SPL Shelf Life [kids]

Princess Peepers Picks a Pet, by Pam Calvert, 30 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Calve

Princess Peepers was a very unusual princess. While the other students at the Royal Academy for Perfect Princesses delighted in fashionable dresses, Princess Peepers (so named because of her glasses) was just as likely to be garbed in safari gear. When the other princesses hosted tea parties, Peepers often arrived on a skateboard. When the other princesses practiced their posture in the garden, she hung upside down from a tree.

Princess Peepers wasn’t bothered in the least by her many differences from the other princesses … until she heard about the Academy’s Pet Show and realized that she was the only princess without a pet.

Where could she find one?

Peepers was very interested in bugs. Finding a colourful speciman, she brought it to pet practice, only to discover (as the other princesses turned up their noses) that bugs were not “pets”.  Neither were frogs, as she learned after raiding the Royal Pond.

Peepers went for a long, long walk in the forest. That was where she came upon the most marvelous “pet” of all…

Meanwhile, back at the Academy, the Pet Show was on and the other princesses had finished showing their perfect pets. They were just wondering if Princess Peepers had found yet another “pet”, when in she flew … on the back of a magnificent dragon!

She soared over the crowd, which clapped in delight.

When the prize for “Most Unusual Pet Award” was announced and awarded to Princess Peepers and her dragon, she was quite surprised. Why? Well … Princess Peepers had truly thought that her new pet was a unicorn!

But later, when Peepers donned a brand new pair of glasses, she could see that her pet was a dragon… a beautiful dragon … as unique as Princess Peepers herself!

Pam Calvert’s fun story is a delightful sequel to her earlier book, Princess Peepers, which also celebrates the value of being oneself.

** Recommended for ages 4 to 7 years.

Kishka for Koppel, by Aubrey Davis, 30 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Davis

If you had three wishes – and only three wishes – what would you wish for?

When Koppel, a poor man, found a talking meat grinder that promised to grant him three wishes, he took it home to his wife, Yetta. Together, they tried to decide what they desired most. A pearl necklace and earrings to match? A whole jewelry store? To be a prince and a princess living in a golden castle? To be young again?

The prospects made their eyes grow rounder and rounder.

They discussed so many possibilities that the time flew by. Koppel grew quite hungry. Without thinking, he wished for some tasty kishka.

In a twinkling, a huge piece of kishka (a sausage-like food made from sheep guts) appeared on a plate.

Yetta was incensed. They had just wasted one of their precious wishes!  “I WISH THIS KISHKA WOULD STICK TO YOUR NOSE!” she snapped.

No sooner wished than done! The long piece of kishka was now stuck to her husband’s nose.

Poor Koppel! No amount of pulling would loosen that sausage. It was uncomfortable. It was embarrassing. He looked more like an elephant than a person!

After a few minutes, Yetta began to feel sorry for her husband, whom she loved very much. She wished for the kishka to drop from her husband’s nose. Again, no sooner wished than done. The sausage dropped back on the plate.

Koppel was so relieved and happy that he waltzed his wife around the room.

Later, as they reflected on what had happened, they realized something. Although their wishes were gone, they really weren’t poor at all! They had each other. They had good health. They had enough to eat. Really, with all that, who could wish for more?

Aubrey Davis’s entertaining retelling of a traditional Yiddish tale which questions consumerism and excess, carries a message for all ages.

** Recommended for ages 5 to 8 years.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on March 29, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian. 

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SPL Shelf Life [adult]

