• All 'Bout Canada A Compendium of Canadiana

    All ‘Bout Canada A Compendium of Canadiana

    Created by: Elizabeth F. Hill
    Artist: Alex MacAskill
    Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

    This 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.

    $19.95
  • Medicinal Herbs of Eastern Canada

    Medicinal Herbs of Eastern Canada

    Created by: Brenda Jones

    Learn how to identify, collect, and prepare a variety of local wild plants, most growing right in your own backyard. Covering 73 different plants, each with detailed, full-colour illustrations and accessible tips, facts, and recipes, this essential guide makes it easy to benefit from your neighbourhood’s wild offerings.

    $24.95
  • Medicinal Herbs of Western Canada — A Pictorial Manual
  • The Mermaid Handbook A Guide to the Mermaid Way of Life, Including Recipes, Folklore, and More
  • So Imagine Me Nature Riddles in Poetry

    So Imagine Me Nature Riddles in Poetry

    Created by: Lynn Davies
    Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

    From 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.

    $15.95
  • Lay Figures

    Lay Figures

    Created by: Mark Blagrave
    Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

    In Saint John, New Brunswick in 1939, Elizabeth MacKinnon is swept up in the city’s vibrant community of artists. She finds herself joining their struggles to make sense of making art in a time of economic depression. In a story that couples bitter despair with exuberant triumphs, Elizabeth and her fellow artists make life-changing discoveries about politics and social responsibility, desire and betrayal.

    $22.95
  • Fight On! Cape Breton Coal Miners,1900-1925

    Fight On! Cape Breton Coal Miners,1900-1925

    Created by: Joanne Schwartz
    Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

    In 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.

    $18.95
  • After it Rains
  • Legends of Prince Edward Island

    Legends of Prince Edward Island

    Publisher: Acorn Press

    Long isolated from their fellow countrymen by the Strait of Northumberland, the inhabitants of Prince Edward Island developed personal characteristics and a way of life peculiarly their own. These stories depict Islanders and that way of life before modern transportation linked the Island Province with the mainland.

    The book contains fifty-nine stories set against the background of the Garden of the Gulf before the turn of the century. Some of the legends are written in the Island dialect and any persons and places in the areas are mentioned by name. Legends of Prince Edward Island is the result of years spent in collecting the now almost forgotten folklore of pioneer days.

    $10.95
  • Mercy, Mercy A Novel

    Mercy, Mercy A Novel

    Created by: Marlene Stanton
    Publisher: Acorn Press

    Smart, sarcastic TV reporter Mercy Pepper struggles with feelings of guilt after her cameraman dies while on assignment with her. A news tape that he had hidden in his personal effects contains a secretly recorded conversation, and Mercy picks up the scent of corruption. She soon finds herself mired in the muck of provincial politics—the power brokers and the opportunists and those willing to go to extreme measures for a piece of the pie.

    With a keen observer’s eye and sharp, sparkling wit, Stanton, a former news reporter, delivers a compelling crime/mystery story with a satisfying dash of romance.

    $22.95
  • The Bygone Days Folklore, Traditions & Toenails

    The Bygone Days Folklore, Traditions & Toenails

    Publisher: Acorn Press

    Reginald—better known as “Dutch”—Thompson is a multi-faceted storyteller with unforgettable voices—those of Roy from Murray Harbour North, Adelaide from Bunbury, Gus from Chepstow, and countless others—to tell the stories of the Bygone days in Prince Edward Island [sometimes NS, too]. Stories that, without Dutch’s talent and care, might be remembered only by family and close friends or lost altogether.

    Remember when the train ran from tip to tip and along all the small branches, taking goods, people, and baseball teams to other parts of the Island? How about when ice cream and two pieces of cakes cost 10 cents at White’s Ice Cream Parlour on Kent Street? When lobster was not the gourmet’s delight it is now and the backs were used to fertilize the crops? That butchering the pig before a full moon will mean less fat on the meat? Or that it was bad luck to cut your nails on Sundays.

    From CBC Radio to the pages of this book, you’ll hear Dutch’s voice encouraging these informative, illuminating, poignant, and hilarious stories from the minds and hearts of Maritimers born between 1895 and 1925, almost as if they were all still here and telling them to you.

    $22.95
  • More Bygone Days Moonshine, Dancing’ & Romancin’
  • the Whither Poems

    the Whither Poems

    Created by: Catherine Edward
    Publisher: Acorn Press

    the whither poems is a poetry collection by Catherine Edward, a septuagenarian grandmother. “Whither is an oldish word, with a helpful attitude. I love it for that,” she says. “The overarching theme of the book is ‘that which cannot be’ while admitting to ‘what must be’. It is in the response to unanticipated, uninvited change that one’s mettle is revealed.”

