Friday, December 22, 2006

Happy Holidays


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our valued library patrons. I hope it's a peaceful season for you all.

When you are full of turkey and tired of re-runs on TV, come in to your local library branch. We'll find something good for you to read.

Georgina Public Libraries is closed Dec 24-26 and Dec 31-Jan 1. All other days we are open regular hours.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Your Evergreen Winner Is...



December 1, 2006

Again, the readers speak with their vote. Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden is the winner of the 2006 Evergreen Award. Adults across Ontario chose the book through their votes cast at local public libraries during Ontario Public Library Week. Boyden will receive his Award at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference in February.
Joseph Boyden is a Canadian with Irish, Scottish, and Métis roots. Three Day Road has received the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year Award and has also been shortlisted for the Governor General Award for Fiction. He is the author of Born with a Tooth, a collection of stories that was shortlisted for the Upper Canada Writer’s Craft Award. His work has appeared in publications such as Potpourri, Cimarron Review, Blue Penny Quarterly, BlackWarrior, and The Panhandler. He divides his time between Northern Ontario and Louisiana, where he teaches writing at the University of New Orleans.
Thank you to all our 2006 Georgina Evergreen readers. Hope to see you again in 2007!

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

The Giller 2006 Winner Is...


Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam
From the Giller Website (www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca):
Toronto, ON (November 7, 2006) – Vincent Lam has been named the 2006 winner of The Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada’s premier literary prize for fiction, for his novel Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, published by Doubleday Canada. The announcement was made at a gala dinner and award ceremony that drew more than 450 members of the publishing, media and arts communities. Hosted by Justin Trudeau, The Scotiabank Giller Prize was broadcast across Canada in primetime at 10 p.m. ET on CTV. The telecast will air again tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. ET and Saturday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. ET on CTV

The largest annual prize for fiction in the country, The Scotiabank Giller Prize awards $40,000 each year to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English and $2,500 to each of the finalists.Selected by an esteemed jury panel comprised of The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson and distinguished Canadian authors Alice Munro and Michael Winter, the five finalists were chosen from 101 books submitted for consideration by 36 publishing houses from every region of the country.

Of the winning book, the jury remarked: “This series of inter-linked stories is a profound and meaningful glimpse into a world which seems on the surface to be purely medical, but leads us into the metaphorical. The characters and the situations are unexpectedly bound together and make us, as readers, not just witnesses to, but participants in, the world that has been created for us.”

Vincent Lam was born in London, Ontario and grew up in Ottawa. His family is from the expatriate Chinese community of Vietnam. Vincent Lam is a doctor who did his medical training in Toronto and is an emergency physician who also does international evacuation work. His non-fiction writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, the National Post and the University of Toronto Medical Journal. Lam’s first novel will be published by Doubleday in 2007. He and his wife live in Toronto.

Copies of Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures are on order. Watch our website www.georgina.canlib.ca to place holds.

Friday, November 03, 2006

What We're Reading this Month

November is the perfect month to settle in on a comfy couch with a good book. Why not read what others in Georgina are reading this month? Our Book Clubs are in full swing, and new members are always welcome!


What we're reading in Sutton



An Audience Of Chairs by Joan Clark

Set primarily in rural Cape Breton, An Audience of Chairs recounts the life of Moranna MacKenzie, an unforgettable character. Moranna, suffers from an unnamed mental illness, possibly bi-polar disease, which led to the removal of her two daughters more than thirty years ago. She is a free-spirited recluse who spends her days singing and playing the piano, baking bread and carving figures out of wood. Upon learning of the upcoming wedding of one of her daughters, Moranna is determined to attend. She realizes that she must retain her sanity and composure or lose this chance to reconcile with her daughters. This is book full of gentleness, compassion, humour and beauty.

The Sutton Book Club meets Tuesday, November 28th at 7:30pm at the Peter Gzowski Branch.