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

@SPL: FIC Sotto

Most chick-lit begins with a heroine going through a number of awkward and cringe-worthy moments before ending happily ever after with the prince charming of her dreams. This is not that novel. Shelly has been mourning her prince charming for three years since he was killed by a bomb in Spain, barely able to breathe under the weight of his absence. Ironically, on the day she finally begins to heal, a stranger arrives on her doorstep who reminds her of Max to such an extent that she begins to wonder how well she knew her husband. Together she and the stranger embark on what becomes a very surreal journey, back to the European trip five years earlier where Shelly first met Max, and as she recounts each leg of the tour she begins to realize that the very off-the-beaten-track trip on which Max led them was actually revealing something about Max and his own history.  And what a strangely detailed history it is, with stops at the French Revolution, The Battle of Bicocca during the Italian War of 1521, a small monastery in Austria in the 1200s, the birth of Venice, the eruption of Vesuvius, and an encounter with a Slovenian demonic legend. The historical stories are fascinating, and what keeps Shelly’s parts from being strictly chick-lit and makes it literary is the authors beautiful, poetic turns of phrases as she seeks to uncover the mystery of her husband. Monsters and death haunt her at every step, and as she gets closer to the truth of her husband’s story, she is faced with a terrible, life-altering decision. And here is the spoiler - Shelly makes the decision, but the author leaves her readers wondering about the result. Some readers will find this unsatisfying, but this is the type of novel that can get under your skin and niggle at you for a long time. 
This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on March 29, 2012. Written by Robyn Godfrey, Librarian.    

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Weekend Fun @ your library

Are you looking for something fun to do this weekend? SPL has you covered:


Visit the SPL booth at the Stratford Spring Home Show! 
SPL will be at the Rotary Complex with other agencies to help you "Get Connected"  Learn about ebooks, audiobooks, library research tools (Consumer Reports, World Book, Consumer Health Complete, Ancestry), and computer training in the community.  We will be there Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (and be sure to print off the coupon to save $5 off your admission)


Stratford Swan Release Weekend
As part of Stratford's annual Swan Release Weekend, SPL will be screening Swans on the Avon at 1:30 pm in the Library Auditorium. Swans on the Avon features music by Loreena McKennitt, narration by Colm Feore and photography by Kaaryn and Allan Gough. Admission is free to this 80 minute video documenting a year in the life our Stratford swans.
In addition SPL's event, there are many other activities happening in Stratford all weekend long to celebrate our beautiful swans, including the highly anticipated Swan Parade at 2pm.

Launch of Poetry Month with Helwa

Spend the Afternoon Between the Paws of the Sphinx
 with poets Penn Kemp, Jocelyn Drainie, Ruth Douthwright and Jennifer White. 

Helwa! a sound opera: experiencing ancient Egypt.

In the 1985 season, after two tourists had been killed by terrorists at the temple complex of Giza, tour leaders were invited back to Egypt on a familiarization tour. Penn Kemp was selected from the group to spend the night between the paws of the Sphinx. In her introduction to the chapbook, Penn writes, "Last spring’s Cairene revolution was so inspiring that I felt impelled to return again to that land of the heart, at least in poetry. Helwa! is dedicated in hope to the people of Egypt. The word means ‘Beautiful’ in Arabic.”  Open to everyone, Free in the Library Auditorium.

Our Weekend Hours are:
Friday: 10am - 6pm
Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Sunday: 2pm - 5pm

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Would You Be A Friend?

The Friends of the Stratford Public Library invite you to "Meet and Greet" fellow library supporters at our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, April 11 at 7 pm in the library auditorium. 


The Friends will be launching a new fund raising project and will be asking for your ideas and help with more exciting Friends activities in the coming year, as well as electing new members to three positions. We are looking for volunteers or nominations to three positions coming up for re-election: Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. If you would like to volunteer or nominate someone with the requisite qualifications, please contact the Chair, Irene Miller, at 519 271-6500. 


For more information, visit our website. 
Looking forward to "meeting and greeting" you! Refreshments will be served

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Facebook Profile Viewer?

Nope. It's another scam that is hitting Facebook.  Facebook Profile Viewer  is an application that claims to let you see who is viewing your profile. Now while that would be nice...  it is yet another rogue app that is being used to gather up personal information and spread spam.  


Essentially what the scam does is prompts you to click on a link similar to this:

New Update from facebook. Now you can check who visited your profile. check here -------->>>FAŒBOOK PROFILE VIEWER ®<<<<------
Who Watching your Profile ?

When you click on the link, you are asked to let the Facebook Profile Viewer App access your profile. Once you agree, a false screen showing your "top stalkers" will appear. They really are just people in your friends listing. During this time, the app is harvesting your data and posting to your profile... which then goes out on your newsfeed to all your friends and then if they click on the link the scam continues to grow.


So what to do if you click?

1. Delete the posts on your profile
2. Remove the app in your privacy settings from interacting with your profile
3. And try not to fall for it again

Read up on on our past posts about Facebook to help adjust your privacy and security settings. 

