Canada Books

Oliver Sack, MD called this book, "a remarkable account of what it means to be paralyzed, speechless, incapable of communication yet fully conscious... and to struggle back, over the years, to an active and creative life."
I was fascinated by this feminist film maker's candid account of her devastating stroke, and learning to live with disability after seeking out a variety of therapies. You see her struggle with depression, overcoming access barriers, dealing with insensitive hospital staff, and coping with the details of bodily disfunction.
It helps me to understand the experience from the inside view. Quite enlightening.

This book should be required reading for anyone in the field of rehabilitation. And it is a tremendously inspiring story for all of us who wonder how we could ever manage if we were struck with a disabling illness. If it were fiction it would be a great read. The fact that it's a true story gives one goosebumps as well. Bonnie Klein suffered a devastating stroke. This book is about her recovery - both physical and psychological - and the wonderful love and support she received from friends and family, especially from a wonderful husband. It also shows the predjudice and meanness of some people when they are faced with a person who is "different". And the ignorance and arrogance of some of the rehabilitation "professionals" she encountered along the way. It is a story of terror, hope, the tremendous importance of love and support, and how one finally comes to terms with being less facile physically than one used to be. Bonnie Klein is a hero. Her family and friends most loving and genuine. It is a great read.

Ms. Klein establishes important rules to live a fruitful, productive lifestyle, despite a chronic illness: Live life by celebrating life. Independence is control over one's own life measured by the quality of life sustained with whatever help is needed. Sometimes dispair can lead to depression. Sometimes, it can be motivating.

This is a great book! I have read a number of books written by stroke survivors and this is one of the best. This may well be because the book was completed several years after the event. This time gave Ms. Klein the chance to gather and refine her thoughts and experiences.

I am also a stroke survivor. Her acknowledgement that she experienced progress long after the stroke was especially encouraging to me. The medical world says that all progress stops in 3 months to a year. My experience is that the body is a living entity, which is forever changing. So, it makes sense that it would not stop changing because of any medical condition.

The book has humor and is written in a warm and caring context. I would recommend it not only for stoke survivors, but also for caretakers and for health professionals

This book is another example of coopers excellent writing style. His wonderful world where life depends on what side your on. A must read!!

As usual Ms. Cooper has outdone herself, stepping back into the artfully created world of her 'Time Master' trilogy. Going back into the recesses of history, she unveils some of the myth and legend of the time before the Lords of Chaos were displaced from their rulership. Good plot twists, excellent character development. If you found either of her previous Time Master trilogies interesting, this will be a must have series as well.

This book is the first volume to the 'Star shadow' trilogy which is a prequel to 'The time master' trilogy. I think the second and the third volume in the trilogy aren't yet available in the U.S.A. but I have the English edition and they are entitled: Eclipse (the second volume) and Moonset (the third volume). I give 10 to the entire trilogy because this volumes are also awesome. I think it's really interesting to read this trilogy before 'The time master' trilogy because you already have a background to the story and understand much better a lot of things. I think the story is very well structured and original and the characters aren't stereotyped. Chaos is ruling the world through the magi and the gods of order are exiled and can't reach the world, but there are people still loyal to the gods of order whom the magi call heretics. When the first magus dies, magus Vordegh becames first magus, but though he's a poweful sorcerer he's evil and insane and starts to take measures to erradicate the heretics that doesn't meet with a consensus among the magi... Iselia Darrow is loyal to the gods of order and was recently married to a man who's also loyal to her gods. She's captured by the chaos riders during a warp,(they don't know she's an heretic) and taken to the castle. Benetan Liss is the Captain of the chaos riders, he was captured when he was 12 and was betrothed to Iselia. When he discovers she's in the castle, feelings he didn't remember come back and he becomes divided between love and duty.... Louise Cooper's view of the eternal war between chaos and order is very interesting, and you get the idea that if the equilibrium of the world is to be maintained neither can rule forever!

I made the unfortunate mistake of thinking this book was a stand-alone; it isn't. This is the start of another series (likely a trilogy). Regardless, the book is very good in its own right and well worth the cost for a true Cooper fan.

