Canada Books

As a longtime resident of this beautiful & remote North Pacific archipelago known as Haida Gwaii, I enjoyed Neil Frazier's guidebook very much. It is extremely informative in matters of interest to travellers in this unforgiving marine wilderness, the hard facts of survival. As well, the author shares his thoughts on the ongoing rape of the ancient forests of spruce & cedar for which the Queen Charlotte Islands are famous. His maps are accurate & current, his directions are lucid & easy to follow, and his advice is worth heeding. Very few of Haida Gwaii's 5000 full time residents have been to half of the places that Mr. Frazier has visited. And the author's extensive knowledge of the human history of these islands is evident throughout the text, and is usually reflected through entertaining anecdotes about Islands residents, past & present. The indigenous Haida people especially are portrayed in a romantic light that stirs the imagination. All in all, the book does what a good travel guide should do- it inspires me to want to load up my boat, and head off on an extended boat camping journey of my own, and to once again marvel at the endless majestic beauty that is to be found in every corner of Haida Gwaii.

As a longtime resident of this beautiful & remote North Pacific archipelago known as Haida Gwaii, I enjoyed Neil Frazier's guidebook very much. It is extremely informative in matters of interest to travellers in this unforgiving marine wilderness, the hard facts of survival. As well, the author shares his thoughts on the ongoing rape of the ancient forests of spruce & cedar for which the Queen Charlotte Islands are famous. His maps are accurate & current, his directions are lucid & easy to follow, and his advice is worth heeding. Very few of Haida Gwaii's 5000 full time residents have been to half of the places that Mr. Frazier has visited. And the author's extensive knowledge of the human history of these islands is evident throughout the text, and is usually reflected through entertaining anecdotes about Islands residents, past & present. The indigenous Haida people especially are portrayed in a romantic light that stirs the imagination. All in all, the book does what a good travel guide should do- it inspires me to want to load up my boat, and head off on an extended boat camping journey of my own, and to once again marvel at the endless majestic beauty that is to be found in every corner of Haida Gwaii.

"Boat Camping Haida Gwaii" guides readers not only through the waterways surrounding the Queen Charlotte Islands, but also through the history of the region, and the policies that continue to degrade these coastal areas. The guide is filled with detailed maps as well as pointers about where to land and where recent clear-cuts preclude camping. Even if you don't own a boat or a tent, you will still find the author's discussion of the past and possible future of these islands to be a useful guide for thinking about the fragility of the few "wild places" that are left, and about the price of ignoring the long-term effects of deforestation and overfishing.

"Boat Camping Haida Gwaii" is being reprinted by Northwest Coast Books and will be available from them and from Amazon before the 2008 paddling season. I am very happy about this, as Northwest Coast Books is physically located in Haida Gwaii, and revenues from sales of the book will now go into the local economy. The publisher, Janet Gifford-Brown grew up in Sewell, on Masset Inlet, accessible only by boat. She and her husband, Michael Brown, are experienced boaters who use this book for their own voyages. -NF

Also if you are not a sailer or not going by a kayak, this is a beautiful and great book for all lovers of these islands. I spent recently one week there and this book would have been an
enormous help for planning the trips. Beside the technical information about kayaking, the book contains a lot of
very interesting information about the history, the people, nature etc. Every time I open and read in this book, far away again from this paradise, all my impressions and pictures are
reviving. Should I ever have the chance to go again to the Charlottes, I would put this book at first in my suitcase.

This Book was soooooooooooooooo good. The religious doo daa really spoke to me. The fight scenes were buetiffully decribed with lots of detail. The bond betwen the author and Joe really stode out.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Good the religious doo daa stuff really spoke to me. I was stunned at how good this book was. I couldn't put it down. The fighting scences were well done and ddescribed perfectly. I could definetly tell the bond between the author and Joe was tense but loving.

Douglas Todd, the highly respected Vancouver Sun journalist, has examined the spirituality of Canadian writers and artists in his important book, Brave Souls.
Remarks by Reginald Bibby, Canada's leading religion pollster, in his 2002 book, Restless Gods: The Renaissance of Religion in Canada

I first encountered this book about a decade ago in a course called Faith Quests RS 100C. During the course of the term we had about a dozen books to read. From this volume each student had to select two of the people profiled and present a seminar using this book as the beginning point and doing further research. I personally loved the book, and read not only the profiles we needed to have prepared for seminars but the whole volume. I even gave away a few copies. The sad part is that the book is now out of print because Stoddart went under a few years ago.

