Canada Books

I like this book, it's an engaging and insightful journey down life's path - the humor in the acknowledgements is sardonic 'quirky', and it made me laugh and smile in a good way - I lived in Toronto in the 70's and there are familiar sites - High Park in the spring, york mills subway in an affluent neighbourhood and the Don Valley Parkway - completed in the 60's as a commuter route along the scenic Don River Valley, now, because of gridlock, infamously nicknamed the 'don valley parking lot' - readable beside companion with a cup of hot cocoa!

Hi there AJT


I got your book Friday when I arrived home after a long week in report card mode
what a tonic for the weekend it was
what a time warp
a trip
what a tingle just saying the title
it all resonates from so long ago
I loved the acknowledgements as much as any entry
thanks for sharing that
I want to be able to do what you did with your writing - give it to friends
that's my goal for this next year

Thanks again
JP

What you write is never dead.

This is a collection of experimental poetic writing and musings, thoughts of a 22 year old student; fictional, using metaphor, closing off one sense to only use another. Realizing that writing is personal, sometimes chaotic, but ultimately can attain some form. Does it describe reality? Not in the hard edged way we think of it. But it stirs the imagination in a sublime yet invigorating way.

The pranksers done numerous pranks, such as stealing the prime ministers underwhere. But now he or she's gone to far. They've solen the president's dog! Somehow it gets into the hands of Stevie Diamond, are vallient detective and her partner Jessie. Jessie is totaly into this 'prankster thing', but Stevie's not to sure about it. Jessie is able to pull Stevie into this crime, and they go through many adventures to get the crimal to go to out of crime.

This book you cannot put down.(I read it for 2 hours!!!!!!) This houmerous mystery is AWESOME GREAT EXCELLENT!!!!!! This book's plot will keep you going for hours! It is like you are solving your very own mystery as you read along!!!! I am still yet to read the other Stevie Diamond mysteries, but if they are like this one, I just can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!

The adventures of Stevie and her friend Jesse and the stray dog they adopt and their efforts to discover the identity of the Prankster who is terrorizing Vancouver made me laugh so hard I had to wipe the tears away. The story also kept me guessing.A great choice for kids who want a short and funny read.

...I would highly recommend this book. It is well written, and has many personal illustrations to which almost any reader could relate. It also covers a wide variety of grief/loss issues -- much more than just death. It is a GREAT resource to have in dealing with your own losses of life (big or small) as well as helping others deal with their losses as well. It's a must for anyone who has ever experienced -- or will ever experience -- grief of any kind!

... Then you read this wonderful book. In dealing with loss I would recomend this book to everyone. It's not just someone writing what they think you want to hear, these are real people that have overcome loss and reading this book has truly helped in my healing process and reminds me that God is in control. After reading this book I realize that no matter what trials come my way there is someone who really understands and has been through similar situations and even through my walk with Christ He does have a plan for me.I think that is the best gift anyone can give a person is the assurance that God loves us no matter what and that we are never alone and this book reminds me of that truth.

I recently read When Mourning Comes, and it was an encouragement to me. I could relate to several chapters, including the loss of a parent. A missionary friend lost her husband two months ago, and I shared the book with her. Hopefully, it will be a blessing to many other people as well. I highly recommend it.

Magnificent history of early French- Canada. Costain has a very readable style.

"The White and The Gold" tell the epic story of the French regime in Canada. Beginning with the early explorers, we meet the heroes and villains who charted the northern rivers and lakes, cleared the forests, evangelized the Indians and built the country that grew into Canada. The names from history books come alive on these pages. Jacques Cartier, Etienne Brule, Samuel de Champlain, Jean de Breboeuf, Msgr. Laval, Frontenac and so many others become real people to the reader.

The French settlers' conflict with the Iroquois receives much deserved attention. The conflict with the Iroquois dominated the development and settlement patterns throughout the French era. I always wondered how the Iroquois could give the French so much trouble when the other Indian tribes were allied with the French. In this book Costain gives the answer. The Iroquois were more intelligent and better warriors than the Huron, Erie and other tribes with whom the French allied themselves. The Iroquois not only harassed the French but actually destroyed some of their adversarial tribes, leaving place names as their only legacies.

I was surprised to see how much attention is devoted to the French personalities and events which had an impact on New France. We hear much of Louis XIV, Cardinal Richeleau and other figures who shaped French policy regarding Canada.

I started this book in hopes of learning about my French-Canadian ancestors. If finished it very well satisfied.

