1 comments about Snow Man: John Hornby in the Barren Lands.

1. This book is interesting for a number of reasons. First, it is a story which has a history of its own, written decades ago and re-published in an updated version exhibiting the artwork of the original hardcover. However, it is the story of the legendary John Hornby which grasps the reader, and catapults him back into a time when true adventurists and explorers still existed. The book does a wonderful job of making the reader feel that he is with Hornby in the Arctic, living in a hole dug into an esker, walking blindly through a blizzard, or starving on a river bank in the middle of Arctic 'summer'. A must read for those who enjoy stories of adventure in desolate places.

2 comments about Forest Plants of Central Ontario.

1. I used this plant guide in Killarney Provincial Park (Ontario) and found it useful for identifying major plant species of the area. This guide is interesting because it includes both a photograph and a line drawing of each plant featured in the guide. Plants are divided into lifeforms (e.g., shrub) and descriptions of each plant within a lifeform are contained in a separate section of the guide. The keys for plant identification are not detailed, but the objective of this book is to provide a simple, non-technical guide for plant identification. The authors meet this objective. For more detailed plant identification, a technical botanical guide (Michigan Flora by Ed Voss) probably should be used instead of Forest Plants of Central Ontario. I recommend Forest Plants of Central Ontario as an interesting, non-technical guide for identifying major plant species of the region. It is appropriate for more advanced botanists as a handy field guide and is also appropriate for investigators who have no formal botanical training but who want to quickly learn to identify plants.



2. This book covers a small area of Eastern North America, so it is easier to identify plants that you might find in say the Ottawa Valley, without ploughing through all the plants that only occur further south. It includes trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, sedges & rushes, ferns & allies, mosses & liverworts and lichens, all in one book. For the non-botanist this is the best book for this area (including West Quebec). Unlike other wildflower books that concentrate on flowers, this shows and describes leaves and fruits, making identification easier at times when there are no flowers. Charts and keys at the start of each section help in identification.

1 comments about The Complete Guide to Bed & Breakfasts, Inns & Guesthouses: In the United States, Canada, & Worldwide (Complete Guide to Bed and Breakfasts, Inns and Guesthouses).

1. This guide was not what we expected. We were hoping it would cover more B&B's in Canada but unfortunately it does not. Also it aims at the more expensive places. We feel that the term "complete" is a little bit over the top... We should have informed ourselves better. Nevertheless the B&B's that are present in the book seem very nice to visit...

1 comments about A Camper's Guide to Ontario's Best Parks.

1. This book is a must if you are planning a trip to any of Ontario's Provincial Parks! It is well organized into regions with a map of each region. It gives honest opinions about the what the park has or doesn't have to offer. There are ratings on Natural Environment, Activities, and Camping conditions that will give you a quick overview of any park. If you like private, quiet campsites, she recommends specific site numbers at each park along with a good description of the campground as a whole. For each park she describes what it's renowned for, natural environment, wildlife, activities, campgrounds, history, etc., and gives a concise summary. The only thing I would add is a map of the campgrounds or the individual parks. This is a must have!

1 comments about Luxury Hotels The Americas (Luxury Hotels).

1. The Luxury book is a beautiful addition to any library, travel lover, or those who love luxury. It was wonderful looking through this book finding some of my favorite hotels in America outlined in spectacular photographs. It makes one want one want to pick up the telephone and call the airlines to make a visit to some of the properties. Being a merchant of the finest luxury home products, these properties go hand in hand. Go splurge and experience them.

5 comments about Great Heart: The History of a Labrador Adventure (Kodansha Globe).

1. Excellent read - hard to put it down.



2. As you can see from other reviews, most people seem to really like this book. I, however, got a few pages in and found I had no use for it, even though I generally go for just this sort of story. The authors of "Great Heart" use a novelistic narrative style, filling in from their imagination all manner of little details that they obviously could have no way of knowing. I'm apparently enough of a purist that I want my narratives based on reliable source material, not imagination. When an author begins to fictionalize, how can one ever know where the boundary between fact and fiction lies? This doesn't seem to have bothered most of the reviewers, but you might want to stay away from the book if you're similarly picky.



3. This book tells the story of two expeditions across Labrador. The first took place in 1903 by three men, on which one of them, Leonidas Hubbard, died. Three years later, his wife, Mina, made the same journey successfully. These accounts are well written and make good use of the original journals.



4. This is a great read. There is little written about this turn of the century, "last frontier" of North America where even today natives will tell you that you can't get there from here. The grueling hardship and trajedy are well portrayed - as are the portraits of each individual. It truly takes the 3 books written about this seminal journey and adds information from the diaries and other writings of the various figures involved; and, this is artfully done by shifting voices. The book flows well and holds suspense to a surprising degree even to those who know the eventual outcome.



5. I am an adventure traveler and canoeist, and an avid reader of adventure writing. There are a number of books that purport to tell the story of the ill-prepared Labrador Adventure, but it was told best, last and forever in the book, "Great Heart: The History of a Labrador Adventure." It is written by experienced canoeists and guides James West Davidson and John Rugge. These talented authors create atmosphere, characterization and drama that is unforgettable. I have returned to the book many times. Every canoeist, from novice to expert, should also own their other book, The Complete Wilderness Paddler. The authors use the story of a wild and wooly trip down the Class IV-V Moisie River in Canada as a way to teach everything from how to plan a trip to how to survive the torture of black flies. It is hilarious, brilliant, insightful, genius! You can read it over and over and learn new things about canoe camping. Even if you'd never set a paddle in a river, you'll love the graceful writing of Davidson and Rugge.

1 comments about British Columbia Road & Recreational Atlas.

1. I was not previously familiar with an atlas that is published entirely in one scale, especially a road atlas. The result is that whole pages of northern BC have barely a road while Vancouver lacks any useful detail. In a few instances, I found it unreliable, such as missing Dinosaur Lake behind a hydro damn in Hudson's Hope. Airports, even Vancouver International, are not considered worthy of inclusion. (Though you can deduce the existence of the airport because the airport customs symbol is different from other customs symbols.)
   
   While this guide might be useful in tandem with a more detailed book, I would not recommend including it's weight in your backpack.

1 comments about The Iambics of Newfoundland: Notes from an Unknown Shore.

1. Robert Finch's "The Iambics of Newfoundland" reconnected myself to my own experiences as a visitor to Newfoundland's shores. Having been "from away" Robert's book helped put into words the same generosity and concerns Newfoundlanders exhibited during my time on "The Rock".
   My definition of a typical Newfie had always been a person that helps though you didn't ask, does more than what you expect and then apologies because they felt they hadn't helped you enough. His book helps show what a truly wonderful community these people are and explains precisely how, after hundreds of years of hardship and uncertainty these families have endured, adapted but mostly kept that keen sense of humour and respect for their surroundings.

1 comments about Baffin Island.

1. The author has done a great job capturing and writing down the premier climbs in Baffin Island. This is a great sourcebook for climbers and trekkers that are heading up to Baffin Island and I am using it to plan my trip. The photographs are really outstanding and give a great sense of what a trip would be like. There are plenty of tips on the small but important details that you can't find out unless you've been there or talked to someone who has.

No comments about Time Out Vancouver (Time Out Guides).