Main content

Anecdotes

  • Author:
    Winston-Macauley, Marnie
    Summary:

    "The Jewish mother feels her job isn't done even after death. You're never too dead to be a Jewish mother." –Mallory Lewis, daughter of Shari Lewis * What do Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand, Jon Stewart, Bette Midler, and Natalie Portman have in common with this book? A Jewish mother. Is there such a thing as a Jewish mother? And if so, who is she? For the first time, best-selling Jewish author and humorist Marnie Winston-Macauley examines all aspects of the Jewish mother. Chronicling biblical Jewish mothers to modern-day Yentls, she creates a compendium using celebrity interviews, anecdotes, humor, and scholarly sources to answer these questions with truth and humor. * Contributors to the book range from Dr. Ruth Gruber and Rabbi Bonnie Koppel to Jackie Mason, Amy Borkowsky, John Stossel, Lainie Kazan, and more. * "The definitive source on Jewish mothers." –Eileen Warshaw, Ph.D., executive director of the Jewish Heritage Center of the Southwest

    • No file available. Please click edit to upload a file or to add a valid S3 path.
  • Author:
    Summary:

    "There are more than 220 million cats in the world, and this book has stories about the world's favourite pet from all across the globe. From an owner with 96 cats in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to a daring cat-escape from Lebanon to the Middle East, the book tells many fine feline tales. We4 also list over 20 different breeds from around the world, where they're from and a short description. Truly a global cat reference for any cat-lover."--

  • Author:
    Carabetta, Michael
    Summary:

    Notable luminaries throughout history have been inspired and humbled by the simple joy of riding a bicycle. For centuries, this powerful connection between people and bikes has driven humans forward as inventors, travelers, and thinkers. From Susan B. Anthony and Mark Twain to Eddy Merckx and Greg LeMond, collected here are entertaining, inspiring, and philosophical thoughts about cycling from writers (and riders) reflecting on the pleasures, power, and freedom of the bicycle. With beautiful black-and-white photos and illustrations on every spread, this elegant collection of quotations is sure to motivate anyone to get on their bike and enjoy the ride.

  • Author:
    Richler, Howard
    Summary:

    To some extent, everyone plays with language and uses it as a form of recreation as well as a means of communication. Recognizing that the creation of true wit is a subjective endeavour, Richler suggests that the commission of language wit occurs not only wittingly, but also unwittingly and sometimes even half-wittedly. When we consciously manipulate language for the purpose of wit, Richler designates this process “arranged wit,” and because sometimes the humour seemingly emanates from the mind of a nitwit rather than a wit, Richler designates this “deranged wit.” Moreover, what appears to be deranged can actually be artfully arranged, or as Polonius might say, there is much method to the madness. Join Richler in Wordplay as he highlights the most whimsical English language writers throughout the ages and analyzes what constitutes both arranged and deranged wit. Prepare for chuckles aplenty, and even belly laughs.

  • Author:
    Brenner, Deborah
    Summary:

    United by the common denominators of gender and professional calling, today's women of wine have traveled diverse paths to fulfill their passions. Written from a distinctly female viewpoint, Women of the Vine explores the stories of women winemakers, women sommeliers, and women who are members of wine groups, embodying each woman's personal experience in an often male-dominated industry. These women share their lives, wine tips, pairings, and, most importantly, enthusiasm for wine. They also reveal candid stories of their personal triumphs and failures and discuss the universal dilemma of balancing work and family. Brimming with profiles of women's wine groups and tips and secrets for getting the most enjoyment out of wine, Women of the Vine takes listeners on a new and very different journey to wine country, inviting them to enjoy these remarkable women's stories one sip at a time.

  • Author:
    Christensen, Peter
    Summary:

    These true stories of people who work and live in the spectacular mountain wilderness of Alberta and British Columbia are filled with humour, keen observations about man and nature, and memorable human and animal characters. Old-time cowboys Johnny and Cal offer their no-nonsense brand of homespun wisdom. Wasp, the talented saddle horse, teaches his rider more than just horsemanship. From life-and-death drama to peaceful meditations, these tales capture the danger and beauty of the mountains and will enthrall both armchair cowboys and those who love to venture into the backcountry.