Cooper sets up a very interesting set of characters, taking her usual cross-purposed individuals to new heights. Benetan Liss is the captain of the stormtroopers of Chaos' legions, yet he has numerous moral misgivings to the things he must do. Iselia, Benetan's one-time lover and now married to another man, is a staunch proponent of the now-demonized forces of Order, must hide her forbidden allegiance to those powers while she serves the historian Savrinor. Savrinor is the ultimate pragmatist -- to the extent that he keeps a near-literal "slate" of who owes him and who he owes. And of course, there are the extreme characters Cooper uses to polarize her undecided characters: Kaldar, Iselia's husband and mage of Order, and Vordegh, High Magus of Chaos, sadist, and murderously insane ruler of the mortal world.

At this stage, the Lords of Chaos and Order put in only minor appearances, unsurprisingly. Even though this is before the time period of The Time Master, Tarod seems to have a better-than-average grasp of the mind-set of humanity. The book is a very good lead-in to another series, one which should explain a good deal of the pre-Time Master mysteries. But unless you like waiting on a cliffhanger, you may want to wait until the rest of the series is in print.

This books haunts me, as I have worked on ships in the merchant marine and find this story completely believeable. An "accident" or a disappearance aboard ship would simply be forgotten or ignored. It is a different world aboard ship and the distance between the officers and unlicensed seamen is vast, add to that different nationalities of the various groups and it is amazing. I was once on a ship with facists, communists and social democrats. This is a good read.

Basing his fiction on real people and real events, Canadian novelist Hough enjoys the best of two worlds. He has the reporter's pleasure of research and nosiness, and the novelist's freedom to call on imagination to supply what's missing from the record.

His first novel, a fictionalized memoir, "The Final Confession of Mabel Stark," was a raucous, atmospheric portrait of a real female tiger trainer in the heyday of the big circus. His second couldn't be more different, except that it's also based on real people and real events.

Hough sticks closer to fact in this contemporary sea story, working from participant interviews and official documents. The harrowing tale, which many readers will remember from newspaper accounts, begins with two Romanian stowaways discovered aboard the container ship Maersk Dubai in March 1996. The Filipino bosun, Rodolfo Miguel, escorts them to the Taiwanese officers who argue briefly among themselves before reaching a decision that fills Rodolfo with horror.

What follows is a deliberate, detailed recreation of the Romanians' last moments. Though they share no common language with the Filipino crew or Taiwanese officers, understanding is not long in coming. "Rodolfo can see this understanding disfigure their faces and turn their skin the colour of ash. In a second, their hands are in the air, posed in a symbol of prayer, and they are pleading again, "Por favor, por favor, por favor...."

The captain has Rodolfo and his seamen lash together a flimsy raft and throw it overboard. "The younger stowaway refuses to move. His knees have fused, his hands have clamped to the knotted rope banister, his words have become a torrent." And when it's all over: "Rodolfo stands perfectly still, gaping not so much at the alacrity with which two men ceased to be, but at the impeccable ease with which evil appeared out of salty vapour, and claimed for itself the Maersk Dubai."

Intercut with the claustrophobic dread aboard the voyaging container ship, as the officers dispense small treats and bribes to the stunned crew, is the story of another young, desperate Romanian, Daniel Pacepa, as he makes his illegal way across Europe, towards a big ship and a stowaway passage to America.

Daniel's real-life counterpart refused to co-operate in the writing of this novel, so Hough has made his adventure a composite of numerous other Romanian emigrants' experiences, involving narrow escapes, the kindness of strangers, man's ordinary inhumanity to others less fortunate, lots of drinking and drugs and work where he can get it. But Daniel never comes across as a type; he's a lonely, hopeful, cunning and resourceful individual, a bit lost and out of his depth until he meets an older, bigger, drunker, more experienced companion, Gheorghe Mihoc (real name), in the drunk tank of a Bucharest jail.

