Canada Books

The book is clearly aimed at the first time visitor. Mr. Burzynski assumes the reader to be intelligent, curious, and to have a desire to go a bit beyond the basics. There are sections on the Park's animals, plants, and history and its unique, intricate geology. All of this is woven into description of the all-important weather and seasons. This includes appropriate warnings for visitors not familiar with the severity of this magnificent land's climate.
Besides natural history, the book includes a useful guide to trails, backcountry (and car) camping, and an overview of the Park's justifiably famous and arduous backcountry routes (the Long Range and North Rim traverses). Be cautioned however, that no trail maps are included. Descriptions include activities appropriate to each season.
If I were to level a gentle criticism, it would be that much of the material in the book can be found in a series of publications that are available at the Park or in some cases, on the Park's website. Moreover, I might have hoped for more detail in a number of places (for instance, in some of the trail descriptions). However, the fact is that these criticisms are minor -- I continue to find the book useful, as have some friends. It presents a great overview of the Park in one convenient, portable form, it is nicely written, and it is generally very well produced. Over the years I have read many "National Park" books and this is probably the most useful and informative.
A final note. If you haven't been to Gros Morne, you should go. This unique place is remote and not heavily visited and very much worth the trip. Michael Burzynski's book will provide you with an excellent guide and the Newfoundlanders make wonderful hosts.

Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland is one of Canada and North America's greatest treasures. Yet, it is also is one of the least known. Michael Burzynski's book provides an excellent overview of the Park which anyone planning a first visit would be well advised to purchase and read. It will greatly enhance a visit.
The book is aimed at the first time visitor but it promises to continue to be useful on subsequent visits . Mr. Burzynski assumes the reader to be intelligent, curious, and to have a desire to go a bit beyond the basics. There are sections on the Park's animals, plants, and history and its unique, intricate geology. All of this is woven into description of the all-important weather and seasons. This includes appropriate warnings for visitors not familiar with the severity of this magnificent land's climate.
Besides natural history, there are useful guides to trails, backcountry (and car) camping, and an overview of the Park's justifiably famous and arduous unmarked backcountry routes. However, be aware that no trail maps are included. Descriptions include activities appropriate to each season.
If I were to level a slight criticism, it would be that much of the material in the book can be found in a series of publications that are available at the Park or in some cases, on the Parks Canada website. Moreover, I might have hoped for more detail in a number of places (for example, in some of the trail descriptions). However, these criticisms are minor. I continue to find the book useful, as have some friends. It provides a complete overview of the Park in one convenient, portable form, it is nicely written, and it is generally very well produced. Over the years I have read many "National Park" books and this is probably the most useful and informative.
If you haven't been to Gros Morne, you should go. This unique place is remote, not heavily visited, and very much worth the trip. Michael Burzynski's book will provide you with an excellent guide and the Newfoundlanders make wonderful hosts.

The novel, written for kids 9 and over, is primarily about the upheavals that occur in the life of an Indian-Canadian family when the grandmother (Naniji) visits from India. The protagonist is Tara a lively and sensitive 15-year-old. She is initially resentful of her visiting grandmother because the grandmother seems to disapprove of Tara's mother's somewhat Western ways and indeed of the Canadian ways of the whole family: the kids don't know Hindi, nor about Diwali; they don't play the sitar and, worst of all, know nothing of the family's role and sacrifice during the Indian Independence movement.

This is too much for Tara: "This is the world I live in. But how do I fit? I'm not one of the true natives, the First Nations, and not one of the whites who marauded the globe colonizing, who tell the history of Canada from when they arrived. I'm too dark for the Samanthas and the rednecks, but not dark enough for Tolly, or Indian enough for Naniji, too Canadian, too Western. Always too something. Never just right."

Tara reads a paper at school about Naniji's role in the Indian Independence movement. The most evocative part of the book occurs when Tara alternates between wanting to read the paper to her class, and not wanting to because of how her friends will react to it and to her (how it will affect her acceptance within the group). She reads the paper anyway. As she had feared, some of her classmates do "shutter down" - close up by seeming to brand her as "other". But, unexpectedly, some of them actually congratulate her and thank her for introducing her to an aspect of history and of herself of which they had been unaware.