  • Author:
    Dickerson, John
    Summary:

    Presidential campaigns are a battle for control of power. Whistlestop tells the stories reporters and campaign aides rehash at the bar, each one adding an unknown tidbit. These are human stories full of drama and switchbacks, failures of will, and the crack up of long-planned stratagems.

  • Author:
    Trainer, Mary, Antonson, Brian, Antonson, Rick, Evans, Don
    Summary:

    Everybody has a train story. Whether it comes from a distant relative who worked on the railways or from a family train trip that formed a lasting impression of the Canadian landscape, trains inspire a sense of wonder and nostalgia. They are embedded in the history of Canada as a whole and western Canada in particular, and for generations they were how most people travelled and saw the country. Today, trains get the most attention in the context of tragedy, in the aftermath of rare but catastrophic derailments. However, train stories go beyond these modern-day disaster tales or romantic glimpses into the past. Whistle Posts West presents a compelling array of stories that illustrate how and why the railways continue to capture our imaginations. From the heartbreaking to the humorous, from the awe-inspiring to the absurd, this fascinating collection of railway tales from BC and Alberta is sure to please.

  • Author:
    Summary:

    Presents a diverse collection of stories about the joys and struggles of immigrant women living in Canada. Often bringing with them the shadow of war and the guilt of leaving, the women in this new anthology expose their emotional pain but also their gratitude for being able to call Canada home. Their stories paint touching portraits of cultural and linguistic misunderstandings, bureaucratic hurdles, attempts to navigate unfamiliar landscapes, and a desire to be accepted despite differences in accent, skin colour, or taste in food. Together they form a mosaic of emotions and worldviews that underline the immigrant condition for women. A Filipino woman recalls her experience as a six-year-old immigrant in a ghetto in Mississauga in the 80s. A same-sex couple moves from Minnesota to Ontario to find refuge for their love, but first they must drive through a blizzard and make it through the frustrating net of Canadian bureaucracy. In search of her origins, a Jewish woman travels to her birthplace in Passau, Germany. There, among rows of European picturesque houses and foreign tombstones of a Jewish cemetery, she finds no memories, only the shadow of Hitler and the ghosts of her parents. Through these stories of courage, aloneness, and hope, new and established writers reach out to both immigrants and those whose families long ago ceased to identify with the immigrant label. Through their struggles and, at times, endearingly critical looks at Canada, they remind us that many of our perceived divisions are nothing but artificial creations of mind and that all of us are past, current, or potential immigrants.

  • Author:
    Klingberg, Haddon
    Summary:

    Written in response to the horrors he experienced and witnessed during the Holocaust, Viktor Frankl’s landmark book, Man’s Search for Meaning, has sold millions of copies and been translated into twenty-seven languages. But although Frankl’s thought and philosophy have been widely analyzed, until now little has been written about his life, and about the deeply loving, intensely spiritual relationship that led him and his wife to dedicate their lives to reducing pain and oppression in the world. In a book that is at once a wonderful love story and a tribute to two extraordinary people, Haddon Klingberg, Jr., draws on a wealth of anecdotes, told to him by the Frankls themselves, to describe their separate early lives and their fifty-two years as husband and wife. Returning to Vienna after spending three years in four different concentration camps, Frankl, whose first wife and family died in the camps, turned to writing as a way of finding some purpose in his life. But it was Elly Schwindt, a woman half his age, who helped him put the pieces of his broken life together. Married in 1947, the Frankls created a life of hope and faith, a life committed to proclaiming the oneness of the human family, challenging materialistic values, and encouraging the pursuit of meaning.

