L.M. Montgomery is most likely the only author whose every book I relish. She can weave sentences together and ideas to make the most delicious plots. Being a VERY avid Montgomery reader, I read all her works. After Many Days has wonderful stories and does not lose that Avonlea-like feeling of the Anne Shirley books. You won't be disappointed if you ever read this book.

"After Many Days" is one of my favourite thematic volumes of LMM's short stories. These stories deal with people who set things "right" after years of misunderstanding or absence. "In the Old Valley" and "Between the Hill and the Valley", both stories of love which survives time and separation, are among my favourite LMM stories out of any collection. There are no surprises in this book - if you are familiar with LMM's work you will find more of the same here. This collection stands out from the others for its honest poignancy, which strikes me anew every time I read it.

After Many Days is an awesome book! If you liked the Anne series, you will probably love this book. It is full of short stories about events and times that have passed by. They are all extremely touching, and have an advantage over some of her other books, because you can read a whole story in a matter of a few minutes.

This is a very informative book, but if you are looking for something specific on a given model, you may be out of luck. In fact, I got the Haynes manual from the library, which covers less models and years, and that still didn't mention the vacuum pump for an 86 Sedan De Ville, which is the part that I need to replace. I guess I'll just wing it. Neither book addressed the removal and replacement of the antenna, either, but if I were to do that incorrectly, the worst would be lack of radio reception, or maybe a short in the stock "Symphony Sound" cassette deck, which wouldn't affect me too much. Maybe the Chilton's editorial staff book would be more detailed.

All in all, it's a very informative book, with a lot of general troubleshooting information. Also, it's going to help me remove my engine from my '70 Eldorado quite nicely. I'm going to keep it, if for nothing else, than as a guide for the Eldo engine and as a generic book on automotive mechanics. All the specs are there, and that's nice.

I'm loking forward to reading and getting plenty of know how from this book. I've been looking everywhere for a book on my year's model which is an '89 Sedan deVille. I also have a '78 Ford Fairmont station wagon.

This book was very helpful to me because it helped me fix my own ca

Frank Cosentino's title "A Passing Game: A History of the CFL" should ideally be taken figuratively, not literally, as a tongue-in-cheek narrative of the history of the operating of the CFL during a 30-year period (roughly 1965-1995). It is a third person "behind the scenes" viewpoint which mostly takes us into the boardrooms and executive offices, as opposed to the football field itself. The book is so clear with anecdotes that it seems as if the author attended all these

meetings...and perhaps he did. If you're looking for game descriptions in great detail, this is not your book; see Stephen Thiele's "Heroes of the Game: History of the Grey Cup" instead. There one will no doubt find descriptions of the CFL as a three-down "Passing Game." But if you're a tried and true CFLer, you'll love this book; you'll understand at the end that Canadian Football indeed may be a game whose time has passed. It was amazing to me that hardly any of the team owners had any business or marketing sense in the operations of their respective teams and the league. Profits were low, if at all, the crowds were small, the players were underappreciated and the owners were inept. There was, and still is, little merchandising; try to find a CFL jersey in a U.S. sporting goods store. There is so much detail, very interesting detail nonetheless, about the operations (or lack thereof) of the CFL that the playoff and Grey Cup games are relegated to often one-paragraph honorable mentions. Bankruptcies, failures, inferiority complexes (to the NFL) and expansion are covered in great detail including the overriding issue of non-import (Canadian player)quotas which is discussed ad nauseum. Ultimately what has doomed the CFL, made it a "passing" game hearkening back to another era has been its inability to remain CANADIAN. Their rules, their game is a lot more exciting than the NFL; it's more like the old AFL with 60+ passes a game, on a longer & wider field with only 3 downs to make 10 yards. The end result is that by failing to trumpet the purely Canadian aspect of their game, steeped in prairie tradition, the priest and undertaker have been called in more than twice to administer the last rites. How the league survived I'll never know but may they continue ad infinitum, with expansion to the Maritimes and back to the capital, Ottawa. Long live the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnepeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, etc...Thanks, Frank, for this inside story. Despite any criticisms, I enjoyed your book and recommend it for CFL purists!