Fascinating book, captivating, and easily readable. It tells an accurate, historical story of the colonial French history in North America (New France). From the discovery of St Lawrence seaway to voyages along the Great Lakes, inland rivers of the Northeast,the Mississippi River, and settlements all the way to New Orleans; the French clearly provided lasting profound imprints on North America. The book's last chapter ends with the loss of the French to the English on the Plains of Abraham in Montreal. This battle ended the French and Indian War. New France was renamed Canada. The White and the Gold vividly brings to life this exciting and pivotal historical aspects of North America.

This is probably the best organized and informative kayaking/travel book I own. The large area maps are coupled with more detailed local maps to provide enough context and continuity. I am travelling to the Clayoqot area for several days of solo paddling, and this book provided ample helpful information.

A very useful book, and I'll consider the others in the series, now.

One minor quibble is that the book is color coded (which is good), but the matching "breakout" trip descriptions are printed in colors to match the section. Yellow-on-white is nearly impossible to read.

While I haven't yet used this book in the field, I have found it to be really good for planning my upcoming trip. It has lots of the right kind of information to help better anticipate what to expect and how to be prepared. The organization is great as are the illustrations/graphics, and I can say this having written a guidebook of my own (Paddling Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks). I look forward to the east coast edition coming out this summer.

this book is well written and researched and really made me want to change my up coming plan for day trips on the west coastof VI by kayak and instead spend a week doing so..camping along the way -

oh well next trip -

very handy book for planning such an excursion

Now in paperback for the first time, Wild Orchids Across North America: A Botanical Travelogue is offers detailed information concerning orchid biology, ecology, history, and conservation for nature lovers and gardeners alike. Full-color photographs throughout reveal the beauty of these wonderful flowers, making Wild Orchids Across North America a stunning visual treasury as well as a repository of information on all things orchid. The emotion that author and North American Native Orchid Alliance founding member Philip E. Keenan has for these captivating blossoms shows through in his exquisite attention to detail. Highly recommended especially for orchid lovers.

I have had the rare satisfaction of experiencing a manuscript about orchids that would be the envy of any writer on any subject, and a pictoral feast that certainly would put Keenan right up there as the Ansel Adams of orchids when it comes to photography.And somewhere up there Rachel Carson must be smiling down and thinking ,"Well done Mr. Keenan", for, like Carson, Keenan has great concern for our voyage through time on our spaceship earth and, in a most disarming manner, alerts us to our ecological responsibilities without being overbearing about it.This is not just about orchids - it's about life.

Memoirs and travelogues have long been a popular vehicle for sharing personal experiences on a wide variety of subjects. Most natural history tomes of this type are very general and have little specific information to generate vivid images for the reader. Not so with Philip Keenan's assemblage of more than two decades of traveling throughout most of North America in search of many of the wild orchids of that continent.

Keenan's descriptive prose is a fitting complement for his brilliant full-color images of wild orchids taken in situ from coast to coast. Having accompanied him on many of these forays I can say that each vignette or anecdote brings me back to the day of discovery! For those who have not been there, his photographs will give you a taste of what can be waiting for you.

Both the very rare and the frequent and familiar are treated with the same reverence and respect. For those who have lived in the Northeast the wide-spread pink lady's-slipper is still be to admired as much as the rapidly decreasing fairy-slipper. Keenan takes us to such diverse places as Newfoundland, Alaska (and its breathtaking Kodiak Island), the pinelands of New Jersey, and the open savannas of southeastern North Carolina. A few days in the 'sky islands' of southeastern Arizona yield several sought-after species. Although not a rabid 'life-lister' as are so many in various natural history fields, Keenan appreciates each new species and joins many of us in completing the study of all species within a genus.

This volume is both an excellent addition to the native orchidist's library or a perfect gift for anyone who appreciates nature. I can think of no other book on native orchids, or wildflowers in general, that would be as ideal as a first volume to intrigue and infect someone with an appreciation for the natural world around them. PMB

Windshift chronicles growth of observant understanding. The narrator's friends prepare for events and practice without the competitive overpowering presence of boys. They learn to use their heads. They learn about voice---not just physical voice, but presence, the ability to stand up and deliver, to take risks. They learn ways to answer the frequent question: "So, young lady, what have you done today to justify your existence". And they know that every dream of violence is a warning.
It is a book of discovery.

I couldn't put it down. Rita Moir's descriptive and moving account of her life in rural Canada as a single woman made me feel as if I were accompanying her on this journey. She is a gifted writer with an ability to express her deepest emotions, yet maintain a vein of humor and logic. I look forward to reading more of her works.

The Windshift Line takes us on a single woman's journey into her fears, her identity, her relationship with family, death and loss. It portrays a loving and strong family, and the roles people play within the family. It speaks to the value of community, of the natural world, of the bond with animals and the openness to love and express joy.

It is beautifully written, lyrical.

