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Prince Edward Island Quiz Revised Edition
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$7.95This fully revised and updated edition of the popular provincial quiz book is a must-have for teachers and libraries and trivia buffs.
Which premier led PEI into Confederation? Which PEI town was probably named from the French word for mouse? Whether you think you know it all or want to learn more, this collectioin of trivia from Canada’s smallest province will get you thinking. With 500 questions from easy to difficult, there is something here for readers of all ages and knowledge levels.
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Nova Scotia Quiz Revised Ed.
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$7.95This fully revised and updated edition of the popular provincial quiz book is a must-have for teachers and libraries and trivia buffs.
Who founded the city of Halifax? Which island off Nova Scotia is home to wild horses? Who is the Nova Scotian giantess that toured with P. T. Barnum? You can find the answers to these questions and more inside.
Each quiz offers a variety of topics and difficulty levels, so it’s perfect for teachers, students, parents, researchers, tourists, or anyone looking for a bit of information and entertainment.
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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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Small Yachts
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$33.00Charles P. Kunhardt, born on Staten Island, New York, was editor of Forest and Stream magazine in the 1880s. Small Yachts was his monumental work, which influenced yachting for years to come.
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Memoirs of a Cape Breton Doctor
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Dr. C. Lamont MacMillan had no idea of the life that awaited him when he began his medical practice in Baddeck, Cape Breton, in 1928. At that time it was more common for doctors to travel to their patients. As a result, navigating the rural landscape was often more difficult for these doctors than providing diagnoses.
In Memoirs of a Cape Breton Doctor, MacMillan relates over forty years of his memories and experiences as a travelling physician with warmth, wit, and a genuine love for the life he lived. He shares stories about his patients, his family, the beloved horses that carried him from home to home, the Maritimes’ fickle weather, and the people that helped him through it.
The stories span over a century, and highlight MacMillan’s own experiences as well as the recollections of the people he cared for until his retirement from medical practice. Entertaining and heartwarming, Memoirs of a Cape Breton Doctor is a classic of the genre.
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In the Blood
Photographer: Gary SamsonPublisher: Cape Breton University Press$28.95A representative set of individuals from Cape Breton provides personal narratives about life and culture on the Nova Scotia island. Cape Breton is a region known for its music (well represented here); its Scottish, French, and Mi’kmaq heritage; and its spectacular scenery, including that along the Cabot Trail through Cape Breton Highlands National Park and around Bras d’Or Lake. While traditional culture has a vibrant existence on Cape Breton, the island also faces serious economic and social challenges. With traditional mining, shipping, farming, and fishing industries depressed, tourism, though significant, is a less-than-adequate replacement as economic engine and the island has faced an ongoing decline in population. A cross-section of Cape Bretoners reflected on these issues and the sacrifices they make and joys they find living in such a culturally and scenically rich place. Among the better-known of them are Ginette Chiasson, Alistair MacLeod, Rita Joe, Buddy MacMaster, Joella Foulds, Bob MacEachern, Keith Brown, and Mary Jane Lamond.
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The Long Wait
Artist: Eugenie FernandesPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$5.95Deidre did not have a sleek and velvet coat. She did not have a lean and graceful body. She did not walk like a queen with her head in the air. But to the Wilsons, Deidre was a very special cat. Whenever they came home, she was always there, waiting on the braided mat in the front hall.
Then, one year a terrible thing happened.
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Cassandra’s Driftwood
Artist: Terry RoscoePublisher: Pottersfield Press$7.95Set in a beautiful Nova Scotia village, this is the story of a girl and the things she fears. A perfect beginning chapter book for children aged 8-10. Written by the Ann Connor Brimer Award winner, Budge Wilson.
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Harold and Harold
Artist: Terry RoscoePublisher: Pottersfield Press$7.95In a coastal Nova Scotian community, young Harold doesn’t know how to fit in until he befriends a beautiful blue heron. A mix up involving the bird begins to change the way everyone sees Harold. And it forever changes the way he sees himself, too.
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The Cat That Barked
Artist: Terry RoscoePublisher: Pottersfield Press$7.95When Stephanie Henderson moves to Nova Scotia, she leaves behind her friends. But her mother gets her a cat to help with the loneliness. And this is a special cat- he barks!
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Manfred the Unmangeable Monster
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$8.95Budge Wilson has created a heart-warming monster story that proves things are not always the way they appear. Manfred’s parents are afraid he’s not scary enough but Manfred knows that it’s okay to be different and he figures out a way to break the stereotypes that monsters face.
