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Silver Hair and Golden Voice Austin Willis, from Halifax to Hollywood
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Over his extensive career, Halifax-born film, television, and radio performer Austin Willis worked with luminaries from Orson Welles and Peter Sellers to a young William Shatner (his subordinate in CBC’s Space Command—precursor to Star Trek). He bested Goldfinger at cards—with help from Sean Connery’s James Bond—and with his prematurely white hair, he became the debonair, wry host of the 1970s CBC-TV quiz show, This Is The Law.
Through his formidable personal library, his insatiable curiosity, and his conversations with the man himself, oral historian and archivist Ern Dick has brought the voice of Austin Willis to life in the memoir Willis wanted to write—but didn’t, because he never stopped performing.
Featuring a foreword by former CBC Radio personality Costas Halavrezos, afterword by arts and culture commentator Ron Foley MacDonald, and dozens of photos that highlight Willis’s greatest moments of stage, screen, and airwaves, Silver Hair and Golden Voice offers a unique perspective on the life of one of Canada’s most overlooked stars.
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All ‘Bout Canada A Compendium of Canadiana
Artist: Alex MacAskillPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95This fun, informative celebration of Canada is a combination rhyming alphabet book and compendium of factual information about Canada from “Aurora Borealis” to “Zellers” that uses a blend of poetry, prose, posters, jokes, and quizzes—many with a humorous twist—to educate and inform a diverse readership.
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A Forest for Calum
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95The story is Roddie’s. The stage is his guardian and grandfather Calum’s. A quiet and stoic man, Calum Gillies and his aging friends illuminate for us the changing world around them: the loss of the coal mines, the labour strife and lean years endured, the religious parochialism that divides families and communities and, most important, a disappearing language. The setting is Cape Breton; the themes of cultural and rural change and decline are universal.
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Nova Scotia’s Historic Harbours The Seaports that Shaped the Province
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95With twenty-five historical photos, and featuring profiles of more than fifty harbours—from the Bedford Basin to Shelburne Harbour to Cobequid Bay, Louisbourg, and Canso—Nova Scotia’s Historic Harbours explores each harbour’s historical significance and explores how these communities have been shaped by the sea, and how Nova Scotia’s growth has been driven by its harbours.
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Under Amelia’s Wing Book 2 of the Ginny Ross Series
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95A STEM-friendly novel about a girl who just wants to learn to fly. Stubborn to a fault, Ginny Ross is enrolled at Purdue University to earn her pilot’s license and help her friend and mentor, Amelia Earhart, recruit more young women into aviation and engineering. But when Amelia goes missing in 1937, Ginny must learn to carry on alone.
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Évangéline The Many Identities of a Literary Icon
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$34.95Sociologist Joseph Yvon Thériault presents three versions of the literary heroine: Évangéline the Acadian, Évangéline the Canadian, and Évangéline the American. Can these three distinct identities be merged, and will survive the effects of globalization?
CBC most anticipated non-fiction of Spring 2021
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The Boy Who Moved Christmas
Artist: Carloe (Shan) LiuPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Based on a true story, Evan is sick and may not make it to December. His town decorates for Christmas in October so they can celebrate with him but will everything be ready? Will Santa know to come?
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Nova Scotia Folk Art An Illustrated Guide
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95There may be many folk artists in Canada, but there is only one integrated folk art scene: the one in Nova Scotia.
Classic folk art is the work of artists who did not think of themselves as artists, who made art that they never considered to be art at all. There were no festivals, no galleries, and no touring exhibitions when they started—just a sign by the side of the road, a painted house, or colourful sculptures in the yard to attract the attention of passers-by. Today in Nova Scotia, contemporary folk art has become a distinct style, one which stresses individual creativity over collective utility. The maker, and their stories, is central to the appeal.
