Library Moments: Read the book before the movie comes out!

Sherrill Sherwood, Collections Development:  Hello, I’m Sherrill Sherwood from the Haliburton County Public Library and this is Library Moments. Once a week some of us from the library will come and talk about books, upcoming events, or the services we offer at the library.

Before there were movies, there were books. While it’s hard to find the answer to the question “What was the first book that was ever made into a movie?” guesses range from Frankenstein to Snow White to A Christmas Carol, all in the early 1900s. It’s funny to imagine people coming out of the theatres back then talking about the book being much better than the movie but it’s certainly commonplace today.

Erin Kernohan-Berning and I have picked a couple of titles to tell you about that are being released in theatres in 2015, giving you the chance to read the books before they are given the big-screen treatment.

Erin Kernohan-Berning, Branch Services Librarian: Imagine having one of the sharpest, most renowned minds in the world, and then imagine starting to lose it. This is what author Mitch Cullen asks in his book A Slight Trick of the Mind slated to debut on film in July titled Mr. Holmes.

Ian McKellen plays an aging Sherlock Holmes, aged 93 and tending bees on the Sussex Downs, unable to walk without the aid of a cane, and increasingly dependent on his housekeeper (played by Laura Linney) and her son (played by Milo Parker). Mrs. Hudson, Dr. Watson, and Mycroft are all dead, and Holmes is only left with his memory, which is becoming increasingly unreliable. Grappling with the onset of dementia, Holmes reminisces about an unsolved case, attempting to get to the bottom of it before his legendary mind fails completely, and his sense of self – so woven into his intellect – crumbles.

A Slight Trick of the Mind was written in 2005, at the time receiving favourable reviews from critics but only middling reviews from Sherlock Holmes fans who found it difficult to think of their larger-than-life hero in such a human way. Now, with the success of stories that explore Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, such as Still Alice, as well as the popularity stories reimagining the Great Detective in print and on screen, it seems A Slight Trick of the Mind is a book whose time has come. Before Mr. Holmes hits theatres on July 17th, you can reserve A Slight Trick of the Mind in print at the Haliburton County Public Library.

Sherrill: Hot on the heels of the success of Gone Girl’s screen adaptation, Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places is set to be released in August. Dark Places was published three years before Gone Girl, and while both movies are based on the same author’s work, from all accounts the cinematic experience will be quite different. Dark Places is about Libby Day, just seven years old when her older brother massacred her family while she hid in a cupboard. Her evidence helped put him away. Ever since then, Libby has been living off of donations and handouts. Libby’s money is about to run out when she gets a letter from a man who is a part of a Kill Club. The Kill Club is interested in mystery murders and they offer Libby money in exchange for information on her family’s murder. As Libby attempts to reconnect with the slaughter that happened over two decades prior, she begins to question her brother’s involvement and attempts to find the true killer of her family.

It mostly depends on the studio but generally a movie is released as a DVD about five to seven months after its theatrical release.  Whether you choose to read the book or watch the dvd, or both, you will be able to request them through the Haliburton County Public Library. That’s it for this week’s edition of Library Moments, thanks for listening here on 100.9 Canoe FM.

*Originally aired on 100.9 CANOE FM, June 14th – June 20th, 2015.

Library Moments: June Online Book Club

Sherrill Sherwood, Collections Development: Hello, I’m Sherrill Sherwood from the Haliburton County Public Library and this is Library Moments. Once a week some of us from the library will come and talk about books, upcoming events, or the services we offer at the library.

Anyone can participate in Haliburton County Public Library’s Online Book Club by choosing to read one or more of four books selected each month. You don’t even have to read from a particular month’s selection, you can simply go online and make comments about books and reading in general.

In honour of Father’s Day the online book club theme for June is books with the word “father” in their title. All four choices this month are novels and two even have the same title! The books are; Sins of Our Fathers by Shawn Lawrence Otto, My Father’s Wives by Mike Greenberg, The Good Father by Noah Hawley and The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain.

