Category: Book Review

This weekend, we find ourselves in New Glasgow, prior to heading to British Columbia for Christmas and New Year. This week, I received a call from the Lawrencetown library. I picked up an inter-library loan; James Bridle’s Ways of Being.

To date, I have read the first three chapters. In praise of the book, Jane Goodall writes:

’We humans are not alone in having a sense of community, a sense of fun, a sense of wonder and awe at the beauty of nature. Be prepared to re-evaluate your relationship with the amazing life forms with whom we share the planet.’

Thinking about other ‘ways of being’, I reflect on my recent visit to Annapolis Royal. At MareGold Bookstore, we talked to Russell and Geoff Butler. Russell described his work at the store, in terms of a curator of the books. This extends to the recently opened children’s section.

Afterwards, we went to the Brown Dog Kitchen at the Annapolis Royal library. Fortunately, we could pick up fresh pies for supper.

These ‘ways of being’ seem a far cry from the endless advertising to purchase products over the Internet — or managing scams over the telephone.

With a certain trepidation, we look forward to our travel to British Columbia. But we shall enjoy different ‘ways of being’ with family, available through a different geography.

Reference

James Bridle, 2022, Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines, The Search for Planetary Intelligence, Farrah, Straus and Giroux.

Acknowledgements

Edward has been travelling between Nova Scotia and Florida, hence blog delays. Heather and I will travel to British Columbia to share time with family in Port Moody and Rossland. Again, leading to delays.

We managed to get to Kentville this week and were able to stop at Gaspereau Press on Church Street. We found three books of interest.

Sue Goyette’s, Monoculture: a commentary of monologues.
Ray Cronin’s, A Gaspereau Field Guide to Canadian Artists, No. 1: Mary Pratt, Still Light.
Ian McLaren’s, All the Birds of Nova Scotia: Status and Critical Identification.

I picked out the first book. I was interested in the commentary on the Forest industry in Nova Scotia.
(image of Sue Goyette via Gaspereau Press)

This remains a contentious issue, regarding saving old growth forest and the practice of sustainable forestry.

Ray Cronin is the author of the series ‘Gaspereau Field Guide to Canadian Artists’. I selected #1, Mary Pratt: Still Light. On a previous visit I purchased #7, Alan Syliboy: Culture is our Medicine. Other artists in the series include Gerald Ferguson, Alex Colville, John Greer, Maud Lewis and Colleen Wolstenholme.

Heather made the third choice. Given the number of birds coming to our feeder. She was interested in Professor Ian McLaren’s All the Birds of Nova Scotia: Status and Critical Identification, published in 2012.

Acknowledgements

We enjoyed brunch at the Half Acre Cafe before crossing the road to Gaspereau Press.

Edward added the graphics and links.

References (all published by Gaspereau Press)
Sue Goyette, 2022, Monoculture: a commentary of monologues.
Ray Cronin, 2018, Mary Pratt: Still Light, Field Guide to Canadian Artists #1
Ray Cronin, 2022, Alan Syliboy: Culture is our Medicine Field Guide to Canadian Artists #7
Ian McLaren, 2012, All the Birds of Nova Scotia: Status and Critical Identification.

December 1st: a wonderful warm day.

Time to put the garden to bed. Fill the green bin. Add Biochar to the soil. Turn over the compost.

(cartoon by Edward)

Late afternoon, went to Bridgetown. I had read in the Reader that Peter Wyman had published a new book, The Last Whale in Nova Scotia. Luck was on my side, I picked up a copy at the Endless Shores book store. Perhaps on Saturday I will get him to sign the copy at the Mad Hatter bookstore.

Previously, Wyman had published a number of separate ‘small books’. This time, he had gathered seven short stories. Before falling asleep, I had digested the first six, saving the longer, The Last Whale in Nova Scotia, for another day.

The stories took me to Delaps Cove, canoeing on the Annapolis River, Blandings turtles and Kejimkujik National Park.

Perhaps in a good way, it offers a partial explanation to the grandchildren ‘Why are Granny and Grandad living in the country, down in rural Nova Scotia? ‘

From the beginning, the book references the work of Carl Jung. I am hopeful that by the end I will have a better understanding of the ‘curious animal spirits’.

Meanwhile today, I am presented with a choice — either heading out to Annapolis Royal (book signing) or Kentville (browsing the Christmas offerings at Gaspereau Press). We went to AR; stopped at the Mad Hatter and Mare Gold.

Acknowledgements

From the Centre page of the Reader:
“Reading: reduces stress, enhances knowledge, feeds your imagination.”
Thanks to Endless Shores Books and MareGold Bookstore.

Thanks to Heather and Edward for their support and contributions.