Written by former Art Gallery of Nova Scotia curator Ray Cronin, Nova Scotia Folk Art features profiles of fifty artists—some obscure and some well known—from the first, second, and third waves of folk art. The list includes Barry Colpitts, Laura Kenney, Ralph Boutilier, Craig Naugler, Joseph Norris, and Maud Lewis. With more than 150 colour images, this illustrated guide explores the exhibitions, collections, and festivals that allowed a group of Nova Scotia artists to move their creations from the roadside to the museum, and in so doing to create its own genre: Nova Scotia Folk Art.
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Saltwater Chronicles Notes on Everything Under the Nova Scotia Sun
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$18.95This book celebrates the ordinary: the everyday disasters and discoveries that shape a life. In this, his one hundredth book, Lesley Choyce takes readers along as he writes about nearly everything under the sun from his home by the sea on the North Atlantic coast of Canada—all of it most ordinary and extraordinary at the same time.
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Seaside Treasures A Guidebook for Little Beachcombers
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95A day of beachcombing is a day filled with salty sea air, enchanting seashells, and exciting discoveries. The ocean holds so much beauty and adventure, and it leaves so many treasures on its shores. Let’s explore these seaside treasures.
An essential sea glass–hunting handbook for kids. With helpful advice, like “make sure no one’s home!” before taking a snail shell, and fascinating facts, like how sea glass is formed and where glass fishing floats come from, the gentle and flowing text invites young readers to explore and wonder about everything that washes up on the sand.
Author and illustrator Sarah Grindler’s images are vivid and realistic, showing readers what to look for by the ocean—from purple sea urchin shells (that otters love to much on) to mussel shells, sand dollars, and every colour of sea glass—and encouraging all of us to imagine where those treasures may have come from. A beautiful keepsake as well as a practical guidebook for the young beachcomber.
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I Place You into the Fire Poems
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$18.95In Mi’kmaw, three similarly shaped words have drastically different meanings: kesalul means “I love you”; kesa’lul means “I hurt you”; and ke’sa’lul means “I put you into the fire.” Spoken word artist Rebecca Thomas’ first poetry collection is at once a meditation on navigating life and love as a second-generation Residential School survivor, a lesson in unlearning, and a rallying cry for Indigenous justice, empathy, and equality.
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Amazing Atlantic Canadian Kids Awesome Stories of Bravery and Adventure
Artist: James BentleyPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Celebrate the amazing accomplishments of kids from across the East Coast in this book, the first in a new illustrated series about Amazing Atlantic Canadians. Learn about incredible young people excelling as athletes and inventors, overcoming adversity and even saving lives. Includes over 50 amazing, diverse youth from history to present day and shows young readers that greatness has no age limit.
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So Imagine Me Nature Riddles in Poetry
Artist: Chrissie Park-MacNeilPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$15.95From award-winning poet Lynn Davies comes her first collection for children. And there’s a twist: each of the poems in So Imagine Me has a secret.
The lyrical and playful text describes something from nature—flora or fauna or another phenomenon—that’s also hiding in the illustrations. Readers will puzzle over the words and pore over the detailed illustrations looking for clues. Some of the riddles might be easy, and some are definitely tricky. All of them will delight, entertain, and challenge, leaving readers of all ages with new facts to share and an urge to get out into nature to discover more mysteries.
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Fight On! Cape Breton Coal Miners,1900-1925
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$18.95In early twentieth-century Cape Breton, coal mine workers spent all day in dangerous conditions. But the brave miners stood up to the companies, going on strike and risking their livelihoods to achieve better working conditions and healthier communities. Fight On! is at once an engaging history and a passionate call to action against injustice.
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A Great Big Night
Artist: Josée BisaillonPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95When three travelling frog musicians roll through the forest the grumpy old grouse is sure they are nothing but riffraff making a foolish racket. But when a storm makes a mess of the grouse’s home, he may find that music can be more than just for a party.