This week on Library Moments, Erin Kernohan-Berning and I will each tell you about the book we selected from this month’s online book club choices.

Erin Kernohan-Berning, Branch Services Librarian: In The Good Father by Noah Hawley, Dr. Paul Allan is the Chief of Rheumatology at Columbia Presbyterian. His job is to diagnose the hard to diagnose, dealing with patients that other doctors have given up on. His world is turned upside down when watching the evening news his son, Daniel, product of a previous failed marriage, is shown as the assassin of the Democratic presidential candidate. Daniel, nineteen, a drifter between his two families, who should be attending Vassar but quietly dropped out to wander aimlessly across the United States under the assumed name of Carter Allan Cash.

Told alternately from the point of view of the guilt-ridden Dr. Allan and the meandering and ruminative Daniel, The Good Father by Noah Hawley is a story of the responsibilities, and limitations, of being a parent and the capacity to give our children unconditional love even in the most unthinkable of situations.

Sherrill: Diane Chamberlain’s fans describe her books as character driven and hard to put down. Published in 2012, The Good Father rated as a favorite for many. The story is about nineteen-year-old Travis Brown, and a choice he made four years ago: to raise his newborn daughter on his own. While most of his friends were out partying and meeting girls, Travis was at home, changing diapers and worrying about keeping food on the table. But he’s never regretted his decision. Bella is the light of his life, the reason behind every move he makes. And so far, she is fed, cared for, safe. But when Travis loses his construction job and his home, the security he’s worked so hard to create for Bella begins to crumble. Then a miracle – a job in Raleigh has the power to turn their fortunes around. It has to. But when Travis arrives in Raleigh, there is no job, only an offer to participate in a one time criminal act that promises quick money and no repercussions. With nowhere else to turn, Travis must make another choice for his daughter’s sake. Even if it means he might lose her.

To join the online book club, look for the Social Media links on our homepage at www.haliburtonlibrary.ca. Click on the “g” for Goodreads and it’ll take you right to the Online Book Club page. That’s it for this week’s Library Moments, thanks for listening here on 100.9 Canoe FM.

*Originally aired on 100.9 CANOE FM, June 21st – June 27th, 2015.

50 stories: “We are so fortunate to have a library in Gooderham” #hcpl50

Historic Gooderham
Image credit: Mike Milton
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5

This week’s story comes from Chuck and Bea Viner who visit our Gooderham branch.

Imagine not being able to read. What a horrible thought. My wife and I read a great deal. We are so fortunate to have a library in Gooderham, with lots of good books available.. We are also very fortunate to have an excellent Branch Supervisor who will always go the extra mile to help locate a special book you might want. Mrs. Billings does an excellent job. We are very very fortunately to have our library and an excellent Branch Supervisor.

Share your story with us! Go to www.haliburtonlibrary.ca and tell us what your library means to you!

The Highlander’s Hot Reads: June 25, 2015

HCPL’s TOP FICTION
1. Country by Danielle Steel
2. Truth or Die by James Patterson
3. The Precipice by Paul Doiron

HCPL’s TOP NON-FICTION
1. The Bletchley Girls: the women of Bletchley Park tell their story by Tessa Dunlop
2. Damage Done: a Mountie’s memoir: from hurt to hopeful, from horses to healing by Deanna Lennox
3. Sick in the Head: conversations about life and comedy by Judd Apatow

HCPL’s TOP JUNIOR TITLES
1. Adventure Time. Volume 6 by Ryan North (JF)
2. Just My Rotten Luck by James Patterson (JF)

AUDIO and VIDEO at HCPL
1. Chappie (DVD)
2. 14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson (Book on CD)

*Originally published in The Highlander on June 25th, 2015.

HCPL’s DVD of the Month: McFarland, USA

It’s 1987 and hardnosed high school football coach, Jim White, finds himself in trouble when he throws a shoe at one of his underperforming players. Fired, he and his family move to the economically depressed town of McFarland, California, and instantly Jim has trouble fitting in.

