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I Want to Die in My Boots A Novel [electronic resource] : by Appleton, Natalie.aut; CloudLibrary;
"A captivating, untold portrait of Belle Jane, a larger than life woman who led a gang of cattle thieves in Saskatchewan in the 1920s — defying social conventions and living a life full of rebellion." —CBC Books A debut novel by an exciting new voice in Canadian literature, I Want to Die in My Boots weaves fact and fiction to tell the true-ish story of horse thief Belle Jane. I Want to Die in My Boots is the untold story of Belle Jane, the woman who ran one of Canada’s largest cattle thieving rings in the 1920s, who brilliantly broke every taboo, took the names of five different husbands, and nearly followed the tragic end of her great hero, the outlaw queen Belle Starr. Dark and daring, meticulously researched and mostly true, I Want to Die in My Boots is a lyrical, unconventional literary novel that gives voice to the unheard in a long-forgotten world. After leaving Montana for a third husband and the ranch she’d always wanted, Belle settles in Saskatchewan, before spending her final years in Penticton, reading tarot cards for strangers. Written a century after her arrest, this fictional tribute to Belle Jane, an unsung hero in Canada’s west, is inventive yet thoughtful, a work of Prairie literary fiction that takes an edgy twist to history. I Want to Die in My Boots will appeal to readers of Annie Proulx, Sheila Watson, Robert Kroetsch, and Maggie O’Farrell, and to viewers of Yellowstone and The Power of the Dog.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Westerns; Contemporary Women;
© 2025., TouchWood Editions,

Original highways : travelling the great rivers of Canada / by MacGregor, Roy,1948-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Expanding on his landmark Globe and Mail series in which he documented his travels down 16 of Canada's great rivers, Roy MacGregor tells the story of our country through the stories of its original highways, and how they sustain our spirit, identity and economy--past, present and future. No country is more blessed with fresh water than Canada. From the mouth of the Fraser River in BC, to the Bow in Alberta, the Red in Manitoba, the Gatineau, the Saint John and the most historic of all Canada's rivers, the St. Lawrence, our beloved chronicler of Canadian life, Roy MacGregor, has paddled, sailed and traversed their lengths, learned their stories and secrets, and the tales of centuries lived on their rapids and riverbanks. He raises lost tales, like that of the Great Tax Revolt of the Gatineau River, and reconsiders histories like that of the Irish would-be settlers who died on Grosse Ile and the incredible resilience of settlers in the Red River Valley. Along the Grand, the Ottawa and others, he meets the successful conservationists behind the resuscitation of polluted wetlands, including even Toronto's Don, the most abused river in Canada (where he witnesses families of mink, returned to play on its banks). Long before our national railroad was built, our rivers held Canada together; in these sixteen portraits, filled with yesterday's adventures and tomorrow's promise, MacGregor weaves together a story of Canada and its ongoing relationship with its most precious resource."--
Subjects: MacGregor, Roy, 1948-; Rivers; Rivers;

A gangster's life : war and addiction in the new underworld / by Edwards, Peter,1956-author.; Dankoski, Shane,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Bestselling author Peter Edwards exposes Canada's evolving criminal underworld in this unflinching account of Shane Dankoski, a gang member who rescued himself from certain death by turning his back on criminal life. In this gripping tale of a modern-day outlaw, Shane Dankoski meticulously recounts his time as a high-ranking member of the United Nations gang of British Columbia in the early 2000s. Under constant threat from other gangs, including the Wolfpack and Hells Angels, Shane spent a decade evading the law and building his drug empire. Shane seemed destined for gang life. He grew up in a violent home on a small block in a neighbourhood of Surrey where a nation-spanning gang war would later take root. After losing numerous friends and becoming addicted to the very drugs he helped put on the street, Shane would eventually be picked up by police officers whom, recognizing a man with enough conscience to want out, turned him into an agent of their own. Now retired from crime and settled down as a family man, Shane's story proves that it's possible to triumph over life's obstacles. Peter Edwards deftly weaves a tale of betrayal, grief and astounding resilience, in this gut-wrenching portrait from the inside of Canada's criminal underworld. Millennial Gangster brings alive the structure and international scope of modern gang life, and of ultimately finding a way out of it"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Dankoski, Shane.; Gang members; Gangs;

