Capturing the Summit: Hamilton Mack Laing and the Mount Logan Expedition of 1925 by Trevor Marc Hughes Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2023 $24.95 / 9781553806806 Reviewed by Sage Birchwater * When naturalist/cinematographer Hamilton Mack Laing was commissioned by the National Museum of Canada to accompany the expedition making the first ascent of Mount Logan in 1925,… Read more 1870 Mack Laing in Alaska
You Have Been Referred: My Life in Applied Anthropology by Michael Robinson Calgary: Bayeux Arts, 2021 $21.95 / 9781988440705 Reviewed by Kirsten Bell * Many of my anthropological brethren jealously guard the boundaries of the discipline. Although there is no formal registration process for anthropologists, the standard view within most professional associations is that a… Read more 1869 Fascinating life, flawed memoir
Ukrainian Scorpions: A Tale of Larceny and Greed by Grand Chief Ronald M. Derrickson Toronto: ECW Press, 2023 $28.95 / 9781770415676 Reviewed by Larry Hannant * Their proxy war in Ukraine against Russia floundering, the Western War Heads have been able to retain their mastery only on one crucial front line – propaganda. At least… Read more 1868 An inconvenient tale of Ukraine
Sasquatch Discovered: The Biography of Dr. John Bindernagel by Terrance N. James, PhD. Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House, 2022 $26.95 / 9780888397515 Reviewed by Ken Favrholdt * Sasquatch seems to be everywhere in our daily lives, or mine anyways. My wife Linda recently purchased a block of “Sasquatch Trails” ice cream, a blend of chocolate and… Read more 1859 A career tracking an elusive creature
Exploring Vancouver: Ten tours of the City and its Buildings (Fifth Edition) by Harold Kalman and Robin Ward Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2023 $29.95 / 9781990776274 Reviewed by Rhodri Windsor-Liscombe * Exploring Vancouver has evolved alongside the city. Once a series of First Nations settlements amidst a stupendous maritime setting, it became a lumber… Read more 1858 ‘Obscure as much as to reveal’
Storylines: How Words Shape Our World by J. Edward Chamberlin Madeira Park, BC: Douglas & McIntyre, 2023 $26.95 / 9781771623513 Reviewed by Ron Verzuh * British novelist D.H. Lawrence once quipped that readers should trust the tale and not the teller. What did he mean? Prof emeritus J. Edward Chamberlin offers some possible answers in… Read more 1853 Trust the tale not the teller?
Inheritance: a pick-the-path experience by Daniel Arnold, Darrell Dennis, and Medina Hahn Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2022 $24.95 / 9781772013627 Reviewed by Trevor Marc Hughes * There was an opportunity to post this review on National Indigenous Peoples Day, but then, I got to thinking: why do we have to pick just one day to look at… Read more 1848 Share and share alike
Gold, Grit, Guns: Miners on BC’s Fraser River in 1858 by Alexander Globe Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2022 $26.95 / 9781553805847 Reviewed by Matthew Downey * The ironic fact at the heart of British Columbia’s genesis is that its colonial foundation was not rooted in an influx of British settlers, but rather the uneasy invasion of… Read more 1839 Gold Rush ‘surgical social analysis’
Emily Carr: Life & Work by Lisa Baldissera, with an introduction by Sara Angel Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2021 $40.00 / 9781487102326 Reviewed by Valerie Green * Most people in Victoria, throughout British Columbia and across Canada are of course familiar with the works of artist/writer Emily Carr. Her artwork is acclaimed both nationally and… Read more 1838 ‘The woman behind the art’
The Power of Dreams: 27 Years Off-grid in a Wilderness Valley by Dave and Rosemary Neads Surrey: Hancock House Publishers, 2022 $24.95 / 9780888397188 Review by Phyllis Reeve * A couple built a house in the wilderness of Precipice Valley, on the ancient trade route linking BC’s Interior Plateau with the coast, and stayed for… Read more 1837 A dose of planetary reality