  • Author:
    Waldman, Ariel
    Summary:

    Everyone wonders what it's really like in space, but very few of us have ever had the chance to experience it firsthand. This captivating illustrated collection brings together stories from dozens of international astronauts-men and women who've actually been there-who have returned with accounts of the sometimes weird, often funny, and awe-inspiring sensations and realities of being in space. With playful artwork accompanying each, here are the real stories behind backwards dreams, "moon face," the tricks of sleeping in zero gravity and aiming your sneeze during a spacewalk, the importance of packing hot sauce, and dozens of other cosmic quirks and amazements that come with travel in and beyond low Earth orbit.

  • Author:
    Wojna, Lisa
    Summary:

    If you can imagine it, somewhere there's probably a law against it. Laugh out loud over some of Canada's strangest laws -- but not too loudly, or you might get a ticket: * Until 2002 in BC, you couldn't stand up while having a drink in a restaurant * In Halifax, cabbies are required to wear socks * You're not allowed to dogsled on the sidewalks in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario * In Ponoka, Alberta, don’t build a mud hut or a house with a straw roof * Don't let your Canadian flag snap in the wind in Collingwood, Ontario * Coloured margarine is illegal in Quebec * Don't leave a trail of nails, tacks or glass behind you when you walk down the streets of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan * Clear sodas are not allowed to contain caffeine in Canada. * Plus more outdated, outmoded or just plain outlandish laws from throughout Canada.

  • Author:
    Isitt, Geraint
    Summary:

    Alberta is the land of big skies, big dreams and sometimes just plain big, weird things. For example, the province is home to the world's largest manmade waterfall, the world's largest beaver, a gopher museum where stuffed rodents are dressed up like people,a complete mock-up of the Starship Enterprise and a Star Trek station, and a stretch of highway specially designed to help salamanders cross the road.

  • Author:
    Union, Gabrielle
    Summary:

    In the spirit of Amy Poehler's Yes Please, The Birth of a Nation, actress Gabrielle Union shook the world with a vulnerable and impassioned editorial in which she urged our society to have compassion for victims of sexual violence. In the wake of rape allegations made against director and actor Nate Parker, Union-a forty-four-year-old actress who launched her career with roles in iconic '90s movies-instantly became the insightful, outspoken actress that Hollywood has been desperately awaiting. With honesty and heartbreaking wisdom, she revealed her own trauma as a victim of sexual assault: "It is for you that I am speaking. This is real. We are real." In this moving collection of thought provoking essays infused with her unique wisdom and deep humor, Union uses that same fearlessness to tell astonishingly personal and true stories about power, color, gender, feminism, and fame. Union tackles a range of experiences, including bullying, beauty standards, and competition between women in Hollywood, growing up in white California suburbia and then spending summers with her black relatives in Nebraska, coping with crushes, puberty, and the divorce of her parents. Genuine and perceptive, Union bravely lays herself bare, uncovering a complex and courageous life of self-doubt and self-discovery with incredible poise and brutal honesty. Throughout, she compels us to be ethical and empathetic, and reminds us of the importance of confidence, self-awareness, and the power of sharing truth, laughter, and support.

  • Author:
    Simon, Sarah, Yakeleya, Elizabeth
    Summary:

    A work in progress since the 1970s, We Remember the Coming of the White Man chronicles the history of the Sahtú (Mountain Dene) and Gwinch’in People in the extraordinary time of the early 20th century. Chapters are transcripts of oral histories by 10 Elders about their recollections of the early days of fur trading, guns, and flu pandemic; dismay about the way oil and uranium discoveries and pipelines were handled on their land; and the emotional and economic fallout of the signing of Treaty 11.

  • Author:
    McKowen, Laura
    Summary:

    What could possibly be “lucky” about addiction? Absolutely nothing, thought Laura McKowen when drinking brought her to her knees. As she puts it, she “kicked and screamed . . . wishing for something - anything - else” to be her issue. The people who got to drink normally, she thought, were so damn lucky. But in the midst of early sobriety, when no longer able to anesthetize her pain and anxiety, she realized that she was actually the lucky one. Lucky to feel her feelings, live honestly, really be with her daughter, change her legacy. She recognized that “those of us who answer the invitation to wake up, whatever our invitation, are really the luckiest of all.” Here, in straight-talking chapters filled with personal stories, McKowen addresses issues such as facing facts, the question of AA, and other people’s drinking. Without sugarcoating the struggles of sobriety, she relentlessly emphasizes the many blessings of an honest life, one without secrets and debilitating shame.

