Ontario Books

As everyone has stated, this is a good book with lots of good information. One thing to know about it, however is that the information is presented more in a 'conversational' style than an 'encylopedia' style. If you are looking for a traditional 'field guide' type style with color-coded cross-references and the like, you may want to look elsewhere. However, if you don't mind a more casual presentation of the information - and it is that way in this book - then this one is for you. In other words, you'd be more inclined to pick up this book for some casual reading than you would a traditional field guide.

I live in southeast Alaska and this is the book I have been looking for years. I love it! It goes into such depth, but it is simple to understand.
I enjoy hiking and like being more informed of who/what has also pased this way before me. Great Resource for anybody who enjoys hiking. The photo's are excellent.

I usually check out tracking and reading sign books from the library because I would rather spend my hard cash on backpacking gear, fuel, and tires to get up and down those rocky roads, but this book was one that I had to buy. Most tracking guides have sketches and if they have photos they usually are not very good quality. This book has amazing photos that will aid you in scat and sign identifying. It is a great book for begginers and just a pleasant read. I would have to agree with another reviewer that he does tend to focus on northern or eastern animals. Learning about Mule Deer sign would be more pertinent than learning how to read Moose sign. There is also another book on Amazon that is PACKED with photos and has more photos of dens, tracks and sign. I would have to rate that book higher than this one, if I had to choose one, but this book definately earns 5 STARS!

This book provides an excellent introduction to reading animal tracks. In the first chapter the author explains why we should try to understand the tracks around us in the forest, and what we might see. He then delves into the kinds of observations we need to make, such as trail widths and trail patterns and scat. The rest of the book is divided into chapters by animal family, including chapters for rodents, rabbits, weasels, dogs, cats, bears, and hoofed animals. There is also an extensive bibliography and index.

Each chapter is comprised of short articles about the specifics of tracking the individual animals that make up the family covered in the chapter. Rezendes provides a short informative description of the animal with a color photograph. The descriptions cover behavior, range, and diet. Rezendes also includes black and white photos of the animal's feet, both front and back. The next section of the article covers tracks and trail patterns, and it includes illustrations or diagrams, photographs, and typical trail width and stride measurements, as well as a lot of information to help you sort out this critter's tracks from all the others out there. He also includes short sections on signs, such as dens, food caches, kill sites, and scat, also with photographs or illustrations.

I purchased this book after moving out into the country because I wanted to identify the critters that visited at night leaving their tracks in the snow around our house. I found Rezendes' approach captivating and easy to understand, even as a beginner. Rezendes explains how tracks can tell us much more than just the identity of an animal- -through a careful study of tracks, you can determine how fast the animal was moving, whether it was browsing, being chased, or chasing another. This book is a highly informative reference; it's also a delightful read on a blustery winter afternoon.

I am an old guy-pushing 60-and have examined books on tracking ever since I was a child. No other book compares to this one. I purchased it based on the positive Amazon reviews and on this book they were right on the mark. I mean, this guy not only provides excellent photos of tracks, he has photos of the ANIMALS' FEET! What a simple yet sensible idea! I very much like his philosophy of tracking, his emphasis on looking at the whole picture of the impact an animal makes on its environment. Good job, Mr. Rezendes.

The Secret Ever Keeps opens with a great start, the opening lifting off the page and not mired with a huge amount of exposition. This technique pays off in Tirrell's very readable, though flash-back filled, story of family wounds and secrets and adventure. Through the alternating views of a grandfather and granddaughter, the reader is immersed in the history of rum runners during the age of prohibition, with family dynamics and loyalties playing out across generations. If you enjoyed the unraveling mystery of Chris Bohjalian's The Double Bind, you will also love this story.

What delicious writing. Profound in its simplicity, it rises from the page as naturally as wildflowers, never calling attention to itself, yet it cannot be overlooked. The opening chapter is gripping, but it was chapter two, which changes POV characters and begins with the lovely line; "Those whom God wishes to punish for the sin of selfishness, he first makes lonely then curses with long life," where I fell into the rhythm. I wanted more, and happily, I got it, in prose of such smoothness I felt the very talented - and very modest - hand of a remarkable writer. I heard about The Secret Ever Keeps from a friend who said it was special. I couldn't agree more. My recommendation: read this book.

