O Canada Week: Canadians We Love

canada by Mike Myers

Mike Myers presents his heartfelt and hilarious view of the country's past, present, and future as he sets out to define the Canadian mystique. A true patriot who happens to be an expatriate, Myers is in a unique position to explore Canada from within and without. He will show what makes Canada Canada, Canadians Canadians, and what being Canadian has always meant to him. Fully illustrated throughout - and including many images from Mike Myers' personal archive - this will be the perfect way for readers coast-to-coast to begin celebrating Canada's sesquicentennial.

Book Jacket: Red Green's Duct Tape Is Not Enough

red green's duct tape is not enough by Steve Smith

So, you’re getting a little older. You’ve lost the slimness of youth and the smoothness of youth and the hair of youth and the youngness of youth, and you’re starting to wonder what happened to that handsome, happenin’ guy who used to make the ladies swoon–or at least not run away screaming. Well, never fear! Red Green and the Possum Lodge are here to invite you to lower the bar and pull up a stool. They’ll make you feel proud of yourself for your many achievements–like the fact that you’ve never killed anyone on purpose, you’ve never had an extramarital affair with a supermodel, and you never forget to comb the four or five remaining hairs on your head. Hey, it’s not how good you look–it’s how hard you try!

mr. hockey by Gordie Howe

Twenty consecutive seasons among the top five scorers in the NHL. One hundred points after the age of forty. Playing for Team Canada with his two sons. Gordie Howe rewrote the record books. But despite Howe’s unyielding ferocity on the ice, his name has long been a byword for decency, generosity, and honesty off of it. Going back to Howe’s Depression-era roots and following him through his Hall of Fame career, his enduring marriage to his wife, Colleen, and his extraordinary relationship with his children, Mr. Hockey is the definitive account of the game’s most celebrated legacy, as told by the man himself.

the kids in the hall by Paul Myers

Meticulously researched and written with the full cooperation and participation of the troupe, The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy features exclusive interviews with Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson, as well as key players from their inner circle, including producer Lorne Michaels, the “man in the towel” Paul Bellini, and head writer Norm Hiscock. Marvel as the Kids share their intimate memories and behind-the-scenes stories of how they created their greatest sketches and most beloved characters.

book of lives by Margaret Atwood

Raised by scientifically minded parents, Margaret Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forest of northern Quebec: a vast playground for her entomologist father and independent, resourceful mother. It was an unfettered and nomadic childhood, sometimes isolated but also thrilling and beautiful. From this unconventional start, Atwood unfolds the story of her life, linking key moments to the books that have shaped our literary landscape, from the cruel school year that would become Cat’s Eye to the unease of 1980s Berlin, where she began The Handmaid’s Tale. In pages alive with the natural world, reading and books, major political turning points, and her lifelong love for the charismatic writer Graeme Gibson, we meet poets, bears, Hollywood stars, and larger-than-life characters straight from the pages of an Atwood novel. As she explores her past, Atwood reveals more and more about her writing, the connections between real life and art-and the workings of one of our very greatest imaginations.

the best of the kids in the hall

Selected sketches from seasons one and two of the television program The Kids in the Hall.

future boy by Michael J. Fox

In early 1985, Michael J. Fox was one of the biggest stars on television. His world was about to get even bigger, but only if he could survive the kind of double duty unheard of in Hollywood. Fox's days were already dedicated to rehearsing and taping the hit sitcom Family Ties, but then the chance of a lifetime came his way. Soon, he committed his nights to a new time-travel adventure film being directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg, Back to the Future. Sitcom during the day, movie at night, day after day, for months. Fox's nightly commute from a soundstage at Paramount to the back lot at Universal Studios, from one dream job to another, would become his own space-time continuum. It was in this time portal that Alex P. Keaton handed the baton to Marty McFly while Michael J. Fox tried to catch a few minutes of sleep. Alex's bravado, Marty's flair, and Fox's comedic virtuosity all swirled together to create something truly special. In Future Boy, Fox tells the remarkable story of playing two landmark roles at the same time, a slice of entertainment history that has never been told. Using new interviews with the cast and crew of both projects, the result is a vividly drawn and eye-opening story of creative achievement by a beloved icon.