What we're reading in Keswick




The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom


Eddie is a grizzled war veteran who feels trapped in a meaningless life of fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. As the park has changed over the years -- from the Loop-the-Loop to the Pipeline Plunge -- so, too, has Eddie changed, from optimistic youth to embittered old age. His days are a dull routine of work, loneliness, and regret. Then, on his 83rd birthday, Eddie dies in a tragic accident, trying to save a little girl from a falling cart. With his final breath, he feels two small hands in his -- and then nothing. He awakens in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a lush Garden of Eden, but a place where your earthly life is explained to you by five people who were in it. These people may have been loved ones or distant strangers. In The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom gives us an astoundingly original story that will change everything you've ever thought about the afterlife -- and the meaning of our lives here on earth. With a timeless tale, appealing to all, this is a book that readers of fine fiction, and those who loved Tuesdays with Morrie, will treasure.

The Keswick Book Club meets Tuesday, November 28 at 7pm, at the Keswick Branch


What we're reading in Pefferlaw


Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their Georgia peach farm, spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. These consoling fantasies are her heart's answer to the family story that as a child, in unclear circumstances, Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother. All Lily has left of Deborah is a strange image of a Black Madonna, with the words "Tiburon, South Carolina" scrawled on the back. The search for a mother, and the need to mother oneself, are crucial elements in this well-written coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest. When Lily's beloved nanny, Rosaleen, manages to insult a group of angry white men on her way to register to vote and has to skip town, Lily takes the opportunity to go with her, fleeing to the only place she can think of--Tiburon, South Carolina--determined to find out more about her dead mother. Although the plot threads are too neatly trimmed, The Secret Life of Bees is a carefully crafted novel with an inspired depiction of character. The legend of the Black Madonna and the brave, kind, peculiar women who perpetuate Lily's story dominate the second half of the book, placing Kidd's debut novel squarely in the honored tradition of the Southern Gothic.

The Pefferlaw Book Club meets Thursday, Dec 7 at 1:30pm, at the Pefferlaw Branch.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

November is National Novel Writing Month



Are you an aspiring writer? Ever dream of being the newest Stephen King? Now's your chance! November is National Novel Writing Month, and at NaNoWriMo.org, the motto is No Plot? No Problem!
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Local chapters (including Georgina) help writers connect to each other and stay motivated.
Visit www.nanowrimo.org and join 75,000 other would-be novelists. Happy writing!

Friday, October 20, 2006

Prizes prizes prizes

Congratulations to all the winners of Evergreen Award prizes. Wednesday, October 18th was the wrap-up party. The 16 people who attended enjoyed food, and great conversation about likes and dislikes on the Evergreen list this year. Thanks to all of our generous sponsors, just about everyone walked out with a door prize.

The Grand Prize Winners were three very lucky people:

Grand Prize #1 went to Kathleen Tough of Keswick. Kathleen won a $25 gift certificate to the Simcoe Arms, a pedicure from Confidente Spa, a $25 gift certifiate to Kat's Gallery, stained glass bookends from RoseCraft Studio, and a quarterly family swimming pass from the Georgina Leisure Pool.

Grand Prize #2 went to Wendy Hardman of Pefferlaw. Wendy won a CD Player from Canadian Tire, a set of earthenware dishes from Sutton Home Hardware, a gourmet cookbook from The Briars, and a quarterly family swimming pass from the Georgina Leisure Pool.

Grand Prize # 3 went to Audrey Whitcombe of Sutton. Audrey won dinner for two at the Penninsula Resort, 2 tickets to The Nutcracker at the Stephen Leacock Theatre, a set of art glass dishes from Village Traditions, a courmet coffee mug set from Apples of Gold, and a quarterly family swimming pass from the Georgina Leisure Pool.

Congratulations to all our Winners! Thank You to all our Sponsors!

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Telling Our Stories Contest Now Open!



http://tvo.org/tellingourstories/5962


TVO and the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries have created a writing contest with big prize money. Share your story of how the public library has made a difference in your life. $5,000 to be won!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Tell YOUR Story ~ $5,000 to be Won!


http://tvo.org/tellingourstories/5962

Share Your Story for a Chance to Win!