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Beholden
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95The story begins with Nell, the “spinster on the hill” near St. Peter’s, Cape Breton. Scarred by her own childhood, she swears she could never love a child and that she will never marry, denying herself a life with the man she loves. She’s proven wrong when a baby is born just down the road from her. Her love of little Jane, despite herself, propels us forward through generations trying to untangle their own traumas and secrets. Eventually, we meet Bridie—joyful, kind, capable Bridie—and see her struggling through the echoing pain of those who came before her. Her choices, her bravery, her “nest of wonderful women,” and her ultimate refusal to settle for anything less than love, eventually redeem her and everyone around her—even the spinster on the hill.
As real as our own family dramas, Beholden is full of Lesley Crewe’s trademark laugh-out-loud moments, heartbreaking losses, incredible women with unbreakable friendships, and the sweet wildness of Cape Breton.
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Amazing Black Atlantic Canadians Inspiring Stories of Courage and Achievement
Artist: James BentleyPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Featuring over 50 historical and contemporary profiles, this fascinating book takes a look at the lives of Black Atlantic Canadians that saved lives, set records, and enacted great change.
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Christmas in Atlantic Canada Stories True and False, Past and Present
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Some of the most comforting and enjoyable parts of Christmas are the heartwarming traditions we celebrate year after year. But do you ever wonder where those traditions came from? Who started them, and how did they become so ingrained? From dragging trees indoors to decorate them to bundling up to take in a Santa Claus parade, prolific folklorist David Goss traces the history of the holiday in our region from its earliest celebration—possibly 1604—to modern times.
Using historical records, diaries, and old newspapers, as well as a few fictional short stories, he documents the fascinating narrative of how Christmas in Atlantic Canada has been marked, both religiously and secularly.
Includes 50 images. Features a foreword by Gerry Bowler, author of Santa Claus, A Biography and The World Encyclopedia of Christmas.
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Maud Lewis Colours
Artist: Maud LewisPublisher: Nimbus Publishing Limited$14.95Maud Lewis Colours is a perfect first introduction to colours through the joy-filled art of Nova Scotia’s most famous folk painter, Maud Lewis. Even the youngest babies will be drawn to the bright colours and bold forms in Lewis’s whimsical paintings. Babies and toddlers will have fun learning their colours as they explore each vibrant image. A perfect companion to Maud Lewis 1 2 3, this set makes a great baby gift.
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An East Coast Wedding Planner A Workbook and Informative Guide for Couples Planning a Wedding on the East Coast
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$49.95An East Coast Wedding Planner was designed with the East Coast couple in mind. Steeped in tradition—such as the thought that every celebration should be planned while keeping the ocean at heart and that there’s nothing better than a good down-home kitchen party that rocks into the wee-hours of the morning—while infusing true Maritime hospitality meaningfully. An accessible and beautiful keepsake book that brings the knowledge of a passionate East Coast wedding planner, Katelyn Bellefontaine of Elegant Productions, with practical experience planning weddings of every shape and size in Atlantic Canada for nearly a decade.
Whether newly engaged and local or planning a destination wedding on the East Coast, An East Coast Wedding Planner is there for readers every step of the way, from month-by-month wedding checklists to curated questions to ask all vendors, to how to prioritize and budget for your perfect day. Includes full-colour photos of diverse East Coast weddings as well as original calligraphy from Scribble and Script.
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Mayann prend le train
Artist: Tamara Thiebaux HeikaloPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Nine-year-old Mayann Francis and her family are travelling from their home in Cape Breton to New York City by train. Everything is exciting to young Mayann, from the beds that fold down to the stop in Montreal to visit friends. Most exciting of all is the chance to show off her brand new purse.
When the Francis family arrives in big, bustling New York City, Mayann visits with relatives, goes to the zoo, and rides the subway. She even receives a beautiful black doll, something she has never seen before. But one subway ride, she loses her beautiful purse. At first she’s heartbroken, but she just might learn a lesson that makes the whole trip worthwhile.
