You can't make it up

Entertaining non-fiction titles read like novels,

Here on the Coast: Reflections from the Rainbelt Howard White

Harbour Publishing

Humorist, historian and gifted storyteller Howard White is the best kind of company for socially distanced readers: knowledgeable, concise and entertaining. White grew up on B.C.'S raindrenched south coast — a.k.a. the Sunshine Coast, a geographical misnomer White and his wife Mary corrected back in 1972 when they came up with the first Raincoast Chronicles anthology. Over a lifetime of some 75 years so far, he's amassed a motley collection of amusing yarns, thoughtful anecdotes and lighthearted reminiscences.

White figured starting a publishing house would be a surefire way to get his own books into print, so he and Mary founded Harbour Publishing in the mid-1970s. It has produced about 500 books, including some 20 Raincoast Chronicles titles and even a few White found time to write.

The Bushman's Lair: On the Trail of the Fugitive of the Shuswap Paul Mckendrick Harbour Publishing

In 2001, RCMP lured fugitive and publicity hound John Bjornstrom — a.k.a. the Bushman of the Shuswap — out of hiding by posing as a documentary film crew. Bjornstrom had walked away from a correctional centre north of Kamloops and taken up residence on Shuswap Lake, stealing supplies and building hideouts.

Author Paul Mckendrick's family had a cabin at the south end of the lake, and was one of few people who got a first-hand look at Bjornstrom's ultimate man-cave — spacious and well-equipped, complete with solar and battery-powered electronics.

The Girl From Dream City: A Literary Life Linda Leith University of Regina Press

Montreal literary light Linda Leith's memoir reads like a novel, with similar twists. Her early life was dominated by her ultra-demanding father. She was an adult before she discovered he had a diagnosed mental illness. But with a lifelong love of all things literary, Leith created her own happy-ever-after.