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Imperfect Perfect Christmas
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$8.95Andrea Doucette lives in a fishing village in Nova Scotia. It’s Christmas Eve and everyone in her house is feeling excited and happy-except for Andrea who is feeling very gloomy. Then, a number of things take place that make Andrea wonder weather this Christmas is going to be quite fine-or maybe end up being the worst disaster of all.
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After Swissair
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$19.95On September 2, 1998, Swissair Flight 111 plunged into the sea near the mouth of St. Margaret’s Bay in Nova Scotia, killing all 229 on board. Thousands of people responded immediately: emergency personnel, fishermen, the military, divers, community searchers and RCMP officials. In the days, weeks and months after the crash, local residents and ordinary people supported the investigation in any way they could and, more critically, they also sought to comfort the families of the victims.
In the face of this almost unimaginable event, many experienced enormous suffering and world views were changed forever for the survivors – both the friends and relatives of the victims as well as support teams and the local communities of St. Margaret’s Bay, Halifax and beyond. What carried so many of them through this tragedy was the astonishing generosity and kindness each group gave to the other. As Wilson writes, “We all needed the families as much as they needed us.”
She wrote this collection of poems “in gratitude and in celebration of the thousands of men and women who suffered – and sometimes triumphed – during the months and years that followed the crash.” The poems reveal the depth of the impact the crash of Swissair 111 had on so many people.
Over the past 17 years, Wilson has been informed and inspired by the families of the victims, workers on land and sea, observers, professionals and by the local residents she has interviewed. She wove together these experiences to create a poetic vision of the sea change that occurred because of what Nova Scotians saw, heard or imagined about people they had never met, revealing the wonder of the sheer courage and generosity of the human spirit.
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Madame Belzile & Ramsey Hither
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$5.95Budge Wilson has written numerous children’s stories. She lives in Nova Scotia’s south shore region.
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Mud, Sweat and Tears
Publisher: Acorn Press$19.95Mud, Sweat and Tears tells the story of Bud Ings’ adventures as a rural veterinarian in the 1950s. As one of Prince Edward Island’s first professionally trained veterinarians, Ings set up his practice in the eastern town of Souris before moving to Montague.
Farms were rarely close at hand, however, and the sight of Bud Ings behind the wheel of his Volkswagen Bug became a familiar one on the Island’s highways and muddy back roads. And whether he was helping to deliver a calf, giving shots of penicillin to a pig, or putting down a beloved horse, Ings treated each animal- and each farmer- with dignity and respect.
Ings’ memoir is a rich, often humorous account of his first decade as a vet, at time when there were few vacations, no modern tools of the trade, and no request too strange to attend to. It’s also the story of a past era, when PEI’s farms flourished and the animals were not only the backbone of the economy, but part of the family.
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Vet Behind the Years
Publisher: Acorn Press$19.95Bud Ings was born in 1926 on Prince Edward Island and graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, ON. He practised in rural King’s County, was a Liberal member of the legislative assembly, and served as agriculture and health ministers. A long-time member of the Queens County Fiddlers, Bud lives in Montague.
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Moonsailors
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$16.45Buckley Smith, a self-taught artist, was born in Los Angeles in 1947. Drawing, be it pen and ink, graphite or charcoal, is Buckley’s original medium, and remains his strongest today. Boats have remained his foremost subject matter. Buckley makes his home in Maine, North Carolina, Florida, and Italy.
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Right Place, Right Time
Publisher: Acorn Press$27.95With over 25 years of broadcasting experience, Bruce Rainnie has collected stories from every arena He has worked intimately with PEI’s legendary broadcaster “Boomer” Gallant as well as many other well known characters from across the country. Bruce did the first TV interview with Sidney Crosby back in 1996 and has remained in contact with him ever since. He also worked closely with Olympic Gold Medalist, Heather Moyse. The book will include these anecdotes and stories from his work as a news and sports broadcaster.
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The Winter House And Other Christmas Stories from Atlantic Canada
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$16.95The Winter House includes a delightful mix of fiction and memories about Christmas in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. These 20 stories showcase Christmas scenes past and present, real and imagined—a revelry with a gang of rowdy mummers; childhood memories of school Christmas concerts; the tale of New Brunswick’s very first Santa Claus; and many more.
Selected fiction and non-fiction includes stories by David Adams Richards, Ernest Buckler, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Gary L. Saunders, and many others, with a foreword by Bruce Nunn. The Winter House will bring yuletide cheer in the best Atlantic Canadian tradition.