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Thank You to our Volunteers!

Last night at the Stratford and Area's annual Ontario Volunteer Service Award ceremony, 6 of SPL's amazing volunteers were recognized. This award recognizes individual volunteers for continuous years of commitment and dedicated service to an organization.  You can browse the complete list of award winners last night on the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration website. 

 

....from the SPL Board:

• Ted Boniface (5 years)
• Dr. Peter Brooks (5 years)

....from the SPL Foundation:

• Bob Lightfoot (5 years)
• Alexandra Bignucolo (5 years)

....from the Friends Board:

• Dorothy Washbern (5 years)

....from the Volunteer Group:

• Wayne Schmidt (20 years)

Thank you from the SPL staff as well! We couldn't do it without your continuous support.  If you are thinking of volunteering at the Library, read about opportunities on our website. 

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SPL Staff Picks

Every month, (well, almost every month) the staff of SPL compile a list of their favourite books, dvds, and cds and share them in the library catalogue.  The March list is an eclectic listing of items. There is a celtic/punk cd, crime fiction, a how to book for protesters and more.  
"Paris Without End: The True Story of Hemingway's First Wife" by Gioia Diliberto was chosen by our Deputy Director Wendy Hicks.  
According to Wendy: 

Those who read & enjoyed Paula McLain's novel, The Paris Wife owe it to themselves to read this incredible biography of Ernest Hemingway's first wife. Author Diliberto leaves no stone unturned, covering the same time period in Hadley Hemingway'sand indeed, was the first to have access to a series of taped interviews between her subject & her good friend Alice Sokoloff. Groaning with intimate detail, those fascinated with Hemingway, the Paris scene in the 1920's, or even the course of true but doomed love will thoroughly enjoy this solidly written book.

 We hope also enjoy some of these titles! If you do, be sure to leave a comment in the catalogue. 

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SPL Shelf Life [kids]

Cool Animal Names, by Dawn Cusick, 80 pages.

@ SPL:  J 590.14 Cus

William Shakespeare once asked, “What’s in a name?”  The esteemed poet/dramatist might have been amazed at the answers that this book could provide to that question.

To begin with, Shakespeare would likely have been surprised to know even of the existence of many of the exotic animals selected from around the world for this book: the rhinoceros iguana from the Caribbean Islands and the rhinoceros hornbill from Asia, the tiger heron from the rivers and lakes of Central America, the tiger snail from the swamps of East Africa, the alligator bug from east Central America, the burrowing mouse spider from Australia, the foxface rabbitfish from the Pacific Ocean near Indonesia, the batfish from the icy waters of the Antarctic, and many more. Shakespeare would have been interested to read the descriptions of these creatures and how their names originated, and to see the eye-catching photos of each.

He would have been fascinated to learn about pigfish (which actually grunt like pigs), tiger beetles (ferocious hunters with tiger-like stripes), giraffe beetles, peacock flounders, rhinoceros hornbills, camel crickets, skunk bears, alligator snapping turtles and many more living things from the oceans, seas, swamps, forests and deserts of the world. He would have discovered where a buffalo treehopper lives and what it looks like, how a panther chameleon got its name, and why a dog-faced pufferfish would never win a beauty pageant.

William Shakespeare also would likely have been amazed (or perhaps horrified) at the bizarre appearance of many of the strange creatures featured in the photographs of this book. (He might have made a comment such as “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, but these are such things as nightmares are made on!”)

However, children (reluctant readers as well as confident readers) will be fascinated rather than horrified by this colourful, appealing introduction to the names and characteristics of some of the world’s most extraordinary and peculiar bugs, birds and animals.

** Recommended for ages 8 to 12 years.

Billions of Years, Amazing Changes: The Story of Evolution, by Laurence Pringle, 102 pages.

@SPL:  J 576.8 Pri

How did the dinosaurs of millions of years ago become today’s birds? How did whales become land mammals? These amazing changes – and many others – were brought about by evolution.

Evolution can be defined as “change over time”. Plants and animals on the earth have gradually changed, or evolved, over the centuries - and are still evolving today.