As Daniel and Gheorghe hop trains, brawl, flee, go hungry, drink copious amounts of alcohol and work their way across Europe to that hub of illegal embarkation, Algeciras, Spain, the crewmen aboard the Maersk Dubai spiral down into an almost surreal life of fear, danger and mistrust.

The officers no longer bribe them with delicacies and promises of promotion. In most ports they are unable to leave the boat and when they do get leave fear keeps them silent. They are watched, and when they meet secretly it's more for the comfort of solidarity than any hope of planning action. Slowly the sense of urgency and horror ebb. The men just want to make it through the trip.

Things aboard the boat begin to break down. There's a carbon monoxide leak in the engine room, the lifeboat mechanism is malfunctioning, the emergency fire pumps are broken and the water sterilizers are faulty. The third engineer is forced to pump bilge into the ocean, an offense that could cost him his license. Despair and anger and defeat hang in the air they breathe.

But Daniel Pacepa and Gheorghe Mihoc are on a collision course with the Maersk Dubai. What happens when they come together is a tense tale of heroism, betrayal and mortal danger for all involved.

Hough, whose writing is effortlessly poetic and evocative, goes for the human component behind each action and inaction. While he never stints on the adventure and suspense, his primary focus is the human heart; what any individual is willing to live or not live with, and how the group dynamic and a man's social status (crew vs. officer, poverty vs. authority) affects this morality. If this seems reminiscent of Joseph Conrad, it is doubtless not an accident. Hough's sophomore effort resonates long after the last page is turned and I, for one, can't wait to see what he fastens on next.

the Stowaway is a wonderful read. From the beginning of the book
you are captivated by the story of refugees trying to stuggle.
The refugees come from Romania and the author recreates their
world with shattering and terrifying detail. Interspersed with
the stories of refugees's struggle to make it to the west, are
the stories of a group of Filipino sailors who work on a large
carrier that is crossing the ocean from Spain to North America.
The story of the sailors held less interest to me as I was often
confused by their nautical roles. I am just not one for stories
about the sea. But there is so much tension and terror in this
great novel, that when the two worlds collide, you don't know what will happen and you fear for the worst. For this reader
the stregth of the novel is the depiction of the wonderful Romanian stowaways. Anyone who is interested in the life of
an immigrant and the horrors of the eastern european world under
communism, will find this story fascinating.
As an extra treat, the author provides an excellent afterword
to the book which describes the process he carried through to
complete this book. It is insightful and very helpful to read about the true adventures of the characters he bases his book
on. I have very high regard for this author and this novel.
It is a very informative, exciting and strongly persuasive read.

Robert Hough's "Stowaway" is a great literary accomplishment. It combines two unlikely storylines,the crew of an Atlantic cargo freighter and the travels of a pair of Romanian immigrants, to form a compelling and emotional story. The internal conflict of the sailors is made very real and vivid by Hough, and the interaction between the characters through a language barrier is nothing short of ingenious.

My personal favorite element of the novel is Hough's description of the decimated social and political landscape of Romania and neighboring European countries. His words leave a lingering impression on the reader, and inspired me to learn more about the history of Romania under the brutal reign of Ceausescu.

Also, the author's use of the present-tense in his narrative is an unusual and refreshing change of pace from the status quo.

There is hardly any book for CRNE review , and sure this one is excellent.
we really need more of such books in areas like Obstetrics , psychiatry.

El libro esta muy completo, verdad que sip, con todo y los apartados de maquinas sincronas que lo hacen mas completo, God bless you!

Although old but this book is really one of the top books in the area of power system stabilization and control.
The book provides the principles of electrical machine modelling which are explained with many examples. The last chapter gives a brief idea of modeling of multi-machine systems.

This is the only good source where you can find a decent exposure to the dynamical modelling of the power systems, the details given in the book were very helpful to conduct my research. There are other books around but they are either incomplete or too detailed or a major pain.

The Subway Mouse is one of Barbara's newer books. Beautifully illustrated in clay, this book is sure to capture the attention of children while still being interesting for the parent as well. The story has small words so it would make a good reader for children. Barbara has several other childrens books out all of which are illustrated with clay. Can't wait to see what else she comes out with!