When I first saw this book I debated whether or not to buy it. I thankfully chose to buy it. It is the best sports book that I have ever read. It is filled with teriffic antecdotes that are sometimes very funny. I highly recommend this book even if you are not a CFL fan

This book truly hit the spot and is one of the best books that I have read this summer. A+

This is a brilliantly written book. Holden's narrative style is at once direct - almost conversational - and effortlessly lyrical; his characters beautifully drawn; their stories thoroughly compelling. The collection - which includes a novella, short stories, poetry, film stills, and text versions of films - showcases Holden's versatility and multiple talents.

Clive Holden owns cold fire with his words; each word so carefully selected that it elicits a precise emotion, whether it be fear, fury, or fatalism. In this novella you won't find heroes, but rather, anti-heroes whose actions tell us something about the society in which we so destructively inhabit. Mr. Holden should be lauded for this fine achievement.

An excellent read, Holden's style is reminiscent of Kerouac, an honest look at life on the other side of the tracks!

The Long Road Home is the fascinating, if somewhat racy, account of Fred Cederberg's travels from his home in Canada to the war in Italy. Cederberg spares few details of the courage and the horror of war, and shows how love and lust often bloomed among the destroyed buildings and shattered souls. Cederberg's memoir is first-hand and first-rate, a must-read for anyone interested in seeing how our boys fared in the forgotten war in Italy.

This book is not about warfare by the usual rules, of people being nice as seen in "Saving Private Ryan." It may even upset some folks. But, it is like the stories sometimes told by combat veterans in the Legion Halls after they've had a few beers, are feeling relaxed and are with someone they trust.

It is a story about soldiers who were fiercely proud to be Canadians. Americans were fighting for grand ideas such as "saving the world for democracy" and the Four Freedoms of Norman Rockwell. Canadians were there to do a job. They did it, with kindness, compassion and brutality as the occasion required. Sgt. Cederberg never brags about being Canadian; it was tacitly assumed that if one had to ask, they couldn't understand even if it was explained to them.

Read this, and you'll understand why Americans described Canadian soldiers "going about their job like hockey players."

They are like the Australians and Israelis, known for having an incredible espirit de corps. Americans are great for show, such as Patton insisting that all American troops wear ties and show proper respect for officers. One American mucky-muck, appalled by the easy-going attitude, remarked to a Canadian officer, "Your troops don't seem to have much discipline, such as saluting officers." In reply he was told, "Well, when a salute is needed I wave at them, and they generally wave back." So much for formal procedures. But, when it came to fighting, they were unsurpassed.

The US has a formal definition of a country, such as the Pledge of Allegiance, Salute to the Flag, and a national anthem which is played more than Coca Cola commercials. Canadians are less formal, but no less proud of their country. It's called pride.

In another story, Cederberg tells of the Germans firing propaganda leaflets which showed a naked woman sitting on the edge of a bed, while a soldier without his pants is getting ready to take off his shirt. The message was that while British troops were in Italy, others were having fun in England. "That a Canadian?" one of the men asked Cederberg, who replied, "It can't be, the guy's wearing a tie."

Don't ever mistake the Canadians for the British. As Cederberg writes, "I went out that afternoon with Albert and Alex-Joe, drank six pints of mild and bitters and threw up twice (once after punching out a Scottish corporal who had insisted we were a disgrace to British arms).

"He had it coming," said Alex-Joe. "because we aren't even British, we're Canadians."

Time and again, that spirit and typically Canadian humor shows through. So does the grim determination to get the job done. When stationed near an Italian town, they were warned that lone Allied soldiers were sometimes attacked by die-hard fascist youths. Sure enough, a Canadian was knifed in the neck. When his buddies couldn't find his attackers, they went back to camp.

A few minutes later, the Canadians began a mortar barrage on the town. Officers tried to stop it, and were gently restrained. Once they learned the reason for the barrage, they joined the cover-up to protect their men. When the Italian police came to investigate, every weapon was spotless with no sign of recent use. They left, empty handed. The Italians buried their nine (or 34) dead (depending on whose version was accepted). There were no further assaults on Canadians.

Wonderful book, wonderful story. Rest assured, Spielberg will never make a movie of it. It's too good, and too real.

This book ranks with the other great classic memoirs of World War II: The Forgotten Soldier, If You Survive, The Other Side of Time, The Road to Huertgen, and the greatest, Those Devils in Baggy Pants. Cederberg writes in a manner that vividly describes the force and horror of war, painting images in the mind that are not easily forgotten. An excellent read!

