Cold Is the Grave: An Inspector Banks Mystery

Over 10 previous books I’ve been a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Chief Inspector Alan Banks and closely followed the Yorkshire policeman’s caseload, colleagues, and evolving life. My hopes for the 11th episode of the Banks chronicle, ... Read More »

April 3, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Sins of the Suffragette: A Sam Klein Mystery

By Allan Levine

Sam Klein, the ex-brothel security guard turned private detective who first appeared in The Blood Libel, is not a typical Winnipegger. A local hero for his role in solving several high profile cases, Klein is ... Read More »

April 3, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Language Visible: Unraveling the Mystery of the Alphabet from A to Z

By David Sacks

I have often wondered why gamma was the third letter in the ancient Greek alphabet. What happened to C? Why didn’t Victor Hugo ever use the letter W? And Ye (as in Ye Olde Pub) ... Read More »

April 3, 2004 | Filed under: History

The Spinster and the Prophet: Florence Deeks, H.G. Wells, and the Mystery of the Purloined Past

By A.B. McKillop

In 1925 Florence Deeks, a Toronto teacher and feminist, entered into a long struggle to prove that H.G. Wells – the novelist, occasional historian, and forerunner of Faith Popcorn – had, with the help of ... Read More »

April 3, 2004 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

Dragon Boats: A Celebration

By Pat Barker

Dragon boat racing originated in China in the third century BC, and is only now being considered as a demonstration sport at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. This cross-cultural phenomenon is explored in Dragon Boats: ... Read More »

April 2, 2004 | Filed under: Art, Music & Pop Culture

The Selected Stories of Mavis Gallant

By Mavis Gallant

We are for some reason as a people given to the extraordinarily proficient creation of short things. At sketch comedy we are unparalleled, and our short films, live-action and animated, far surpass the quality of ... Read More »

March 31, 2004 | Filed under: Anthologies

Selected Stories

By Alice Munro

March 31, 2004 | Filed under: Anthologies

The Only-Good Heart

By Beth Goobie

Beth Goobie, who won the Pat Lowther Memorial Award for Scars of Light, her 1995 book of poetry, again tackles the controversial subject of ritual abuse and cult worship in The Only-Good Heart, her 10th ... Read More »

March 31, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Running Dog, Paper Tiger

By Simon Johnston

Passports are bargaining chips in these two political plays, each of which is set against a backdrop of racially driven violence. The personal becomes political in Richard Sanger’s finely crafted play, Not Spain, about a ... Read More »

March 31, 2004 | Filed under: Politics & Current Affairs