Blair Beed, Titanic Victims in Halifax Graveyards (Dtours Visitors and Convention Service, 2001) $19.95, ISBN 0-9684383-2-6.

       Titanic Victims in Halifax Graveyards tells the intriguing and little known story of why 150 of the passengers and crew of the SS Titanic were buried in the port city of Halifax. Using official reports and newspaper articles, the book provides an outline of life onboard the ship and of society in 1912. Whether read while visiting grave sites or read from a distance, this book will add to your Titanic library.
        Born in Halifax, Blair Beed has been telling the stories of Halifax and the Maritimes for more than 25 years. A graduate of Saint Mary's University, he is active in civic groups involved in the protection of local heritage. He was a leading proponent of the restoration of the Titanic grave sites and has taken thousands of visitors to pay their respects at the sites. Beed is the author of 1917 Halifax Explosion and American Response.

George Elliott Clarke, Blue (Polestar/Raincoast Books, 2001) $19.95, ISBN 1-55192-414-5

       This incandescent book subscribes to that adage the "Good poems should rage like a fire, burning all things." Blue is black, profane, surly, damning - and unrelenting in its brilliance. George Elliott Clarke writes: "I craved to draft lyrics that would pour out like pentecostal fire - pell mell, scorching, bright, loud: a poetics of arson."
       Blue is divided into five parts (Black Eclogues; Red Satires; Gold Sapphics; Blue Elegies; and Ashen Blues) that skillfully turn rage into a violet bruise of love and mourning. From the "Nasty Nofaskoshan Negro" of the Black section to the shocking satires of the Red section, from the fierce tenderness of Gold Sapphics to the haunting lament of Blue Elegies, Clarke has written urgent and necessary poems - poems that burn and illuminate with their fury, truth and beauty.
       George Elliott Clarke was born in Three Mile Plains, Nova Scotia. In the fall 2001, Clarke won the Governor General's Award for Poetry for his collection Execution Poems, published by the Gaspereau Press.

Sheree Fitch, No Two Snowflakes, illustrated by Janet Wilson (Orca, 2001) $19.95, ISBN 1-55143-206-4

       Sheree Fitch's "lipslippery" poetry combines with Janet Wilson's warm pastel drawings to show us snow in all its guises and, in so doing, to help us celebrate ourselves and each other, our sense, our sameness, our difference.
       No Two Snowflakes was produced in association with UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. Guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF works in more than 150 developing countries to meet the basic needs of children, protect them from harm and help them reach their full potential. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book is being donated to UNICEF to advance its work for the world's underprivileged children.
       An award-winning author of many children's books, Sheree Fitch is also a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Canada. Janet Wilson's illustrations graced many children's books. Janet lives in Eden Mills, Ontario, with her husband and family.

Pam Hickman, Animals Eating: How Animals Chomp, Chew, Slurp and Swallow, illustrated by Pat Stephens (Kids Can Press, 2001) $14.95, ISBN 1-55074-577-8

       Imagine if your tongue were as long as your body, or if closing your eyes helped you to swallow! Whether their diets include plants, insects or other creatures, animals eat in some weird and fascinating ways. Create a model of a frog's tongue and practice zapping targets. Or try drinking the way a housefly does - by sipping sugar water through a sponge! There are lots of amazing things to discover about how animals eat.
       Pamela Hickman is a natural-science writer and the author of several nature activity books for children. Her other books in this series include Animal Senses and Animals in Motion. She lives in Canning, Nova Scotia.
       Pat Stephens is a book illustrator living in Flesherton, Ontario. He previous books include Animal Senses, Animal Defenses and Animals in Motion.

Kate Langan, The Art of Worship: The Vision and Craft of Contemporary Nova Scotian Artists (Nimbus, 2001) $24.95, ISBN 1-55109-386-3

       The Art of Worship features the work of 37 Nova Scotia artisans whose craft is both an expression of their own spiritual search as well as an offering to the larger community of seekers of private devotion. Often working from studios attached to their homes, these artists produce original artwork worthy of any sacred place of worship. This book is published in conjunction with an art exhibit curated by its author at the Mary E. Black Gallery in 2002.
       Kate Langan is a freelance writer who has written for magazines, radio, television, and government. Kate is also an instructor in wooden boat building at the Nova Scotia Sea School and a fibre artist who favours working with wood in her exploration of antique knitting traditions.

Edited by Lorri Neilsen, Ardra L. Cole & J. Gary Knowles, The Art of Writing Inquiry (Backalong Books, 2001) $34.95, ISBN 1-894132-06-8

       Poetry, prose poems, playscripts, fiction: these are forms we don't think of when we think of social science research. But this collection (edited and with contributions by Lorri Nielsen, Ardra Cole, and Gary Knowles is one of the first of its kind in Canada to bring the literary arts into the world of research. With pieces on writing by Nova Scotians Lorri Nielsen, Jane Baskwill, Karen Schaller, and Allan Nielsen, this book breaks new ground and offers exciting possibilities for artists in the academy.

Gary L. Saunders, Discover Nova Scotia: The Ultimate Nature Guide (Nimbus, 2001) $29.95, ISBN 1-55109-242-5

       If you love Nova Scotia's outdoors, even if you prefer driving to hiking or kayaking, you'll love this book. If you've wondered about our landscapes - how they came to be, what plants and wildlife live there, how humans fit into them - this book will become your bible. Saunders' opus promises to do for nature lovers what restaurant guides do for connoisseurs of fine cuisine. It is the first comprehensive, non-technical ecotour guide to Nova Scotia's roadnet - your ticket to eco-adventure.
       Gary Lloyd Saunders is a forester-artist now retired from the Department of Natural Resources. When he's not painting, writing or hiking, you'll find him tending his garden and small woodlot near Truro.

Tom Sheppard, Historic Queens County, Nova Scotia (Nimbus, 2001) $21.95, ISBN 1-55109-384-7

       With forests, lakes and rivers in the northern district, and coastal regions to the south, the resource-rich county of Queens in southwestern Nova Scotia presents a range of seascapes and vistas. But Queens County is also rich historically, with a past that speaks of Mi'kmaq roots, Loyalist settlement, privateer's raids, and the rush for gold. At the heart of its story, is Liverpool, known across the Maritimes as one of the most prosperous shipping and shipbuilding centres of 19th-century Nova Scotia, and home to such significant figures as early settler and diarist Simeon Perkins, and author and historian Thomas H. Raddall. With an outstanding array of photographs at his disposal, Tom Sheppard expertly guides his readers through the many communities of Queens County.
       Tom Sheppard has written about Queens County and its people for over twenty years in a weekly column for The Advance, Liverpool. A long-time resident of Caledonia, he served for many years as principal of the schools in the northern district. He has a graduate degree in Canadian history and political science and is currently an adjunct professor with Acadia University.

Maxine Trottier, Under a Shooting Star (Stoddart Kids, 2001) $9.95, ISBN 0-7737-6228-0

       It's 1812 and Edward MacNeil's task is simple: escort Kate and Anne Kimmerling home to America, then travel to his uncle's cabin to wait out the war. Then a vicious storm on lake Erie leaves Edward and the girls shipwrecked on an island and caught in the midst of the conflict. Half British, half Oneida, Edward's loyalties are already divided, but his growing affection for an American makes his path even more unclear. As Edward finds his way, he comes to learn that courage, friendship, and love know no bounds.
       Maxine Trottier is perhaps best known for her award-winning picture books, but her Circle of Silver Chronicles, which are written for young adults, have already garnered much attention and praise. She lives in a small fishing village on the shores of Lake Erie with her husband William and with their two Yorkies, Ceilidh and little Moon.