Christmas time is a great time to give books as gifts. Here’s a sample of Vancouver favorites this year:
The White Spot Cookbook by former Vancouver Sun scribe Kerry Gold is a winner. Kerry is a fine writer and there is much history of the legendary food chain and some wonderful recipes. The great thing is the price: a mere $19.28 (which coincidentally ties to the year White Spot began). What a wonderful Christmas stocking stuffer. White Spot is also donating proceeds from the sale of these books to Variety — The Children’s Charity, plus you will receive two $5 discount-take out coupons. Just like White Spot, the book has great taste.
The Beachcombers at 40 by Jackson Davies: The affable Jackson Davies, actor and star of the longest running television series in Canadian TV history writes about the CBC show The Beachcombers.The insights into the hardships faced by the cast and crew and also the humorous events that took place make for great reading.
Rafe Mair is a talk show icon and his latest book Radio Daze is about his days on radio. Rafe puts the radio industry under the microscope as only he can do. If you grew up on radio you will appreciate the stories Rafe has to tell and his insights into the politics of broadcasting. The most interesting part of the book is the cast of characters he has encountered and worked with. A must read and a great addition the our local history.
Haunting Vancouver: A Nearly True History, by Mike McCardell, one of local TV’s most recognized stars, is a must read. The stories of this town’s colorful characters throughout its history will open your eyes about this city by the sea. Guaranteed to be another best seller as his other books shot right to the top.
Liquor, Lust and The Law by Aaron Chapman recalls the history of one of Vancouver’s most controversial night clubs. Yes there was Isy’s, The Cave and other venues but this one survived over the decades. What makes this book special is the fabulous array of photos of the famous — from Gary Cooper to the Mills Brothers to Frankie Laine and on and on. If you love this city you will love this book.
Vancouver Was Awesome by Lani Russwurm recalls the situations that arose over the years that made this city unique. To start with you must remember that above all since its inception it has and always will be a seaport with all that goes with that. A group of great stories and some fantastic photos.
Backstage Vancouver: Greg Potter and Red Robinson. This hardcover book is one of the accomplishments that Greg Potter and I are most proud of. It took two years to put together and the final result was worth the effort. There are almost 200 photos of famous people who came from here or visited here. You will be surprised to discover that Boris Karloff worked here as a carpenter and actor Errol Flynn died here. It is a true history of entertainment in our city. There are great stories and unbelievable photos.