Canada Books

Martin has done a remarkable job of telling a very difficult story of the inter-relationships between the first people of Canada, the new world order people of European ancestry and the animals. I am Mi'maq and reading the history took be back to a time and an appreciation of what was a part of life. My hats off to Martin for telling a story that needed to be told!

This book is a great read for many reasons. One that may not get mentioned, but strikes me as important, is the demonstration of how social rules and the environment relate to economic markets. In short: the relationship of the native North American tribes to the fur markets was conditioned by their culture which went through a sudden, tragic, transformation.

Scholarly works are not supposed to entertain but Martin's interesting ideas about the cultural confrontation between the First People and the first Europeans makes for fascinating reading. He challenges several accepted views about Native population decline resulting from disease and warfare which are sure to spark disagreement; yet his logic is difficult to refute and the perspectives he offers provide new directions for research. Martin manages to avoid casting anyone into the roles of oppressor and victim by presenting the sequence of events as the result of rational decisions by both cultural groups. While anthropologists and sociologists will certainly find "Keepers" of interest, anyone who teaches cultural diversity or provides diversity training will also benefit from this work. General readers will enjoy asking themselves if their ancestors could have been involved in the events Martin describes.

This book provides an extensive key to amphibians and reptiles in North America. If you are studying herpetology, this book has many diagrams in it that really help with keying out dinstinguishing characteristics. Plus, the book is set up simply in plain English. Other keys that I have used were not as extensive as this one, and they were usually confusing. This key takes away all the ambiguity.

This breaks down characters for families very easily. The only draw back to this book is that it doesn't contain common names, but that can always be looked up. I recommend this book to any biologist or herpetologist. It also shows what the basic characters are with pictures.

This key is a must for anyone that is seriously interested in reptiles or amphibians. For instructors of Herpetology lab this book will prove to be invaluable, the illustrations and current phylogenetic classifications will aid in teaching.

This is not a book I would have chosen for myself. However, I just finished reading it for my bookclub and I must admit.....I couldn't put it down. I had borrowed it from my local library and I have just purchased it.....if you need to remember innocence and what it was like to be a child and carefree.....this is a must read.

An absolutely refreshing and captivating read that mere words cannot describe.

I can but echo the words of the gentleman who wrote the first review for this book. As a 41 year old business owner living and working in downtown Toronto, I rarely get moved by fairy tales. Kingfisher Days, is much more than that.

I too listened with great interest to the CBC's captivating production where the author warmly and intelligently read this wonderful book. I have attended a number of Soulpepper productions (the theatre company that she and her husband started), it is a soul expanding experience to see one of their plays.

The best part of being Canadian? Small things. Like the CBC's 'sometimes' greatness in bringing books like this to an audience starved for art that touches your soul. Like the Soulpepper theatre company, who does the same much more consistently. And like Susan Coyne, who if she had been raised somewhere else in the world, may never have written this wonderful book.

When I was young and we were new in this country, I sometimes wished that my parents and I would have emigrated to New York or Paris or some other 'exciting' place instead of Toronto. Reading Kingfisher Days, I am glad they did not.

I haven't read the book yet, but I've been listening to it being read by Susan Coyne herself on the CBC. Normally I have no time for fairy stories, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings etc., which I suppose makes me a grumpy old man, but I was totally entranced by the CBC production. Don't you love people who review a book without reading it! I would normally never do that but I couldn't resist. The reading on the air was more than wonderful, enough so that even though I am a rock hard cynic and a scientist I was totally captivated.

Leopoldo Alas es un universal viviendo como provinciano pues nunca salió de España, sin embargo es impresionante su capacidad para penetrar en su actualidad histórica. Usando los principios naturalistas como nadie en La Regenta el edifica una historia sobre el cimiento de un perfecto conocimiento del lugar. Dicho de paso, lugar que el vivió y habitó, y por tanto muy bien estudiado para describirlo minuciosamente. Esta es una novela que Clarín escribió cuando tenía 33 años de edad. En apariencia la novela es provinciana por sus características, y a su vez es universal por la misma sustancia de la que es portadora.