anne of green gables

Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables was afforded a TV-movie treatment in 1985, which has become the epitome of a beloved classic. Megan Follows stars as 13-year-old Anne Shirley, an orphan girl sent to live with a foster family on Canada's Prince Edward Island. Though she has great difficulty controlling her temper, impulsiveness and vivid imagination, Anne eventually wins over her new guardians, domineering Marilla Cuthbert (Colleen Dewhurst) and Marilla's shy brother Matthew (Richard Farnsworth).

my effin' life by Geddy Lee

For nearly five decades, Lee's bass playing and work as co-writer, vocalist and keyboardist has been an essential part of the success story of Canadian progressive rock trio Rush. Here for the first time is his account of life inside and outside the band. Long before Rush accumulated more consecutive gold and platinum records than any rock band after the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, before the seven Grammy nominations or the countless electrifying live performances across the globe, Geddy Lee was Gershon Eliezer Weinrib, after his grandfather murdered in the Holocaust. As he recounts the transformation, Lee looks back on his family, in particular his loving parents and their horrific experiences as teenagers during World War II. He talks candidly about his childhood and the pursuit of music that led him to drop out of high school. He tracks the history of Rush which, after early struggles, exploded into one of the most beloved bands of all time. He shares intimate stories of his lifelong friendships with bandmates Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart-deeply mourning Peart's recent passing-and reveals his obsessions in music and beyond. This rich brew of honesty, humor, and loss makes for a uniquely poignant memoir

willie by Willie O'Ree

In 1958, Willie O'Ree was a lot like any other player toiling in the minors, waiting for his chance to play in the best hockey league in the world. He'd grown up playing in small towns, working his way up the complicated hierarchy of junior and minor leagues. He was good. Good enough to have been signed by the Boston Bruins, good enough to have been invited to training camp twice. In a six-team league, that meant he was one of the best players in the world. Just not quite good enough to play in the NHL. Until January 18 of that year. The call came, and Willie O'Ree was told he'd be suiting up against the Montreal Canadians. The next morning, he opened the paper to see if his name showed up in the box score. Instead, he found it on the front page, in the headline. Without even realizing it, Willie O'Ree had broken hockey's color barrier, just as his hero, Jackie Robinson, had done for baseball. In 2018, O'Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in recognition not only of that legacy, but of the way he has built on it in the decades since. He has been, for twenty years now, an NHL Executive. As Director of Youth Development, O'Ree has helped the NHL Diversity program expose more than 40,000 boys and girls of diverse backgrounds to unique hockey experiences. Over the past decade, O'Ree has traveled thousands of miles across North America helping to establish 39 local grassroots hockey programs, all geared towards serving economically disadvantaged youth. While advocating strongly that "Hockey is for Everyone."

sctv

This DVD features 9 90-minute shows from the beloved show's second season.

off the record by Peter Mansbridge

Peter Mansbridge invites us to walk the beat with him in this entertaining and revealing look into his life and career, from his early broadcasting days in the remote northern Manitoba community of Churchill to the fast-paced news desk of CBC’s flagship show, The National, where he reported on stories from around the world. With humour and heart, Peter shares never-before-told stories from his distinguished career, including reporting on the fall of the Berlin Wall and the horror of 9/11, walking the beaches of Normandy with Tom Brokaw, and talking with Canadian prime ministers from John Diefenbaker to Justin Trudeau. But it’s far from all serious. Peter also writes about finding the “cure” for baldness in China and landing the role of Peter Moosebridge in Disney’s Zootopia. From the first (and only) time he was late to broadcast to his poignant interview with the late Gord Downie, these are the moments that have stuck with him. After years of interviewing others, Peter turns the lens on himself and takes us behind the scenes of his life on the frontlines of journalism as he reflects on the toll of being in the spotlight, the importance of diversity in the newsroom, the role of the media then and now, and the responsibilities we all bear as citizens in an increasingly global world.