After alienating himself by overruling the football coach at his new school, Jim puts together a cross-country team made up of boys who are having trouble in school – whether cut from the football team, tormented by bullies, or dealing with other tough issues in their young lives. Jim puts the boys through their paces, running them through town in preparation for their first meet. As the McFarland team hits the track at Palo Alto, they are horribly taunted by the other schools, and Jim has his work cut out for him to get the team into championship shape. In the process he helps them, and they help him, overcome adversity on the field and in their personal lives.

McFarland, USA is inspired by the true story of the 1987 cross-country team from McFarland High School in California. It is available to reserve at the Haliburton County Public Library.

County Life: Haliburton County Reads begins July 8th

What book should everyone in Haliburton County Read? We aim to find out during this year’s Haliburton County Reads: The Summer Sessions on 100.9 CANOE FM. Starting July 8^th, five dedicated readers will each bring to the table a book that they feel everyone in Haliburton should read. From there, they will defend their book – each episode one book will get voted to be put back on the shelf. The last book on the table will be the focus of the Haliburton County Public Library’s “One Book One Community” upcoming programming.

This is the fourth season of Haliburton County Reads: The Summer Sessions, and as usual each book brought forward by the readers is a winner in its own right, making the decision to pick only one that much harder. In fact, each of the five books is one that everyone in Haliburton County should put on their to-read list. Aside from the very serious business of choosing a book – which will be tackled with a very healthy dose of laughter – other questions will be explored such as what makes a book that everyone in Haliburton County should read, do great books always make great movies, what would a book look like written by another author, the differences between male and female writers, and what exactly is “fifth business”, Mr. Davies?

If you would like to get a jump on reading the titles before the episodes air, here they are along with their defenders:

All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews, defended by Anne-Marie Borthwick

Elf and Yoli are loving sisters who couldn’t be more different. Elf is a genius, a world renowned pianist. Yoli is a floundering children’s author trying to break into literary fiction. Elf is married to a successful husband living in a nice house. Yoli is divorced with two kids and a chaotic household. Elf wants to die. Yoli wants Elf to live.

Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, defended by Greg Roe

Dunstan Ramsay is a man twice born, once in the small town of Deptford, Ontario where a dodged snowball leads to a cascade of unintended consequences, and again in the hell of the battlefield of Passchendaele during WWI. As Dunstan looks back on his life, memory, history, and myth collide to show that no act, however innocent or innocuous, is insignificant.

 

The Masked Rider by Neil Peart, defended by Sean Pennylegion

Neil Peart, world traveler and drummer for the Canadian rock band Rush, describes his cycling tour across Cameroon during one of the more politically tumultuous times in its history, billed as the most challenging bike tour in the world. Bringing with him Aristotle, Dante, and van Gogh, Peart describes the toughness of the terrain, his uneven relationships with his travelling companions, and the unique perspective of the world that traveling at people speed can give you.

Punishment by Linden MacIntyre, defended by Jenn Watt

What is the right thing? Kingston Pen guard Tony Breau is forced into retirement, limping back to his small Nova Scotia hometown to lick his wounds. There he is surprised to find Dwayne Strickland, a con he came to know in the system, who is in trouble again – this time accused of murder. As the village reels over the death of one of their young people, Tony grapples with questions of identity, judgement, and the consequences of doing the right thing.

Up and Down by Terry Fallis, defended by Angus Sullivan

David Stewart has just made the jump from the public sector to the world of corporate PR. Tasked with revitalizing NASA’s reputation and reenergizing the public’s interest in space exploration, David launches the citizen astronaut project. But when Canada’s selection turns out to be an aged lesbian doctor and bush pilot with a life-long ambition to go into space, the more conservative higher ups in his PR firm are gunning for her and David to fail. Can David do the right thing but still keep his job?

All of these titles are available at the Haliburton County Public Library. To find out which book is the winner, tune in to Haliburton County Reads: The Summer Sessions Wednesdays at 6pm and Fridays at 11am on 100.9 CANOE FM starting July 8^th.

