Since I can never find any new books I like at the main national retail chain in Ontario, I tend to use my gift cards when I travel instead, as I am drawn to the local interest sections. I was able to use the entire value of two of my three gift cards at a large shop in St. John’s. I bought five new books:
Avanimiut: A History of Inuit Independence in Northern Labrador by Carol Brice-Bennett and revised by Lena Onalik and Andrea Procter tells the story of the indigenous peoples who held on to their independence despite the attempts by missionaries and governments to change their way of life.
I was happy to find Voices in the Wind: A History of Gander, Newfoundland by Jean Edwards Stacey since on this trip Mark and I had flown to Newfoundland from Toronto to Gander. We looked around the airport and its restored waiting room and saw the displays on the second floor about all the celebrities and world leaders who had passed through back in the day when a refueling stop was required before crossing the Atlantic.
I would like to learn more about the government’s plan to resettle small communities and was pleased to find Resettlement: Uprooting and Rebuilding Communities in Newfoundland and Labrador and Beyond.
Another east coast railway now defunct: The Bullet: Stories from the Newfoundland Railway by Robert Hunt will fill me in on the thrill of the island’s former railroad.
Moose Country: The Story of the Moose in Newfoundland by Darrin McGrath was an odd choice but the province is notorious for its abundance of car accidents involving these animals. With all the driving we did, I was always afraid that a moose would suddenly appear from a deep roadside ditch and attempt to cross our path. Signs mark the areas where moose are prevalent and we heard of two fatal accidents on the news during our time there. This book even has a chapter on moose-vehicle collisions. Other chapters were on moose biology, the introduction of the animal to Newfoundland, moose management, hunting, poaching, moose recipes (I have eaten it at the home of a Newfoundlander), and even moose poems and songs.
I also got one used book at Elaine’s Books on Duckworth Street in St. John’s. I am interested in the exploration of Labrador and was pleased to find The Lure of the Labrador Wild: The Story of the Exploring Expedition Conducted by Leonidas Hubbard, Jr. by Dillon Wallace. It was reasonably priced at $12. Most of the books in that store were, in my opinion, ridiculously overpriced.
…Yet not as wickedly Brobdingnagian as the prices at Town Square Book Stop in Gander. The prices were so exorbitant they were beyond jaw-dropping. The quality of the books did not merit even one tenth of what the owner was asking. She showed me two paperbacks on Labrador and I had no compunctions whatsoever in telling her that the prices were way too high and I wouldn’t be buying anything. I would have kept my mouth shut if she didn’t constantly push books into my face. Take a look at the Google reviews for this store–I even wrote one. The most recent reviews are all one-star pans, yet curiously, the first ones posted are all five-star raves. Funny how only a few hours after I posted my own review, some lackey wrote a five-star sycophantic wet dream to ensure it was at the top of the list.