Ryan J. Dowd has spent most of his career as Executive Director of a large homeless shelter near Chicago. In addition, he trains organizations around the globe (including libraries, homeless shelters, and hospitals) on how to use empathy-driven enforcement with homeless individuals. He is the author of The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness and A Homeless... Continue Reading →
With less than a month to go before Christmas, excitement is growing while at the same time we’re aware that Christmas is going to be different this year. With that in mind, how are we to prepare for Christmas? There are lots of suggestions on various web sites about taking Christmas virtual, but, let’s not... Continue Reading →
Winter and the holiday season often find families reviving traditions from years past. For those that celebrate Christmas, there are tons of fun stories to read with the little ones in your life. Grab a book and create your own tradition! The 12 Sleighs of Christmas by Sherri Duskey Rinker is a delightful take on... Continue Reading →
Have you started your holiday baking yet? I haven’t yet and I don’t start to feel festive until the baking gets underway. I have some standard recipes that I use year after year but I’m always looking to try something new. Here’s where the books and magazines at the library come in oh-so-handy. Maybe some... Continue Reading →
Donna VanLiere is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She has won a Retailer’s Choice Award for Fiction, a Dove Award, a Silver Angel Award, and two Audie Awards, has been a nominee for a Gold Medallion Book of the Year and is an inductee in the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges... Continue Reading →
Thunder Bay Public Library and its partner organisation are remembering the impact of the Great War on Thunder Bay via the World War One Centennial Legacy Project. There are not many good news stories to emerge from this conflict, which consumed millions of lives, but the story of the Christmas truce is one of them.... Continue Reading →
Have you ever played the game of wondering which one of two historical or mythological figures would win in a fight? That’s what author and illustrator Brom was wondering when he started writing his book Krampus: the Yule Lord. Brom pits Krampus, the Austrian demonic creature who rewards good children and punishes the bad ones, against Santa... 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 →
Hi. I've wanted to read this book since late 2009. It was a 7 day book and I was busy, then I forgot about it. On a recent trip to Brodie I spotted it on a display shelf. Well - it was sure worth the wait. I read it on a cold winter's day. It... Continue Reading →
I’ve been struggling to read Anthill by Edward O. Wilson. It was recommended by Joan Rivers in a magazine I was reading. I think Joan enjoyed it a whole lot more than me. I thought the whole book was about ants, but it isn’t. However, the parts about the ant colony were pretty fascinating. It’s... Continue Reading →
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