Friday, January 30, 2009

Title story from On the Beach in Spanish Room by Janis Spence now available as a Short Fiction "Single" digital download

New short fiction audio download by Janis Spence available from rattlingbooks.com

on the beach in spanish room

by Janis Spence
narrated by the author
45 minutes 

Janis Spence was a writer, actor and director living and working in St. John’s. The author of three stage plays, CHICKENS, CATLOVER, and WALKING TO AUSTRALIA, she also wrote extensively for radio and television. Janis was a major contributor and influence on the character, style and content of Rattling Books.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Word of the Week over at REDEFiNE iT (January 25 - February 1): spudgel



Word of the Week over at REDEFiNE iT: Dictionary of Newfoundland English

spudgel

(brought to you each week by Rattling Books)

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Jennifer Barrett's work at Eastern Edge Gallery



EASTERN EDGE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS in 2009!
January 10th - February 21st, 2009



JENNIFER BARRETT (NL): Werebears and Only Children.





A multi-media installation including painting, sculpture and video projection based on a comic strip, Werebears and Only Children. The paintings from the comic strip are presented in the gallery on scale and at viewing height to sculptural characters of the comic strip itself. These characters then end up critiquing themselves.The sculptural figures are approximately 4 feet tall complete with speech bubbles where video dialogue ensues.



Jennifer Barrett is a painter and a printmaker and member of the board of directors of St. Michael's Printshop. She currently works as a commercial screen printer. Her work revolves around the extrapolation of blind contour drawings and the modification of autobiographical comics. She is a big fan of non-traditional comic artists, many of whom deal with personal stories that are often funny, tragic, and simply mundane. Currently she is creating work that brings her comic characters off the printed page and computer screen and into a three-dimensional setting. Her comics can be seen in The Scope and at http://www.wbaoc.blogspot.com/



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Jennifer Barrett is also the artist behind some images for Rattling Books.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Advance Review of Jessica Grant's "Come, Thou Tortoise" in the Quill and Quire




Jessica Grant’s debut novel is one of those rare books that manage to entwine humour – in this case, even outright silliness – with poignant insight and a captivating plot, says reviewer Jan Dutkiewicz... Read the rest
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Jessica Grant can be heard reading her story the Princification Process at rattlingbooks.com. The Princification Process was released at the end of 2008 as part of EarLit Shorts 3.
Rattlingbooks.com sells literature to listen to in the form of mail order audio book CDs or digital downloads for your iPod or other portable mp3 player.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Word of the Week over at REDEFiNE iT (January 18 - 24): black



Brought to you each week by Rattling Books, an audiobook publisher overlooking the Northwest Atlantic from the island of Newfoundland.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Russell Wangersky talks to Shelagh Rogers on CBC Radio's The Next Chapter: listen online


Shelagh Rogers talks to Russell Wangersky about Burning Down the House, his memoir of being a firefighter


Being a hero isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In Burning Down the House: Fighting Fires and Losing Myself (Thomas Allen) award-winning writer Russell Wangersky relates the story of his eight-year career as a volunteer firefighter. Like many children, he grew up with the dream of becoming a firefighter and saving lives. But in reality, he found that dealing with human tragedy resulted in his own trauma.


In this feature interview from The Next Chapter, Wangersky talks to Shelagh Rogers about his book, and what it's like behind the uniform of a firefighter.


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You can listen to Russell Wangersky reading from his short story McNally's Fair at rattlingbooks.com.


Two stories by Russell were included in the new audio short fiction series EarLit Shorts from Rattling Books.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

New short fiction by Steven Heighton available as a digital download from Rattling Books

New short fiction audio download by Steven Heighton available from rattlingbooks.com

The Dead are More Visible
by Steven Heighton
narrated by Jane Dingle
41 minutes long

Steven Heighton's fiction has appeared in many Canadian and international magazines and anthologies, including Best English Stories and Best Canadian Stories. The Dead are More Visible by Steven Heighton won the gold at the 2008 National Magazine Awards.


