Sue Klebold's A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy comes 16 years after the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado. Klebold's youngest child was one of the shooters who murdered 12 students, one teacher and injured 24 others before killing himself. On April 20, 1999, Klebold's husband left a frantic phone message about […]
Photo: Wikipedia / Columbia Records Beyoncé's halftime performance during the Super Bowl and the debut of "Formation" (warning: explicit lyrics and extremely forthright dinner invitations) created quite a stir among politicians, pundits, academics and activists — seemingly based on Queen Bee's visual and lyrical references to her Southern US heritage, the Black Lives Matter movement, her […]
Photo: Creative Commons Canada woke up on Monday to hear that the legendary David Bowie had died of cancer – two days after releasing his album, Blackstar. And indeed – the stars look very different today. We are left to marvel at Bowie's incalculable influence on music, art, and style. Read a fraction of the outpouring […]
Wanna see something really scary? Here are 20 of the best horror movies available at the Toronto Public Library. Film critic Robin Wood wrote that the horror film's “true subject is the struggle for recognition of all that our civilization represses or oppresses." This holds true from James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein to the films of David Cronenberg. Haunted houses, sinister […]
Prefer your cinema….vérité? Hundreds of great documentaries are available from the Toronto Public Library. While feature films hog the spotlight, documentaries shine the spotlight on their subjects, presenting a version of reality that will entertain, enlighten, and on occasion, even enrage you. Check out the large collection available at the North York Central Library. Here's a […]
In recognition of World Alzheimer's Day on September 21, here are some notable novels featuring characters affected by Alzheimer's disease, a disease that has touched so many families here in Canada and around the world. Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey is a gripping mystery with not one, but two gone girls. Maud, a British pensioner, […]
John Cleese in Monty Python's classic skit, 'Ministry of Silly Walks'. [PNG Merlin Archive] Tickets for Monty Python's long-awaited reunion show sold out in 40 seconds. Didn't get a ticket? You can still re-live their finest moments with material available at the Toronto Public Library. While not something completely different, the show at London's O2 Arena […]
Farley Mowat died on May 6 at the age of 92 in Port Hope, Ontario. Canada mourns the loss of its beloved author, outspoken environmentalist, and friend – a passionate Canadian whose works we grew up with and will continue to pass on to future generations. The national outpouring has been overwhelming: read the tributes from […]
Doris Lessing died last Sunday at her home in London at the age of 94. Fearless and outspoken, Lessing was a literary icon, the British Nobel Laureate who broke with convention in both her life and her writing. Direct, often provocative, Lessing wielded a razor-sharp intellect that inspired generations. Ideology, gender politics, racism and colonialism […]
Doctor Sleep: In 1977, The Shining crowned Stephen King as the new master of horror fiction. King's tale of Danny Torrance, a little boy who experiences terrifying psychic episodes is more than a ghost story. To paraphrase Tolstoy, the Torrance family is very, very unhappy in its own way. Demons, both inner and outer, haunt […]