50 stories: They remember… #hcpl50

This week’s story comes from Ruth Cooper who visits our Stanhope branch.

My father was a high-school librarian. Our whole family has always loved to read. I always enjoy going to Stanhope. The staff are so helpful and friendly. They remember my choice of books and my favourite authors. When they spot a book they think I might like, they set it aside for me.

Share your story with us! Go to www.haliburtonlibrary.ca and tell us what your library means to you!

The Highlander’s Hot Reads: June 18, 2015

HCPL’s TOP FICTION
1. The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand
2. The Breaking Point: a Body Farm novel by Jefferson Bass
3. Blueprints by Barbara Delinsky

HCPL’s TOP NON-FICTION
1. The Secret of Golf: the story of Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus by Joe Posnanski
2. The Canning Kitchen: 101 simple small batch recipes by Amy Bronee
3. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

HCPL’s TOP JUNIOR TITLES
1. Big Dog and Little Dog Going For a Walk by Dav Pilkey (JF)
2. Craft Camp: over 40 fun projects for kids by Nathalie Mornu (JNF)

AUDIO and VIDEO at HCPL
1. Kingsman: the secret service (DVD)
2. Second Life by S.J. Watson (Book on CD)

*Originally published in The Highlander on June 18, 2015.

Book Talks: Seconds and Somewhere in France

Seconds by Bryan Lee O’Malley

In Seconds by Bryan Lee O’Malley, Katie is in a rut. The 29 year old star chef with an ego to match is stuck in limbo at her first successful restaurant “Seconds” while progress has all but halted on the completion of her bigger and better restaurant “Katie’s”. When a steamy fling with the new chef goes sour, and her charming ex-boyfriend makes an appearance, AND her best waitress is horribly injured on the job, Katie has just about had it. Then a mysterious girl visits Katie in the night with a do-it-yourself do-over involving a little red notebook and a mysterious magic mushroom. Just like that the bad stuff never happened, and Katie is  on a roll to make her life better… no… perfect. But will her determination to change the past really give her the perfect future? Or will her alterations have damaging unintended consequences.

Seconds, is a graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley. It is available to reserve at the Haliburton County Public Library.

Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson

Somewhere in France is the title of Jennifer Robson’s Evergreen Award™ nominated title, set in 1914 England. In this novel of the Great War, Lady Elizabeth Neville-Ashford, known as Lilly, breaks free from her wealthy parents’ control and becomes an ambulance driver at the front, “somewhere in France”. Lilly discovers an unexpected perk – she is close to her childhood crush, surgeon Robbie Fraser, whose lower-class beginnings made him an unworthy suitor in her parents’ eyes. World War I provides its own obstacles to the couple’s relationship however, and Robbie and Lilly struggle to overcome both the horrors around them and their own fears and anxieties about the future. Somewhere in France can be reserved through any branch of the Haliburton County Public Library .The Evergreen Award program was introduced in 2005 to give adult library patrons the opportunity to vote for a work of Canadian fiction or non-fiction that they have liked the most. Read one or all on the list and cast a vote for your favorite at any of the eight branches in the fall.

*Originally aired on 100.9 CANOE FM May 31st – June 13th, 2015.

Library Moments: Community Led

Bessie Sullivan, County Librarian: Hello, I’m Bessie Sullivan from the Haliburton County Public Library and this is Library Moments. Once a week some of us from the library will come and talk about books, upcoming events, or the services we offer at the library.

The current trend in the library world is something called “community led”. We had a great deal of interest in this as we always want to learn better ways to interact with the community around us. As it turns out “community led” isn’t really a new way of thinking but rather what the library has always done in Haliburton.

In terms of collections is works like this. We ask ourselves the question, what kind of collection do the people of Haliburton specifically need to assist them in their interests. For example, if you do a search on Maple syrup it yields a wealth of information for both the budding hobbyist and those that rely on the production for income.

