Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Whistler is all booked up

Armchair Books is the resort's source for books by local writers
arts_books1-1-a5aa6d9a1e830f6a
Pemberton Beauty Polek Rybczynski at a recent book signing for Valley of Light at Armchair Books. photo submitted

Armchair Books is Whistler's independent bookshop, with stacked shelves all ready for Christmas,

And its owner Dan Ellis is particularly pleased with the number they carry about Whistler and the Sea to Sky region, whether fiction or non-fiction, and those written by Whistler-area writers.

"There's an adventurous nature in the average Whistlerite when it comes to going outside and playing, or attacking a project such as writing a book. They don't shy away," Ellis says.

"Maybe the sheer variety of books we carry are a result of this. Also, we try to be supportive of local authors."

This includes sponsoring in-store signings or selling on consignment, which he says works particularly for writers who self publish.

Whistler isn't all ski runs and pub-crawls, either, Ellis adds. People are fine with curling up in front of the fire with a good book.

"Shopping for the season is just building. This is the build-up week. Next week will be mental, a good mental! It's so much fun," he laughs.

Whistler author Paul Shore's book Uncorked: My Year in Provence Studying Petanque, Discovering Chagall, Drinking Pastis and Mangling French has just come out. His first book, the memoir is stocked by Armchair Books. It is $18.95.

"I hope that readers will find the story touching and amusing, and that it will evoke fond memories of travel to fascinating places," Shore says.

"And that it might even trigger reflection on the importance of being afforded new chances in life; on developing a 'why not try' attitude, when new opportunities present themselves; and on spending some effort building bridges between cultures."

Looking for a Whistler book? Here are some recommendations from Armchair Books.

Photography and Art

Valley of Light: A Photo Journal of Pemberton by Polek Rybczynski; Whistler Blackcomb: 50 Years of Going Beyond; and Masterworks from the Audain Art Museum by Ian M. Thom.

Skiing and Outdoors

Ski and Snowboard Guide to Whistler Blackcomb by Brian Finestone and Kevin Hodder; Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis by John Baldwin; Whistler & Area Ski Touring Guide by Backcountry Skiing Canada; Autonomy Mastery & Purpose by Bruce Kay (about surviving avalanches); and Hot Springs of Western Canada by Glenn Woodsworth.

Memoir

Finding Jim by Sue Oakey Baker; and Uncorked by Paul Shore.

Fiction

The Brink of Freedom and Nicolai's Daughters by Stella Leventoyannis Harvey; and The Little Washer of Sorrows by Katherine Fawcett.

 Cookbooks

Araxi by James Walt; Chef's Choice by Pique Newsmagazine; and What's Cooking in Whistler by Deanna White.

Nutrition and Health

Ditch the Diet by Nancy Routley; and You are Not What you Eat by Van Clayton Powel.

Children

Mountain Machines by Sara Leach; Wally Learns to Ski by Kelsey Bareham; Fast, Wild, Strong and Free: A girl's colouring book by Nina Moore; and Whistler Colouring Book by the Whistler Museum.