Reader's Diary #1587- Vernon Oickle (writer), Julie Anne Babin (illustrator): Strange Nova Scotia

Vernon Oickle's Strange Nova Scotia is unlikely to make any national bestseller list, but that's just fine and I doubt he had any aspirations of that. It's the kind of book you see on a gas station counter. It'll sell a few copies to tourists and a few locals will have copies in their bathrooms, but that's likely to be it.

But as I'm not a local nor a tourist, how did I end up with it? A friend of mine recently moved to Nova Scotia and perhaps knowing that I'm a trivia buff, sent me a copy.

And to be sure, it's more a book of trivia than facts that anyone would really consider all that strange. I mean, the first baptism in Canada had to happen somewhere; that it happened in Nova Scotia isn't particularly odd.

I'm not sure how many of these tidbits will actually stick with me, but it was an enjoyable, slightly educational quick read. It also serves as a reminder that every little town in Nova Scotia and across Canada has its share of interesting history.