Canada Books

I happened to be researching a paper for my graduate studies and came across a mention of this book. I was fortunate to find an inexpensive copy of the hardcover edition (though, in retrospect, the book is worth its original retail price). Warner does an excellent job presenting not only a historical perspective on the bogeyman figure (from ogre to nursery cautionary figure to cannibal) but also a literary foundation for such a beastie. Whether you are interested in horror tales or folklore, this book will be a worthwhile primer in the topic of fear.

Marina Warner's No Go the Bogeyman (1998) is a mesmerizing, rollicking, and joyously politically incorrect examination of the sociological origins of the nighttime bedroom phantasm known throughout the West as 'the bogeyman,' a being that the author links directly to the cannibalistic ogre figure so prevalent in classic fairytale lore.

The bogeyman, Warner theorizes, is a psychological and metaphorical shadow manifestation of the 'bad father,' who corresponds almost exactly to the 'wicked stepmother' of fairytale tradition. Warner believes that these negative parental images are obscure, metaphorical, and atavistic visages from an early time, when overt and covert competition for immediate survival amongst family members was a terrifying fact of daily life. Warner suggests that while most parents may today fulfill the required roles of guardian, nurturer, and provider in most cases most of the time, every adult has the inherent potential to relinquish one or all of them, and become an abandoner at best, and a predator, child killer, or cannibal at worst.

Not that Warner lets children off easily: like Camille Paglia, Warner refuses to see children as essentially benign, innocent, and tender-hearted. Warner sees infancy in particular as a time of "unappeasable demands and violent greed," behavior which, by a strange but spontaneous circularity, is often the very behavior by which "ogres and giants--and cannibal witches" are defined. Thus, part of the reason such tales exist and are read to impressionable children is because the stories teach their young audiences to recognize and reject their own worst personal and social inclinations.

Does the human need to eat, and thus destroy other life at some level, result in a continuous but little realized psychic cycle of guilt, self-loathing, anxiety, and horror for mankind, especially when commingled with incestuous familial entanglements? Are we all 'monsters' of some kind at some level? In a hilarious but acute look at the present-day "American identity," the author perceives many Americans as "pillowy and flaccid and fluffy and fat, like babies," members of a "generalized cult of childishness, a widespread, let's pretend infantilism" which "then fosters the image of the monster babies: they have something which we lack, which we desire. Baby envy has eclipsed [...]envy."

Warner also deftly illustrates how Freud's Oedipal theory, in which the young male child secretly desires to destroy the father with whom he feels competitive, is the direct inverse of the ogre's desire to devour his children and thus, Kronos-like, eliminate any competition his offspring may represent in the years to follow. Thus while the son, partially projecting a sense of his own unacceptable instincts, sees the father as the "child-guzzler," the father may perceive his child as a life-sucking parasite that may rob him of his future, drain away his vitality, and one day assume his place and position if something isn't done to prevent it.

The profusely illustrated No Go The Bogeyman features wonderfully erudite commentary on an enormous number of diverse subjects, including the myths surrounding Kronos, the Cyclops, Scylla, and Circe, Goethe's poem 'The Erkling,' the artwork of Goya, Hieronymus Bosch, Caravaggio, Jacque-Louis David, William Hogarth, Gustave Dore, Richard Dadd, and Henri Rousseau, Lewis Carroll's 'Alice' books, Dante's Divine Comedy, Punch & Judy shows, Beatrix Potter's 'The Tale of Samuel Whiskers,' Maurice Sendak's 'Where the Wild Things Are,' 1933's 'King Kong,' Bigfoot legends in America, David Lynch's 'Blue Velvet' (1986), Josephine Baker, Carmen Miranda, Halloween celebrations, and Carnival.

A fabulous and profoundly insightful book that answers some very significant (and perhaps unconscious) questions: Why are we compelled to scare our children? And why do children delight in being terrified? An absolute must for both parents and students of folklore.

I am currently in the midst of a major home landscaping project (the installation of terraces, shrubs, flowers, tall trees and irrigation combined with masonry and outdoor lighting) and had no idea what my landscape architect was talking about until I purchased this book. It's a simple and easy reference guide that really gives a novice a thorough education of home landscaping. This book will tell you "what" to have planted "where" and "why". The garden design layouts are also very helpful for anyone seeking site design guidance. My landscape architect was very impressed with my newfound knowledge of plantings and it's completely due to this book. This is a must purchase if you're looking to do any type of landscaping in the Northeast!