As a New Yorker, this book hits close to home. It is beautifully illustrated and the story is both courageous and sweet.

My mom bought me Barbara Reid books as a child, which I still have and will always cherish. All of Barbara's books are so vividly illustrated and well written. The Subway Mouse kept up her trend of wonderful children's books. It's great to see Barbara writing and illustrating more books. Keep it up Barbara! We love your work! =0)

The illustrations in this story are unique in form and inivite the reader to turn the book's pages. The richly textured illustrations make the author's words come alive in three dimensional effect. Children will enjoy the storytelling from the mouse's point of view of life on the subway track. The plot takes the protagonist on an adventure from the security of his mouse burrow to the uncertainity of "Tunnel's End". Each character he meets along the way is portrayed realistically through vivid dialogue exchanges and accompanying images. However, the overuse of simple and choppy dialogue clouds the plot line. As you read, the question "Will he make it to "Tunnel's End?" lingers in your mind and sustains interest.

Perhaps more than any other English-speaking author, Graham Swift is able to capture the poignancy, the thwarted emotions, and the poetry which can lie behind seemingly mundane lives. Although not as well-known as "Waterland" or "Last Orders" (which cover much the same emotional landscape), "The Sweet-shop Owner" seems to be their equal in quality. The novel covers one day in the life of an aging, lower-middle-class man, moving back and forth from the minutia of his business routine to the painful memories of his failures as a husband and a father. Swift's prose really is a joy to read -- at its best he can create a "Madame Bovary" sort of mood -- and he can create vividly believable supporting characters, like the drab shop assistant who has centered all of her hopes on marriage with her boss or the self-indulgent teenager who nevertheless finds herself awkwardly responding to the title character's decency.

From the first sentence, I draw into this poignant, spellbinding story. Although I think Willy, his wife and his daughter hurt each other and all of them become victim, I could identify with any of them.

An exceptional first novel from an important novelist, thus 5 stars. Here, Graham Swift looks at boundaries: The narrow geographical boundaries of the small London suburb in which the story is set ("We never moved out of these narrow bounds. Born here, schooled here, worked here,") and the narrow emotional boundaries of his characters' relationships (The paragraph continues, "And even when I met her I stood here on the common and thought: enough, now everything is in its place, and I in mine.") The theme of narrow boundaries is deftly rendered in the relationship of the sweet-shop owner, Willie Chapman, and his wife Irene who, from the start, sets the limits of their relationship, and in the father/daughter and the mother/daughter relationships, all locked within narrow confines.
Swift is quoted as saying: "I think if you know that you have a talent, then . . . you should try not to dissipate it. You should try to hold onto it and keep it, concentrate it - not to do as the whole world tends to do these days, and diversify. Diversification doesn't work with art. Keep the old firm in business, don't go into other fields of trade." Although some believe that his later work reveals a talent as a dramatist, may his "old firm" of novel writing thrive well into the future.

I was browsing the FAQ on Elizabeth George's website where it said that Graham Swift was one of her favorite authors. Elizabeth George is my favorite author (I highly recomend reading her book For The Sake Of Elena or Deception On His Mind) so I decided to give him a try. I am very glad that I did. Graham Swift came close to replacing her as my favorite author. This book is one of the best that I have ever read, and I have since devoured everything that he has published. This book had a deep effect on me and if you read it, I think you will find it a very rewarding experience.

This book feels like life. I know the characters,I know the land, I know the era.

I picked up Tim Wynveen's book by chance, not knowing where it would take me. What I discovered was a gem of Canadian fiction, not unlike Margaret Lawrence. Wynveen demands an emotional connection from the reader, which I couldn't help but offer. His knowledge of music is impeccable, and his skill for combining words and music within the context of a novel is original and impressive. He weaves the two mediums together without dropping a stitch. It made me look at the world, and my connection to my siblings in a new and positive way. It is a sweet life...