How has the public library made a difference to you or your family? Everybody has a story: tell us yours!

Telling Our Stories-The magic of Public Libraries is a personal story-writing contest that celebrates the impact of Ontario public libraries on its citizens and their communities.
What types of stories are we looking for? We want stories that tell about how a public library has inspired, informed and transformed you!
Was it something you read, something you saw, something you heard?
Did a librarian help in an extraordinary way?
Did you learn a new skill or how to think differently?
Do you or your family members have a wonderful memory to share?
Over $5000 will be awarded in cash prizes, and the contest runs from October 16-November 30, 2006.
For rules, entry forms, and online submissions, visit the Telling Our Stories website: http://tvo.org/tellingourstories/5962
Tell YOUR Story!

Friday, October 06, 2006

The Year of the Diary

Has anyone else noticed that a healthy chunk of the Evergreen books are diaries, memoirs, or diary-format fiction? The far-flung reaches of wilderness Canada, the beautiful island of Corfu, a fascinating trek through the frozen hinterland, and a heart-warming life of two girls joined at the head all make for interesting reading.

Does the diary/memoir format make a book more appealing to you? Is it like peering inside someone's kitchen window, or is it as ho-hum as reality television?

Friday, September 15, 2006

It's Time to Parrrr-tay!



evergreen award
Wrap-Up Party


Will be held Wednesday, October 18th 7-9pm
Peter Gzowski Branch in Sutton (905) 722-5702

Evergreen Readers all across Georgina are invited
to our end-of-season celebration.
There will be food, door prizes,
Grand Prizes, and great conversation
Come talk about your favourite (or least favourite)
evergreen books.
Vote for your favourite
Win a Prize!!

Friday, September 08, 2006

Science Fiction for the Rest of Us

If you're anything like me, you don't read science fiction. (Watching the Star Wars movies four times doesn't count, unfortunately) Well, Hominids is a book that might change your mind. An intriguing plot, with a healthy dose of drama thrown in, goes a long way to making this sci fi novel read more like a paperback thriller.

Give Hominids a try. You might discover a new-found love of the genre... or at least win a prize!

Hominids
Written by Robert J. Sawyer
Hominids, the first book of the Neanderthal Parallax, is a story of parallel worlds, ours, and another in which Neanderthals, not homo sapiens, became the dominant intelligent species. Ponter Boddit and his partner Adikor are physicists in this advanced Neanderthal civilization who are building a quantum computer. While conducting an experiment, Ponter accidentally pierces the barrier between the worlds and finds himself transplanted into ours. He is discovered by a group of scientists at the Sudbury Neutrino Laboratory and taken to safety. Almost immediately the group of scientists recognizes that Ponter is Neanderthal and are anxious to study and learn what they can from him. Ponter is both bewildered and curious about his new surroundings. He is befriended, in particular by Mary Vaughan, who comes to recognize that Ponter is a fellow scientist. Back home, Adikor is at a loss to explain Ponter's disappearance. Without an explanation he is forced to defend himself against a charge of murder. Only Ponter's safe return can save him. Meanwhile, Ponter is anxious to get home. He and his fellow scientists plan to reverse the experiment that brought Ponter to earth in an effort to send him home. Only the scientific genius of both universes can pull it off.

Monday, August 28, 2006

What we're reading right now















by Lori Lansens

Sutton Book Club's choice for September. Read The Girls then come tell us what you thought of it at our next meeting: Tuesday, September 26th 7:30pm Peter Gzowski Library, Sutton. Did I mention you could win a prize for signing out The Girls?

The girls are Rose and Ruby Darlen, the oldest surviving craniopagus twins (joined at the head) who are jointly writing the story of their lives as a brain aneurysm threatens to cut their lives short. From a near-idyllic upbringing on a small Ontario farm with the loving couple who adopted them, to a near-normal childhood and a young adulthood working in the local library (Rose shelves books and Ruby reads to children), they have been accepted as their community mascots. Told with warmth and humour, this rich story should find its way into the hearts of all readers.


















