Tomorrow: Whodunit (and how!) at Bendale

Delve into the science and art of writing mysteries with Calgary author Susan Calder when she visits Bendale branch on Friday, May 25 from 2 - 3 p.m. She'll take readers inside the process of penning a novel and discuss her own book, Deadly Fall, featuring Paula Savard, a divorced insurance adjuster turned sleuth when an old friend is murdered and she becomes entangled in the investigation. Call the branch at 416-396-8910 for more information!

This is My Toronto.

Earlier in April, we had a photography workshop as part of Keep Toronto Reading month and our celebrations of Toronto's One Book, Girls Fall Down. We asked for participants (and blog readers!) to send us their photos of their neighbourhoods and areas in this city they found beautiful, inspiring and more. We got some great feedback, and wanted to share some of these photos.

Seiyon sent us this first photo, above -- can you guess what famous landmark it is?

It's a shot of the CN Tower, just peeking out from behind a large building! He took a few photos of the tower from different angles, just to get a sense of the all the views it can provide.

Up top, EJ shot a photo of Queen St. West. Notice anything slightly strange about this? There are no cars and barely any people!EJ notes that when he took this, it was uncannily empty and quiet on an otherwise very busy street in Toronto. He quickly took this wide shot to capture what he felt was a unique moment.

 

 

To the left, Aleesha, captured an intersection where even the cracks in the pavement look strangely pretty. You get extra points if you can guess which intersection this is - all my east-end Torontonians probably have a clue!

 

 

 

 

 

Up above, Hamdi snapped this awesome shot: She says "This is a pretty view I was able to see after days of horrible weather. Toronto's unpredictability does have it upside..."

Ushani took a slightly different approach to urban photography, as you can see below. Instead of shooting a photo of a regular building, she snapped a shot of a building that had strategic wallpaper a mural painted on it to express its layers just peeling away, or "the life of the building diminishing." Can you identify this Toronto landmark?

You can find out more about this mural and its artist here!

 

These were just a few of the fun photos we were sent -- so be sure to come back later as we add more! Meanwhile, check out some books to help you with your own photo-taking skills, or browse some other great street photography!

Urban Travel Photography: a guide to taking better pictures

Street & Studio: an urban history of photography

Photography: the new complete guide to taking photographs

 

 

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.