The fascinating science of evolution has explained many plant and animal mysteries for us. It has explained, for example, why there were “missing links” and why these are so important to scientists today. Another example: evolution has answered the question of why the pronghorn, North America’s fastest mammal, is so very much faster than other animals, including coyotes, wolves and its other predators. (If this extra speed isn’t necessary to escape from predators then why are pronghorns so swift?) Scientists concluded that pronghorns evolved into very fast animals long ago when they were chased by speedier predators, which are now extinct.

Author Laurence Pringle explains evolutionary concepts such as genetics, mutations, missing links, natural selection, species diversity and many others in a clear and interesting fashion, for readers. Billions of Years, Amazing Changes also explains how the concept of evolution itself was “discovered” by scientists such as Charles Darwin.

Students will find well-researched information, photos, illustrations, a helpful glossary and an index in this easy-to-follow, visually attractive science book.

** Recommended for ages 8 to 13 years.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on March 22, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.  

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SPL Shelf Life [adult]

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

@SPL: FIC Kosto, or search “HistorianKostova” in downloadLibrary

I should own up to something right away: I am definitely one of those geeks fleshing out the market for vampire novels. I loved them when they were first in style, and Anne Rice was the queen of the genre. I kept the fire alive when pop culture became insufferably perky. Then, when Twilight brought vamps skulking back out, I could have chaired the Twi-hard fan club. In other words, when it comes to vamp lit, I suck. Happily. If you do, too, read on.

Elizabeth Kostova's The Historianopens with a teen girl perusing her father's library. She finds a troubling bundle of letters tucked into a book, all addressed “To my dear and unfortunate successor.” It's immediately plain her father (Paul) has been drawn into something unsavoury. After confronting her father, she's enveloped in a world of danger, intrigue, and glamorous academia.

Parallel plot lines pull the reader through a whirlwind tour of post-WWII Turkey, England, Romania and Hungary. Kostova has done her research on these many locales, and her descriptions of place and culture ring true (her depictions of communist Romania and Hungary are particularly entrancing). One plot line follows Paul's initial discovery of Vlad Dracula's continued existence, and the mad search for his mentor after Rossi's abduction by Dracula. Another follows the heroine's own desperate attempt to save her father's life, 20 years later.

In essence, The Historian is the Indiana Jones of vampire literature. Exquisitely researched and relentlessly paced, it features lots of travel, classic romance, gory history, and battles in crypts. Kostova has gone out of her way to put the monster back into vampires – no synthetic blood or sparkling in the sunshine, here. Her Dracula owes much more to Eastern European vampire folklore than to glam goth culture. And, if we use monsters in literature to exorcise what makes us most uneasy as a culture, it's worth noting that almost every vampire encountered is a librarian. If Stoker's vampires were working out cultural sex taboos, Kostova's express a deep unease with the use and transmission of information. This debut novel is highly recommended to fans of vamp lit, and to any historical fiction readers open to supernatural elements.

This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on March 22, 2012. Written by Shauna Thomas, Librarian.   

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Reading for the Health of It

That's right! Reading is good for your health. At this week's Thursday Noon Hour Club, SPL's Melanie Kindrachuk will be discussing how reading interacts with all aspects of health.  Melanie is an avid reader and shares her book reviews on a blog called The Indextrious Reader. 


Some key health benefits of reading that Melanie will be highlighting in her talk include:


Physical Health

The obvious physical health benefit of reading is in its power to strengthen and develop our brain. As we read we create new neural connections and pathways; our brain literally expands. Having higher numbers of neural pathways helps us to ward off the effects of brain diseases like Alzheimer's or dementia, or to recover from traumatic brain injuries. The brain has more options to rewire itself to keep us symptomless for longer in the case of these situations.
But reading also benefits us physiologically in a number of ways. Reciting certain types of poetry can benefit our blood pressure. And reading has been shown to be one of the best and quickest ways to experience stress relief and relaxation. Reading can benefit our immune response as well.

Mental Health

The psychology of reading is a key area of study right now, with a great number of researchers located in Canada (with a wonderful website, OnFiction.ca) Reading in groups is one method to combat depression or social isolation, with studies showing that the act of reading results in some of the same benefits as medication can give a person. And a book serves as a kind of cheap virtual reality machine: parts of the brain that light up while reading about an activity are the same parts that light up when a person is actually performing that activity.

