I hope this message finds you healthy and well. Thank you to all of you who are working hard to keep those around you safe with masking and distancing. We appreciate a lot and are thankful that we have not been too hard hit by COVID-related staffing shortages. Thank you for your patience on those days that we have been a little short-staffed. In times like these, we are particularly thankful to be working in a warm and supportive community.
February is a busy month in the library world. Here in Strathmore, it marks the kickoff of Blind Date with a Book. Our staff have been busily preparing some interesting titles for you to check out. Labels on each will indicate the genre, the age range of the target audience, and the first line of the book. Come in anytime this month to check out the selection. We have titles for all ages and interests. If you prefer to stick to curbside pickup, we will be glad to bring a few out to you if you let us know what genre you want to try.
We are also celebrating Freedom to Read February 20-26th. It is an interesting time to celebrate as headlines, particularly south of the border, are filled with school boards and politicians pulling books from curriculum and from libraries. Freedom to Read week reminds us that ideas are powerful, and that our right to access different ideas and perspectives is by no means guaranteed. We invite you to visit the library February 21st-26th for an opportunity to show your support for the Freedom to Read. Watch for details to follow soon.
Here are some of the titles I’ve enjoyed reading lately:
Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout was a lovely book. If you read for language and not for plot, she would be a great author to check out. This book is a follow up to My Name is Lucy Barton, and it is a sweet, gentle, and highly readable account of the end of a marriage and the love that persists.
Another follow up book I enjoyed was An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed by Helene Tursten. This little book is a delight for anyone with a dark sense of humour who enjoys seeing justice delivered in non-traditional ways. Read An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good first.
The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz was a fun follow up to the first in the series: The Word is Murder. There’s a strong meta-fiction component to these murder mysteries – they feature a main character modelled on the author who shadows a private detective to write up the cases as true crime books. The narrator is often the clueless sidekick which makes you feel less alone when you haven’t a clue who the murderer is.
In historical fiction, I enjoyed Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution’s Women. Each section features a different protagonist and is written by a different author. The women are all interconnected and together represent a broad range of class, age, and experience.
If you enjoy imagining the private lives of the royal family, you might enjoy The Queen’s Secret by Karen Harper. Set during the Second World War, this novel imagines the lives of the King and Queen behind the scenes with a bit of extra drama thrown in.
Sometimes a familiar title will go a long way to make you feel comforted and refreshed. I enjoyed listening to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen on audiobook this month. I had forgotten how funny Austen’s writing is, and how delightful her characters are.
In non-fiction, I listened to Black Water by David Robertson. This is a gently told memoir of a man who grows up unaware of his Indigenous identity and heritage, and how as an adult, he reconnects with his father and finds comfort and restoration in connecting to his past. Robertson is an excellent writer and his vulnerability and honesty make him very relatable.
And I was glad finally to get my hands on a copy of Indian in the Cabinet by Jody Wilson-Raybould. Although it is clear the book was rushed to publication and could have used another good edit, the content of the book was fascinating. Wilson-Raybould goes well beyond the SNC scandal and describes what it was like to move from a role in Indigenous governance to the highly partisan world of Canadian politics. Her vision for how government could operate in the best interests of the nation rather than a particular political party is inspiring, and her insights into the day-to-day running of the country were very interesting.
Whatever you’re reading this month, we hope you are transported, comforted, entertained, inspired, and taught in wonderful ways.