  • Author:
    Lewis, Jenifer
    Summary:

    A new offering from the author of the hugely successful Mother of Black Hollywood.Walking in My Joy is a collection of electric stories by the one and only, super hilarious Jenifer Lewis. Her commentary on what's happening in the world today, told through her outrageous real-life adventures, will have you laughing out loud, while her insightful messages touch your soul. A self-described "traveling fool and nature freak," Jenifer takes readers with her all over the world, from Cape Town to Bali; Washington, DC, to the Serengeti; Mongolia to St. Petersburg; and Argentina to Antarctica to demonstrate how she walks in her joy by seeking pleasure in everyday encounters. Every step of the way you'll be doubled over with laughter as she faints at the Obamas' holiday party; awakens to a swollen face and has to go to the hospital during the height of the Covid pandemic; an alien visitation; a successful takedown of a conman; as well as meeting a handsome Maasai warrior and being chased by a Cape buffalo. An actress, activist, and mental health advocate, Jenifer Lewis imparts ways to love yourself that will allow you to deflect negative energy and keep people who may come to take your joy in check. She stresses the importance of fully living to your greatest ambitions and taking the time to admire the world's natural gifts. She also encourages embracing each other's uniqueness as a way of finding societal healing. Walking in My Joy is a riveting and enthralling journey.

  • Author:
    Campbell, Marlene
    Summary:

    Travel back in time to when Christmas was a simple affair: children were content to receive an apple, an orange, or a piece of barley candy in their stockings; clothes, meals, and decorations were all homemade; and it was time spent with family--not expensive gifts--that warmed hearts during the holiday season. This nostalgic collection recalls Christmas celebrations of the 1930s, '40s, '50s, and '60s, transporting readers to the unheated farmhouse bedrooms, thrilling "big city" department stores, and cozy barn stalls of rural Prince Edward Island. It turns out one thing has not changed: the most memorable part of any Christmas cannot be bought and sold. Includes eighteen non-fiction stories, collected and retold by scriptwriter, playwright, and historical author Marlene Campbell.

  • Author:
    Ruttan, Stephen
    Summary:

    Found on the history shelves of the Greater Victoria Public Library, these twenty true stories are brought to life by Stephen Ruttan. They draw a picture of the life of a city with a recent past that's both unconventional and colourful. From Miss Wilson and her famous parrot, Louis, to Jimmy Chicken Island, named after a man who acquired his surname from his habit of stealing chickens, to the Pig War, when Britain and the United States nearly came to blows over the San Juan Islands, to the rise and fall of Francis Rattenbury, one of Victoria’s best-known architects, these stories reveal a lively history of a West Coast capital city. Archival illustrations, newspaper clippings, and modern photos help make Vancouver Island Scoundrels, Eccentrics and Originals a delightful and illluminating read.

  • Author:
    Summary:

    Here it is: the quintessential collection of notable quotes for all occasions. Grouped together in weird categories as only Uncle John could do, you'll find quotes about farts, firsts, dogs, Canada, male chauvinist pigs, colors, TV, aliens, and more! And not just quotes, either'there are great facts, fun quizzes, and a few longer articles about how quotations shape our world. As if that weren't enough, there are a ton of eye-opening new entries for Uncle John's Quotationary. (Love: "Being stupid together."'Paul Valery) And to make it easier than ever to find the exact quote you're looking for, there is a by-subject index as well a by-name index. Here are but a few of the thousands of great quotations awaiting you: "I don't really care what I'm famous for."'Jessica Simpson "Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot."'Charlie Chaplin "The way that I feel about music is there is no right and wrong. Only true and false."'Fiona Apple "One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."'A. A. Milne "Bears are crazy. They'll bite your head if you're wearing a steak on it."'Space Ghost

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Anecdotes