A friend told me about this one, but Art Tirrell's The Secret Ever Keeps still surprised me. Keeping things simple, it's too darn good to be a first novel. There is a sureness to the writing, and even though the complex plot shifts between the modern and Prohibition eras, there's never a false note. The supporting characters are wonderful, particularly Char, Sheik, and Estelle. All this is delivered in a way that never allows the narrative tension to lapse for an instant. Before, I'd never heard of him. Now, if you ask me, Art Tirrell is the best new writer of adventure fiction to come along in years.

This romantic adventure has it all: shady characters, star-crossed lovers, and a well-described, interesting setting. It's protagonist, Jake Eastland, is a fascinating character unlike the stereotypes that inhabit most novels these days.

What really sets the book apart, though, is Tirrell's use of his knowledge of Lake Ontario to put it someplace besides New York, L.A., or Hong Kong. He obviously knows the water and it's mysteries and draws on that to make the story come alive.

Add in the cross-generational relationship with Jake's granddaughter and some treasure hunters, and you have a unique, fun read.

In The Secret Ever Keeps, Art Tirrell weaves a rich story of bitter family rivalry, Depression Era wheeling and dealing, and thrilling underwater treasure hunt. Set on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, the novel shifts effortlessly between the present and the 1930s. Jake Eastland, a hard-nosed billionaire nearing the end of his life, attempts to make amends for his unscrupulous dealings in the past by reaching out to his sole living relative, a young woman who is unaware she even has a living grandfather. As they get to know each other, their disparate pasts arise to haunt them.

Tirrell's depiction of their slow-growing relationship is delicate and moving, but it is the suspenseful plot that keeps one flipping the pages. Tirrell quite simply writes the best underwater scenes I have ever read. He takes the reader down into the depths, and no matter how unfamiliar one is with this eerie, potentially deadly setting, one feels one knows exactly what it would be like to dive into the bowels of a sunken ship, to get one's line snagged or air cut off, to be caught and whipped away by a sudden current. Suffice it to say, you'll be breathless, until the secrets and ancient treasures are revealed.

The Secret Ever Keeps is a terrific debut novel for Tirrell. I know he has another in the works and can't wait till it hits the shelves.

Published and updated for the year 2000,this book is nevertheless another "stellar" contribution by author Terrence Dickinson.Spiral-bound,it is easily transported and accessed while out "seeing." Well-presented, and down-to-earth(pardon the reverse pun) for those of us who are newbies to this most wonderful adventure of amateur astronomy.Dark skies!

This is an excellent book! If you are a beginner and just starting out like I am, this is the book for you. The topics are excellent. They are written in easy to read and understand words and terms. This book covers all the topics including what to look for in your first telescope. The charts are wonderful and easy to read. The pictures are awesome. In addition, Terence provides a list of stars and constellations along with their pronunciation and meaning. Terence shows and explains how to use major constellations to find other constellations and stars. I found that I couldn't put the book down. This book will hook you on backyard astronomy.

After perusing a number of books, I found this one to be the best. It is the easiest introduction into astronomy and star gazing that is offered. Many of the confusing explanations of other books are ommitted. Moreover, the essentials of finding the constellations are easily explained and easily followed. Lastly, the book had a great further reading and information section that was very helpful. I recommend this book to anyone with a budding astronomy interest.

This is the first book I've read explaining the universe that keeps it simple enough for a beginner to understand. I checked the book out at the public library and can not wait to get my own copy and a highlighter. Fantastic!

While echoing the positive comments of all other reviewers, the reader should be cautioned that the new Third Edition (1998) has been released.

The planetary tables in the back of the "New Edition" (1989) only go through the year 2000; those in the "Third Edition" are good through 2010.

Make sure that you are ordering the Third Edition!

There were many funny stories in this book, (Sourdough and Burd being among my favorites,) but also some good heartwarming life lessons. Like the story about the lottery winner Emil and his principles, and the overall theme of the everyday ups and downs of life and family relationships. I really liked how the complexity of feelings for family was conveyed. Great read!

