Did someone say donuts?

Yes! Every good Canadian loves to eat donuts (seriously - there is even a book about it). Just ignore the fact that you have made a resolution to eat better in 2012 and come out to a Donuts & Download seminar. At Donuts & Downloads, you will learn from one of the Stratford Public Library's tech librarians how to search for free ebooks, check them out and download them to your computer or your eReader/tablet. 

We have a variety of dates and times to give you a hand.

• Wednesday January 4, 6-8pm
• Tuesday January 10, 2-4pm
• Wednesday January 11, 6-8pm
• Saturday January 14, 1-3pm

We also have 2 drop in clinics next week for hands on assistance. Bring your reader and your laptop and we will get you all set up.

• Thursday January 5, 10am-12:30pm
• Saturday January 7, 1-3pm

See you then!

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SPL Shelf Life [adult]

Paul
Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jason Bateman, Kristin Wiig and Seth Rogan
@SPL: DVD Comedy / Paul

In other hands, this charming comedy spoof of all things Alien might have resembled a hackneyed episode of the X-Files. But since that was already done by, well, the last X-Files movie, the British duo that brought us the zombie spoof Shaun of the Dead decided to take another tack. Or Trek, as the case may be. Instead, this is a great buddy road-trip adventure, in the same vein as the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope Road movies, with swearing instead of the singing. The DVD contains both the R-rated theatrical release and the unrated version – there is little difference between the two but the unrated has some unedited scenes and a bit more potty-mouth (especially when Kristin Wiig enters the picture).
Pegg and Frost play Graeme and Clive, two sci-fi geeks who have gone on holiday to the US to attend Comic-con and travel the Extraterrestrial Highway of the South West (it is real, you can Google it). They plan to take in all the sites – Area 51, the Black Mail Box, etc – but their plans are literally sideswiped when they have their own close encounter with Paul, a smart-alec, bird-eating, slacker of an alien who is on the run from the Feds; one of whom is played by the tightly-lipped and droll Jason Bateman. Over 300 animators brought the CG alien to near-life, and Seth Rogen gives him voice with heavy doses of sarcasm and swearing. There are homages to every sci-fi flick you can imagine but only a true aficionado will be likely to pick up on them all unless one listens to the DVD commentary on the theatrical version. There are as many celebrity cameos as there are sci-fi winks (that really is Stephen Spielberg’s voice), and the soundtrack by David Arnold takes you from a gentle cross-country landscape to suspenseful to zany in nanoseconds. There is a lot of profanity, some gore, and a lot of crudeness, but Paul is a funny little grey man, and Pegg and Frost are masters of understated comedy. I do not know how I missed seeing this at the theatre; it must be the ultimate sleeper movie hit of 2011. And I’m sorry if you liked the X-Files, but apparently Agent Mulder was Paul’s idea…


This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on December 29th. Written by Robyn Godfrey, Librarian. 

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Monster Madness!

Looking for something to do with your children during the Christmas holidays? Bring your "monsters" out to Festival Marketplace Shopping Centre for a wild and wonderful time. Activities will be based on the popular children's book "Where the Wild Things Are". 

Help us create a jungle, build Max's boat and let the wild rumpus begin!!! Children will enjoy creating monster puppets, making Monster Mud, decorating crowns and participating in a wild storytime. 

This free drop-in event is in partnership with Early Years Centre, Public Library on Wheels (PLOW) and Festival Marketplace Shopping Centre. We extend a wild welcome to monsters of all ages!

Thursday January 5, 2012 | 2-4pm | Stratford Festival Marketplace Shopping Centre

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SPL Shelf Life [kids]

M.O.M. (Mom Operating Manual), by Doreen Cronin and Laura Cornell, 54 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Croni

For children who would like to understand moms better, Doreen Cronin’s new picture book is a definite must-read. It’s also a must-read for moms who want (or need) a laugh.

Seriously! 

The M.O.M (Mom Operating Manual) will instruct children how to understand, treat and nurture the complex species commonly known as “moms”. (Dads can pick up some valuable tips and hints here too.)

Moms come in various shapes, sizes and temperaments. They have various talents, skills and abilities. They are “the most advanced human models on the planet.” But they are also complicated, and it’s essential to understand them and to take good care of them.

