Hooray, hooray, our little library is open today. We are back to our regular hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 10am to 5pm. Our phone number is 403.558.3927.
It is still recommended that books be quarantined for 72 hours after arrival to the library, so Lynda will call you when they arrive.
Story Walks will continue when the weather is fine. They are extremely popular. Thought is being put into the upcoming Summer Reading Program, so stay tuned for information about this.
Lydna is hoping to acquire a kit for passes to our National Parks for the summer months. They would be free, as well as the rental of binoculars, compasses and a guide book. Again, watch for more about this.
Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton have written a mystery novel that will be out in October. Hillary has long been an admirer of Penny, and they became friends when Hillary was in Montreal for a time. It is called The State of Terror, and it is a high stakes thriller of international intrigue.
February was an important month for all readers. Freedom To Read Week was from February 21 to 27. It was a week when Canadians were encouraged to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom. It is overseen by the committee of the Book and Periodical Council. Many great books have been banned, many of them classics and more recentely Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Fredrik Backman’s Bear, and the Harry Potter books. And this week, Dr. Seuss!
What can you do to help this situation? You can talk about the issue with your family and friends, put up posters and talk with your librarian and the owners of bookshops nearby.
February was also Black History Month. It was a month to celebrate the Arts and and Culture of our black neighbours. There are many many writers in this group of both fiction and non-fiction.
Some are: The Gutter Child by Jael Richardson, The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke and What We All Long For by Dionna Brand.
A good read is The Book Club by Mary Alice Munroe It’s such a moving story, you will wish you were a member, too. The bookclub is a very close group of friends who share their trials, triumphs and love and respect for each other.
Another is Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It is an engaging tale of an unmarried woman who is an amateur entomologist, and along with her colourful friend set out to find a golden beetle on the remote island of New Caledonia. If they find it, they hope to give it to the Natural History Museum. The story has a touch of whimsey and is a delightful read.
And, March 8-11th is Canada Reads Week. This is CBC’s Battle of the Books. Seven authors have been chosen to submit their books, their value will be debated and each day a book will be eliminated, with the winner chosen on the last day.
Happy Reading!
Sylvia Binkley, sliv@telus.net
