What in the Sam Hill? A Man of Peace. Historians believe that the expression “what in the Sam Hill?” originated with a man called Sam Hill, a minister of finance to Oliver Cromwell in 17th century England. Others believe the expression is attributed to a Quaker named Sam Hill who lived part of his life […]
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Flotsam and Jetsam (Early Characters in B.C.’s Capital City.) Many of the colourful transients who drifted into the capital city in the early days barely stayed long enough to guarantee themselves a place in the history books, but I recently discovered a few interesting examples. One was Polish-born, carriage driver Billy Barlow. In 1863, he
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Val’s Book Reviews Dear Arlo: letters to my grandson by Olga CampbellVancouver: Jubaji Press, 2024 This memoir by Olga Campbell is a mixture of prose, art, poetry, and recipes interspersed with letters to the author’s grandson, Arlo. It tells the tragic story of a legacy of trauma. Campbell herself is a second-generation holocaust survivor born
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Delighted to see that The McBride Chronicles historical series has made the long list for book series awards at the Chanticleer International Book Awards in Bellingham, Washington, USA. Finalist will be announced in April 2025. Chanticleer Reviews was founded in 2011 as a response to the growing need for a company invested in the success
Val’s Book Reviews My Turquoise Years: A Memoir (Twentieth Anniversary Edition) by M.A.C. Farrant Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2024$21.95 / 9781772016369 My Turquoise Years is the 20th Anniversary reprint edition of M.A.C. Farrant’s original memoir with five additional stories added, plus an introduction by Lynne Van Luven and a new preface. This is not a typical memoir
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Val’s Book Reviews Celebrities Who Have Met Me: A Child of the Lost Empire by John D’EatheVancouver: Adagio Media, 2024$21.99 9781999433925 John D’Eathe’s memoir is a whimsical look at the fall of the British Empire, told through anecdotes of his life as D’Eathe travelled through many countries and observed how the once-great British Empire has
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A Christmas Miracle At least once in everyone’s life we need a miracle. The story of the one that happened over 180 years ago on a cold, crisp Christmas Eve in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, has been told many times before but, in today’s world of unrest and uncertainty, it still bears repeating. It concerns
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Val’s Book Reviews The Champagne Letters by Kate MacIntosh Toronto: Gallery Books, 2024 $36.99 / 9781668061886 In The Champagne Letters, Kate MacIntosh has successfully managed to create two parallel stories set in two different eras: one in nineteenth-century France and the other in the present day. Her narrative flows seamlessly between discrete eras
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My Annual Christmas Plea! Christmas is fast approaching——a time of love and a time for families. It can also be a time of unimaginable sorrow if you are mourning a loved one, especially if that loved one is a child. Throughout history, women have lost children for many different reasons. Difficult births resulting in stillborn
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No Place Like Home During my life, I have been lucky enough to have travelled to many different countries and have stayed in a multitude of different hotels through the years. Some were 5-star or better; some mediocre and some (in my youth) hostels or cheap hotels. They all have one thing in common. They
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