Here are some the questions that this manual will answer for the curious: How much sleep do moms need? What could it signify if your mother is completely silent (other than laryngitis)? What behaviour do mothers exhibit when stressed, “overloaded” or “malfunctioning”? What are the visual and auditory signs and symptoms that they display prior to “losing it” – and can anything be done to avoid a complete meltdown?

Of course, the question that every child really wants to know about mothers is, “Do they truly have eyes in the backs of their heads?” This crucial question is answered with results from the latest research: “It is widely reported that moms have eyes in the backs of their heads … science has been unable to disprove this. Act accordingly.”

As this “informative” book advises, moms are infinitely precious, truly amazing, and should last for many, many years (with the proper maintenance and care). At the same time, it’s good to know that research about mothers is ongoing.

Laura Cornell’s cartoon-like illustrations compliment perfectly the “tongue-in-cheek” suggestions and advice about mom-care which is so freely dispensed in this book

Note: Batteries are not included with copies of the Mom Operating Manual.

** Recommended for ages 4 to 8 years.

Big Brothers Don’t Take Naps, by Louise Bordon, 32 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Borde

Nicholas, who adores his big brother, James, has discovered that there are many advantages to being an older brother.

For example, James can read – in fact, he can read just about every word in each of his books. He can print his name. He knows a lot (because he attends school), and he always has great ideas about important things like Hallowe’en costumes. He goes to and from school each day on a big yellow bus. He can cross the street by himself.

What’s the very best thing about being a big brother?  In Nicholas’ opinion, it’s the fact that big brothers do not have to take afternoon naps … and he longs for the day when he also won’t have to take a nap.

James is a very kind big brother and he’s also Nicholas’ best friend. James plays with Nicholas, reads to him, and teaches him how to print his name and count backwards. He helps him to cross the street, and shares his toys and ideas. And one day, James shares something very special with Nicholas … a secret – a secret which means that Nicholas won’t have to take an afternoon nap much longer … because he too will be a big brother!

This charming picture book has been enhanced with the large, clear illustrations of artist Emma Dodd.

** Recommended for ages 3 to 6 years.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on December 29th. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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Holiday Hours

Image Source

The Stratford Public Library will be having reduced hours over Christmas and New Years. 


Saturday December 24 - open 10-12noon
Sunday December 25 - closed
Monday December 26 - closed
Tuesday December 27 - closed
Wednesday December 28 - open 10am - 9pm
Thursday December 29 - open 10am - 9pm
Friday December 30 - open 10am - 6pm
Saturday December 31 - open 10-12noon
Sunday January 1 - closed
Monday January 2 - closed
Tuesday January 3 - regular hours resume


Don't fret if we are closed - you can access research material, download ebooks & audiobooks, reserve items.

Merry Christmas!

We hope you have a holiday that fills your heart with joy!

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SPL Shelf Life [adult]

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

@SPL: FIC Rachm

For my money, 2011 has been the year of the debut novel. Without so intending, I've reviewed more than a few of them in this space, from Matthew Norman's smutty, snarky Domestic Violets, to paranormal romance sensation Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches, to the vintage appeal and gentle romance of Erin McKean's The Secret Lives of Dresses, just to name a couple. I'm not sure why I've been drawn to so many of them this year; maybe it's that the authors pour so much of themselves into these novels? Whatever it is, thank goodness publishing houses have discovered them too, and decided to put the time and resources into marketing these newcomers.

Perhaps the best-written debut novel I read this year is Vancouver author Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists. A compact saga detailing the rise and slow decay of an English-language newspaper based in Rome, it packs a lot of humanity in under 300 pages.

The novel is broken into two parallel narratives. One narrative focuses a chapter at a time on the lives of the various staff working at the paper. This is where Rachman's prose really shines – each chapter is really a character study of the personal and work life of the chapter's subject. Incredible empathy is brought to each character, even those who don't come off at all well in earlier chapters belonging to other characters. All these chapters are set at the end of George W Bush's war in Iraq, as the paper struggles to make ends meet in a fraught economic environment, battling it out in print-only format as the general news media's physical presence slowly fades to bits and evanescent silver LCD screens. Rachman slips seamlessly into the worldview of each subject, letting the personality colour his prose with humour, kindness, exhaustion, or whatever other dominant trait tints each particular worldview.

