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Books I have been a bookworm as far as I can remember. I even had my books confiscated as a punishment once and often got scolded for reading in the dark as a child. For me, the nineties were associated with discovering wonderful classics such as Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden and Lucy Maud Montgomery's Emily of New Moon. But three novels published in the nineties also delighted me, and I have read them many times since. I discovered them through the Scholastic catalogue distributed in my English class in high school.

The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw, 1996

Set in medieval Europe, The Moorchild tells the story of a changeling girl named Saaski, born of a human father and a fairy mother. Unable to fit in with the Fae, she is sent to live with a human family, replacing a human baby snatched away to the moor by the fairies. Saaski is odd and cannot fit in with humans either. We see her struggle to make sense of her existence and please her human parents. She eventually finds redemption by returning the stolen child to her adoptive family and choosing a new life with a friend who appreciates her, an orphan goat herder named Tam.

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, 1993

I read this novel in the early 2000's after seeing Peter Chelsom's 1998 film adaptation of Philbrick's book. Freak the Mighty tells the moving story of Max Kane, a giant teenager with learning disabilities living in his grandparents' basement, the "down under". Max is quiet and introverted, unable to cope with witnessing his mother's tragic death at the hands of his father Kenny Kane who is in prison. His life changes for the better when he meets Kevin, a short boy born with Morquio syndrome whose prodigious intelligence makes up for his physical disability. Perched "high above the world" on Max's shoulders, Kevin takes his big friend on quests, proposing a partnership in which Kevin becomes Max's brain and Max becomes Kevin's legs. Together, they are Freak the Mighty.

What Child is This? by Caroline B. Cooney, 1997

Cooney’s Christmas tale What Child is This? is a heartwarming yet thought-provoking take at how foster children experience the holidays. Here, we meet a foster child named Katie who believes she will get a family for Christmas when she takes part in a program for disadvantaged children who receive a present from generous strangers.

It is a short yet powerful novel I read every Christmas vacation. 

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Vanity Fair's "Great Danes" article (February 1998)

In the nineties, my friend Marie-Eve and I would often peruse the local convenience store's magazines and explore newsstands in malls for interesting articles about subjects and people we admired. I never bought this issue of Vanity Fair or any other for that matter (I had just read A Pilgrim's Progress and felt uncomfortable about the notion of naming a magazine after that evil place in Bunyan's book). But I had liked Claire Danes in Little Women and The Rainmaker and was curious to see what the article was about. Annie Leibovitz's photos of Claire Danes are stunning and I was fascinated by what emanated from them, especially the one with the red bonnet. It left a powerful impression on me and I managed to find the image online years later.

I would also come to appreciate Danes' performance in Temple Grandin in 2010 and discover I am on the autism spectrum myself.

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The Truth is Out There I must confess that I didn't watch much of The X-Files in the nineties because the little I saw of it scared the crap out of me. But I would have loved it had I had more courage, because the paranormal intrigues me and I've researched it a good deal since. I remember how popular the series was in those early years and how often I'd hear "The Truth is Out There" slogan. My friend Marie-Eve even had a sticker with that phrase on one of her binders.

It was in 2012, when Netflix added the show to its selection, that I became fascinated with the X-Files universe and all the questions it asked. I was braver and more informed then, and could appreciate it fully. I discovered that the first five seasons had been filmed in British Columbia and featured many Canadian actors. I ended up traveling to the province in 2014 and it is the most beautiful place I ever visited. For the record, I have read most of Jacques Vallée's work and embrace the inter-dimensional hypothesis.

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Joan of Arc and the Martyrs

In August of 1999, CBC television aired Canadian filmmaker Christian Duguay's Joan of Arc, a mini series about the French saint starring Leelee Sobieski and Chad Willett. Raised Protestant, I knew very little about the Catholic saints, but was quite taken with this adaptation. When Joan burned at the stake on screen, I was so moved I cried for hours.

Later that year, I stumbled upon a copy of the book Jesus Freaks published by the Voice of the Martyrs organization. This in an updated version of John Foxes' Book of Martyrs with an added section telling the stories of contemporary Christian martyrs killed and tortured under communist dictatorships, Islamic regimes and even by zealous Buddhist and Hindu mobs. The courageous faith and devotion of the persecuted moved me deeply and I began to research this subject and take it up as a cause.

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The Culkin Brothers: Macaulay Culkin became a sensation in the 1990's for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in the Home Alone movies. His brothers Kieran and Rory are also actors, and they feature in some of my favourite productions from that era.

Home Alone, directed by Chris Columbus, 1990

A movie I love to watch every Christmas vacation and never get tired of. With Macaulay Culkin as the lead, but also Kieran Culkin as Kevin's bed-wetting cousin Fuller. Also starring beloved Canadian comedians Catherine O'Hara and the late John Candy. Wonderful soundtrack by John Williams.

The Mighty, directed by Peter Chelsom, 1998 Based on the novel Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, this underrated gem is funny, uplifting and heart-breaking all at once. Kieran Culkin plays a gifted teenage boy living with Morquio syndrome. He befriends a strong yet learning disabled boy who becomes his legs while he becomes his brain. Another movie I love to watch around Christmas since an important part of the story is set at that time of year. Hilarious performance by Gillian Anderson as "the Queen of Saxony". Set in Cincinnati but filmed in Toronto. Amazing Celtic-tinged score by Trevor Jones.