Sunday, January 11, 2009

Word of the Week (January 11-17): scuddling

Word of the Week: January 11 - 17

scuddling

Definition according to the Dictionary of Newfoundland English:

scuddling vbl n

Comb scuddling hole: hole at stern of boat through which oar is worked to steer or propel craft (Q 67-33); SCORE-HOLE, SCULLING HOLE.

scuddling oar, scuddle ~ : scull; SCULLING OAR.0 67-1

Scuddle oar—the oar used to steer the punt with. One person sits or stands in the stern of the punt and steers it with a scuddle oar. P 209-73 ~ an oar used to propel a punt through a hole in the stern.

Now, we invite you to RELiVE, REMEMBER and REFRESH iT and/or even REDEFiNE iT!

The main thing is to RELiSH iT.We also invite you to visit our sister Facebook group.

The word of the week is brought to you each week by Rattling Books and released each Sunday morning on the Newfoundland and Labrador CBC Radio program Weekend Arts Magazine with host Angela Antle.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Poetry - the next latte: Christian Bok's Eunoia takes Britain

Poetry
The next latte
(latest sighting)
Calgary poet hits U.K. bestseller list
(CBC News)
"Christian Bok's Eunoia, released in Britain in October, became the No. 8 seller on Amazon U.K. Christmas week, made the Times of London's list of the year's top 10 books and remains the top-selling book of poetry in Britain."

Read the rest of this article here.

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And just who is fool enough to predict that Poetry is the next latte?

Sunday, January 04, 2009

My Future in Insurance by Richard Cumyn, narrated by Charlie Tomlinson is now available as a short fiction single from Rattling Books

Now available as a short fiction single
from Rattling Books:

My Future in Insurance
by Richard Cumyn
narrated by Charlie Tomlinson

from the short fiction audiobook EarLit Shorts 3
is also available as a downloadable short fiction single from Rattling Books.

Friday, January 02, 2009

A New Year's Resolution from Don McKay

We couldn't resist revisiting this New Year's Resolution from Don McKay

(it comes via our New Year's Resolution Contest last year at REDEFiNE iT: Dictionary of Newfoundland English)

January 2nd and your head still feels like a waddock that's been bashed up and down the field by size thirteen spaugs, and no wonder, you're after being a slinger randying all Christmas, guzzling the screech and stuffing your gob, telling your old cuffers filled with all that pishogue, how you were forever grassing in the bawn like the rawny merrybegot you are, how you'd marl up the droke with a joke and a bottle and all the girls waiting to kiss you in the drung behind the church hall, way back when you were but a lewardly nuzzle tripe of a angishore before the blue drop got in your blood and you were out jiggering for cod with the bawks and guds whirling overhead, the gillies, turrs and tickleaces skimming the surface, the swiles sculling and diving, now here you are so hung over you can hardly stand to shive the goowiddy off your fousty face, yes my son, you say to the boo in the mirror, you've been a jeezly seeny-sawny long enough, it's time for a whole yaffle of resolutions, if only you could figure out where to start.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Don McKay becomes a Member of the Order of Canada

Congratulations to Don McKay.

The Government of Canada has included author and publisher Don McKay on the list of Canadians recognized for excellence, courage or exceptional dedication to service in ways that bring special credit to this country.

Don McKay was one of the latest contributors to Canadian culture to be named a Member of the Order of Canada.

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In 2008 Don McKay released an audio recording of his poems selected on the themes of birds, birding and flight. Entitled Songs for the Songs of Birds, the poems were selected and read by the author and accompanied by field recordings of birds by Dave Fifield.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

On the fourth day of Christmas my favorite audiobook publisher gave to me!

On the fourth day of Christmas

gave to me

40% off


on a feast of formidable audiobooks



May happiness betide you!

