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Truth and Honour The Death of Richard Oland and the Trial of Dennis Oland
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Truth 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?
This updated edition features a new chapter following Dennis’s imprisonment and successful 2016 appeal, and raises questions about his anticipated retrial.
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With These Hands Traditional Arts, Crafts, and Trades of Atlantic Canada
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95In the age of big box stores and mass production, there are still artists and crafts people who make beautiful things by hand. Colourful quilts, hooked rugs, and stained glass. Resilient dories and snowshoes. Whimsical whirligigs. In this book, Don MacLean explores the traditional crafts of Atlantic Canada, visiting dozens of creators in their workshops, galleries, and homes, giving insight into their process and inspiration.
MacLean interviews Dora Gloade about Mi’kmaw bead- and leatherwork. He talks to Yvette Muise about preserving the Chéticamp hooked rug tradition. He speaks to a luthier and a jeweller. There is an irresistible allure to items that are carefully, lovingly, made by hand, whether they are carved from wood or painted on canvas, and MacLean’s book explores that. This book contains over two dozen photos.
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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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The Honey Farm
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95Vintage Margaret Atwood meets Patricia Highsmith in this slyly seductive debut set on an eerily beautiful farm teeming with secrets.
The drought has discontented the bees. Soil dries into sand; honeycomb stiffens into wax. But Cynthia knows how to breathe life back into her farm: offer it as an artists’ colony with free room, board, and “life experience” in exchange for backbreaking labour. Silvia, a wide-eyed graduate and would-be poet, and Ibrahim, a painter distracted by constant inspiration, are drawn to Cynthia’s offer, and soon, to each other.
But something lies beneath the surface. The edenic farm is plagued by events that strike Silvia as ominous: taps run red, scalps itch with lice, frogs swarm the pond. One by one, the other residents leave. As summer tenses into autumn, Cynthia’s shadowed past is revealed and Silvia becomes increasingly paralyzed by doubt. Building to a shocking conclusion, The Honey Farm announces the arrival of a bold new voice and offers a thrilling portrait of creation and possession in the natural world.
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The Only Film in Town How a Little Film With a Big Heart was Made in Rural Nova Scotia
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95The Only Film in Town is a memoir about the making of a small-town feature film with heart. When Stuart Cresswell of Simple Films Ltd. decided to make The Only Game in Town in and around Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, he did not anticipate the ups and the downs he would encounter, including the scrapping of the province’s film tax credit. Inspired by his own family, Cresswell recruited young and sometimes inexperienced talent, and he forged ahead.
His film is the story of Cormack Vertue, an autistic teenager with a unique ability: his super skill at solitaire. This skill lands him on his school’s solitaire team, complicates his social life, and sends him on a quest to establish who he really is and what he stands for. In The Only Film in Town, Cresswell explains how he made, against the odds, a gentle and humorous coming-of-age story for the big screen, creating art and opportunity in rural Nova Scotia. The Only Film in Town includes behind-the-scenes photos and stills from the film.
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Algonquin Park A Photographic Journey
Photographer: Iain McNabPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$26.95At 7,700 square kilometres, Algonquin Park offers constant surprises, even for McNab, who shoots in all seasons and never tires of the park’s natural beauty. In this travel-friendly keepsake book, photographer Iain McNab shares some of the stunning photographs he has taken in over twenty years of visiting Canada’s first provincial park.
Sunsets, brilliant foliage, foxes, bear, and moose, all shot all with the same eye for detail, Algonquin Park features over 100 colour photos as well as an introduction from McNab, detailing his imperfect quest for the perfect photo.
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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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Dusty Dreams and Troubled Waters A Story of HMCS Sackville and the Battle of the Atlantic
Artist: Richard Rudnicki, Susan TookePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95They said I was a sailor, now. But this was my first time on the ocean. And I was going to war…
By 1942 most of Europe was under the heel of the Nazis. Only the United Kingdom remained free to oppose them. Knowing Britain needed supplies from overseas, the German navy built a large fleet of U-boats to hunt merchant ships. It was up to Canada to protect all shipping from North America to Britain. Corvettes like HMCS Sackville were crewed by young men from across Canada, and from all walks of life. The Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945), the longest of the Second World War, was Canada’s battle, and the outcome sealed Hitler’s fate.
Following young Wally as he leaves the family farm on the prairies to pursue a daring career in the navy—leaving love interest Winnie behind—this striking graphic novel is a high-stakes adventure, a love story, and an important historical lesson. Features meticulously detailed black and white drawings, an illustrated diagram of the Sackville, information on wartime propaganda, glossary, and an illustrated map.