I poured over my mom's copy of this book for several weeks, and after returning it to her, decided it was time to buy my own. I'm a new homeowner who would love to beautify the yard with low maintenance plants that will thrive in my climate. This book is filled with lots of sample plans, pictures of plants, descriptions, and tips on how to care for / prune plants. I love it!!! I've developed my own plan for the front of the house based on ideas from the book, and I feel like I now have a decent idea of what plants to buy and how to group them to make a beautiful front yard. I highly recommend this book.

I live in the Northeast and am a novice gardener. This book is great because it gives you a lot of different garden plans, and let's you see what plants look good together and work well together in similar conditions. I also like that it shows a lot of the garden plans in different seasons, and in some cases shows you what your garden will look like when you plant it, then in five years, or ten years down the road.

The book has a great index so you can cross reference and see the same plant in different gardens, and there's a great reference section at the end that tells you all about each plant. It also has one of the best sections I've seen on preparing your garden for planting.

This is the most wonderful cookbook I own. I have hundreds, I have bought copies for very serious foodies. An ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE.

Where else when in a quandry, can you find recipes for Bear? Epicurious? I think not. Whale too is discussed. Where else can you find: Seal on a Bun (pg 157), Rabbit Chop Suey (pg 282) and Squirrel Fricassee (pg 91), you'll never look at those little darlin's in the park the same way again.

Hours of good fun, It always cheers me up to thumb through this book.

I must confess though I have yet to try a recipe in it so I cannot vouch for the results of these recipes. I did ask the local butcher on the availability of Seal or Whale once, well, let's just say that you must try it for yourself, the results are... most gratifying.
By all means buy it if you can find it, you won't regret it.

You should situate the whole thing as far north as the Canadian Northern teritories.

The food preparations in the book are meant seriously........ There are still people living in this world that dont have a super market at every other corner........

I like to read cookery books, and I even found information on how to cook a polar bear in this book. It also tells how to prepare all kind of rodents, squirrels, black and grizzly bears, elk, whale , seal and lynx(bobcat), reindeer(sorry Santa).

What about Beaver in sour cream????????Or Stuffed Moose Heart?????? Or could I please You more with a muskrat meat loaf?????????Recipes for Acorn soup and pine tip tea (rich in vitamine C) are also found in the book.

Besides these - in our eyes strange -recipes it also tells how to bake a cake (with or without bear fat) or glaze carrots, and caloric values of stuff. Did you know that 1tbs of whale blubber contains 112 calories?

The book also neatly provides us with the official hunting regulations for the North West Territories. As a non resident You must pay $510 in stamp and Trophy fees for a polar bear, and you can only hunt them if they're not accompanied by young. Grizzly bears are cheaper

If you can lay your hands on a copy of this book, dont hesitate to buy it.

This is perhaps the best cookbook a Northerner could own. Yes, it does feature such delicacies as Jellied Moose Nose and Hawaiian Caribou Tongue, but it also contains a wealth of information on how to prepare northern fish, wild berries, tundra greens, and other local (and free) victuals.

An added bonus are the brilliant illustrations by James Simpkins.

If you ever find yourself living north of sixty, do yourself a favour: beg, borrow or steal a copy of the Northern Cookbook.

Jack Bennett's journey to all of Canada's Highpoints makes for great adventure reading. If you're excited about what you've just read he has the beta about how to get you to each of the these places (bring your own mosquito netting). The book is an easy read, has outstanding photographs and maps, route diagrams and profiles of the actual climbing routes. The only thing missing from this book is the discomfort of wet feet and the itch of bug bites. A must adventure read. Go Jack!

Great Book! I've always thought about doing some kind of project like Bennett's here in the states. His honest (and sometimes very dramatic) recounting of his climbs and the straightforward, detailed guide section seems to make an accomplishment like his just possible enough for us mere mortals.

As a U.S. highpointer (my number is 14 as of 8/01), I wondered if anyone had tackled the Canadian highpoints yet and once I found Bennett's book, I got my answer.
For any highpointer who does U.S. spots like Iowa's Hawkeye Point or even Utah's King's Peak, the Canadian summits are typical highpointing trips, but to the extreme limit. Bennett gives a good chapter description of each summit attempt and includes pictures to let interested parties know what they are in store for. And frankly, none look to easy.

Among the Canadian highpoint adventures are a world-class mountaineering expedition (Mt. Logan in the Yukon), a 4-wheel mud-bogging drive through the Canadian shield (Saskatchewan), a orienteering nightmare in Nova Scotia, a canoeing portage trip through the backwoods of Ontario, an Arctic adventure at the top of the world (Nunavut) and a technical climbing test in some of the most remote country in North America (Mt. Nirvana in the Northwest Territories).