Signs, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, 2002 I include this film even though it was released in 2002. It is close enough to the 90's and the story was conceived in a pre-9/11 context. The technologies used by the characters are still those of the 90's (VHS tapes, cathodic televisions, baby monitors) and the fashion as well (Rory Culkin's character rocks the denim overalls and plaid shirts like a pro). This movie is dear to me because of its raw depiction of a man's faith struggle and its effects on his family. But it also offers a wonderful message about God's sovereignty.

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I was not a fan of Hanson per se, but this picture embodies the 1990's in such a glorious way I had to post it here. It brings back memories of my friend Marie-Eve who collected celebrity posters of boys like these and liked this band. This was also something our strict parents allowed us to listen to.

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Cultural Diversity: I grew up in Montreal, a culturally-diverse city. But my secondary school years were particular in this regard as I attended De Roberval Academy, a school so diverse and colourful I was generally the only white student in my class. I appreciated the experience as it allowed me to meet people from almost every country in the world. But it had its challenges, and it forced me to define my own identity. I first saw the movie Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit directed by Bill Duke in 1995, during my first year at De Roberval. I felt the movie's diverse cast of high school students looked and felt familiar, and it helped me settle in my new environment. This film is also significant to me as I would become a church musician a few years later.

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Fly Away Home: It is difficult to convey the influence the 1996 film Fly Away Home by Carroll Ballard had on me in my early teenage years. First of all, it was based on a true Canadian story that featured my country's beautiful flora and fauna. It instilled in me a patriotic feeling I don't believe I had experienced before. The filming location in Ontario resembled a piece of land in Quebec's Eastern Townships where my uncle had built a cabin and my family vacationed when I was a child. Those memories were some of my fondest, and Fly Away Home brought them right back to me. It also featured Anna Paquin, a Manitoba-born actress I had come to appreciate in other roles such as the young Jane Eyre in Franco Zeffirelli's 1996 film adaptation. For some reason, the costumes designed for her character by Marie-Sylvie Deveau became a style ideal for me to emulate, and I became strongly aware of my own fashion sense. It still inspires me to this day. Still photography: Takashi Seida

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Photo Credit: Jack Hartin

The Riverdance Phenomenon:

I remember watching The Riverdance Radio City Hall show on CBC television for the first time in the spring of 1997. This version featured Jean Butler and Colin Dunne as the lead dancers. It would eventually air on that channel once in a while, and I would record it on a VHS tape and watch it many times after. This show contributed to my developing interest in Celtic music. It was special to me because Jean Butler greatly resembles my best friend Myriam.

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An appreciation for the classics: The 1990's produced some fine film and television adaptations of classic novels I eventually sought out and read with great delight. I would continue this exploration with literature studies during my post-secondary education. From top to bottom: The Secret Garden by Agnieszka Holland, 1993 Jane Eyre by Franco Zeffirelli, 1996 The Adventures of Huck Finn by Stephen Sommers, 1993 Little Women by Gillian Armstrong, 1994 Emily of New Moon (Canadian TV adaptation), 1998-2003

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Canadian Fiddler Ashley MacIsaac Photo Credit: Derek Shapton

Canadian Gaelic singer Mary Jane Lamond Photo Credit: Derek Shapton

Canadian singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt

1990's Celtic music revival: Celtic music is a type of music my mother did not mind me listening to and I became very interested in it in the 90s. There was a Celtic rock revival going on in Canada, and many Celtic artists had songs playing on mainstream radio such as "Sleppy Maggie" (Ashley MacIsaac and Mary Jane Lamond), "The Mummer's Dance" (Loreena McKennitt), "Ordinary Day" (Great Big Sea), etc.

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Jars of Clay: Dan Haseltine, Stephen Mason, Matthew Odmark and Charlie Lowell Photo Credit: Matt Barnes

DC Talk: Kevin Max Smith, Michael Tait and Toby McKeehan Photo Credit: John Falls

I was raised in a strict Christian home and was limited in the music I could listen to. These are two Christian bands I loved in the 90s and still like today. Jars of Clay and DC Talk both had hits on mainstream radio such as "Flood", "Boy on a String" and "Between You and Me".

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Fashion photos from magazines bought in 1997 and 1998. The first is a model named Anne from Seventeen magazine, September 1997. The two others are from a 1998 UK magazine I can't trace back. I'd kept these images because they inspired me somehow.

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Due South, a humorous cop show that ran between 1994 and 1999. Set in Chicago but filmed in Toronto. One of my favourite television series growing up.

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From Girls' Life magazine, July 1997.

I never surfed, but this image reminds me of summers spent on Quebec's lower north shore, exploring the beaches and capes.

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From Disney Adventures magazine, June 1997. A young girl lying on a carpet of Bazooka Joe comics included in the Bazooka bubble gum wrappings. The cheapest candy you could buy from the convenience store across the street.