I just finished reading a great book by American war veteran and psychiatrist, Gordon Livingston. It’s called the thing you think you cannot do: thirty truths about fear and courage. I didn’t pick it up because I’m a particularly fearful person; in fact, I’m not sure why, given its relatively humdrum cover, I picked it up at all. But it spoke to me.

Livingston writes in a clear and accessible way, about some of the most difficult issues we face. How should we live in a world that is manifestly unfair, sometimes violent, and haunted by our impending deaths? What is real courage and who can we identify as heroic? Where do love, humour and hope factor into the equation? This short but very worthwhile read - peppered with quotes from everyone from Hillel to Nietzsche - is sure to make you think.

Here is my favourite quote, by Rumi: Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious. It doesn’t represent the tone of the whole book, but there’s something about the imperative to destroy one’s own reputation that I think is fantastic.

Need more suggestions about great books? Ask a librarian, during your next visit!

I’m reading French Kids Eat Everything (and Yours Can, Too): How our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters by Karen Le Billon, and it’s fascinating! It’s much more than a manual to cure picky eating and family food fights. It’s an insightful examination of attitudes towards food, eating, and nourishment, and how they differ between the French model and the American (and by extension, Canadian) model.

I’m young (for a little while longer, at least) and single (likely for eternity) and it’s my prerogative to eat dinner alone, standing over the sink. Or sitting on the couch, channel flipping. Or at midnight. Or twice. Because there’s no one watching me, my eating routines lack both a social component and a sense of restraint. According to the author’s mother-in-law, my normal habits are a recipe for obesity. So, apparently, is snacking, using food as a reward or punishment, allowing your children to dictate what or when they’ll eat, and eating at any place other than the table, surrounded by your family.

Le Billon observes that French parents are firmly in control and by refusing to let their children eat the same thing every day, or complain about the food they’re given, French children wind up eating a wider and much more balanced range of foods. They are more willing to try new foods, and they don’t whine or throw hunger induced tantrums. Even children 5 or 6 years of age will sit patiently in a restaurant, while their parents linger over a nice long meal. This is because French children are taught that food is exciting and interesting; part of a familial set of rituals; and an aspect of their national identity about which to be proud.

It’s a very far cry from exasperatedly stuffing greasy McNuggets into the whining maw of an angry 7 year old, en route to a hockey practice.

Check out this book whether you have children or not. As long as you’re someone who eats, it will provide you with lots of interesting ideas. Food for thought, if you will.

I noticed a woman on the C-Train, jotting down the title, as I read. We started chatting and it turns out she is French. She said that in her family, they always made sure to eat together at the table, at a very precise time. Sure enough, she was slim. Maybe the French are on to something...

Back in February, I was asked to generate ideas for a Valentine’s Day display at the Central library and the cynical side of me thought: let’s do a display about breaking up! so I browsed through our collection about relationships, and to my sad surprise, I found plenty of books about heartbreak.

Apparently, men cheat on women and vice versa (with staggering frequency!); both genders unwittingly find themselves in co-dependent relationships, and it seems like everyone (married, dating, divorced, widowed) needs advice on dealing with emotional turmoil. There are countless people browsing on internet dating sites, while wondering whether to stay with their current partner or not – and perhaps you’re one of them.

So, have you been cheated on, or are you the bad guy? Do you struggle with intimacy? Does it seem like you can’t ever find a suitable partner – no matter how many dates you politely sit through? Are your standards too high or too low? Are you dating the same type of person over and over again?

There’s only so much wisdom you can glean from Sex and the City reruns, and your more-than-slightly-bitter circle of friends. At some point, you’re going to have to delve deeper and explore your childhood family structure, your fears and insecurities, and your expectations of what a lasting relationship entails. Not fun, but definitely necessary.

Find the tools you’ll need by browsing the relationships section of your local library branch. Here are just a few of the items you might find there:

Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship & Life Together by Mark Driscoll

Marriage Rules: A Manual for the Married and the Coupled Up by Harriet Goldhor Lerner

Mirror Effect: Six Steps to Finding your Magical Match Using Online Dating by Troy Pummill

From Shy to Social: The Man's Guide to Personal & Dating Success by Christopher Gray

In my last post, I mentioned that I picked up How To Be Black because I thought it would be hilarious. Indeed, it’s funny, but it’s substantive, too, and definitely worth your time.

Author Baratunde Thurston tells the story of his Nigerian name and his time at Sidwell Friends and Harvard, and describes the huge impact that his mother has had on the formation of his character. Thurston also assembles a panel of black thinkers, and asks them questions ranging from: Can you swim? to Are we living in post-racial America?

This book is not a manual for how to be cool, urban, “thug”, or whatever else we may associate with being black. Besides, even if it provided that kind of direction, the result would be people who are either “too black” or “not black enough” – and this paradox is a central theme. Thurston himself has at times been considered too black, or not black enough. So have Barack Obama and many other prominent black individuals. So, what's the right amount of blackness, anyway? Can you imagine being told that you're too white, or not white enough?

How To Be Black is a fabulous exploration of what it means to be black, but it’s also a rallying cry for those who are fed up with being identified only as black, and who just want to be themselves – whatever colour that happens to be. As for Thurston, he's black and he's proud! He's also a computer geek, an avid camper, an eater of tofu and much more. He defies black stereotypes and encourages other black people to do the same.

Check it out!

Today I noticed two new books that I just can’t wait to read! In fact, I’m sneaking some covert glances at a few of their passages, hoping my colleagues won’t notice my temporary dip in productivity.