Keswick Book Club's Choice for October.
Have you read this fascinating book? Have an opinion you'd like to share? Come out to the Keswick Library on Tuesday, October 31st at 7pm and have your say!


Amir and Hassan are childhood friends in the alleys and orchards of Kabul in the sunny days before the invasion of the Soviet army and Afghanistan’s decent into fanaticism. Both motherless, they grow up as close as brothers, but their fates, they know, are to be different. Amir’s father is a wealthy merchant; Hassan’s father is his manservant. Amir belongs to the ruling caste of Pashtuns, Hassan to the despised Hazaras.This fragile idyll is broken by the mounting ethnic, religious, and political tensions that begin to tear Afghanistan apart. An unspeakable assault on Hassan by a gang of local boys tears the friends apart; Amir has witnessed his friend’s torment, but is too afraid to intercede. Plunged into self-loathing, Amir conspires to have Hassan and his father turned out of the household.When the Soviets invade Afghanistan, Amir and his father flee to San Francisco, leaving Hassan and his father to a pitiless fate. Only years later will Amir have an opportunity to redeem himself by returning to Afghanistan to begin to repay the debt long owed to the man who should have been his brother.Compelling, heartrending, and etched with details of a history never before told in fiction, The Kite Runner is a story of the ways in which we’re damned by our moral failures, and of the extravagant cost of redemption.


Pefferlaw Book Club is reading The Alchemist. A fantastic story of struggle and romance. Come discuss The Alchemist at our October meeting!

Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired millions of delighted readers around the world. This story, dazzling in its simplicity and wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who ventures from his homeland in Spain to North Africa in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a beautiful, young gypsy woman, a man who calls himself a king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is or if Santiago can surmount the obstacles along the way through the desert. But what starts out as a boyish adventure to discover exotic places and worldly wealth turns into a quest for the treasures only found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, Santiago's story is an eternal testament to following our dreams and listening to our hearts.


Tuesday, August 08, 2006

And Now for Something Completely Different...


The evergreen award shortlist is very diverse. A little fiction, a little history, a lot of interesting Canadian writing. One book stands out as something you may have never seen before. Paul Moves Out by Michel Rabagliati is a unique graphic novel. What's a graphic novel, you ask? Read on...

Sort of like a comic book ('cept this one's for adults), a graphic novel combines text with artwork. This multi-dimensional method of storytelling uses art to bring a story to life.

Give Paul Moves Out a try. You could even win a prize!

Friday, July 28, 2006

10 Fantastic Canadian Books


Take a look at the evergreen award shortlist: http://www.accessola.com/forest06evergreen/

10 Fantastic Canadian Books, waiting for you, @ your library!

A selection of fiction and non-fiction, there's something here for everyone.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Evergreen reading program


Georgina Public Libraries is gearing up for another busy summer of reading, prizes and fun. Our newest summer reading program comes with a twist- it’s for adults.

The evergreen award, created by the Ontario Library Association, gives adult library patrons the opportunity to vote for a work of Canadian fiction or non-fiction that they have liked the most. Adults of all ages have the opportunity to win prizes while reading fantastic Canadian books.

Ten books are shortlisted for the evergreen award. They are all Canadian, and appeal to a wide range of audiences. The evergreen Shortlist includes fiction, science fiction and non-fiction books. Well-known books such as Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibbs, The Girls by Lori Lansens and Race Against Time by Stephen Lewis are just a few of the titles on the shortlist.

The contest is simple: visit your local Georgina Public Library branch to pick up an evergreen Shortlist, and sign out one of the titles. With every book signed out, readers will receive a ballot for a monthly draw. Readers who have signed out at least half of the shortlist will be eligible to vote for their favourite book, and will receive a ballot to win a grand prize.

The evergreen award contest is being generously sponsored by the Town of Georgina, and several local businesses. Prizes include monthly family swim passes, theatre tickets, gift certificates to local restaurants, and many more!

More details on the evergreen award summer reading contest may be found at http://www.georgina-library.com/, or at your local Georgina Public Library Branch.