Todd, a long time writer and columnist for the Vancouver Sun, created the book by doing a series of interviews and then crafting those pieces into this volume. He breaks the Participants into four categories: The Atheists, The Doubters, The New Ancients and Emerging Mystics. The people profiled in each group are:

The Atheists
o Mordeccai Richler
o W.P. Kinsella
o Bill Reid
o Jane Rule
o Robert Munsch

The Doubters
o John Irving
o Paul Verhoeven
o Laurence Gough
o Evelyn Lau
o Wade Davis
o Douglas Coupland

The New Ancients
o Lynn Johnston
o Susan Aglukark
o Ann Copeland
o Tony Hillerman
o Robertson Davies

Emerging Mystics
o Timothy Findley
o Peter C. Newman
o Robert Bly
o Robert Fulghum
o Sylvia Fraser
o Loreena McKennitt
o Farley Mowat
o Barry Lopez
o Nick Bantock
o Alex Coville
o Carol Shields

This book was great for a number of different reasons. They include the fact that many of these people are famous - or infamous in the way these profiles present them in a new and different light. Also some of them have since passed away and the interviews done for this book will have been among some of their last, and maybe most in-depth in regards to their religious and spiritual views. It is truly a pity it is out-of-print, which makes it all the more worth tracking down.

By Carolyn Purden, Toronto Star
Moral issues, ethical concerns and spiritual matters are themes in the work of many contemporary North American writers, singers, painters and sculptors. Religious imagery and symbolism abound.
Yet how much do these themes and literary devices reflect the artists' beliefs?
This is the question posed by Douglas Todd, author of The Soul-Searcher's Guide to the Galaxy.
In Brave Souls, he questions 28 artists about their work and the philosophy and beliefs central to their lives. The eclectic group includes film director Paul Verhoeven, sculptor Bill Reid, cartoonist Lynn Johnston, Inuk singer Susan Aglukark and writer Carol Shields.
Nearly all attended worship in their youth, and a few still attend occasionally. But all are troubled by religious orthodoxy and their spiritual search is taking place outside institutional religion.
Their responses provide a range of spiritual insights that Todd groups in four sections: the atheists; the doubters; the new ancients, whose faith is rooted in organized religion, and the emerging mystics.
Some common themes emerge. Johnston speaks for several artists when she says she cannot accept Christ's divinity. "I'm starting to see other people as divine, too -- such as saints and exceptional people," she says.
Many artists echo Shields' belief in the centrality of love.
"It's your basic molecule," she comments. "Why else would we make an effort to be sort of good in the world and with one another, if it weren't for this kind of mystical connection that holds us together?"
Robertson Davies, interviewed shortly before his death, talked of his lifetime interest in the Christian heresy of Gnosticism, which led him to a belief in God's feminine aspect. Singers Susan Aglukark and Bruce Cockburn reveal they have continuing conversations with God.
Timothy Findley has felt the presence of God in the vast Arctic barrens.
Writer Laurence Gough says he experienced the presence of God while keeping a deathbed vigil. Of his stepfather's death, Gough recalls "a real sense of rustling in the air -- a sense he had risen up out of himself, of something leaving him when he died. And not just life itself. but something far more powerful than that."
Todd has skilfully culled the essence of each artist's beliefs. It all makes fascinating, and, at times, thought-provoking reading.

CAMP X IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS. IT IS WAY BETTER THAN ALL OF THE OTHER BOOKS I HAVE READ. IT IS AN AMAZING STORY ABOUT TWO KIDS AND WHAT THEY GO THROUGH. IT REALLY ISN'T THAT SAD BUT SOME PARTS ARE. SO I HOPE YOU CHOSE TO READ IT.I KNOW EVERYONE WHILE ENJOY IT

Once I started reading this book it was hard to stop. Two boys were pretending to play war on a road where one was Canadian and the other was a Nazi. They were trying to go home but get stopped by a Jeep. That is how they find the spy camp. They have no idea what is going on in the camp, so they try to find out more and get caught. They get taken to the leader. They think they're in a lot of trouble but end up helping the camp do a few "jobs." They end up finding out one of they're friends is a Nazi spy. They get kidnapped by him and interrogated. Then the other Nazi spies come in and hit them. They end up telling them everything. I can't tell you anymore because then that would ruin the book, and you would probably get mad at me. It is a great book if you like action mysteries. This book has great entertainment and excitement. The details in Camp X are very specific, so you can almost feel what is going on in the story. This book is full of great action. I'd give this book five stars.

