Featured Book: River Town -- Peter Hessler

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze -- Peter Hessler


Publisher: Harper Perennial
Format: Trade paperback
Pages: 416 pages
Published: 2001

Synopsis: In 1996, 26-year-old American Peter Hessler relocated to a small town on the Yangtze River in China, as part of a Peace Corps mission. There, he taught English at a local college, learned Chinese, reached out to the community, and immersed himself in recording his experiences and observations, which became this book.

Review: Travelogues are a tricky genre, an arena in which there are two competing forces for the reader's attention: the narrator and the place. A successful travelogue is one in which both forces are compelling. Too many travelogues are dulled by a fantastic sense of place but an obnoxious narrator, especially a foreigner who bumbles into a new locale and demands joy and satisfaction without paying due respect. This is especially true when it comes to westerners traveling in developing countries, as is the case in this book, when Peter Hessler goes to China in 1996. The 90s were a turning point in Chinese history, an uneasy threshold between post-Mao China in poverty and a China gearing up to become the developing powerhouse it is today.

As someone who grew up partly in China during the 90s, Hessler captures a slice of a China that I remember from my childhood. Hessler isn't concerned with the grand political machinations of Beijing. Rather, he brings us to a small town on the Yangtze, exposing provincial life and the everyday experiences of his students as they learn English and dream for the future. There are several interesting characters that Hessler comes across, each with their own story to tell, and each student navigating their own precarious position in the new and emerging China.

Hessler is a sensitive, charming writer. He is personable without being judgemental, and his genuine desire to reach into the lives of his Chinese students and understand them makes him an excellent narrator. He isn't without his preconceptions, but he recognizes his own biases. He's respectful of the culture he enters, but he isn't afraid to point out negatives as well. For one, Hessler lived in a part of China where he was the first foreigner many locals ever saw, and he drew attention, good and bed, wherever he went.

I've read a number of travelogues similar to this one, stories about Americans who embark on Peace Corps-type missions and write down their experiences of cultures vastly different from their own. Many are flops, but some, such as this one, are rare successes.

 - N.S

Reading List: Canadian Literature

So you're interested in Canadian lit. Fantastic! There are few better things to be interested in than the wide, diverse, innovative, prosaic, haunting world of homegrown Canadian authors, doing what they do best: telling stories that branch from Canada to the rest of the world. Here's a short list of recommendations to get you started. All of these books are available at the Hart House Library, just an arm's reach away.

The Sentimentalists -- Johanna Skibsrud

What it's about: The winner of the 2010 Giller Prize, Canada's top literary award. This is a short novel about a woman who learns more about the life and history of her Vietnam veteran father. 

Read this if you like: Poetic, atmospheric stories about fathers, daughters, and lived experiences. 

Find it at Hart House: CF SKI

Scott Pilgrim -- Brian Lee O'Malley 

What it's about: A six-part series. Scott Pilgrim has a pretty great life with a cute girlfriend until the devastating, mysterious Ramona Flowers blows through, and to woo her, he has to defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends.

Read this if you like: Quirky, geeky graphic novels set in Toronto, and if you were a fan of the movie.

Find it at Hart House: GRA OMA

Design in Canada: Fifty Years from Tea Kettles to Task Chairs -- Rachel Gotlieb and Cora Golden

What it's about: A beautiful, visual non-fiction title about the history of design in Canada, spanning all areas of contemporary product design. Lots of full-page pictures.

Read this if you like: Looking at amazing pictures, Canadian history and art, and of course, design.

Find it at Hart House: CAN GOL 

Come, Thou Tortoise -- Jessica Grant

What it's about: A girl named Audrey and her opinionated tortoise find themselves embroiled in a mystery when Audrey's father has an accident.

Read this if you like: Funny, witty, off-beat fiction with plenty of intelligence that will, nonetheless, make you laugh and cry.

Find it at Hart House: CF GRA 

Kiss of the Fur Queen -- Tomson Highway

What it's about: The story of two Cree brothers and their childhood at residential school, growing up against forces that try to destroy their culture and their identity.

Read this if you like: Powerful, painful, necessary novels about the very real history of First Nations peoples in Canada.

Find it at Hart House: CF HIG

Lullabies for Little Criminals -- Heather O'Neill 

What it's about: Baby is a young girl who lives with her deadbat dad on the streets of Canada, growing up with poverty and trying to deal with it by smashing the walls into adulthood.

Read this if you like: Magnetic coming of age stories that deal with the experiences of impoverished children in urban areas, and stories about that fuzzy boundary between being a child and being an adult.

Find it at Hart House: CF ONE

A Complicated Kindness -- Miriam Toews

What it's about: Nomi Nickel's mother and sister have disappeared from the small Manitoban Mennonite town they live in, and as Nomi deals with issues of abandonment, she comes to understand her own place in her world, or lack thereof. 