Aquí vemos a Fermín de Paz, joven sacerdote, convertido en un instrumento codicioso, dirigido por las ambiciones de su madre, sedienta de poder quiere que su hijo se adueñe del poder eclesiástico de toda una ciudad. Ana Ozores, la más bella mujer de la burguesía regional de Vetusta le es confiada como penitente. Ella es una mujer huérfana y privada del verdadero sentimiento anhelado por todos los humanos: el amor. Es prisionera de un amor fingido con un hombre de mucha más edad, el viejo regente Víctor Quintanas. Ana es seducida por su joven confesor, sensual por naturaleza y libertino desenfrenado. Esa lucha de tentaciones es en sí el corazón que mana en La Regenta en los tres años que cubre esta historia pasional.

Siendo totalmente seducida por Fermín, Ana descubre que más que hermana de fe es victima de un amor pasional cayendo en adulterio, viendo como resultado una cadena de sufrimientos al ocurrir una tragedia entre el sacerdote y su esposo a quien mata en duelo desequilibrado, huyendo finalmente y dejando a Ana en completa soledad y abandono, rechazada por toda una ciudad.

Para entender el impacto de estas acciones imaginémonos solo por segundos la España de entonces atada a qué dirán y a los caprichos de la época. Ana, creemos, nunca se había tenido que casar con un hombre a quien no amaba y que incluso por la gran diferencia de edad nunca llegaría a amar posiblemente más que a un padrino. Entra pues esta novela dentro de las llamadas novelas de adulterio donde Clarín refleja igualmente el estado social y moral de la sociedad que el conoce muy bien, en un ambiente histórico detallado.

En 1888 Luis Bonafoux y Quintero acusó a Clarín de plagios diciendo que La Regenta era una astuta traducción de Madame Bovary de Flaubert, a lo que el escritor contestó: "cuando escribí este capítulo del texto no pensaba en madame Bovary ni con cien leguas; diez o doce años hacía que la había leído. Pero aunque me hubiese acordado de ella, sin el menor escrúpulo hubiese escrito todo lo escrito; pues, en efecto, no hay parecido ni remoto en lo que
Bonafoux llama plagio (Clavería, 1942)."

Se compara pues como Leopoldo Alas pinta a Ana de Ozores, sujeta dentro de su propio acontecer a las mismas crisis románticas e ilusiones que Emma Bovary en su rincón normando en la novela de Flaubert, y es hasta cierto punto la misma manera de concebir el personaje como no en vano el propio Clarín dijo "una mujer que sueña es una mujer que piensa de la manera más natural de pensar en las mujeres (Clavería, 1942)."

Baste añadir como Clarín usa su magistral naturalismo incluso para hacer descripciones de la temporada del año en el Capitulo Uno. Su exámen microscópico del que hablábamos anteriormente es exaltado de una manera casi fotográfica pues el nos narra incluso los tonos, reflejos y hasta sonidos del prado: "Empezaba el otoño. Los prados renacían, la hierba había crecido fresca y vigorosa...se destacaban sobre prados y maizales con tonos oscuros; la paja del trigo, escaso, amarilleaba...algunas quintas de recreo...reflejaban la luz como espejos. Aquel verde esplendoroso con tornasoles dorados y de plata...y su cumbre la sombra de una nube invisible...vigorosa y variada."

Hay un contraste entre realismo y fantasía donde el autor usa elementos fantásticos como alternativa para acertar en la realidad que quiere exponer entre Ana y Fermín, usando incluso modos de suspenso trayendo el susto del horror de manera sobrenatural a la que aquí llamamos métodos de fantasía. Usando esta técnica, según nuestro parecer, Clarín aprovecha para denunciar las condiciones reales de la sociedad en que se desenvuelve la historia y la influencia religiosa-espiritual de la España de la época.

Alejandro RG.

Leopoldo Alas, aka "Clarín" falls into that curious category of authors whose literary output is, though exceedingly limited, nonetheless extremely important. A prolific journalist, and author of numerous short stories, he produced only two novels, one of which, _La Regenta_ is widely recognized as perhaps the best single work of fiction of 19th century Spain.

