Notable quotables

“Very few outdoor enthusiasts actually venture out into the vast, unspoiled natural areas of Cape Breton Island. One of my aims is to make people realize that this island is full of hidden gems, some of which can be accessed quite easily. For the more adventurous, this book will serve as a guide to access more remote, and sometimes extremely difficult areas, where waterfalls can be admired.” —From Waterfalls of Cape Breton, by Benoit Lalonde (Goose Lane Editions)

“And calling friends in case of emergency which was the course, of course, taken, that day, and any day really, who the fuck are we kidding ladies, though no real emergency emerged to snuff out the re-emergence of my rage” —From Satched, by Megan Gail Coles (House of Anansi Press)

“[Bragg] is a deeply committed Maritimer who never misses an opportunity to promote the region. There is another side to him that has always fascinated me—he is a champion of rural Canada. He has a very deep understanding of the challenges confronting rural Canada, and it is always top of mind with him.” —From The Rural Entrepreneur: John Bragg, by Donald Savoie (Nimbus Publishing)

“You might acknowledge the past is ‘a bucket of ashes’ but still root among them, not to rekindle any flame but to celebrate there are ashes to root through. For someone born in Newfoundland, the rooting might be perceived as nostalgic. People’s voices are ashes now, but I hear them still.” —From Twine Loft, by Rex Brown (Flanker Press)

“I saw the Long Range Mountains almost every day of my life. As a boy I often wondered what was beyond them. I knew from listening to the old trappers and hunters that there were many unexplored lakes and valleys. Little did I know then I would spend the better part of sixty years hunting and guiding there.” —From In the Shadow of the Long Range Mountains by Adrian Payne (Flanker Press) “...My mind has caves secret and deep and darkly shaded. If you came in you might be lost there forever. I also might be lost exploring you, might forget the boundaries of my own selfhood.

To understand and to be understood and yet to be beloved in spite of understanding or because of it is, I suppose, what we all want....” —From “November Sunday” in The Essential Elizabeth Brewster, edited by Ingrid Ruthig (The Porcupine’s Quill)

“Later, the cricket-ratchet creature. Later, excoriating chords. Was there a word for rock ringing? We live between eroding raindrops and accelerating clocks. The piano lifts its lid to show its wire-and-hammer heart.”

—From “Oiseau Triste” in Lurch, by Don McKay (McClelland & Stewart)

“Anyone engaging with the enigma that is Oak Island would be well advised to heed the cautionary words of veteran treasure hunter Fred Nolan: ‘I thought I had all the answers but the island has a way of humbling a man.’” —From Oak Island Illustrated, by John Bell (Formac Publishing)