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Nova Scotia at Night
Photographer: Len WaggPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$29.95See Nova Scotia like never before. Celebrated photographer Len Wagg returns off the success of Then & Now, his exploration of Wallace MacAskill’s photographic legacy, with another entirely original perspective on his home province. Nova Scotia at Night showcases Canada’s Ocean Playground from sunset to twilight and beyond.
Showcasing stunning vistas from across the province, including iconic Nova Scotia landmarks like the Annapolis Valley Lookoff underneath the stars and Louisbourg in silhouette, a snow-covered Public Gardens on a winter’s eve, whales breaching at Canso Causeway, the Northern lights dancing over the Cobequid Mountains, and much more, this beautiful and surprising book highlights Nova Scotia’s seldom seen after-dark personality. Features 80 colour photographs, including a selection from Len’s favourite up-and-coming Nova Scotia photographers.
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Canada Quiz: 150 Edition How Much Do you Know About Canada?
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$8.95Who was Canada’s first prime minister? Easy question, right? Okay, who was Canada’s second prime minister? Try these: Who created the ookpik? Whose real name was Gladys Mary Smith? What does the acronym CANDU stand for? You’ll find the answers to 750 questions like these in this entertaining collection of Canadian trivia.
There’s something here for everyone–from the born and bred Canadian to the visitor wanting to know more about this great country. In no particular order, and with easy and difficult questions intermixed, these 75 quizzes are sure to appeal to all ages and knowledge levels.
So, here’s your chance to educate your family, stump your friends, and become an expert on all things Canada.
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Eating Wild in Eastern Canada A Guide to Foraging the Forests, Fields, and Shorelines
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95From fiddleheads to spruce tips, wild food can be adventurous and fun—with the right guide. In Eating Wild in Eastern Canada, award-winning author and conservationist Jamie Simpson (Journeys through Eastern Old-Growth Forests) shows readers what to look for in the wilds and how and when to collect it.
Grouping foods by their most likely foraging locations—forests, fields, and shorelines—and with 50 full-colour photographs, identification is made accessible for the amateur hiker, wilderness enthusiast, and foodie alike. Includes historical notes and recipes, cautionary notes on foraged foods’ potential dangers, and interviews with wild-edible gatherers and chefs. While gathering wild edibles may be instinctive to some, there is an art to digging for soft-shelled clams and picking highbush cranberries, and Simpson joyfully explores it in this one-of-a-kind narrative guidebook.
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In Their Own Words
$21.95What was the First World War really like for Maritimers overseas? This epistolary book, edited by historian Ross Hebb, contains the letters home of three Maritimers with distinct wartime experiences: a front-line soldier from Nova Scotia, a nurse from New Brunswick, and a conscripted fisherman from Prince Edward Island. Up until now, these complete sets of handwritten letters have remained with the families, who agreed to share them in time for the one-hundredth anniversary of the Great War’s end in 2018. These letters not only give insight into the war, but provide greater understanding of life in rural Maritime communities in the early 1900s.
In Their Own Words includes a learned introduction and background information on letter writers Eugene A. Poole, Sister Pauline Balloch, and Herry Heckbert, enabling readers to appreciate the context of these letters and their importance.
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Let’s Point!
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95When baby reaches about 12 months of age, pointing becomes a powerful way to communicate. Let’s Point! features curious and wonder-filled babies pointing at the many interesting things around them. Foil-embellished images of everyday objects accompanied by simple text invite baby to engage in their own pointing, and encourage early communication and conversation between parent and child. A perfect first-birthday gift and ideal for early literacy programs, Let’s Point! will excite baby’s curiosity about the world around them.
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Maud Lewis 1,2,3
Artist: Maud LewisPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Maud Lewis 1-2-3 is a wonderful first counting book and introduction to 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 searching the vibrant images to count the kittens, oxen, birds, and flowers on each page.
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The Accidental Farmer The Story of Ross Farm
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$15.95Nova Scotia’s Ross Farm Museum is a living window into the province’s agricultural history. Since the museum opened in 1970, it has been a favourite destination for school children, who have been educated about early times and farming. There, you can see straw hats being woven, wool being spun, and butter being churned. There is a blacksmith shop and a stave mill.
This delightful book, the latest in the Stories of our Past series, tells the story of the original Ross family who crossed the Atlantic in 1816, built a home, and overcame many challenges. Perfect for high-school students and general readers with an interest in local history. Illustrated with over 60 colour images, and including sidebar features and an index.
