This is the absolute best sports book I've ever read! It doesn't matter if you're from Ottawa or not! Just pick it up and flip thru it! It makes an exellent coffee table book!

For a shorter paperback work, this was a most impressive piece. Not only was the author complete in his explanation of Pontiac's War, but also gave all points of view. Many times Pontiac's own words were translated to get the effect of the messages he was trying to relay. It was very detailed in explaining The Ottawa Chief's influence over many tribes, including the western tribes of Illinois. He almost singlehandedly destroyed the English western frontier of the Great Lakes, Unfortunately as readers know, logistics win wars, and his lack of supplies did him in. The book also touched on many roles key English officers and civilians played in the developing peace, and also what role the French continued to play even after their defeat in the French and Indian War. Pontiac's defeat was the beginning of the end of the Native Americans control of this land, as sad as it is. Enjoy this wonderful book.

"Rationality To-day" was a colloquium held in Canada in 1979. It has the merit of puting together great names of contemporary philosophy, such as Habermas, Apel, Gadamer, Ricoeur, Dupre, Perelman, and many others, in great papers and antological discussions. A must have for any serious student of philosophy.

For Ottawa area Senator fans who read "The Ottawa Citizen", the author, Roy McGregor is known for his well written and intersting articles. Roy continues to follow the team today. This book is a historical behind-the-scenes look at the Senators. From Ottawa winning the franchise in 1990, the entry and expansion drafts of 1992 to the dreadful 1992-1993 season. Gives the reader insight on the lives of professional hockey players on & off the ice. Senator fans and hockey fans in general will love the book!!! Remember folks, the is the same man who co-authored the book "The Game" with Ken Dryden which is considered a 'must read' for all hockey fans.

I am going to offer a rave review, (admittedly of a favorite period), and want to disclaim the need for a disclaimer --- I do not know the author or have any connection to his University or publisher.

Gregory Dowd can hardly be accused of writing inaccessible history only to other historians on an obscure topic. The linkages in British Colonial Indian policy between the end of the French and Indian War and the Revolution are interesting in their own right. This account covers all perspectives, dealing with French attitudes; Pontiac's turbulent, adroit yet ultimately unpopular leadership; and above all the cultural and emotional influences at work in the era. Not merely about Pontiac's War, this work is aptly subtitled: Pontiac, The Indian Nations and the British Empire.

Of particular import is Dowd's sophisticated analysis of British policy paralleled with a sober yet, when appropriate, complimentary account of the methods of the Indian Nations. Dowd provides new insight in his focus on the issue of status and dignity as a motivating factor in Pontiac's War -- without ever collapsing into easy platitudes on the plight of Native Americans. Wholistic in the best sense of the word, the impact of Indian religion and its interaction with Christianity is also assessed.

Expert, well written, well researched, non-polemic; War Under Heaven, also offers seamless assessments of the work of other historians.

The fact that Dowd accomplishes so much in just 275 pages of text is a testament to good writing and the tightness of the text. Just as accessible to newcomer as to student of the era.

This wonderful little book (perfectly sized for a pocket) about Ottawa, "Secret Ottawa," does what most travel books fail to do: it tells you about the out-of-the-way, low fanfare places that are probably better than the tourist traps to begin with.

From bookstores, to candle stores, to statues with mistakes, to swans in the river, and cats on Parliament Hill, this book is a gem for those wanting to explore some of the real side of Ottawa, not just the stuff on postcards. This book tells nearly everything that makes Ottawa beautiful, instead of just another city.

"Secret Ottawa" has provided me with tons of mini-adventures in this city of mine. Adventures that I would never have known to undertake, had it not been for this book. I have visited the Mer Bleue Conservation Area bog (see "Bog", p. 32) and marvelled at the unique landscape. I've been to the Diefenbunker (see "Bunker", p. 37) and walked down a blast tunnel meant to protect key civil servants from nuclear attack. I've toured Laurier House (see "Mackenzie King", p. 108) and learned that two Prime Minister's have the same bathroom tiles as I do.

There is so much more that I have personally done and still have left to do! I have no excuses to be bored. This book has 207 pages of excursions and ideas of things for me to do. This book is a gem.

While I doubt many people will be reading this review, I may as well share my thoughts about my beautiful hometown. Ottawa is always outshined by Toronto, the mammoth-sized city otherwise known to Canadians as Hogtown. With over one million residents, there is a lot to see and do in beautiful Ottawa. Since Ottawa is growing at a fast pace, this book is outdated, but Laura Byrne Paquet highlights this amazingly beautiful city perfectly.

I loved 'Yarrow'. It's far and away one of the most magical books I've ever read. Being the first de Lint book I've ever read, it's served to introduce me to one of the modern masters of fantasy admirably.

'Yarrow' is exciting and fluid from beginning to end. It'll have you on the edge of your seat. The characters are wholly believable and fascinating people.

De Lint doesn't shy away from darkness and evil characters. The book is littered with profanities, semi-graphic love scenes and gruesome slayings.

It's a good book, it's near the top of my all-time favorites list and I'm so glad that Orb brought it back into print. This is a book that every self-proclaimed fantasy fan needs to read.

The book starts with an interesting question that forms the basis of the plot: Where do writers get their ideas? For the heroine, Cat Midhir, those ideas come from her dreams. So what happens when the dreams stop? That's what "Yarrow" is all about.

I did find the first part a little bit slow. I thought there were too many scene shifts, and introductions to a lot of characters who turned out to be little more than scenery in the end. I felt that these minor characters were developed almost at the expense of some of the other characters who should have been given more space. Case in point: Kothlen. I would have liked to see his character developed more, even in flashbacks, so that when Cat loses him, we don't have to be told how awful she feels; we should be able to feel it for ourselves.

