About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
Meet The Gorgons The Legionnaires Chicken Treblinka The Statistics . . . Meet Dee, Gordyn, Em, and Jay, indecisive members of the greatest New Wave band to ever spring from River Bend City. Before they graduate from high school and flee a mill town that's seen better days, these ambitious friends (two sets of siblings) aim to make something from nothing as a test-run for planned careers of total glamour in New York City. Set between Labour Day 1980 and a Battle of the Bands contest in February 1981, From Up River and for One Night Only traces the unsure but determined steps of the gang's hopeful act of creation. The darkly comic and autobiographical story memorably captures the detours, setbacks, compromises, ethical quandaries, and illicit opportunities encountered along the twisty highway to the band's fifteen-and-a half minutes of fame.
Editorial Review
"Lovingly and delightfully told, and completely without sentimentality, Grubisic's autobiographical novel is a long ode to youth, to unquenchable life and, yes, it's nostalgic but in the best possible way." -Vancouver Sun
"A wordsmith by nature and profession, Grubisic spends pages on lengthy and complex passages that appear as digressions, yet are written with intention: every word is fitting, deliberate, and laden with meaning." -Quill and Quire
"Grubisic's novel is an exciting exercise in language, and it does give its readers enough to hold onto, should they be ready for the ride. The story's climax is a fantastic marriage of music and poetic prose, culminating in a final performance that leaves its readers, characters, and linguistic audience wanting more disjunction, confusion, and grunge." -Lambda Literary
"This excursion into the '80s will be immersive for readers who remember the decade fondly; the story of dreamers pushing against the confines of conventionality and limited expectations will resonate more broadly." -Publishers Weekly