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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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Nova Scotia Cookery, Then and Now Modern Interpretations of Heritage Recipes
Editor: Valerie MansourPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$27.95Take one batch of historic recipes, add a handful of local, inspired chefs, mix well, and serve up a modern version of Nova Scotia culinary history. To create this book, food writer and editor Valerie Mansour reviewed the Nova Scotia Archives’s What’s Cooking? digital collection and, along with their staff, pulled out a cross-section of recipes dating back as far as The Halifax Gazette of 1765, and featuring material from wartime newspaper supplement recipes, community cookbooks, and more. Taste of Nova Scotia then matched recipes with Nova Scotia chefs and food-industry specialists, who put a modern twist on the recipes. Using their expertise, today’s food styles, and local ingredients, top chefs from across the province have recreated everything from classic seafood dishes like planked salmon and fish chowder to time-honoured favourites like brown bread and baked beans, with items like Irish potato pudding, rabbit stew with bannock, Gaelic fruitcake, and rappie pie showcasing the province’s multicultural and ever-evolving foodways.
Features over 80 recipes, full-colour photos of the dishes in historic Nova Scotia settings from photographer Len Wagg and stylist Jessica Emin, as well as fascinating archival materials.
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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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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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In the Wake
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Set on the shores of modern-day Nova Scotia, two women are stagnated by grief and their own flawed versions of the past. Can the truth set them free?
When Emily and her family move back to Nova Scotia from Calgary, it is a return to the coastal landscape that already haunts her—and the waters where her father died. She meets her neighbour Linda, a gruff but loving widow and Linda’s grown son, Tom, who struggles to stay on an even keel. As they settle in, Emily and her husband, Daniel, learn more about the short but turbulent history of the house they’ve just bought. With Daniel away for work, Emily becomes caught up in the lives of her neighbours, relying on Linda’s friendship and growing closer to Tom, despite his unsettling knack for appearing when she least expects him. As the tension in each family builds, both Emily and Linda must confront long-unanswered questions.
With its nuanced depictions of marriage, parenting, grief and mental illness, and humorous, understated dialogue, Davison’s debut is at once suspenseful and subtle.
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My First Book of Canadian Birds
Artist: Angela DoakPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Help your child identify birds like the Canada goose, American robin, and yellow warbler in their natural habitats with colourful and whimsical collage-style illustrations from breakout East Coast artist Angela Doak (Atlantic Animal ABC).
Simple, gentle text gives readers a peek into the habitats of Canadian birds and introduces child and parent to fun facts about everything from bird sounds to egg sizes! My First Book of Canadian Birds is the perfect way to introduce young readers to birds from across the country.
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EveryBody’s Different on EveryBody Street
$22.95If ever you go travelling
On EveryBody Street
You’ll see EveryBody’s Different
Than EveryOne you meetSheree Fitch’s playful words lead you into this beautiful children’s book and invite you to celebrate our gifts, our weaknesses, our differences, and our sameness. Fitch displays her wit and mastery of words in quick, rollicking rhymes that are complemented by Emma Fitzgerald’s lively illustrations. EveryBody’s Different on EveryBody Street was originally produced in 2001 as a fundraiser to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Festival of Trees in support of the Nova Scotia Hospital and to raise awareness for mental illness and addiction.
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25 Years of 22 Minutes
$29.95The final chaotic season of Codco had just wrapped when Mary Walsh sat down at a Toronto bistro with George Anthony, then creative head of CBC TV’s arts programming. She’d been thinking about a news-based comedy show–did he think that would fly? He did. That was the early ’90s. Twenty-five seasons later, hundreds of thousands of Canadians continue to tune in weekly to This Hour Has 22 Minutes for its unashamedly Canadian, biting satirical take on politics and power.
25 Years of 22 Minutes takes readers backstage to hear first-hand accounts of the show’s key moments—in the words of the writers, producers and cast members who were there. Readers will have a front-row seat to the birth of the show—including a crisis that had producers scrambling in the very first episode—and offer an insider’s take on the highs, the lows, and the daily grind behind the scenes at 22 Minutes.
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Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95The story of Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters is a very old Mi’kmaw legend. It happens in the North Sky as the stars that show the story of Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters move around Tatapn, the North Star.
In pictures in this book you can see how these stars, shown as they appear two hours before dawn, move through the night sky. They are in a different position each of the seasons because they are the time-keepers, the calendar. All through the year, as the stars and plants travel through the sky, the Mi’kmaq watch the story of Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters as it unfolds before their eyes.