    $17.95
  • Mrs. Beaton's Question My Nine Years at the Halifax School for the Blind

    Mrs. Beaton’s Question My Nine Years at the Halifax School for the Blind

    Created by: Robert Mercer
    Publisher: Acorn Press

    Robert Mercer’s life could have been very different. He was born with very low vision and, as a youngster, struggled in school. But through the intervention of a caring teacher and the support of his family, he found his way to the Halifax School for the Blind and into the classroom of Mrs. Beaton. It was there that he discovered his voice, a voice he uses to recount his remarkable journey from a shy little boy to a community leader.

    $19.95
  • Minegoo the Mi'Kmaq Creation Story of Prince Edward Island

    Minegoo the Mi’Kmaq Creation Story of Prince Edward Island

    Created by: Sandra Dodge
    Publisher: Acorn Press

    A long time ago, the Great Spirit created all of the sky and stars but it wasn’t enough. He then made a beautiful place called Minegoo, a place so beautiful that He almost placed it amongst the stars. He decided that instead, he would place Minegoo in the most beautiful spot on earth. He summoned Kluskap and asked him to find this spot. After searching the whole world, Kluskap found the Shining Waters, the spot in the Gulf of St. Lawrence that would be home of the Mi’kmaq people created in his own image.

    $13.95
  • The Keto Solution A Practical Guide for Living Your Low-Carbohydrate Life

    The Keto Solution A Practical Guide for Living Your Low-Carbohydrate Life

    Created by: Angela Doucette
    Publisher: Acorn Press

    At the age of 40, Angela Doucette was seriously overweight and starting to show signs of metabolic disease. She had developed high blood pressure, had some concerning numbers in my cholesterol/lipid profile and was about 50 pounds overweight. She felt miserable and frustrated having tried so many weight loss and exercise programs but nothing seemed to work long term. She switched to “Primal” eating and was finally able to shift the weight. Surprisingly, though, her blood pressure decreased naturally, her hs-CRP (an inflammatory marker) dropped significantly, and her lipid profile improved without medication! As a way to share the benefits, she started a weight loss and coaching program and offers workshops as well as online and in-person meetings. She has created a peer support network through the Keto Solution Facebook group, which continues to grow.

    As Dr. Gary Fettke says, “Once you see the benefits, you can’t unsee them.” This journey has not only changed her professional outlook and career path, it has also given her hope for her future. With the knowledge and motivation to make the changes, she feels that other Maritimers can see these changes too. Packed with recipes and helpful hints, The Keto Solution is the only book you need for switching to a Keto lifestyle.

    $19.95
  • Oak Island Mystery: Solved The Final Chapter

    Oak Island Mystery: Solved The Final Chapter

    Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

    For more than two centuries, Oak Island, Nova Scotia, has been studied, searched, probed and cursed all the while failing to give up its secrets. Joy Steele’s ground-breaking historical research into the island’s true history is no less intriguing. In this second edition, Ms. Steele is joined by professional geologist Gordon Fader to not only solidify her theory, but to expand on it, including a thorough explanation of the area’s geology.

    $25.95
  • Doing Time Writing Workshops in Prison

    Doing Time Writing Workshops in Prison

    Publisher: Pottersfield Press

    Poetry can address our most intimate, frightened, hopeful selves. Langille found this to be true as she introduced poems to men and women in prison and gave writing assignments based on the discussions these poems inspired. Over and over participants shared private moments of self-awareness. The support they gave each other and the stories they told were profound. This book puts to rest many of the myths we have about inmates. It confirms both that people cannot be reduced to their worst deeds and that creative expression has a central place in the process of rehabilitation. Most pointedly, Langille’s work reveals how, by failing the men and women behind bars, the prison system harms us all.

    Participants in these workshops were complicated people. As Bryan Stevenson, an attorney who fights for the wrongfully accused on death row, says, “People are more than the worst thing we’ve ever done … Even if you kill someone, you’re not just a killer.” Doing Time makes us rethink the myths we have about inmates and gives us insights into the force of trauma and the power of dignity. We get a glimpse of what goes on in a prison system and we learn, as Langille learned, from the men and women she worked with.

