Was this the beginning of technology? On July 23rd, 1829, William Austin Burt patented the “typographer,” later to be known as the typewriter. The very first patent for a “writing machine” was given to one Henry Mill in 1714, but nothing survived to prove its existence. For this reason, Burt’s typographer in 1829, which printed […]
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Val’s Book Reviews A Shattered Calm By Bruce F.B. Hall Altona, MB: Friesen Press, 2023 $24.32 / 9781039134836 Bruce F.B. Hall retired early to travel, to sail, and to become a storyteller while using a wide range of his own experiences to become an author of note. A Shattered Calm, Hall’s self-published debut novel, is
A ‘particularly spellbinding’ thriller Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews Someday I’ll Find You By C.C. Humphreys Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2023 $25.00 / 9780385690515 Loosely based on his parents’ true story, C.C. Humphreys has produced an enthralling page-turner set in World War 2—it’s a novel you will not be able to put down. Someday I’ll Find You tells the story of an
Love, cloak-and-dagger espionage, and WW2 Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak Toronto: Simon and Schuster Canada, 2022 $32.00 / 9781982158804 In Our American Friend, Whistler, BC-born author Anna Pitoniak (Necessary People) has produced a political thriller second to none. This fast-paced, page-turner tells the story of White House Correspondent, Sofie Morse, who has become jaded and cynical
A Cold War thriller Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews The Last Unsuitable Man By Louise Carson Winnipeg, MB: Signature Editions, 2022 $17.95 / 9781773241159 Louise Carson’s 14th book, The Last Unsuitable Man, is a combination of mystery, music, love affairs gone wrong, and slow-paced twists and thrills. The thing I liked best about it is the division of the book’s parts
Ex-lovers, ex-husbands, and murder Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews Emily Carr: Life & Work by Lisa Baldissera, with an introduction by Sara Angel Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2021 $40.00 / 9781487102326 Most people in Victoria, throughout British Columbia and across Canada are of course familiar with the works of artist/writer Emily Carr. Her artwork is acclaimed both nationally and internationally. This
‘The woman behind the art’ Read More »
“GO WEST, YOUNG MAN, AND GROW UP WITH THE COUNTRY.” This well-known quote has been spoken many times, but do you know who first said it? It was a man named Horace Greeley, a journalist, editor, and political leader, who wrote those words to his readers on July 13th, in 1865. He had a passion for
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A Scandalous Love Affair Today we are accustomed to scandals in the news, but this was not case in early Victoria. Rumours surrounding one young woman during the 1890s, for instance, were therefore thought to be quite shocking. The lady in question was Bertha de Miranda Genn who led a very unorthodox life. Born in
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The Lady who knew “next to nothing” about Gardening. Jeanette Foster Kennedy was born in Toronto, Ontario, on February 26th, 1868, one hundred and fifty-five years ago, but her presence on Vancouver Island is still very much alive. Although her ancestry was both Canadian and Irish, she was destined to become famous on the Saanich
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Val’s Book Reviews Patterson House by Jane Cawthorne Toronto: Inanna Publications, 2022 $22.95 / 9781771339391 In her novel Patterson House, Jane Cawthorne has produced a warm yet tragic story of a once-wealthy Toronto family who still own a stately mansion known as Patterson House. Cawthorne begins in 1873 with the ghostly voice of William Patterson,
The rich and the desperate Read More »