I picked this up on a whim in a used bookstore because I needed something to read while waiting for my son to finish with an appointment. What a find! Mr. McLean has a terrific eye and ear for wry observations and dialog, especially concerning kids and teenagers. And then there is his wit, sharpened by the fact that he laughs most readily, ultimately, at himself. I haven't laughed this hard since James Thurber, Garrison Keillor, and David Sedaris.

I picked this book out of a list given to me by my 12th grade english teacher. After searching everywhere i ordered it off amazon and am very pleased i did. it is an amazingly light, funny story about a 'stock' family that is a great summer read. i recommend it to both guys and girls, great book!

I can see why Stuart McLean is one of Canada's beloved storytellers through the warmth, humanity and humor of his stories. My favorite stories came early in the book, one of them being "Turkey" which starts off both the book and the Winter section. The description of the turkey before it was roasted had me and my husband howling with laughter. Another favorite is the one about the birthday party, especially the scene where Dave tries to frost the cake while it is still warm. My husband recently made the same mistake when he was frosting my birthday cake. I think there is enough depth to this collection of stories that most any one can come away with a favorite story or at least a favorite scene.

... a very ordinary family. Now, I don't mean ordinary in the boring sense of the term, quite the contrary. This is a collection of short stories spanning a year in the lives of a middle-class family. Everyone will be able to recognize themselves or others in these people to whom funny things tend to happen.

A quick read that will have you smiling (and giggling) on the bus.

You won't regret picking it up, and will look for McLean's other collections of stories about this wonderful family upon completing it.

This was a very helpful book - straightforward and practical ideas for plantings around my house & yard. It included planting layout diagrams, plant list and sketches of what things might look like during different seasons.

A big problem I've had with gardening books is that they so often cover areas with different climates (such as the wet Pacific Northwest) than that which I have to face here in the American Midwest. This book, however, has shown itself to be an excellent resource!

It starts out with a portfolio of 23 designs, giving the reader excellent advice on appearance and what plants to use, complete with color pictures, and a sample graph paper design. After that, it has step-by-step instructions (again with great color illustrations) on building projects, such as sidewalks, walls, patios and so much more. The final part of the book is a series of plant profiles that looks at garden plants and their needs.

So, just to make everything perfectly clear, I loved this book, and highly recommend it to every gardener in the American Midwest!

This book is a tremendous resource for landscaping in the midwest. It provides great ideas for landscaping for different seasons, conditions, and locations. Most of the recommended varieties of plants are easy to find at your local nursery which has always been a problem with other books I have used. The pictures and drawings really provide extreme value when trying to picture how plants will look together. It has already given me enumerous great ideas and suggestions.

This book is a good source for midwest-specific plantings and landscape ideas. I found I didn't have to look up the growing zones of plants I found interesting, wondering "Would this plant grow well around here?"

I also enjoy the overall friendly tone of the text. Some other books of this type that I own are written in a stuffy, almost highbrow manner.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen more of in this book is more actual photographs of the landscapes. There are many photos of the featured plants, but the book relies heavily on artwork for the landscape design images.

Excellent ideas and designs with excellent plant choices. Great for the beginner or designer to create updated and hardy garden designs that put on a show throughout the seasons.I am a designer and love books, this is once of the easiest to understand and carry out.

My family and I spent 10 days every summer fishing in Sioux Lookout for many years. This book is fascinating reading. It brings back vivid memories of both the beauty and the dangers (if you are not careful) that this area holds. I am very familiar with all of the territory Richard Morenus describes. Abram Lake is gorgeous and the sunsets are out of this world. Many things hit home for me in reading the words of Morenus. He describes, for example, the squalls that can suddenly come up and churn the lakes into a navigational nightmare. (Something I experienced first-hand when one tried to push us UP the Abram Chutes with TWO anchors.) Morenus takes you through his adventure in a day by day account as he learns first hand how to cope with the elements. My most enlightening remembrance of the book is when he recalls being laughed at by the locals over his choice of "cold weather garb." Summers are one thing in Sioux Lookout. Winter is an entirely different animal. If you have been to the area, this book will give you a greater appreciation of it, especially since it was written during a period when there were but a scant few camps and lodges serving the chain of lakes. If you have not been to the region, this book serves as a window into a world and time where cell phones, faxes, emails and "package fishing tours" had yet to be invented. You can almost feel the cold crisp air as he describes an October morning outside his cabin. Even if you have no intention of actually going there, this book is great reading for a rainy day.