They are Married by Claire Wilkshire, narrated by the author, is now available as a downloadable short fiction single from Rattling Books

New Single Available from EarLit Shorts 2

They are Married
by Claire Wilkshire

narrated by the author
from the short fiction audiobook EarLit Shorts 2
is now available as a downloadable short fiction single from Rattling Books.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The True Meaning of Crumbfest airs on CBC Radio's WAM this Saturday



by David Weale

performed by Antonia Francis

(when she was a wee five years!)

will air this Saturday on CBC Radio's Weekend Arts Magazine in Newfoundland and Labrador. Anyone not on the dial can tune in online.


The True Meaning of Crumbfest was originally published by Acorn Press of Prince Edward Island in 1999. It won the Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children's Literature in that year.


The unabridged audio edition by Rattling Books won an Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine.


You can hear it this Saturday and again on January 27 on CBC Radio here. Or you can mail order the CD or purchase a digital download here.



Monday, December 15, 2008

New Page for Canadian Libraries interested in ordering Rattling Books


Rattling Books has long had a wonderful full service e-commerce site for the consumer at rattlingbooks.com.

We are now developing a sattelite site to serve the Library Market.
We invite Library audiobook buyers in Canada to bookmark the following page where we will continue to develop helpful information to assist you in selecting Rattling Books audiobooks for your library.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Word of the week: gaffer



Word of the week over at our REDEFiNE iT: Dictionary of Newfoundland English blog:

gaffer

Brought to you each week by Rattling Books, an audiobook publisher overlooking the Northwest Atlantic.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Russell Wangersky's Burning Down the House on the B.C. National Award for Canadian Non-fiction short list

Russell Wangersky is on the short list for the 2008-09 B.C. National Award for Canadian Non-fiction, at $40,000 the richest non-fiction book prize in the country.

Read all about it in today's Globe and Mail.

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Russell Wangersky is also included in the recently released EarLit Shorts series of audio short fiction anthologies from Rattling Books. Russell can be heard reading his story McNally's Fair from the EarLit Shorts 2 collection while actor Charlie Tomlinson narrates the story, Echo.

Mom by Catherine Hogan Safer narrated by the author is now available as a downloadable short fiction single



by Catherine Hogan Safer
narrated by the author
from the short fiction audiobook EarLit Shorts 2
is now available as a downloadable short fiction single from Rattling Books.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Carmelita McGrath imagines a memoir by Camilla Coaker


To Be My Father's Daughter
Written by Carmelita McGrath
with research/writing by Sharon Halfyard
and edited by Marion Cheeks

Educational Resrouce Development Co-operative (ERDC)
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
2008

ISBN 978-0-9688806-2-3

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"William Coaker shaped Newfoundland's history. He was the man who showed Newfoundlanders that organizing themselves gave them the power to try to make their lives better.

To Be My Father's Daughter is a fascinating memoir by his daughter Camilla, his only child. Although it is in part a work of imagination, it is based upon the unique and hitherto largely-unused papers and photographs which she kept - remembrances of her father, always a distant and remote figure in her life. Sharon Halfyard and Carmelita McGrath have given us an interesting and important book. Fascinating in its own right, the book offers new and challenging insights into one of the most imporant Newfoundlanders of all time."

Honourable Edward Roberts
Former Lieutenant Governor Newfoundland and Labrador

(review quote featured on the book jacket)

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Recent fiction by Carmelita McGrath can be heard in the EarLit Shorts audio short fiction series from Rattling Books.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Monday, December 08, 2008

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Word of the Week (Dec 7 - 13): larrigan


Word of the Week over at REDEFiNE iT: Dictionary of Newfoundland English

Each week Rattling Books brings you a word of the week from the Dictionary of Newfoundland English.

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Friday, December 05, 2008

EarLit Shorts readings at Chapters and the Ship Inn Sunday, December 7

This Sunday, December 7, there will be two events to launch Rattling Books' new EarLit Shorts series of audio short fiction anthologies:


Chapters Bookstore, Kenmount Rd., St. John's
2 - 5 pm

The publisher will be in the store to answer any questions and the following authors will read from their work at 3 pm. There will be copies of all three of the EarLit Shorts series of audiobooks for sale.