Clarín will remain forever overshadowed by his contemporary, Galdós, -- the acnowledged master of the era -- whose _Fortunata and Jacinta_ stands as the other great 1000 page novel of the period. Yet it is arguable whether or not any single work of Galdos' conveys quite the same epic sense of grandeur and beauty as Clarin's magnum opus.

Readers who delve into Clarin's novel will find themselves immersed in the lives of numerous members of the haute burgeoisie of Vetusta, including Ana Ozores -- the Regenta from whom the novel takes its title -- her good natured husband with a romantic penchant for "honor plays" of the Spanish, golden age theater, Mesias, the man who would be lover, and Fermin, the extremely conservative priest and confessor who steadfastly defends the doctrine of Papal infallibilty and strives to save her from the temptations of Mesias even as he himself becomes seduced by her beauty. A host of secondary characters completes the rich tapestry of Vetustan social life and helps create one of most lush and engrossing novels of the epoch.

_La Regenta_ stands in Spanish letters, second perhaps, only to Cervantes' _Don Quixote_. It equals anything Galdos produced, and, indeed, compares quite favorably to anything produced in Europe in that century. Along with Cervantes, Borges and García Marquez, Leopoldo Alas is without a doubt one of the Spanish speaking world's greatest novelists.

Funny, tragic, complex story about a woman and about a whole small city.
Wonderfuly written, with a trully great character, Fermin, and more than a hundred supporting roles.
Much better than Madame Bovary, or anythimg from Dickens, Zola, James.. (and much more amusing).

for the archaeology fiends out there, this is a perfect read. i had no idea there was so much prehistory in the arctic!

"The Last Imaginary Place: A Human History Of The Arctic World" by Robert McGhee (Curator of Arctic Archaeology at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, Canada) is the result of thirty years of research with the native peoples of the Arctic by Robert McGhee who extensively traveled in the region. Superbly written so as to be complete accessible for students of anthropology and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the people and history of the arctic, "The Last Imaginary Place" is filled with fascinating accounts of fur trading, ivory hunting, native whaling, doomed exploration efforts, and the disorienting terrain that has beguiled and imperiled Europeans from the time of their first access to this remote region of the earth down to the present day. Winner of the Canadian Historical Association's 2004 Clio Award for Northern Canadian History, "The Last Imaginary Place" is as informed and informative, as it is engaging and entertaining!

This is one of the most comprehensive historical books I have ever read. I don't know how Robert McGhee crammed such a vast history of such an enormous place into 320 pages. Of course, plenty of things were understated (particularly the Peary-Cook controversy) and a few things were drawn out and at times a bit dry (I found the chapter on Siberia to be slightly less interesting than the other chapters). Mostly though, McGhee is ultimately very fair in how he represents the various places he talks about, from Hudson Bay to Alaska to Spitsbergen to Siberia and beyond. No one region is represented as more important than another one, and reading the book, one comes to realize that all regions of the Arctic have very fulfilling histories.

Stylistically the book is impressive as well. McGhee speaks of Greely and Franklin ways that would spark interest in someone who had no interest in Arctic history. There are many summaries of dramatic events throughout the book, keeping his "human history" consistently interesting. The book, while being comprised of stories, is based wholly on research and historical record, which gives it a textbook feel from time to time, but even the pictures and maps (which, to my amazement, are completely left out of many Arctic-related books) give the book (and stories) a lot of life. In comparison to something like Frozen in Time which was much more science-based, yet easy for anyone to understand, The Last Imaginary Place is another account of a much more extensive history by an author who is extremely passionate about his work. This particular characteristic is not uncommon in today's Arctic writers (though, in previous decades/centuries, much of the accounting of expeditions was BORING).

In the end, this book could have turned out horribly dry and boring, it could have been a neutral history book with no particular feeling involved...instead, The Last Imaginary Place is a book you want to read every page of. There are priceless tidbits of information throughout the book, and from the pages about the Ice Age to Thule to the Vikings and on to 19th & 20th century exploration, there's nothing that can be flipped through without reading...to do that would be to miss something not only important, but something that would be enjoyable to read.

Before reading The Last Resort I neither understood nor cared much about retirement planning. Now, however, even though I'm only 24 years old, and thanks to the book, I've acquired a much better appreciation of why investing and lifestyles planning is so important - for both young and old. I'm recommending that any young person who reads this should also read The Last Resort.

