Canada Books

One issue that I grapple with frequently is the difference between "art" and "illustration". In the world of fine art illustrators are generally looked on as an inferior breed by the critics. In his introduction to "Hardyware" David A. Hardy expresses his reproof at modern art's derision of anything beautiful or representational.

This got me thinking. If SF art is "mere illustration" as an art critic would say, what about all those historical paintings of heaven and hell, the last judgement and armageddon? Critics seem to love those.

But I digress. SF art does have its place, and it plays an important role. The main body of "Hardyware" gives us a glimpse of the possibilties that await us in the future. If things turn out properly and we don't destroy ourselves, our descendents will become great builders with the potential to conquer the stars. Most of the artwork in this collection is done in gouache and acrylic, although more recently the artist has turned to digital media.

We see visions of the past as well as the future. One of my favourite pieces is a scene from "The War of the Worlds". I remember seeing that image on a cover jacket when I was 12, although I didn't know who the artist was back then. The image of a dinosaur looking up at a descending asteroid is hauntingly grim.

I often think SF artists are underrated. Though they are often proved wrong, their visions provide a valuable contribution to the development of our civilization, giving inspiration to those who have the ability to make fantasy a reality.

This super book contains well over a hundred examples of the work of perhaps our best living space artist, along with a fascinating text full of insights into his thinking and his modus operandi.

When you go on vacation what kind of hotel do you look for? A five star ediface that has twenty-four hour entertainment, heated pool and room service to die for? Or do you look for that quaint out of the way inn where you can relax the day away? Or do you prefere a bed and breakfast, where you can feel like you are part of the neighborhood for a few days? Or do you look for that room with an ocean view? All of those kinds of hotels are okay, but if you really want something different, why not check out a haunted hotel.

Would you like to meet nursemaid Annie who haunts the Kendall Manor in Alabama? Or would you rather meet the ghost of Thomas Rowe who haunts the Don Cesar resort in St. Petersburg, Florida? Or perhaps you'd like to get to know the night watchman at Kennebunk Inn in Maine. Oh, did I forget to mention that the watchman is dead?

Yes, you too can visit a haunted hotel, maybe see a ghost, and you'd want to see a friendly ghost, so stay away from the Overlook Hotel. Anyway, if you want to meet a ghost in a haunted hotel, this is the book for you. Very well written too. A delight to read.

Review by Vesta Irene

This book will help you decide where to (and not to) stay when you go on trips. The stories were well told, and enjoyable.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends HAYLEY WICKENHEISER BORN TO PLAY for whenever you hear someone say "girls can't play ice hockey"!

From her first skates in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan to banging around with her brother & his friends on the ice rink in their back yard. From being the only girl on the Tom Thumb Team to winning the gold medal as a member of the all-girls Blackfoot Cougar Bantams to again being the only girl on the AA Northwest Bruins boys' team. To being picked for Team Canada for the 1998 Winter Olympics, & onwards.

So, suit up & get out on the ice with Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser, & see what determination, skill & grace can do flying in the face of a longtime male-dominated sport.

I bought this book for my eleven year old granddaughter after watching an interview of Haley on TV. My granddaughter loved it and was inspired to keep playing hockey. Young kids should have more books like this which challanges them to do their best.

This novel is sweet and captivating. The story is well written with prose that is almost lyrical. The portrayal of the fictional Guanagaspar gives a vivid and well researched picture of Trinidad in the early twentieth century. This is truly West Indian literature at its best.

I can't believe there are no reviews for this novel. This was a moving story and was very well crafted. The story keeps you and holds you. I'm looking forward to reading more from this outstanding author. Check it out. You will like this novel.

Reviewed by
Dawnny
Mahogany Media Review
Albany, N.Y.

A great book that explains why fats are important. For too long fats have been lumped together and demonized to the detriment of the health of society. We are paying a terrible price for the scientific and economic decision to use laboratory created fats. We can return to health by using natural essential fats.

I have been trying over the last three years to determine if I wanted to continue living, wanted to find how to stop hurting, and if there was a "miracle" to help me. I was browsing in the library at the Senior Living Complex I live in yesterday and FOUND MY MIRACLE! Just like that.....I couldn't put this wonderful book down; I read it most of the night and finished it the next afternoon. I want to try the two most important solutions to my problems that I found in this publication. FLAX SEED AND FISH OIL! THE SUPER FOODS! I can't thank Lorna and Karlene enough. Their explanations, examples, recommended dosages are so simple to follow. When I read their charts for symptoms, I was amazed to find what I've been begging to know about for the last three years. Suffering might be endurable, but not very enjoyable. I'm hoping that their suggestions will help me want to endure life, ease my pain and that life will be a beautiful option instead of a milestone.

