No comments about The Essential Vancouver Island Outdoor Recreation Guide.

5 comments about City of Glass: Doug Coupland's Vancouver.

1. This is my homesick book, my security blanket, my Postcards from Home.

   For Vancouverites, it's a source of boosterist pride, a good chuckle at some in-jokes, and perhaps enlightenment on why things are as they are. For people who have moved away, it's a book of memories, recollections of a city of glass and the people who make it. For people who have never been there, it's the tourist guide that talks about things the Lonely Planet won't. It's like having Mr Coupland sitting next to you as you make your way through our city. It's probably as close to an autobiography as he's ever written. The mark of Vancouver is on him as it's on me, and on everyone else who was raised there.

   Yeah, I love my hometown.




2. Sure, it's only one person's view of Vancouver. But at least it's Douglas Coupland's view. In "City of Glass," the author of "All Families Are Psychotic" and "Generation X" strays from fiction to write about his home city. The result is a subdued love ode to Vancouver, peppered with photographs.
   
   Coupland describes Vancouver with many page-long vignettes, sort of like a patchwork quilt: he describes feng shui in Vancouver, Japanese teenagers, a harbour full of sulfur piles, American couples on "love boats," monstrous houses, and the quiet detachment that Vancouver feels from the Rest of Canada. (Which has its own entry -- really!)
   
   Coupland's fiction is generally distinguishable for its contemplative, cynically witty tones. But he drops all that for "City of Glass." Okay, there is a chunk of "Life After God" in the middle, blurry text and pics. And occasionally the transcripts of Coupland's memories remind one of his fiction, seeming sadder and darker.
   
   Most of the time, he sounds fond and reminiscent, as if reliving the memories that come with salmon and fleece. Not to mention funny, such as when describing the confusing disagreements about feng shui (" this space should flowwwwww" or "flow is to be avoided at all costs"). And the photographs are quite good as well, with Coupland taking pictures of the prosaic subjects of his book -- a sleepy-looking Japanese teen, a fleece vest, a boat floating out on a light-filled harbor, a skiier in mid-twist on a sunlit hillside.
   
   "City of Glass" isn't exactly going to make you race to Vancouver, but it will make you appreciate the little hidden facets of the city -- and perhaps make you notice the ones in your own.



3. I've lived in Vancouver for two years and visited it regularly for several years previously. I bought this book when I was still new to the city, hoping for a companion to the city with at least a little bit of content. I was attracted by the title and cover art, as I like the glassy Vancouver skyline and thought maybe the author appreciates the same things about the atmosphere of Vancouver that I do.
   
   Unfortunately, this is one of those books where the amount of content fit for an article in, say, the Georgia Straight or the Seattle Weekly, is blown up to the size (and price) of a book. The pages are mostly white space, with one or two paragraphs of large text in the middle that touch very briefly and vaguely upon some random topic, as if the author jotted this all down one night and didn't put much thought into it.
   
   The book also contains photographs which, rather than being an insider's look at Vancouver, could be photographs of any city out of any tourist magazine--the typical closeups of food on a plate at a nameless restaurant, or a house that could exist anywhere in North America.
   
   Because the text of this book is the length of an article, only blown up to look like a book, you could walk into a bookstore or library and read it pretty quickly (five or ten minutes). The only reason to purchase it would be if you absolutely must own every single book by Douglas Coupland, or every single book about Vancouver.
   
   I learned nothing from this book that I didn't already know about Vancouver after visiting it a few times, and it left me wanting to read a book about Vancouver that might tell me something I don't know.



4. Vancouver is great city (at least for a few dry months) and deserve a good book for the visitors. This book meets my needs and is not the typical guide book with maps and names and addresses. But for those who try to get a sense of the pulse of the city, it's character and quirks, I would recommend.
   
   After reading others', suspect that my copy (recently bought) has the insert that others don't. "My Hotel Year" was a wonderful read, and for those who remember the 60's bohemian Haight Ashbury, there is an echo DC evoked at the human level here that still resonates. "Van" is "San Fran" was, with more flowers and no jobs, at least the kinds you can build wealth. Ob-La-Di! Ob-La-Da!



5. A humorous, personal portrait of a gorgeous and quirky city. Coupland's narration is funny and dead on. The photos are generally quite good and go a long way toward capturing the mood of the place. He also plugs a lot of little known facts -- like about Greenpeace -- that Yankies like myself were not aware of.
   
   I hope he does a follow up book.

No comments about Vancouver Island Tourist Map.

No comments about Vancouver Complete Residents' Guide.

No comments about Moon Vancouver and Victoria (Moon Handbooks).

4 comments about Frommer's Vancouver & Victoria 2007: With coverage of Whistler (Frommer's Complete).

1. AS ONE WOULD EXPECT FOR THIS RESOURCE. ALL INFORMATION IS CONCISE AND COMPLETE; BESIDES BEING VERY PRACTICAL!



2. During my recent travels to Vancouver and Victoria, I found this book to be very informative and useful in planning daily excursions.



3. SEGUIR LOS PASO DE LA GUIA FORMER, LAS CAMINATAS PROPUESTAS Y SU GUIS DE RESTAURANTS ES UN VERDADERO DELEITE, PUEDO DECIR CON SATISFACCION QUE EN MI PROXIMO VIAJE BUSCARE LA GUIA FORMER DE LA CIUDAD QUE VISITE, PARA ASI MAXIMISAR MI EXPERIENCIA DE VIAJE. GRACIAS FORMER!



4. This guide was great! Excellent and more importantly CURRENT tips about things to do and see in Vancouver.

1 comments about The Rough Guide to Vancouver 3 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. I'm a big fan of the Rough Guides. This guide, however, was less than accurate in its restaurant reviews. More importantly, its characterization of Chinatown and East Hastings was that both areas are fine during the day. I disagree strongly. Vancouver is trying to clean up both areas, but until that's accomplished, I don't plan to venture past Gastown.

1 comments about Zagat Best of Vancouver 2007/08: Including Victoria, Vancouver Island & Whistler (Zagat Survey).

1. This book has restaurants that are not listed in Fodor's or other guides to the area. It picks out the best of the best. There's even a bonus of activities to do in the area. Great book to have when visiting the area and you are interested in fine dining.

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

1 comments about Pocket Map and Guide Vancouver (EYEWITNESS POCKET MAP & GUIDE).

1. Small enough for stuffing in your pocket but jam packed with all the need to know info you can rely on.