Alone : Britain, Churchill, and Dunkirk : defeat into victory / by Korda, Michael,1933-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Combining epic history with rich family stories, Michael Korda chronicles the outbreak of World War II and the great events that led to Dunkirk. In an absorbing work peopled with world leaders, generals, and ordinary citizens who fought on both sides of World War II, Alone brings to resounding life perhaps the most critical year of twentieth-century history. For, indeed, May 1940 was a month like no other, as the German war machine blazed into France while the supposedly impregnable Maginot Line crumbled, and Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as prime minister in an astonishing political drama as Britain, isolated and alone, faced a triumphant Nazi Germany. Against this vast historical canvas, Michael Korda relates what happened and why, and also tells his own story, that of a six-year-old boy in a glamorous movie family who would himself be evacuated. Alone is a work that seamlessly weaves a family memoir into an unforgettable account of a political and military disaster redeemed by the evacuation of more than 300,000 men in four days--surely one of the most heroic episodes of the war. "The incredible, almost miraculous story of what happened at Dunkirk in the year 1940--and why--is unfolded in Alone with great narrative skill and superb delineation of a highly interesting cast of characters, including, importantly, the author himself and his own remarkable family." -- David McCullough.
Subjects: Korda, Michael, 1933-; Dunkirk, Battle of, Dunkerque, France, 1940.; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945;

The invisible spy : Churchill's Rockefeller Center spy ring and America's first secret agent of World War II / by Maier, Thomas,1956-author.;
As a tough but smart Italian American kid, Ernest Cuneo played Ivy League football at Columbia University and was in the old Brooklyn Dodgers NFL franchise before becoming a City Hall lawyer and "Brain Trust'' aide to President Roosevelt. He was on the payroll of national radio columnist Walter Winchell and mingled with the famous and powerful. But his status as a spy remained a secret, hiding in plain sight. During this time, Cuneo began a love affair with one of Churchill's agents at Rockefeller Center, Margaret Watson, a beautiful Canadian woman with a photographic memory ideal for spycraft. In one nighttime attack, Watson was nearly smothered to death by a Nazi assassin inside her women's dormitory near Rockfeller Center. Cuneo's transformation from a gridiron athlete into a high-stakes intelligence go-between and political influencer is one of the great untold stories of American espionage. He has remained "invisible" in the public eye, until now, with this unveiled look into his life. Thomas Maier weaves Cuneo's remarkable personal story with the vivid and insightful portraits of many top figures in his world. Full of action and fascinating characters, this untold history shows how the British launched a far-ranging covert campaign against Nazi conspirators hidden in America, a spy war unbeknown to many.
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965; Cuneo, Ernest L., 1905-1988.; Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945; Winchell, Walter, 1897-1972; Great Britain. MI6; United States. Office of Strategic Services; Espionage, American; Intelligence officers; Spies; Undercover operations; World War, 1939-1945;

Fear is just a word : a missing daughter, a violent cartel, and a mother's quest for vengeance / by Ahmed, Azam,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."This unputdownable book weaves together two stories: the story of a courageous mother, and the story of the rise of drug cartels and of violence in Mexico. The story begins on an international bridge between Mexico and the U.S. Miriam Rodriguez is stalking one of the men who murdered her daughter. He is a member of the Zeta drug cartel that now controls what was once Miriam's quiet hometown of San Fernando, near the U.S. border. Having dyed her hair red and wearing a disguise, Miriam single-handedly orchestrates the arrest of this man, one of the many men she has targeted and gotten arrested for the murder of her daughter, Karen. Moving back and forth in time, this deeply researched account reveals how the drug cartels built their power in Mexico; how the Zeta cartel took over the quiet town of San Fernando, with its crucial geographic location for drug smuggling, near a crossroads to the US border; and how the cartels--for money, power and control--kidnap and murder victims. Miriam's daughter, Karen, was just one of the many people disappeared by the cartels. Miriam, a brilliant and perseverant woman, begins a vigilante crusade to target Karen's killers, and then to help other victimized families seek justice. Eventually, the success of Miriam's investigation techniques and her activism on behalf of other families lead to her being murdered by the cartel. Then, her son, Luis, finds his mother's briefcase with the names of other targets and her investigation techniques, and quietly continues to pursue justice for his family and for the families of other victims of violence in Mexico"--
Subjects: Drug dealers; Drug traffic; Murder; Violence;

Sisters of the spruce : a novel / by Shimotakahara, Leslie,author.;
Includes bibliographical references.World War One is in high gear. Fourteen-year-old Khya Terada moves with her family to a remote, misty inlet on Haida Gwaii, then the Queen Charlotte Islands, in northern British Columbia, known for its Sitka spruces. The Canadian government has passed an act to expedite logging of these majestic trees, desperately needed for the Allies' aircrafts in Europe. At a camp on the inlet, Khya's father, Sannosuke--a talented, daring logger with twenty years of experience since immigrating from Japan--assumes a position of leadership among the Japanese and Chinese workers. But the arrival of a group of white loggers, eager to assert their authority, throws off balance the precarious life that Khya and her family have begun to establish. When a quarrel between Sannosuke and a white man known as "the Captain" escalates, leading to the betrayal of her older sister, Izzy, and humiliation for the family, Khya embarks on a perilous journey with her one friend--a half-Chinese sex worker, on the lam for her own reasons--to track down the man and force him to take responsibility. Yet nothing in the forest is as it appears. Can they save Izzy from ruination and find justice without condemning her to a life of danger, or exposing themselves to the violence of an angry, power-hungry man? Drawing on inspiration from her ancestors' stories and experiences, Shimotakahara weaves an entrancing tale of female adventure, friendship, and survival.
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Novels.; Betrayal; Families; Female friendship; Loggers; Sisters; Sitka spruce; Survival; Japanese Canadians;

