A Book Tour

This isn't a Teebz's Book Club entry, although it may soon be if I can get my hands on this book before October 30th. In any case, today's piece is more about the events surrounding the book to the right, namely Born Into It by author, actor, filmmaker, and Canadiens fan extraordinaire Jay Baruchel, and published by HarperCollins Canada. Jay is probably best known for his work in She's Out of My League, his voice work as Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon and its eventual sequels and TV show spin-off, and for being Seann William Scott's over-the-top best friend in the movie Goon. Jay's new book, as stated above, is due out October 30, and it's all about the ups and downs of being a die-hard Habs fan. After growing up in the Montreal neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, I'm going to say that Jay probably has a pretty good idea of what it's like to be a Canadiens fan.

From the HarperCollins page,

It's no secret that Jay Baruchel is a die-hard fan of the Montreal Canadiens. He talks about the team at every opportunity, wears their gear proudly in interviews and on the street, appeared in a series of videos promoting the team, and was once named honorary captain by owner Geoff Molson and Habs tough guy Chris Nilan. As he has said publicly, "I was raised both Catholic and Jewish, but really more than anything just a Habs fan."

In Born Into It, Baruchel's lifelong memories as a Canadiens' fan explode on the page in a collection of hilarious, heartfelt and nostalgic stories that draw on his childhood experiences as a homer living in Montreal and the enemy living in the Maple Leaf stronghold of Oshawa, Ontario. Knuckles drawn, and with the rouge, bleu et blanc emblazoned on just about every piece of clothing he owns, Baruchel shares all in the same spirit with which he laid his soul bare in his hugely popular Goon movies. Born Into It is a memoir unlike any other, and a book not to be missed.

Sounds pretty good, right? I'm not here to help sales of the book, but I'm thinking this will be a pretty funny look at the success and struggles of the Canadiens through the eyes of a guy who lives and breathes Les Habitants. In any case, the real reason I'm writing this piece is because you could potentially meet Jay Baruchel!

Jay will be going on a book tour to help promote the book, and that's where you come in! If you go to one of the events listed below or on the HarperCollins page, you can meet Jay and have your book signed by the hockey fan! Cool, right? Here are the dates:

• November 6: Westminster Books, Fredericton, NB.
• November 9: Indigo, St. John's, NFLD.
• November 13: McNally Robinson, Winnipeg, MB.
• November 16: Indigo, Oshawa, ON.
• November 20: Indigo First Canadian Place, Toronto, ON.

If you glanced at the other dates, there might be a chance that Jay sticks around and autographs books, but it seems like he's there for an appearance more than anything. Somehow, he misses the west coast altogether on this initial run, but I'm hoping he'll get out to BC and Edmonton on a future trip. In any event, he'll be in my neck of the woods on Tuesday, November 13, so I've already cleared that evening and don't care what may be planned because I'll be going to see Jay speak and scribble in his books that night!

If you can't make it, I'll shamelessly plug that you should buy his book. Again, Teebz's Book Club is going to review this book, so if you want to wait for the review, that's fine too. Just make sure you support good Canadian authors whenever you can!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!