I grew up in the Mid Atlantic, but spent my summers in the bush. This book brings back fond memories.

Unfortunately, now the wilderness that I grew up with is being harvested for "big mac" wrappers. Yes, it's true. McDonalds is the customer of the timber harvests in the North Woods. McDonalds is destroying the "Canadian Bush" of "crazy white man" for burger wrappers. Progress?

I used to live in Canada in the early 1970's & a Canadian friend of mine gave me this book to read & to keep back then. This is a wonderful story that I have read more than once & have shared with other friends here in NZ. Even if you're not a 'bush' person this is an uplifting story of a life a world away from big city chaos & true human spirit. And you'll fall in love with his dog! Once you start reading this you wont want to put it down. A truly remarkable book & worth what ever you have to pay to get a copy of it today! (Sorry i wouldn't part with mine..)

I have been to the place that Ricard Morenus' book is based on. Once you have been there and then read the book, your vacation to the wilderness takes on a whole new meaning. This book talks about his struggles as well and the serenity of the bush. Reccomend a trip to Winoga lodge (site of story) to experience the wonder of the wilderness at its best!

We own and operate Winoga Lodge in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. This is the island that Richard Morenus lived on while he was writing this book of his trials and tribulations while living in the bush. His cabin is still here, along with his table, bed, Morenus' picture with Billy, and a few other things that still remain here. One of the tables was crafted by him out of his shipping boxes. When you look underneath it has his writing, showing his new address and his old. This island still has people come to it looking for a trace of him and his faithful dog, Nik. It seems that there is a true connection to this book once people have read it and they just want to feel his magic of the bush.

We do have the book for sale at the island that is a re-print. It's a reading must for anyone who loves the bush. It will take you back in time to a simpler lifetime. Morenus will hold the attention of people who usually don't read, because they love his island and the story of his life so much.

Jean Little does an excellent job in explaining the life of a little girl by the name of Sal to the rest of the public. This girl is very courageous and goes through some very big hurdles and obstacles, but she is eventually going to get through some of the hurdles, but it will take some time. I think that she does an excellent job with this. If you want to find out more about Jean Little and Sal, read Mine for Keeps.

"Mine for Keeps", by Jean Little, is a great story about friendship you can't miss. It's a story about a girl, Sarah Copeland (Sal), who suffers of cerebral palsy (faulty development or damage to motor areas in the brain). She had always dreamed of going home with her family, but when her dream came true, she wished she had never wished for that. Sal has to overcome many obstacles: make new friends, adapt to her new home, and to not look bad in front of others. It is a story about friendship you can't miss, where a girl who use to be scared of everything-dogs, people, school, even dressing herself, finds friendship in a dog. It is a story with an ending that will leave you pleased.

I just finished reading my childhood copy to my 6 1/2 year old daughter. We both loved it. The family portrayal was lovely as well as the inisght into Sal and her struggles with fears and cerebral palsy. I am dissapointed the book is out of print and I cannot give it to others.

This book can really capture your heart. Sal has just come home to live with her family, after living in a special boarding school, for people with Cerebal Palsey. She gets enrolled in a public school, and makes two best friends, Libby and Elsjie. Elsjie has a brother named Piet, who is also crippled, like Sal. If you like reading Jean Little's books, I reccomend her biography, "Little by Little" This book is a must read!

This is truly the best book featuring a character with cerebral palsy. Sarah (Sally) is the central character in this story. At 9, she has attended a school for children with physical challenges for the past five years. The Canadian province she lives in has no such school, so her parents arrange to have her admitted to the school in America.

Finally, a rehab center opens in her town. Sally's parents move closer to the center so Sally can live at home. Her father flies her back and works like a soldier helping Sally to feel integrated into her rather large family.

Sally has an older, bossy sister named Mindy, a brother close in age named Kent and a sister in kindergarten named Meg. She gets to know Meg because Meg was the sibling she spent the least amount of time with due to her years in America.