By "High" Spirits in the title, Davies' is referring to the fact that the ghosts in these stories are most often of lofty earthly lineage. They are "highly" extracted. In these 18 stories we meet the ghosts of King George the V and VI of Great Britain, Queen Victoria, Sir John A. MacDonald, Saint George of Cappadocia, William Lyon Mackenzie King, and John Strachan (founder of Massey College) to name but a few. These are no ordinary run-of-the-mill random ghosts, and these are not "scary" ghost stories. They are moreso HUMOROUS and were meant originally to entertain guests at the annual Gaudy Nights held at Massey College when Davies was Master there.

While these stories are very well-done (original and highly inventive) and no doubt caused quite a stir in their time, to read them now seems quite dated. The inferences and specific allusions to college life are lost on the modern reader who may not have a conversational grasp of Canadian political history, or a knowledge of the finer points of Massey College's quadrangles and inner sanctums. All in all, these stories are best TOLD to their original hearers... a few times I had the sense that I would have liked to have been in attendence as Davies' recited these to his guests. But to sit and read them nowadays?... I don't know, at the end of each story I sort of felt like... "so what?" I am a big fan of Davies' writing, but this is not a book I would highly recommend to anyone getting to know his work.

The late Robertson Davies is perhaps best known for his works of heady literature. Some of the most well-known works by him are "Fifth Business", "The Manticore", "What's Bred in the Bone" and "Murther and Walking Spirits." Most readers of Davies will know him first and foremost as an author and second as a scholar of Elizabethan theatre; "Shakespeare's Boy Actors" is but one of his more academic works on the subject.

However, most Americans do not know of the years that Davies was the Master of Massey College at the University of Toronto in Canada. While there, it became his habit to tell a ghost story every year for the college's Christmas staff party. Thirteen of these ghostly (yet often quite hysterical stories) are contained here. Beginning with the first, "Revelation from a Smoky Fire", in which Davies is visited by an apparition who seems to be from the college's FUTURE, and moving on through "The Ugly Spectre of Sexism" and "The Pit Whence Ye Are Digged", these ghost tales are far less horrific and spooky than they are highly amusing. For example, when dealing with the sudden appearance of what is most likely a ghost that has appeared in his own office and, furthermore, assumes that Davies has come down the chimney, he writes, "I grasped immediately the sort of man I was dealing with. This was a madman! It is one of my cardinal rules to always humor madmen. It comes second nature to me. I do it several times each day."

These stories, like much of Davies's work, is highly scholarly, with a turn of phrase and vocabulary that often verges on that seen in Victorian English novels. People who have read a great deal, or who have gone to graduate school in the fine arts or for literature, will catch the subtle barbs and digs that Davies directs at the ivory tower nature of academia and even himself as Master of the college. The stories were first intended to be read aloud for an academic audience of professors, so they are meant more to amuse and tickle the wit than to accompany the more traditional Halloween stories or his other novels or scholarly works.

Potential readers should note that there was at one time an audio version of this book published with an introduction by the author with the reading performed by Christopher Plummer. As I understand it, this audio version is currently out of print. This is a dreadful shame because Mr. Plummer gives an exceptional performance of Mr. Davies's work. Also, as mentioned, these stories were intended to be read aloud for a gathering of people on an evening, and what could be better than HEARING these ghostly tales?? If anyone finds themselves enjoying these stories, they would be well advised to track down the audio version!

Canada lost a fine writer, critic, playwright and journalist in 1996 when Mr. Davies passed away. His books are still enjoyed today as much as ever, and for those who are seeking out a less heavy, light and amusing work by him, one simply cannot go wrong with "High Spirits." Highly recommended- by this Davies fan!!

This wonderful collection of ghost stories gives a new view of the macabre and of Davies' view of it. This book combines his scholarly mind with his subtle humour and understanding of human nature. A glorious asset to any lover of ghostly tales.

As the contributing editor for "Oregon" on Suite101,com, I'm always on the lookout for great books about Oregon. Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest is great for what it includes and should probably be broken into three separate books so that more places in Oregon, Wasington, and British Columcia can be featured.

I agree wholeheartedly with the picks included. There are just so many great restaurants and B abd B's that are missing.

An entry in Bend, Oregon states that Bend is known better for outdoors kissing spots than cozy restaurants, yet I can name Kayo's Dinner House, Le Bistro, and McGrath's Fish House right off the bat that are left out.

In addition, I don't know if this would be considered a best place to kiss in other people's books, but growing up in Bend, the two best kissing spots were on top of Pilot Butte (might be closed to cars now) and Pioneer Park. Neither were included.