Other than that, de Lint has woven a wonderful story. I liked Tiddy Mun, Cat's little gnome friend, and the villain, Lysistratus, was deliciously formidable. I highly recommend this book to fans of Charles de Lint who may not have read this earlier piece of urban fantasy.

Based upon the author's critical acclaim, I thought I should get around to reading one of his works. And "Yarrow" came billed as a quintessential example of De Lint's writing. Having read it, I am unsure how soon I'll read another.

There is no question regarding the author's ability to write: the opening chapter declares clearly that he is in control of his craft, and can write lyrically and elegantly when he has a mind to. And the magical elements were masterfully done, weaving various threads of lore into the setting of this urban tale with a believability and wonder reminiscent of Tolkien, McKillip or the best faerie tales. The main characters, are real and well cast, and it is impossible not to take delight in Tiddy Mun. Lysistratus exudes an ancient evil.

So where is the problem? It exists for me in the way De Lint has chosen to structure his book (an organization, I am told, common to all his stories). The novel is composed around several diverse characters, not all of whom play a central role in the story. This in and of itself would not put me off--after all, it is a common device used successfully by any number of authors, George R.R. Martin and Robin Hobb to name but two. But De Lint shifts back and forth between his many characters with an alacrity I found disconcerting, often only a couple paragraphs sufficing before he switches to another character, another line of thought. And, at the beginning of the book--the first hundred or so pages--many of these characters and plot threads seem incidental, though I will admit he ties most together before the book's conclusion. Nonetheless, often I found myself just beginning to get into one or another of the characters' tales, only to be abruptly jerked out of their storyline and into another. While I don't require or necessarily desire a linearly constructed tale, I found the structure here intrusive, and more often than not interrupting the flow of the narrative, though, by the end of the book, events flow to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion, one of the best that I have recently encountered.

I additionally found the depiction of the main character, Cat Midhir, as a writer, worn and tired. So many authors, from Stephen King to Thomas Mann have drawn upon this device, that to find it again resurrected here as a means of meditating upon sources of inspiration and the writing process seemed stale and somewhat shopworn. Also, I was not enamored with the author's continual name-dropping, both of other speculative fiction writers that he obviously favors, or rock bands it is implied he listens to. This last habit in particular seemed contrived, serving more to announce the author's own "hipness" than any other purpose, and, at one point, unintentionally reveals De Lint's lack of actual knowledge or involvement with the music he associates himself with--the identification of Led Zeppelin with progressive rock is hardly a reference designed to establish the author's musical credibility.

Nonetheless, there is much here to admire, and the inventiveness with which the author approaches establishing his urban fantasy is imaginative and refreshing. I am sure there are many who, tired of the standard swords and sorcery, will find this book both original and enjoyable. And, if the author's abrupt and peripatetic style of composition is not distracting, you will certainly discover worlds of wonder and richness. However, personally I prefer a story with a bit more meat on the bones, and without the ribs showing.

There is a certain sadness in the story of Sister Symphorosa, but
also a certain need to see the character face what she did and
realize not only the full impact of her actions, but also realize
that her choices were not what they should have been. That's not
easy for most of us, and I'm not so sure the character faced
everything either. In some sense, that is also true of the
character of Kathleen. There just seemed to be something missing
as her character works through her problems. And, yet, I enjoyed
most of the story, and I thought the writing was excellent.
Everything still seemed to pull together to tell a good story.

Anne's is a sacred story for our ordinary lives. She invites us to encounter the "truth of the story" for ourselves. "And perhaps you, if you are adept at reading between the lines, at sorting out what really happened, from what might have happened, from what I wish had happened", are words that truly reflect her character as I remember it. Having worked with Anne I can say, with some degree of certainty, that Anne is truly in the book. But whether it is the contemporary Anne or the Anne of a different time, I am not sure. This requires further discernment. If sacrament is opportunity spoken through ordinary events that bring us to a vivid awareness to God's presence then this book is sacramental. There is no feigned ceremony, ritual or "other-worldly" mystery here but ordinary things and relationships that bear sacramental grace. However, this is not a religious novel. There are no miraculous events here, no sudden conversions, nor "coming to the faith". Rather, there is just the reality of an invitation to live one's ordinary life in God's truth. Anne weaves a good tale of mystery amid mundane experience. There are surprises and revelations in this story which, upon reflection, will not be that separated from the reader's own experience. Rich in description, Anne gives us insight into the spiritual life of her characters without becoming intrusive or voyeuristic. In short, her story is a discovery of the sacred within the ordinary at a place called "Morning."

carr does a first-rate job of analyzing these small illinois cities. . . which are really the epicenters of the surrounding area. This book reminded me a lot of Daniel Elazar's Cities of the Prairie books, demonstrating the continuing force of local political culture through time. I've lived in Galesburg and I live near Ottawa, and know something of the history of these cities, and she really does a handsome job of putting it all together.

Andre Alexis' fiction collection, Despair and other stories, deals with relationships, love, and the darkness within us all. The stories are often fantastical, with a great deal of horror and humor, but they speak to real situations, fears, and life. Recurring themes are of dreams (especially nightmares), family, hands and fingers (or the absence of such), types of cloth, coincidence, sex, and death. The characters use each other (most notable in the story of a soucouyant), often acting cruelly. They then have philosophical discussions or meditations about good and evil, right and wrong, god, and the purpose of life. The stories do tend to end abruptly, with a sense of things left unfinished, unsaid, and unexplained, but this serves a purpose and leaves one feeling unsettled rather than unsatisfied.