The Buzz...About Books

On February 11, Toronto Public Library’s Internet was down for almost an entire day. It is probably not like being a pioneer family trapped in a small cabin during a blizzard (see Little House on the Prairie) but there was a sense of isolation and panic. It is very difficult to do meaningful work in a connected environment when you are suddenly disconnected. Pressing questions arose: How do I communicate with my coworkers without e-mail? How will I write reports when I can’t use thesaurus.com? How will I know what’s going on in the world when I can’t access Twitter?

Just in case this sort of thing ever happens again, I have prepared a list of things we can do without the Internet:

Get a Life

The library is full of great biographies to read. 

These are some recent releases:

Avenue of Spies: a True Story of Terror, Espionage, and One Family's Heroic Resistance in Nazi-Occupied France by Alex Kershaw
• Audiobook
• eAudiobook
• eBook
• Large Print
• Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled patrons)

The Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Sterling and Brooke Passey

What Happened, Miss Simone? By Alan Light
• eBook

Young Elizabeth: the Making of the Queen by Kate Williams

Get Lost–In a Movie

Temporary Internet malfunctions can seem like the end of the world but we all know they aren’t. If you need some perspective, these movies about the end of the world may help.

Children of Men
An infertility crisis is preventing human reproduction and the species is facing extinction. A man must protect the last pregnant woman on earth in order to ensure human survival. 

Last Night
A diverse group of characters live out the final six hours of life on earth.

The Road
A man and his son make a dangerous quest through a devastated America in an attempt to find a more habitable environment.

Snowpiercer
A new ice age has killed all life on Earth, except for a handful of survivors aboard the Snowpiercer train. As the train endlessly crosses the globe, the passengers develop an economic system that leads to class division and discontent.

Take a Hike

The library has pedometers to borrow and studies have shown that even a short walk increases brain function.

The library also has suggestions for places to walk:

Great Country Walks around Toronto: Within Reach by Public Transportation by Elliott Katz

Sculpture in the City: Twelve Walks in Downtown Toronto by Helen Nolan

Toronto Urban Strolls 1—For Girlfriends: The Girlfriends Tested Guide to Exciting Walks in Toronto by Natalie Prézeau

Toronto’s Ravines and Urban Forests: Their Natural Heritage and Local History by Jason Ramsay-Brown

Fortunately Internet access was back to normal on Friday but I will keep this list handy for any future outages.