Emotional/Social Health

One of the biggest effects of reading lies in the emotional, or social, realm: reading about other lives and experiencing life through another perspective builds empathy. Empathy is the key to building a society that is cohesive and supportive for all its citizens.
Literature gives us one of the only ways that we can enter another person's mind and see through their eyes, have access to their thoughts, and truly experience their perceptions. Reading a novel gives us a way to experience unfamiliar situations or to find others who've had the same difficulties as we have and to learn how they've dealt with them. A book can give us the words to name our experience, and in this way, make it easier to comprehend and communicate. This is the principle behind bibliotherapy.

Spiritual Health

It may seem strange to think of reading as benefiting us spiritually. But the process of reading itself, that reaching out which we must do to encounter another, separate and distant mind -- that of the writer -- can be considered a spiritual process. That mind can never be fully known, but we can encounter it and strive to get outside ourselves briefly. Spiritual disciplines like our capacity for attention, our ability to listen, or our mental organization and alertness are also mirrored in reading; we build these strengths when we read narrative fiction.

So come learn more on Thursday March 22, 12-1pm, Library Auditorium. $1pp.  For the full Thursday Noon Hour Club Spring line up visit our website. 

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You Asked... We Answered!

Your Opinion Matters to us. We've received hundreds of responses to our Library Survey in the past year. We are trying to provide answers to some of the many interesting questions asked by you in the Survey results. 


#1 
“I forgot to pick up my hold for Stephen King’s latest. Why was I assessed a $0.50 service charge?” (February 14, 2012)


Stratford Public Library patrons are busy, smart people: most know how to find the newest bestsellers in the catalogue & how to place a request (or, ask a willing staff member to help) for it. Over 5,000 holds are placed here every month! If everyone plays their part and picks up their requested items within the 4 day “on hold” period, waiting lists go down more quickly, and the items get to eager customers asap. The service fee is a small reflection of the 4-5 minutes time taken to set aside each and every requested item. 


To recap: When an item has come in for you, you have 4 days to pick it up or to call the Library & let staff know you no longer want it. 


If you do not pick the item up or notify staff that the item is no longer required, the fifty cent service fee is applied to your card. 


#2 
“Why won’t you let me put my music CD returns in the book drop? I’m trying to get stuff back on time, but it’s tough to remember that music has to be brought in during open hours." (March 16, 2012)


Your wish is our command! Staff listened carefully – and responded: in December 2011 at SPL, 4000 music CDs were moved into more flexible plastic cases. These new cases are not only more attractive, but are also more durable and can be returned through the external book drop, just like all your other Library materials.


Wendy Hicks, Deputy Director

---

And we are happy to answer other questions as well. Simply send an email to youropinion@pcin.on.ca note: rest assured, if you ask us a question and we use it here, no personal information will be posted.


As the questions are compiled and answered, you can find them on the library website.

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SPL Shelf Life [kids]

An Annoying ABC, by Barbara Bottner, 34 pages

@ SPL:  JP Bottn

When Adelaide annoys Bailey, who blames Clyde, an alphabet of annoying, bad behaviour is unleashed. Soon, Miss Mabel’s preschool classroom, from Adelaide to Zelda, is full of ABC catastrophe! Dexter drools on Eloise, who elbows Flora. While Flora is fuming, Grover grabs Horace, who understandably howls. Meanwhile, in another part of the room, Olivia overreacts, Petunia pesters, poor Winthrop weeps by the window … and so on.

Adding to the classroom chaos, on every page readers can find the class pet, a little hamster, who has escaped his cage and is scampering around or hiding somewhere in the room. No doubt the little creature is terrified by all the pandemonium around it!

The action ends abruptly when Zelda turns on the hose and “zaps” her classmates with water.  

Then Adelaide apologizes to Bailey. With that, a much happier chain reaction begins. Soon, the classroom is peaceful again. The hamster is caught and returned to its cage, toys are tidied up, the students dry themselves off with towels and then gather around Miss Mabel for a storytime. 