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Magical Christmas Light of Old Nova Scotia
Artist: Yolanda PoplawskaPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Nova Scotia native Bruce Nunn is a popular storyteller on CBC Radio and Television and the author of a number of best-selling books including History With a Twist, More History With a Twist, 59 Stories, The Magical Christmas Light of Old Nova Scotia, and Buddy the Bluenose Reindeer. Yolanda Poplawska is an illustrator and graphic designer living in Halifax.
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Nova Scotia History With A Twist
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$16.95Bruce Nunn’s popular History with a Twist now has a fresh new look as Nova Scotia History with a Twist. It still includes the same educational yet entertaining stories. You’ll meet the man who lived inside Halifax’s Old Town Clock, the man who started the Klondike gold rush, courageous sea captains, makers of illegal tartan, the saviour of Seal Island, the ghost of the first Christmas tree, and many more.
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More History with a Twist
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$16.95More History with a Twist includes sixty more stories from Mr. Nova Scotia-Know-It-All including updates on previous tales and intriguing connections to the famous, and the infamous.
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Nova Scotia’s Curious Connections
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Previously published as 59 Stories, this new edition brings back into print Bruce Nunn’s collection of quirky stories. With his entertaining style and penchant for library and word-of-mouth research alike, Nunn introduces readers to the province’s claim on some world-famous stuff, including Moby Dick, mutton-chop sideburns, and the very first Donald Duck comic. The collection includes chapters on the interesting origins of words like “Bluenose” and “Acadian” and strange homegrown inventions like the telephone-flashlight. Nunn’s passion for history and the unusual make Nova Scotia’s Curious Connections a must-read for anyone looking to add a little quirk to their knowledge of Nova Scotia’s past.
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Best of Buddy The Bluenose Reindeer
Artist: Brenda JonesPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$18.95Both Buddy books—truly the best of—now in one handsome edition!
First heard on CBC radio, Buddy the Bluenose Reindeer became an instant Maritime Christmas classic. Buddy the Bluenose Reindeer is sad because, despite his best efforts, he just can’t fit in with Nick Klaus’s fishing crew on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Santa, that normally jolly proprietor of Christmas cheer, is worried because his star performer, the famous Rudolph, is sick with a bad cold! How will Santa and Buddy set everything all right?
In Buddy the Bluenose Reindeer and the Boston Christmas Tree, the search for the perfect Christmas tree to send to Boston isn’t going well, and Buddy the Bluenose Reindeer is called on to help. Of course, with his nose so blue and his aim so true, Buddy easily finds the right tree. Little does everyone know that that’s the easy part.
Packed full of playful puns and perfect for old and young listeners alike, Buddy’s adventures are real treats to read and share aloud.
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A Bluenose Twelve Days of Christmas
Artist: Doretta GroenendykPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95On the fifth day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me
Five Highland flings!
Four coal seams,
Three lobster traps,
Two fiddle tunes,
And a Bluenose in at Pier Three.“The Twelve Days of Christmas” gets a taste of Nova Scotian revelry in this energetic retelling by storyteller Bruce Nunn. With Doretta Groenendyk’s charming and funny illustrations, readers young and old will want to read–and sing!–this version of the carol every Christmas.
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Canadian Forces
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.$19.95From soldiers on the ground, sailors on the seas, and fliers in the air, this is a history of those men and women our country has placed in harm’s way.From Siberia to Somalia, the Yukon to Yugoslavia, Korea, the Congo, the Middle East, Cyprus, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the Canadian soldier has risked life and limb for reasons and causes that Canada and Canadians believe to be right.Canadian Armed Forces: A Salute spotlights some of our oft-forgotten history and individuals . . . the Canadian who won a Victoria Cross during the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Canadians who were involved in what was probably the last Cavalry charge, the Devil’s Brigade that signaled the formation of the first Special Forces unit, and the D-Day Dodgers without whom D-Day in France may have been as much a fiasco as the Dieppe landings.This is a book that chronicles the humble heroism and often unacknowledged bravery that are a part of the Canadian soldier’s story. The book captures the tragedy and the comedy that are part of daily life in the Canadian military. This is an unabashed salute.
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Noble Newfoundland Dog
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95This is a wonderful look at the history of this popular and well-recognized dog. Hynes begins his book with a history of the breed and moves on to stories about Newfoundland dogs past and present. These tales make up the bulk of the book, and are generally short, illustrating the traits we associate with the breed: Loyalty, bravery, intelligence and gentleness. The stories are grouped by type – rescues, proof of intelligence, acts of kindness, and so on. There are tales of dogs performing heroic sea rescues, catching fish with remarkable skill, acting as dependable hunting partners, and caring for children. One hilarious chapter is devoted to the Newfoundland’s subtle sense of humour. Hynes recounts anecdotes himself, but he also quotes historical text extensively, letting past Newfoundland owners talk about their dogs in their own words.
