Who Killed Mom
"
""A touching -- if decidedly and deliberately offbeat -- family memoir...Expect to encounter laughs and tugs on the heartstrings in pretty much equal amounts."" -- Booklist
""Burgess has written not only the funniest book published this year, but one of the most moving memoirs Canada's prairies have offered up."" -- The Tyee
One of Canada's funniest …
In the Land of Long Fingernails
"
""If Raymond Chandler had written a memoir, I could imagine it reading like this."" -- Mary Roach
First published in hardcover in 2008, In the Land of Long Fingernails was shortlisted for the Trillium Book Prize, the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, and the Toronto Book Awards.
During the hazy summer of 1969, Charles Wilkins, then a univer …
Trauma Farm
Beginning naked in the darkness Brian Brett takes us on a journey through a summer’s day that also tells the story of his affectionately named Trauma Farmexploring the garden, orchards, fields, the mysteries of live-stock and poultry, and the social intricacies of rural communities.
Both a memoir and a natural history of the small mixed farm, th …
Eat, Sleep, Ride
"
Armed with wit and humour, an internationally acclaimed cycling writer tackles the longest mountain bike race in the world.
For Paul Howard, who has ridden the entire Tour de France route during the race itself -- setting off at 4 am each day to avoid being caught by the pros -- riding an adventure cycling race should hold little fear. Still, this …
Gold Medal Diary
"
""[Hayley Wickenheiser's] memories are more than just an array of hockey games, shifts good and bad and practices filled with the drudgery of constant drills. Wickenheiser is more than just a hockey player, and that's a good thing, because her complicated life outside the rink is more fascinating."" -- Winnipeg Free Press
A behind-the-scenes view o …
Cigar Box Banjo
"
""A layered, rambling, deceptively casual mixture of music history, coming-of-age inarrative and reflection on mortality."" -- Globe and Mail
A musician and writer's memoir looks death in the face and reminisces about a life in song.
As a kid, Paul Quarrington had a favourite song. In it, a boy fashions a banjo from a cigar box, pluckily sets off fo …
Breakfast at the Exit Cafe
"p class=""book_description"">""Whether it's the sign of a symbiotic marriage or of seasoned writers crafting a seamless travel collage, the narrative in this road trip through America flows as easily as a new car on an empty highway."" -- Globe & Mail
Part travelogue, part exploration-a road trip into the reality behind the cultural myth that is Am …
The Way of a Gardener
"
A personal and revealing exploration of a life lived close to the earth, from one of Canada's best-loved gardeners.
Called ""a green-thumb rogue"" (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), accomplished novelist, satirist, and garden writer Des Kennedy describes his life journey from a childhood of strict Irish Catholicism in Britain to a charmed existence amid …
The Wisdom of Donkeys
“This is Zen and the Art of Donkey Walking. I cannot imagine a more charming, informative, or restful book.” —Jim Crace, author of Being Dead and The Pesthouse.
With a new foreword by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas.
“Can a donkey be a philosopher? Merrifield believes so and, with this modest, lovely little book, makes us believe so, too.” —Boo …
A Woman in the Polar Night
"
In this extraordinary adventure, a reluctant visitor to the Arctic thrives in the awesome and unforgiving landscape.