Barbara Bottner’s newest picture book is more than a concept/alphabet book – it’s also a hilarious tale that demonstrates the power of apology and it’s an exuberant exploration of language. With the detailed, goofy facial expressions of 26 grumpy preschoolers, created in watercolour and pencil by illustrator Michael Emberley, An Annoying Alphabet would be an enjoyable book to share with any preschooler, even with children who are already familiar with the twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

** Recommended for ages 3 to 6 years.

 

This is My Book, by Mick Inkpen, 30 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Inkpe

“Stop! Stop!” scolded the Bookmouse. “This is MY book!”  But the Snapdragon wouldn’t listen. Before anyone could stop him, he swooped down, snapped off the letter “K” from the word “BOOK”, leaving “BOO”. Next, he bit off part of the “B”, leaving “POO”.

“You’ve got to do something to stop that naughty dragon!” complained Clockwork Penguin. “He’s getting worse every time!” The other animals agreed.

Bookmouse had an idea. “We’ll need to find lots of o’s” he explained, “to make a big, scary “Boooooo!”. That will scare the Snapdragon once and for all!” So they went off to the deep, dark Moonwood to find some o’s.

But the ghastly “ooooo” sounds coming from the ghosts of the Woollywolves caused his friends to run away in terror, leaving Bookmouse all by himself.

It was scary in the Moonwood. It was VERY scary. Bookmouse felt like running away too … but he didn’t – at least, not before he had tricked the Woollywolf ghosts and snatched all of their o’s out of the air. Then he scampered home.

With no “o” sounds left, the Woollywolf ghosts couldn’t howl anymore, and were quiet.

Now it was time for Bookmouse and his friends to put his cunning plan into action. Would it work? Would it cure the Snapdragon of his mischievous behaviour and teach him a lesson?

Popular British author Mick Inkpen has created a picture book that plays with words and language in a clever and ingenious way. With its amusing artwork, this book is sure to become a fun favourite, especially with children who are learning how to read.

** Recommended for ages 3 to 6 years.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on March 15, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian. 

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SPL Shelf Life [adult]

The Dressmaker By Kate Alcott

@SPL: FIC Alcot

Thanks to James Carmeron – who has Walter Lord’s book A Night to Remember to thank in turn – there may not be a single person in the world who is not aware of the basic facts surrounding the sinking of the White Star Line’s RMS Titanic: she was not carrying enough lifeboats, not all of those lifeboats were filled to capacity, and only one of those went back to rescue people in danger of freezing or drowning.  Of the 2224 passengers and crew, only about 700 survived and many of those were left impoverished, widowed and orphaned.  In the case of some of the upper class survivors, they were ostracized by society, as the author investigates.

This is what makes Kate Alcott’s book different.  As a Washington D.C. reporter, Alcott did her homework, and this is where her writing is strongest. She skims over the actual sinking of the ill-fated ship and ponders what happened next for those survivors? The chairman of the White Star Line J. Bruce Ismay, fashion designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon and Margaret “Molly” Brown are some of the upper class privileged who managed to survive. These real-life passengers are mixed with Alcott’s fictional characters, most of which are less believable, which seems almost disrespectable to those who perished; however, she plucks these characters from all classes, including steerage and crew who were least likely to survive the wreckage, the policy having been women and children first (and those on the upper decks, closest to the few available lifeboats). The dressmaker’s maid Tess, Jean and Jordan Darling, the sailor Jim and others may be less well-drawn, but we see the sinking and aftermath through all their eyes and stories. April 15^th marks 100 years since the Titanic sank, and if they are not as developed as they could have been, it certainly gives the reader pause for thought and discussion for those who could have been their real-life counterparts. 



This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on March 15, 2012. Written by Robyn Godfrey, Librarian.    

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Is Spring Here?

Well it certainly looks like Spring is here for at least a few days. What better way to spend this nice weather than to be outdoors going for a stroll (or run) - and SPL has a number of new titles about doing just that:


Walking: A Complete Guide for Women by Jeff & Barbara Galloway

Long Road Turns to Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation by Thich Nhat Hahn

Nordic Walking by Malin Svensson

The Beginning Runner's Handbook [ebook] by Ian MacNeill

We also loan out Step Counter kits from the Perth District Health Unit.  These kits include a number of pamphlets on the benefits of walking and hiking and a New Lifestyles digi-walker pedometer. 