The last section of the book deals with the care and training of Newfoundland dogs. Hynes is thorough and honest in his advice – caring for a 150 pound dog requires diligence and devotion. This book is devoted to Newfoundland dogs: heroes, artful dodgers, escape artists, and best friends.
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Diligent River Daughter
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$22.95Bruce Graham is a Nova Scotia writer and former broadcaster, who for many years was the face of the evening TV news in Maritime homes. Bruce and his wife Helen live in their hometown of Parrsboro. Diligent River Daughter is his fifth book. The Ship’s Company Theatre adapted two of his previous novels – The Parrsboro Boxing Club and Ivor Johnson’s Neighbours, both published by Pottersfield – for the stage.
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Anchorman
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$19.95Stewart Donovan is professor of English at St. Thomas University. His recent book The Forgotten World of R.J. MacSween: a life, was shortlisted for two Atlantic Book Awards.
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Duddy Doesn’t Live Here Anymore A Novel
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$19.95Duddy McGill is a dreamer –a man who turns his back on reality so often he falls from one disaster into the next. Occasionally, he is given an opportunity, so when no one wants the job, Duddy is appointed the town’s temporary police chief. It’s only for a week but in the first day of the job, Duddy arrests Mrs. Truman Taylor for shoplifting. A prominent citizen, Mrs. Taylor is humiliated and horrified. She resists and ensuing struggle, a dance down Main Street to the jail, happens in front for the astonished townspeople. Unfortunately for Duddy, he has arrested the wrong woman.
He doesn’t have much better luck with Jugs Henderson, who sues him when she falls off her clothesline platform into the petunia patch, or with Mrs. Gordon McKenzie, a widowed schoolteacher who he ends up propositioning. Then there is Mary Lou Weaver, recently moved to Parrsboro because she always wanted to live by the sea. She definitely ends up looking at the water –stuck high above the ground in Duddy’s truck. No wonder Duddy has a few prospects and a very suspicious wife.
Finally, Duddy’s long-suffering wife Minnie has had enough. Out goes her husband and her old life. Yet despite it all, Duddy McGill tries to help people. He is the go-between for the man from Michigan, who has big plans to build a croquet factory in the town, and the local woman he has been searching for. Duddy really wants to do right. He assists his friends when possible. He builds a new deck for Royal after his friend suffers another tragedy and when Mink Martin goes to war with the bureaucracy, Duddy is there to help.
Duddy McGill is a man worthy of salvation. The problem is, he’ll have to do it himself. But fate has a way of intervening, of picking up a small-town guy and making him an international hero. Here is a story of love, absurdity and people with warm hearts. Few writers could make a funeral funny, but it happens here in this story of human folly where you’ll never stop laughing.
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Tapestry of Green A Novel
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$19.95Carl Cocking had two worthy ambitions: to restore his father’s battered reputation and bring his mother and brothers to some agreement whereby they could call themselves a family. Tapestry of Green is the story of one Englishman who traces the last months of his father’s life through the dark streets of Victorian London to the sampans and opium dens of China. During a quest that he cannot abandon, Carl witnesses the brutality of British trading ships, the Great Trek by the Dutch in South Africa and the beginning of the Opium Wars.
The story takes place in England and China between 1837 and 1843, in the era when hot air and gas balloons were creating great interest in aviation. Artist and inventor Robert Cocking often took his young son Carl on balloon excursions over the English countryside and the city of London where they could look down on a world filled with great filth and great beauty. Carl escapes the unravelling of his family and only returns to London when his father makes aviation history by becoming the first Englishman killed in a parachute accident.
“He is the greatest fool in England, they wrote in their horrid penny papers, and I would not let my father be so remembered.”
Carl tries to reconstruct the last months of his father’s life. His investigation takes him through London’s gentlemen clubs and shabby tenements and on a voyage to the other side of the world to the one man who helped his father design his unique parachute. Carl arrives in China just as the Chinese are rebelling over British intrusions and the supplying of opium to the masses of Chinese.
“On the second day on the Canton River thousands of dead fish floated by, killed by white powder seeping into the water from smashed wooden chests.”
Although Carl is fictional, his father Robert and the Opium Wars are very real.
Bruce Graham is a Nova Scotia writer and former broadcaster who, for many years, was the face of the evening TV news in Maritime homes. He is the author of seven books, three of which have been transformed into stage plays. Ivor Johnson’s Neighbours is being developed into a television series. His last book, Duddy Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, was published in 2013, and is now being prepared for the stage. Bruce lives in his hometown of Parrsboro with his wife Helen.