An artist, John Denton becomes obsessed with the image of a beautiful red-haired woman, a dream woman whose portrait he finds himself painting over and over again. She haunts his dreams, sometimes inviting, sometimes threatening. When John takes a job in the Canadian wilderness, he discovers his dream woman in the flesh -- but all is not well. She's under the brutal spell of the ghost of a dad ancestor. And John is the target victim of that long dead malevolence. Recommended reading, Gabriel Sinclair's The Woman Of Shadow Creek is a deftly written novel that gripes the imagination and attention of the reader from first page to last.

This book is different from all of the books I have read. It is very well written and the authors style is great.

My name is Don Bell and I am using this account.
There is never a dull moment in the book. I enjoyed more than current bestsellers.

As good as 'The Joy of Cooking' is for cooks who love to cook; Esther Myer's book 'Yoga and You' is the same for Yoga Teachers. The book may not introduce you to anything specactularly new and different but this book is better written and more concise than most. It's a great reference - nothing is missing. I would definitely find a place for it in your library.

Esther Myers, building on her background in Iyengar Yoga, finds a balanced and integrated style through the teachings of Vanda Scaravelli (author of "Awakening the Spine"). This book balances the history and philosophy of yoga with postures, breathing and meditation. She also includes personal anecdotes from her life, including her battle with breast cancer. Esther's approach is down-to-earth and her descriptions of the postures are clear, including drawings or pictures for each. I find myself going back to this book over and over, as a yoga teacher, to take in her simply profound wisdom and insight into yoga. "Yoga and You" is both inspirational and practical and highly recommended to anyone who is either just starting out, or has been practising yoga for years. An incredibly beautiful picture of the author with her cat shows a truly gently natured woman whom you feel you want to get to know as you read her book.

This is an amazing book. Very practical yet inclusive & descriptive. The pictures are beautiful. I would HIGHLY recommend this book to both beginners & more experienced students of yoga.

Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline by Canadian playwright George F. Walker, which was originally published in 1977, is a masterful adaptation of the Gothic novel masterpiece by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Zastrozzi: A Romance (1810). Zastrozzi was the first publushed work by Shelley in 1810. He wrote Zastrozzi when he was seventeen and a student at Eton. People remember Percy Bysshe Shelley today as a poet who wrote Ozymandias, Alastor, To a Skylark, Adonais, Prometheus Unbound, and The Masque of Anarchy. Shelley began his literary career, however, with the publication of two Gothic horror romance novels, Zastrozzi in 1810 and St. Irvyne in 1811.

Zastrozzi is about obsession, revenge, and the agony of unrequited love. Zastrozzi first kidnaps Verezzi and imprisons him. Bernardo guards him. Zastrozzi seeks revenge against Verezzi to avenge his mother. Matilda is obsessively in love with Verezzi. Verezzi, however, is in love with Julia. Zastrozzi manipulates Matilda to destroy Verezzi.

Zastrozzi is a complex psychological thriller. The story is not a simple tale about good versus evil. Zastrozzi goes beyond good and evil. Zastrozzi is a precursor of the works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Friedrich Nietzsche. Zastrozzi is a precursor of Rodion Raskolnikov of Crime and Punishment and Also Sprach Zarathustra. He is a superman who dismisses ordinary morality. He is an atheist for whom all is permitted. Zastrozzi is a demi-god, an assassin, who creates his own values and laws and morality.

Zastrozzi is a tale of pure horror. Zastrozzi is not satiated to kill merely the body. He seeks to kill the soul. Death is not the worst that can happen. He keeps Verezzi alive to be able to inflict unspeakable tortures on him and to terrorize and to manipulate him. Zastrozzi reaches the limits of human horror and depravity and terror.

George F. Walker is able to effectively transform and translate the obsession, horror, and conflicts in the story to the dramatic stage. He is able to retain and sustain the power and horror. Walker brings a Gothic horror masterpiece by one of the greatest Romantic authors, Percy Bysshe Shelley, to life and makes it contemporary.

Zastrozzi is highly recommended.

Reading this play drew me into a completely different world. I was both disgusted and attracted to every moment of action. From the start I was captivated--the opening monologue snags the imagination and sends chills up the spine. The constantly shifting character alliances and blood-chilling conclusion keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. Currently, I am fortunate enough to be involved backstage in a production of Zastrozzi. It has the most intense characters, gripping plot, and terrifying ideas of any production I've seen or been involved in. If you have the chance, read this play. If you are ever able to see a production, it is an opportunity not to be missed.

This is one of the best Canadian plays that I have ever read. It is full of passion, chaos and the bumbling humour of verezzi. I highly recommend this play to anyone with a dominant or submissive attitude.