Canada Books

If you read only one "South Seas" book from the 1920s back, this should be the one. This Penguin issue corrects a number of inaccuracies from previous editions, including Stevenson's own error in their departure date (!) It is the classic travel and observation book of the Pacific. The early descriptions of the Marquesas are unmatched, as are the accounts of the several islands they visited in Kiribati (Gilbert Islands). The account of Tem Binoka will give you a real eye opening into an absolute ruler and his ways in the late 19th century. Reading this could start a life long interest in Pacific literature.

In his book, In the South Seas, Stevenson gives an accurate and in depth look into the people and culture of the islands of the South Pacific. The book describes Stevenson's two year journey from the Marqueses Islands, to Tahiti, then Honolulu ,and finally Somoa. Stevenson uses the great adventures he experienced and his masterfully writing skills to paint a breath taking view of the islands and thier many beauties.

The English language has great diversity, perhaps nowhere as strong and colourful as across the spread of North America, the largest geographic landmass of English-speaking predominance in the world. Like any living language, the 'standard' is not always the one used in everyday speech and communication. The written language itself has differing standards, all at variance in one form or another from the spoken word. Because of this, much of the language gets lost over time. One of the things that makes novelists like Mark Twain memorable is that they captured elements of the informal language, the spoken language, in their text pages - something fairly rarely done, but something that can resonate with the readers.

Jeffrey Kacirk states in his introduction that it is this lost and vanishing element of the language that he concentrates upon for this book - not a surprise, really, given that the title of another of his books is 'Forgotten English'. Part of Kacirk's interest came from his upbringing, in which he lived in several different regions of the country, each geographically and linguistically distinct. Kacirk's introduction traces the development of the language in certain ways, including the fact that what are often considered 'Americanisms' often originated in the British Isles, falling out of use there but thriving in North America. With the advent of modern media (talking motion pictures, radio and television), the re-introduction of American speech patterns as both commonplace and acceptable has occurred, with occasional bumps.

The phrases Kacirk has accumulated here include pieces that contain the flavour of life in North America. 'Often containing an abundance of metaphor, simile, and common sense, these distillations of practical experience are easily bandied about by those whose education has not displaced their native intelligence.' These have a tendency to be blended over time into the mainstream, if they survive at all, particularly in an ever more homogeneous media environment. However, language as a living entity continues to grow in wild patches here and there, and Kacirk's collection helps to show some of the more interesting patches in the garden of the English language.

Kacirk's book rambles through the gambit of American English without focusing on any one region or period. This ensures a varied taste of unique, strange and sometimes very familiar words and expressions. I personally enjoyed discovering terms I've heard my parents use, like "pickaninny," "coffin tacks" or "pig in clover." In this way Kacirik reminds us we're all part of a tradition that includes the unlikely: "flippercanorious" (fine); the sensible: "shouting bee" (religious emotion); and the oddly appropriate: "naked possessor" (squatter). Each word is sourced and Informal English includes an extensive bibliography. A good introduction and the "expert" and usually very funny opinions preceding each entry (I always suspected that the English considered America the "Dark Continent of the World of Words.") give Kacirk's work context. Informative and always entertaining, I highly recommend Informal English.

I picked up this book out of curiousity and found it nearly impossible to put down. Written in a simple, unpretenious style that truly does give one the feel of someone relating old memories without unecessary embellishment it nevertheless conveys an extraordinary few years in the life of an incredible yet very human woman.

This book is just the best. It is gripping and has so much adventure packed into it, it is unbelievable that it is a true story. Helen Moszkiewiez is truly an admireable person. highly recommended

This book was sooooooooooooooooo hearwarming! it was wonderful! it was great at showing how all animals can be a "mans best friend".

-Kaylee Martin

This book is difficult to put down once started. The author has brilliantly captured the unique bond that we share with our companion animals. All of the inspiring and true stories in this book have the potential to either reduce you to happy tears or bring a smile of understanding to your face. A wonderful book that is simply just not long enough.

The book was delivered to me complete and in the condition that it was sold to me in. I would recommend and use this seller for future transactions.

It was in excellent condition when I received the item; it was exactly what I asked for and it was shipped in a very timely manner! Thanks!

This is a great book as it captures what life was like in the early 1980's in Canada's north. I happened to meet this very intersting lady when she spent a few days in Holman NWT in 1980, and have been able to get a copy of the book recently from Amazon.

I know a lot of the people in the book because of my time spent living in the north, and also traveling in the north.

It's worth getting!

This is a beautiful book filled with scores of stunning black and white photographs chronicaling Ulli Steltzer's travels through the Canadian Arctic. The photographs capture the everyday lives of the Inuit, showing us how past and present are at work in their lives, how these people who just decades before had lived in varying degrees of independence from "modern civilization" are struggling to adapt while retaining a sense of their traditions. While to book consists largely of photographs, included are numerous first-person statements (not exclusively by Inuit) discussing the losses, triumphs and struggles that the Inuit have endured.

The book is well researched & documented. It's awsome.
If later excacations by archaeologists and proved beyond reasonable doubt it was a Chinese settlement, the history of the western world should be rewritten.