I'm not a big reader. I rarely read a novel in its entirety, yet the moment I read the first page of Sweeter Life, I was hooked. This book is a beautiful story about music, and about siblings. If you have a sibling, or even if you don't, this book is very enjoyable. Also, if you have an interest in music, you will be happy to know that Tim Wynveen, a former professional musician, is very knowlegable. Sweeter Life is a fantastic novel. It is one of those novels that make you see the world in a different way... ABSOLUTELY SWEET...

I'm not a big reader. I rarely read a novel in its entirety, yet the moment I read the first page of Sweeter Life, I was hooked. This book is a beautiful story about music, and about siblings. If you have a sibling, or even if you don't, this book is very enjoyable. Also, if you have an interest in music, you will be happy to know that Tim Wynveen, a former professional musician, is very knowlegable. Sweeter Life is a fantastic novel. It is one of those novels that make you see the world in a different way... ABSOLUTELY SWEET...

I'm looking forward to reading this book after seeing what it inspired locally. A local woman set up a project after reading this book. The project, called Give-A-Kid-A-Backpack, collects gently used backpacks and supplies to fill them, then gives them to needy children in Ecuador.
Any book that can get that kind of activism going must be remarkable.

I have been following Craig's remarkable story on Oprah for the last couple of years. As soon as I saw on the Oprah show that he had a new book out, I searched high and low until I found it on the free the children web site for my kids. I had bought his last book and my two daughters loved it! The Take Action is simply great. It gives them ways to become socailly involved and tells them in langauge they can understand. They are already using its fundraising and public speaking tools. I wish every school library had a copy.

I recently bought this book for my children and they simply refuse to put it down. They are organizing a fundraiser for a local charity and getting their entire class involved and this remarkable resource is showing them how. I also saw Craig on Oprah and was so moved by his story and after seeing Oprah's major support of his organization, I went out and got the book. Oprah was right again! Craig and his brother are inspirations to all children and young people. I think every parent who wants to inspire their kids should buy this book.

Take Action is an excellent resource book for classroom teachers ! The step by step guide to student involvement in social issues has been a great help in encouraging my students to take positive action in the community. The book is very attractive with colorful layouts, pictures and presentations. It has been immensely popular with my students. Great work! Well worth purchasing! I am looking forward to a French edition!

Nice cookbook with some authentic Quebecois recipes. If you enjoy Quebec cuisine then this book is work adding to your collection.

French-Canadians and New England's Franco-Americans will be delighted with the presentation in this supberb cookbook because the recipes reflect the traditions of the French culture in North America. Pictures are beautiful and a history of each dish is provided.

I really enjoyed this book - it breaks the recipes down according to Quebec regions and is rich in history and the stories behind the recipes. It has everything from Eggs in Maple Syrup (!), various versions of Meat Pie (Tourtiere), various Sugar Pie recipes, and finally, to the famous Jo Louis cream filled cake that started the Jo Louis empire. Every French Canadian person I've ever showed the recipe book to has immediately wanted a copy of it. Highly recommended!

I bought this book last March to recreate some favorite dishes for my French Canadian boyfriend here in Los Angeles. We have made several dishes together, and all were proclaimed a great success (by him, the expert taster!). It is an enjoyable book as well, dividing the culinary landscape into regions with intros etc. that made me more educated about Quebec regional cooking. I highly recommend this book.

This non-fiction account of wartime activity is brilliantly written and historians should take note - Although this is a historical document, McIntosh grabs his reader by the throat in a page-turner that reads like a No. 1 best-selling thriller - but with such unusual tenderness. Whatever you like reading, you're almost certain to love this. It is an excellent read and I can guarantee that long after reading this book, you'll still be thinking about it. Outstanding.

This book ranks among the best--Farley Mowat's "And No Birds Sang", included--about a Canadian's experiences during the Second World War. It is, however, not always a light-hearted account, and by no means a glorification of war. As is readily clear, McIntosh--like many of his peers--was not an overly enthusiastic participant, yet undertook his duty with much courage. Terror in the starboard Seat is a fine testament to this courage as well as the sacrifice that so many made in order to rid the world of Naziism.