In Washington, Centralia's got a very cozy B and B I'd love to go back to visit (no Centralis entries) and Ocean Shores isn't even mentioned.

That said, the most annoying factor of the book is its organization. Within each section, (e.g., Vancouver and environs) towns are listed all higgledy piggledy! Ladner comes after West/North Vancouver, which is followed by Tsawwassen, then Point Roberts. It took me longer than it should have to find what I was looking for.

The write-ups are fair and show little bias. It is very journalistic, without any real personal stories. I really wanted to know why each spot was chosen.

What's there is good and even great for some areas. It's too bad there are gaps.

This is a terrific travel guide for true romantics. I have used it on many trips and have never been disappointed. A great companion book to take along is The Romantic's Guide: Hundreds of Creative Tips for a Lifetime of Love.

From the Oregon Coast to the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, my wife and I have relied on previous versions of this book. In every case, the B&B's have been accurately reviewed and the restaurant choices top notch. You can trust this book.

When a young man (17 years old) shoots and wounds a woman who entered a store he was attempting to rob, both their lives are turned upside down. The story told alternately by each of the main characters reveals their individual terror and struggle; the woman with her paralysis and sudden change of fortune is compared to the boys sudden realization that he has made a mistake that will last him the rest of his life. Their struggle is for forgiveness for each other and for those who have peopled their lives.

There are some beautiful poignant moments when each of the main characters realize how influential family have been and how little they meant at the time. The first person narrative becomes a bit boring at times but otherwise the story is well told and maintains interest.

Novelist Joan Barfoot strikes another home run with her latest, Critical Injuries.
Barfoot says she writes because, "I get to live inside other lives, not only my own. This is a kind of dehydrated reincarnation: add words and stir."
Luckily for us her latest reincarnation, her eightth, is one of her best!
This time out, she inhabits forty-nine-year old successful Isla and seventeen-year-old dreamer Roddy. Isla is reveling in second chances. Roddy is about to escape his past. A chance encounter changes everything. Critical Injuries reconstructs their lives with hope and grace.
Barfoot clearly sets the stage of her main characters' inevitable meeting, describing, "One of those moments when life turns completely ass-over-teakettle, in no good way, no good way at all." --Page 12.
One character quickly runs into a store to spend her money; the other is there to improve his financial situation.
While each journey to that moment is truly unique, the way in which their individual paths cross that fateful night, forever unites them. And the consequences of this chance meeting will involve courage and choice.
"Funny how sorrow always seems more powerful than joy. Joy just kind of jogs along, but grief, that really throws a person off the track, onto a new one." pg. 202
I was fascinated with Barfoot's unsentimental voice in the bodies of Isla and Roddy. There is a striking contrast between Barfoot's gift of prose and her main characters' sparse use of verbal expression.
And while most of the characters in Critical Injuries, are "doomed to observer status in the shocking events" [pg. 51] that transpire, I was entertained. I couldn't wait to find out what happens to these characters.
Barfoot's narrative flows seamlessly between Isla's and Roddy's ongoing drama, guiding the reader to its inevitable conclusion.
Barfoot's tale convinces me that living in the moment may be a good thing, for when tragedy befalls us, you'll have more than enough time to recall your past. That is, until you focus on a place you want to be.
Barfoot's yarn is woven to perfection, words spun like the master craftswoman she is. No wonder Critical Injuries is longlisted for the 2002 Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the 2001 Trillium Book Award!
I fully expect to see the cinimatic Critical Injuries, made into a movie and shown at Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals in the very near future. It will be well worth the wait!

Simple pleasures lead to dangerous results in Barfoot's deeply compelling and emotional novel Critical Injuries. Isla, a middle aged women goes with her husband Lyle to get an ice cream cone as a small reward. This innocent act turns to tragedy when Isla finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Roddy is a teenage boy who makes a foolhardy plan with his close friend Mike to make some quick money in an attempt to escape the monotony of their small town. A thoughtless action at the dairy bar sparks a chain of events that will alter their lives forever. Gradually, as the heart wrenching struggles of the present unfold, the pasts of Isla and Roddy are related to give an unprejudiced view of their development. Each has had to deal with unexpected loss, disappointment and terrifying challenges. Extraordinary decisions need to be made by ordinary people. This novel is a tribute to that struggle. Slowly we are given a detailed picture of the nature of recovery and forgiveness. The brutal honesty of the ending creates a resounding impression.

