Charles Wilkins

High on the Big Stone Heart is a collection of vibrant and entertaining essays on the people and places of Canada's Boreal North as seen through the eyes of one of the country's most celebrated writers of non-fiction. Accompany Charles Wilkins as he ranges across the wilds of northern Quebec; ventures deep into the subarctic Yukon in search of caribou; and tracks the north coast of Lake Superior, the world's most elegant and mysterious body of fresh water. Meet Murray Monk, trapper extraordinaire, and Barney Giesler, the king of the wooden boat builders. Trace the route of the Toronto Maple Leafs' Bill Barilko, star of the 1951 Stanley Cup Final, on his last and fatal fishing trip to James Bay. Join Maurice "Rocket" Richard on the backwoods adventures that sustained him throughout his troubled career. Follow Wilkins himself as he embarks on a wilderness survival test with nothing but the clothes on his back. This is a book for anyone drawn to the magic of the North, and by the characters who inhabit that epic terrain.

Breakfast at the Hoito brings together a collection of stories and essays on the dreamlike world of Lake Superior’s north shore … on wilds and wildlife, people and places. Spend a day in the kitchen of the famed Hoito Restaurant in Thunder Bay. Discover the secret life of ravens; the passions of the blueberry picker; the thrills and fears of the novice ice climber. Tour Silver Islet, an eccentric summer community that has evolved from the relics of what was once the world’s richest silver mine; and the town of Schreiber, half of whose 2,000 residents trace their roots to the Italian city of Siderno. Visit a 16th-century pine forest, and meet Freda McDonald, one of Canada’s most respected aboriginal elders. Accompany the author on a refreshingly candid tour of contemporary Thunder Bay.