Read this if you like: Tender, fiercely sad stories about missing families, and stories about growing up in religious communities. 

Find it at Hart House: CF TOE

- N.S

Featured Book: The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

Publisher: Random House
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352 pages
Published: March 2011

The Tiger's Wife is a striped book -- appropriate enough, given its title. Its stripes are the stories contained therein, layered on top of each other, orange over black, black over orange. Set in an unnamed Balkan country during an unnamed war (which resembles the Yugoslav Wars of 1991-1995), there are really three narratives, a trifecta that does, for the most part, come together to form a whole. The first narrative is that of Natalia, a young doctor from a family of doctors, traveling to deliver vaccines to an orphrnate near a village that does not welcome her. The second narrative is that of her recently deceased grandfather, and his encounters with a man who could not die. The third narrative is another piece of her grandfather's history, about how, when hew as a boy growing up in the village of Galina, a tiger escaped from a zoo and terrorized the townsfolk.

I've read an interview with Obreht (who, by the way, is only 26) where she remarked that the novel is a story about doctors and death. I see what she means. Death and war bracket the novel -- large parts of the story are told during war or in the aftermath of war. And yes, all of the narratives are, in a sense, about dying, and about bodies, and about how people process death. The doctor part is interesting too, because all the doctor characters strive against death, fighting it with all the weapons in their arsenal, and yet they know death better than anyone. It can come at the end of a soldier's rifle or the swipe of a tiger's claw.

I have heard complaints that the novel is too opaque and that moving between the three stories never gives the reader a sense of the whole. In some parts, I think, this is true. The ending for me was not as smoothly transitional as the beginning, and I think that in the telling of history, of people's stories, we could have stood to hear more from Natalia. So much of the book is focused on her grandfather's history, that I think she has more to tell us, as a girl who has grown up during war.

These are small complaints, however. The Tiger's Wife is an enigmatic, elegant novel by a ferociously talented young writer. I look forward to whatever Obreht writes next.

- N.S

Featured Book: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Publisher: Tor Books
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 1024 pages
Published: August 2006

Synopsis: There used to be magic in England, magic governed by the mysterious Raven King. However, magic has fallen into obscurity until two men of prophecy appear: Mr. Norrell, a paranoid recluse, and his pupil Jonathan Strange, an insouciant young man. Together, and with friends and enemies, they change the landscape of English magic.

Review: What can I say about this whopping monster of a book except brilliant, brilliant, brilliant? I heard that it took Susanna Clarke many years to write JS&MN and I believe it. The story is full of imagination, complex history, and believable backgrounds all wrapped up in language that matches the 1800s setting. You meet Wellington, Byron; you see the Napoleonic Wars. Yet in the same pitch-perfect language Clarke can summon humour, horror, unease, and wonder. I don’t think there is a single emotion she can’t pull out of you. Clarke doesn’t resort to cheap tricks to do it. No explosions or excessive drama. Just genuine low-key writing that delights as much as it astonishes.

I also like the representation of magic, especially how the magic Strange and Norrell used had its roots in the Raven King and in Fairy. Clarke’s Fairy is as Fairy should be: brilliant and unnerving. You should never feel right in your skin when fairies are about.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a long book. For anyone who spends a lot of time in the Hart House Library, it's a great project to tackle, and well worth the efforts.

Strange! Arabella! Norrell! Stephen Black! Vinculus! Childermass! England!

- N.S

I Shall Not Hate Reading

I Shall Not Hate Reading

A Gaza Doctor's Journey of Hope for Humanitarian Transformation

Details: Following the tragic death of his three daughters, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish set out to change the world. A universally renowned medical doctor, humanitarian, scholar and author, Dr. Abuelaish’s numerous honors include two Nobel Peace Prize nominations. In a touching and inspirational presentation, “The Gaza Doctor”, shares his incredible story of loss, love and an unwavering devotion to restoring human dignity. Join us for an empowering and transformative evening which celebrates the potential for worldwide peace and understanding.
Refreshments will be served.
When: Jan. 24, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Where: Hart House Library
Cost: Free

Featured Book-Room by Emma Donoghue

Room by Emma Donoghue

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 321 pages
Published: September 13, 2010

Call No: HH F DON

Synopsis

To five year-old Jack, Room is the world...

It's where he was born. It's where he and Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. There are endless wonders that let loose Jack's imagination-the snake under Bed that he constructs out of eggshells; the imaginary world projected through the TV; the coziness of Wardrobe beneath Ma's clothes, where she tucks him in safely at night, in case Old Nick comes.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it's the prison where she's been held since she was nineteen-for seven long years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in that eleven-by-eleven foot space. But Jack's curiosity is building alongside ma's own desperation, and she knows that Room cannot contain either indefinitely...