The tremendous strength of this novel is in the power of Barfoot's prose to create a sense of immediacy. She does this through establishing powerful voices for her characters that comment upon situations as they occur letting their thoughts and memories leak out into the present moment. Her portrait of each character is deeply sympathetic to their struggle to live happily and thus the reader feels a strong connection to them. It is as if, through a slight alteration of fate, these moving characters could be us and their harrowing events might be ours. Each character is neither perfect nor evil. The author depicts with elegantly constructed prose the flaws of human nature using accuracy and profound wit. The intellectual conflicts the characters face are presented with emotionally rounded pictures lending depth and wisdom to their struggle. The novel makes a powerful impression.

The Diviners and The Stone Angel are both better books from this prolific writer, but if I could, I'd give it 4 1/2, as it is better than most of the books rated at four stars.

Laurence has created an emotionally compelling story and a memorable protagonist, Stacey MacAindra.

This book is the third in a collection of five that take place in Laurence's fictional prairie city, "Manawaka". It was written in 1969, but it doesn't seem at all dated. Stacey is a mother of four and a wife and it feels as if she could be the woman who lives down the street that you've been meaning to get to know better. She is ordinary, yet unique in her own right and made fascinating by Laurence's observations and revelations.

The book examines Stacey when she having an identity crisis, and she reviews her life and her choices with the insight and wisdom only hindsight and true reflection can bring. It is an intelligent book that leaves the reader with a new sense of strength because we've shared and learned in Stacey's journey through the lessons her life has taught her.

Laurence recognizes the plight of married women, raising children and seeking passion. cleverly, the author weaves the story of Stacey as she tries desperately to communicate with her withdrawn husband. Relying on self-talk, and stumbling into an affair, she finally comes to realize that the ordinary life is filled with possibilities.

I read this book for an independent study, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Margaret Laurence always does an incredible job of creating characters that are very real, and that teach her readers to be empathetic toward other human beings. Stacey MacAindra is no exception. She is an accurate portrayal of an ordinary Canadian woman, wife and mother. Her story draws attention to many of the inner conflicts and challenges that ordinary people face every day that we often ignore or don't notice. The Fire-Dwellers is a very real story, and Margaret Laurence is right on in her description of the emotions and thoughts of Stacey and everyone in Canada who is like Stacey.

Although I'm not a big theatre fan, I do enjoy reading Robertson Davies. He is one of two writers whose work I will read even when the subject is not up my alley; so when C.S. Lewis writes about Medieval English Literature or Robertson Davies writes about the theatre, I still read them. It brings me great pleasure to experience their writers' craftsmanship and I know I will learn something. (I also know I'm going to enjoy their humor.) Happy Alchemy's subtitle reads, "On the Pleasures of Music and the Theatre", and this work present 33 Davies pieces, including "Lewis Carroll in the Theatre", "Opera for the Man Who Reads Hamlet", "Dickens and Music", "How I Write a Book", and the humorously self-depreciating "My Musical Career." Happy Alchemy shares many fine insights about humanity while also providing many historical and literary lessons for the reader. To read Davies (or Lewis) is to expand one's view of the world.

This is a delightful collection of Davies's thoughts on the theater in all its myriad forms, including opera, melodrama, tragedy, and comedy. Davies has a perfect mix of wit, erudition, and curmudgeonly attitude, and in addition to being a terrific writer, he is an ardent devotee of the stage.

This comes forth in all the pieces, and is further emphasized by excerpts from his "Theater Diary," provided by the editors, his wife and daughter. While some of the pieces are there just for amusement (e.g., a libretto Davies wrote for a children's opera), others are very thought-provoking (such as his "Opera and Humour" talk), and still others are a melding of the two extremese (for instance, his talk on "Lewis Carroll and the Theater").

Some of the pieces repeat themselves, as they are based on talks he gave and pieces he wrote throughout his life, and obviously certain comments which are redundant to the reader would no doubt have been fresh to the audience.

All in all, I recommend this book very highly, for anyone with an interest in theater, or a love of Davies. I would have liked more of his thoughts about theater and less of things like his libretto (though I did find that amusing), as it felt more like that was included to meet some page count demanded by the publisher. However, this may not have been possible given the material at hand.

What can anyone say about Robertson Davies? He was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.