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What are you reading?

I just finished Birchbark Canoe by David Gidmark. It takes place in the Maniwaki, Quebec area, about 80 miles north of Ottawa. I'm familiar with this area as I have passed through many times on my way to LaVerendrye. He also mentions many lakes and locations I'm familiar with in the area so this book really kept my attention.

I won't be attempting to build a birchbark canoe anytime soon, but I enjoyed reading about the canoes and the native people who kept this skill alive.
 
I recently spent time in the hospital. At Alan Gage's recommendation, I had time to enjoy, "Glimpses of the Barren Lands" and "Plain Tales of the North". Both good reads.

Thanks!

Fitz
 
A few weeks ago I received out of the blue, a book that I am really looking forward to reading. The modern day search for and discovery of the Sir John Franklin expedition (two ships and the entire ship's company were lost in entirety) wrecks which had set out in 1845 to discover the Northwest Passage... lost at sea for these many years and heretofore undiscovered.

It will make my few days off around the Christmas holidays and New Years a pleasant anticipation of a good read. And a continuation of a life long passion for all things arctic and polar exploration.

"Ice Ghosts", Paul Watson.
 
I'm reading Three day road. So far it is great book!!
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The follow up book, Through Black Spruce is great too. Joseph Boyden is out of favour in Canada right now, as it looks like he greatly exaggerated his Native ancestry. He became the spokesperson for many First Nations causes, and then it was revealed that he was a poser, a white kid from suburbia in southern Ontario.

Too bad, cause his books were great.

Another really good First Nations author is Richard Wagameese. His book Indian Horse is so great, I give it my highest recommendations!
 
Trying to get through the Double Helix by James Watson. Let me tellya....it not a page turner zzzzzz :(. Although I did learn a little about DNA.

Will look for Indian Horse asap...thx Memaquay!
 
memaquay said:
The follow up book, Through Black Spruce is great too. Joseph Boyden is out of favour in Canada right now, as it looks like he greatly exaggerated his Native ancestry. He became the spokesperson for many First Nations causes, and then it was revealed that he was a poser, a white kid from suburbia in southern Ontario.

Too bad, cause his books were great.

Another really good First Nations author is Richard Wagameese. His book Indian Horse is so great, I give it my highest recommendations!
Click to expand...

Hahahaha. When I read that he is a Scottish Irish Indian, I kind of clue in that he wasn't an Indian to start with lol. But the book is easy to read and quite good... As for Through Black Spruce, I heard it's quite graphic and can be a bit tough to read a time... We shall see when I get there!!

An other great book is The Dangerous River, and a book that should be read along side it is the Nahanie Journals both from R.M. Patterson. And you can see what is real and what is not....
 
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My take on Boyden was that he grew up truly believing that his uncle "Indian joe" was native. He self identified as native in a way. If I'm not mistaken his father was born near the turn of the last century and things were a little wishy washy such as Archie Belaney. Boyden's aboriginal identity was then further thrust into reality when the media began putting Boyden on a pedestal. It's unfortunate because I thought his books were fantastic. Huge fan. I enjoyed his book Born With a Tooth and this his books should be part of Canadian curriculum in the public schools.

I'm reading The Inner Life of Animals by Wohllben , it's a German book translated into English and in it the author tires to present the groundbreaking fact that animals do feel emotions such as love and empathy. Anybody who has had a pet will not be surprised by this. I've see foxes play, and a heard enough stories of a cow moose protecting her shot calf to know that feelings and emotions are not exclusive to homo sapiens. Interesting read though.
 
Yes, " Born with a Tooth " was a good read. I have also read the next three....." Three day road" " Through Black Spruce " "The Orenda ". Largely thanks to Red actually. I found Three day Road to be quite interesting....Black Spruce was a lot like what I have seen on the Rez, The Orenda is an adaptation of history by adding his own characters, with those from that era. Cleverly done and a great read. It's why he was so popular.
Then he ran afoul of the radicals. I can sympathise, having been the only non native in the family for going on 20 years now. I lived the traditions and the modern lifestyles that complicate that whole dynamic. I moved on 10 years ago but my kids/ grandkids are all treaty and I still interact with the larger family fairly often. The waters are a little more muddy here in Manitoba due to the huge Metis population and the HBC posts where the Scotts and Irish took " country wives ". So even a lot of treaty natives are not full blood natives. In fact not too many of them are not of mixed race here. French/Scottish/Irish/Norwegian/German lineage can all be found. So Boyden living in the community, and assuming that he had a native uncle, is not a big stretch. Only when he became successful did it matter. Money always complicates things.

All that aside, he is an excellent writer and tells the native story well as he was immersed in it.
 