Between each of the character study chapters are brief narrative chapters detailing major events in the history of the paper. These give context to the character studies, and help build anticipation as the reader moves toward the conclusion of the book – will the paper's staunch anti-electronic stance gain it a certain cachet in the market? Will staff be able to amp up their investigative skills and their feature writing to gain enough new readers? Can the paper possibly survive the strife in its Board?

With a spare, empathic beauty to its writing, The Imperfectionists is a masterpiece of a debut novel. It's earned a place solidly within my list of top 5 reads for the year, and is well worth a glance for readers who value spare, lyrical prose in character-driven literary fiction.


This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on December 22nd. Written by Shauna Thomas, Librarian.

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SPL Shelf Life [kids]

Aliens Love Panta Claus, by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort, 26 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Freed

The aliens are back, just in time for a very special occasion - Christmas!

“The aliens are excited, as tomorrow’s Christmas Day. So instead of stealing underpants, they’re giving them away!”

Determined to share their festive spirit, the aliens “help” out in Santa’s hectic workshop by adding a flamboyant pair of underpants to the toys for each child, dressing the elves in frilly knickers, and putting neon underwear on each reindeer “to light the way”. They even pack Santa’s presents in a huge spotted pair of bloomers instead of Santa’s usual toy sack.

When Santa’s sleigh breaks down just before his Christmas Eve takeoff, the aliens are especially helpful. With the loan of the aliens’ speedy spaceship, Santa and the aliens are able to travel to the roofs and chimneys of children’s houses all over the world – and the grateful reindeer (in their neon underwear) are able to remain at home in the North Pole.

And “it really is fantastic / How Santa shoots down each chimney / On a rope of underpants fantastic”!

As an added touch, the mischievous aliens take down the stockings in each house and tie up some colourful knickers instead … after adding some especially garish underwear to every Christmas tree – for some “happy knicker cheer”!

The many fans of Claire Freedman’s hilarious “Aliens” stories will welcome this fun, festive addition to the series.

** Recommended for ages 3 to 6 years.

    

Home for Christmas, by Jan Brett, 26 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Brett

Rollo, a rebellious little troll, was tired of helping his family every day on the farm with chores such as chopping wood, collecting the eggs and caring for the animals. One morning, he decided that he had had enough. Grabbing his rucksack, he ran away into the forest.

Little Rollo hiked and played all day. That night, feeling very tired, he snuggled down in an owl’s nest. He stayed there happily for a few days, but when Mother Owl pushed the owlets, one by one, out of the nest for their first flying lesson, he knew it was time to leave.

Next, the little troll joined a bear family. After that, he visited an otter family, a lynx and some moose, staying with each for a few days.

By now, the cold snowy weather had arrived, and something had happened. Rollo was no longer feeling rebellious about doing daily farm chores. He was lonely and homesick, and he missed his family.

Returning home after a long toboggan ride, the little troll was welcomed home with open arms by his mother, father and sister - just in time for Christmas!

In the following days, the troll family noticed something quite nice. Rollo no longer complained about his chores – in fact, he did them very cheerfully.

Jan Brett’s superb picture books are extra-appealing because of the abundant amount of detail included in her gorgeous illustrations. Readers will be interested to know that she created this picture book after a trip to the tundra area of Sweden, where she observed many of the animals included in this story.

** Recommended for ages 4 to 7 years.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on December 22nd. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

For more Christmas picture book suggestions, visit our favourites in the catalogue.

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Staying Up On Technology

It can be difficult trying to stay up on the ever changing world of technology.  If you are one that likes to stay ahead of the curve, check various established technology sites and read about what's happening today.  You can subscribe to many of these sites in your rss reader to also have the information sent directly to you. 

• Tech Crunch
• Mashable
• Engadget
• Lifehacker
• Make Use Of
• PC Magazine
• Wired Magazine
• Apple Insider
• Bits
• C|net

Be sure to also read the technology section in your favourite newspaper. 

Do you have a favourite tech site you check to stay in the know? Please share! I'm always looking for new sites.

