"In this highly readable YA novel, sixteen-year-old Hunter propels himself out of this world and into the next after pushing his ultralight mountain bike beyond its limits. He arrives in what he understands to be heaven and is met by Archie, his celestial guide who tries to interpret for Hunter the rules of this rather confusing realm.
It's not long before Hunter meets Trinity, a girl he used to know in Grade 6, and from then on, his mission is to love and protect her from both herself and the nasty character she was involved with before she died of a drug overdose. As part of this mission, Hunter is able to take advantage of a new policy in heaven that allows some recently deceased to return and pick up their lives again. In this way, Hunter tries to prevent the death of Trinity - but it doesn't work. Complications multiply until both Hunter and Trinity find a redemptive path which gives them both back their real lives and new opportunities.
Lesley Choyce has woven a sometimes comic, sometimes moving narrative, focusing on the kinds of mixed-up teens he seems to know so well. In the end love conquers almost everything, but the twists and turns are engaging and illuminating, as Hunter and Trinity find their way to happiness."
"SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 EVERGREEN AWARD
A tale of one man’s shipwrecked life and an unlikely crew of rescuers.
Fifty-five-year-old Charles Howard has lost his long-time journalism job and has been swindled out of his life savings. Standing by the edge of Halifax Harbour on a foggy morning, contemplating his dismal future, his ritual of self-pity is interrupted with the appearance of the mysterious and beguiling Ramona Danforth. And so begins a most interesting relationship.
On a whim, Charles asks Ramona to drive him to his childhood home, Stewart Harbour, a fishing village populated by rugged individualists far down Nova Scotia’s remote Eastern Shore. Charles left the Harbour immediately after graduating from high school and never looked back. And now that he's returned, the past starts catching up with him in ways he could never have imagined."
""This is a most unique audiobook of studio readings of 27 poems accompanied by original music.
Pandemics prompt creative artists do unusual things to keep their spirits soaring. And this was the case for two of the original SurfPoets from the 1990s. As a result, author Lesley Choyce and musician/record producer Doug Barron created a full-length CD audiobook recording of a most unique alternative brand of spoken word poetry and music.
While no one could accuse the pair of trying to crack Top 40 music, the album, The Trouble With Everything is a highly eclectic mix of Choyce's published poetry and Barron's studio wizardry that will help to shake off the bad vibes of the past year and inspire listeners with some heartfelt words.
Adhering to social distancing protocol, Choyce recorded the vocals at his home studio at Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia and Barron composed original music and mixed the tracks at Brussels Street Studios in Halifax. A number of videos produced by Barron have appeared on Youtube and track samples are offered up on Bandcamp.com but the duo felt it important to produce a traditional CD album as well, soon to be available from Pottersfield Press and Nimbus Publishing.
Choyce and Barron first began talking about creative collaboration nearly 30 years ago while surfing together on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. Their 1990s band, Lesley Choyce and the SurfPoets recorded two CDs and their videos saw airplay on MuchMusic and elsewhere internationally. But the two bandmates drifted apart until a chance encounter at Dalhousie University just before COVID-19 restrictions closed the campus and discouraged most social interactions, including creative collaborations. Nonetheless, they decided to forge ahead with their project from separate locations. This is the result of their masterful melding of word and music.""
"Dorf is all about skateboarding and so far that's worked out fine.
But now that he's in a new city, the terrain has changed. He's no longer free to skateboard where he wishes, school is more difficult, and his passion for skateboarding garners him the nickname and reputation of a freak. With daring stunts he gains the grudging respect of local troublemakers, but he needs to tap into another kind of courage to effect real change.
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible. Also available in French as Accro d'la planche."
