New books just keep on coming

By Maggie Warbey

Driftwood Contributor

The library may have moved, but one thing stays the same: books to interest most everyone are still arriving daily on the “New” shelf.

Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road is Neil Perat’s (drummer and lyricist for Rush) autobiographic story of his 55,000-mile, 14-month journey, as he seeks a reason to live following the double tragedy of the death of first his daughter, then his wife. His motorcycle journey takes Perat from Quebec around and across North America and Mexico and finally back to Quebec.  Along the way, Perat relates the stories of the people he meets, the lands he travels and his personal struggles to make sense of life and the healing process.

Sock Yarn: One-Skein Wonders is an invaluable tool for those who have creative hands and limited time and materials. The book includes 101 knitting and crocheting patterns that go beyond socks and give the reader precise directions to make all kinds of beautiful items such as hats, gloves, baby clothes, purses, necklaces, even “clothing” for pets. The illustrations, photos and charts all contribute to the usefulness of the book as a guide for even the most inexperienced knitter.

Nina Here Nor There: My Journey beyond Gender describes Nick Krieger’s search for gender reality as he travels the obstacle laden path from sexual woman to sexual manhood. With humour and honesty, Nick relates his personal journey through the transgendered world in a way that “anyone can identify with and everyone will enjoy.” His is a timely message in a world learning to accept individuals for who they are.

Sandra M. Gilbert’s Rereading Women: Thirty Years of Exploring Our Literary Traditions is a collection of essays that offers readers an interesting second look at books and authors who have shaped our perceptions of ourselves and of women’s world in the largely man-made traditions of western society.  Through re-reading classic female authors, including Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson and Charlotte Bronte (as well as many others) and re-interpreting their worlds from a more feminist perspective, Gilbert develops a less traditional explanation for the stories of their heroines and the settings in which they develop their characters. All together, this book is a valuable addition to the knowledge of anyone with an interest in literature and gender roles in western societies.

For a good, laughing look at ourselves and our ways, Weird British Columbia Laws: Strange, Bizarre, Wacky & Absurd by Mark Thornburn is a lighthearted, entertaining retrospective on the ways that the government has attempted to guide behaviours through the years. Though most of the laws, such as the test requirements for high school entrance until 1938 (e.g.: “Give the possessive plural feminine of ‘husband,’ ‘earl,’ ‘he,’ ‘sir,’ and ‘hart,’” [huh!]) or the British North America Act of 1867, are too out of date to be anything but trivial, now . . . the more recent offerings such as laws that govern the use and possession of controlled substances are as recent as 2009, and give one pause today.

Thornburn presents who we were and who we are through our attempts at control, thus providing us with an amusing examination of what really matters.