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Dip & Veer Reflections on the Art of Alex Colville
Publisher: Acorn Press$14.95Frank Ledwell has previously published one volume of prose and poetry, The North Shore of Home (Acorn Press, 2002) and two collections of poetry, Crowbush and Other Poems (Ragweed, 1990) and Dip & Veer: Reflections on the Art of Alex Colville (Acorn Press, 1996). He has performed as a popular storyteller in venues across Prince Edward Island. Frank Ledwell is a Professor Emeritus of the English Department of the University of Prince Edward Island, where he taught creative writing for many years. He was the first recipient of the PEI Council of the Arts’ Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Literary Arts, and for many years was known as the Island’s unofficial poet laureate.
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Moonlight Skater 9 Cape Breton Stories and The Dream
Publisher: Breton Books$14.95A mischievous blend of Scottish and Acadian, these stories blossom, or explode softly, in your life.
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Stories From the Woman From Away
Publisher: Breton Books$14.95A novel of a woman’s rural life, and of the people whose weaknesses and wit enrich her Cape Breton community.
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Archie Neil
Publisher: Breton Books$14.95Born in 1943 in Plattsburg, New York, Mary Anne Ducharme came to Cape Breton in 1979, with her husband Richard and their children, Richard and Kathryn. For the past twelve years she has edited Participaper, produced through the Inverness County Department of Recreation. Mary Anne has a Master’s Degree in English, and has been a schoolteacher and a playwright and director. With her husband, she raises acres of strawberries in Whycocomagh
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SpecialLink Book
Publisher: Breton Books$14.95The Mainstream is nothing more than life in the real world. SpeciaLink is devoted to seeing every child wit special needs a full participant in the mainstream. Evidence supports the value of full mainstream childcare for all children, regardless of the challenges. This means that from now on, the work of childcare includes Advocacy –promoting what we already know to be right.
The SpecaiLink Book is the story of the road to the principles of full mainstream childcare, and of the SpeciaLink Symposium which made those principles the national agenda for mainstream advocates. “The Mainstream is the right stream” is the battle cry. Achieving full mainstream childcare for every child is the goal.
The Book Also Includes a Canadian Directory of Mainstream Childcare Advocates, Further Readings, information about joining SpeciaLink, and other forms for the SpecaiLink Newsletter and videos.
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Highland Heart in Nova Scotia
Publisher: Breton Books$14.95A new edition celebrates 50 years of a remarkable Cape Breton classic. A wonderful, exuberant, rich, overstated and humble piece of writing, which tries to tell us of the peace and invincibility and raw humour of Celtic Cape Breton.
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John R and Son
Publisher: Breton Books$14.95No one has ever written about Cape Breton quite like this! A rich daring short novel, plus 5 stories. A troubling, brutal, and compassionate book that is a riveting classic.
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Listen to the Wind
Publisher: Breton Books$14.95A rare and fascinating story of a life with schizophrenia. With the power of a novel, and laced with her small, strong poems, this book is a pleasure as well as art.
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George Orwell’s Friend
Editor: Ron CaplanPublisher: Breton Books$14.95Born in British Columbia, Paul Potts (1911-1990) lived most of his life based in London’s Soho district, a friend and confidant of many ultimately famous writers. His circle included Dylan Thomas and T. S. Eliot, Elizabeth Smart and Sean O’Casey–and of course George Orwell, a constant friend. George Orwell’s Friend includes autobiography and poetry, an intimate portrait of George Orwell, and the classic anguished memoir of love and vulnerability?elements that rarely find words, and even more rarely find the words of a man. Along with Potts’ intimate essay about George Orwell, ‘Don Quixote on a Bicycle,’ editor Ronald Caplan reclaims the thoughtful work of a passionate, unusual Canadian.
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Archie, le rat de mine-un heros
Artist: Louise Brooking-McDowPublisher: Breton Books$14.95C’est l’histoire de l’amitié qui existe entre u mineur, Milton, et un rat de mine, Archie –et de la façon dont Archie est devenu un héros.
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Talk Back
Publisher: Breton Books$14.95It’s been 10 long years since TALKBACK was shuffled off the airwaves, although it was the most popular and highest earning radio show in Cape Breton’s history. For thirteen years, Dave Wilson hosted TALKBACK. This book is his chance to help us all remember, and to sign off on his own terms.
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The Keys
Publisher: Breton Books$14.95Theresa O’Brien was born in Ireland and writes in Glace Bay, Cape Breton. This compelling first collection presents O’Brien as an accomplished storyteller.
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Beartan Briste
Publisher: Cape Breton University Press$14.95Born in Dublin, Ireland, Rody Gorman is Writer-in-Residence at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Isle of Skye. He has worked as writing fellow at the University College Cork and the University of Manitoba and is editor of the annual Irish and Scottish Gaelic poetry anthology An Guth. He has published a wide range of poetry collections and his selected poems in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, Chernilo, were published by Coiscéim in 2006.
Beartan Briste is the latest collection from this prolific Gaelic poet. His highly original English “intertongueings” are wonderfully entertaining in their own right – providing insight not only to the nature of his poetry, but the nature of Gaelic interpretation.
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Woman of Labrador
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Originally published in 1973, Woman of Labrador is Elizabeth Goudie’s enduring and candid story of her pioneering life as a trapper’s wife in the early 1900s. She was left alone much of the year to rear eight children while her husband worked the traplines, providing furs for their meagre income. Independent and resourceful, Elizabeth filled multiple roles as homemaker, doctor, cook, hunter, shoemaker, and seamstress for her growing family.
In the span of eighty years, she witnessed radical changes to Labrador, such as the construction of an airport at Goose Bay during the Second World War. Where once there had been pride and contentment in a harmonious relationship with the land, there came displacement and despair as the wilderness was overtaken by military and industrial projects. One of Elizabeth Goudie’s greatest triumphs was her steady pride in Labrador, her “country,” and her ideal of peace among neighbours. Her memoir is not about bitterness and defeat but courage and love, recounted with pride and humour.
In 1975, Elizabeth was awarded an honorary degree from Memorial University. She died in Happy Valley, Labrador, in 1982.
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Fantastic New Brunswick/Nouveau-Brunswick Fantastique
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95New Brunswick, with its rich tapestry of traditions and cultures including the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Acadian, United Empire Loyalist, Irish and Scottish, is more than a political jurisdiction or geographical area; it is a spiritual landscape. A landscape of rustic covered bridges and cascading waterfalls, autumn trees ablaze with colour and green rolling hills, small towns and bustling cities, fishing boats nuzzling coastal wharves and cows grazing in farmland pastures.
From Acadian coastal villages, along the Miramichi, through the Appalachians and the St. John River Valley and out to the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick /Nouveau-Brunswick Fantastique is a pictorial travelogue and stunning visual tour of a province synonymous with natural beauty, old-world charm, and friendly people. -
Halifax: Sights of the City
Photographer: Albert LeePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95The attractions and charms of Halifax Regional Municipality are vividly depicted in this full-colour, photographic book. The book highlights greater Halifax’s scenery, historic sites, varied lifestyles, and well-known monuments. All photographs are accompanied by informative captions that place the sights and splendours of the capital region within a historical and cultural context. This delightful combination of beautiful photographs and fascinating historical and local details provides a wonderful keepsake for visitors and local residents alike.
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Strawberry Connection
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Part of the popular Connection cookbook series, The Strawberry Connection looks at the most popular fruit in Nova Scotia. It includes recipes, tips for preserving, and the history of this wonderful berry.
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Sensational Seafood
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Formerly the Fine Catch Seafood Cookbook, this new package brings the book up to date with a whole new look. Beginning with a comprehensive section on how to buy, prepare, and store fish, molluscs, and all kinds of crustaceans, this cookbook provides the how-to for the inexperienced chef, while keeping a good mix of delicious recipes for the more daring expert. With easy-to-follow instructions, suggested serving sizes, and a little bit of seafood history, this cookbook collection provides all the essentials.
Recipe highlights include Crab Stuffed Mushrooms, Smoked Salmon Cheesecake, Grilled Monkfish, Saffron Seafood Cream and Hot Cheese and Crab Dip.
To top it off, Watson adds a separate section for yummy toppings, sauces, and marinades to add the most flavour to your fresh Atlantic seafood. Sensational Seafood is a must-have for any seafood lover. -
Le trésor de Memramcook
Artist: Maurice CormierPublisher: Bouton d'or Acadie$14.95It isn’t easy being the new kid in a seemingly quiet village where everyone shares familiar ties. The school principal insists Marie the grumbler, from Quebec, work with Mathieu Landry, the teaser. Marie resists all she can, but finally, between the wind, Mathieu’s persistence and his grandfather’s insistence there is a treasure to be found in the Memramcook valley, Marie discovers the story about the Acadian Renaissance. And a treasure to boot!
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Miramichi Facts and Folklore
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Find out how moose got to Newfoundland, the truth about the Dungarvon Whooper, and which farmers’ markets, bike trails, recipes, and heritage sites will most tickle your fancy. In Miramichi Facts and Folklore, extensive geographical, historical, and cultural lessons will have you schooled in the life of a true “Miramichier.”
This mighty book is a fact-filled journey through northern New Brunswick’s Miramichi region, from the golden age of immigration and industry through years of tragedy including illnesses, shipwrecks, and the Great Miramichi Fire–to the heritage destination it is today. The newest edition in the “Facts and Folklore” series, Miramichi Facts and Folklore is the perfect companion for anyone looking for an eccentric yet educational guide to this fascinating region.
Includes 15 photographs of important landmarks and people.
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A Blinding Light
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95It’s 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The First World War is raging, and despite its distance from the conflict, the Halifax Harbour is bustling with activity. Anti-German prejudice is rampant, and though 12-year-old Livy Schroeder and her 15-year-old brother Will are still mourning the loss of their father, who died in a mysterious boating accident just six months before, his German heritage doesn’t merit them much sympathy. The rumours he’d been a German spy are only flamed by his disappearance.
On the morning of December 6, while Livy is in Richmond begging forgiveness from the Schroeders’ former housekeeper, Will is atop Citadel Hill reporting for the school paper, when he sees two ships collide. A flash of light, then thunder from underground: the Halifax Explosion hits. Instantly, the city is unrecognizable. Lost and separated in the dark, destroyed city, will the siblings find each other again? Where is their mother? And who is to blame for the catastrophe?
In A Blinding Light, award-winning author Julie Lawson (No Safe Harbour) tells a riveting story of the Halifax Explosion and its aftermath, exploring the concepts of guilt, blame, and taking ownership, the divide between the rich and poor, locals and immigrants, as well as the human bonds that arise in times of tragedy. Young readers will be spellbound, and teachers and librarians will find plenty of topics for discussion in the book’s historical and cultural lessons.
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You Know You’re an Islander When….
Publisher: Acorn Press$14.95<
You might be an Islander if…
- You cried when Stompin’ Tom died
- You still give directions based on the purple house on St. Peter’s Road
- You were born knowing how to break down a lobster
A book about the Island for Islanders.
“Prince Edward Island is far more than postcard vistas, bountiful food and literary heroines with red hair. This book is full to the scuppers with everything that makes it unique and colourful!” – Chef Michael Smith
“Brilliant!” – Brad Richards, 2 time Stanley Cup Champion and PEI’s best hockey player ever.
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Mi’kmaw Animals
Artist: Alan SyliboyPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Alan Syliboy, author of The Thundermaker, showcases his vibrant artwork in this new baby board book. Colourful images depicting Canadian animals like moose, whales, and caribou, and more makes this vibrant book a perfect introduction to the Mi’kmaw language. With English and Mi’kmaw translations for the animal names on every page, babies will enjoy the vivid paintings while they learn new words and discover a bit of Mi’kmaw culture in a fun way.
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Bird Calls The Island Responds
Publisher: Island Studies Press$14.95In 1854 British travel writer Isabella Lucy Bird visited Prince Edward Island for six weeks and published an account of her stay there that was both scathing and charming. “Paris may be the gayest city in the world,” she wrote, “and London the richest, but Charlottetown was the most gossiping.” “I never saw a community,” she continued,” in which people appear to hate each other so cordially.”
Contemporary Island poet Jane Ledwell was both fascinated and exasperated by Bird’s haughty, privileged judgement and decided to “write back”–160 years later. The result is Bird Calls: The Island Responds.
Bird Calls weaves the travel prose of Isabella Lucy Bird with Ledwell’s poems written in response, and delivers an intriguing conversation for the reader which contrasts PEI then and now, and showcases the talents of two accomplished writers, from very different generations.
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Sharing a Robin’s Life
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95This is a true story of two unusual individuals: County, a robin, who chose to share her life with a human, and Linda Johns, an artist, who was happy to accommodate her. Through her delightful and descriptive narrative, Johns draws us into the mysterious realm of an intelligent and responsive creature. Throughout the harrowing experiences of bug-collecting, nest-building, egg-swapping, and parenting, we begin to share with the author a growing respect for the resourcefulness of these tiny creatures and our commonality with them in the remarkable process called life.
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Animal Talk Remarkable Connections between Animals and the People Who Love Them
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95A police dog helps take down criminals and searches for lost children. A cat defies odds and distance to be reunited with its family. A lion cub blissfully shares a kitchen with a family and a few pugs. These true stories and more are collected in this inspiring book by Joyce Grant-Smith. These tales show us the breadth and width of an animal’s ability to communicate with each other, and us with them. Primarily rooted in the Maritimes, each story shows a very different example of how a pet can influence events around them, including an eye-opening account of the growing field of Annimal Communications–people who learn to interpret and respect what these critters are trying to tell us, and who help other people communicate as well.
There are 18 stories in total, and each is written in a heartwarming style reminiscent of the Chicken Soup for the Soup series, and will be a pleasant and uplfting read for all ages.
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Jeanne Dugas of Acadia
Publisher: Cape Breton University Press$14.95Born of Acadian parents at Louisbourg, Jeanne Dugas (1731-1817) and her husband Pierre Bois were among the founding families of the Acadian village of Chéticamp in 1785. Descended from one of the three most prominent families in Acadia, Jeanne Dugas and her family lived for more than thirty years under the threat of capture and deportation by the British militia and attacks by pirates and privateers.
In this historical fiction, we follow Jeanne Dugas’s trials and tribulations from Louisbourg to Grand Pré (NS), to Port Toulouse and Mira (Cape Breton), Île-Saint-Jean (PEI), Remshic (NS), Restigouche (NB) and back again – often more than once. Finally captured by the British militia, she and her family were imprisoned for three years on George’s Island, where three of her four children died. When released, they sought refuge on Île Madame (Cape Breton) and finally to the area now known as Chéticamp.
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Hidden Heritage
Publisher: Breton Books$14.95From 1629 to the 1821 settlement of Rev. Norman McLeod, St. Ann has a rich and diverse history. Captured here with zest and detail.
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Malagawatch Mice and the Cat Who Discovered America
Publisher: Cape Breton University Press$14.95The Malagawatch Mice are well settled in their believed church, now at the Nova Scotia Highland Village in Iona, Cape Breton. But they are not alone–Henry, a stray cat with a mysterious past has taken up residence in the church and the mice are convinced that life will never be the same.
Yet, there is something familiar about this cat and, determined that there must be some good in him, Grandpa sets out to prove to Henry that he is much more than a no-good stray.
A monument in Halfway Cove, on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore, acknowledges that Prince Henry Sinclair of the Orkney Islands made the first transatlantic crossing and landed there in 1398, almost a century before Columbus. The monument describes his landing in Chebabucto Bay, and the fact that he spent a year exploring Nova Scotia, with the help of the kind Mi’Kmaq people.
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TR’s Adventure at Angus the Wheeler’s
Artist: Virginia McCoyPublisher: Cape Breton University Press$14.95On a warm summer day, ten-year-old T.R. decides to share a secret with his bored brothers, the Terrible Twins and Sunny James. Elves and Fairies live in the garden of their neighbor.
But all is not well in this secret garden; Guks have abducted a Princess and are holding her hostage at a farmhouse known as Angus the Wheeler’s. T.R., the Terrible Twins and Sunny James team up with the Fairies and set out to free the Princess.
What follows is an epic battle between the Fairies and the Guks and T.R. has to use his own gentle magic against a darker magic to free the Princess and protect the Fairies.
Filled with wonder and strong characters—and, best of all, a happy ending—T.R.’s Adventureis supported by colourful and fanciful illustrations making it suitable for young readers and younger audiences.
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Downhome Memories
Publisher: Downhomer$14.95It’s life as you remember it.
Downhome Memories brings together stories, poems and images guaranteed to strike a sentimental chord with every reader. Through the words of regular people—your siblings, your parents and your grandparents-histories are shared and the years that separate past and present slip away. The writing is honest and from the heart, born of a longing to recapture the simpler, finer things in life. There are elements in this collection to make you laugh, make you cry, make you proud and, most of all, make you remember.
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Halifax Warden of the North
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95In this new, redesigned, highly readable trade paperback format, Nimbus presents Thomas Raddall’s fascinating historical portrait of Halifax. The story begins with the city’s first inhabitants, the Mi’kmaq, and follows Halifax through time, from the earliest settlers to prohibition and the wartime boom to life in the later half of the twentieth century. It focuses on the city’s historic military role and the effects of its strategic position, chronicling colourful characters, heroes and scoundrels, and the adventure and intrigue of their exploits.
One of Canada’s most popular novelists, Thomas H. Raddall won the Governor General’s Award three times. He is the author of sixteen books, including His Majesty’s Yankees and The Nymph and the Lamp.