Her mother and Naniji are proud of her - that is, until Naniji hears Tara proclaim how she, Tara, is a "regular" Canadian. At this point Naniji "shutters down" because she cannot countenance the fact that her granddaughter is a proud Canadian - what of the family's heritage, sacrifice and history back in India? What of their allegiance to India?

"Naniji catches me staring and tries to smile. She's stiff, but it's not like before, with the criticism and disapproval and the hostility. Her eyes - they are hurt."

The resolution of the conflict within the family and within Tara's own mind is handled by Ms. Gilmore with great maturity and eloquence. She articulates opposing points of view with clarity and grace. Without talking down to the reader, she addresses sensitive issues such as race and color, assimilation and alienation, head-on. This is important especially because these issues are hardly ever addressed in a safe, non-ideological way, without putting one or the other side down as the victim or the aggressor, the turncoat or the conservative.

I highly recommend this book - not just for kids in this age group, but even for their parents and grandparents. In fact, I would go so far as to say this book should be made required reading for all kids (on any rung of the assimilation ladder) because it will create a better understanding and awareness of the inner script that guides our public lives.

To read more of this review, go to desijournal.com

The novel, written for kids 9 and over, is primarily about the upheavals that occur in the life of an Indian-Canadian family when the grandmother (Naniji) visits from India. The protagonist is Tara a lively and sensitive 15-year-old. She is initially resentful of her visiting grandmother because the grandmother seems to disapprove of Tara's mother's somewhat Western ways and indeed of the Canadian ways of the whole family: the kids don't know Hindi, nor about Diwali; they don't play the sitar and, worst of all, know nothing of the family's role and sacrifice during the Indian Independence movement.

This is too much for Tara: "This is the world I live in. But how do I fit? I'm not one of the true natives, the First Nations, and not one of the whites who marauded the globe colonizing, who tell the history of Canada from when they arrived. I'm too dark for the Samanthas and the rednecks, but not dark enough for Tolly, or Indian enough for Naniji, too Canadian, too Western. Always too something. Never just right."

Tara reads a paper at school about Naniji's role in the Indian Independence movement. The most evocative part of the book occurs when Tara alternates between wanting to read the paper to her class, and not wanting to because of how her friends will react to it and to her (how it will affect her acceptance within the group). She reads the paper anyway. As she had feared, some of her classmates do "shutter down" - close up by seeming to brand her as "other". But, unexpectedly, some of them actually congratulate her and thank her for introducing her to an aspect of history and of herself of which they had been unaware.

Her mother and Naniji are proud of her - that is, until Naniji hears Tara proclaim how she, Tara, is a "regular" Canadian. At this point Naniji "shutters down" because she cannot countenance the fact that her granddaughter is a proud Canadian - what of the family's heritage, sacrifice and history back in India? What of their allegiance to India?

"Naniji catches me staring and tries to smile. She's stiff, but it's not like before, with the criticism and disapproval and the hostility. Her eyes - they are hurt."

The resolution of the conflict within the family and within Tara's own mind is handled by Ms. Gilmore with great maturity and eloquence. She articulates opposing points of view with clarity and grace. Without talking down to the reader, she addresses sensitive issues such as race and color, assimilation and alienation, head-on. This is important especially because these issues are hardly ever addressed in a safe, non-ideological way, without putting one or the other side down as the victim or the aggressor, the turncoat or the conservative.

I highly recommend this book - not just for kids in this age group, but even for their parents and grandparents. In fact, I would go so far as to say this book should be made required reading for all kids (on any rung of the assimilation ladder) because it will create a better understanding and awareness of the inner script that guides our public lives.

To read more of this review, go to desijournal.com

There seem to be two big books available on the Group of Seven. The newest one is by Silcox. It has a superior cover---which is great to have on an art book. However, the Hill book seems to, overall, have a better selection of plates. Silcox is all color, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how compelling some of the black'n'white images were in Hill's book. I'd say that Hill's book has 15% B&W images, but they don't detract. In any event, it seems like the Hill book is occasionally available at considerably less cost than Silcox. Both books are wonderful.

I bought the book solely based on the price and number of pages as there was no review - however if you want to know about the Group of Seven this is the book to get. It has many excellent colour images of paintings, black and white images and photos, and a lot of background info.

Victoria Glendenning has indeed created a fascinating book filled with a myriad of characters, most of them women who are enthralled with one man (regardless of whom they are attached or married to), a fictional famous British author, Leo Ulm. In Ms.Glendinnings first attempt to write a novel after authoring the lives of famous British women, she provides the reader with some wonderful and fascinating glimpses into English life, their gardens, their homes, their gatherings and their interpersonal relationships.

