For decades, Hudson Mack has been the face of television news on Vancouver Island. In 2004, when he crossed the street” from CHEK to The New VI, it was an industry-wide sensation. As he recalls that life-changing event in this autobiography he admits he wasn’t sure where his new path might lead. CHEK was established, respected and popular in Victoria, but its senior management had passed Mack over for promotion to news director, more than once. The New VI was high-budget and original, but...

The unvarnished life story of stand-up comedian Russell Peters: up close and personal, poignant and entertainingRussell Peters performs to sell-out stadium crowds around the world, poking fun at race, culture, his immigrant family, and anything else he sets in his sights on. In this candid memoir, he chronicles his life from humble beginnings as a scrawny, bullied, brown kid with ADD growing up in an immigrant family in Canada through his remarkable rise to become ...

Top Ten Things You’ll Learn When You Read This Book:Jay was beaten up by an MMA fighter on live televisionInterviewing Will Ferrell can be a harrowing experienceJay once ruined a perfectly good pair of underwear on Christmas EveFailing as a stand-up comedian can lead to a job in broadcastingJay ran a marathon to get a ticket for the 2010 men’s Olympic gold-medal hockey game

This quirky ode to a quirky land is a humorous nostalgia trip and a fun Canadian history lesson couched in a hipster quiz book.If you’ve ever wonderedWhy is the inuksuk more revered than Wheelchair Jimmy?Does the iconic beaver really represent us better than The Littlest Hobo?Is everyone going canoeing without me or is canoeing way less of a thing than it’s made out to be?then this book is for you.Is...

David Bidini, rhythm guitarist with the Rheostatics, knows all too well what the life of a rock band in Canada involves: storied arenas one tour and bars wallpapered with photos of forgotten bands the next. Zit-speckled fans begging for a guitar pick and angry drunks chucking twenty-sixers and pint glasses. Opulent tour buses riding through apocalyptic snowstorms and cramped vans that reek of dope and beer. Brilliant performances and heart-sinking break-ups.Bidini has played all ac...

A riveting behind-the-scenes account of the transformative 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games-an extraordinary story of visionary leadership, love of country and the ability to dream boldly.When John Furlong emigrated from Ireland in 1974, the customs officer greeted him with Welcome to Canada. Make us better”-an imperative that has defined Furlong’s life ever since. A passionate, accomplished athlete with a track record of community service, Furlong...

Here in one big book is all the trivia and facts about Canada anyone needs to know. The Big Book is jam-packed with facts and stories. There are stories of important Canadian artifacts and history including what became of Canada's World War II spy camp. All regions and provinces are covered, as well as important Canadian figures like John Molson, Elizabeth Arden and Russ Jackson. If that isn't enough there will also be pieces explaining whatever happened to such Canadian icons as ...

From acclaimed musician and author Dave Bidini comes a brilliantly original look at a folk-rock legend and the momentous week in 1972 that culminated in the Mariposa Folk Festival.July, 1972. As musicians across Canada prepare for the nation's biggest folk festival, held on Toronto Island, a series of events unfold that will transform the country politically, psychologically--and musically. As Bidini explores the remarkable week leading up to Mariposa, he also explores the life and...

For 25 years, there's always been a home in Uncle John's Bathroom Reader for those times in life you wish you could take back--"oops" moments, embarrassing accidents, spectacular failures. Because we never get tired of reading about unfortunate accidents (as long as they're happening to someone else), here is a whole book of "the best of the worst," the troubling and funny stories of things got terribly awry. Read all about:* The little math error that took down a spaceship.* A sexy stimul...

From Lisa Birnbach, the author of The Official Preppy Handbook, comes True Prep, which looks at how the old guard of natural-fiber-loving, dog-worshipping, G&T-soaked preppies adapts to the new order of the Internet, cell phones, rehab, political correctness, reality TV, and . . . polar fleece.

During the first half of the twentieth century, Atlantic City was the nation's most popular middle-class resort--the home of the famed Boardwalk, the Miss America Pageant, and the board game Monopoly. By the late 1960s, it had become a symbol of urban decay and blight, compared by journalists to bombed-out Dresden and war-torn Beirut. Several decades and a dozen casinos later, Atlantic City is again one of America's most popular tourist spots, with thirty-five million visitors a year. Yet ...

Winner of the 2009 Stephen Leacock Medal for HumourThe cops wanted to shoot me, my bosses thought I was a Bolshevik, and a local lawyer warned me that some people I was writing about might try to test the strength of my skull with a steel pipe. What more could any young reporter hope for from his first real job?The night Mark Leiren-Young drove into Williams Lake, British Columbia, in 1985 to work as a reporter for the venerable Williams Lake Tribune, he a...