The first is Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That? A Modern Guide to Manners by Henry Alford. The front cover leaves something to be desired, but the back cover glows with praise, including “slaying wit”, “profoundly, wonderfully goofy” and “A master of the delightfully harebrained scheme”, so how can you go wrong?

The second is How To Be Black, by Baratunde Thurston. The first line in the jacket is “If you don’t buy this book, you’re a racist” which is just the kind of in-your-face comedy that I relish. Thurston is the director of digital at The Onion. Need I say more?

I haven’t been this excited since I got my hands on a copy of Tina Fey’s Bossypants. And now that I’m totally over my fear of being regarded as psychotic for laughing repeatedly and out loud on the C-Train, I’m ready to delve into these new titles.

Visit a branch near you for recommendations about hilarious new reads!

Not long ago, I was insulted. I’ll spare you the details about how, when, where, and by whom, because I’m still a bit touchy, but suffice to say that I’ve thought about the incident repeatedly, as most people with hurt feelings do. And now that I’ve had sufficient time to reflect, the conclusion I’m left with is that today’s insults are entirely without flair.

Most people have only a limited range of nouns and adjectives with which to express their displeasure; why not expand your possibilities? You’re going to encounter all kinds of creatures in your lifetime, and “jerk” just won’t be enough to really capture the tenor of your sentiments. After all, sometimes we’re merely disappointed and other times we’re morally outraged. Sometimes we’re peeved about an apparent character flaw, and other times we’re baffled at stupidity, inconsideration or lack of etiquette. These are different categories of transgression, and warrant different reactions.

So, beef up your put downs, and mystify your foes with insults ranging from classic to obscure. But remember to keep it short and snappy. Brevity is the soul of wit, right?

Here are a few resources, to get you started:

Sticks and Stones: The Philosophy of Insult by Jerome Neu

Distory: A Treasury of Historical Insults by Robert Schnackenberg

“I was working in the lab, late one night...”

Actually, it was yesterday night.

The Central Library now has a dedicated space for learning and skills development. It’s our 3^rd floor learning lab!

Drop in for beginner classes in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel and Power Point), basic internet searching, career resources and much more. Take advantage of one-on-one help with crafting a resume, writing a business plan, or navigating our e-library.

For more information about class schedules, call us at (403) 260 – 2782.

A customer started a chat with me today (you know that you can chat online with us, right?), in order to ask if she could place a hold on a book by Caroline Knapp. Interestingly enough, I’m reading a book by that same author right now.

My customer had read Pack of Two, a title I have yet to read, and Drinking: A Love Story, which I’ve read and reviewed. I told her that I, too, had read Drinking, but that I preferred the title I was reading right now: Appetites: Why Women Want.

Check out Caroline Knapp’s writing, if you haven’t already. She writes beautifully and bravely about her struggles (mainly with alcoholism and anorexia, but family relationships, too) and she is unflinchingly honest about the frightening terrain in the dark realms of her psyche.

I’m really enjoying Appetites: Why Women Want. It’s described as an anorexia memoir, but it’s much more complex than a simple recounting of what was eaten (or not) and how many pounds were shed. Knapp explores desire as it relates to food, cultural zeitgeist, mothering, and body image. I’ve never suffered from an eating disorder (unless “unrelenting nocturnal potato chip addiction” has finally made it into the DSM 4...) but readers don’t have to have any familiarity with eating disorders to enjoy this book. Simply put, if you are a woman and have a body, Appetites: Why Women Want will very likely resonate with you. Place a hold today!

Pack of Two

Drinking: A Love Story

Appetites: Why Women Want

Flash mobs: Individuals suddenly congregate to stage a protest, perform a dance routine, buy a certain type of product, or anything else, and then just as suddenly, they disperse and become individuals again. Flash mobs are difficult to control and nearly impossible to predict, but with the ubiquity of smart phones, they’re fairly easy to organize. Have you ever taken part in a flash mob?

CPL’s Youth Advisory Council is organizing a flash mob, and we want you to take part! You don’t have to be a youth, or flashy, or in the mob. You just have to be willing to come out and participate! Join us at 7 PM in the John Dutton theatre at the Central Library, on Monday March 26^th, to help us plan the event.

And in the mean time, check out the facebook event listing.

I lost my i-pod and I’m really upset about it. A perfectly curated archive of podcasts, a playlist of “guilty pleasures” that I would never admit I listen to, and a bunch of other sonic delights: all gone.

So, heartbroken, I visited the 1^st floor of the Central library, to pan the CD collection for some new gold. I borrowed 3 Bob Dylan discs (Best of the 60s, Best of the 70s and Greatest Hits), and some “best of” albums by Carly Simon, Paul Simon, and Marvin Gaye. I found two Thievery Corporation albums – “It Takes a Thief” and “Versions”, which are both fantastic, and on a whim, the best of Pet Shop Boys ended up in my basket. But my favourite by far is the oldest recording of the bunch – The Everly Brothers’ Greatest Hits.

These songs are familiar to me because my dad had a penchant for the oldies. The 50s and 60s were the soundtrack to my early years, even though I grew up in the 80s. But I didn’t appreciate those old tunes then, like I do now. The Everly Brothers have incredible harmony, and as one of my colleagues pointed out, the melodies are simple but the harmonies are much more complex.

Give the Everly Brothers a chance, and you’ll see they stand the test of time. Place a hold online, or visit your local library branch and check out the music collection.

I guess I’m starting to perk up about the lost pod. But for now, I’ll do my crying in the rain...