When I first picked up this book and started to read it, it glued itself to my hands and did not want to let go. Anyway, that's how it felt as I read page after exciting page of this excellent work. This rendition of the author's historical/archaeological research and discovery is of the highest and most exciting caliber. The author's quest was to find who built certain structures on Cape Dauphin on Cape Breton Island. In his effort to find out, in the first half of the book, the author discusses the European discovery and early colonization of North Eastern North America, more specifically, Cape Breton Island and its surroundings. The second half is more concerned with the local Mi'kmaq Indians, including parallels between their culture and that of the Chinese. Chinese history is also briefly covered in this half, as it pertains to the main theme of this book. Included throughout are snippets of the author's personal life as he conducts his painstaking research. When I first read the book's subtitle, I was very skeptical: how could the Chinese have made their way to Eastern North America before the Europeans? After having read the author's arguments and his well-constructed analysis, I am now willing to entertain the possibility that he may indeed be on the right track. The author's writing style is very chatty, friendly and engaging, so much so that, as stated earlier, I could not put the book down. This book would be of great interest to history buffs as well as anyone who loves a good who-done-it story.

Do you have a place you love above all the other places in the world? Do you always think about how it looks like now? Can't you wait for the cherished moment when you can finally get back to the place that you feel is your real home?

Well, Jane of Lantern Hill does. I know perfectly well how she feels and that's why I love this book so much.

Other than that, this is a nice, warm Montgomery-style reading for a windy winter evening.

If you stopped at "Anne" you're missing out. Every girl or woman should read "Jane." She's so loveable and steadfast. You just love to feel sorry for her, and then rejoice when she gets what she deserves. And mean old grandmother...well it's nice to see her get what she deserves too. :)

Pierre Berton, Canada's most accomplished popular historian, has written a practical and lively guidebook for those who aspire to be published and those who are already authors but could use a bit of advice from one who's long-accomplished in the writer's craft.

The opening chapter consists of letters that Berton has received over the years from would-be authors who expound at length on their fantastic book ideas and beg for the secret ingredient to getting published. Mind you, they usually don't like the answer: work hard. Berton goes on to offer practical suggestions about researching your subject, dealing with rejection, and equally important, dealing with success.

As a writer, I appreciated that he also acknowledged the fact that we can be a pretty difficult lot to understand. During the research phase of a given project, we're out there in society, making contacts, interviewing people, and participating in lively discussions with those who share our interest in the subject matter. When it comes time to put it all in manuscript form by a certain deadline, we're in the Bermuda Triangle of our lives. Berton writes:

"It is during this period when the pieces are being fitted together that a writer becomes difficult to live with.... He drives his car erratically, scarcely speaks to his wife, ignores his children. All this anti-social behavior is understandable, because what the writer is doing in those moments is WRITING. She is thinking about people, events, and sources, struggling to put them into some kind of order and perspective. She can no more cut off this flow of thought than she can cut off the flow of her own blood." He adds ruefully, "During these intensive periods, as my friends and family know, I'm not much fun. When the time comes to do the actual typing, I try to cut myself off from the world, refusing invitations, ignoring the television set, and letting others answer the telephone with a curt 'He's busy'." When Berton tried to contact author Farley Mowat for his take on the matter, Mowat's wife "reported that he was writing and had absolutely refused to take telephone calls."

He acknowledges that writer culture is a bit like police culture in that you're in a business that isolates you from the mainstream. Therefore your closest friends tend to be other writers, or those who also find their lives taken over from time to time by huge projects with vicious deadlines. This has been my experience too. It's not a bad thing, although Berton admits that many would-be writers back off from their dream because they fear accusations of selfishness, etc. Look at it this way- needier people are the only ones who will take issue. What you'll be left with are the more stable friends and associates who will cheer your success instead of resent it.

"The Joy of Writing" can be taken as an instruction manual or a witty literary memoir. For me, it was both.

Pierre Berton has written an excellent book about writing non-fiction. I've read the book once already; now I'll study it. It's a book that every non-fiction writer should read over and over.

Teacher, librarian, and award-winning author Anne Dublin presents June Callwood: A Life of Action, a biography for young adults about the remarkable life of June Callwood, one of Canada's greatest journalists and activists. Callwood grew up poor during the Great Depression, in farm communities and small towns of Southern Ontario, yet through compassion, hard work and sheer grit she made a difference in thousands of lives around her. She founded more than 50 activist groups, including Jessie's, a center that gives housing and support for teen parents; Nellie's, a shelter that protects abused women and children from violence; and Casey House, the world's first special-care hospice for people with AIDS. Her journalism career included an interview with a young Elvis Presley, and for a time she even hosted her own television show. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this inspirational tale of an exemplary life, highly recommended for school libraries.

"Each person is like a stone in a pond...Individual actions, good or bad, send out tiny ripples that change the surface of the public pond. People, by choice, can spread warm understanding or cold indifference."--June Callwood

June Callwood, a Canadian journalist and activist, has led a very active life. Having written articles about everything from celebrities to censorship, and over thirty books dealing with topics like Canadian history and the battle against AIDS, Ms. Callwood has definitely kept busy.

JUNE CALLWOOD: A LIFE OF ACTION is a comprehensive biography of the woman who helped establish over fifty different organizations, such as Digger House for homeless youth and Casey House for people with AIDS. She's also a Companion of the Order of Canada, which is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a Canadian citizen, and has a park and street named after her.

Filled with dozens of photographs, a timeline of her life, and selected honors she's received, this is a great book for anyone looking for information specifically on Ms. Callwood, or for those interested in Canadian activists.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"