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Me & Mr. Bell
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$11.95It’s 1908, and ten-year-old Eddie MacDonald shares Alexander Graham Bell’s passion for solving problems and for taking long walks in the fields above Bras d’Or Lake.
But whereas Bell is renowned by many for being the smartest man in the world, Eddie is just a local farm boy who struggles to learn to read and write. After a few chance encounters, the elderly Bell befriends the young boy, and takes an interest in his struggle—encouraging Eddie to celebrate his successes and never give up.
When Bell’s long ambition for manned flight culminates in the Silver Dart soaring over Bras d’Or Lake, Eddie is inspired to find solutions to his own challenges.
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Se Debrouiller Par Ses Propres Moyens: Le developpement economique dans les Maritimes
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$32.95En 2006, l’auteur primé Donald Savoie a écrit un livre novateur sur le développement économique dans les Maritimes, Visiting Grandchildren, en prévoyant que ce serait son dernier ouvrage consacré au domaine. Une décennie plus tard, il revient sur cette question en faisant paraître Se débrouiller par ses propres moyens. Préoccupé par l’avenir économique de la région, il a cherché à explorer et à expliquer les raisons de la faiblesse de son développement économique. Le résultat visé consiste à provoquer le débat qui s’impose sur l’avenir des Provinces maritimes.
S’inspirant de sa participation passée aux efforts de développement régional (conseiller principal en politiques auprès de l’ancien ministre du MEER; participation à la création de l’APECA) et de ses ouvrages précédents, M. Savoie jette un nouvel éclairage sur un vieux problème et pose les questions difficiles: pourquoi la région des Maritimes ne s’est-elle pas aussi bien développée que les autres régions canadiennes et que peut-on faire pour corriger la situation?
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Counting in Mi’kmaw / Mawkiljemk Mi’kmawiktuk
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95One is Ne’wt, for one bear. Two is Ta’pu, for two women making offerings. Counting from one to ten in English and Mi’kmaw, baby is introduced to both the ancestral language of Mi’kmaki and to Mi’kmaw culture and legend, through beautifully rendered illustrations of important animals, like turtle, bear, and beaver, to concepts integral to the Mi’kmaw world view, like the Four (Ne’w) Directions, and the Seven (L’luiknek) Mi’kmaw teachings. Features bright and detailed illustrations from celebrated Waycobah-based Mi’kmaw illustrator, Loretta Gould.
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Be a City Nature Detective
$14.95How do bedbugs get into your home? Why are some grey squirrels black? Does goldenrod cause hay fever?
Naturalist and artist Peggy Kochanoff answers these questions and more in this illustrated guide to solving nature mysteries in the city.
From the author of Silver Birch-nominated Be a Nature Detective series comes a new adventure full of fascinating facts and original watercolours. From scuttling cockroaches to waves of starlings to burdock heads on your clothes, Kochanoff takes the reader through city streets to show them the amazing nature growing there. Features a glossary, identification page, and further reading.
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Finding Grace
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Following the death of her sister, thirteen-year-old Grace is now alone at the Belgian convent where she was abandoned as a baby. When Grace finds a mysterious diary, she begins looking for answers about where she came from and the truth about her family. Finding Grace offers an emotional look into the lives of girls in the strict world of convents, both in the 1940s and the 1970s.
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White Point Then and Now Ninety Years of Making Memories
Photographer: Len WaggPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95John and Anne Sun first came to White Point in 1993 when they were dating, and they are still coming back, now with five children, including quadruplets. It is the tranquility of the south shore resort that appeals to the Suns of Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey. Others enjoy the ocean, the stone fireplaces, and the famous bunnies. This book captures the magic and the memories of White Point, which opened in 1928 and has survived storms, both real and financial. What started as a seasonal destination for the well-to-do from outside Atlantic Canada has turned into a year-round operation that welcomes everyone. How has the resort changed? How has it stayed the same? Photographer Len Wagg skillfully contrasts the thens and the nows of White Point with over 60 charming photos, and Rick Conrad incorporates the memories of guests and staff.
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Lexicon 18
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$8.95Enjoy 52 all-new puzzles from Theresa William’s in the latest addition to the lexicon puzzle collection.
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Music is for Everyone
Artist: Sydney SmithPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Music is for Everyone is sure to get you excited about making music! Singer-songwriter Jill Barber takes her young readers through many different kinds of music–hip hop, jazz, classical, folk–and instruments in an energetic, rhyming tour. Sydney Smith’s gleeful illustrations capture all the joy that comes from making music–in all its forms!