References

Peter B. Wyman, 2023, The Last Whale in Nova Scotia: stories nurtured by curious animal spirits, Cardigan, Little and Crow Publishing, Annapolis Royal.

Postscript

I read the final story, The Last Whale in Nova Scotia, early Saturday morning. This deserves to be in its own separate book. Simply excellent. Thank you, Peter B.

This week we went to Kings Theatre to purchase tickets for Laila Biali Wintersongs.

While in Annapolis Royal, we could not resist the temptation of stopping at the Mad Hatter bookstore. We were in luck, they seemed to have added to their stock for Christmas.

With little thought, we picked up Arthur Bull’s, New and Selected Poetry, Skidmark Calligraphy. I remember Arthur from his work with rural development agencies and recall that he lives in Lake Medway on Digby Neck.

Naomi Klein’s Doppelgänger: a trip into the mirror world was Heather’s choice.

My real objective was to find a copy of Alan Syliboy’s Where the Owl Calls Your Name. I had this in mind for one of the grandchildren. Fortunately, we made a stop at Endless Shores in Bridgetown. It is a beautifully illustrated Mi’kmaq legend. It did not disappoint.

So far, I am part way through Skidmark Calligraphy. I will wait for Heather to work her way through Naomi Klein. Thursday (30th) we look forward to live music at Kings Theatre. It was an excellent show. Well worth, the night drive !

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the booksellers in both Annapolis Royal and Bridgetown. Next stop will be Gaspereau Press in Kentville. Edward added the graphics.

References

Arthur Bull,2023, Skidmark Calligraphy, Moose House Publications.
Naomi Klein, 2023, Doppelgänger, Knopf Canada.
Alan Syliboy, 2023, When the Owl Calls Your Name, Nimbus Publishing.

This weekend we went up to New Glasgow. By chance, late Saturday evening, we watched Doc Martin on PBS Maine. Besides the regular episode, there was a documentary on the final season of the show: number ten.

The show is set in the picturesque Cornish village of Portwenn.

The shows real life setting is Port Isaac, Cornwall, England.

As I watched the documentary it was apparent that the series, on the air for eighteen years, has had a significant impact on tourism in rural Cornwall.

Would it be possible to take this model, and apply it to rural Nova Scotia? We have the geography. We have numerous writers who have set their stories in rural Nova Scotia . Could this form part of the ‘creative rural economy’ (see Edward’s blog post “What do the films Outlander, Titanic and DevCon-4 Have in Common?“)? Or can a model be a continuation of Celes Davar’s ‘Fundy Riches and Valley Traditions’, Experiential Tourism workshop (November 2007).

Or follow the work of Greg Baeker’s ‘Building a Creative Rural Economy (Municipal World, September 2008).

Another dimension would be to build upon the writing of Ernest Buckler, The Mountain and the Valley, and more recently the work of EBLES ( Ernest Buckler Literary Event Society).

From my bookcase, I pulled down seven volumes of blogs. Volume 1 GoGeomatics, Volume 2 2017 – Volume 7 2022.

In a few weeks, I shall go to Integrity Printing in Bridgetown and request Volume 8 2023. This blog will be #538

This week, I was invited to give a keynote talk at the upcoming Canadian Symposium on Remote Sensing, Halifax, June 2024. I accepted the invitation.

Fifty years of Remote Sensing and GIS at COGS (1974-2024) is my working title.

Initial research has led me to two sources.

1. Making Government Science work for Canada and around the World{ A legacy of excellence at the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) June 2019.
2. Bob Ryerson and Stan Aronoff, 2010, Why ‘where’ matters: understanding and profiting from GPS, GIS and Remote Sensing, Kim Geomatics Corp. (see book review by Jeff Thurston).

Acknowledgements

John Wightman provided the reference to CCRS. Heather stayed up late to watch the Doc Martin documentary. Edward added his contribution to the blog.

Doc Bob

This weekend, we found ourselves in Kentville. I picked up a card giving directions to the new location of Tides Art Gallery between Brad’s Decor and the Half Acre Cafe.

At this art cooperative, I found Ron MacInnis’s book, Note in a Bottle.

This was an uplifting memoir, describing life in Nova Scotia leading to the Oceanstone Seaside Resort on the South Shore. Part of the pleasure was the scattering of quotations throughout the book; each in a sense being ‘a note in a bottle’.

Given the state of the world, it was refreshing to read a personal journey, with an emphasis on joy, love and beauty.

Sunday morning, after checking out Cottage Cove on the Bay of Fundy, we arrived at the Clarence Country Christmas Market. We were pleased to bump into a number of old friends and colleagues. Again, I was attracted to a book stand. I picked up a free copy of Trap Street (Issue #1, November 2023). It included a short story, Making Believe by Bob Bent. He is the local author of Spy on Ice and Ida Red.