Bennett does attempt to give the reader some trail maps and directions to each summit but they are a bit confusing and not as precise as the directions in the Winger's U.S. Highpointing Handbook. Then again, Bennett must think no one is crazy enough to try and repeat his feat, especially after reading about his close calls in the book.
I ripped through this book in two days and was begging for more info afterwards. It is a highly addicting read and the reader will start to get the all-to-common 'highpointing itch' about half-way through th book.

A great book, I highly recommend it, and who knows, maybe we will be discussing it atop Mt. Fairweather someday.

Happy highpointing!

This enjoyable and well-written cowboy memoir takes readers to the hinterlands of central British Columbia during the war years of 1939-1942. The author and his partner Panhandle Phillips take over the two-million-acre Frontier Cattle Company, located in grassland valleys among the mountain ranges, several days' ride from the nearest town and over 200 miles from the nearest rail line. It is a land where winters are severe, and the first challenge facing them is a December cattle drive that ends in near-disaster as the men are overtaken by a fierce blizzard and sub-zero temperatures.

The son of an admiral in the U.S. Navy, Hobson is an educated Easterner living a life of pioneering adventure on one of the last western frontiers on the continent. His story is peopled with a large cast of memorable characters, including cowhands, ranchers, storekeepers, and Indians. His gifts as a writer are many, as he intensifies the suspense and drama of several high-risk enterprises and fully relishes the humor in others. The attempt to transport a herd of wild horses by night from an offshore island to the Vancouver stockyards is told with a masterful grasp of knee-slapping farce. There's even a little romance, as our cowboy hero goes in breathless search of the girl of his dreams, armed only with a snapshot of her standing beside a prize Jersey bull. Readers will also enjoy Paul St. Pierre's short stories and novels set a decade later in the same remote ranch country.

AS exciting as the other two books.Humerous,yet portrays the adventure and hardship of that era.

I've read all three of Hobson's excellent books about his adventures in the Canadian wilderness. My son, who is a real cowboy in Montana, told me about the books, saying, "These books tell the real story, mom--this is what it's like out here, particularly during the long, lonely, winter days and nights." Hobson's writing style, simple yet eloquent imagery, is perfect. I actually got chills when reading about grizzly attacks and those 70-degree below nights when both man and beast had to work to stay alive. Great stories, great writing!

The book was better than I expected...so perfect for kids. The books arrived safely and promptly.

This book is great for boys and girls all ages. My grandson is 2, and loves this book. His Dad is a Bobby Orr fan, so it was a perfect gift for him!

My five year old son loved this story. Great for young hockey fans.

wow, obsession is the most moving book i've read in my entire life. the storyline always had you guessing and wanting more. this book should definatly be put up on the big screen! its a wonderful story of love, hate and unknowing. great book Lewis! your a star!

First of all I would like to thank the author for the wonderful writing skills and interesting language used (I'm Russian and studied linquistics all my life). The book is brilliant - I will recommend all my friends to read it. The author kept me in suspense, I could not put it down till I finished reading the last page. It is not easy for me to get the books by Susan Lewis in Russia but now for sure I'll be trying to as I want to find out if the other books by this authjor are as wonderful as this one. Definitely recommended for reading - beautiful love story, thriller, mystery. Thank you.

Obsession is the second book by Susan Lewis I read but I liked it more than Taking chances. It's a remarkable book - it's a love stiry that contains mystery and thriller. The main character of the story (Corrie Brownie) is the type of woman that we all want to be. She's strong, talented ans sexy. Her life is interesting and at the end it brings her what she deserves - a nice man that loves her to bits. The language of the novel is beautiful as well, the author keeps you in suspense all the time. Definitely recommend this book for reading. Excellent book to spend time on.

I read Mark Noll's work while in seminary. I found it an excellant exposition of the development of Christianity within America. Since reading it myself, I have recommended it as a basic reading in adult education for understanding today's political melieu. The topic is helpful in understanding the development of religious thought that has invaded our understanding of democracy.

In this fascinating book, Professor Mark A. Noll of Wheaton College in Illinois traces the evolution of the various Christian denominations throughout American history. The bulk of the book is taken up with the history of the United States, examining the past very well, and present trends excellently! Following this, the author has 4 chapters that look at certain particulars: theology in America, the Church in Canada (good) and Mexico (excellent!), the fate of European traditions-Lutherans and Roman Catholics, and day-to-day spirituality and the Bible.