Told in the inventive, funny, and poignant voice of Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience-and a powerful story of a mother and son whose love lets them survive the impossible.

~Book Jacket

Review

Astounding. An original story that has a "ripped-from-the-headlines" horror to it, Donoghue through the wonderful Jack manages to convey equal parts horror and joy. The narration from Jack is touching and innocent, and gives the story more power than if it were narrated from Ma's perspective. The love that exists between him and Ma are enough to propel this novel into a classic mother-son story, but the context of the novel and the themes make it searing prose that can't be forgotten.

Room is a wonderfully written story that will stay with you long after you finish it.

This is not a light read and there are those who have been unable to finish it due to the dark subject matter. I would recommend this book for those interested in sociology, family relations, psychology and anyone who likes a good read.

-K.C

Featured Book - I and Thou

Featured Book is a new series of blog posts by our librarians about books in our collection which we find particularly interesting, noteworthy or compelling. We’ll tell you a bit about what we’ve read, and why we liked it.

Martin Buber

I and Thou

Call number: HH PHL BUB

It has been quite some time since I read Martin Buber’s “I and Thou”, but the book made such an impression on me that I remember it quite distinctly. I remember the sense of having something explained to me that I felt I already knew in some way, but had not yet articulated. Books like that are special and rare and always remembered.

As a student of religious studies at McGill, I had heard about Buber, but did not know much about Hasidism or Jewish mysticism. Buber’s idea of dialogue as a religious practice was novel to me at the time, and changed my perception of religious experience. It showed how openness to experience, rather than faith or doctrine, can be fundamental to religious practice. That idea that religion can be experiential is a perspective that is open minded, engaged and accessible.

I subsequently read other books by Buber, but none matched the immediacy and passionate nature of “I and Thou”. It is the book that defined his career, and it rightfully became a classic of theology and religious studies. I think it would be interesting to anyone with an interest in Judaism or religious dialogues or religious studies more generally.

-M.E.

Gardening in the Library?!

Gardening in the Library: Weeding at Hart House Library

By Katya Pereyaslavska (Library Curator) and Stephen Spong (Special Projects)

Hart House Library, nestled away in a quiet corner of the University of Toronto’s Hart House, is a unique and very special collection. Established in 1919 by the Massey family, the library has served a diverse community over the past ninety-two years, reflecting the changing faces of Hart House. Currently, the library, which would fit right in at Hogwarts, holds some 5,000 volumes on its intricately carved and stained-wood shelves; however, it is only now that a proper weeding project has been initiated with the help of twenty student volunteers.

The most difficult aspect of this project is to actually get started on it or, perhaps more accurately, deciding how it should be initiated and how to implement it most effectively. What is to be done with all the past donations comprising of outdated textbooks and poorly-maintained cheap editions of Huckleberry Finn? Should they be assessed or should we just create a “sale truck” where volumes in question can be sold off to raise funds for the library? Are they worth anything? Should they be donated instead? Where do we even start?! These questions and more make laying the groundwork a delicate operation.

While attempting to come to terms with this conundrum, we came upon Zotero, which offered the solution we were looking for. Available as a small, free download, Zotero – a plug-in for Firefox, rather than a stand-alone program – allows one to extract and edit library records from any catalogue record viewed in the browser – from WorldCat, public and academic libraries and even Library Thing where the Hart House Library recently uploaded its catalogue.

Having offered several training sessions and sent out links to online tutorials, the next step was dividing volunteers into teams responsible for specific sections of the library. From there, we have created subject-specific folders corresponding with the appropriate section of the library, and then each one has subfolders named “replace”, “deaccession” and “not found.” This allows for a simple, methodical approach.

The “replace” folder is intended to include classics and must-haves for our library that are currently in poor condition or outdated. Due to the increasingly high cost of book repairs and our modest budget, the library cannot afford to replace all books which are in poor condition. Our aim is to be able to buy newer and more attractive hardcover volumes to replace shabby and overused paperbacks, instead of spending a fortune on repairs. However, before any volumes from this folder are replaced, we shall run the list by a rare book specialist to advise us as to whether it might contain any valuable items in which case we might decide to splurge on repairs or donate these volumes to the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto.

The “deaccession” folder will contain books that are obviously in need of weeding because they are old textbooks or items that do not fit well into the overall character of the collection. The drafting of newly updated Collection Development and Mission Statement documents that were subsequently distributed to the volunteers provides a clear framework within which to work. More often than not assigning sections based on individual background and expertise allows for a more critical approach to weeding as well as encouraging students to actively participate in compiling lists of contributions for acquisitions.