This week on Library Moments Sherrill Sherwood, Erin Kernohan-Berning and I will each tell you about an aspect of our collection that is community led.

Sherrill Sherwood, Collections Development: Seed libraries are popping up in various library systems including Markham, Vaughan, Orillia, and Collingwood. Each seed library is unique to the place and the people involved. In Haliburton County, the library is partnered with Haliburton In Transition and Harvest Haliburton. Basically, people come to the Dysart branch, where the seed library is tucked into the back corner, to borrow and return seeds. People plant seeds in their gardens, raise the plants, let a bit of them go to seed and bring some of those mature seeds back to the library to replenish the collection. If you never return the seeds, that’s okay, you can still come back to take more.To support those interested in learning more about saving seeds and gardening, the library purchased a number of related books. One of the most popular additions in this category is The Heirloom Life Gardener: the Baker Creek way of growing your own food easily and naturally. In this invaluable resource, Jere and Emilee Gettle, cofounders of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, share a wealth of knowledge to expert as well as novice gardeners. The book offers planting, growing, harvesting, and seed saving tips, in addition to an extensive A to Z Growing Guide, including amazing heirloom varieties that many people have never even seen. From seed collecting to the history of seed varieties and name origins, Jere takes you far beyond the heirloom tomato. This is the first book of its kind that is not only a guide to growing beautiful and delicious vegetables, but also a way to join the movement of people who long for real food and a truer way of living. While you don’t need a library card to take the seeds, you do need one to borrow The Heirloom Life Gardener.

Erin Kernohan-Berning, Branch Services Librarian: Vehicles can be both an enjoyment and a necessity. Having a one is a requirement in Haliburton County. While many are able to lessen their dependency on cars by cycling, walking, and even canoeing, if you are traveling across the County, or leaving it, you’ll have to get in a vehicle at some point. A vehicle is an expensive investment whether new or used, taking into account the initial buying price, the cost of insurance, and the cost of maintenance. HCPL has many resources for those of us who rely on the four-wheel ball and chain, including the Lemon-Aid series of buying guides,

Rat rod pickup photo by Rex Grey
License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

repair manuals, and the Chilton Library database (access from home using your library card # and the password trillium) for automobile repair which provides information on labour estimates, vehicle maintenance, and recalls for the most popular vehicle from the last 30 years. It is especially useful for older vehicles, where you can find detailed pictures, animations, and videos on common repair needs.

If you are looking to get your license, whether for a car, big truck, bus, or motorcycle, you can find the most recent official driver’s handbooks from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation at Haliburton County Public Library. The library decided to start carrying these to save people a bit of money – often we need these books only once in our lives.

Cars, for many, are also a thing of joy. For those who are obsessed with all things that go VROOM! we have books on everything from classic cars, to rat rods, to racing!

Bessie: Lynda Shadbolt of Haliburton Yoga has conducted many different kinds of yoga workshops by donation to benefit the Friend of the Library. Lynda did a series on chair yoga which is a way to stretch and bend while sitting on a chair. It is good for people who sit a lot, be they office workers, or people with mobility issues. Lynda’s series was so popular that we were asked to purchase books on the subject so that people could continue their practice. Chair Yoga for You: A Practical Guide and Chair Yoga: Seated Exercise for Health and Wellbeing are two great titles that can show anyone how to do chair yoga. Having tried it myself it is actually way more effective than you might think.

There are lots of other community initiatives that have influenced a collection at the library. When the new Wilberforce Branch was built there was a surge in interest in books about sustainable construction, and when the bulk store started selling Quinoa, people asked for quinoa cookbooks.

So to us “community led” means that if it is happening in our community it should be supported by a collection in the library. Keep in mind that if you think we need to improve an area of collection you can always make purchasing suggestions. That’s it for today’s episode of Library Moments, thanks for listening here at 100.9 CANOE FM.

*Originally aired on 100.9 CANOE FM June 7th – 13th, 2015.