An image of a harbour at dusk, looking at it from the water. A gazebo is at the end of the pier, and there is a large boat.

The Sunshine Coast From Gibsons to Powell River, Third Edition by Howard White

I live in the Lower Mainland of BC. When I go to the “Baja” Sunshine Coast, I take a 40ish minute car ferry ride from the Horseshoe Bay terminal. When we pass by Soames Hill, somewhat resembling the shape of Homer Simpson’s belly if lying down, I know it’s time to ditch the outdoor view …

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Cover of The New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest: Second Revised Edition.

The New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest, Second Revised Edition

J. Duane Sept’s Beachcomber’s Guide provides a well-organized and comprehensive list which identifies many of the strange organisms I encountered that day. Those weird little black beatles crawling about as I lifted up rocks to unblock the sand to sea beeline of a juvenile Norther Kelp Crab? Oregon Pill Bug.

A green cover with three flowers. A white flower in the top left hand corner, a yellow flower in the bottom left, and a red flower in the bottom right. The title is in the center of the image, and a blurb is on the top right.

Medicinal Perennials to Know and Grow

Some of my musings of late have been inspired by this rather practical little book which reminds us that flowers aren’t only there to be beautiful. Many of them offer health benefits and — best of all, as far as the lazy gardener in me insists — the flowers in these pages, perennials, keep coming up on their own, year after year.

In the Slender Margin: The Intimate Strangeness of Death and Dying by Eve Joseph

Originally published in 2014, In the Slender Margin was enthusiastically received and applauded for its respectful sensitivity in dealing with a subject that is still, to many, an avoidable topic of conversation: death and dying. Using her 20+ years’ experience working as a palliative care counsellor in a hospice as a springboard for exploration, Joseph probes our collective knowledge of that final life experience that we all must face.

Mushrooming: The Joy of the Quiet Hunt – An Illustrated Guide to the Fascinating, the Delicious, the Deadly and the Strange by Diane Borsato, With Illustrations by Kelsey Oseid

Foraging for wild mushrooms is an increasingly popular pursuit and this beautifully produced volume—filled with insights, anecdotes and details about more than 120 common and charismatic fungi from across the northern hemisphere—will appeal to everyone from beginner mushroomers to advanced mycophiles.