October 18, 2024 The Wild North Land: A winter journey by dogsled across Canada to British Columbia, Oregon, and the Pacific by William Francis Butler Edmonton: M. G. Hurtig Ltd., 1968 (orig. published 1873) * I know what you’re thinking: another historical, ruminating, British colonialist travelogue, espousing the wonders…
September 27, 2024 Those Earlier Hills: Reminiscences 1928 to 1961 by R. M. Patterson When Richard Mackie recommended I read Patterson, I wasn’t sure what to expect from his writing. Once I tucked into this book by Raymond…
May 13, 2024 Bergerac’s Jersey by John Nettles Before he starred in the television series Midsomer Murders, actor John Nettles had a great run on a BBC-TV series called Bergerac. Set on…
March 6, 2024 Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss “Sticklers Unite!” -backcover matter, Eats, Shoots & Leaves My recent experience as non-fiction editor for The British Columbia Review had me pick this book…
January 21, 2024 Painting in Canada: a history (2nd edition) by J. Russell Harper “Since its first appearance in 1967, Russell Harper’s classic study of Canadian painting has been recognized as the outstanding authority on the subject. This…
November 8, 2023 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley “…if I were free – not enslaved by my conditioning.” -Bernard Marx This title is by far the best-known of British-born Aldous Huxley, first…
September 13, 2023 Down the Road: journeys through small-town British Columbia by Rosemary Neering “Making a living, dealing with isolation: constants of a small-town life.” -Rosemary Neering When I rode my KLR 650 up to Loon Lake in…
April 27, 2023 Under Asian Skies by Sam Manicom Before giving a presentation at Horizons Unlimited CanWest a few years ago on the subject of motorcycling and anxiety, I asked author Sam Manicom…
March 15, 2023 A Ride in the Sun or Gasoline Gypsy by Peggy Iris Thomas Long before Lois Pryce rode (and wrote about her travels) solo in Iran, there was Peggy Iris Thomas who, in the early 1950s, rode…
March 2, 2023 Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat I recently ordered this well-thumbed paperback book, suitably enough, from a bookstore in Victoria, B.C., where I grew up. During my 1983/84 Grade Six…
February 26, 2023 The Harley in the Barn: More Great Tales of Motorcycle Archaeology by Tom Cotter When I interviewed Todd Copan, who had organized the Classic & Vintage Swap Meet and Show n Shine for over thirty years, I asked…
February 16, 2023 Motorcycles and our 2nd 50 years by Reg Kittrelle My friend Wes Taylor, who I’ve shared a few motorcycle adventures with (most notably in Zero Avenue to Peace Park) sent me this book…
February 13, 2023 Sahara by Michael Palin Michael Palin’s travel books have been a great influence on me. Before I began to travel (which really began in 1994 when I explored…
February 10, 2023 Reviewing Books I’m an avid reader, when I’m not writing or editing, and so here’s a space for future reviews of books, not in any particular…
