One Book: Roost

Have you read Roost yet?  Ali Bryan’s novel Roost is this year’s pick for One Book Nova Scotia which is the book all Nova Scotians are being encouraged to read this year.

Ali will be here in the Valley at the NSCC Kingstec Library in Kentville on Monday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m.  She’ll be reading from Roost and sharing stories about the writing process as well as answering questions.  We have several copies of her book available at Annapolis Valley Regional Libraries as well as a downloadable eBook version and a Book Club in a Bag kit.  Copies of her book will also be for sale at the reading thanks to our friends from Box of Delights in Wolfville.  

Set in Nova Scotia, Roost is the story of a single mom dealing with the sudden loss of her mother, the quirky and troubling behavior of her aging father, and her long-term sibling rivalry with her “perfect” brother.  Told with great humour and compassion, Ali Bryan creates compelling and relatable characters that may remind us of ourselves or someone we know.

Ali was originally from Halifax, then Sackville, NB, and like many other Maritimers, currently lives in Alberta.  Thanks to a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, she kicks off an author reading tour of Nova Scotia starting at Halifax’s Word on the Street on Sunday, September 21.  Her tour includes readings not only here in the Valley, but in Yarmouth, Antigonish, Baddeck and Amherst.

For more information on One Book Nova Scotia or Roost, check out http://1bns.ca   

--Frances Newman, CEO

One Book Nova Scotia

It’s time for the third annual One Book Nova Scotia unity reading event!  This is when adults in Nova Scotia are encouraged to read the same book, kind of like a giant book club.

This year’s book is Roost by Ali Bryan and it is a funny, lighter read than the two previous selections.  Set in Halifax and written by a Nova Scotian, Roost offers a comical and poignant look at single parenting, aging parents, and sibling rivalry.

We’ve listened to participant feedback and this year we are revealing the title a little earlier than usual, so people can read it in the summer or fall, whichever is more convenient for them.   The library has plenty of copies of Roost as well as a Book Club in a Bag kit with eight copies and discussion questions.  

Ali Bryan will be featured on the Main Stage at The Word on the Street Book Festival in Halifax on Sunday, September 21, and then embark on a reading tour with six stops across the province thanks to funding from the Canada Council for the Arts.   

The Valley reading will be on Monday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the NSCC Kingstec Campus Library in Kentville.  Admission is free.   

For more information on One Book Nova Scotia check out http://1bns.ca  or follow us on Facebook  or Twitter @1BookNS. 

--Frances Newman, CEO