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The girl with nine wigs: a memoir
By Sophie Van der Stap. 2015
Sophie is twenty-one when she is diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer. A striking, fun-loving student, her world…
is reduced overnight to the sterile confines of a hospital. But within these walls Sophie discovers a whole new world of white coats, gossiping nurses, and sexy doctors; of shared rooms, hair loss, and eyebrow pencils. As wigs become a crucial part of Sophie's new life, she reclaims a sense of self-expression. Each of Sophie's nine wigs makes her feel stronger and gives her a distinct personality, and that is why each has its own name: Stella, Sue, Daisy, Blondie, Platina, Uma, Pam, Lydia, and Bebé. There's a bit of Sophie in all of them, and they reveal as much as they hide. Sophie is determined to be much more than a cancer patient. 2015.The Great Gould
By Peter Goddard. 2017
Considered one of the most influential musicians and cultural figures of his time, Glenn Gould remains a fascinating figure. In…
the first book to be published in co-operation with Gould's estate, Peter Goddard draws on Gould's unpublished writings, interviews, and never-before-seen photographs to present a startling new portrait of Gould, the man and the musician. Presents a deep and nuanced study of Gould's life with unmatched candour and clarity. Inside is a love letter Gould wrote but never sent (he later revised it again and again); the text of a speech that Gould gave to a group of children about life and childhood; and portions of Glenn Gould: hysteric return, a never-before-seen radio script in which Gould imagines his return to the concert stage and all it would have entailed. 2017.The great escape: the untold story
By Ted Barris. 2014
On the night of March 24, 1944, eighty airmen crawled through a 400-foot-long tunnel, code-named "Harry," and dashed from Stalag…
Luft III, the infamous WWII German POW camp. It became known as The Great Escape. The breakout had taken a year to plan, involved 2,000 POWs, and prompted a massive manhunt across occupied Europe. All but three escapees were recaptured, and on Hitler’s orders, fifty were murdered. The author recounts this battle of wits and determination through the voices of those involved, assembles original interviews, memoirs, letters and diaries to reconstruct the Great Escape’s untold story. Bestseller. 2014.The giants of Irish literature: Wilde, Yeats, Joyce, and Beckett (The modern scholar)
By George O'Brien. 2006
Georgetown University professor George O'Brien provides the biographical background of the four masters of Irish literature and an in-depth analysis…
of their greatest works. O'Brien discusses the very qualities that set these works apart and the "Irishness" that characterizes each of them. 2006.The ghost orchard: the hidden history of the apple in North America
By Helen Humphreys. 2017
Delving deep into the storied past of the apple in North America, Humphreys explores the intricate link between agriculture, settlement,…
and human relationships. She brings light to such varied topics as how the apple first came across the Atlantic Ocean with a relatively unknown Quaker woman long before the more famed “Johnny Appleseed”; how bountiful Indigenous orchards were targeted to be taken over or eradicated by white settlers and their armies; how the once-17,000 varietals of apple cultivated were catalogued by watercolour artists from the United States’ Department of Pomology; how apples wove into the life and poetry of Robert Frost; and how Humphreys’ own curiosity was piqued by the Winter Pear Pearmain, believed to be the world’s best tasting apple, which she found growing beside an abandoned cottage not far from her home. 2017.The great hill stations of Asia
By Barbara Crossette. 1998
In 1997 this New York Times journalist traveled across Asia, visiting the classic hill towns built by several colonial powers.…
She recalls her journeys to these remote locations, discusses their history, and describes how each has evolved since being inherited by an independent nation. 1998.The glitter girls: charity & vanity : chronicles of an era of excess
By Rosemary Sexton. 1993
Portrayal of Toronto's wealthy women who organize lavish charity balls. Sexton, who was the society columnist for the "Globe and…
Mail" from 1988 to 1993, describes the women's organizational skills for the balls and their talent for gossip and backbiting. 1993.The girl from Leam Lane: the life and writing of Catherine Cookson
By Piers Dudgeon. 1997
Catherine Cookson's first novel, "Kate Hannigan", was published in 1950. The novel represented the author's triumph over unhappiness - within…
its pages she was exorcising her own demons. Piers Dudgeon unlocks her complex character using her many books as a key and explores with Catherine herself the tortured drama of her personal life and its resolution. 1997.The genius and the goddess: Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe
By Jeffrey Meyers. 2009
Dual biographies of playwright Arthur Miller (1915-2005) and actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962). Traces the couple's disparate family backgrounds and 1956…
marriage. Describes Monroe's role as Miller's muse but posits that her psychological problems and feelings of inadequacy led to their divorce after five years. Some descriptions of sex. 2009.The fishers of paradise
By Rachael Preston. 2016
