RUSH Is A Band Blog reports:

Stephen Clare and Trevor Adams of Halifax Magazine are conducting an internet poll of writers, readers and literary luminaries to determine the top 100 Atlantic Canadian books ever written.

They then plan on publishing the results in an upcoming book titled Spindrift: The 100 Greatest Atlantic Canadian Books Ever Written. They are also running a contest to guess what the top 5 books will be.

According to QuillandQuire.com one of the writers polled was Neil Peart. Here is Neil's top 10 list:

Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan

The Colony of Unrequited Dreams: A Novel by Wayne Johnston

The Custodian of Paradise: A Novel by Wayne Johnston

Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie Macdonald

The Way the Crow Flies: A Novel by Ann-Marie Macdonald

The Republic of Nothing by Lesley Choyce

An Avalanche of Ocean: The Life and Times of a Nova Scotia Immigrant by Lesley Choyce

Shipping News: A Novel by E. Annie Proulx

Architects Are Here by Michael Winter

The Wreckage by Michael Crummey

Stltoday.com is reporting:

The sound of drums will rumble across North America on November 1st, as 11 Five-Star member drum shops participate in The Big Beat.

Billed as the world's largest multi-city drum event, The Big Beat will bring together the largest gathering of drummers ever assembled to celebrate the joy of drumming and raise money for a group that donates instruments. Not only will each location try to break the individual city record for the most drummers playing the same beat at one time, but the participants also will try to shatter the record The Big Beat set last year for drummers playing the same beat in multiple cities at the same time.

The local event, happening for the first time in the St. Louis area, is sponsored by Drum Headquarters and will be at the Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway in St. Charles, starting at 11 a.m.

Throughout the day, attendees can hear live music and play along with a band. More than $15,000 worth of percussion gear will be raffled off and awarded. One winner in one of the 11 cities will get a bass drum head with the Rush Snakes & Arrows artwork, autographed especially for this occasion by iconic drummer Neil Peart.

Read more here.