Five Rivers Recommends: Good Books and Warm Drinks Part III

Hello, readers. Welcome to the weekend! You did a good job working your way to some nice free time, and we’re here to provide you with some options for your entertainment. Here at Five Rivers Publishing, we are a strong advocate for Canadian voices, so we think you’d appreciate a book about a sport about which Canadians’ voices are especially loud—hockey. We want you to build up your hockey-enthusiasm endurance for Hockey Night(s) in Canada,…

Five Rivers Recommends: Good Books & Warm Drinks Part II

Another weekend is approaching and we’re here to equip you with quality R&R tools. Your favourite blanket is a staple, and for your adventure this weekend, we recommend a trip to 13th Century Gwynedd courtesy of Marie Powell’s Hawk. Hawk will let you experience the tumultuous time in medieval Wales from the perspective of two Welsh youths. This book is rich in Welsh culture, tradition, history and myth. Join Hyw and Cat as they live…

Five Rivers Recommends: Good Books and Warm Drinks

Ah, winter! When the wind takes on that crisp chill that can creep through your clothes, and snowflakes congregate and merge into an icy mulch that given time and pressure could lead you to a slippery downfall. During this season you could go out…but why would you when the call of a blanket and a good book is so strong? Here at Five Rivers we encourage some quality blanket-time this winter, and our books of…

Bread for the Troops

Recently there was a discussion among SFCanada members regarding historical authenticity and credible fantasy in writing fiction. In light of that discussion, I thought I’d revive an essay I wrote back in 1997 for Serve it Forth, an historical culinary periodical. In our pursuit of foods medieval we look to the recipes left by those great cooks of the time, recipes which were designed and prepared for the glittering aristocracy. But what of the peasantry? What…

Baby It’s Cold Outside

At least in Canada it is. It’s a blustery, third day of snow squall warnings, -11 Celsius (wind chill of -19). Wind is from the north, north-west at 20km/hr. There’s 46 cm of snow on the ground where it hasn’t drifted into a frozen version of a sand desert. Dawn banishes the night, a transition from black to grey. The world is a study of muted monochrome, like a Victorian pen and ink sketch. Still…