Camp X is a great book! Two kids stumble upon a Canadian spy camp and are brought into the service. They are good at infiltrating an allied munitions plant as a test. Then they infiltrate their own camp! One of their friends turns out to be a Nazi spy. I am not going tell any more because that would spoil the book!

My 11-year old son read the entire book today (at school). He loved the story. It showed him how young boys could be useful to the Canadian Army during World War II.

Camo X was very interesting from the begining of the book. I never wanted to put the book down. When I was reading this book I really felt like I was one of the charachters, and was watching them. On a scale of 1-10 I would rate this book a 10 for it's over all entertainment, detail and excitement. I think this is a very good book.

I really enjoyed this book, especially since I am a former Wilmington resident. Wanda Canada is an excellent writer and she brings Carroll Davenport to life as a very endearing personality. I enjoyed the references to various Wilmington locations and to areas where I still have family members living, such as Porter's Neck. I am looking forward to the third installment in the series.

I enjoyed my first experience with a Wanda Canada novel, Cape Fear Murders. Having lived in Wimington, it took me through familiar streets to some of my favorite memories of that gorgeous city. I look forward to reading more Canada!

I LOVED every moment of this book...the author's writing style is one of my favorite by far! She included so many unexpected twists and turns into the plot that it was absolutely a book that I could not put down! I am very glad that I discovered this local author within my county library! I highly recommend this book to anyone and definitely suggest if you like this book to check out "Island Murders" as well which was the book written before this one! :)

CARROLL DAVENPORT IS A GREAT CHARACTER. THIS BOOK TAKES OFF AND NEVER STOPS, I LOOK FORWARD TO HER NEXT BOOK. IT IS A GREAT READ AND VERY FAST.

I really enjoyed the adventures of Caroll Davenport and the turns and twists of "who done it". Nicely written and great book to read on vacation or a wintery day. I picked up Wanda Canada's first book in the series, Island Murders, in a book store while on vacation in South Carolina and it made me want to read more about the characters adventures. I am waiting for the third in the series.

I bought this book when I first found out I was pregant and it prepared me for what I should expect in the first stages of the pregnancy and up until my son was 3 years. It also showed me what and how the baby developed at each stage in it's production. It was great I would have been lost without this book.

This is the best book that I used as a resource when I was pregnant and for baby care. I never read the "What to expect ..." books. This book seemed to have the information I needed without going into too much detail. The pictures were fantastic. Most useful, though, is that it tells what symptoms mean "call the doctor". It also got us to get our kids to sleep through the night. Highly recommen!

this should be the one. It is a great book to follow through the stages of pregnancy and then into child care up to the toddler years. The pictures of the childhood rashes and sections indicating when to call the doctor are fabulous.

I am a first time mom, my husband and I were very nervous as we had never been around new born babies before and had no idea what we would need to buy, how to hold a baby ,what we needed to learn even!! This book is a complete book for all novices, it has many illustrious pictures and clear style of writing which is easy to understand. It covers more or else all topics personally I could think of. I have refered to it time and again all throughout my pregnancy and am sure it will be a great help once my baby is here.

This is one book that I would strongly recommend (and do buy for all my friends). It has a picture of every childhood disease that you can imagine from diaper rash to chicken pox to the mumps. It's all in here and the book covers pregnancy to about age 5. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and when dealing with your own kids' sickness, this book is very helpful

The author of this small book has really listened to overweight patients and has an analysis of obesity I have never heard of before: that it is not a single disorder, but a SYMPTOM of many different problems and health considerations unique to each obese individual.