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First Degree From Med School to Murder: The Story Behind the Shocking Will Sandeson Trial
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95A murder, a missing body, and a sensational trial that shocked the community. Will Sandeson seemed like a model son. A member of the Dalhousie University track and field team, he was about to start classes at Dalhousie’s medical school. He had attended a medical school in the Caribbean; he worked at a group home for adults with disabilities. “There’s times for whatever reason that things don’t go quite as planned,” a Halifax police officer told Sandeson shortly after he was arrested for the first-degree murder of Taylor Samson, who also, on the surface, seemed like a model son.
Samson lived in a fraternity house near Dalhousie, and when the six-foot-five physics student disappeared without a trace, the focus eventually turned to Sandeson. Sandeson’s trial, blown open by a private investigator accused of switching sides, exposed a world of drugs, ambition, and misplaced loyalties. Through interviews with friends and relatives, as well as transcripts of the trial and Sandeson’s police interrogation, award-winning journalist Kayla Hounsell paints a complex portrait of both the victim and killer, two young men who seemed destined for bright futures. First Degree includes previously unpublished photos and details never made public until now.
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Secrets of Sable Island
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95After a vicious storm aboard ship, fourteen-year-old Caleb is tossed into the Atlantic Ocean. Frightened and alone, he finds himself nudged awake. He’s been recovered by one of Sable Island’s legendary wild stallions and is given shelter by a mysterious stranger, Norse, who is secretly living on the island. As Caleb recovers and gets to know his strange rescuer, learning the art of scrimshaw, storytelling, and survival, he wonders how he’ll manage to remain on the island he’s come to love. When he befriends the ghostly girl who rides bareback over the dunes, he knows he must do whatever he can to save her, and himself.
A heartwarming and captivating adventure set on the infamous isolated sandbar that has captivated so many, and featuring original illustrations, Secrets of Sable Island will leave young readers spellbound.
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Port of Call Tall Ships Visit the Maritimes
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Port of Call celebrates the extravagant and spectacular event that will bring the tall ships to more than 30 Maritime ports for Rendez-Vous 2017, part of Canada’s 150th celebrations. Allan Billard reveals details, insights, and everything else you need to know about the dazzling ships and schooners in this colourful, photo-filled book.
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Put Your Hand In My Hand The Spiritual and Musical Connections of Catherine and Gene MacLellan
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Put Your Hand in My Hand is the personal, lyrical story of the relationship between one of Canada’s most beloved singer-songwriters and his daughter, a talented musical artist.
Gene MacLellan’s contribution to the Canadian songbook is legendary. He penned top-forty hits, including “Snowbird,” “Bidin’ My Time,” and “Put Your Hand in the Hand,” and his compositions vaulted the careers of international stars such as Anne Murray. In 2004, his daughter Catherine, a Juno award winner, three-time Canadian Folk Award Winner, and two-time ECMA winner, released her debut album to critical acclaim. As the story’s principal narrator, along with experienced biographer Harvey Sawler, this anticipated memoir paints an intimate portrait of a complex man whose words and melodies left us wanting more than he was able to give, before he took his life in 1995 at the age of fifty-six. Includes song lyrics and a colour insert of family photos.
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Truth and Honour The Death of Richard Oland and the Trial of Dennis Oland
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$29.95Truth and Honour explores the 2011 murder of Saint John businessman Richard Oland, of the prominent family that owns Moosehead Breweries, the ensuing police investigation and the arrest, trial, and conviction of the victim’s son, Dennis Oland, for second Âdegree murder.
Oland’s trial would be the most publicized in New Brunswick history. What the trial judge called “a family tragedy of Shakespearian proportions,” this realÂlife murder mystery included adultery, family dysfunction, largely circumstantial evidence, allegations of police incompetence, a high-powered legal defence, and a verdict that shocked the community.
Today, the Oland family maintains Dennis Oland’s innocence. Author Greg Marquis, a professor of Canadian history at the University of New Brunswick Saint John, leads readers through the case, from the discovery of the crime to the conviction and sentencing of the defendant. Offering multiple perspectives, Truth and Honour explores this question: was Dennis Oland responsible for the death of his father?
