Frosty Friday Greetings!
No, the above is not a pic from last winter - try yesterday afternoon... in like a lion, as they say. It snowed all day and was still at it when I headed to bed. I actually wore a down parka with hood up and big boots to the grocery store - a wee bit overdressed perhaps, but I'm certainly not ready for winter and am really feeling the cold. My gargoyle Hemlock's wondering why I haven't brought him in yet - once the snow stops and the wind dies down, he'll be rescued :) Today's post is a bit of this 'n that, mostly about books; in this weather about all I really want to do is curl up under a blanket and read...
It's a little late now, but I recently found out that November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) a task urging authors (or would-be authors) of all backgrounds to pen 50,000 words (an approximate 175 page novel) before November 30th. The project started in July 1999 with just 21 participants, but by the 2010 event, over 200,000 people took part. Although first originating in the San Francisco Bay area, I picked up a notice in a local coffee shop here, followed the link, and found out there are support groups (both online and actual meetings) pretty much right across Canada for this event. Seeing as we're already over halfway through the month, it looks like I will just have to procrastinate starting my best-seller for yet another year, lol.
When was the last time you visited your public library?
I'll admit, it's been a few years since I've darkened the doors of mine.
The Huffington Post has an ongoing series regarding the death of the library -
very interesting. It's an American piece, but I fear it's safe to say Canada's libraries
will inevitably suffer the same fate. Kind of sad really.
As a child I adored the library and when old enough, I would take the bus by myself on Saturday mornings to snoop through the well-loved books on it's dusty shelves.
I especially loved it when I was old enough to be allowed upstairs into the adult library!
It's a little late now, but I recently found out that November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) a task urging authors (or would-be authors) of all backgrounds to pen 50,000 words (an approximate 175 page novel) before November 30th. The project started in July 1999 with just 21 participants, but by the 2010 event, over 200,000 people took part. Although first originating in the San Francisco Bay area, I picked up a notice in a local coffee shop here, followed the link, and found out there are support groups (both online and actual meetings) pretty much right across Canada for this event. Seeing as we're already over halfway through the month, it looks like I will just have to procrastinate starting my best-seller for yet another year, lol.
Speaking of books, I came across an amusing slideshow on the Huffington Post entitled
"Offbeat Holiday Books"
I guess these are for those hard-to-buy-for people on your list: the child who has everything!
When was the last time you visited your public library?
I'll admit, it's been a few years since I've darkened the doors of mine.
The Huffington Post has an ongoing series regarding the death of the library -
very interesting. It's an American piece, but I fear it's safe to say Canada's libraries
will inevitably suffer the same fate. Kind of sad really.
As a child I adored the library and when old enough, I would take the bus by myself on Saturday mornings to snoop through the well-loved books on it's dusty shelves.
I especially loved it when I was old enough to be allowed upstairs into the adult library!
That's all for today, I hope you enjoy a relaxing weekend
and leave you with this Carlsburg ad I stumbled across the other day - too funny!
Cheers :)
I had just listened to a story on the radio about the libraries here in the states. They are trying to get people to start using them more. Some things I had never thought about that are available at the library to check out are movies dvds and music cds. And for all of us that are trying to do things ourselves to save money during these poor economic times, they have car and home repair books available.
ReplyDeleteLibraries are important for civilization. Knowledge is power.
ReplyDeleteI always have a wonderful feeling inside when I'm in a library, cosy, comfortable. Great place to spend some time when the weather is terrible out there.
I also saw the Carlsburg ad. It is one you will remember.
I too am keen on NaNoWriMo - for next year or some other.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are wrong about Canadian libraries. This fall I returned to the library after a long absence - who am I kidding - I've never been a library person. So this fall has been quite the discovery for me. It started with an afternoon storytime for my son and then we discovered DVDs, CDs, Wii games, and my favourite, ebooks! All for only $12 a year. Story time is busy with up to 20 kids at a time. Hopefully these little ones will turn into solid library users and help keep them alive.
I have such fond memories from my childhood of the library I used to frequent when I was young. It was my favourite place to visit. I have a library a couple of minutes (walking distance) from my home, now, but I hardly ever go there. It's sad, really.
ReplyDeleteLove the 'Offbeat Holiday Books', especially the 'Monsters Eat Whiny Kids'!
I've always loved and used libraries, but the problem now is that I research books online and read reviews on Amazon.com and find the exact books I want - and when I check my library, they rarely have them. Boo. I get frustrated and stop going. And end up having to buy books that I would much rather get from a library. I hope they can survive though... so many people don't read newspapers either and they are also falling by the wayside.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for sharing what libraries mean to you - I really appreciate your reflections and I think they confirm what we all already know: that the library is a very important resource we should all make a point of using (& supporting) more often.
ReplyDeleteApril, I can totally appreciate your frustrations, but I don't think there's any way libraries could ever keep up with all the books that are produced each year - sometimes when I am in Chapters I am in awe of just how many books it holds - and how there are more in the works!