    $19.95
  • An Imperfect Healer The Gifts of a Medical Life

    An Imperfect Healer The Gifts of a Medical Life

    Created by: Larry Kramer
    Publisher: Pottersfield Press

    “She said she would pray for me. I asked her why. She said she prayed for many people. I asked her why. Stooped and frail, she wore the lassitude of ninety-seven years as transparently as she wore the pale blue wool sweater that seemed to grow from her shoulders. I had seen her before in the hurried and harried rounds I make here. My progress notes say repeatedly, ‘No problems reported.’ But today I took the time to listen.”

    Every patient tells a story. Drawing on a forty-year medical career, Dr. Larry Kramer has written about some of the people he has met along the way. The stories chronicle love and loss, tragedy and comedy, and empathetically observe patients who live and die, some with courage and some with fear. These accounts frame the story of one physician’s life and how it was shaped, changed, and guided by those he encountered every day. The young, the old, the happy, the sad, and the suffering all bring gifts beyond measure.

    Narratives of medicine are increasingly recognized as key components of the therapeutic experience. The Journal of the American Medical Association suggested in 2001, “Narrative medicine can examine and illuminate four of medicine’s central narrative situations: physician and patient, physician and self, physician and colleagues, and physician and society.” It enables patients, physicians, and others to be moved by stories of illness. Thus we share a common humanity. We all have stories. Our heroes are among us.

    $19.95
  • Where the Road Ends a novel
  • Colours in Winter

    Colours in Winter

    Publisher: Pottersfield Press

    Colours in Winter is a whimsical children’s picture book. The child, with her two bird friends, initially wishes that the giant fantastic snowflakes were coloured. Everything is too white. She thinks of green frogs in the spring, enormous red strawberries in the summer, and heaps of yellow and brown leaves in the autumn. But her desire becomes true and the snowflakes are suddenly all different colours. “Too much colour!” she gasps.

    When everything turns back to white, she makes a wonderful discovery: there is colour everywhere in the winter — blue sky and green conifers, red rose hips and yellow beech tree leaves. The child and her bird friends reunite in a joyous celebration.

    $14.95
  • The Painted Province Nova Scotia Through an Artist's Eyes

    The Painted Province Nova Scotia Through an Artist’s Eyes

    Publisher: Pottersfield Press

    “I gain a strong sense of interconnectedness and belonging when I look at her work. There is a universality and humanity Joy finds every time.” —Sheree Fitch

    Since 1972, Joy Laking has lived and painted in Nova Scotia, capturing beauty in watercolours, oils, and acrylics in many locations. She sees beauty in both the usual and the unusual. The Painted Province lets the reader see Nova Scotia through an artist’s eyes.

    Here, Joy has grouped some of her favourite paintings into forty regions, each with her personal commentary. In each of the regions, one of the images will have its GPS coordinates. You are encouraged to bring this book along in your travels to find some of the places where she created paintings. When you discover the exact spot, please take a photo. Then email it to her and she will post it on her website.

    Joy constantly finds ways to enhance her own creativity. Every year, she paints in unfamiliar countries, such as Bolivia, Ghana, India, and Sri Lanka, to return home to see Nova Scotia through fresh eyes. Joy has also written a play, children’s books, articles about rural life, and work for the CBC.

    $24.95
  • Fixing Broken Things

    Fixing Broken Things

    Created by: Gregory M. Cook
    Publisher: Pottersfield Press

    George Elliott Clarke writes of Gregory Cook’s poetry, “… a poignant, elegiac tone haunts these lyrics, whether Cook speaks of love or nature or family. Any risk of sentimentality is cut by his usage of hard particulars.”

    Fixing Broken Things is Cook’s seventh book of poems. He has served as Chair of the Writers’ Union of Canada and as a member of the executive of The League of Canadian Poets. He was also a founder and first secretary the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (ACCESS).

    In Fixing Broken Things, Cook offers contemplative glances and lingering views on everyday life, as if observed through a window on the weather, landscape, and appearance or disappearance of things that matter. These observations act as mirrors that reflect the self and allow the merging of inner and outer worlds. The poet’s rewards are discoveries of self and other in the magic visions and sounds that arise in combinations of words, like bits of winter ice reflecting prisms of light, life, and vision.

    Moments from travel in Europe, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand appear here, as much at home as his life in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Fixing Broken Things harvests nature, memory, love, astonishment, as well as a life of altered consciousness.

    $19.95
  • Sculpting Towards the Light

    Sculpting Towards the Light

    Created by: Luigi Costanzo
    Publisher: Pottersfield Press

    “Stone carving is a slow, meditative experience. The process can be transformative. Each of my projects has taken life’s rough moments and opens them up to the discovery of our shared humanity. The finished work may be the sculpture, but the creative process is never ending.”