~ Krista Robinson, Information Technology Development Librarian

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SPL Shelf Life [adult]

I’d Listen to My Parents if They’d Just Shut Up: What to Say and Not Say When Parenting Teens by Anthony E Wolf 
@SPL : 649.125 Wol


Just reading the table of contents is enough to give a thoughtful parent an anxiety attack: “Picking Battles with Easy Kids”, “When They Don’t do a Good Enough Job”, “What to do When Your Teen Throws You a Curve”, “Handling Confrontation”, “Entitled Teens”, “Teens and Sex”. “Oh my stars and garters,” the thoughtful parent will think, “Please tell me my twelve-year-old will not turn into one of these teen-beast things!” Dr. Wolf’s advice: stop worrying – because they will – and learn how to talk to your teen or soon-to-be-teen simply, clearly and calmly to get better results and a closer relationship with your growing child. 


Wolf is a clinical psychologist with six books under his belt, is a columnist and expert for Parentingteensonline.com, and is a frequent guest lecturer for parents and professionals at the Hospital for Sick Kids at the University of Toronto. (He is also the parent of “two ex-teenagers”.) Wolf talks about the several cognitive changes that children go through during adolescence, and how this affects their behaviour. For instance, there might be a sudden onset of “dad-and-mom-itis”, an allergy-like disease whose symptoms include being irritated, annoyed or mortified by the presence of parents, especially in the vicinity of peers. It is not fatal to teens, and not personal for parents, and usually passes with the onset of early adulthood. 


This book is for how to cope in that awkward meantime. Theirs, not yours. It is full of real-sounding conversations that are both fun and cringeworthily scary, but these conversations keep you reading quickly and it is a relief to read Wolf’s specific examples about what to say to teens on the topics of Internet privacy, cyberbullying and dangerous secrets (which you should feel free to adopt).  


I’d Listen to My Parents if They’d Just Shut Up is a catchy title that contains Wolf’s main thesis – communicate simply to communicate well with your teen. Extrapolate his advice and it could work with tweens as well.


This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on December 15th. Written by Robyn Godfrey, Librarian.

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SPL Shelf Life [kids]

The Mitten, retold by Jim Aylesworth, 30 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Alyes

One cold winter day, a little boy put on his warm hat, scarf, coat and mittens and went outside. He played happily in the snow for a long time, but when he went back into his house, he discovered that one of his mittens had been lost.

That night, a squirrel found the red woolen mitten. He crawled inside it to escape the cold and was soon toasty warm. Soon, a rabbit came along. He too crawled into the mitten to warm up. Then a fox, and then a huge black bear, crawled into the mitten, which of course, had to stretch as widely as possible to hold the four animals - who just barely fit inside.

Then a teeny tiny mouse squeezed himself into the only teeny tiny spot left in the red mitten.

For a minute – just one minute – all was well.

Then the animals each had to take a big, deep breath of air … and so they did … and the mitten stretched a little more …and a little more … until it couldn’t stretch any more, even a teeny little bit ….

Young readers can probably guess at the very sudden ending of this story, which is a fresh new adaptation of a traditional tale from the Ukraine.

However, the little boy never did learn the true story of what happened to his red mitten. Only the animals knew for sure!

Barbara McClintock’s warm, expressive illustrations are perfect for this very entertaining picture book.

** Recommended for ages 3 to 6 years.

The Story of Snow, by Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson, 28 pages.

@ SPL:  J 551.5784Cas

The wonders and marvels of snow are explored for children in beautiful, detailed colour photographs and easy-to-read text in The Story of Snow. Young readers can find the answers to most snow-related questions that they may have, such as “How are snowflakes and snow crystals formed?”  “What are they made of?”  “What shapes do snow crystals take?” and “Why do snowflakes usually have six sides?”

The scientific explanations to these questions are made easy enough for children to understand the amazing diversity and beauty of snowflakes.

Readers may not have realized before that “a snow crystal is a letter from the sky.” How? The author explains that as snow falls from a cloud, the shape of each snow crystal can tell us how wet and cold the cloud is.

Of course, one of the most-often asked questions about snow is, “Is every snowflake actually unique?” The Story of Snow answers this question quite satisfactorily for children. (The answer is that because each tiny snowflake is composed of so many molecules, it’s very, very unlikely that two of them would be formed identically.)

The Story of Snow would be a fine choice of book to share with a child at this time of year.

Jon Nelson is a teacher/physicist who has studied ice crystals and clouds for many years. He now lives in Japan. Mark Cassino is a fine art and natural history photographer residing in Michigan.