On the stand, I picked up Daniel Lillford, Ghost Breezes, a series of short stories. From the foreword by G.B Ween

”Both in my personal world and in my professional life, do I think about small places, often with long histories, that are unique but also recognizably and often painfully entangled in large world phenomena. Some of these places appear similar in Norway, England, Canada, Australia.” G.B.Ween, University of Oslo.

Both of these books by local authors take me away from the relentless news of the times.

Acknowledgements

Heather and I appreciate the sterling efforts by local authors. I was happy to see Trap Street #1.

”In cartography, a trap street is a fictitious entry in the form of a misrepresented street on a map, often outside the area the map nominally covers, for the purpose of ‘trapping’ potential plagiarists of the map”.

References

Daniel Lillford, 2022, Ghost Breezes, Short stories, Illustrations by Jesse Lillford-Brighton, Moose House Publications.

Ron MacInnis, 2014, Note in a Bottle, Balboa Press.

This weekend, I found myself in New Glasgow, without books. I checked the shelves and pulled out:

Lesley Choyce’s (Ed), Nova Scotia: Visions of the Future, Published in 2009, and Scott Milsom’s Voices of Nova Scotia Community: A Written Democracy, Published in 2003.

Choyce received responses from over forty Nova Scotians, ranging from Harry Thurston to Ron Colman.

Milsom provided articles from Coastal Communities News, as well as Communities Day to Day and Musings on Community. These articles were published in 2003.

What has changed in the last twenty years? The Foreword was written by the late Silver Donald Cameron (died in 2020).

Together these books reflect the relationship between community engagement and a shared vision of our common future. It would be valuable to revisit both of these books in 2023 ( 14 years and 20 years respectively). That is, perhaps, more critical for the contributors to Lesley Choyce’s book.

Postscript

Sad day in the Valley yesterday !

I received in the mail, notice from the Bank of Nova Scotia, that they are closing their branches in Bridgetown and Annapolis Royal, effective November 2024. A sign of the times.

Perfect Morning

Heather has been reading Jay Ingram, The End of Memory. A Natural History of Aging and Alzheimer’s. He recommends paying attention to both exercise and diet. I had the following agenda, despite the unsettled weather. We went to Annapolis Royal, via Highway#201, and walked the French Basin Trail. Afterwards we stopped at the Brown Dog Kitchen (at the Library). I wanted to try their takeout curries. We returned home via Highway #1.

On returning home, the wood stove was a bed of hot coals. We could enjoy a late lunch: meat and vegetarian curry, basmati rice and naan.

Acknowledgements

Edward found the time to overcome technical issues arising from his relocation to Florida. Heather shared our idea of a ‘perfect morning’ in rural Nova Scotia.

References

Lesley Choyce (Ed), Nova Scotia: Visions of the Future, Nimbus Publishing, 2009.

Scott Milsom, Voices of Nova Scotia Community: A Written Democracy, Fernwood Publishing, 2003.

Jay Ingram. 2014. The End of Memory. Harper Collins

Today, I stopped at the Bees Knees Bakery in Lawrencetown. I ended up buying apple turnover for dessert and a book by Linda Hegland.

Sandra Barry had mentioned that there was a poetry reading at Bees Knees on Sunday, October 15th by Jan Coulter and Linda Hegland. We were on the road to Peterborough.

The store had several books by Linda Hegland.

I selected Place of the Heart: Life on Fat Hummingbird Farm.

Given my interest in ‘place’ and writing. I was intrigued to find that the author is now a resident of Clarence on North Mountain.

In response to my latest blog, Edward Wedler asked questions about the relationship between IoT ( Internet Of Things), AI (Artificial Intelligence) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems).

Did I see these other technologies interacting with GIS education at COGS?

Perhaps with time, I will be able to offer an informed response. It is certainly a changing technological complex world which will impact COGS and its graduates.

With the changing weather, today, I was able to celebrate by lighting the wood stove.

Postscript

I understand that there will be further literary events at the Bees Knees bakery. That’s good news. I intend to go to my next FunGIS class on Wednesday morning. This blog may be delayed, as Edward is travelling down to Florida.

Acknowledgements

Sandra Barry mentioned the poetry reading at Bees Knees. Edward continues to challenge my understanding of the changing technologies and Geography. Bees Knees offers a range of quality baked goods.

References

Linda Hegland, 2020, Place of the Heart: Life on Fat Hummingbird Farm, Published by Cyberwit.net

Jan Coulter, 2023, Fragments of the Mind, Published by Cyberwit.net

The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, https://www.India today.in/education-today/news/story/isro-offers-free-certificate-course-in-remote-sensing-and-gis

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.