Melanie

National Indigenous History Month 2020

June 10, 2020 | Melanie | Comments (2)

June marks National Indigenous History Month, but Canada still has a long way to go in improving its relationship with Indigenous nations across Turtle Island. One of the ways Canadians can honour Indigenous histories, peoples and communities is to learn and educate themselves. Here are a few places to start.   Read Indigenous A list […]

Seegwun: Cleansing and Resurgence

May 1, 2018 | Melanie | Comments (0)

First Story Toronto members Sarena Johnson and Megan Davies have teamed up with us to bring Indigenous local history narratives to our Local History & Genealogy blog. Here they return with their seegwun post, along with their guest blogger Morris Prosser! Have a look at their previous posts, Indigenous Toronto: Takwaakin in the City and […]

Biboon, Nanaboozhoo and Carnival: Winter Trickster Stories

February 25, 2018 | Melanie | Comments (0)

By Sarena Johnson and Megan Davies, First Story Toronto Aaniiboozhoo, We’re back this giiwe-biboon (late winter)! This is the best time to talk about Trickster, because he’s sleeping and won’t bother us. Sometimes if you talk about spirits, they will hear it as an invitation to visit you. Trickster isn’t an entirely bad or good […]

Indigenous Toronto: Takwaakin in the City

October 2, 2017 | Melanie | Comments (3)

Aanii Toronto, We are two members of First Story Toronto, and we couldn’t be more excited to be bringing you the first of a new series of seasonal blog posts about Indigenous Toronto – past, present and future – through the Toronto Public Library! Here’s a bit about us: Aaniiboozhoo! I’m Sarena Johnson, a member […]

Sign up for an Indigenous Canada Online Course

September 11, 2017 | Melanie | Comments (12)

Join us in exploring Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada, from Indigenous perspectives. Indigenous Canada is a FREE Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), created by the University of Alberta, Faculty of Native Studies, that looks at key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective, highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations. […]

Read Indigenous

May 25, 2017 | Melanie | Comments (6)

Learn about indigenous experiences in Canada by reading the works of those who have lived that experience.   Burning in this Midnight Dream by Louise Bernice Half            Alicia Elliott in Initiations: A Selection of Young Native Writings                                                                                                                                  Meshom and the Little One by Elaine Wagner     Night Moves by Richard Van […]

Actors Who Write Fiction

October 2, 2015 | Melanie | Comments (6)

It's not uncommon for celebrities to write books, especially autobiographies. Instead of the usual (presumably ghostwritten) memoir, some actors have actually branched out to write fiction.   Bream Give me Hiccups: and other stories, by Jesse Eisenberg • eBook   A Vision of Fire, by Gillian Anderson • eBook • eAudiobook Holy Cow: a Modern Day Romance, […]

If you liked The Girl on the Train

June 26, 2015 | Melanie | Comments (0)

I just finished reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (also available in eBook and Audiobook format). This book was touted as the next Gone Girl, another addition to the dysfunctional female character thriller genre. While I didn't think it was the best book that I've ever read, it was certainly worth the long […]

Tips for Getting Over a Reading Slump

April 17, 2015 | Melanie | Comments (7)

I've always been an avid reader. The only time I didn't read for leisure was when I was in university, because I was too busy reading for school. I would occasionally read books during my summer vacation, but I didn't start reading for myself until after I graduated. Once I started working in the library, […]

Cookbooks that I Actually Cook From

March 13, 2015 | Melanie | Comments (1)

I love to cook. I don't always have time to cook from scratch every day, but I try to make a new recipe at least twice a week.  Despite owning a lot of cookbooks, I always turn to the library's extensive cookbook collection for inspiration. Sometimes after borrowing the library's cookbooks, I will decide they […]