Tag Archives: book recommendations

An East Coast Book List for the Newfie Newbie (and more!)

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It’s nearly the end of summer (and if you’re hearing some sort of sound in the background, that’s probably my distant wailing) which means I finally get to go on a much-needed vacation. I guess there is no better way to wave au revoir to the more palatable Canadian season (and I will remain unconvinced Cold, Extreme Cold, or Rain with a Side of Gray is better than summer no matter what you say), than a road trip tour through part of the country I’ve never seen, guided by my very best friend. Please send thoughts and prayers to him so that his sanity may survive the hours upon hours of backseat shenanigans I will no doubt get up to with the third friend of our intrepid traveling troupe.

It is a good thing though that I’ve got someone taking the lead on where to go and what to see because I know basically nothing about our shining East Coast other than Anne of Green Gables, potatoes, endless seafood, and what I learned in grade school. But if you’re like me and you’re making a last-minute summer getaway by car or by plane to the nature-filled landscapes of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island, then let me take a page out of my colleague Adam’s recent posts and scour our library shelves for something that may help you not look like a total Newfie (and East Coast) Newb. I know I need it.   

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Greetings from Alaska. Sort of.

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The cover of Fodor's Travel The Complete Guide to Alaska Cruises

As this blog post goes live, I’m on a cruise ship navigating the waters of the Alaskan coast and enjoying what I’m hoping is a relaxing vacation and not two weeks of seasickness. I’ve never been on a cruise before, so who knows? Given where I’m at, I decided to make this post about Alaska. I’d put up a travel guide, but our Alaskan travel guides are pretty old; the internet exists, is far more up-to-date, and you have access to it if you’re reading this post, so it feels pretty pointless. Although I will have to pay for internet on the cruise, so I suppose there is value in packing a physical travel guide if you’re actually on a trip. They don’t leave much to talk about, though, so that photo on the left acts as a link to the Alaskan travel guides we’ve got.

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The Best of Two Great Worlds: Storywalks 2024

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Credit: Scholastic Canada

It’s Storywalks season! Now that summer is right around the corner, the annual tradition continues with a long list of participating parks and nature areas to enjoy. For those who may be unfamiliar, a storywalk is like a deconstructed dessert. What’s that you say? What do I mean by that, you say? Well, buckle in and let me tell you. Imagine a picture book that’s been unbound and turned into a series of two-page spreads. Then, picture these spreads turned into boards, rods inserted in the bottom and artfully arranged along one of Vaughan’s beautiful nature trails. It’s the best of both worlds (to borrow the parlance of our dear Hannah of Montana) — relaxing, getting exercise outside, and reading a story all at the same time. What follows is a comprehensive list of the selected stories and their corresponding locations. They will all be in place by mid-June! Maybe this year there’s an enticing book at a park you’ve never been to? There’s plenty to choose from below. Or, here’s an outlandish idea, what about a storywalk tour of all seven parks?

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