Hmmm. Seems that you, dear subscriber, have not been receiving my posts. Son James to the rescue! He says, “For some reason the plugin that managed your subscriptions hadn’t auto-updated, and was disabled.” He updated the whozits and whazits and I’m assuming this wee note will get through to everyone.
Meanwhile, you may get a chuckle from this. My passport of ten years expired last month. Although I’ve sworn off of flying (sort of) I thought, Who knows? Passport may come in handy sometime. Barrie picked up an application and I dutifully filled it out. But I had to make a big decision: sign up and pay for five years or ten years?
Now that I’m eighty, perhaps the wisest thing would be to go the 5-yr. route. I applied for the 10-yr. version.
Mama always said there was a special God for fools.
Meanwhile, I am receiving buckets of pleasure from the Creative Non-Fiction class that’s underway. Great troopers, and fine writers. Lucky me. At the moment I’m looking for suggestions of your favourite non-fiction books … but not memoir. Rather, other true stories that are enlightening as well as entertaining page-turners. You can post here, or send me an email at sandracphinney@gmail.com
As I write this, sleet is pinging on our windows and the wind is picking up. We are expecting a few hours of ice pellets then rain then snow and more snow. Only thing missing are the locusts.
Hi Sandra,
Thrilled to be back on you list! Thank you!
A writing friend from a thousand years ago…)
oh my! Yes .. many moons for sure Kathleen. Happy we’ve connected again!
Lovely to find you in my inbox again. Welcome back. It’s been at least five years
Diane Cole
Picton Ontario
Wowzas! So pleased this reached you Diane!
The Miracle Detective, Randall Sullivan
and
Champlain’s Dream, David Hackett Fischer
The latter is long but a real page turner – and has a lot to do with Nova Scotia as he mapped the coastline. Bear River is mentioned – there is an oral tradition of the “visit” of one of his men, left stranded in the Liverpool area, as I recall.
Nice to hear from you.
Thanks so much Nancy! Will check these out for sure! Hope all’s well in your world. Should you venture this way, please get in touch!
I also have not renewed my passport since I came back in 2015. I have not even been outside of Nova Scotia. I have had Canadian passports made in Barbados, Ghana, Ethiopia and Singapore. But I can’t imagine sitting for hours in a sardine can with people breathing or walking fast through miles of tiled airport hallways. I can sail away on the Internet and travel vicariously.
Good points John. I decided early on during COVID to stop flying. Mainly out of concern for the environment. But I forgo that when we have enough points that allows us to fly to see family in Ontario!
Hi Sandra: Here are a few nonfiction books I’d recommend:
For the Time Being by Annie Dillard – A collection of essays on life, clouds and things. Beautifully written. Actually, Pilgrim at Tinker’s Creek, Teaching a Stone to talk, etc —The woman can’t write a bad sentence.
South by Earnest Shackleton – The true story of Shackleton stranded in the Antarctic. Amazing story of courage and leadership.
And the Sea Will Tell – A crazy story about murder on a tropical island by the guy that prosecuted Charles Manson and co-wrote Helter Skelter.
Oswald’s Tale by Norman Mailer – A deep dive into Lee Harvey Oswald & the JFK assassination.
Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder – Follows a teacher teaching elementary school in Massachusetts. Wonderful book. Also highly recommend The Soul of a New Machine (He won the Pulitzer for that one).
Yes, Trent, Annie Dillard can do no wrong! However, the other authors you mentioned are new to me. I’ll check them out. THANK YOU!
Addendum next day … I just looked up the titles your recommended + the authors. Will be visiting our library tomorrow and can borrow Among School Children there. But I remember seeing a T Kidder’s essays in The New Yorker and some anthologies. Such an amazing writer. Not sure why I’ve not read any of his books. I just ordered his latest, Rough Sleepers that came out last year … “The powerful story of an inspiring doctor who helped to create a medical system for the homeless people of Boston.” Thanks again.
I think you’ll love Among Schoolchildren. I haven’t read Rough Sleepers but it looks really interesting.
Sandra, throw caution to the winds.
I shall be 90 in a couple of months. And I have travel plans in the works.
Age is just a number!!! (to purloin a phrase).
Cheers, isobel.
90 Isobel? How wonderful! And, where, pray tell, do you plan your next adventure? I so wish it were here. Although you wouldn’t need a passport. haha Thanks for popping into view!
Good to receive your posts again!
I read plenty of creative nonfiction but I guess my favs are Ann Patchett (These Precious Days and This is the Story of a Happy Marriage), Brian Doyle (One Long River of Song) and any by R.M.Patterson, about travel in the northwest, first half of the 20th century. Fabulous canoeing tales!
I signed up for your posts a couple of years ago when I heard of your summer writing retreats. You said you would keep my name on your backlist… how is this summer’s retreat looking?
Wild & wooly winter weather going on, here in Quebec’s Eastern Townships and down in your neck of the woods too, it seems! Take care!
Janice
Oh! Janice! I lost my “wait list” for Birchdale two years ago. However, we’ve had a full house every year. But I’m definitely noting this in my Day Book (which is a hard copy and won’t go off to lala land). Where do you live? Would love to meet you. Appreciate your book suggestions. I dearly love Patchett’s and Doyle’s works. Not familiar with Patterson but will definitely seek something by him. I Googled him and it looks like he wrote a lot of fascinating books!
Hi Sandra, I live in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, about 40 minutes from the Vermont and Hampshire borders. A landscape that looks much like inland Nova Scotia, without the gift of the coast within reach! Patterson’s books are lovely. My happy place, I guess! The first one I read was Far Pastures and that just convinced me that I had to read MORE of his books! I think, in the end, that Finlay’s River is my fav, though the Nahanni book is a close 2nd… Makes me just want to BE there! Or, wait a minute, I think I AM there when reading his books!
A recent favourite came to mind: Harry Thurston’s A Place Between the Tides: A Naturalist’s Reflections on the Salt Marsh.
He is a poet and a naturalist and this book book is a treasure. It resonates with his deep love of nature and of this salt marsh by the Tidnish River.
Yes, Harry’s book is beyond wonderful. One of my favourite memoirs. Thanks for reminding me Debbie.
For non-memoir, non-fiction I recommend The Emperor of all Maladies by Siddartha Mukherjee, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson and The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone.
Great suggestions Fran … all duly noted!
So happy you are back! My favorite non-fiction storyteller is brilliant neurologist, the late Oliver Sacks, who, for those of old enough to remember, was the real doctor (played by Robin Williams) in the film Awakenings. His stories and simple, lovingly crafted pen-portraits of patients are told with humour, poignancy, and compassion, with a keen appreciation for the uniqueness that makes humans so diverse. Check out such classics as “The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat” and “An Anthropologist on Mars.” Another very inspiring and hopeful book is Paul Hanley’s biography of one man’s effort to improve the ecological health of the planet called “Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist” (who is buried and honoured in my home town of Saskatoon).
Ahhh. One of the few Robin Williams films I haven’t seen! Must correct that. And, yes, Oliver Sacks is (was) a brilliant writer. Thanks for reminding me. Will slip into the library for your two suggestions. And, yes, Paul Hanley’s book is truly wonderful. Thanks for popping into view dear heart!