** Recommended for ages 4 to 8 years. 

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on December 15th. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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Merry Christmas SPL!

Christmas came a little early here at the library.  You may be wondering what we asked for from Santa this year. We asked for new CD cases!
These new cases much more sturdy which means cds in the new cases can be returned in the book drop (Please continue to return cds in our old cases into the library - they can get pretty banged up in the book drop). We hope that by the end of the year, most of the cds will be transferred to the new cases, but there will be some stragglers since many cds are currently checked out.  
The other nice thing for library staff is that the cases are much easier to open! No more sore wrists!
Merry Christmas!

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Help! I got an eReader!

Did you ask Santa for an eReader this Christmas? Perhaps a new Kobo, a Sony Reader, or an iPad?  eReaders are expected to be a big hit on Christmas morning, even more than last year when in 24 hours usage of our ebooks increased by 400%.  

Downloading free audio books and ebooks to your device from downloadLibrary is pretty simple.  You browse, checkout and download.  You will need a little free software on your computer or device.  Besides your device, you will need Internet access, a computer (depending on the device),  your library card number and your pin (generally the last 4 digits of your phone number). Once you get started you will have access to thousands of free ebooks!


Staff at the library are more than happy to help you get downloading.  Here is a listing to some support resources - both online and in person. 

• Printable Step by step instructions for downloading to your device
• A guided tour of downloadLibrary
• Drop-In Clinics immediately following Christmas to help you with any problems you may have had getting setup and going
• Donuts & downloadLibrary - how to seminars on using downloadLibrary in early January

Need more assistance? Call and set up an appointment with one of our technical support staff. 

Happy Downloading!

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Library Foundation looks to the future in establishing fund

The Stratford Public Library Foundation, a registered charity established in 1998 to help raise funds in support of the library, has joined the family of funds managed by the Stratford and Perth County Community Foundation.


Members of the library foundation board recently voted to invest its current funds with the community foundation and establish a Stratford Public Library Foundation Fund. That money will be invested by the community foundation in an endowment fund, the principal of which will be left untouched and a portion of the income earned each year used to support library programs, services or projects.


“The board felt this was a very positive move for the library foundation – for one thing because it takes advantage of the community foundation’s pooled investments and expertise,” says Alexandra Bignucolo, president of the library foundation’s board of directors. “We believe this is a sound long-term strategy that will support a strong and vibrant library ready to meet the needs of the community well into the future.”


One of the projects undertaken by the library foundation was to establish a Public Library on Wheels, known as PLOW. Thanks to donations from individuals and community organizations, the Library now uses a colourfully decorated van to deliver pre-school literacy programs to under-serviced areas of Stratford – and in conjunction with the Perth County Information Network throughout the county.


The Stratford and Perth County Community Foundation, created in 2004, now manages over $1million in community funds and has granted more than $160,000 to a wide variety of local charities associated with arts and culture, children and youth, seniors, education, the environment, health, social services, and sports and recreation.


Anyone wishing to donate to the new Stratford Public Library Foundation Fund will still be free to specify whether their donation should be added to the endowment fund or used immediately to support library activities.


For further information on the Library Foundation, visit their webage. 

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Tumblin' Around

One of the most used databases the library has is called "TumbleBookLibrary".  With TumbleBookLibrary you can enjoy animated, talking picture books.  There is animation, sound, music and narration in all your favourite picture books - including Robert Munsch!  There is even a collection of TumbleBooks in French, Spanish, and a few other languages.  And as of this month, some can even be played to an iPad!


But wait... there is more...


There are "TumbleReadables".  These are books that are read aloud, but kids can also read the text on the screen. You can adjust the text size, and text is highlighted as it is read.  Great for reluctant readers and ESL learners!  There are even graphic novels!


Lastly we have "AudioBook Cloud".  With AudioBook Cloud, you get streaming audiobooks. That means you listen to the book on you computer.  You don't need to check the books out, place holds, or download any extra software.  There are lots of classics, non-fiction, fiction for adults, teens and kids.  


With all three sources, you simply need to click on the links from our website to access - wherever you have access to the Internet!


Thank you to Southern Ontario Library Service, Ontario Library Service North, and the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture for their support in making these great sources available. 