Joel Thomas Hynes

Catherine Hogan Safer

Russell Wangersky

Claire Wilkshire



Ship Inn, Duckworth St. , St. John's
8 - 10:30 pm


Join us for a celebration of the EarLit Shorts series. There will be food and readings.

Eat, drink and be merry.

There will be copies of all three of the EarLit Shorts series of audiobooks for sale.


The following authors will read from their work at around 8:30 pm:


Jessica Grant

Carmelita McGrath

Patrick Warner



Hope you can join us for one or the other or both.


If not, EarLit Shorts, volumes 1, 2 and 3 are all available from our website at rattlingbooks.com.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Announcing EarLit Shorts: a new series of audio short fiction anthologies


Canadian fiction anthologies with a difference — you can read them while you drive a car, ride a bike, walk a dog, put your feet up, close your eyes.

Tors Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador – December 2, 2008.

Rattling Books is proud to announce its new adventure in “literature to listen to” with the release of EarLit Shorts, a series of audio short fiction anthologies. The first three volumes are now available. Four more are planned for 2009.

Edited by Susan Rendell and Janet Russell, each EarLit Shorts anthology features a selection of previously unpublished works by Canadian authors. Stories are narrated by a variety of voices, including the authors’. EarLit Shorts are available as MP3 CDs or as iPod friendly digital downloads.

EarLit Shorts 1
Stories by Joel Thomas Hynes, Carmelita McGrath and Kathleen Winter.

EarLit Shorts 2
Stories by Prudence Grieve, Catherine Hogan Safer, Russell Wangersky and Claire Wilkshire.

EarLit Shorts 3
Stories by Richard Cumyn, Jessica Grant, Steven Heighton, Susan Rendell, Patrick Warner and Emily White.

Launch

On Sunday December 7 from 2 – 5 pm books and a selection of authors will be at Chapters in St. John’s, NL. Join us later at the Ship Inn, St. John’s, NL 8 – 10:30 pm to celebrate the launch of EarLit Shorts with readings and nibbles.

The Authors

Joel Thomas Hynes's Down to the Dirt won the Percy Janes First Novel Award and is now a feature film. His second novel, Right Away Monday, was published by HarperCollins in 2007.

Carmelita McGrath's story collection Stranger Things Have Happened (Killick Press, 1999) won the Writers' Alliance/Bennington Gate Newfoundland Book Award and was short-listed for the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award.

Kathleen Winter’s story collection, boYs (Biblioasis 2007), won the Metcalf Rooke Award and the Winterset Award. Her fiction has appeared in leading Canadian and UK literary journals, and has appeared in Best Canadian Stories (Oberon, 2008).

Prudence Grieve’s work can be found in The Eye in the Thicket: Essays at a Natural History (Thistledown Press, 2002).

Catherine Hogan Safer’s first novel Bishop's Road (Killick Press, 2004) was nominated for the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award.
Russell Wangersky’s short story collection, The Hour of Bad Decisions (Coteau Books, 2006)) was short-listed for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, Best First Book (Canada and the Caribbean).

Claire Wilkshire’s short fiction can be found in the Burning Rock anthologies Hearts Larry Broke and Extremities. She and John Metcalf are the co-editors of Writers Talking.

Richard Cumyn is the author of four collections of short fiction and a novella. His work has appeared in The Journey Prize Anthology.
Jessica Grant was the 2003 recipient of the McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize. Her first novel will be published by Knopf Canada in 2009.

Steven Heighton has received numerous awards for his poetry and short fiction, including the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award and the Petra Kenney Prize.

Susan Rendell’s fiction has appeared in The Journey Prize Anthology; her short story collection was a runner-up for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and won a Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award.

Patrick Warner's book of poetry, There, there (Véhicule Press, 2005) won the E.J. Pratt Poetry Award. Mole will be published by House of Anansi Press in 2009.