Dr Levy, a Canadian, is far more intelligent, realistic, and interested in his patients than any American MD of my experience, far more sensitive and sympathetic than American shrinks. He does not seem to have his time squeezed into teeny, pressurized encounters that prevent him from communicating with and coming to understand his patients. Over a long period -- years -- of trial-and-error explorations, he and his patient gradually discover what problems prevent the patient from eating self-responsively, and address them one by one as they show up.

Just reading this book is extraordinary. You get a glimpse of what medicine might have been, had it not been hijacked by the forces that want to force everything into a business mold, however bad the fit, however horrible the resulting nightmare, and however much MORE rather than LESS expensive the results.

But even if all U.S. MDs WERE forced to read this book, it would not help, since they are no longer free to practice medicine. Patients, however, can benefit enormously from studying the book, working up their OWN case histories, and sorting out, as Dr Levy indicates is necessary in such cases, one by one, the problems like sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, mood disorders, predatory families, etc., which result in the disordered eating of which obesity is symptomatic. Unlike the cruel diet clubs that put overweight people through a weight loss process they know is bogus and will only revert to a heavier weight in time, this very methodic and gradual approach respects the obese individual, sticks to reality, and really helps. No other book is like it. Nowadays, it is rare to find a doctor even BOTHERING with obesity. People prefer to write about anorexia and bulimia. This is a terrific book by an impressive medical doctor.

Dr. Levy provides a great wealth of information regarding the struggle with obesity. I would say that if you are not obese, but have been struggling with trying to lose weight over and over this book would be a great help.

Having worked with people who are trying to lose just a small amount of weight, just saying eat right and exercise fail for the same reasons they do for someone obese. Many people say that want to lose weight, but have not truly discovered a meaningful reason for change. Many of the other aspects of disordered eating and FEAR of change apply to the slightly overweight as well.

A truly insightful book about the struggle with weight. The insight Dr. Levy provides is spot on. If only more people would hear this information and not all the "weight-loss" rip offs. Highly recommend, easy to read, case studies provided illustrate perfectly.

Dr. Levy points out the major error within the diet and weight control industry: for most people obesity is first of all a symptom.

He offers excellent insights and suggestions on ways to regain your communication with your body so that you can learn to pay attention to the most knowledgeable person of all when it comes to deciding what and when you should eat-- yourself.

No one asks the person with a fever to "just stop that elevated temperature" and yet most diet and weight control "experts" repeatedly tell people with elevated weight to "just lose that weight." I sometimes fantasize about smashing a cheesecake in their faces.

All doctors should read this book. Dr Levy explains the real reasons why people overeat & offers a variety of ways doctors can assist people to lose weight & keep it off. His perceptions & sensitivity to the problems that the obese face when attempting to lose weight are a rare find. The best book on the subject, bar none.

This is not a long book, but it is full of good advice that should really be given to anyone who has - or thinks that they have - a weight issue.

Dr Levy's emphasis on an individualized approach is just what we have also been doing for almost three decades, and it is demonstrably superior to the "One size fits all" approach. We are all biochemically, metabolically and psychologically different, and the systems involved in the maintenance of weight are amongst the most complex in the body.

I also like the way in which he integrates endocrinological and psychological approaches into his program. To ignore those is not just disrespectful, but terribly inefficient. Many factors can lead people to have problems with weight management.

One surprise about the book is that the subtitle is "The Five Medical Causes," yet it was difficult to find them! He cites a great many medical causes, and they are all correct!

I would also like to have seen some discussion about the use of the subtle systems of the body and the tremendous value of bringing a transpersonal perspective to bear on weight management. But then I suppose that he wouldn't have left me anything to write about!

Just a comment related to previous reviews: a) this is not a novel but a true story, and b) it is not really about Canada, since New Foundland was not part of Canada at the time. But it is an incredible story about a family blown apart by WWI. The documentary video is also great, but hard to find.