I've read many books on investing and I haven't found one yet that is better than The Last Resort. Readers learn not only about some little known investment strategies, but also about the importance of knowing what you want to do with your money once you have it - a different, more holistic approach that really appealed to me.

I've now read The Last Resort twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. I'd strongly endorse it for anyone who is concerned about their retirement prospects and who appreciate common sense, practical advice presented in a highly readable manner. The best thing I can say about this book is that it actually motivated me to increase my retirement savings and investing resolve.

Rob Thomson

I've just discovered the books of Sid Marty this year and I'm finding anything written by this gifted author is simply astonishing. What a rare combination-- what we have here is a park ranger with an extraordinary insight into human behavior who also has an ability to record his reflections with uncommon talent. Leaning on the Wind is spellbinding. I could not put it down.

Leaning on the Wind is a biography of the eccentric Marty clan and their homestead on Alberta's prairie below the eastern front of the Canadian Rockies. While a family history, it is equally an ecological treatise and a paean to the beauty and wonder of nature. Marty is a gifted writer who captures the heart and brings it home to revel in his mountains. Alternately comic, tragic, and inspiring, one readily feels a member of his family and the unconventional lives they lead.

Like all eco-centric books, there is a fair share of ideology tossed about, but, unlike others, Marty takes the complete political spectrum to task. His is no Leftist caterwaul that bleeds well beyond the issue of environmentalism, but an objective exposition on the ecological ills that all forms of government bring.

From page one, I swept through this book in just a couple of sittings. It is a model of it's genre full of optimism, success, failure, and melancholy, but ultimately, of love: Sid Marty's love for his people and their place amidst Alberta's rustic natural majesty. I recommend it highly. 5 stars.

From the warmth of your bedroom to the clarity of a foothill on a February morning, Leaning on the Wind takes you to places you didn't think existed. Like going on a trip with a serene uncle and reading his life like a carpet slowly unrolling in front of you. You are there with him and above it looking at his memories. This novel is neither myth and only cousin to fact; it is a folk story of the every day. In the middle east, Persian weavers insert a flaw in the pattern of their rugs, because only God is perfect. Marty, too, puts some extra stitches in his weaving and occasionally waxes tedious in his comment on the every day. But every insight requires a little bit of time and energy. It is a picture of both the beauty and sorrow in Canada.

In "The Learning Paradox," Jim Harris weaves together topics including leadership, customer service, value, economy, information, technology, learning organizations, and environment. He shows how the current economy is changing the relationships between customers, organizations, employees, and managers. "The Learning Paradox" is dedicated to helping organizations and individuals adapt to this economy. Harris divides twelve chapters into two parts.

In Part I, Harris examines the paradoxes between the "Old Rules" and the "New Rules". He discusses how security is now based on adaptability, not stability. He writes entire chapters on how leaders can become Problem-Finders and Opportunity Seekers, how to create sustainable enterprises, and how to create value within organizations.

Part II is dedicated to the shifts in thinking required for an organization to thrive in the changing economy. He practices what he preaches in the value-added department: he includes discussion questions with these chapters. Readers can share the chapters with their teams and use these questions to discuss their organization's future.

Harris fills his book with case studies and examples of how some organizations already are shifting gears, taking advantage of technological advances, and adding value for their employees and customers. His research is carefully documented and end-noted so his readers can easily learn more if they like. Harris' writing style is straight-forward and very easy to read. This book has been very useful for me in thinking about our organization's needs and future.

The Learning Paradox shares its practical concepts and insightful ideas in many areas that people and organizations need work on! From the page that you are encouraged to rip out before you start to the final words from other leaders and authors, Jim Harris captured my imagination.

At work it is often hard to remember where you are going, let alone how to get there. When I look to enhance the workplace and make myself more valuable, Jim's chapter on Creating Value reminds me about control, teamwork, alignment and continuous learning.

The section called Shifting to the New Realities delves into the information technology impacting us all, from the Web to the Environment. It also serves as an excellent handbook on customer retention and delight. How often we aim for that -- but how hard it is to maintain! Jim manages to use substantial evidence to support his ideas, yet makes it all seem absolutely do-able!

