We are in New Glasgow for Thanksgiving weekend. This is an opportunity to catch up with the Fall magazines. From Saltscapes (October/ November 2023 ), I find In Praise of Books (and the people who sell them). One of the feature stores is Endless Shores Books in Bridgetown and Jennifer Crouse. Last week , Jennifer was recommending to Heather ‘The Last Bookshop in London’ by Madeline Martin.
“The Last Bookshop in London is an irresistible tale which shows the transformative power of literacy, reminding us of the hope and sanctuary our neighbourhood bookstores offer during the perilous trials of war and unrest”, Kim Michele Richardson.
In the same issue of Saltscapes (p.28-33), Written in Rock, Table
Point Newfoundland records a prehistoric moment. This brought back memories of Gros Morne National Park, Western Brook Pond and the Serpentine Tableland.
The second magazine, Canadian Geographic (September/October 2023) is full of interesting articles. Here I will select Opoyastin’s Wolves of the Big Wind ( p.78-85).
”What makes Churchill Wild’s Wolf program unique is the interpretative approach to citizen science, the program pairs traditional field work with indigenous oral history”, p.83.
This reminded Heather of her time spent at Wapusk National Park.
Since my previous blog post, I have had the time to finish Graham Greene’s A Burnt-Out Case. To fully appreciate the book I had to remind myself about Graham Greene’s life. The simple solution was to use Google. Greene was born in 1904; died in 1991. He was a sub-editor of The Times. In 1926, he had been received into the Roman Catholic church. In 1940 he became literary editor of the Spectator. The next year, he undertook work for the Foreign Office and was sent to Sierra Leone in 1941-43. All of these ‘life experiences’ are captured in A Burnt-Out Case.
I found this short book, deeply moving, as the main character is defined as a ‘burnt-out case’ – a mental leper through whom the disease has run its course.’
I will swap this book with Heather for ‘The Last Bookshop in London’ A novel of World War II.
References
Madeline Martin, 2021, The Last Bookshop in London, Hanover Square Press.
Graham Greene, A Burnt-Out Case, Penguin Books.
Saltscapes, October/November 2023.
Canadian Geographic, September/ October 2023.
Acknowledgements
Jennifer Crouse passed ‘The Last Bookshop in London’ to Heather. John Stewart provided access to both Saltscapes and Canadian Geographic magazines. I found the Graham Greene book in the recycled bin at the Annapolis Royal library. Edward added the artwork and links. Edward and Anne were previous owners of The Inside Story bookstore in Greenwood, NS.
Ernest Blair Experiment 