Is it a good idea to run a business for six straight years without taking a vacation? Probably not, but that is just what the owners of Holly Cottage B&B did. When questioned about this decision, David and Norma Collis explained that they were waiting for a pattern of guest reservations to reveal when the "shoulder season" might be, to allow them to leave the business for an extended period of time. The pattern that emerged was that there was no pattern! Being located in a four-season tour...

Like entering the home of an old friend, Return to Holly Cottage is a second collection of stories from the beloved 1878 stone farmhouse, otherwise known as “the house that hugs you.” Located in Canada’s southern Georgian Bay near the famous Bruce Trail, Holly Cottage was a beloved country Bed & Breakfast frequented by fascinating guests and surrounded by quirky neighbours.Some guests were looking for love, others for a bit of peace and quiet. One particularly memorable Italian-spe...

When they first spotted the 1878 stone farmhouse that was to become the site of their Bed & Breakfast business, David and Norma Collis had no idea just how special the house was. A surprise family connection and many serendipitous moments made each day an adventure. From quirky neighbours to Bruce Trail hikers and even occasional visits from the Canadian military, their business brought hundreds of guests through the front door, each with a special and unique story to tell. Welcome to Holl...

Reflections on country life on Canada's eastern coast: "Gentle humor and prose as clear and lilting as the song of the hermit thrush at dusk." —Deborah Carr, author of Sanctuary: The Story of Naturalist Mary MajkaSara Jewell has lived at eighteen different addresses—but there was one that remained constant: Pugwash Point Road in rural Nova Scotia. She was nine years old the first time her family vacationed in the small fishing village about an hour from th...

Since its debut in 1979, For Better or For Worse has touched comic strip readers as few cartoons ever do. Lynn Johnston's eye for detail and her uncanny sense of what real parents and children struggle with daily are a big part of her success. The comic strip now appears in 1,550 papers in the U.S. and Canada. Read by people of all ages, the award-winning For Better or For Worse deals honestly with both the light-hearted and the serious, and to many readers, the Patterson...

You've probably heard about Hidden Mickeys, those three-circled representations of Mickey Mouse that Disney Imagineers love to hide all around Walt Disney World. There are books on where to find Hidden Mickeys, but what about the other whimsical hidden details throughout the Walt Disney World parks and resorts?Some of these "hidden" gems are getting to be common knowledge, like the five-legged goat in the mural at the Contemporary Resort and the Singing in the Rain umbrella at Disn...

“I found that the landscape had a deep effect on my mood: cliffs towering above, a narrow strip of earth to follow, the vast ocean opening up before me. I felt changed.”After completing a 3,000-kilometre hike of coastal Nova Scotia and making a number of dramatic changes in her life, Emily Taylor Smith is compelled to undertake another Maritime journey on foot, this time following the coastline of New Brunswick and the Gaspé all the way to Quebec City.She plans a solitary t...

On a hot and humid July day in 2016, I set out from my home in the heart of Toronto on a three-hundred dollar bicycle, alone, forty-one years old, with next-to-no camping or long-distance cycling experience. My destination: more than two thousand kilometers away, the Cabot Trail. I had no idea what I was doing or why I was doing it. All I knew was I was scared as hell. Single, no children, and perhaps feeling a little lost, I was unsure of so many things about my life. However, this bike r...

All You Need is Luck is the very funny story of an ordinary couple who decided to take a chance and do something extraordinary which others only dream about. Sixteen years ago Frank and Maria Nelson traded in excellent jobs, financial security, the safety net of family and friends, plus deep roots in their local community, for a nomadic lifestyle few people ever experience. All You Need is Luck recounts their first two years on the road after saying goodbye to their home ...

Wheels of Fortune is the hilariously frank account of a couple's year-long adventure cyclingaround all ten Canadian provinces, and twenty-six US states. Chris Fieldsend and Ties Benguedda rode over 14,000 miles (23,000km) through every landscape imaginable; from the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, through the tumbleweed deserts of the Southern states, to the wild coasts of the Atlantic provinces.This book is packed full of stories about the remarkable hospitality and random a...

A Disney fan's fun-filled guide, packed with trivia questions and hidden treasures!From Main Street USA to New Orleans Square, Walt Disney lovingly designed every detail to immerse guests in the magic of his theme parks. Now you can see Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure in a whole new way, discovering fantasy, thrills, and dreams around every turn. Whether you're perusing the shops, waiting in line, or riding attractions, there's plenty to uncover for ev...

HastingsSunrise is a love letter to a fleeting place and time. Bren Simmers’s second collection captures her old East Vancouver neighbourhood in the midst of upheaval. As it is colonized by tides of matching plaid and diners serving pulled-pork pancakes, condo developments replace the small businesses and cheap rentals that once gave the area its charm.Much like opening a set of nesting dolls, leafing through the collection exposes further layers of depth and intimacy. Wi...