The “Battle of the Book Clubs” has become THE event of the winter for book lovers in Prince Edward Island, and CBC Radio One expects the 2010 event to follow suit! CBC Prince Edward Island’s 2010 Battle of the Book Clubs will be held on Tuesday, March 2, at The Guild, the corner of Richmond & Queen Street in Charlottetown. Start time is set for 7:00 p.m.

 

“The Battle” has become PEI’s annual contribution to CANADA READS, CBC’s national celebration of Canadian literature. The CANADA READS 2010 book selections are: Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott, Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner, Generation X by Douglas Coupland, The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy, and Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald. CANADA READS 2010 airs on CBC Radio One March 8-12.

 

This year’s event, hosted by MAINSTREET’s Matt Rainnie, will feature three high school book clubs, including Bluefield High School, the school team that has taken the trophy home the last two years. “Readers Ink” from Kensington High School, as well as “The Word Nerds” from Morell High School will join Bluefield’s “The Society for the Appreciation of Great Literature”. Summerside’s “Friday Night Girls” are back in the battle for a third run at the much-coveted Battle of the Book Clubs trophy and the fifth group is “The Northumberland Literary Society” from Charlottetown. Each group has been assigned a Canada Reads book selection and is preparing their defence.

 

As in past years during “The Battle”, each group has the opportunity to make a pitch for their book and then the audience votes by secret ballot for the winner. It’s an evening of literary hilarity and fierce debate and everyone is welcome to attend. Admission is free but those interested are encouraged to reserve tickets ahead of time at The Guild Box Office.

 

CBC Radio One will record the entire show and broadcast it in two episodes on MAINSTREET. Those interested are also invited to join a Facebook group called “Canada Reads P.E.I.” In February, leading up to the event, ISLAND MORNING and MAINSTREET will feature reports from the book clubs as they prepare their strategies. ISLAND MORNING airs on CBC Radio One, 96.1FM in most of PEI, 101.1FM in western PEI, and 92.3FM in the Souris area, weekdays from 6:00-8:30 a.m. MAINSTREET airs weekdays from 4:00-6:00 p.m. on the same frequencies.

 

In the event of a storm, the 2010 Battle of the Book Clubs will be postponed until the next evening, Wednesday, March 3 at 7:00 p.m.

 

More information on CANADA READS 2010 is available at http://www.cbc.ca/canadareads.

It's a great venue, with great shows. - Donna Glass March 2010