(I suggest making SPL your walking destination - a great way to beat all those parking spot woes!)

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Lunchtime Learning at SPL

This coming Wednesday (March 14) from 12-1 come to SPL to for a demonstration on the ins and outs of getting access to eBook from your library.  
You will learn what you need to get started, how to search for and check out eBooks on downloadLibrary.ca, and then how to download and transfer the eBooks to your eReader.  We will also cover how to do the same on a tablet. 
This session is free, and if you think you can come send an email to webmaster@pcin.on.ca or call 519-271-0220 x31.   Feel free to bring a coffee or your lunch. 
If you can't make it to this session, it will be repeated on Tuesday April 24, 12-1. 
For our full Lunchtime Learning schedule visit the library website. 

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Do you have the Hunger?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has taken the world by storm. Everyone is reading it (or rereading it) and the rest of the trilogy before The Hunger Games movie hits theatres on March 23rd (10 days, 8 hours, 43 minutes... but who is counting?). 

There are a few other titles that can help satisfy your Hunger Games fever:

The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook.  It is filled with strange and interesting recipes that will get you even more involved in the suspenseful trilogy. The Wall Street Journal provided this review:

“In the postapocalyptic fantasy series The Hunger Games, starving characters eat whatever they can kill or forage: wild dog, horse, tree bark, mouse meat….fans have become obsessed with the food in the books, trying home preparation of dishes such as fire-roasted rabbit and seaweed bread. This month, The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook was published, with 150 recipes for rustic, gamy fare including fried squirrel and raccoon in bacon drippings, though none for dog. Food, and the lack of it, is a recurring theme in the dystopian trilogy.”

Doesn't that sound tasty?

There is also The Hunger Games Compantion and Hunger Games and Philosophy. 

Are you new to the series? They are technically young adult - but adults will really enjoy the adventure of this series.  I highly recommend reading the books in order:

1. The Hunger Games
2. Catching Fire
3. Mockingjay

We have them in audiobook, print book, and book on cd. A format for everyone!

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Check Out a Human

Chat, learn, and challenge your assumptions as you meet brave, intriguing and exciting people living in our community. 

Come read titles such as:

• Prison Saved My Life
• This Is How We Roll:  Roller Derby 101
• Skin and Ink
• From Silence to Success

The Human Library will be available on Wednesday March 14 from 11am-3pm. Check out the full listing of available titles and event details on the library website. This event is free and open to everyone. 

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Spring Ahead!

Spring Forward this Saturday Night!
Don't forget to change your smoke detector batteries (then bring the old ones to the Library for recycling.)
Ever wonder why there is Daylight Savings Time? Find out on the CBC site. 

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SPL Shelf Life [adult]

Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis

@SPL: 330.90511 Lew

A while back, I reviewed a Michael Lewis book called The Big Short, all about the personalities and events that built the Great Recession. In the time it took to write and release that book, Lewis stumbled across a few shrewd financiers who were predicting a global crash based on the same kind of accounting principles that shook America. Lewis initially dismissed these characters as people who'd gotten lucky predicting one crash, and now thought they had a talent for predicting crises. By the time he was promoting The Big Short, Iceland and Greece were deep in trouble. Lewis knew there was more to the story.

Boomerang, then, is all about how the American banking system's creative approach to credit tranching spread round the world. Again, Lewis takes the time to introduce readers to the characters making the big financial decisions. He makes some broad and questionable arguments extending generalized national character traits (Icelandic, Greek, Irish, German) to their money management techniques, but the effect is meant to be humorous and it is. In fact, the whole book's tone is gleefully irreverent – toward the money gods, toward religion, and toward the crisis itself. It's not that the recession hasn’t had dire consequences; Lewis knows it has, and that it may get worse. He's fundamentally optimistic, though, and willing to see the abundant humour in the decision making processes of nations, banks and individuals who inadvertently set up the crisis. Either it gets better or it doesn't – either way, you have to laugh. With its wry approach and clear, approachable style, Boomerangis recommended for any readers interested in the factors driving the credit crisis around the world.

This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on March 8, 2012. Written by Shauna Thomas, Librarian.   