Ladyparts : a memoir / by Copaken, Deborah,author.;
"Breasts. Uterus. Cervix. Heart. Vagina. The source of life, right? Well, for writer and photographer Deborah Copaken, it turned out to be just the opposite--almost. Between escaping from an abusive marriage, facing down the challenge of single-parenthood, and attempting to find love again, getting her bearings after everything she knew fell to pieces proved more slippery than she ever could have anticipated. From a Fourth of July health scare that brings new meaning to the words rocket's red glare, to wearing a giant heart monitor while out on dates to try and mend a heart both literally and figuratively broken, Lady Parts is Copaken's irreverent inventory of the female body and all the ailments that can befall it. Copaken's Lady Parts mines for irony the breakdown of a body during a time of intense spiritual and psychological upheaval, and paints with both black humor and breathtaking candor the portrait of a woman in revolt. From bloodclots and breast exams, heart palpitations and heartbreaks, to the terror, loneliness, and empowerment of a woman fighting for her life, Copaken weaves her harrowing experiences together with insights from medical and historical research to show how many of these common health issues and disabilities merely amplify what women around the world confront on a daily basis: warped beauty standards, workplace sexism, worries about romantic partners, and mistrust of their own bodies"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Copaken, Deborah; Copaken, Deborah.; Authors, American; Body image in women.; Photojournalists; Women authors; Women photographers; Women;

The transcendent brain : spirituality in the age of science / by Lightman, Alan P.,1948-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Modern science teaches us that anything can be explained in terms of atoms and forces, including the inner workings of the brain. But certain personal experiences can challenge the idea that there's nothing beyond inert matter. Communing with nature, working through a complex problem, or experiencing a piece of art, we sometimes feel a powerful sense of transcendence, of connecting with a cosmic unity that may seem unexplainable by science. But according to acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, we can embrace these spiritual experiences without letting go of our scientific worldview. Lightman draws on a rich intellectual history to explore this fascinating intersection between religion and science. Philosopher Moses Mendelssohn's rational arguments for the soul foreground our thinking about non-materiality; Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius' ideas predict how strict materialism might explain elusive phenomena; Neuroscientist Christof Koch lays the foundation for the material basis of consciousness; and social psychologist Cynthia Frantz provides a scientific explanation of our deep connection to nature and things larger than ourselves. Lightman weaves these ideas together to argue for a concept he calls "spiritual materialism"-the view that while spiritual experiences may arise from atoms and molecules like everything else, the physical laws of the universe may not be able to fully capture the first-person experience of transcendence. Spirituality, in this sense, is not only compatible with a strictly scientific view, but remains at the core of what it means to be human"--
Subjects: Religion and science.; Spirituality.;

True north rising : my fifty-year journey with the Inuit and Dene leaders who transformed Canada's North / by Fraser, Whit,author.;
"In this captivating memoir, Whit Fraser weaves scenes from more than fifty years of reporting and living in the North with fascinating portraits of the Dene and Inuit activists who successfully overturned the colonial order and politically reshaped Canada--including his wife, Mary Simon, Canada's first Indigenous governor general. "This is a huge embrace of a book, irresistible on every level. . . . I couldn't put it down." --Elizabeth Hay, Giller-winning author of Late Nights on Air In True North Rising, Whit Fraser delivers a smart, touching and astute living history of five decades that transformed the North, a span he witnessed first as a longtime CBC reporter and then through his friendships and his work with Dene and Inuit activists and leaders. Whit had a front-row seat at the MacKenzie Valley Pipeline inquiry, the constitutional conferences and the land-claims negotiations that successfully reshaped the North; he's also travelled to every village and town from Labrador to Alaska. His vivid portraits of groundbreakers such as Abe Okpik, Jose Kusugak, Stephen Kakfwi, Marie Wilson, John Amagoalik, Tagak Curley, and his own wife, Mary Simon, bring home their truly historic achievements, but they also give us a privileged glimpse of who they are, and who Whit Fraser is. He may have begun as a know-nothing reporter from the south, but he soon fell in love with the North, and his memoir is a testament to more than fifty years of commitment to its people."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Fraser, Whit.; Indigenous peoples; Indigenous peoples; Journalists;

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