Yes, I know it’s been two months, but better late than never, right? I had two wonderful photographers documenting the launch. My friend, Danielle Nakouz, who is a budding photographer (and who was unnecessarily nervous about the gig, as you can see below!)and Nikki Mills, who’s a beautiful professional photographer based in Toronto. Both did an amazing job. I couldn’t be more pleased. I already posted some of Danielle’s photos here. I finally had time to sort through the rest and here are some of their best shots. …
Browsing CategoryThe Best Place on Earth
A Review in Publishers Weekly
The Best Place on Earth had another great review in Publishers Weekly. From their website: “Publishers Weekly, familiarly known in the book world as PW and ‘the bible of the book business,’ is a weekly news magazine focused on the international book publishing business.” Exciting! The review is short and sweet; apparently all PW reviews must be under a 100 words. Here’s a quote: “This short story collection is a fiction debut for Tsabari, but it demonstrates that she is already a talented storyteller. Her writing has an immediacy and power that invites readers into her characters’ psyches… Tsabari’s characters will…
A Glowing Review in The Vancouver Sun (and Other Places Too)
The Best Place on Earth was reviewed in The Vancouver Sun last week, which was exciting for many reasons. First of all, it was a fantastic, thoughtful and well written review by author and poet Dennis E. Bolen, in which some comparisons to Hemingway (!) were made. Secondly, the article was a full-page spread with a ridiculously huge picture of me (I was kind of startled when I saw it). And finally, it was The Vancouver Sun!!! Perhaps because Vancouver was my home for eleven years, and it is where I met Sean and where I started my writing career, I…
Photos from Spur Festival
Here are some photos from my event at Spur Festival, taken by Biserka Livaja. Mostly, it’s an excuse to show off my huge belly, a week before my due date. Up until the last minute I wasn’t even sure I would be able to make it, but luckily, my baby decided to hang out for a couple more weeks… I had a blast!
The Best Place on Earth First Month Recap
It’s hard to believe but it’s been over a month since The Best Place on Earth was released! Probably because so much has happened. It finally feels like spring in Toronto, the sun is shining, the tree in the backyard has begun to bloom, I packed up my parka in favour of a lighter coat (not leather jacket weather yet, I’m afraid), and the grass in the front yard turned vibrant green. Exciting times! I wanted to catch up on some of the coverage that The Best Place on Earth has received this past month. The biggest news is that…
CBC The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers
I am so excited to be on this week’s Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers on CBC. I recorded the short segment the morning after my launch, which meant that I could hardly sleep that night. Not only was I still buzzing from the amazing evening, I also had a case of ESL anxiety, which comes over me sometimes when I need to answer questions on the spot. I worry that my grammar will fail me, my vocabulary will abandon me, I’ll forget how to speak English and end up sounding inarticulate in a distinctly non-writerly way. Of course, as often…
The Best Place on Earth Longlisted for The Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award!
The other day I woke up to people congratulating me on Twitter. Turns out The Best Place on Earth was long listed for the The Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award! It is a long longlist (as Emma Donoghue, who is also listed, tweeted, “Such a long list that it’s more like a party!”) but it is exciting nevertheless. I’m one of ten Canadians on the list, and this year, the only Israeli. Other writers on the longlist include my literary crush Junot Diaz, Joyce Carol Oates, and my dear friend Nancy Jo Cullen, whose book of short stories, Canary, is launching next week.…
Let’s Do Brunch
I’ll be participating in ‘Well Read Mornings’ on April 13th, 11:30am, at the Gardiner Museum. This unique event will include a delicious brunch in the stunning Gardiner Café (in which I will be doing my best to avoid spilling food on my dress), a reading from The Best Place on Earth, and a discussion of the book with Helen Walsh, Spur Festival’s director. To buy tickets to this event (did I mention that the price includes a yummy brunch?) and to other events, go here.
More Reviews!
It’s been a surreal and wonderful experience, reading reviews of The Best Place on Earth. After spending all this time writing in my room, in front of a screen, to an imaginary audience, having people read the book and write about it, is kind of extraordinary. Two recent reviews really moved me with their generous and attentive reading of the book and their thoughtful observations. Sharon Chisvin wrote a great review for the Winnipeg Free Press, calling the book “brutally honest,” “smart, sad and sincere,” describing the characters as “achingly human and almost flawlessly fashioned,” and quoting from segments of the…
Book Birthday Week
My book and I had quite a week last week. Last Tuesday, March 19th, was my book birthday, the official publishing date I’ve been waiting over a year for. I went swimming that morning, a form of meditation, a way to calm down the swimming in my head. It helped. Then Sean and I visited two Book City stores and checked out my books on the display table, got to sign them and pose with them and smell them (I keep sniffing them; it’s becoming a problem). Then we went to Chapters, where Sean rearranged a table to give my…