88Imagine Sherlock Holmes stripped of his atmospheric Victorian surroundings, his hansom cabs and foggy streets and that iconic pipe. How would he function in today's world? That's the challenge that BBC writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss took up last year when they created the three-episode series Sherlock. In this uber-modern interpretation of Sir Arthur Conan […]
Do you have kids, teens or tweens who use–or want to use– facebook? Come to Riverdale branch to find out what paren’ts should know about this popular social networking tool. Topics covered include: How young people are using facebook Risks your child or teen may not be aware of Safety rules for social networking sites […]
On Wednesday, April 6, from 7-8:30 PM at Riverdale Branch, Lily Cho, author of Eating Chinese: Culture on the Menu in Small Town Canada will guide us through the history of the cuisine which North America calls Chinese. A perfect complement to TPL's One Book, Midnight at the Dragon Cafe, Lily's knowledge of Chinese Canadian […]
Most gleeks out there will tell you that, along with the singing, dancing and general fabulous exuberance of Glee, the fashion is beyond cool. From Kurt's elegant, sophisticated wardrobe to Tina's Victorian Goth glamour to Rachel's self-styled "sexy-schoolgirl-librarian-chic", each character has a distinctive look that the fandom has come to love. The character whose wardrobe […]
Kids love comics, and several studies have shown that comics do a great job of motivating kids to read more and of improving their reading skills. Lately some excellent, age-appropriate graphic books have been created for very young children (think ages 3-7) who are just a bit too young for traditional comics. Here are […]
Riverdale Library has some excellent activities planned for March Break! We're kicking off with Bob the Magician on Monday, March 14 from 2 to 3 pm. Bob is not only magical, he's also very funny. He's bringing along Sammy the Rabbit to join in the magical mayhem. Come prepared to be amazed. Wednesday March 16 […]
I'm fascinated by the lives of creative people, and documentaries on the subject are always high on my radar. One that I have just finished enjoying is Glass: a portrait of Philip in twelve parts. A contemplative, intimate account of the contemporary composer Philip Glass, I found the unhurried way this film takes its […]
Here's a quick quiz. How old do you have to be to get your first library card? a) Kindergarten age b) One year old c) The day you are born If you guessed c, you're correct! Not all paren’ts realize that their newborns are entitled to their own library cards from birth onwards. Many studies […]
For me, part of the pleasure of reading can be learning new things. The latest book that made me feel like I'd really learned something is The Photographer by Didier Lefevre, a French photographer, and his close friend, graphic novelist Emmanuel Guilbert. The Photographer is actually a mashup of graphic illustration and black-and-white photography, and […]
For those of you who haven't visited us lately, our branch is now closed for about six weeks while we make it even more gorgeous and functional. While we're spiffing up, you can pick up your holds at nearby Queen/Saulter branch. Come fall and our centennial, we'll be up and running and better than ever!