In 1933, Christiane Ritter, a painter from Austria, travelled to Spitsbergen, an Arctic island north of Norway, to be with her husband. He had been taking part in a scientific expedition and stayed on to hunt and fish. ""Leave everyt …
Finding Rosa
When her mother, Rosa, begins to show signs of dementia, Caterina Edwards embarks on what turns out to be a search for the meaning of the past and of home. During the four years she cares for her mother, Edwards must navigate between conflicting responsibilities while dealing with her mother's troubled mind and her own exhaustion. This frank memoir …
A Hunter's Confession
"
""The two greatest things about Carpenter's sterling hunting memoir is how well-informed and precise it is -- positively erudite; but never show-offish or exclusive. The second involves how much this knowing-ness is the natural tropism of the author’s great and generous heart, his love for all creatures -- including the human one."" -- Richard F …
Paris TImes Eight
"p class=""book_description"">""Erudite, charming, and yet sharply appraising, Kelly's ode to Paris evokes the spirit of the city itself. A lovely book."" -- Patricia Pearson
""Paris Times Eight is a fast-paced, breezy read, its substance subtly woven into a tale of a city whose glamour and beauty never fades."" -- Ottawa Citizen
A poignant and often …
Most of Me
"P class=""book_description"">The imaginative, hilarious, and moving memoir of a woman coping with both Parkinson's disease and breast cancer.
At age forty-three, Robyn Levy was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and, eight months later, with breast cancer. With irreverent and at times mordant humour, Most of Me chronicles Levy's early, mysterious s …
Small Beneath the Sky
"
""Small Beneath the Sky is one of the most honest books I ever read. How rare such honesty is, and how hard-won, and radical, and beautiful!"" -- Ursula K. Le Guin
""Like her wonderful poetry, Crozier's prose illuminates our world. She is a writer of the first rank."" -- David Adams Richards, author of The Lost Highway
""This intimate and moving mem …
Rowboat in a Hurricane
"
""Like many other adventurers before her, Angus bravely sacrificed a host of human comforts to give us a glimpse into an experience most of us wouldn't dare dream of. At the same time, she humbly inspires us to make a small effort to reverse the tide."" -- Ottawa Citizen
In 2005–06, Julie Angus rowed 10,000 kilometers across the Atlantic Ocean, b …
My Natural History
Written with the author's trademark blend of enthusiasm and insight, My Natural History describes how gardening has always been Liz Primeau's therapy, obsession, and reward. Full of fascinating gardening lore, personal history, and practical insight (including what to do when you notice your son is growing funny tomatoes among your seedlings), this …
What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim
To celebrate her 50th birthday and face the challenges of mid-life, Jane Christmas joins 14 women to hike the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Despite a psychic’s warning of catfights, death, and a sexy, fair-haired man, Christmas soldiers on. After a week of squabbles, the group splinters and the real adventure begins. In vivid, witty style, sh …
Hollywood and Me
Bernie Rothman wrote popular, classic TV shows like "My Three Sons" and produced career-defining specials for stars like Judy Garland, George Burns, Diana Ross, Burt Reynolds, and Rudolf Nureyev. In this memoir, Rothman wittily describes his dealings with these male and female divas, from witnessing Peggy Lee trashing the Andrews Sisters to draggin …
Addicted
With new material from Susan Cheever, Molly Jong-Fast, and Rick Whitaker. What is this craving that overpowers all else? What is it like to be addicted, and what does it take to get straight or sober? In this new and expanded edition of a widely praised collection, an outstanding roster of courageous writers present vivid renderings of the addictio …
Flying Crooked
There are many books about the processes people go through when they discover they have cancer. What makes Flying Crooked different is the way in which Jan Michael accepts the disease and its consequences. She continues to enjoy life, refuses radiotherapy, and rejects the idea of even wearing a prosthesis after one of her breasts has been removed. …
Windshift Line, The
In this beautifully written and deeply moving book, Rita Moir draws strength from her father's words as she deals with a relationship with an abusive man, the challenges of living on her own in the country, and the disappointment of another thwarted romance. In turn, she offers the same strength to her father when he must confront his own illness, …
Italy Out of Hand
Italy out of Hand is not a traditional guidebook with hotel addresses and hours of operation. Rather, it is an idiosyncratic tour of a sometimes overwhelming and extravagant country. Seething below Italy's wonderfully civilized surface is a mass of macabre stories, salacious goings-on, and decidedly strange personalities and bizarre behavior. There …
Mr. Nasty
"
From humble beginnings in East London to the murky world of heroin addiction and murderous gangs, Cameron White takes us on his trip through his drug-dealing life.
p class=""book_description"">He fell afoul of notorious London criminals and was forced to flee to North America; he climbed aboard a cocaine-fueled roller coaster that had him dealing w …
A Test of Will
The gripping tale of one man’s survival in the wilderness.