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SPL Shelf Life [adult]

©ontext: Further Selected Essays on Productivity, Creativity, Parenting and Politics in the 21^st Century by Cory Doctorow

@SPL: 303.483 Doc

My twitter feed recently offered me a tiny, perfect, 140-character-strung gem – one of those rare moments someone manages to capture in words what many other people have been feeling nebulously off about for quite some time. Twitter user @jasongorman tweeted “I'm becoming increasingly convinced that the 21^st century is based on a short story by Philip K Dick.” The retweets spread like wildfire through a cyberscape made tinder dry by apparent police brutality in the eviction of various Occupy protests, and Apple's release of the uncanny Siri on its iPhone 4S - a voice activated app with eerie accuracy answering search queries and unsettlingly snappy answers to cheeky questions. If Dick's name doesn't ring a bell, he was the fellow who wrote Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, upon which the dystopian sci-fi epic film Blade Runner  was based.

Cory Doctorow is – to my mind, anyway -  Dick's heir apparent. A prolific writer of science fiction with steampunk and cyberpunk elements, Doctorow also co-edits a fantastic blog at BoingBoing.net and does a fair amount of freelance work for a wide variety of publications, including The Guardian, Locus, and Publishers Weekly. His freelance work, like his fiction, is passionately concerned with copyright and issues surrounding access to information, as well as maker culture, the role of the public sphere in a mediascape dominated by corporate electronic media, and especiallyprivacy rights.

In ©ontext, Doctorow further unpacks his opinions on his favourite topics. For those who suspect a book full of essays on copyright, privacy and citizenship in the digital age might be boring: You lose. Doctorow may have hardcore geek cred, but he keeps his language plain and free of terminology, so  even the most technophobic reader can grasp the arguments. Most of the essays are only a couple pages long, which keeps them accessible to those new to the topics. Doctorow's precise use of plain language and obvious engagement with his content pull the reader along happily through pieces on the wider social significance of so-called tech issues like net neutrality, intellectual property, file sharing, and data security. Why should you care about these things? Well, bad information policy kills democracies! And maybe kittens! Okay, maybe not the kittens. Well, unless the article to which the vet must refer in order to cure said kittens isn't Open Access, and the other online journals got too expensive... Then won't we all feel like a bunch of jerks for not paying attention sooner. Won't we just. ©ontext is a timely, engaging invitation to readers to start participating in these important conversations. After all, the more of our information winds up in the cloud, the more vulnerable we'll be as people, cultures and countries to the information management policies of the companies who own the cloud. 

This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on December 8th. Written by Shauna Thomas, Librarian.

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SPL Shelf Life [kids]

Snowflake Comes to Stay, by Karel Hayes, 30 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Hayes

Living by herself, author Harriet Harrington was very accustomed to being alone. She needed peace and concentration for her writing.

But one day, nothing Harriet wrote seemed right. The same thing happened the next day, and the next. Nothing helped. Harriet, it seemed, had “writer’s block”.

One day her friend, Monique, who raised dogs, phoned her. “I have just the dog for you!” she announced.

Monique had been trying for years to get Harriet to take one of her dogs. This time, she wouldn’t take “No” for an answer, so Harriet cautiously agreed to take a puppy – just for a week.

The little white puppy, Snowflake, explored Harriet’s house right away. She liked everything about her new home, both outside and inside - except for the noisy vacuum cleaner. She found many things to play with …and lots of things that she loved to chew: scarves, mittens, slippers, paper, and even Harriet’s dictionary!

Snowflake quickly grew to love Harriet, who, despite herself, became very fond of the mischievous little dog. They did many things together. Harriet even began to write again, and was able, finally, to finish her latest book. She was very pleased and thought that it was her best book yet!

That night, however, Snowflake couldn’t sleep. Feeling hungry, she explored the house and came across the manuscript of Harriet’s brand-new book …and couldn’t resist chewing it up!

Needless to say, on the following morning, Harriet was very upset.

Readers might be able to guess what became of this crisis in this delightfully- illustrated, charming story which, in the end, concludes happily.

** Recommended for ages 4 to 8 years.

Hooper Finds a Family: A Hurricane Katrina Survival Tale, by Jane Paley, 137 pages.

@ SPL:  J FIC Paley

A second story about a little dog who found a new home is Jane Paley’s Hooper Finds a Family.