I can't recommend this book and author highly enough! Be sure to also read his technology and Internet information -- it is provocative and exciting.

In "The Learning Paradox," Jim Harris weaves together topics including leadership, customer service, value, economy, information, technology, learning organizations, and environment. He shows how the current economy is changing the relationships between customers, organizations, employees, and managers. "The Learning Paradox" is dedicated to helping organizations and individuals adapt to this economy. Harris divides twelve chapters into two parts.

In Part I, Harris examines the paradoxes between the "Old Rules" and the "New Rules". He discusses how security is now based on adaptability, not stability. He writes entire chapters on how leaders can become Problem-Finders and Opportunity Seekers, how to create sustainable enterprises, and how to create value within organizations.

Part II is dedicated to the shifts in thinking required for an organization to thrive in the changing economy. He practices what he preaches in the value-added department: he includes discussion questions with these chapters. Readers can share the chapters with their teams and use these questions to discuss their organization's future.

Harris fills his book with case studies and examples of how some organizations already are shifting gears, taking advantage of technological advances, and adding value for their employees and customers. His research is carefully documented and end-noted so his readers can easily learn more if they like. Harris' writing style is straight-forward and very easy to read. This book has been very useful for me in thinking about our organization's needs and future.

do yourselves a favor-- fancy yourself a playwright?

take a note from judith thompson's lion in the streets.

otherwise, you're not getting it.

This play is brilliant. I don't know what is in the water in Canada, but it certainly has one major side affect.... AMAZING TALENT. Read this play. Read it often. Buy it now.

Judith Thompson writes like no other playwright I have come across. It is like a poetic version of language we hear every day on the streets. Her mixture of unsettlingly extreme, yet disturbingly real situations and dark humor take the reader on an emotional ride that is not soon forgotten. As an actor,I find the emotional life and depth she gives to each character in a scene (no matter how small the part) is such a refreshing change. The reader, or audience gets a real look at each characters inner core, even though their scene may be over within a matter of minutes. This play is extremely underated and should be read by all. There are lions in all of our streets, and we must learn to take our lives back.

This book is a must-have for all parents of young children. I know it will become a family favorite in your family as it has in mine. It is one of the few picture books I have kept on my shelf (I'm 14 now)because of how special it is; I could never give it up. I don't think anyone would be able to say anything bad about this book. It has amazing illustrations. They are super cute, colorful, and life-like. The story is about a teddy bear who awakens to find that his trousers have been misplaced. He goes around all day asking his friends if they have seen them. They all say the same thing- they were using them (for some very unique purposes) but when they were finished with them they let someone else use them. Finaly Little Bear catches up with his pants and it's worth the wait. If you decide to purchase this book pick up a couple more of Jane Hissey's Old Bear stories, you won't be dissapionted in any of them.

Our (hard copy) of, Little Bear's Trousers, has been read dozens of times! The illustrations are extraordinary, and the creative uses Little Bear's friends make of his trousers are inventive and practical! The story has a joyful ending wherein all the friends can celebrate not only the return of Little Bear's trousers but some time together enjoying a bit of cake. The ONLY complaint I would make about this book (and which was actually pointed out to me by my six 1/2 year old daughter) is that of the nine characters, only two are female. We, however, have rectified this situation by granting them a new sexual status virtually everytime we read this book. Both of my kids (one boy, one girl) adore this book and have for years. Highly recommeded!

This book is a must-have for all parents of young children. I know it will become a family favorite in your family as it has in mine. It is one of the few picture books I have kept on my shelf (I'm 14 now)because of how special it is; I could never give it up. I don't think anyone would be able to say anything bad about this book. It has amazing illustrations. They are super cute, colorful, and life-like. The story is about a teddy bear who awakens to find that his trousers have been misplaced. He goes around all day asking his friends if they have seen them. They all say the same thing- they were using them (for some very unique purposes) but when they were finished with them they let someone else use them. Finaly Little Bear catches up with his pants and it's worth the wait. If you decide to purchase this book pick up a couple more of Jane Hissey's Old Bear stories, you won't be dissapionted in any of them.