When Alan Bradley set out to write his first detective novel he had no idea it would lead to the character of Flavia de Luce, or to a series about the young sleuth, in which The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag is the second novel. “I was writing another detective novel that I thought I had plotted very carefully for story and characters, then Flavia just materialized in it,” Bradley says.
Author: Admin
CD REVIEWS: Barenaked Ladies: All in Good Time
For a Canadian alternative rock band, the Barenaked Ladies have had their share of success from the shoebox of life. I was both intrigued and astonished to see them release a new album, All in Good Time, after some recent ups and downs with the band’s front-man, Steven Page, splitting from the group in 2009.
Wet hot Canadian summer: A guide to Montreal May-August
Whether you’re a visiting student, taking a May course, or a Montreal native, summer is the best time to tour Montreal. It’s easy to get trapped in the McGill bubble during the school year, but use the warm weather as a chance to explore the city. From festivals to cuisine, we present your summer guide to one of Canada’s most diverse and exciting cities.
Avoid iTunes’ high prices, legally
People love Apple, and a perfect example of this is the iPod. In order to use an iPod, one must have iTunes installed. If iTunes isn’t installed, the iPod will not work. But when iTunes is installed, Apple’s movie player, Quicktime, is also installed, as well as a number of other iServices that Apple doesn’t tell you about.
Film fest turns 35
The Festival du Nouveau Cinema is the oldest of its kind in Montreal, celebrating its 35th birthday this October. The festival opens tomorrow with Philippe Falardeau’s Congorama and closes Oct. 26 with a spotlight on the Spanish cinema screening of Pedro Almodovar’s Volver.
Day of fasting held to support world’s poor
Twenty McGill students went hungry for a day at Macdonald campus in an effort to raise money for impoverished countries. The McGill chapter of Engineers Without Borders held 24 hour famine to educate the community on world poverty and to help send two McGill students to work with NGOs overseas.
FILM: A new Versailles
Audiences have been eagerly awaiting Sofia Coppola’s new film since her last offering, the critically acclaimed Lost in Translation debuted. Unexpectedly, Coppola brings us from the neon lights of the streets of Tokyo to the glittering hallways of Versailles.
FEATURES: The e-death of the novel?
It’s likely that the average McGill student reads more words per day off of a computer screen than from in his or her books. Material for essays, labs and other class work are readily available on a number of databases – the most useful of which are even paid for by McGill.
FEATURES: Shh…trashy books no longer a dirty little secret
When the Beatles sang about “the dirty story of a dirty man,” who longs to be a “Paperback Writer,” they accurately depicted the stereotypes that still surround popular genre fiction. You know the type; you might even know it intimately. Trashy romance novels, fantastical sci-fi, horror stories, detective mysteries, even the more highly acclaimed chick lit and dick lit genres fit into this category.
FEATURES: It’s sexier to write in Montreal
Writing is like sex. There’s that playing around with ideas before hand, the ejaculation of ideas on paper, and in one sweeping moment of inspiration the climax (of the story) comes, bringing everything to an end soon after. So why is it so much better to “do it” in Montreal? What is it about this city that makes it a great place for writers? After all, The Quebec Writers’ Federation dubbed Montreal the World Book Capital in 2005.