Sally's father is truly a rare gem. He is clearly a very intelligent and articulate man and he provides intelligent explanations for things. For example, when Sally, understandably fearful of starting out in public school asks why she was sent out of the country in the first place, her mother flares up. That was needless. Sally needed sympathy and a good explanation, which her father provided. He told her that at Meg's age, Sally could neither speak clearly nor feed herself; she could not walk; she could not dress herself. He summed it up nicely by saying that he thought she would want to do these things for herself. He was truly a delightful character.

Once enrolled in public school, Sally makes friends with classmates Jon and Elsje Jansen and another girl who immediately takes her under her wing. Sally learns that Elsje's brother Pieter had a heart condition that precluded him from attending school for a year. Nursed at home, Pieter nurses a grudge against his illness and insists on only speaking Dutch, thus further isolating himself. It is Sally, his sister and his friends who get Pieter to leave his self-imposed shell to help them with their dog training project.

This is a wonderful book that I have loved since I was a little girl. I even have a well loved copy. It is a real treasure.

Paulette Jiles, the author, an American from Missouri, went to Toronto with a draft dodger in the 1970s. When the boyfriend dumped her, she stayed on in Canada and got a job in Northern Ontario running a community radio station for the Ojibway Indians. She lived in a log cabin, learned their language, and learned how to survive during the long cold northern winters. Later, she became a reporter on the Indian language newspaper, writing about forest fires, crimes of passion, and serious bush plane accidents.

Throughout, her love and respect for the Indian peoples shine through her writing as she brings legends and traditions to the printed page. Her quirky personality as well as the world around becomes very real, as does her own inner journey.

She is a reporter and describes what she sees. Perhaps that is why not every character she comes into contact with is fully developed. But there are some Indian elders whose stories she captured in just a few short pages.

And her descriptions of the danger and excitement of being dependent on tiny bush planes made me feel her anxieties.

I thank Ms. Jiles for bringing her experiences to the pages of this book and introducing me to these northern native peoples.

best read ever! an adveture story as well as profound reflections, there's not another book like it.

In addition to the other comments made by earlier reviewers, with which I agree, this book provides an essential and extremely thoughtful look at the varied roles played by language and communication media in culture. During the brief narrative Jiles engages with film, theater, radio, television, newspapers, and several modern (English, French) and native (Cree, Ojibway) languages. She also transitions between "native" and modern technologies and living styles. Her extremely canny and wry observations on these phenomena provide more than they seem on first glance. This book is a deep meditation on the very nature of modernity, media and the social nature of language.

In North Spirit, Paulette Jiles has this amazing non-patronizing voice, which at the same time is conscious that she is a white person writing about Indian people who are letting her-this often goofy white person-see herself as a white person watching Indian people and being watched by them. You get the picture. The book is never sentimental or dismissive; the book never stumbles. I love the fact that she can poke fun at herself learning to be a white Indian, as seen through the eyes of her Ojibway and Cree friends and co-workers who help her to help herself in the new environment. I recommend this highly.

Paulette Jiles cast a wonderful spell over me with North Spirit, and when I awoke, I wanted to return to the world of the Cree and Ojibway: a world of simplicity, honesty, humour, community, connectedness, blessed silence. A world that perhaps never was in the white person's world. North Spirit comes at a time when I am shedding as much material wealth as possible. A time when I seek spirit within. A time when I would like to return to elders telling stories of the past, a time of magic. A time I would like to dwell in the northern woods. Paulette Jiles is magic, and she lyrically, poignantly shares her wondrous sojourn amongst the Cree and Obijway with eloquence, humour, compassion, elegance, care. A beautiful read. A keeper. I will visit North Spirit and Paulette again and again. It connects me with what feels right, real, and true.