Overall, I thought that this was a simply fantastic book! I found the author's analysis to be both fascinating and convincing. Also, I must say that I have not seen a look at recent trends that could compare. So, as you might expect from all of this gushing, I loved this book, and highly recommend it to you!

I read Mark Noll's first foray into this subject, his 1992 History of Christianity in the US and Canada. I thought it was good, but a little too academic and scholarly for most people.

This book is a tight condensation of what appeared in that previous volume, plus a good deal more about African-American Christian history, as well as Mexican Christian history.

The thesis of the book seems to be how the separation of church and state in the USA made it possible for many different kinds of Christianity (and of other sects) to flourish.

We read about the influential preaching ministry of George Whitefield and thr writings of Jonathan Edwards in the 1740s and how their ministries impacted thousands of people for Christ.

We learn about the indefatigable ministry work of Francis Asbury, who started Methodist study groups and congregations all through the states.

We learn about Harriet Livermore, the first woman to preach the word in the US Congress.

We also see how the black community drew strength and inspiration from the biblical narratives, both during and after the slavery years.

We see how Catholicism has had a tremendous influence in Mexico and in Canada.

We also see the formidable influence of Pentecostalism, both in the USA and in Mexico.

I appreciated the afterword's mentioning of the some of the influences that impacted American Christianity: The slavery issue, the first amendment which guaranteed that the government would not pass legislation with respect to the establishment of a religion, the ministries of Edwards, Whitefield, and other revivalists, and the westward expansion.

One way this excellent book could be strengthened would be the addition of material about the impact of postmodernism on biblical Christianity. Perhaps there could also be added sections on the influence of Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, and other evangelical megachurch pastors.

This book is great, and it will help you to get a sense of the lay of the land as you seek to learn more about what God has done and what others have done in His name, both good and bad.

Olga Yunter was born in the summer of 1900 in a small trading outpost on the Siberian steppes. and ahd a happy childhood there, living a life experiencing the rich culture of the many nations that lived in the region.

But as millions of lives were lost in the bloody Russian Revolution of 1917, Olga and her family were caught up in her struggle to save the town from the marauding bloodthirsty Bolsheviks. Olga, with a price on her head for anti-Bolshevik activities was forced to flee Russia for northern China.

She lost her home three times- first to the Bolshevik takeover of Russia, then to the Japanese invasion of China during World War II, and finally to the brutal takeover of China in the late 1940s by the
Communists.
We learn of the life of her Olga from her childhood in Siberia, where she married an Englishman and lived through invasion and civil war. A rich and eventful life on four continents told told by compassion and passion by the heroine of this true story's granddaughter.
Interesting things we can glean from this book is that a large proportion of the Bolshevik forces during the Russian Civil War (1918-1920) were German and Austrian prisoners of war. The Bolsheviks were from the beginning a movement against the Russian people.
That the Bolsheviks were the first to use cattle cars to transport people to labour camps and forced exile, and that there were various different foreign communities in the northern Chinese town of Tientsin were Olga and her family lived for some years.

The story of a remarkable woman living through earth-shattering and bloody events, and about experiences with people from all different walks of life and the many different nations and traditions with which she came into contact.

I have never read a more compelling story. The author's grandmother Olga was a fascinating woman who led a remarkable life spanning three continents. Ms. Williams has woven the stories Olga told her over the years together with extensive research to create a vivid biography. It is filled with human drama and rich history -- much of it unfamiliar to Westerners. Lively, artful writing enhances this extraordinary book which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

The machinations of war and revolution come alive as the threads of one family's life are interwoven throughout the history of two World Wars, the Bolshevik Revolution and the rise of Communism.

This book was especially poignant for me: my grandmother too was born in Russia. White Russian or Red, ordinary people were capriciously affected by the power struggle. Coincidentally,I read the book while on a two week trip to Shanghai, China and walked along the Bund (where some of the old buildings still remain standing) imagining the countless people affected by the Japanese invasion and by Mao's rise to power. I've also visited Victoria in beautiful British Columbia, Canada where Olga temporarily took refuge.

This book has given me an understanding at how quickly events change. I pray that the free world will never again be overrun by those who wish to impose their views on society.

it really taught you that he didnt have the best lif

This book was very good. It told about Wayne Gretzkys life, his stats and how great he really was. Thats why his nick name is the Great One. He set more than 61 records and has set untouchable ones. This is one of the best sport books ever made.

I thought this book was sweet.I liked it because it told me about his life and how he would play hockey with kids twice his age and still get goals.It said how he would win Stanley Cups and Art Ross trophys(a highest goal scorer of the year).Ialso liked it because it wasn't very long.