I marvel that this woman, Victoria Glendinning, a mother of four sons, several successive marriages, degrees, jobs, and homes would find the time to create such magnificent literature. I hope that Amazon and Borders will help me to discover more about how this monumental task is accomplished.

Thank you.

There is a particular genre of British authors - british WOMEN writers who have such mastery over the nuance of man/woman behaviour that one could flatter oneself (if one were as fine a writer as they) that the book you are reading is a transcription of your own diary. In The Grown-ups" Victoria Glendinning, by virtue of her own incredibly discerning eye and ear writes about the kinds of random thoughts that you and I have,but never have the wit - or the will - to record. Speaking,for example, of elevator music she says ""a Chopin piano concerto from hidden speakers sprayed into the enclosed space like air-freshener" Flicks of knife-sharp characterizations, seemingly effortless, fill the book which is populated by a large cast of English semi-upper-class, each etched in acid and insight. I stumbled on this book in a dusty paper-back and am now asking Amazon to find me at least two more copies to give to friends....and am checking the notable biographies she has written of Rebecca West and Edith Sitwell. Ms Glendinning is extraordinarily funny, and deeply gifted.

This book is one of my favorite birding books. I am reticent to call it a field guide because it is so much more than that. Incredible amounts of information on all the sparrows. Great range maps AND descriptions of migration and vagrancy (can I hope to see this bird in my area?), and all the other natural history and behavior information you'd expect. Beautiful plates showing ALL the different plumages, primary and basic, male, female and juvenal. And it's not just a wealth of information, it's a beautiful book, well written and a delight to own.

Sparrows. Yippee. But if you want to learn them, this is the book.

Lots of detail, as you'd expect, but very clearly presented. Terrific illustrations and range maps. And what I like, but some will hate, is the fairly detailed treatment of every field-identifiable subspecies. Some of these subspecies will become full species some day, if present trends continue, and you'll be way ahead of the game if you've already been working on telling them apart. Plus it's fun; just try to keep an open mind.

For most Americans, Guy Fawkes is known to us more from that movie "V for Vendetta" then for anything else. Guy Fawkes Day on 5 November is weird sort of a holiday as any when people of Britain lit a bonfire and roast an effigy of this fellow over it. When I was staying in a small town of Franley, England, I was surprised to learned that Fawkes family still exists and control much of the land around. So I read this book and discovered it to be somewhat of a page-turner.

This book is about the plot to blow up both Houses of Parliament and King James I. Roman Catholics of Britain was getting desperate over increasingly restrictive measures taken by King and Parliament so a group of them decided to take matter in their own hands. Guy Fawkes was the leader of that plot and he had both religious and political motivations to do so. The book proves to be clearly written and highly informative on why, how and who was involved in this plot. This was supposed to take place on 5 November 1605 but the plotters were betrayed and although they came close, it was not good enough. The entire historical episode read like a detective story. It also had major importance in its aftermath as well for the Catholics of Britain who found themselves even more restricted. The author, Antonia Fraser who have already written several superb books on British history, scored again with this book.

I found the book to be informative and easy to understand the complex and slightly weird story behind this plot that easily could have been one of the greatest terrorist attacks in history. The author's style of writing is appealing to most casual and veteran readers of history. Book come highly recommended to anyone interested in this historical incident and its cultural significant.

I believed this is the new title and edition of Faith and Treason that was published back in 1996.

As the old saying goes Remember, Remember the Fifth of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot. In the present day come November 5th we all look forward to a firework display and a bonfire on which to burn the effigy of someone called Guy Fawkes while enjoying a roast potato, some of mum's parkin and cinder toffee. But who is the man called Guy Fawkes and what did he do that was so bad that we have to burn him every `Bonfire Night.'

Guy Fawkes was born in the city of York, less than 20 miles from where I live. He has always been attributed with the leadership of a group of men who plotted to blow up the Houses of parliament on November 5th 1605. Their motives were both political and religious. Even today many such similar deeds are carried out or attempted in the name of one religion or another. A damning indication that man very rarely learns from his mistakes.