On the night of April 9, 1997, Warren Macdonald took his final step as a "complete" human being. A fit and experienced hiker, Macdonald had set out with a new Dutch companion to make the grueling climb to the top of Australia’s spectacular Mount Bowen. They lost their way after a full da …
My Turquiose Years
"
A touching and hilarious memoir of an absent mother and a vanished time. Throughout her childhood, Marion Farrant heard exotic stories of the sophisticated life her mother, Nancy, led aboard cruise ships and in Australia. Nancy's world of furs, jewels, cigarette holders, and handsome men seemed miles away from the west-coast hamlet of Cordova Bay, …
From the Far Side of the River
As he braves rills, rivers, and ocean waters in search of his elusive quarry, Paul Quarrington's casts are as likely to call up thoughts of his troubled marriage, his father's death, or one of midlife's existential questions as they are to yield a fish, big or small. But whatever his trials and triumphs, he is never without his wickedly perverse se …
My Turquoise Years
Throughout her childhood, Marion Farrant heard exotic stories of the sophisticated life her mother, Nancy, led aboard cruise ships and in Australia. Nancy’s world of furs, jewels, cigarette holders, and handsome men seemed miles away from the west-coast hamlet of Cordova Bay, where Marion lived with her aunt and uncle, running wild on the beach w …
Risking it All
"
In the spring of 2000, Heather Ingram, a 30-year-old high school teacher in a small town on the coast of British Columbia, was convicted of the sexual exploitation of a minor for having an affair with a 17-year-old student. Why would a highly respected and accomplished teacher take such a risk? Ingram was one of the most popular and highly regarde …
Swan River
Swan River is a compelling and nostalgic family memoir that explores themes of love, loss, and discovery. As a child, David Reynolds developed a fascination with the story of his grandfather, who had mysteriously disappeared from London decades earlier. Reynolds consulted relatives, read diaries, and slowly pieced together a spellbinding story. Fam …
Abundant Beauty
"P class=""book_description"">A delightful and informative trek across the globe by a witty, intelligent, and courageous Victorian artist and adventurer.
In 1871, at age 41, Marianne North, an artist with a keen interest in botany, decided to travel the world on a quest to paint as many plants and flowers as she could find in their natural habitat. …
Butter Down the Well
In this immensely popular Canadian classic, Robert Collins describes his boyhood growing up in Saskatchewan during the bleak years of the Depression. Featuring the fine realist paintings of well-known painter Len Gibbs, this special illustrated edition evokes the mood of that era both through Collins's humorous and touching stories and through Gibb …
Muddling Through
"
When two thousand British bank clerks, butchers, housewives, saleswomen, remittance men and ex-Boer War soldiers followed the charismatic but inept Anglican minister, Isaac Barr, to the Canadian prairies in 1903 their rallying cry was ""Canada for the British.""
Despite the Canadian governmentÌs expectations and BarrÌs assurances, however, very f …
Courting Saskatchewan
In Courting Saskatchewan, Carpenter captures the poetry of the prairies, confronts the brevity of life and the depression brought on by the dead of a Saskatchewan winter, takes hilarious delight in his own and other people's foibles, and reflects on the importance of his friends. By turns humorous, light hearted and profound, this intensely persona …
Boy on the Back of the Turtle
As he cruises the Galapagos Islands in the company of his daughter, aged seven, and his father, aged seventy-three, Paul Quarrington ponders questions great and small. Equal parts memoir, travel book and good old-fashioned yarn, The Boy on the Back of the Turtle is a funny, poignant look at the mysteries of our universe.
