I love summer and I really love seeing summer activities depicted on book covers. You can’tell I work at a library, can't you? We don't really know what this summer will bring, but let's enjoy it all. Live vicariously through these book covers. Sunglasses Whatever you do this summer, you're going to want some cool […]
There are 100 libraries in Toronto and each branch has it's own character, collection and community. But across all libraries, books about crime are in high demand. Some older books have withstood the test of time being borrowed over and over, and in a way, handed from one reader to another. They've also survived physically […]
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. Mark Twain Everyone knows that April Fool's Day is a day for playing tricks on friends, coworkers and family. Less well known is […]
"Ides" refers to a day in the middle of the month, often a day when debts are due. In Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, a soothsayer warns the title character to "beware the Ides of March". He should have paid attention. On that particular March 15 things escalated quickly and Caesar was assassinated by a group […]
2020 was a year full of uncertainty, questions and challenges. Some of us chose to escape in fiction. Crime fiction is one of my favourite ways to get away from the real world. As with the cookbooks, I have looked at lists of favourite crime fiction and compiled the top ten most recommended books. This […]
It's time once again for my annual list of the cookbooks that appeared the most on "best of" lists this year. Everyone from bloggers to important culinary magazines makes lists. This year I looked at 50 lists which had 216 different books named. In 2020, 31 books about baking were on the list as people […]
In the Christmas carol, "The 12 Days of Christmas", the singer describes all the gifts they have received from their "true love". But I'm not convinced the relationship will last. Those are pretty awful presents. Having all those birds would definitely break the condo rules and where are seven swans going to be a-swimming? My […]
Are you watching the latest episodes of The Crown? So much happens in this season! A royal wedding! Babies! Scandalous affairs! War! Tragedy! Even a new Prime Minister. These books will tell you more about the events covered in this season and about the real lives of the featured players. Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary […]
When I think of 2020, I think of eyesight probably because mine hasn't been 20/20 for most of my life. There are a lot of other possibilities for this category: you can play around a with words. Eye witness, eyeliner, insight, second sight, love at first sight, sight-seeing–even bird-watching. You can find lots of fiction […]
For me this category is both intimidating and exhilarating. There are so many possibilities and I'm scared of most of them. I worry that I'm not smart enough to understand them. Like most readers I have specific likes and dislikes. I like stories; I hate stream of consciousness. Quirky books are good as long as […]