|
|
|
About The Whirligig...
In 1995 Betty and Bill bantered
about the idea of opening a small business when Bill planned early
retirement in 1999. Betty asked,
“Bill, what would you like to do?”
He wanted to “operate a used book store,”
and the idea for The Whirligig was born!
The location they have come to love – as have
their many loyal customers - for their book shop opened the 1st
of June in 1996. For the next 10
months, Betty operated the business, with Bill joining after work
each day.
This routine continued until the spring of 1997,
when Bill suffered a severe heart attack and was hospitalized for several
weeks, then retired two years earlier than he had planned.
With the support of hardworking staff and friends,
Betty was able to hold their idea together. Bill’s health improved with an
implanted defibrillator/pacemaker and after slow recovery, he was able to
carry on to enjoy his business fully.
On reflection, indeed, his medical teams attribute much of
his healthy state to the social interaction that comes with the ownership of
this marvelous little business in this lovely little town.
The used book’s inventory has now
been overtaken by new books, while Betty and Bill have seen many other
interesting products come and go.
The shop is also a main social centre in Shelburne,
operating as ticket box office for The Osprey Arts Theatre and many other
artistic events around this community - bringing buzz and excitement to
their daily activities.
The Whirligig, as it is commonly known, is in the
center of the Historic District of Shelburne. A good gathering place, much
conversation, discussion and debate take place. Many
acquaintances have been made and renewed, particularly with summer residents
and from visitors, either by automobile or by boat.
The hundreds of entries in the “Guest Book”
over the years are proof that this little shop is a place that matters in
people’s lives. Come and visit!
|
Betty, Bill and Melody |
|
We've got 1000s of books! |
|
|
|
WHAT'S NEW...
|
|
 |
Loyalists and
Layabouts
Stephen Kimber "This extraordinary and yet
little-told episode from our nation's past is brought to
exciting life by award-winning journalist Stephen Kimber. Combining
painstaking research and a novelistic flair for narrative, he charts
Shelburne's "rapid rise and faster fall" through the
intertwined experiences of an eclectic collection of it's earlier
settlers, from aristocrats to freed slaves, colonial officials to
local entrepreneurs." (from book jacket)
$34.95 HARDCOVER
|
The Book of Negroes
Lawrence Hill
"This remarkable novel transports
the reader from an African village to a plantation in the southern
United States, from a soured refuge in Nova Scotia to the coast of
Sierra Leone, in a back-to-Africa odyssey of 1,200 former
slaves. The Book of Negroes introduces one of the
strongest female characters in recent fiction, a woman who cuts a
swath through a world hostile to her colour and her sex."
(from book jacket)
Lawrence Hill is the author of several
novels and works of non-fiction, including Black Berry,
Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada; Any Known Blood; and
Some Great Thing. Lawrence Hill lives in Burlington,
Ontario.
$34.95 HARDCOVER
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Nova Scotia
Len Wagg
A
gorgeous new coffee-table book from one of Nova Scotia’s best
photographers. The magic of Peggy’s Cove at night, the rugged shorelines
and clifftops, the magical expanse of the Cape Breton Highlands
mid-winter—all represent the beauty that is Nova Scotia. Journey through
this incredible province with award-winning photojournalist Len Wagg. (from
Publisher's website)
$29.95
HARDCOVER
|
|
|
|
Nova Scotia Book of Musts
Allan Lynch
From the Cabot Trail in October to Bear River
and towns built on stilts to drinking beer and singing 'Barrett's Privateers'
at the Lower Deck on the Halifax waterfront to looking in on Annapolis Royal,
one of the most interesting townscapes in North America, this is the MUST
list every Nova Scotian MUST have. From waterfalls you can literally enjoy to
yourself to the hidden pleasures of a county fair, it is all here. (from back
cover)
$10.95 PAPERBACK
|
|
|
|
Gold Rush Ghost Towns of Nova Scotia
Mike Parker
Gold
Rush Ghost Towns of Nova Scotia tells the fascinating stories of abandoned
communities. An air of mysticism shrouding ghost towns holds a fascination
for historians, social scientists, treasure and relic hunters, geocachers and
nostalgia buffs. Mike Parker tells the story of characters and con men,
industry and labour, prosperity and recession. (from back cover)
$21.95
PAPERBACK
|
|
|
|
Keji:
A Guide to Kejimkujik
National Park
William
Moreira, Norm Green & Tom Sheppard
This
guide to Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site contains the
information needed by visitors planning to camp, hike, swim, paddle a canoe,
picnic, fish, ski, snowshoe, do research, watch birds, take photographs, or
commune with nature. The guide covers services available in the park, from
daily programs offered by interpreters to rentals of canoes, kayaks and
bicycles. It provides information on trails and portages, with directions and
distances, and describes the front and backcountry sites that can be reserved
by campers. It explains how to go about reserving a site and how to get the
most out of a camping experience. The guide also describes the natural world
of Kejimkujik, a wilderness park encompassing some of the finest unspoiled
beauty in south western Nova Scotia. (from Publisher's website)
$15.95
PAPERBACK
|
|
|
^^TOP^^
|
|
|
|
|
