Cedarbrae Blog

The eh List Author Series: Gail Bowen at Cedarbrae

Come meet Canadian mystery writer Gail Bowen tomorrow afternoon! She'll be at Cedarbrae branch to discuss Kaleidoscope, the 13th book in the Joanne Kilbourn mystery series, in which some very bad things happen close to our heroine's home, and things may never be quite the same again... (Wednesday, May 23 at 1pm)
 

Plot description:

"Security for any one of us lies in greater abundance for all of us." For many years, this was the core of Joanne's political beliefs, but for a number of reasons, she has drifted away from it. But on the day Joanne retires from her university teaching post, she has a dream about her first husband (murdered many years ago), and this line comes back vividly in it.
 
Soon, she is forced to experience the truth of what, for most of her life, had just been a good closing line for a political speech. The night after Jo and Zack have dinner with Zack's colleague Margot and one of his law firm's biggest clients, the developer Leland Hunter, Jo and Zack's house is blown up. They're at the lake with daughter Taylor and their dogs, but the house is destroyed. And that is only the first of several terrible incidents. It isn't long before Joanne is witness to events far more distressing than even a destroyed home. She begins to understand what it's like to live in a world where she can count on nothing.

 

Reviews  

The Globe and Mail
The National Post

Tomorrow: Fabric fun at Guildwood

Not attempting to weave your way through traffic snarls for a Victoria Day getaway? Kick off the long weekend at the library instead! Drop by Guildwood branch on Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 2 - 3 p.m. for a MAP Family Saturday event in partnership with the Textile Museum of Canada! Kids five to 12 years old can find out how cloth is made during this workshop, then create a colourful bookmark of their own. Please call the branch at 416-396-8872 for more information. 

The Week Ahead @ Cedarbrae!

High school students! Interested in earning volunteer hours by helping out at your local library? Cedarbrae is still accepting applications for our Youth Advisory Group, but the deadline is tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. so don't delay! Come into the branch on Monday to pick up and fill out an application form. There are 10 positions available and potential candidates will be contacted for an interview. Good luck!

 

Cedarbrae is also looking for participants to join a focus group for older adults. This one-time session will take approximately 90 minutes and seek opinions and suggestions about library collections, programs and services. There will also be discussion of the different barriers that could prevent or limit library use. If you're over 50 and would like to share your thoughts on these issues, or if you know any older library users who can join us, attendance is encouraged! (Thursday, May 17 at 3:15 p.m. at Cedarbrae branch)

Magic & Monsters

Beloved children's author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak, passed away yesterday, at the age of 83.

Sendak was best known for his picture books, Where the Wild Things Are, and In the Night Kitchen. Both books stirred up some controversy - Where the Wild Things Are was considered to be a bit too grotesque and scary for young children, while In the Night Kitchen was often challenged for its drawings of a young boy dancing naked through a kitchen.

His books, many published decades ago, continue to have a lasting effect on children and parents alike. I read Where the Wild Things Are when I was very young and still remember many of the lines by heart.

I remember being really excited when the film adapation came out a few years ago, and hoping that the movie wouldn't ruin the magic of the book.

Goodbye, Mr. Sendak - and thanks for inviting us into your world of beautiful monsters and for reminding us that we can be anyone or anything we want.

     

Going green? Could be easier than you think.

It's no secret that there are toxins and harmful chemicals in nearly everything we eat, use and wear nowadays. Most of us are also at least somewhat aware of the effects of these things: many are known carcinogens, and can lead to serious long-term problems. Then there's the environmental effects of all these things; there's often irreversible damage to our planet that comes with all the packaging and chemical slop we're in.

So, what's the problem? Why aren't we all going green already?

The problem may be in trying to determine what is really safe for you (and the planet!), while still finding things that fit your lifestyle and budget.

Enter Adria Vasil. "You know, it's funny," she says in the introduction of her first book, Ecoholic, "Canadians are surrounded with so much damn nature we think that automatically nominates us for outdoor MVP of the year." I had to keep reading right there.

She's a self-confessed ecoholic (aka someone addicted to the planet) and she's passionate about saving the Earth and ourselves, one nasty paraben and phthalate at a time. She's a regular columnist for NOW magazine, and has been seen on CBC's Marketplace (among other TV appearances). She's a chemical-sleuth, and lucky for us, is more than willing to share what she knows.

Check out some of her books, or better yet, drop by the Cedarbrae Branch on Tuesday, May 8 at 1 PM for a chance to hear her in person, and ask your own ecoholic questions. Whether you're an eco-pro, or just curious about what going green could mean for you, this will be a great opportunity to become more informed. There's no registration required, but give us a call at 416-396-8850 if you have any questions.

    

 

The Week Ahead @ Cedarbrae!

Are you new to Canada and between the ages of 13 to 24? What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?

