Sometimes you are reading a book that you can sink your whole self into. You like the characters, the plot, the historical context, and you don't want it to end. At the same time, you are anxiously reading to find out the end. I have mourned characters upon finishing, and...
Valerie has every reader's dream job: she's Toronto Public Library's lead selector of adult print books. She and her team evaluate about 400 books every week. (To hear more about how they do this, listen to this podcast.) So if we want to know what books to look forward to...
The TPL Reading Challenge is back for 2021! And we're kicking off our category booklists with "a book that is someone else's favourite". The question is... favourite what? Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood Priestdaddy is my favourite memoir and one of my most frequently recommended books. It tells the story of...
The literary world has lost yet another brilliant author: Eric Jerome Dickey. Mr. Dickey passed on January 3, 2021 in Los Angeles at the age of 59 due to cancer. He is survived by his four daughters. Author Eric Jerome Dickey signs books after his reading. Photo by domesticat, used...
It’s a new year, and new books are coming out! In celebration of this, we are sharing a list of books by Indigenous authors that came out in late 2020. We're also sharing new books that will be released in early 2021. Place a hold now to get them first!...
It's time once again for my annual list of the cookbooks that appeared the most on "best of" lists this year. Everyone from bloggers to important culinary magazines makes lists. This year I looked at 50 lists which had 216 different books named. In 2020, 31 books about baking were...
Five years ago on December 15, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) released their full Final Report. The Report details the experiences of Indian Residential School survivors throughout Canada. The last Indian Residential School closed in 1996, after being open for over 160 years. Sharing these experiences with...
In the Christmas carol, "The 12 Days of Christmas", the singer describes all the gifts they have received from their "true love". But I'm not convinced the relationship will last. Those are pretty awful presents. Having all those birds would definitely break the condo rules and where are seven swans...
Becoming by Michelle Obama Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens The Testaments by Margaret Atwood Atomic Habits by James Clear Normal People by Sally Rooney American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins Untamed by Glennon...
Are you watching the latest episodes of The Crown? So much happens in this season! A royal wedding! Babies! Scandalous affairs! War! Tragedy! Even a new Prime Minister. These books will tell you more about the events covered in this season and about the real lives of the featured players....