Diversity in literature quite often focuses on skin deep qualities such as ethnicity and race, but it is much broader than that, including sexuality, gender, disability, political persuasion, and religion. Diverse literature exposes the reader to experiences that are not their own, and hopefully, broadens their understanding and knowledge of those experiences. *(CL) means that... Continue Reading →
Between Gods by Alison Pick
We all have secrets. Often they are personal, things you don’t want to admit to your family and friends. But sometimes those secrets are much larger, spanning generations within a family. That’s the kind of secret Alison Pick talks about in her memoir, Between Gods. Pick discovered that her grandparents had survived the Holocaust by... Continue Reading →
TBPL Staff Poetry Favourites “The Tyger” by William Blake
Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies. Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire? And what shoulder, & what art, Could twist the sinews... Continue Reading →
Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie
This is no Days of Our Lives, sand through the hourglass, kind of book where you can skip massive chunks and still be ahead of what’s going on. Allow your mind to drift off to contemplate what you’re having for supper or the blue fluff in your belly button, and you’re finished. This is a... Continue Reading →
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand – Helen Simonson
Occasionally a book comes along that is simply charming in the portrayal of the human heart, "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand", is just such a book. When Mrs. Ali the owner of the local grocery comes to his door early one morning, she finds Major Pettigrew distressed at having received news that his brother has just... Continue Reading →
Holy cow: An Indian adventure, by Sarah MacDonald
Well, one good think about tidying up the shelves here at the library, apart from being able to actually find things again, is stumbling upon something really interesting, or being re-united with a book you’d forgotten about. When Holy Cow first came out in 2002 it was so popular it had a holds list a... Continue Reading →
Yann Martel: The good and the bad
Whenever I see that Yann Martel has a new book out, I anticipate something potentially exciting. Unfortunately, for fans of Life of Pi, though, Martel appears to be another one-hit-wonder. Beatrice and Virgil, Martel's latest offering was disappointing in the extreme, and I'm pretty sure I will never be tempted to pick up another of... Continue Reading →
Lamb: the Gospel according to Biff, Christ’s childhood pal
This is definitely not the most politically, or religiously, correct book I have ever read...but it is one of the funniest and most enjoyable (especially when I found myself laughing out loud on the Toronto subway system and getting very cautious glances from fellow riders). This was the first of Christopher Moore's books that I... Continue Reading →
Thunder Bay Public Library's Book Blog 