Hello Signal Hill Customers,

We have been blogging for just over a year now and are wondering what you think so far? Post a response below and let us know if there is anything else we could be blogging about.

Every month we showcase amateur artists from our community. For the month of October, we were honored to show the art of Ana Zanella. Ana is an emerging artist in Calgary who paints, knits and enjoys integrating her art into crafting. She has been painting for a few years, currently focusing on abstract art, using a variety of materials mixed with acrylic paints, such as paper, sand, found objects, crochet and knitting. Ana challenges herself to move away from representational art and paint and experiment with different materials, subjects and emotions.

If you or someone you know is an amateur artist in our community who would be interested in showcasing your art in our library contact Georgia for more information at georgia.edgar@calgarypubliclibrary.com

Ana Zanella and her acrylic paintings

When God Was a Rabbit

When God Was a Rabbit - By Sarah Winman

This coming of age story follows Elly, a young British girl with a heart of gold, through her life as she moves from suburban Essex to the countryside of Cornwall with her eccentric family and friends. As the story unfolds, the characters grow and change revealing secrets that often force them to go to unexpected, and unavoidable dark places. It is a rich, touching novel about love of family, friends, pets and home. The author explores the special bond between Elly and her brother and reminds us of how deeply we can love our brothers and sisters beyond all rivalries, differences and disappointments. Universal themes of life, love and loss are explored through the richly depicted characters as their lives unfold from chapter to chapter. An amazing first novel that is both sophisticated and tender in its portrayal of all these very real, very human characters.

I was totally drawn to the curious title, wondering what role the rabbit would play in the story. I am a sucker for any coming of age story that celebrates the life journey of a geeky young girl, because I was one. I love to recall the crazy, wonderful, sometimes painful moments of growing up and found many relatable passages.

In celebration of Alberta Culture Days 2012, we hosted our second annual Community Art Showcase on the last weekend of September. Eighteen amateur artists, including seven children and teens showed a variety of art including papier mache, a walnut carving, scratch art, sketches, photography, acrylic, oil and watercolor paintings.

Thank you to our community artists for sharing their art with the Library and our customers!

We look forward to seeing new artists next September to celebrate again!

Papier Mache Dragon by Helen Lapierre

Acrylic Painting by Alyssa Wiens

Why not pick up some picture puzzle books for the kids? Go to www.calgarypubliclibrary.com and in the Catalogue Search Box type picture puzzles juvenile. You'll get a great selection of titles like Search for the Sunken City, I Spy Spectacular: a book of picture riddles, Where's Asterix, and of course, Where's Waldo?.

In one of our newest books, A World of Food : discover magical lands of things you can eat! by Carl Warner, the author has created miniature landscapes made entirely of edible ingredients. I found myself drawn in to each of the landscapes while trying to figure out all the different foods that make up each scene. Both children and adults will be amazed by these fascinating photos.

We also have a fabulous collection of BookCDs, MP3s and DVDs for people of all ages. On my family's car trips we like to listen to Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe recordings. The stories are family friendly and laugh-out-loud funny. Come by Signal Hill Library and pick up great materials for your trip today!

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the English Oxford Dictionary By Simon Winchester

It is indeed the story of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary and two men that were instrumental in its creation, but who never met until its completion. When the dictionary was about to be published the contributors wanted to honour a valued contributor only to find out that he resided in a mental institution. Dr. W.C. Minor, an American Civil War criminal who was considered both a genius and a lunatic had submitted more than ten thousand definitions for the first Oxford English Dictionary. This story details the lives of these two very different but similarly impassioned men.

I found this book to be fascinating. Simon Winchester is an incredible researcher, storyteller and beautiful writer!!! I wish he had been my history teacher. The way he weaves the two men's life stories throughout the book is exquisite and even though you know about the doctor from the beginning you want to read it to the end to see how the professor discovers the truth.

Review by Jan R.

For the Month of May, we have been featuring Young Adult fiction on one of our displays. We encouraged customers to share some of the teen books they have recently read and post them on our whiteboard under the categories of Loved it, Hated it or Don't know. Most of the stick-it notes fell under the Loved it category. So, if you are looking for a new book why not try out one of these titles? Feel free to add your favourite teen books in the comment section below.

A Fault in the Stars by John Green

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

Abarat by Clive Barker

Birthmarked by Caragh O’Brien

Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Feed by M.T. Anderson

Hades by Alexandra Adornetto

Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kitridge

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Locked in Time by Lois Duncan

Paper Towns by John Green

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Steampunk: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories by Kelly Link

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Z for Zachariah by Robert C O’Brien

The Calgary Public Library is turning 100-years-old and the whole city is invited to our centennial birthday block parties on June 2. Every library will be hosting a great party with events that include awesome music, games, and so much more fun! The party runs from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and all ages are welcome.

Take a look at Signal Hill's event lineup and join us for an exciting day!

Drop-in Family Storytime........ 10:30 - 11:00 am (Special surprise guest at 11:00 - Are you Curious?)

Balloon Artist...........................11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Face Painting........................... 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

BBQ Burgers & Hot dogs......... 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Puppet Show........................... 12:00 - 12:30 pm

Throwing Jacks Jazz Combo.... 12:30 - 1:00 pm

Cake Cutting Ceremony........... 1:00 - 1:30 pm

Refreshments.......................... 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Ruah Classical Trio................... 1:30 - 2:00 pm

Roving Magician....................... 1:30 - 2:30 pm

Funny Fest Comedy.................. 2:45 - 3:30 pm

See you June 2nd!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Love is a deadly disease, but they’ve found a cure. Lena has 95 days left until she will be scheduled for the mandatory treatment. Life is looking pretty good for Lena, until she meets a boy and falls in love.

Since my first taste of The Hunger Games, I have been a sucker for dystopian fiction. Lauren Oliver merges a dystopian world with a passionate love story. I couldn’t put this book down until the bitter end, at which point I was desperate for the next book (Pandemonium). If you are a dystopian addict, like myself, then you must get your hands on a copy of this book.

If you like this book, you might also like:

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Matched by Allyson Braithwaite Condie

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’brien

Did you know that the Signal Hill Library now offers drop-in family storytime on Saturday ALL YEAR ROUND?

Bring the entire family and join us for stories, songs and rhymes in the open area from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturdays!