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the Whither Poems
Publisher: Acorn Press$17.95the 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.”
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In the Pit A Cape Breton Coal Miner
Publisher: Breton Books$17.95A RARE, EXCITING INSIDER STORY of coal mine life in Cape Breton, filled with humour, pride, terror, and humanity.
From shoveling at the coal face and hand-lifting tons of shaker pans, to hurtling through low narrow tunnels testing a diesel during early mechanization—you are not spared the details—or the laughs!
Here are the gripping drama and rich good humour of one man’s daily work underground—a rare, personal account that opens up the culture of coal, from a man who worked 15 years in Number 12 and 18 Collieries, New Waterford.
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My House is a Lighthouse Stories of Lighthouses and Their Keepers
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Can you imagine yourself as a light keeper? Could you live full-time on an isolated coast? Your job is to keep a light shining out to sea, guiding ships to land, warning them of jagged shoreline, and maybe even assisting with a rescue in the case of a shipwreck.
Even though there are 750 lighthouses across North America, only 51 light keepers actively live and work in one in Canada, and just 1 keeper remains in the United States. In the newest installment of Nimbus’s popular Compass series, Christine Welldon takes readers past the postcard-perfect image and depicts a day in the life of 11 modern light keepers. From Cape Beale, British Columbia, to Puffin Island, Newfoundland, learn about the grit, intelligence, and quick thinking that helps keep our coastlines safe. Expertly weaving the historical with the modern, Welldon shows us how light keepers are still bound by an age-old mission: “Keep the light shining. Be ever watchful. Help those in trouble on the sea.”
Includes over 50 full-colour photos, illustrations, and maps, as well as a glossary, index, and historical timeline.
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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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Transplanted My Cystic Fibrosis Double-Lung Transplant Story
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95When Allison Watson awoke that day, she knew she was in a hospital bed. That’s all. She had no idea how much time had passed since she had seen her family. When she tried to focus, her vision was blurry, and when she tried to wave someone down, she became so exhausted she thought she was dying. Hours later, when Watson was able to communicate, she asked a nurse if the news was good or bad. “It’s good news,” the nurse replied. “You had your lung transplant four days ago.”
About 4,100 people in Canada have cystic fibrosis, and many are living longer today, thanks, in part, to transplants. CF mainly affects the digestive system and lungs, and there is no cure. In this candid memoir, Watson describes living with the disease and her life-altering surgery in 2014. Watson and her sister, Amy, both grew up with CF, and Allison had always believed that Amy would be the one to get a transplant first. The decision to undergo surgery was not easy. Nor was the road to full recovery. In this book, Watson, who cycled across Canada with her brother in 2008 to raise awareness of CF, describes her journey.
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A Stone for Andrew Dunphy Narrative Obituary Verse and Song in Northern Cape Breton Island
Publisher: Breton Books$17.95This rare book is about community, caring and pioneer survival. It brings to life Andrew Dunphy— a man who roamed northern Cape Breton, carried the news, nursed his neighbours—and wrote magnificent obituary poems that told their stories, comforted them in disaster, and helped their communities survive. Over one hundred years later, Ronald Caplan captured this story in its final hours. Told with the words of those who knew Andrew Dunphy — A Stone for Andrew Dunphy reveals the robust rural life that flourished as the 20th century dawned.
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Brad Marchand The Unlikely Star
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95He was too small to make it to the National Hockey League, they decided. Brad Marchand has proven them wrong, helping to lead the Boston Bruins to their first Stanley Cup in thirty-nine years, and scoring the winning goal for Canada in the deciding game of the 2016 World Cup final, which made Marchand—a player fans loved to hate—a hero.
This full-colour book features personal interviews with “The Little Ball of Hate,” who has matured since his days with the Halifax Mooseheads, as well as interviews with family and coaches, and over 40 photos of the star, including some previously unpublished.
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The Top 15: Nova Scotia’s Greatest Athletes
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95At 18, Sidney Crosby became the youngest player in NHL history to record 100 points in one season. At 29, he scored his 1000th NHL point, won his third Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was named playoff MVP. It is probably no surprise that Crosby is No. 1 on this list of Nova Scotia’s Top 15 athletes, as compiled by the province’s Sport Hall of Fame.
But what other athletes have done the remarkable and, times, the impossible? This book selects athletes from hockey, boxing, swimming, and other sports and ranks them—a formidable task bound to generate debate. Who is to say if gymnast Ellie Black is better than swimmer Nancy Garapick, or NHLer Al MacInnis greater than boxing legend Sam Langford? The authors acknowledge that ranking greatness is subjective, so, in addition to the Top 15 Athletes, the book includes 15 honourable mentions, as well as fascinating sidebars such as “15 Memorable Moments in Nova Scotia Sport” and “15 Great Nova Scotia Athletes Under the Age of 25.” There is something for every sports fan in this photo-rich keepsake book packed with names, images, and little-known facts.
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Historic House Names of Nova Scotia
$17.95Mount Uniacke, Acacia Grove, Winckworth, Saint’s Rest, Spruce Tree Cottage. Ever wonder how Nova Scotia houses got their names? The better-known names are largely connected with prominent historical figures who resided in commodious homes with sprawling grounds, but the naming tradition was far more prevalent than that. Historic House Names of Nova Scotia provides a fascinating look at the house-naming tradition in Nova Scotia. What sorts of names did Bluenoses create, and what did the names mean? Author and historian Joe Ballard has amassed a wealth of historical information and photos on the subject.
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Canadian Confederate Cruiser The Story of the Steamer Queen Victoria
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Canadian Confederate Cruiser tells the story of an elegant but unpretentious steamer that bore witness to the birth of a nation. In 1864, the Queen Victoria took the Fathers of Confederation from Quebec to Charlottetown and back. Long before she could be given the recognition she deserved, the Queen Victoria was lost in a hurricane off Cape Hatteras, the crew and passengers rescued by the American brig Ponvert. That incident and the events that followed it put the lost vessel into the international limelight and tweaked diplomatic relations between Canada and the United States.
John Langley, the author behind Steam Lion, the award-winning biography of Samuel Cunard, documents the life of this steamer and the unlikely cross-border tug-of-war that developed over her bell. In telling the Queen Victoria‘s story, Langley provides a better understanding of the social and political forces that led to Confederation, explaining the pivotal choices that were made.
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Kiss the Joy As It Flies
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Shortlisted for the Leacock Medal for Humour. A new smaller format of Fitch’s critically acclaimed adult novel.
Panic-stricken by the news that she needs exploratory surgery, forty-eight-year-old Mercy Beth Fanjoy drafts a monumental to-do list and sets about putting her messy life in order. But tidying up the edge of her life means the past comes rushing back to haunt her and the present keeps throwing up more to-dos. Between fits of weeping and laughter, ranting and bliss, Mercy must contemplate the meaning of life in the face of her own death. In a week filled with the riot of an entire life, nothing turns out the way she expected.
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I Met an Elk in Edson Once
Artist: Wes TyrellPublisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.$17.95Join an elk in undies named Rusty, my mom and me in a search for Uncle Todd. From Jasper, Fort Macleod and the hoodoos to the Calgary Stampede, Cowboy Trail and Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump, come along on the best road trip around Alberta ever! Promise!
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Black Water Rising
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95When heavy November rains threaten to flood the small town of Black River, New Brunswick, the community calls on the hydroelectric company to open the gates of its dam and drop the water level. But local management has been overruled by their parent company and ordered to keep it closed. It’s got some people hinting it’s time they took things into their own hands.
Seventeen-year-old Stanton Frame is caught in between: his father is manager at the dam, but his girlfriend, Jessica, has joined an environmental group that’s taken an interest in the matter. With just hours until the town floods, things come to a violent clash between police and protesters. The next morning the dam has been sabotaged, Jessica is missing, and Stanton has more questions than answers.
Suspenseful and authentic, with a fine ear for the nuances of local politics and teenage sensibilities, celebrated YA author Robert Rayner’s new novel combines activism, love, and mystery.
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The Big Book of Lexicon:Volumes 7,8,9 Puzzles to Challenge & Entertain
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Theresa Williams’s lexicon puzzles have been hugely popular since they were first published in 1988. Half-crossword, half-word search, lexicon puzzles engage and entertain fans of all ages. This edition brings back volumes 7, 8, and 9 and presents them as one large book for hours of fun!
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Field Notes A City Girl’s Search for Heart and Home in Rural Nova Scotia
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Sara Jewell has collected lots of addresses—eighteen in total—including four in Vancouver, British Columbia, and three in her hometown of Cobourg, Ontario. But there was one address that always remained constant: Pugwash Point Road in rural Nova Scotia. She was nine years old the first time her family vacationed in the small fishing village about an hour from the New Brunswick border, and the red soil stained her heart. Life, as it’s wont to do, eventually took Jewell away from the east coast. But when her marriage and big-city life started to crumble, she only wanted one thing: a fresh start in Pugwash.
Accented with five original drawings from Joanna Close.
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All Hands Lost Sinking of the Nova Scotia Gypsum Freighter Novadoc
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$17.95All Hands Lost chronicles the tragic last voyage of the gypsum freighter SS Novadoc as she sailed from the Annapolis Basin into a raging nor’east storm in the Bay of Fundy in March 1947. Loaded with four thousand tons of Nova Scotia gypsum, she foundered off Portland, Maine, taking all twenty-four crew members, thirteen of them Nova Scotians, to their deaths.
The story is told through the eyes and memories of those who lost family members on the Novadoc — the brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren and friends of the young Nova Scotia men, many of them war veterans, and two women who perished in the tragedy. The book tells of the seafaring life of Novadoc’s captain, Allan J. Vallis, OBE, an experienced merchant mariner and war veteran who unwittingly took the vessel into a hurricane-force storm.
Henshaw takes a critical look at the formal inquiry into the sinking and the report that deemed the loss “an act of God.” He questions the seaworthiness of an aging vessel that sailed into that fateful storm with makeshift repairs. He also questions discrepancies in compensation paid to the families of the twenty-four crew members who died with the ship.
The book examines the history of Paterson Shipping, the Ontario company that owned Novadoc, and Senator Norman Paterson, the wealthy Winnipeg grain merchant who founded the company in 1926. All Hands Lost is a moving and factual account of a 1940s tragedy at sea, as well as a tribute to the memory of the men and women who perished on the ill-fated Novadoc.
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Paddy Boy
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$17.95Paddy Boy is Patrick O’Flaherty’s lively memoir of childhood in a small secluded Newfoundland community, covering the years 1939-54. This time is most unique because it is a bridge between the old Newfoundland with its curious links to England, Ireland, and Scotland, and its new status, after 1949, as a province of Canada. O’Flaherty reimagines just what that lost world was like, how children figured into it, how his family and other families functioned and what part religion played.
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Legends and Monsters of Atlantic Canada
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$17.95Atlantic Canada is home to a unique blend of multicultural folktales, legends and mysteries. Perhaps nowhere else is the richness of belief in the supernatural, long a staple of our founding peoples, such an important part of our history and culture.Long-time ghost hunter and author Darryll Walsh documents the many stories and legends from around the Atlantic region. He provides startling new information about Oak Island, site of one of the longest running treasure hunts in history, where many believe a fortune in stolen booty buried by pirates still exists. Walsh delves into the magical world of fairies and recounts the tales of a terrifying assortment of creatures that forestry workers have encountered in our woods. He charts the course of phantom ships that travel along our coasts and inland seas, doomed to sail on forever.Discover how our own version of Bigfoot once terrorized Viking settlers in Newfoundland, and may still be shocking unwary hikers to this day. There are tales of the Devil himself, who has travelled this region luring men into mortal games of cards where the stakes are unreasonably high. Moreover, there are stories about demons, banshees, hairy bipeds, goblins, devil hounds, splinter cats, gumberoo, shagamaw, glawackus, loup-garu, werewolves, sea serpents, will-o-the-wisp, and jack-o-lanterns.Legends and Monsters of Atlantic Canada is an exciting assortment of historical and contemporary legends with creatures that will chill the bones of even the most jaded reader. Parapsychologist Darryll Walsh has brought together for the first time a wide range of Atlantic Canada’s mysterious beings, creatures of the night, historical mysteries, and urban legends, many not seen before in print.
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When You Look For Me
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$17.95Here is the true story of a parent’s worst nightmare come true. Kevin Bonang’s family learns that their oldest daughter, Tiffany Tanner, has suddenly gone missing while kayaking on an inner city canal in the northern industrial city of Hamm, Germany. Kevin and his wife Lisa immediately make the journey from Nova Scotia to Germany to help in the search. Once at the site, the true reality of their daughter’s fate becomes obvious. No matter how optimistic local search officials try to be, Kevin and his wife assume the worst.
When You Look For Me takes the reader through seventeen days of the massive search including encounters with the police, search dogs, an unkind media but much kinder everyday Germans who share their compassion for Tiffany’s parents. After many grim conversations with search officials, the Bonangs begin to realize that they are not able to bring their daughter back home to Nova Scotia alive even though there had been some small glimmer of hope.
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The Big Book of Lexicon : Volumes 10, 11, 12
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Theresa Williams’s lexicon puzzles have been hugely popular since they were first published in 1988. Half-crossword, half-word search, lexicon puzzles engage and entertain fans of all ages. This edition brings back volumes 10, 11, and 12, and presents them as one large book for hours of fun!
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The Little Book of Manitoba
Photographer: George FischerPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95In The Little Book of Manitoba, celebrated photographer George Fischer captures both the vast beauty of rural Manitoba and the stunning skylines of Winnipeg. The book is a kaleidoscope of colour, from the rich array of farmland greens to the bold blues and golds of the capital city shot after dark. Located halfway between the east and west coasts of Canada, Manitoba is blessed with over 100,000 lakes, flat prairies, and rolling pastures. All in stark contrast with the energetic capital of Winnipeg, home to festivals, museums, and unique architecture.
The Little Book of Manitoba comes in a travel-sized format and is the newest offering in the popular Little Book series. Features over 70 full-colour photographs of this hardy prairie province in all seasons.
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The Little Book of Ontario
Photographer: George FischerPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95In The Little Book of Ontario, George Fischer captures the crystal clear lakes, sprawling forests, and glittering skylines of the Heartland Province. From the Great Lakes to the Canadian Shield, Fischer takes readers on a visual journey, with nearly 80 stunning full-colour photographs, across Ontario’s graceful waterfalls, flowing rivers, rustic buildings, rolling farmlands, and vibrant cities. In this popular, travel-sized format, the newest offering in the Little Book series shows Ontario’s people, towns, and landscapes through every season.
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Big Book of Lexicon Vol 4, 5, 6
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Theresa Williams’s lexicon puzzles have been hugely popular since they were first published in 1988. Half-crossword, half-word search, lexicon puzzles engage and entertain fans of all ages. This edition brings back volumes 4, 5, and 6 and presents them as one large book for hours of fun!
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Atlantic Canada’s Unusual Place Names Place name origins, attractions, legends, characters, history and firsts
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95A collection of unusual place names from the four Atlantic provinces! The origins of each of these 477 strange names are explained and any notable or quirky history is described in detail. Of course, many of these names become “unusual” only when they are at a distance from the place of their origin. Joe Batt’s Arm, for example, may seem unusual to a Manitoban (not to Newfoundlanders!). Pokemouche could sound odd to an Ontarian (but familiar to New Brunswickers!). This book also includes little-known facts, trivia, and occurrences from the Atlantic provinces, and also 18 mini-biographies of famous, infamous, and not-so-famous-but-still-interesting Atlantic Canadians.
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The Little Book of Newfoundland and Labrador
Photographer: John SylvesterPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95In The Little Book of Newfoundland and Labrador, photographer John Sylvester beautifully captures the quintessential fishing villages, magnificent natural landscapes, and stunning array of wildlife that “The Rock” is famous for.
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A History of Disaster (2nd edition) The Worst Storms, Accidents, and Conflagrations in Atlantic Canada
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95A History of Disaster chronicles 43 of Atlantic Canada’s most deadly disasters, many well-remembered and none ever forgotten. Included are not only the region’s iconic disasters like the Halifax Explosion and the Springhill mine collapses, but also lesser-known events, such as the 1977 Saint John jail fire. Photos and illustrations of the aftermath reveal the heartbreak and bravery that accompanied these life-altering catastrophes. Now in a new size.
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War at Sea Canada and the Battle of the Atlantic
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest single engagement of the Second World War, resulted in the coming-of-age of the Royal Canadian Navy. By 1945, the Canadian Navy had transformed from a small force of 3,500 personnel and 13 vessels into the third-largest naval power in the world. As German U-boats threatened to weaken the Allied war effort, the Canadian Navy was put to work protecting convoys across the Atlantic and hunting for submarines off the coast of Atlantic Canada.
War at Sea uses first-hand accounts from the veterans who survived, as well as a detailed catalogue of the technology, weapons, and ships, to describe the history of this pivotal conflict. Author Ken Smith emphasizes the contribution of Atlantic Canadians, who worked in areas vital to the war effort while under constant threat from U-boats, sabotage, and spies.
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Islands of Nova Scotia Outpost Portraits
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Equally home to tragedy and beauty, Nova Scotia’s islands are buoys in a nearly “sea-locked” landscape. In this revised edition, Mitcham showcases 10 Nova Scotia islands through narrative portraits. Included are little-known outport Scaterie Island, billed as “Sable Island’s Rival”; the Avon River’s mysterious Boot Island, whose tides have claimed many a swimmer; the infamous Halifax Harbour islands; and more. Portraits of each island contain vivid descriptions and remarkable true stories as well as facts and legends detailing unique features about these unusual offshore sites.Features 20 illustrations by Peter Mitcham and a brand-new introduction from the author.
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Letters Home Maritimers and the Great War, 1914-1918
Editor: Ross HebbPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95With personal letters gathered from public archives and the relatives of those who fought in the First World War, historian Ross Hebb tells the story of Canadian soldiers, from recruitment to deployment to return, in their own words. Letters Home is a collection of the correspondences of 20 people shipped overseas from across the Maritimes, asking about their homes and farms, wondering at the girls in Britain, and leaving keepsakes and life advice for their children.
Organized chronologically, the letters describe crossing the Atlantic, training in England, the confusion and anticipation leading up to combat, and for some, the journey home. Includes 20 photographs of the letter writers, their families, postcards, and memorials.
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Girl on the Run
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95When seventeen-year-old track and field star Jesse Collins’s dreams of a full scholarship are shattered after the sudden death of her dad, she leaves home to work as a summer camp counsellor to escape the nosy stares in small town…and her own secret guilt. After a mix-up at registration, she’s put in charge of a boys’ cabin, and the head counsellor, Kirk, predicts she won’t last the first two weeks.
In the midst of fending off four twelve-year-old boys who are hell-bent on mortifying her and a growing attraction to Kirk, Jesse finds the inspiration to run again from an unlikely source. After all, a good pair of legs can take a girl far, but it’s facing the truth that makes all the difference.