Starring Peter Outerbridge as William Murdoch, Colm Meaney as Insp. Brackenreid, Keeley Hawes as Dr. Julia Ogden, Flora Montgomery as Ettie, and many more! Outstanding Canadian mystery set at the turn of the century Toronto. Will be a great film

Starring Peter Outerbridge as William Murdoch, Colm Meaney as Insp. Brackenreid, Keeley Hawes as Dr. Julia Ogden, Flora Montgomery as Ettie, and many more! Outstanding Canadian mystery set at the turn of the century Toronto. Will be a great film

Poor Tom is Cold is a historical fiction that is more of a mystery. In the book the main character is Detective Murdoch. He is investigating a case in which his fellow worker and friend was killed. The police say that it was a suicide and call it a closed case but Murdoch knows that Oliver is not the type of person who would commit suicide. Oliver was found in an abandoned house all alone with a gun and a note saying that he killed him self. Next to the house were oliver was found much more is going on. Next store a lady named Mrs. Eakin is being claimed to be insane by her family. And it just so happens that she is blaming her son for a murder. Through out the book it also shows raisism to towards the chinese as well as the mentally insane. "Poor Tom is Cold" takes place in Toronto, Canada in the 1980's. I liked this book and would recommend this to any one who likes a good mystery.

Starring Peter Outerbridge as William Murdoch, Colm Meaney as Insp. Brackenreid, Keeley Hawes as Dr. Julia Ogden, Flora Montgomery as Ettie, and many more! Outstanding Canadian mystery set at the turn of the century Toronto. Will be a great film

Police Constable Wicken is dead--an apparent suicide. Still, Acting Detective Murdoch feels that things don't fit. Who was the woman who so conveniently testified about Wicken's broken heart? And what possible connection could Wicken's death have with the nearby home--a home where Peg Eakin has apparently taken leave of her senses in a paranoid fit?

Two things make POOR TOM IS DEAD stand out from the crowd. Murdoch and the fine turn of the (previous) century detail. Murdoch is a human character, fully rendered. His toothache is a nice detail, his frustrated love for his neighbor adds both human interest and historical detail about the then-current chasm between religion and class. Author Maureen Jennings has obviously researched her history--the details of police procedure, treatment of the insane, and class/race distinctions ring true. Better, she integrates these details into her novel so subtly that I didn't feel lectured to.

Excellent cookbook with easy to follow recipes, accompanied by wonderful, funny anecdotes!

'Food That Really Schnmecks' and 'More Food That Really Schmecks' are both wonderful books. Story books with recipes. I received Edna Staebler's 'Food that Really Schmecks' as a gift from my Grandmother. It's very special to me not only because of whom it's from but because my entire family uses these recipes - they're handed down from generation to generation. I'm from Kitchener - the same area as Edna - she and her recipes are very popular there and I am now 'spreading' them in the US.

Edna's recipes are so easy to follow and prepare and the food really does "schmeck"! Wonderful books from a very friendly, wonderful woman. I wish she had time to publish more "schmeck's". These books are worth buying.

Written by award-winning journalist Edna Staebler, Food that Really Schmecks: Mennonite Country Cooking is the commemorative edition of a classic cookbook originally published in 1968, now featuring a new foreword by award-winning author Wayson Choy and a new introduction by food writer Rose Murray. Interspersed with Staebler's true stories and anecdotes about cooking, Mennonites, her own family, and daily life in the Waterloo region, recipes in Food That Really Schmecks range from Crusty Chicken Potpie to Beet and Red Cabbage Salad to Porridge Bread, Maple Custard, Emanuel's Dandelion Wine, and much more. A mouth-watering medley of country home cooking recipes that pass the test of time with flying colors.

If I could only have 2 or 3 cookbooks, this would be one of them. I have been using this and "More Food that Really Schmecks" for years. The recipes are easy, interesting and taste great! There's a no-nonsense, comforting quality to them. The short stories add interest. I have over 400 cookbooks and keep going back to this favorite.

I'm not a big cook, but this is one cookbook that I have added to my library. Edna Staebler, now 97 years of age, was a native of the Waterloo region of Ontario, which is really the heart of Canada's German community, and is where many Mennonites and Amish settled. Although she worked as a journalist for some time, she eventually put together this cookbook based on recipies that she had gathered primarily from fiends and family. Many of the recipies are Mennonite or influenced by Mennonite and German cooking. This book also consists of a number of anecdotes, so not only is it a great cookbook, but an entertaining read as well.