A scientist who has studied animal behaviour extensively, Constance O’Connor is fascinated by the complexity of animal families, and enjoys talking to children about nature. She lives in Thunder Bay, Canada, with her husband and kids. Constance and her co-writer, Natalia Rojas, will be visiting the Waverley Community Hub on Saturday, February 29th to read... Continue Reading →
This quirky book focusses on Etta, a retired prairie school teacher who decides to fulfill a lifelong dream to see the Atlantic Ocean. And, she decides to walk there. She leaves a note for her husband Otto asking him not to follow her, and sets off one morning. As with many literary journeys, hers is... Continue Reading →
From time to time, we all imagine abandoning our current lives and completely starting over, unfortunately for most, this remains nothing more than a dream. For author Antonia Murphy and her husband, Peter, changing their lives completely became a priority when their son, Silas, was born with global developmental delay. Murphy, a San Francisco native... Continue Reading →
I couldn’t resist picking up this book to read after seeing the title. It did not disappoint. The author has spent her life studying animals as a biologist and MIT doctoral student, but it was her personal story of loving Oliver, a Bernese Mountain dog with debilitating separation anxiety and huge behavioral issues, which led... Continue Reading →
The Canterbury Trail by Angie Abdou (2011, Brindle & Glass) offers insight into Canadian mountain village lifestyles and culture while at the same time addressing larger themes with which readers can relate. The Canterbury Trail tells the story of a mis-matched bunch of skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers who set out in small groups to enjoy... Continue Reading →
Well here I am, plod, plod, plodding my way backwards through the Modern Library’s Top 100. I decided to work backwards on the premise that surely the books could only improve as I went along. So far, I’m currently at number 88, which means I’ve only read 13 titles in the past three years: too... Continue Reading →
Everyone who knows me, knows that I love cats (okay, I began my life as a dog person and I still love them as well), but my heart and soul and anything else they can wheedle out of me belongs to my cats. It's not surprising that I love cat mysteries and am endlessly amazed... Continue Reading →
Well, everyone knows that cats are smarter than dogs. My own two cats, Miss Kitty and Mr. Biggles, are fluent in multiple languages, involved in international espionage, and have written many how-to books for the cat market. That’s what my husband and I say anyway. Garth Stein is obviously not a cat person – he’s... Continue Reading →
Last week we said goodbye to our 16 1/2 year old cat, Carib. I believe she was ready to go. I wasn't. I'd been telling her lately "I loved you from the minute I saw you". It took me a while to find her, but when I saw that tiny orange and black kitten I... Continue Reading →
Bambi by Felix Salten. This is my final entry in this blog. I am retiring shortly and to quote myself “I’m as excited as a little pig”. I thought I’d end it with my favourite book – Bambi. Years ago I applied for a job in the Victoriaville branch of the library. During the interview... Continue Reading →
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