Vote! Help select the next chapter for On the Same Page!

Which Manitoba book, by a Manitoba author, do you think should get Manitobans On the Same Page this year? From the short list below, select the title you’d like for Manitoba’s biggest book club. The book that receives the greatest public support before the end of September, 2010 will be featured.

An Ordinary Decent Criminal, by Michael Van Rooy

Ex-con Monty Haaviko has done the crimes and served the time. Now, he just wants to settle down in Winnipeg with his family, find an honest job, and be an ordinary decent citizen. When three break-and-enter artists end up dead on his living-room floor, Monty’s plan to go straight derails. Wanna-be hero Detective Enzio Walsh wants to put Monty behind bars forever, and crime boss Jean Robillard, uncle to one of Monty’s house thieves, wants him dead. Together with his wife Claire, and the tricks and schemes learned from his checkered past, he just might clear his name and save his life.

Michael Van Rooy writes for documentaries, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet. Michael won the 2006 Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book, and the 2009 John Hirsh Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer. Born in Kamloops, BC, he grew up in Winnipeg where he now lives with his wife and three children.

Beautiful Girl Thumb, by Melissa Steele

Melissa Steele’s characters are looking for love, but they’re willing to settle. They don’t dare to feel flat-out greed or lust or hate. Instead they wander around, repeating the mantra “everything is okay.” It isn’t. These brutally funny stories provide valuable advice on destroying friendships, flirting with your marriage counsellor, cheating at Diplomacy, dumping your boyfriend via Call Waiting, and enrolling your children in the right elementary school programme. Steele spoons up bitter medicine for modern life and burns away the veneer of everyday politeness.

Melissa Steele won the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Writing at the 1999 Manitoba Book Awards. She has taught writing and literature and worked as a radio journalist. Her fiction has appeared in journals including Prairie Fire, Zygote, and City Magazine. She is the author of two story collections, Donut Shop Lovers and Beautiful Girl Thumb, both from Turnstone Press. She lives in Winnipeg.

The Dead of Midnight, by Catherine Hunter

Members of the book club at the Mystery Au Lait Café are getting nervous as events from their favourite murder mysteries start to come true―right in their own quiet neighbourhood. Someone is imitating the plots and killing off the book club fans one by one. But Sarah Petursson and her friends can’t stop themselves from indulging in the popular Midnight Mystery Series. For Alfred, the publisher, the books are a gold mine. As he continues to release the books to greater and greater acclaim, the popularity of the reclusive author of the Midnight Mysteries soars―and so does the body count.

Catherine Hunter is a teacher, editor, critic, poet, and avid reader of thrillers. She is the author of three books of poetry, three novels, and one novella. Currently she is a professor of English at the University of Winnipeg where she teaches English and creative writing. She lives in Winnipeg.

Juliana and the Medicine Fish, by Jake MacDonald

While spending the summer trying to deal with her parent’s divorce, Juliana, with the help of her Ojibway friend, uncovers an ancient secret that helps her reconcile with her father and, at the same time, acquire a new appreciation for the dangerous beauty of Canada’s north country. Now in its fourth printing, this bestselling young adult novel is becoming a Canadian classic.

Jake MacDonald is an award-winning author of six books, a short story writer and a journalist. His memoir, Houseboat Chronicles, won three awards, including the Writers’ Trust Non-Fiction Prize. His feature articles have been published in Saturday Night, The Globe and Mail, Maclean’s and Canadian Geographic, among others. He divides his time between Winnipeg and Toronto and a rustic retreat in Minaki, Ontario. His most recent book was Grizzlyville: Adventures in Bear Country.

Please let us know which book should be next on our list.

An Ordinary Decent Criminal, by Michael Van Rooy
Beautiful Girl Thumb, by Melissa Steele
The Dead of Midnight, by Catherine Hunter
Juliana and the Medicine Fish, by Jake MacDonald

Total Votes to Date: 462

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In October, 2008, The Winnipeg Foundation launched On The Same Page, featuring the novel In Search of April Raintree by Winnipeg author Beatrice Mosionier. The novel, first published 25 years ago, chronicles the lives of two Métis sisters navigating the foster care system in Winnipeg.

Through multi-media promotions, dozens of author readings and extensive free book distribution, On The Same Page engaged thousands of Manitobans in its first year.

The Literacy for Life Fund supports family literacy programming across Manitoba. Gifts to the fund are permanently endowed and the income generated supports inter-generational literacy projects at community organizations and library branches throughout the province.