The boathouse community along the shores of Dundas Marsh has come under siege, and young Egypt Fisher is faced with…
the prospect of losing her home. Members of Hamilton’s City Beautiful Movement have planned a new bridge through their neighbourhood and the boathouses are being destroyed, their owners relocated. Soon, however, it’s clear that politicians and gentrification aren’t the only threats to Egypt’s paradise. At first Egypt is thrilled to have her family reunited when her father, Ray, suddenly returns after a mysterious six-year absence. But Ray Fisher has demons, and his wife, Laura, has secrets. Together, they turn the Fisher house into an emotional tinderbox, and when handsome Matt Oakes drifts into town, he could be just the spark to ignite it. 2016.The first season: 1917-18 and the birth of the NHL
By Bob Duff. 2017
2017-18 marks the hundredth anniversary of the birth of the National Hockey League. But the league almost didn't survive its…
first year. Duff chronicles the trials and tribulations of that first season, and tells the story of that first generation of hockey heroes who lent their names to the game they loved, and helped to make it great. 2017.The Franz Boas enigma: Inuit, Arctic, and sciences
By Ludger Müller-Wille. 2014
Addressing the enigma of how Franz Boas came to be the central founder of anthropology and a driving force in…
the acceptance of science as part of societal life in North America, this exploration breaks through the linguistic and cultural barriers that have prevented scholars from grasping the importance of Boas’ personal background and academic activities as a German Jew. Müller-Wille argues that to fully appreciate Boas’ complete scientific and literary opus and deep emotional and intellectual attachment to the upbringing that shaped his life, it is crucial to become familiar with his publications on Inuit and the Arctic as related to environmental, geographical, and ethnological questions. 2014.The four walls of my freedom: Lessons I've Learned From A Life Of Caregiving
By Donna Thomson. 2014
Donna Thomson’s life was forever changed when her son Nicholas was born with cerebral palsy. A former actor, director, and…
teacher, Donna became his primary caregiver and embarked on a second career as a disability activist, author, and consultant. Thomson vividly describes her experience in treading delicately through daily care, emergencies, and medical bureaucracy as she and her family cope with her son’s condition while maintaining value and dignity (for Nicholas, too). She demonstrates the vital contribution that people with disabilities make to our society and addresses the ethics and economics of giving and receiving care. 2014.The follow: a true story
By Linda Spalding. 1998
The author recounts her expedition into the forests of Borneo in search of a reclusive primatologist, who has devoted her…
life to protecting orphaned orangutans. Describes the beauty of the island, the local society, and the despoilment of natural resources through poaching, deforestation, and misguided ecotourism. 1998.The first time: true stories
By Charles Montpetit. 1995
A collection of true stories, written by some of Canada's best writers, about "the first time" -- their first sexual…
encounter. The writers include Brian Doyle, W.P. Kinsella, and Julie Lawson. Descriptions of sex. Junior high and older. 1995.The first world oil war (G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects)
By Timothy C Winegard. 2016
Oil is the source of wealth and economic opportunity. Oil is also the root source of global conflict, toxicity and…
economic disparity. The author argues that beginning with the First World War, oil became the preeminent commodity to safeguard national security and promote domestic prosperity. For the first time in history, territory was specifically conquered to possess oil fields and resources; vital cogs in the continuation of the industrialized warfare of the twentieth century. 2016.The love story of rodeo promoter Guy Weadick and trick roper Flores LaDue began among the rough-and-tumble vaudevillians who preserved…
the frontier way of life in the first Wild West shows. Their love endured through North American performances in the small-time and big-time circuits, to the audiences of Europe, and culminated in 1912 with the most spectacular of accomplishments - the establishment of the greatest outdoor show on earth, the Calgary Stampede. c2011.The flaming arrow: the story of Art Jenkyns, founder of Operation Eyesight Universal
By Gerald W Hankins. 1994
Biography of Art Jenkyns, who founded Operation Eyesight Universal, a Calgary-based organization which provides eye-care programs in developing countries. Since…
it began in the early 1960s, OEU has helped to restore sight to over 1.3 million people and provided eye-care to millions more. 1994.The film club: a true story of a father and son
By David Gilmour. 2007
The true story of author Gilmour's decision to let his 16-year-old son drop out of high school, on the condition…
that the boy agree to watch three films a week with him. Examines how those years changed both their lives. From French New Wave and Kurosawa to De Palma, film noir, and Billy Wilder, Gilmour describes key moments in each film, as he teaches his son about life and the vagaries of growing up through the power of the movies. Strong language and descriptions of sex. Canada Reads 2012. 2007.The fix: soccer and organized crime
By Declan Hill. 2010