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Louisiana, Hooper, a little yellow Labrador, was left homeless. Swept from his home by the water that was quickly flooding his neighbourhood, the young dog was finally able to latch on to a roof, and was later rescued by a man with a boat. He was taken to a pet shelter that was overflowing with countless “Katrina pets”.

There, Hooper learned to cope with the crowded conditions and the occasional bullying from bigger dogs, but he longed for his owners to come and get him. Over time, he accepted that this was unlikely to happen, and he began to wish that a new family would take him home.

One day, it happened …Hooper was chosen by a new family.

But happy as he was to be adopted, there were still challenges to be met. His new family lived in New York, and Hooper had to adjust to living in a large city instead of in the country. His new family was still mourning a former pet, and it took time for the little Lab to be fully accepted. It didn’t help that Hooper had lost his bark and acquired a great fear of water due to the trauma of nearly drowning in the floods of Hurricane Katrina.

Eventually the feisty little dog became a beloved member of his new family.

Jane Paley’s touching story is based on an actual event. Hundreds of pets were left homeless by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States.

Fortunately, Hooper’s story, at least, ended happily.

** Recommended for ages 7 to 11 years.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on December 8th. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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Your Library Today... and Tomorrow

We have now received more "words" that people feel describe the library today - and what they feel the library of the future will bring.  These words have come from our online form, from a form box at the Stratford Marketplace, and from various focus groups.  You can still add your word by filling out our online form. 


The Library today...

The Library in the future...

Do any words surprise you? Or are there words not in the clouds here that you expected would be there? Let us know. 

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Exciting News for Android Phone Users

Android users can now download BookMyne!  BookMyne is a free app which allows you to search the Stratford  Public Library catalogue, place holds, renew items, create lists and much more.  BookMyne has been available for iPhone users for some time now, but as of today, Android Market is carrying the app too.  

If you have been using BookMyne for iPhone, there is a recent update that has redesigned the interface and integrated recommendations from GoodReads. 

We'd love for you to download the app and let us know what you think. Simply leave a comment here and we will be sure to follow up. 

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SPL Shelf Life [adult]

Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher
@SPL 791.43028092 Fishe


Actress, author, screenwriter, drug addict, alcoholic, headcase: Carrie Fisher is a success in all of these things. Performer of a successful one-woman show based upon her successful book. Successful screenwriter of Postcards from the Edge and a number of television movies. Successful actress in When Harry Met Sally and of course, the original Star Wars trilogy as the spirited Princess Leia. That's Stratford's own 6-degrees of separation, by the way - she starred with sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan, who starred in the very first season of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. I digress. Actually, Ms. Fischer does a lot of digressing in her latest memoir, Shockaholic. At least, she seems to, but she does tie up her threads, so don't be tempted to skip around. 


Her memoir starts out with an examination of her own obsession with getting electro-convulsive shock therapy, the stuff of any number of horror movies which has actually come a long way since One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Used as a last-resort treatment for those with severe depression and / or addictions, Ms. Fisher honestly reports on the effects of this therapy (memory-loss being the most significant side-affect) before moving on to addressing subjects that got her to such a point in her life. 


The aforementioned Princess Leia haunts her still, as does the deaths of several close friends who she feels she could have saved. She reveals much about her fractured relationships that had at their roots, her father, Eddie Fisher. A recap: Eddie was married to Debbie Reynolds, they had Carrie and her brother. Elizabeth Taylor stole Eddie, then dumped him and he married Connie Stevens. So into Carrie's very early life came fame, scandal, step-parents and step-siblings, and more fame, all of which she was incapable of handling very well. For all of her self-indictment, this memoir is actually shows quite a bit of healing going on - her acceptance and friendship with Elizabeth Taylor for instance, and especially the repaired, if somewhat still wonky, relationship with her father in the years before his death. 


This is not a cozy memoir, by any means - Ms. Fisher has a potty-mouth, shows a penchant for shock-value, and examines some uncomfortable subjects - i.e. how hard it is to escape addictions and how easy it is to form them. Personal photos dot the memoir, often with wildly funny captions, making Shockaholic a quick, satisfying read (or listen, in the case of the audio book) for anyone fascinated by celebrity or facing their own personal demons. For best results, read following her previous memoir, Wishful Drinking.


This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on December 1st. Written by Robyn Godfrey, Librarian.

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