Come check out Volunteering - 40 Hours and Beyond, a workshop to introduce newcomer youth to the benefits of volunteering, different types of volunteering work, and how to find such opportunities. (Monday, April 30 from 5 - 6:30 p.m. at Cedarbrae branch)

 

             

What are the symptoms and risk factors of Alzheimer's disease, and how can we reduce our risk of developing it? How do changes in the brain affect our behaviour and our ability to live life to the fullest?

Learn the answers to these and other related questions at Understanding Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease, an information session offered by the Alzheimer Society of Toronto. (Thursday, May 3 from 3 to 4 p.m. at Cedarbrae branch)

 

And look for more exciting events at your local library coming up like May flowers; after all, May is Asian Heritage Month! Cedarbrae is celebrating the culture of West Asia starting at noon on Saturday, May 5. No registration is required, so drop by for performances of music and dance, plus tales from faraway lands spun by Dan Yashinsky, co-founder of Storytelling Toronto. Stay tuned for more!

A Case of the Blues: Come Meet Holger Petersen!

The eh List author series is starting up again this Spring at Cedarbrae with celebrated radio personality, musician, blues expert and author, Holger Petersen.

He's not only a regular fixture on CBC Radio One (Saturday Night Blues) and Edmonton's CKUA Radio (Natch'l Blues), but also the founder of Stony Plain Records, a label that's specialized in Canadian roots music since 1976.

Talking Music, his first book, is a collection of interviews with some of the great men and women that have pioneered the sounds of roots music that ultimately influence so much of the music around us today.

Come by for a chance to meet with this multi-talented author at the Cedarbrae Branch on Thursday, April 19th at 1 PM.

Holger will also be visiting the S. Walter Stewart Branch the day before, on Wednesday, April 18th at 7 PM.

 

Snapped!

For those of you who have been on the watch, this year's One Book selection has been revealed to be Maggie Helwig's Girls Fall Down. Like its predecessors, Girls Fall Down is set in Toronto, but this is a gritty, intimate look at the city, shown through the eyes of a few complicated characters. Part love story, part political commentary, and thoroughly a study of character and emotion, this is a title you definitely want to get your hands on - especially as we begin kicking off One Book events this month!

Without giving too much away, the main character in the novel is a photographer who begins to lose his sight, and makes it a mission to take as many photos of Toronto as possible - essentially, capturing the feel and fervour of his city.

We wanted to try and mimic this concept, and ended up with a program for youth who had both an interest in photography and a desire to showcase their experiences of the city. Join young photographer, Andrew Williamson, as he shows you how to get started framing what you want to show and capture of Toronto. What is it about your neighbourhood that makes you proud? What parts make you want to show it off? What parts inspire you? You don’t need a fancy camera – even a cell phone camera will work just fine! The idea is to join simplicity with authenticity: take a photo and make it your own. Once you have the basics, go out and shoot! Take photos all through the month of April, and send these in to us so we can display them here on the Cedarbrae Blog and share the variety of experiences of this city.

We’re so excited to start this project and we hope you are too! Be sure to call us at the branch to register for the program on April 13, 2012 at 6:00 PM. If you can’t make it that night, be sure to come by and talk to us about how you can be involved in this year’s One Book discussion and other events throughout Keep Toronto Reading month this April.

Get ready to capture your city…!

Creative Destruction: Blackout Poetry

Today we’re hosting a WordPlay workshop with author Karen Krossing – and just watching the group of dedicated teens hard at work got me thinking of other creative ways of writing and producing artistic work.

Blackout poetry is a fresh form of ‘creative destruction’: that is, you’re not starting a poem with a blank page so much as you’re taking on a page full of words and reducing it to get something new and unique. Author Austin Kleon does this with newspaper articles in his book Newspaper Blackout, and many others have also tried their hand at this quirky form of poetry. Check out some other samples at BlackOut Poetry and Bit Rebels.

So, why not try this out yourself? All you need are some old newspaper articles, or maybe even a photocopy of a page of your favourite book!The results can be genuinely touching, hilarious and meaningful, and it's always fun to try out a new way to create something out of nothing...errr, something!

Celebrating Women

Tomorrow, March 8^th, marks International Women’s Day! IWD has been observed since the early 1900s so it’s not particularly new, but every year has a different flavour as we go about celebrating the achievements of women, while also highlighting the changes that need to be made to better the lives of girls and women worldwide.

Since 2000, IWD has been an official holiday in many countries, including Afghanistan, Eritrea, Cambodia, and Nepal. Additionally, every year, in countries all around the world, events are held to inspire and reward women’s roles and accomplishments.

Take a look at some titles to pick up this month!

   

If you're interested in finding out more about International Women's Day, you can check out the IWD website. You can also find out more about supporting women's charities and services like Because I am A Girl and the Assaulted Women's Helpline. There are also many local services in the Cedarbrae area geared towards supporting and empowering women.

As always, if you're looking for other books, resources and information, be sure to drop by the reference desk and speak to a librarian!