1130 Bookshelf Year in Review: John Ackermann picks his 10 best for 2020

Posted December 27, 2020 10:13 am.

Last Updated October 18, 2021 11:43 am.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – 1130 Bookshelf is like a book club, but on the radio! As 2020 draws to a close, NEWS 1130’s John Ackermann has compiled a list of 10 favourites published over the past year.

Listen: 1130 Bookself

The #1130Bookshelf will be back in the New Year. In the meantime, here are 10 of my favourite reads of 2020. https://t.co/ZmwaNNKwxy

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) December 27, 2020

“Land of Destiny”

You know the old saying: the more things change, the more they stay the same. That can also be said about housing (or the lack thereof) in our region. Author and historian Jesse Donaldson found that out while researching his latest book, Land of Destiny: A History of Vancouver Real Estate.

Read the full review for Land of Destiny: A History of Vancouver Real Estate

Today on @NEWS1130: Jesse Donaldson joins me on #1130bookshelf to talk about Land of Destiny: A History of Vancouver Real Estate, new from @AnvilPress. "Before Vancouver became a city, it was, first and foremost, a real estate investment. Whether it remain so, is up to us." pic.twitter.com/DrPhkhoswz

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) January 26, 2020

“The Last Broadcast”

It’s been more than three years since Red Robinson hung up his headphones for the last time and Vancouver radio hasn’t been the same since. Now, the story of his final show is being told in a new book.

Read the full review for Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast

Today on @NEWS1130: @deejayred joins me on #1130bookshelf to talk about Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, new from @FriesenPress. It not only looks at the final episode of Red Rock Diner in 2017 but also has stories from his career, including the one and only time he was fired! pic.twitter.com/zs1hZz9TP5

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) February 2, 2020

“Up All Night”

The original name in cable news turned 40 this year. Author Lisa Napoli tells us how it all began in Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News.

Read the full review for Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News

“I thought it was a really good time to step back in time because cable news has become so polarized and see where it had come from, what the climate was 40 years ago, and how it was different than it is now,” says Up All Night author @lisanapoli. #1130bookshelf @ABRAMSbooks https://t.co/QYySCxjNel

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) June 14, 2020

“Legacy of Trees”

Talk about seeing the forest for the trees. In Legacy of Trees: Purposeful Wandering Through Vancouver’s Stanley Park, author Nina Shoroplova argues the history of its trees is really a history of the park itself.

Read the full review for Legacy of Trees: Purposeful Wandering Through Vancouver’s Stanley Park

Today on @NEWS1130: Seeing the forest for the trees with the help of Nina Shoroplova, author of Legacy of Trees: Purposeful Wandering in Vancouver's Stanley Park. Part-history and part-field guide, it's available now from @HHPublishing. #1130bookshelf pic.twitter.com/2rdwAQD3Vq

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) July 5, 2020

“On Their Own Terms”

It’s been said that women have always been an equal part of the past; they just haven’t been a part of history. The author of a new book is doing her part to change that.

Read the full review for On Their Own Terms: True Stories of Trailblazing Women of Vancouver Island

Hope you’re enjoying your #BCDay long weekend. Today on @NEWS1130, the #1130bookshelf welcomes Haley Healey, author of “On Their Own Terms: True Stories of Trailblazing Women of Vancouver Island,” available from @HHPublishing. pic.twitter.com/DH66Ad547S

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) August 2, 2020

“Big Promises, Small Government”

As governments, including here in B.C., look to fill the huge fiscal hole caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a voice from the past is sharing a cautionary tale.

Read the full review for Big Promises, Small Government: Doing Less with Less in the BC Liberals New Era

Today on @NEWS1130: We speak with former cabinet minister George Abbott about his new book "Big Promises, Small Government: Doing Less with Less in the BC Liberals New Era," available now from @UBCPress. #1130bookshelf #bcpoli #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/wTHYfBOYiZ

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) September 13, 2020

“Primary Obsessions”

Charles Demers is a Juno-nominated comedian, playwright, and published author. Now, the Vancouver-based writer is taking on the mystery genre with Primary Obsessions.

Read the full review for Primary Obsessions

Today on @NEWS1130: A local stand-up comic turned author returns with a murder-mystery. This week on #1130bookshelf, Charles Demers talks about his new book, the psychological thriller "Primary Obsessions," available from @DMPublishers. pic.twitter.com/6EGkfOKmOd

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) September 20, 2020

“Vancouver Exposed”

They’re the little-known stories that helped make our city the place it is today. Journalist, blogger, and, lately, podcaster Eve Lazarus is back with a new collection of true stories, entitled Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History.

Read the full review for Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History

Today on @NEWS1130: Remembering lost landmarks and the little-known local stories that connect us all. "Murder by Milkshake" author Eve Lazarus returns to #1130bookshelf to talk about her new book, "Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City's Hidden History," from @Arsenalpulp. pic.twitter.com/tc9BbfUBML

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) October 11, 2020

“Love Her Madly”

Imagine meeting The Beatles in Hamburg or knowing Elvis before he became the King of Rock n’ Roll. A new memoir from a Kelowna man provides an intimate look at Jim Morrison before The Doors.

Read the full review for Love Her Madly, Jim Morrison, Mary, and Me

Today on @NEWS1130: I speak with Kelowna’s Bill Cosgrave, author of “Love Her Madly: Jim Morrison, Mary, and Me,” new from @dundurnpress. “Jim and I were, essentially, long-haired, homeless hippies,” says Cosgrave of his time with the pre-fame Lizard King. #1130bookshelf pic.twitter.com/ETapgxxjEE

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) November 22, 2020

“Anthem”

Rock music lost a giant this past January when Rush drummer Neil Peart died of brain cancer at the age of 67. An author is reappraising the legacy Peart left behind in a new book that looks back on the band’s first decade.

Read the full review for Anthem: Rush in the `70s

Today on @NEWS1130: I speak with @PopoffMartin, author of "Anthem: Rush in the '70s," new from @ecwpress. "They essentially invented a new genre of music. You could say it's like prog rock with a distortion pedal." #1130bookshelf @rushtheband #GeddyLee #AlexLifeson #NeilPeart pic.twitter.com/Y97J9Uxeie

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) May 10, 2020

Don’t forget, if you’re an author or publisher who would like to have a non-fiction book featured on 1130 Bookshelf, please email John directly at johnf.ackermann@rci.rogers.com.

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