Antonia Fraser is an accomplished and much read historical author with many awards for her writing skills and she has the consummate skill to be able to make the book read like a modern day detective novel, yet in no way prejudicing the factual historical content of the events that led up to the plot being foiled literally at the last moment.

I really enjoyed the book. Biography and work are handled in a well-balanced way, and the evolution of Klimt's art is linked to his life. The book has several articles, but the sense of unity is kept. The reproductions have good quality (the standard one in these types of books), and it is easy to understand for amateurs. I think it is a recommendable book if you like symbolism and modernism, and also if you would like to have a portrait of Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century.

Frank Whitford's biography is a more comprehensive examination of the social/cultural perspective. Other books examine Klimt's portraits of women and Klimt's landscapes in greater sophistication. The dust jacket, a tension-infused portrait of his friend and muse, "told" me this is a fair and balanced examination of his works and of his views of art. It is. Beware: some material is not be appropriate for young children -- and offensive to conservative relatives.

Our whole family loved this book and it's sequel Hamish X and Hollow Mountain. Both books are hilarious and my husband and I loved the books I think even more than the kids. If you wish to discover first if Sean Cullen's brand of humour is your type of thing then I suggest doing a UTube search for him and his Food of Your Choice bits. If you laugh buy these books!

The mysterious Hamish X is the scourge of the Orphan Disposal Agency--Agents Candy and Sweet can't seem to find a facility that can hold him. After arriving at the Windcity Orphanage, where the children are forced to earn their keep making stinky blue cheese, Hamish is soon planning his escape along with new friends Parveen and Mimi. But his plans are put on hold when the factory is suddenly attacked by a fierce gang of pirates, led by the dreaded Cheesebeard of Snow Monkey Island. In order to save the other orphans, Hamish, Mimi, and Parveen must embark upon an epic adventure across the Arctic and take on the cheese-obsessed pirates by themselves.

Compiled and organized by sports buff Peter J. Fournier, The Handbook Of Mascots And Nicknames is a straightforward reference listing nicknames and mascots of senior colleges, universities, junior colleges, and community colleges of the United States and Canada. The entries are arranged in alphabetical order for quick lookup in this fascinating reference which will prove invaluable for dedicated college and university sports fans everywhere!

I have just looked through a unique book written by Peter J. Fournier. "The Handbook of Mascots & Nicknames" is very comprehensive and thorough in the research that went into it. Shown are the mascots and/or nicknames of over 1,500 U.S. senior colleges and universities, 740 U.S. junior and community colleges, and over 115 Canadian institutions. Dick Vitale, the noted ESPN announcer and personality, liked this book so much he endorsed it: "If you love sports like I do, you will enjoy Pete's Handbook of Mascots & Nicknames. It is awesome, baby!" I think that any sports fan or trivia buff, old or young, male or female should have this book in their library. The book is a wonderful birthday present or a great stocking stuffer for the holidays. I can't wait for the update that will include all of the Puerto Rican colleges and universities.

This is the quintessential book for rose growing in northern climates. The book offers excellent recommendations for selecting roses that are both winter hardy as well as disease tolerant for the coldest regions of the US. The first edition of "Hardy Roses" became my bible for rose selection thirteen years ago, and as a resident of Zone 3 northern Wisconsin I can vouch for the advice that it provides, both for rose selection as well as a healthy and common sense approach to rose care. The new edition expands the number of recommended varieties and is a book to reread frequently and keep forever. Don't loan it out or you may never see it again!

The solid cultural information, beautiful photographs, and evocative descriptions made Hardy Roses: An Organic Guide to Growing Frost-and Disease-Resistant Varieties (c. 1991) my favorite rose book.

Now this classic is available in a revised edition, now called Hardy Roses: A Practical Guide to Varieties and Techniques (2001). Though the sub-title has changed, the updated and expanded chapters on propagating and nurturing roses and dealing with insects and diseases remain solidly in the organic camp.

34 new roses have been added to the heart of the book which includes descriptions and photographs of roses which have done well in the author's Canadian nursery.

There are also two other features. There is an updated list of 200 varieties of hardy roses and also an appendix listing nurseries, rose organizations and source books (no Internet addresses, alas!)

This book complements Jerry Olson's Growing Roses in Cold Climates. I like having both.

Should a rose fancier who already has the first edition buy the second? There is nothing wrong with the first edition (it is less expensive and still available) but for me, I wanted those 34 new roses! I'm glad I went ahead with this purchase.