Three related books:

Bound for the Barrens is the journal of Ernest Oberholtzer as he and Billy Magee made an incredible 2000 mile canoe trip through partially unexplored territory in 1912. From La Pas up to and across Reindeer before paddling up the Cochrane and portaging over to the Thlewiaza and then over to Nueltin and down to the bay. Then traveling down the coast of Hudson bay until they reached York House and then upstream to Lake Winnipeg. And finally down the length of Lake Winnipeg. The trip finished in November if I remember correctly. They were lucky to make it. This was never written up or published in his lifetime. It's nowhere near as good as reading Downes' journals but it's an interesting look into the past before trappers moved into the area. It's out of print but worth finding.

The Old Way North by David Pelly follows the Oberholtzer journey but is just as much about the land they traveled through as it is about their trip. It contains some of the journal entries and expands upon the places, people, and things they encountered. In the end of the book David goes back to Arviat with Oberholtzer's photos and finds relatives of the Innuit who helped out Oberholtzer and Magee. If you're only going to read one of the three books it should probably be this one. https://www.amazon.com/Old-Way-Nort...=1515691458&sr=8-1&keywords=the+old+way+north

Toward Magnetic North is a collection of photos from the 1912 trip as well as some essays about Oberholtzer himself. It's more of a coffee table type book and is a bit more expensive but the pictures are fantastic. Wonderful look back to what was, at that time, a virtually unexplored (by Europeans) land. Plenty of pictures of Chippewan and Innuit camps and families as well as Cree packers and York boats working for the HBC and Revillon Freres. https://www.amazon.com/Toward-Magnetic-North-Oberholtzer-Magee-Journey/dp/0873516230

Alan
 
Just finished 'The man who made things out of trees' by Rob Penn. He harvests one ash tree and travels to craftsmen and manufacturers to see the different products being made from the lumber. Of canoe camping interest are: paddles, tent pegs, spoons, bowls, and other things.
 
Peter Stark's Astoria - John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival on DaveOR's recommendation. Great read. Thank you.
 
I've been reading the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin series since Christmas.
This'll be about my fourth or fifth time through them in the past 20 years.

Before Christmas I was reading all the canoeing books I could find at the library; to many to remember titles but I'll be revisiting some of them this month before the ice goes out.
 
You can't tell a book by it's cover, although the dust jackets and cover illustrations sure try to lure the reader to choose from the myriad of choices on the book shelves. I can and have, spent forever picking up, scanning, and putting back possible good reads from shelves. The titles can be both alluring and deceiving. But I'm also always on the lookout for reading ideas when I peruse articles devoted to the latest book releases. Checking out their synopsis helps to cut down on all my picking up, scanning, and putting back amongst the shelves.
One such article led me to buy a young adult (YA) book called The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert. It's a dark fantasy, but I'm not sure what exactly makes something a YA story. Anyway, this was meant to be a Christmas present for a family member this year, so it couldn't hurt to read it myself first. I'll wrap it just as soon as my wife is finished reading it too.
I've since moved on to Meadowland - The Private Life Of An English Field by John Lewis-Stempel. This is one title that is indeed self explanatory. His close observations of the abundant wildlife in his ancient farm fields is educational and intriguing. With spring fast approaching, this book compels me to slow down and see for myself all that is easily missed in our busy lives.
 
Odyssey said:
I've since moved on to Meadowland - The Private Life Of An English Field by John Lewis-Stempel. This is one title that is indeed self explanatory. His close observations of the abundant wildlife in his ancient farm fields is educational and intriguing. With spring fast approaching, this book compels me to slow down and see for myself all that is easily missed in our busy lives.
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Have you read Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile?
https://www.amazon.com/Timothy-Note...562134&sr=8-1&keywords=timothy+abject+reptile

Alan
 
Thanks Alan, no I hadn't heard of that book Timothy before now. I'll look for it. I did read Gilbert White's Natural History of Selborne years ago. That was a large soft cover copy richly annotated and illustrated. It was most certainly a new edition of the original, I don't know. It was one more stepping stone through English nature writing I've enjoyed. Richard Jefferies and Richard Mabey have been favourites, as is the exceptional Paul Evans. There seems to have been a flourishing of nature writing in Britain in recent years. Tracking down nature writers in general is easier done online than in bricks and mortar stores. It still seems to remain outside popular mainstream genres, such that I've seldom seen a title or author on bookshelves. Plenty of cookbooks and puzzles though.
 
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Thanks Alan, I have that one. Beautiful book. It is amongst others in the back pages of Meadowland, under the good title A Meadowland list of books and music : A list raisonne. The author states "You are what you read" and so offers a glimpse of the books which occupy his own shelves at home. Appendices make for good lists for exploration.
 
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