The Stacks
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A Bookish Memento Mori
So I've started referring to one particular shelf here at Butterflies & Aliens North as my memento mori in books. Sounds better than "I have this growing collection of funny books about death that started with this one book of cartoons about unpleasant ways to die that still makes me laugh out loud every time I read it"...
But, really, there is much truth in both those statements.
Small Press Saturday: Fernwood Publishing
Saturday is here again, Canadians are reeling from the discovery of the remains of 215 indigenous children near Kamloops, British Columbia, the government of Alberta is making questionable decisions around the school curriculum, Covid-19, and public health restrictions, and we have another Canadian small press to share with you!
Small Press Saturday: Nimbus Publishing
We are heading out to the east coast of Canada today to say “hello” to Nimbus Publishing. This independent press is the largest English-language publisher east of Toronto and specializes in content relevant to the Atlantic provinces. Which does not mean that their books are not of interest outside of the Atlantic provinces…
Small Press Saturday: Tyche Books
Last weekend, we put out a call for small press recommendations and I am happy that this week features one of those recommendations for our weekly Small Press Saturday post. This weekend we are spotlighting an Alberta small press – say hello to Tyche Books!
Alphabetizing your ABCs
So the bookish weirdness that we embrace here at the Butterflies & Aliens Library means that, among other things, Recreational Shelf Organizing borders on a competitive sport. It definitely ranks as a beloved pastime. The who, what, and wherefores of how we sort, store, and display our bookish collections provides much fuel for discussion and debate, as well as hours of entertainment.
Small Press Saturday: Who’s on your list?
We initiated Small Press Saturday because we wanted to showcase small presses and give them a bit of a signal boost. Since the beginning of 2021, the Butterflies & Aliens Library of Literary Eccentricities and Rarities has showcased 19 small presses!!
While our Butterfly-in-Chief has ideas to showcase more, we would love it if you could share some small press love with us! Who are your fave small presses that you think everyone should check out?
Happy Towel Day!
One of the earliest books we bonded over here at the Butterflies & Aliens Library was Douglas Adams’ profoundly comic and comically profound trilogy in (at least) four parts, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and we have definitely known where our towels are ever since.
Small Press Saturday: JournalStone
Today we are heading south of the Canadian border so I can introduce you to JournalStone Publishing, founded in 2009 by Christopher C. Payne and based in Carbondale, Illinois. They are definitely a small press that embraces the dark and weird, specializing in horror, sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, and generally dark fiction.
In memoriam: Katherine Barber, 1959-2021
The Butterflies & Aliens Library was saddened to hear of the death of Katherine Barber, founding editor of the Oxford Canadian Dictionary and Canada’s “Word Lady,” on April 24, 2021, of cancer. She was 61.
Small Press Saturday: Laksa Media
We here at the Butterflies & Aliens Library love a good anthology, and some of my absolute favourites in recent years have come from Laksa Media, based out of Calgary, Alberta. Not only have the stories been remarkable, and wrapped in gorgeous covers, but this young small press lives its mission of changing the world through its publishing program, not only by donating a portion of its revenue to social causes, but raising awareness through the themes and content of their anthologies.
Small Press Saturday: Annick Press
Happy Saturday! It’s Small Press Saturday, the Canadian Children’s Book Week edition!
We are wrapping up our celebration of Canadian Children’s Book Week and I figured it would be a great time to introduce you to Canadian Children’s Publisher Annick Press.
Canadian children’s books are a bit of everything!
Yay, it’s Friday! And even though it has been exciting to celebrate Canadian Children’s Book Week, it’s still Friday and we here at the Butterflies & Aliens Library are feeling it. So for our next-to-last post for the week, we present a bit of a random selection of children’s books by Canadians. But, really, isn’t that part of the beauty of Canadian children’s books? They do include a bit of everything!