Emily White’s work has appeared in Adbusters, The Ecologist and The Journey Prize Anthology. McClelland & Stewart will publish her non-fiction work, The Empty Room, in 2009.

Rattling Books

Rattling Books is a “so small, we’re fine” Canadian audio press, publishing poetry, fiction, and historical outdoor adventure non-fiction audiobooks from a perch overlooking the Northwest Atlantic.

Rattling Books has won three Earphones awards from the U.S. magazine AudioFile. AudioFile selected our edition of Montreal Stories by Mavis Gallant as one of the twelve best audio fiction books for 2007, placing us in the company of Penguin Audio, Random House Audio, Harper Audio and BBC Audiobooks America.

Consumers can obtain Rattling Books audio book CDs or downloads directly from rattlingbooks.com.

Rattling Books are distributed in Canada through House of Anansi Press by HarperCollins. U.S. orders are handled directly by Rattling Books. Digital distribution for libraries is through Overdrive.com. Additional information is available on our website.

Contact
If you are interested in reviewing EarLit Shorts titles or radio play, please contact the publisher:

Janet Russell Email: info@rattlingbooks.com
Phone: (709) 334-3911

Monday, December 01, 2008

New Single available from the audiobook edition of Open by Lisa Moore

One by one Rattling Books is making the short stories in various short fiction audiobooks available individually as singles. Here's the latest.

The Stylist by Lisa Moore (Short Fiction Single) narrated by Holly Hogan is now available as a digital download short fiction single from Rattling Books.

Listening Time: 27 minutes


The Stylist is drawn from the unabridged audiobook collection of short fiction entitled Open. The unabridged audio book edition of Open is also available from Rattling Books as both an MP3-CD and as a Digital Download.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Say Nothing Saw Wood by Joel Thomas Hynes is now available as a Short Fiction Digital Download Single from Rattling Books


Say Nothing Saw Wood by Joel Thomas Hynes, narrated by the author is now available as a digital download short fiction single from Rattling Books.

Say Nothing Saw Wood is one of several pieces of short fiction in EarLit Shorts 1, the first in a new series of audio short fiction anthologies produced by Rattling Books.
It is not available either as a Short Fiction Single (digital download only) or as part of the EarLit Shorts 1 anthology which is available either as an MP3 CD or Digital Download.
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Rattling Books is a Canadian audiobook publisher producing unabridged award winning audiobooks and new audio literature from a perch on the island of Newfoundland overlooking the Northwest Atlantic.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Word of the Week over at REDEFiNE iT (November 23-28): hag


Word of the Week over at REDEFiNE iT: Dictionary of Newfoundland English

hag

Each week Rattling Books brings you a word of the week from the Dictionary of Newfoundland English.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Rattling Books has a booth at the Annual St. John's Fine Craft and Design Fair


Come visit us at our Booth at the St. John's Fine Craft and Design Fair

Booth 406

November 20th - 23rd, 2008, at the St. John's Convention Centre


Rattling Books has an audiobook title for just about anyone on your Christmas gift list!


For the young or young at heart

The True Meaning of Crumbfest by David Weale, narrated by five year old Antonia Francis (Audiofile magazine Earphones Award winner)


For the lawyer in your family
Judge Prowse Presiding written and performed by Frank Holden

For the navigator among your loved ones
Coasting Trade by Robin McGrath, performed by Robert Joy, Anita Best and Rick Boland and produced by Chris Brookes

For the outdoor adventurer
Adrift on an Ice Pan by Wilfred Grenfell, produced and narrated by Chris Brookes with Jay Roberts and Janis Spence


For the bird lover
Songs for the Songs of Birds poems written and read by Don McKay with field recordings from Dave Fifield

For the Dictionary of Newfoundland English lover
Merrybegot by Mary Dalton, narrated by Anita Best with horn music by Patrick Boyle


We could go on and on but why not just come visit our Booth for a browse and chat.
If you're not able to do that we always welcome you on rattlingbooks.com where you'll find Canadian and Newfoundland audiobooks selected and made with love by Rattling Books.

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