    Sculpting Towards the Light is an intimate and insightful story of a sculptor and his work. It follows the paths of imagination and activity which gave birth to a very unique work of art. The paths are diverse and unexpected, twisting into personal history, racing forward into the future, and then resting in the euphoric moments when the mind and its thoughts no longer exist and the carving occurs as if of its own accord.

    The author writes, “There is a point in each sculpture where my energies collide. At first there is the initial inspirational emotion, full of conviction, demanding that I communicate its essence. The emotion has been concretely felt but the sculptural representation of that emotion remains vague. It is as if I am sleepwalking, unaware of where I am going. I can also feel playful in a place of excitement where there are no time pressures and few expectations. My mind becomes an elevator with predetermined automatic stops: journal writing, pencil sketches, listening to music, reading and meditative walking in nature. Eventually, a three-dimensional structure materializes from the midst of this contemplation.”

    Here is a unique story about play and work, imagination and action. Costanzo looks at the past that has shaped him and his future as an artist working in an ancient medium, while the world races toward digital Armageddon.

    $19.95
  • A Future for the Fishery

    A Future for the Fishery

    Canadian fisheries industries face rapid change. With key stocks stable or rebuilding and most commercial fisheries managed sustainably, a younger workforce must be attracted and retained for this industry to thrive. Industry professional and author Rick Williams examines fisheries in rural-coastal Canada and explores strategies to develop new labour supply. This timely read for decision-makers features illustrative charts, data tables and crucial perspective from fish harvesters themselves.

    $22.95
  • Ultimate African Heritage Quiz 10th Anniversary edition

    Ultimate African Heritage Quiz 10th Anniversary edition

    Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

    The Ultimate African Heritage Quiz Book will test your knowledge of the many notable people, places, and events that have shaped African culture in the Maritimes. Based on the immensely popular African Heritage Youth Quiz contest held at Halifax North Memorial Public Library every year, The Ultimate African Heritage Quiz Book is a great way to bring the fun and excitement of the game home.

    Packed with over three hundred questions about black literary figures, civil rights leaders, sports stars, historical events, and a wide variety of other topics, The Ultimate African Heritage Quiz Book is sure to challenge and entertain trivia fans of all ages and ethnicities.

    $16.95
  • A Pocket of Time The Poetic Childhood of Elizabeth Bishop

    A Pocket of Time The Poetic Childhood of Elizabeth Bishop

    Created by: Rita Wilson
    Artist: Emma FitzGerald
    Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

    The childhood of Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979) is painted onto the canvas of Great Village, Nova Scotia in this gentle ode to the poet’s early life. Before becoming a Pulitzer—Prize winning writer, young Bishop lived with her Gammie and Pa, learning to walk, to read and to write. Snippets of Bishop’s own words and charming artwork from illustrator Emma FitzGerald teach young readers to see the poetry all around them.

    $23.95
  • The Lost Sister

    The Lost Sister

    Created by: Andrea Gunraj

    The anticipated sophomore novel from celebrated author Andrea Gunraj, The Lost Sister explores gender, race and class dynamics through the harrowing story of sisters Alisha and Diana. Set in Toronto while drawing from real-life experiences of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children, The Lost Sister examines topics of child abuse, neglect and abduction in a story about guilt, redemption and peace.

    $24.95
  • A Dark House & Other Stories

    A Dark House & Other Stories

    Created by: Ian Colford
    Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

    Snap decisions, risky alliances and comical wrong-headedness bring the stories in award-winning author Ian Colford’s latest collection to life. Colford weaves wit and nuance into portrayals of characters facing questions of fortune, fate and self-preservation. Awkward and dangerous situations arise as Colford, dryly yet empathetically, illustrates what happens when people do what they think is best for all.

    $19.95
  • I'm Finding My Talk

    I’m Finding My Talk

    Created by: Rebecca Thomas
    Artist: Pauline Young
    Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

    I’m Finding My Talk reflects on the destructive effects on colonialism, rediscovering community and finding culture. Former Halifax Poet Laureate and second-generation residential school survivor Rebecca Thomas writes honestly and powerfully in this companion piece to Rita Joe’s I Lost My Talk. With vibrant illustrations from Mi’kmaw artist Pauline Young.

    $22.95
  • I Place You into the Fire Poems

    I Place You into the Fire Poems

    Created by: Rebecca Thomas
    Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

    In 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.

    $18.95
  • I'm Finding My Talk