the trick of staying and leaving by David Zieroth Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2023 $22.95 / 9781990776021 watching for life by David Zieroth Montreal, QC: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022 $19.95 / 9780228014744 Reviewed by Heidi Greco * I can’t help but think that in a past life David Zieroth may well have been an… Read more 1836 Tender poetic ruminations
The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2023 $32.99 / 9781487009915 Reviewed by Bill Paul * In the novel, The Librarianist, characters have names like Mr. Baker-Bailey, Chance and Chicky Bitsch, and the one-armed Mr. More. Patrick’s deWitt’s fifth novel is set in Portland, Oregon and follows Bob Comet as he grows… Read more 1835 A simple twist of fate
Cooking Tips for Desperate Fishwives: An Island Memoir by Margot Fedoruk Victoria: Heritage House, 2022 $22.95 / 9781772033953 Reviewed by Susan Sanford Blades * Cooking Tips for Desperate Fishwives, Margot Fedoruk’s island memoir, instantly captures her reader’s attention by beginning right in the thick of things: “The night I ran over Rick with my car,… Read more 1834 Stuck in the middle of nowhere with you
Baybrook: Life’s Best Adventure by Hamilton Mack Laing, edited by Barbara Elaine Price Comox: Comox Archives and Museum Society, 2005, 2022 $20.00 Reviewed by Sage Birchwater * Hamilton Mack Laing’s memoir, Baybrook: Life’s Best Adventure, is perhaps best viewed through the lens of a love story. Laing had a deep love affair for the place… Read more 1833 Mack Laing at home
To Track a Traitor: A Lane Winslow Mystery by Iona Whishaw Victoria: TouchWood Editions, 2023 $18.95 / 9781771513876 Reviewed by Ginny Ratsoy * Iona Whishaw doesn’t allow her heroine much time for grass growing underfoot in this, the tenth in the Lane Winslow Mystery series. It is spring 1948, and fast on the heels of… Read more 1832 ‘Rife with suspects and motives’
Room at the Inn: Historic Hotels of British Columbia’s Southern Interior by Glen A. Mofford Victoria: Heritage House Publishing, 2023 $26.95 / 9781772034233 Reviewed by Ron Verzuh * Remember staying at that cozy little hotel on your honeymoon, that summer vacation spot by the lake or that mountain resort? Well, now you can vicariously enjoy… Read more 1831 Bordellos and a dog named Dinty
KWANDUR by Cole Pauls Wolfville, NS: Conundrum Press, 2022 $25.00 / 9781772620771 Reviewed by Jeff Stychin * KWANDUR is one of the truest forms of expression and stylistic artwork portrayal that I’ve come across since reading his comic Pizza Punks, which is also a must-read. Cole Pauls is a Champagne and Aishihik citizen and Tahltan… Read more 1829 Tundra Wizard’s personal stories
Trickster Trilogy by Eden Robinson Son of a Trickster Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2017. $21.00 / 9780345810793 Trickster Drift Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2018. $21.00 / 9780735273443 Return of the Trickster Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2021. $21.00 / 9780735273474 Reviewed by Daniel Gawthrop * I’ve never been a big fan of magical realism in fiction. While I get… Read more 1828 A Trickster for our times
Art + DIY Electronics by Garnet Hertz Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, May 30, 2023 $45.00 / 9780262044936 (paperback) Reviewed by Thomas Girard * Dr. Garnet Hertz new book on DIY culture – Art + DIY Electronics – is a refreshing change from typical academic texts. It has the heft, but without the intimidation of… Read more 1827 Sold on the human text
Frances Barkley: Eighteenth-century Seafarer by Cathy Converse Victoria: Heritage House, 2023 $12.95 / 9781772034417 Reviewed by Dave Flawse * Frances and Captain Charles Barkley navigated the Imperial Eagle into Nootka Sound in June 1787. The wife, husband, and crew sailed across the globe through storms and pirate-infested waters to procure a seemingly humble item—sea otter… Read more 1826 An adventurous couple