Battle of the books

It's a rare opportunity when you see several of your loves combined into one event. Coffee, books and community spirit coalesced into an intriguing event that has finally drawn to a close. A while back I wrote about a competition comprising of a writer vs some radio personalities. For those unfamiliar with this "Battle of the Books" I recommend you click here to catch up with the rest of us. It's ok, we'll wait for you to finish and have a coffee or two.......
ok......you're back? Great. Oh wait, all that coffee made my bladder grumpy...........

Ok I'm back, let's do this.

At the end of a gruelling 48 hour stint in which Lesley and Tom worked like dogs and Mike wrote about a dog, Jason did what he did best and apparently schmoozed the 48 hours away. For those familiar with Jason this comes as no shock. Despite all the odds and the looming deadline all four of the writers managed to get their work completed and produced 4 books for the competition. Judging took place and while it comes as no surprise that the writer would eventually win, the remaining three works are actually an interesting read. If you wondered about the area and city then Jason's book will give you a disjointed look into the heart of our city through his twist on the locals. Mike's book took a look at life through the eyes of his dog, which provides for a funny look at the world as we know it. Tom, on the other hand, embarked upon an attempt to write a type of book that the other radio boys decided would be the most insane type to write, the murder mystery. His result is a good read and will have you worried about medication for the rest of your life. The last book and ultimately the winner of the judging was Lesley's look at repairing a broken heart. It's a chick book by stereotype but a great read nonetheless.

While the accomplishment of a complete novella in 48 hours is impressive enough, the real goal of this operation was to fundraise for literacy, making these four even more amazing. I got an opportunity to go to their book release and meet all four and have to say that they are as good in person and their intentions. I have met Mike and Jason on several occasions before as their radio station is on the presets in both of our vehicles, but Tom is as funny as the rest of them. Lesley was as nice as the rest of them, but much quieter. This is not that she isn't necessarily a speaker, but the noise from our three beloved radio folk (okay, mostly Jason) was overpowering her tiny frame. They were all present at a book release a tthe newspaper auditorium whree Lesley works. A bit of an impromptu party if you will which was bolstered by good reading, good coffee and good music from the Good Brothers.



All four of the books have been published for free by Lulu.com, a publishing site run by Bob Young, the owner of our Hamilton Tiger Cats as well as a professional computer geek extraordinaire. Through his generosity these books were able to see the light of day and generate some cash for the charities. Every penny from their sales will go to one of two causes. Lesley's book proceeds will help two Hamilton schools bolster their libraries in an effort to bring literacy to some of the more underprivileged students in our city, while the radio boys' books will have their money go to Camp Maple Leaf. This camp was founded in 1955 by returning war veterans as a memorial to their fallen comrades. The camp has grown from a summer camp to a year round operation that has focused on providing camping and literacy to kids who would not be able to go without the help of others.

Both causes are great ones and are sure to be thrilled to benefit from the charity and dedication of these four amazing people.

If you want to help the cause and give yourself something to read you can check out the books yourself.

Store #1 by Jason Farr












Fetch It Yourself! The Random Thoughts Of An Overweight House Pet by Mike Nabuurs











Side Effects May Include: Death by Tom Park












Heart Failure by Lesley Simpson