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SPL Shelf Life [kids]

Miss Martin is a Martian, by Colleen Murray Fisher, 30 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Fishe

Is it possible that Melvin Eugene Baxter’s teacher, Miss Martin, is actually a Martian?

Melvin thinks it’s very possible indeed.   

Having just watched a movie about Martians taking over Planet Earth, Melvin considers himself to be quite knowledgeable about aliens, and there’s no doubt in his mind that his teacher has some super-natural abilities. For example, how did she know that Melvin ate a chocolate cupcake at “healthy snack time” when she didn’t see him do it (and he had so carefully disposed of the evidence)?  Does she have a super-Martian sense of smell?

How did she know what he and Billy were up to in the next room when she wasn’t there – can she see through walls?

How does she always seem to know what is going on behind her back when she is writing on the blackboard? Does she have eyes in the back of her head, or does she have extra-terrestrial hearing?

Incredibly, Miss Martin seems able to read minds too. When Melvin offered yet another excuse for not doing his homework, she didn’t believe it! How did she know his excuse wasn’t true?

Miss Martin even seems to have the ability to brainwash students – she’s been making learning fun for her students – and Melvin has never known a teacher who did THAT for him before!

The sly humour in this story, the conclusion and the illustrations add up to a winning book for the younger school-aged crowd.

** Recommended for ages 5 to 8 years.

 

School for Bandits, by Hannah Shaw, 30 pages.

@ SPL:  JP Shaw

Mr. and Mrs. Raccoon were worried about their son, Ralph Raccoon.

Ralph wasn’t a typical raccoon. He was kind and helpful. He was polite. He didn’t like to cause mischief or make messes, even in neighbours’ garbage cans. He was clean and tidy. He didn’t throw food around, and he even brushed his teeth each night.

Mr. and Mrs. Raccoon were alarmed by Ralph’s excellent behaviour – so much so that they sent Ralph to bandit school to learn some bad manners. (How else would Ralph ever become a great raccoon bandit like Grandpa Cutlass or Uncle Whiskers?)

On his first day at the School for Bandits, where “no niceness was allowed”, Ralph could see right away that he wasn’t going to fit in. And he was correct. Ralph didn’t enjoy or do well in any of his classes, such as Bandit Behaviour 101, Bad Manners 101, Mischief & Messes 101, and Raccoon Science. In fact, he was hopeless!

One day, his teacher, Mrs. Mischief, announced a competition: the Best Bandit in the School Competition. Who could fill their bandit sack with the most pilfered treats over the weekend?

All the students were excited, except Ralph. He was so certain he’d lose that he didn’t even try.

When Ralph headed back to school on Monday morning, he continued his usual helpful behaviour. He gave directions to someone who was lost. He rescued a kitten stuck in a tree. He swam out to the middle of a pond to retrieve the wind-blown belongings of an entire outdoor orchestra. Each time, Ralph was rewarded with treats that went into his bandit sack.

By the time he arrived at school, the sack was so full that Ralph won the Best Bandit in the School Competition!

His teacher was surprised, but his parents were very proud of Ralph. “Just like Grandpa Cutlass!” said his father.

When the other raccoons begged Ralph to tell them his secret, he did. “Helpfulness and politeness are the best!” he said … and his classmates had to agree!

Children will very much enjoy this witty school story and its relevant message.

** Recommended for ages 4 to 7 years

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on March 8, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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March Break @ your library

If you are looking for fun stuff to do with your kids next week, come down to SPL! Besides thousands of picture and chapter books, we have kids computers, music and DVDs.  


As for activities, here is what's going on:

• Monday March 12 - Whale of a Tale at 6:30pm - for preschoolers and their families.  Free in the auditorium. Theme: A Rainbow of Colours
• Wednesday March 14 - Human Library at the Statford Youth Centre on Downie Street
• Wednesday March 14 - Lunchtime Learning presents downloadLibrary & ebooks. 12-1 in the auditorium.
• Thursday March 15 - Professional story-teller Mary-Eileen McClear from the Story Barn in Baden will be telling Irish stories guest at Thursday Noon Hour Club. 
• Thursday March 15 - Thursday Theatre at the Lower Optimist Hall, Water Street.  "Puss In Boots" (2011). 

Enjoy your time off kids!

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