Brent Scollie, a graduate of Fort William Collegiate Institute, Queen’s University and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Library Science, retired from the federal public service in 1997. His insights on the Victorian era in Thunder Bay are derived from many years of research. This has resulted in numerous publications about the period mostly focussed... Continue Reading →
The Book Club Hub – Holocaust Stories (Nonfiction)
Book clubs offer a great opportunity for friends and book lovers to gather (whether virtually or in person) to catch up and discuss a good book. There’s only two problems with this activity and they seem to come up at every meeting: what book should the group read next and how do you find enough... Continue Reading →
Staff Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
I placed my hold for "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" back in the summer of 2021, and finally received it in mid-March 2022. The wait and anticipation continued to rev up my excitement for the novel, as well as continually seeing it on many top book lists online. Of course, this left me with... Continue Reading →
The Book Club Hub – Holocaust Stories (Fiction)
Book clubs offer a great opportunity for friends and book lovers to gather (whether virtually or in person) to catch up and discuss a good book. There’s only two problems with this activity and they seem to come up at every meeting: what book should the group read next and how do you find enough... Continue Reading →
Interview with Patricia Caine
Patricia Caine (nee Rusnak) is originally from Thunder Bay, ON. She wrote the book Gedo’s Hammer, Baba’s Borscht: Raising a Family in Current River, 1929-1989 after transcribing stories from her parents, who were both immigrants from Ukraine. She also has a blog, The Rusnaks, where she shares recipes as a tribute to her parents, for... Continue Reading →
Best of 2021
It's our last backwards-looking episode of the new year, as we recommend some of the best of 2021! Here's our picks of the buzziest, award-winningest, best-sellingest books from last year. Other Best of Year books previously recommended on Read This Next: We also did a "Best of 2021 - so far" episode, which you can... Continue Reading →
Interview with Eleanor Albanese
Eleanor Albanese is an award-winning writer, artist, playwright, and filmmaker living in Thunder Bay, ON. Her work has been published by Innana Publications, Playwrights Canada Press, Burning Books Press, Arctic Journal, as well as numerous journals and magazines. If Tenderness Be Gold, which was published by Latitude 46 Publishing, is her first novel. You can find... Continue Reading →
Interview with Elle Andra-Warner
Elle Andra-Warner is a bestselling author, journalist and photographer. Her award-winning articles have appeared in major publications around the world, and her columns have been in print since 1994. She has presented journalism workshops throughout Canada, been a guest lecturer for on-line journalism, and past co-editor of the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s annual journal. ... Continue Reading →
1918 Pandemic and Fort William Public Library
Over the last 140+ years, public libraries in Thunder Bay have weathered a lot along with and as part of this amazing community. This week I wanted to look back on what transpired in the Fort William Public Library (FWPL) during another global pandemic; the 1918 influenza pandemic that began on the heels of the... Continue Reading →
Connecting to Your Past
Many of us are currently working from home and/or physically isolated as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic. For the first time in my professional career, I am writing this column from the guest room of my home. The dog is very confused at the change in his routine of napping, sunbathing, and neighbourhood... Continue Reading →