I don't have a lot of time to write reviews, and I don't often write them, but I enjoyed this book so thoroughly that I'm sad to be finished reading it. It's one of the best memoirs I've ever read, though it's not really a memoir. One of the best family history books I've ever read, and yet it isn't that either. It is hands-down my favorite book about Newfoundland that I've read, though there are many more I want to read. Macfarlane is a masterful writer, and his work is filled with insight, thoughtfulness about the past, dead ancestors, and what they mean to those of us still living, even if we'd never met them. Though I'm wary of reviews that say things like this, he really does, quite improbably, tell a compelling story of Newfoundland itself through the story of his ancestors. The book somehow never descends into the maudlin or sentimental; it's quite a clear-eyed view of the meaning of World War I for Newfoundland and for the Goodyear family. The ending was striking--I'll probably never forget the image he painted on the last page. Loved it from start to finish.

I am ashamed to say that although I have lived in Canada for 37 years, I knew nothing about Newfoundland's history and consequently nothing about Newfoundland's participation in the First World War. A university lecturer recommended this book to me, and I heartily recommend it to anyone with an interest in the First World War (and in Newfoundland, more broadly). It is a beautifully written, poignant book which compares favourably with Robert Graves' Goodbye to All That and in some ways is better than Graves; it has none of Graves' cynicism.

This book inspired me to visit Beaumont Hamel on the Somme, where so many men from Newfoundland lost their lives on 1 July 1916. In the rest of Canada, 1 July is considered a day for celebration, because the country came into being on that date in 1867. Now I understand why Newfoundlanders cannot and will not celebrate 1 July as a holiday. For them, it is a day of mourning.

Ironically, for us on the west coast of Canada, Beaumont Hamel is easier to reach than Newfoundland. Having visited the former, I hope one day to visit the latter.

This is a great novel about how a war can affect a family, the family business and the province for many years after the war. Before WWI Newfoundland was a the oldest and thriving member of the British Empire (they joined Canada in 1949). When they were called to war they sent their best sons, and they sent all of them. In one battle on July 1st, the Royal Nlfd Regiment was almost completely wiped out. This has effected the economy and liveihood of the island for years. The RNR monuments of a bellowing caribou on the battlefields of France are a testiment of their valour. While the rest of Canada celebrates Canada Day on July 1st, to the Newfoundlanders it is a day of mourning and rememberance the RNR and the sacrafices they made. This book is a great testimony to the brave Newfoundlanders and their families during that time.

This is an amazing book: history, biography, auto-biograhy, philosphy all combined into a powerful tale of family character (and characters)that stays with you. In essence, a simple reflection on long past lives from a little corner of the world, Newfoundland, all wound up in the Great War, it becomes a haunting tour-de-force of the power of great events on everyday people.

The chapter "Fire" is in itself a small masterpiece and one I find reading again and again even now two years after the first read.

I picked this book up by sheer accident in a small bookstore in Banff and have been thankful for my good fortune of discovering this gem.

The Oxford educated author, Raymond Patterson, chucked his staid life as London banker for the extreme conditions of the 1920's Canadian far north, traversing barely navigable rivers and wintering in 40 below conditions far from the nearest supply post.
The accounts are highly colourful, occasionally humorous and truly amazing as real life survivor accounts. Unlike some modern adventure story-telling, the author thankfully omits hyping the risks and achievements, avoids ominous foreshadowing and such devices, and relates his account in a modest but richly descriptive style.

"Dangerous River" is one of the finest Far North adventures ever written. R. M. Patterson and his partner Gordon Matthews were the last of a breed of men who tackled the Far North with nothing but stamina, courage, and consummate skill with rifle, pack and canoe. Trapping and searching for gold in the legendary South Nahanni River country in the 1920's, Patterson describes their adventures in language that makes the reader yearn to see one the premier rivers of the world. Patterson's style is laced with wonderfully dry British humor as well as a poet's skill in describing the breathtaking landscapes. You feel as though you're right beside him throughout his adventures and hungering to go there yourself. You can't ask more a writer and his book than that!

I purchased Dangerous River: Adventure on the Nahanni to use as research for my latest release, The River, an exciting and terrifying techno-thriller that takes place on the Nahanni River.

I found Dangerous River to be invaluable to me, and after reading it, I yearn to travel to the Nahanni River to see this wonderful part of Canada.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a true Canadian adventure. The photos take you back to a simpler life, and the author's humor and attention to detail are entertaining.

Patterson makes a 200 mile snowshoe trek in 50 below weather to pick up the mail seem like slightly unusual walk to the post office!