butter baked goods by Rosie Daykin

Butter Baked Goods began as a tiny bakery in Vancouver. Opened in 2007 by Rosie Daykin, the bakery is a pink-and-pistachio slice of heaven, its counters piled high with cake stands overflowing with irresistible baked goods. Not long after opening, word got out about the bakery’s marshmallows and Butter Baked Goods became known as the home of the very best gourmet marshmallow in North America, a delicious treat that can now be found in over 300 stores (and counting) across Canada, the U.S. and Japan. The recipe for Rosie's famous marshmallows is just one of the gems tucked inside the pages of this beautiful book. Every recipe in Butter Baked Goods has simple instructions written in an accessible and easy-to-follow style. Everyone can create Butter's delectable treats-from grandmothers who have been baking all their lives to teenagers making their very first cupcakes. Rosie's baking is not about trickery, flamboyance or hard-to-find ingredients, but about great-tasting, homemade treats to celebrate life's milestones: birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, baby showers, bridal showers; or that gloomy, rainy afternoon when you need a little pick-me-up. Butter Baked Goods showcases nostalgic home baking at its very best.

lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings

Jennings takes us deep inside beloved singer Gordon Lightfoot's world, from his idyllic childhood in Orillia, the wild sixties, and his canoe trips into Canada’s North to his heady times atop the music world. Author Nicholas Jennings explores the toll that success took on his personal life-including his troubled relationships, his battle with alcohol and his near-death experiences-and the extraordinary drive and tenacity that pulled him through it all. Rich in voices from fellow musicians, close friends, Lightfoot’s family and the singer’s own reminiscences, the biography tells the stories behind some of his best-known love songs, including Beautiful and Song for a Winter’s Night, as well as the infidelity and divorce that resulted in classics like Sundown and If You Could Read My Mind. Kris Kristofferson has called Lightfoot’s songs some of the most beautiful and lasting music of our time.

Book Jacket: An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

an astronaut's guide to life on earth by Chris Hadfield

Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4000 hours in space. Through stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks and the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of achievement and happiness.

mamaskatch by Darrel J. McLeod

As a small boy in remote Alberta, Darrel J. McLeod is immersed in his Cree family's history, passed down in the stories of his mother, Bertha. There he is surrounded by her tales of joy and horror-of the strong men in their family, of her love for Darrel, and of the cruelty she and her sisters endured in residential school-as well as his many siblings and cousins, and the smells of moose stew and wild peppermint tea. And there young Darrel learns to be fiercely proud of his heritage and to listen to the birds that will guide him throughout his life. But after a series of tragic losses, Bertha turns wild and unstable, and their home life becomes chaotic. Sweet and eager to please, Darrel struggles to maintain his grades and pursue interests in music and science while changing homes, witnessing domestic violence, caring for his younger siblings, and suffering abuse at the hands of his brother-in-law. Meanwhile, he begins to question and grapple with his sexual identity-a reckoning complicated by the repercussions of his abuse and his sibling's own gender transition. Thrillingly written in a series of fractured vignettes, and unflinchingly honest, Mamaskatch-"It's a wonder!" in Cree-is a heartbreaking account of how traumas are passed down from one generation to the next, and an uplifting story of one individual who overcame enormous obstacles in pursuit of a fulfilling and adventurous life.

the answer is by Alex Trebek

Since debuting as the host of Jeopardy! in 1984, Alex Trebek has been something like a family member to millions of television viewers, bringing entertainment and education into their homes five nights a week. Last year, he made the stunning announcement that he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. What followed was an incredible outpouring of love and kindness. Social media was flooded with messages of support, and the Jeopardy! studio received boxes of cards and letters offering guidance, encouragement, and prayers. For over three decades, Trebek had resisted countless appeals to write a book about his life. Yet he was moved so much by all the goodwill, he felt compelled to finally share his story. This book combines illuminating personal anecdotes with Trebek’s thoughts on a range of topics, including marriage, parenthood, education, success, spirituality, and philanthropy. Trebek also addresses the questions he gets asked most often by Jeopardy! fans, such as what prompted him to shave his signature mustache, his insights on legendary players like Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer, and his opinion of Will Ferrell’s Saturday Night Live impersonation.

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