to senior editor, and will now be responsible for acquiring both poetry and Canadian fiction.

Former assistant editor Kelly Joseph has been promoted to managing editor, responsible for acquiring French Canadian literature for translation. Former editorial assistant Meredith Dees (responsible for both Anansi and Groundwood Books) has been promoted to editor.

The press release notes that senior editor Janie Yoon remains responsible for acquiring non-fiction, crime fiction, and foreign titles for Anansi International.

This year’s awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, June 3, at the Toronto Congress Centre. The event kicks off the CBA’s annual conference, which is being held in conjunction with the Retail Council of Canada’s Store 2012 conference. Bookseller-oriented programming includes presentations and panels devoted to sidelines and ebooks, and a “moderated member forum.”

Margaret Atwood will be on hand to accept a lifetime achievement award.

The nominees are:

Author:
Patrick deWitt
Esi Edugyan
Michael Ondaatje

Fiction:
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (House of Anansi Press)
Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan (Thomas Allen Publishers)
The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay (Knopf Canada)

Non-fiction:
Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest by Wade Davis (Knopf Canada)
Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe by Charlotte Gill (Greystone Books)
The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A Canadian Story of Resilience and Recovery by Andrew Westoll (HarperCollins Canada)

Young reader:
I Am Canada: Deadly Voyage by Hugh Brewster (Scholastic Canada)
This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel (HarperCollins Canada)
The Dragon Turn by Shane Peacock (Tundra Books)

Picture books:
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (Candlewick/Random House)
Picture a Tree by Barbara Reid (Scholastic Canada)
Ten Birds by Cybèle Young (Kids Can Press)

Bookseller:
Blue Heron Books (Uxbridge, ON)
Bryan Prince Bookseller (Hamilton, ON)
Mabel’s Fables (Toronto, ON)

Campus bookstore:
Queen’s University Campus Bookstore (Kingston, ON)
King’s Bookstore Co-operative (Halifax, NS)
York University Bookstore (Toronto, ON)

Editor:
Louise Dennys, Knopf Random House Canada
Jim Gifford, HarperCollins Canada
Lynne Missen, Penguin Canada

Sales rep:
Penny Mason, Penguin Canada
Dot Middlemass, Ampersand Inc.
Michael Reynolds, Michael Reynolds & Associates

Distributor:
HarperCollins Canada
North 49 Books
Raincoast

Small press:
Arsenal Pulp Press
Coach House Books
Nimbus Publishing

Publisher:
Dundurn Press
HarperCollins Canada
Penguin Canada
Scholastic Canada

Silver Snail Comics Queen Street West storefront (Photo: silversnail.com)

Silver Snail Comics co-owner George Zotti is offering the public a video tour of the store’s new home just steps away from Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas Square.

In addition to the standard comic book fare, the 3,300 square-foot store at 329 Yonge Street will house a large kids’ section, gallery space, and lounge area complete with iPads for in-store reading of digital comics. They’re also working on making the second-storey space wheelchair accessible.

Arguably the biggest change from the Queen Street site will be the addition of a cafe, where Zotti plans on getting creative with the menu, with specials like the “Flashiccino.” “You get three [espresso] shots for the price of one shot,” Zotti explains with a laugh. The cafe is a bid to keep the shop competitive in a neighbourhood that’s also home to Indigo, The World’s Biggest Bookstore, BMV, 401 Games, and One Million Comix.

Zotti and partner Mark Gingras revealed the new location last month, a year after announcing the iconic comic book shop would be leaving its historic Queen Street West location this summer. (Check out what’s being proposed for the site.)

According to Torontoist, the Yonge Street location should open by July 1 — just in time to host Dave McKean, the award-winning graphic novelist and illustrator who has collaborated with the likes of Neil Gaiman, Richard Dawkins, and chef Heston Blumenthal.

Kobo users can now read ebooks like Alice in Wonderland, The Last of the Mohicans, and War of the Worlds as illustrated comics, through a content distribution deal between Kobo and the digital publisher Trajectory.

The Classics Illustrated series includes over 120 titles, which are also available for Apple devices and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.

Kobo’s promo of The Three Musketeers gives an idea of the series’ style.

In this episode, author Will Ferguson discusses the origins of humour in creative writing.

Ferguson is the author of more than a dozen books, most recently of the thriller 419. He delivered this keynote address at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre on May 11, 2012, as part of the Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Programs conference.

Quillcast is produced with media partners The Walrus, Open Book: Ontario, and Open Book: Toronto, with support from Toronto Life. This project has been generously supported by the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund.

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