This tale of wilderness adventure is set in the unexplored region of the South Nahanni river valley in the Nortwest Territories, Canada. It tells of unexplained deaths (the reason it was called Dead-Man's Valley), and the survival tactics and techniques of explorers during the gold-rush days of the area. Patterson spins the tale in a way which makes you feel the icy cold winters and the lavish and wildlife filled summers. His writings are non-fictional, and he includes maps and photographs taken while he was there. It is exciting, and laden with danger about the rapids, ice-flows, and Indian legends. I highly recommend it to anyone with a love of the outdoors, adventure, or wilderness history!

Excellent resourse for those parents who's children are strong willed. Helps you to disipline without loosing your temper. Recomend for all parents.

"I love, love, love this book. I love it so much I wrote to the editors of our local paper recommending it to everyone who is a parent, a teacher, a caregiver, anyone who works with children. I have worked with children; running children's programs, working in the school system, raising my own children and now working as a nanny for two school aged children, for over thirty years. I've taken many courses, read many books on working, raising and helping children and this book is the best, bar none. I have given it to all friends and family having children, recommended it to friends who are teachers who love it, even the family I work for has read it, and it's so great to have a resource that's respectful and helps you raise courteous and responsible children. I feel it should be in every parent's library. I can't recommend it enough. Theresa, Calgary, Alberta, Canada P.S. I will continue to buy more copies to give to others, I may set a record.

I'm half way through the book, but starting incorporating the discipline tools as I went along...
This book has literally changed my life!
I'm less angry, less stressed, less frustrated, and so are my children!(ages 6 and 3). Respect works!
I highly recommended this book!!

This is an excellent reference book. It's written by a mother of five and deals with everyday parenting issues faced by parents of children of all ages. It contains not only highly helpful tips but also provides a framework for parenting.

This is the best book I have ever read on parenting. While it needs some copy editing and an index, the information it contains is so well informed, so practical, so honest, that it is truly indispensable. I would love to give this book to every expectant parent in the world (I hope it will be translated into other languages). The author explains which parenting techniques work best and why. There are disciplinary examples for every occasion and every age group. She explains each stage of child development so you can understand what can be expected of a child at each age. She demonstrates why every disciplinary action that builds your relationship with your child is a successful method and every action that diminishes that relationship is detrimental. Parents can't be perfect, but this book will give them the tools to do their best. I wish I'd had this book 40 years ago, but at least I've given a copy to my daughter for raising her children. (My daughter loves it, too.)

After being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins in 1998, my husband was told there was very little hope of his cancer going into remission let alone a cure. After six months the lumps came back after the 1st round, then another 6 months of the strongest he could get. A co-worker loaned him this book--he has been drinking the tea now and has had no lumps return, blood tests and xrays reveal nothing returning-- it is worth a shot!

this is a great book, i could not put it down.if you or someone you know is having medical problems, this book will reveal to you an alternative for modern medicine. you have nothing to lose and maybe everthing to gain by trying this herabl tea. my dad (age 74 ) and father in law (age 75) are both drinking this tea for prostate cancer and heart problems, both were amazed at the immediate difference in how they felt, both have more energy and feel 100 % better while drinking this tea. this tea will clean the toxins from your body and as my father in law says, you will feel 20 years younger. if you love someone who is in bad health, buy it for them. it is not just for cancer, but has been proven to help many ailments. darlene bishop, po box 35, henry , tn 38231

my brother in law got malignant melanoma and after several surgerys and chemo treatments it kept coming back,so the Dr stopped all treatment and we went home with very little hope then i was shown the Essiac Report,when i started reading it i could not put it down and somehow i knew it was our answer so he started on the herbal tea right away and i am happy to say he has been free from any malignant melanomas for 4 years now and i am very thankfull for the book...it was a sign from God for us and i highly encourage anyone to read it, you will not be sorry...

This is an excellent book. I would recommend it to everyone -- not only those who have or know someone who has cancer. It presents a lot of food for thought. The facts and testimonials are true. It informs the reader about Flor Essence Tea and its benefits -- something I truly believe in from personal experience.

I encourage anyone that has come in contact with Cancer in any form, to please, please, please, consider this. It has proven itself over and over again, but you will not see it on any commercial.........