Women can be a bit cagey when it comes to discussing food and eating, so it's refreshing to come across a writer/mom like Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit who pulls no punches when it comes to describing how robust her appetite became once she started breastfeeding: "Gone were the days of eating mindfully and savouring the taste of food; instead I discovered I could cram en entire muffin into my mouth, that yogurt was as good eaten straight from the container, and that I could eat cheese and crackers, talk on the phone, and rock a fussy baby all at the same time."

Tempelman-Kluit has written a mom-friendly guide to feeding yourself after baby. The focus of this friendly and helpful book (which consists of recipes, breastfeeding information, and kitchen how-to's) is on showing you that there's more to postpartum dining than ordering take-out and/or scavenging for frozen leftovers.

A lot of the recipes in here are great for quick easy meals for anyone--not just moms wanting to nurture their children. A great book. Easy to read--a must for mothers with new babies--well presented-and fun.

So may of today's sports headlines are about the negative aspects of sport. In this age of drug scandals, bribery allegations, labour unrest and general selfishness in sport, it is sometimes good to remind ourselves of the postive stories of triumph over adversity, success of the human spirit and the glory of athletics.

In Hearts of Gold by Lorne Zeiler, we are reminded of this very fact. The author has profiled around 30 Canadian Olympians in easy-to-read and inexpensive format. Each profile is centered around a particular incident that showcases the athlete's spirit and heart, and the author fills in biographical detail in context.

I learned so much from Hearts of Gold and it has reinvigourated me to learn more about the athletes thet have worn the Maple Leaf for the past 100 years. Though every athlete in this book didn't win a gold medal, they all ceratinly proved that they had the spirit and the sportsmanship to do so. It seems to me that that is what Olympic competition is really all about.

Thank you Lorne Zeiler for bringing this delightful book into the world. Every fan of sport would do well to read Hearts of Gold and remind themselves why they fell in love with it in the first place.

This is an excellent book and is very well written. It clearly and accurately presents the athletes' Olympic achievements, background, and what they are doing now. It is divided into seven sections: Honourable Conduct, Staying on Track, Overcoming Physical Adversity, Of Principles, Innovators, Determination, and Grace in Defeat. Athletes featured are Larry Lemieux, Phil Edwards, Alywn Morris, Chrissy Redden, Sharon Donnelly, Silken Laumann, Gaetan Boucher, Elvis Stojko, Anne Ottenbrite, Irene MacDonald, Egerton Marcus, Sammy Luftspring, Becky Scott, The Matchless Six (the first 6 women to represent Canada at the Olympics), Arnold Boldt, Percy Williams, Bill Sherring, George Hungerford and Roger Jackson, Sylvie Frechette, and Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.

This book leaves you wanting more stories about Canadian Olympians. Clara Hughes and Simon Whitfield come to mind and I hope they are included in a sequel. Lorne Zeiler's clear writing style makes this book appropriate for pre-teens to adults.

In December 1955 the stormy rescue of a disabled freighter by the Victoria, BC salvage tug Sudbury made headlines around the world: a feat which was to repeat year after year as the Sudbury and Sudbury II made dramatic rescues through typhoons and shipwrecks alike. High Seas, High Risk is the saga of the two salvage tugs which became famous for risky deep-sea rescues and long-distance towing; in the processing telling of an owner who began with nothing and turned two little tugs into a challenging, successful business. True life adventure at its best.

This book tells the story of the Island Tug & Barge Co's two big salvage tugs, both named "Sudbury". Island Tug & Barge is now history. Its greatest years were the fifties and sixties. The big tugs were initially acquired for the towage of ships to the scrapyards, which was a thriving business in those years. The entered also in deepsea salvage work where both tugs earned their fame. The book tells about the tugs and, of wrecks, of ferocious storms, of tugs riding out typhoon weather the tow still attached. And of the crewmembers of course. The book is a very good read, also to the non-initiated in the business of deep sea salvage. It also has a number of photographs accompanying the text. It is good that this piece of marine history has been published.

This book provides an excellent introduction to the complexities of Canada's highly decentralized higher education system. It is now a little dated (published in 1997 I believe) but I still think that it is probably the best overview book on Canadian higher education that has been published.

This is a wonderful book for anyone attempting to understand the structure and organization of higher education in Canada. Recognizing that there is no Canadian "system" of higher education, the book includes thoughtful essays on the higher education arrangements in each province and territory. This is quite simply a "foundational" volume for the study of higher education in Canada.

Charles L. Blockson is unarguably the 20th Century's foremost Underground Railroad historian and the author of several informative books on this great American movement. This book is his opus magnum. It is comprehensive, and should be on the shelf of every student of the subject, in every library and historical society.

This is an excellent book if you are looking for information about specific locations on the Underground Railroad. This book provides detailed information organized by states, and makes an excellent reference book. It is a unique book because of its reference qualities. Blockson's The Underground Railroad 1987 book provides more emphasis on first person narratives of escapes to freedom in the North. If you are looking for Underground Railroad reference locations, purchase Blockson's Guide to The Underground Railroad. If you are looking for first person narratives of escaped slaves, purchase Blockson's The Underground Railroad.