Perhaps it comes from living next door to Americans, but Canadians have a knack for staring tragedy in the face and remembering something to laugh about afterwards. It's little wonder that many of the funniest modern comedians, from John Belushi to Peter Jennings, are Canadians.

World War II produced "the greatest generation," says Tom Brokaw, who wasn't there. Dave McIntosh was there, flying 41 combat missions in the navigator's seat of a Mosquito night fighter, and he calls it "the scardest generation." It takes common sense to be afraid; fear is often the one element that provides the extra margin of caution needed for survival.

It helps explain why the 24 Mossies of 418 Squadron achieved the highest scores in RCAF history, with 105 aircraft destroyed in the air, 74 on the ground, 9 probables, 103 damaged and 83 V-1s destroyed. Not bad for planes built of Ecuador balsa, Alaska spruce, Canadian birch and fir, and English ash, often by furniture makers. The twin engine Mosquito had a crew of two, but it carried the same weight of bombs as a B-17 and could fly at 400 miles an hour.

Granted, McIntosh volunteered for the RCAF. He schemed to get into 418 City of Edmonton squadron, which flew night intruder missions. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of Canada's highest awards for valor. He wasn't looking for a safe and comfortable seat to sit out the war. Most veterans who've been in actual combat have little to say; those who do talk often emphasize the humor. One of their favorite songs had the lines, "When the compass course is west, that's the time that I love best" -- in other words, heading home, away from the enemy. It's little wonder he took until 1980 to write this book.

It's a different kind of war memoir. Americans brag, Brits keep a stiff upper lip, Germans are betrayed heroes, Russians are `zhlobi' -- crude and uncouth. Canadians are like hockey players in a power play on the goal -- all of the above, and then some. It has the same mood as `The Corvette Navy' by J. B. Lamb, the loneliness of fighting men who are trivialized by everyone not in combat. Only the Canadian military trains "zombies." There's a common feeling the government compromises anything to avoid upsetting anyone on the home front -- an attitude American soldiers didn't acquire until the Vietnam.

Sidney Seid, a San Francisco Jew who joined the RCAF before Pearl Harbour, was the driver (pilots were never called pilots) for McIntosh. Seid loyally stayed with the Canadians even though he could have doubled his pay by in the US forces. It wasn't an easy life. McIntosh tells of one crew that spent its ops circling off the coast of Holland, afraid to cross into enemy territory, faking complete combat reports including targets visited, burning bombers, fires, weather, the whole thing. It was one way to cope with the terror of facing the enemy.

Canadian aircrews flew operations, or "ops." The American "missions" sounded too much like a crusade. On one occasion, on night ops over Holland, McIntosh and his driver suddenly heard a English voice in their earphones, "Waggle your wings . . . or you'll burn." The driver waggled. Wildly. "OK, son" the voice added. A British night fighter had found them in the dark; had they been caught by a German plane, they wouldn't have heard the bullets hit.

No wonder McIntosh was scared. But, as he told an army friend just back from the D-Day landings, "At least when I'm shot at I can run away at 400 miles an hour." His friend replied, "Hell, that's nothing, you should see me." Yet, for more than 41 ops -- if they were chasing Buzz Bombs, or only went a short distance over Europe, it was only half an op -- they went back again and again.

Any veteran will sympathize. Non veterans can only wonder how they did it.

McIntosh, who became a Canadian Press reporter after the war, presents a vivid story of the deadly realities of war. It's too good of a story ever to be made into a movie; but then, life is generally far better than any movie. So is this book.

This book kept me up until 4 in the morning, laughing, crying. It's got it all. RCAF navigator McIntosh wrote with pathos and honesty. He puts you right inside the Mosquito with his Jewish/American pilot, with whom he had a kind of Butch & Sundance relationship, all that same kind of loyalty and snappy reparte. This is one of the best WWII books I've ever read. Just like with a great suspense novel, you'll find yourself really whipping those pages over. And yet, I was sorry it had to end.