PGPL - What's New

What Are You In the Mood For?

pgibson — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:24:51 -0700

Do you ever have those moments when you are wanting to read something really good, but you're not sure what? You can ask your friendly librarian for help, of course, but what if it's midnight and there's no one there to answer your call or email?

Then let me introduce to you a secret librarian's weapon: Whichbook.net. What is Whichbook? It is a fab-o site from the U.K. that is designed to help you find books to read according to your mood and not by the books you've read or the authors you like.

Books In Your House Make You Smarter

pgibson — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:12:17 -0700

I love the news article I found in The Guardian recently (June 12th) that says that having books in your home makes your kids smarter.

This 20-year study conducted by Mariah Evans at the University of Nevada, looked at the number of books in households across 27 countries around the world. Her finding show that compared to bookless homes, children who grow up with a "500-book library" attain, on average, 3.2 more years of education than their bookless counterparts.

Longest Overdue Library Book - Returned!

pgibson — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 09:27:30 -0700

This week, we had a library book returned to us via the drop-box that was a little late getting back to us: 33 years, 122 days overdue.

The book is a Children's book called Panther from Roderick Haig-Brown. Haig-Brown wrote the book when he was 26 years old in 1934. He died in 1976. The book was checked out of our library in February 1977 and was due back on March 5th.

Blind Love

pgibson — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:27:58 -0700

You may have heard me blather on elsewhere about Ryan Knighton, the hip, tattooed, English instructor at Capilano College in North Vancouver. He wrote a hilarious book back in 2006 called Cockeyed: a Memoir. In it, he describes how, on his 18th birthday, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a conditon that was making him go blind. He tells his story with self-deprecating charm, wit and black(out) humour.

Fossil Finds

pgibson — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:09:37 -0700

Occasionally, two writers publish books on the same topic in the same year. What must surely be every writer's nightmare has come true for the two great writers Tracy Chevalier (Girl With a Pearl Earring) and Canadian Joan Thomas.

Book Prize Announcements

pgibson — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:47:11 -0700

First, I'd like to offer my congratulations to Barbara Kingsolver for winning this year's Orange Prize for her book The Lacuna. The Orange Prize is awarded to a woman writer who write in English anywhere in the world.

For details of the award that was given on June 9th, click here. You can now place your hold on the library's copy of The Lacuna.

20 Young Writers to Watch

pgibson — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:42:28 -0700

Next week, The New Yorker will be publishing their '20 Under 40' list of young literary authors to watch. The last time they created such a list was 1999, so this is a big deal in the literary world. To see which young authors made it to this year's list, click here .

This (Literary) Day in History

pgibson — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:18:25 -0700

For some reason, May 29th is an important day for bibliophiles. For instance, on this day in 1849, Anne Brontė dies in Yorkshire, England.

Ten of My Favorite Books

pgibson — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:07:23 -0700

Here's a list of the 10 most influential (adult) books that have shaped me over the years and whose influence I still feel:

1. Angle of repose by Wallace Stegner

2. The forgotten soldier by Guy Sajer

3. The great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald

4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

5. Jude the obscure by Thomas Hardy

6. Of human bondage by Somerset Maugham

7. Of mice and men by John Steinbeck

8. The poisonwood bible by Barbara Kingsolver

9. Sons and lovers by D.H. Lawrence

10. The wave by Todd Strasser

Emily Dickinson

pgibson — Sat, 15 May 2010 15:18:34 -0700

On this day, 124 years ago, the great American poet Emily Dickinson died in Amhurst Massachusetts. She was 55 years old.

Although one of the most prolific of poets, she was considered eccentric by many, with her penchant for white clothing and her reclusive nature. She literally did not leave her father's house for the last 21 years of her life (1865-1886).

As a tribute to Emily, I'd like to leave you with one of her (always untitled) short poems:

#1763

Fame is a bee.

It has a song -