Agent Palmer

Two years after the first publication of Douglas Coupland’s City of Glass, a brilliant if unconventional travel guide for his hometown of Vancouver, he published Souvenir of Canada. The would-be sequel is as brilliant and unconventional as City of Glass, excepting that it is about his home nation of Canada.

The format remains the same, but the scale is understandably larger. The goal, after all, was to share Canada with the world, and it also seems to re-introduce Canada to itself. At least, that’s the way I sometimes read it.

There are biographies and autobiographies that are about what a person did and how they achieved their particular brand of expertise, success, or celebrity, and then there are the ones that are about who that person really is.

The Real Frank Zappa Book is one such autobiography. You read this book and you don’t understand all of the important dates or instances of this or that which led to the Frank Zappa you know, but you do understand who he is. This isn’t as much of a history book as it is a philosophy book, it’s Frank’s philosophy, and he doesn’t pull any punches.

Are there really 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet? Yes, there are. And not only has Pamela Paul listed them for us in her book but she’s defined how some of these things were not only formative but even perhaps aspirational to previous generations!

This book is a list book, a gigantic listicle if you will. It is also a history book, a philosophy book, a book full of questions and theories, and a definitive generation divider.

Maybe it’s because we’re an island nation, with a proud history of seafaring. Maybe it’s because my early years were spent living on the coast. Whatever the reason, the sea has always fascinated.

That said, I’ve never been particularly fascinated by lighthouses, as interesting as they are. Unlike writer and building conservationist Tom Nancollas. His love and admiration for these stone monoliths shine through in this book from the cover right through to the epilogue.

I don’t read many self-help books, but the distinctive factor that makes the difference between the ones I read and all the rest is that the few I have read, all come across as conversations. They all feel like a friend giving you some advice… And Out of My Mind…and Intending to Stay There: A Battleplan for Life by Kurt Sussman is one such example…

It is an easy read because it is conversational, but don’t assume it’s also a quick read, as it will make you think… In fact, that’s the goal… Truth be told, the synopsis is pretty much one of the better and most accurate synopses I have read, especially for a self-help book.