The Hart House Library is currently in the process of working through the sections and waiting for the folders to be filled with lists of books. The wonderful thing about Zotero is that it actually allows for the exporting of content to spreadsheets as well as for the editing of imported records to change publishing information and add notes on anything (which is especially useful for condition reports). This will prove to be quite useful when studying this part of our collection and making joint decisions with administration. Although the library is small, this makes the project all the more manageable, as well as a fantastic training ground for our volunteer-based staff of library students.

Published in the Special Librarian Association's "The Courier"

http://toronto.sla.org/the-courier/volume-48/v48-n2-winter-2011/gardening-in-the-library-weeding-at-hart-house-library

The Chronicles of Canada Series

Now available at the Hart House Library, the Chronicles of Canada Series was intended as a collection of books on Canadian history for popular reading. Notable contributors to the series include Stephen Leacock and William Stewart Wallace, among others, and the series begins from the history of Aboriginals in Canada and ends with the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. While not regarded as fiction, the prose used throughout most of the books is quite captivating, especially in The Cariboo Trail, a work about the Gold Rush that took place in British Columbian fields, and The War Chief of the Six Nations. Each book can be read in just a few hours, as there are few words per page and many illustrations, so what better way to satiate your curiosity about Canada’s past than to dip into this wonderful series. The books are bound in a decorative cover, which fits perfectly with the library’s historic character.


The series includes:

1 - The Dawn of Canadian History - A Chronicle of Aboriginal Canada
2 - The Mariner of St Malo - A Chronicle of the Voyages of Jacques Cartier
3 - The Founder of New France - A Chronicle of Champlain
4 - The Jesuit Missions - A Chronicle of the Cross in the Wilderness
5 - The Seigneurs of Old Canada - A Chronicle of New-World Feudalism
6 - The Great Intendant - A Chronicle of Jean Talon in Canada 1665-1672
7 - The Fighting Governor - A Chronicle of Frontenac
8 - The Great Fortress - A Chronicle of Louisbourg 1720-1760
9 - The Acadian Exiles - A Chronicle of the Land of Evangeline
10 - The Passing of New France - A Chronicle of Montcalm
11 - The Winning of Canada - A Chronicle of Wolf
12 - The Father of British Canada - A Chronicle of Carleton
13 - The United Empire Loyalists - A Chronicle of the Great Migration
14 - The War with the United States - A Chronicle of 1812
15 - The War Chief of the Ottawas - A Chronicle of the Pontiac War
16 - The War Chief of the Six Nations - A Chronicle of Joseph Brant
17 - Tecumseh - A Chronicle of the Last Great Leader of His People
18 - The ''Adventurers of England'' on Hudson Bay - A Chronicle of the Fur Trade in the North
19 - Pathfinders of the Great Plains - A Chronicle of La Vérendrye and his Sons
20 - Adventurers of the Far North - A Chronicle of the Frozen Seas
21 - The Red River Colony - A Chronicle of the Beginnings of Manitoba
22 - Pioneers of the Pacific Coast - A Chronicle of Sea Rovers and Fur Hunters
23 - The Cariboo Trail - A Chronicle of the Gold-fields of British Columbia
25 - The 'Patriotes' of '37 - A Chronicle of the Lower Canada Rebellion
26 - The Tribune of Nova Scotia - A Chronicle of Joseph Howe
27 - The Winning of Popular Government - A Chronicle of the Union of 1841
28 - The Fathers of Confederation - A Chronicle of the Birth of the Dominion
29 - The Day of Sir John Macdonald - A Chronicle of the First Prime Minister of the Dominion
30 - The Day of Sir Wilfrid Laurier - A Chronicle of Our Own Time
31 - All Afloat - A Chronicle of Craft and Waterways
32 - The Railway Builders - A Chronicle of Overland Highways

Green Books

Hart House Library is holding an eco book drive from March 21 to 28, 2011. "What's an eco book drive?" you might ask...well, I'm glad you did! We are looking for donations (from you! and your friends! and your family! and your colleagues!) of environmentally-themed books to help round out and update the Hart House Library collection.

Since Hart House Library is mainly a browsing library, existing to provide casual pleasure reading for patrons, we are looking for current, stimulating, interesting books on all aspects of environmental living. This could include: books on sustainable living, alternative energy, farming & gardening, composting, eco-tourism, farmer's markets, eco-design, green politics...chances are, if you think it's an eco book, we will too. We are specifically looking for books published since 2000 and in good condition, but no textbooks please.

So go through your shelves at home, and see if you have any eco-themed books that you are prepared to part with and share with the world. For bonus points, send this information to your friends, family and co-workers. Bring your donations to the Hub (the main desk at Hart House) and deposit them in the donation box. With your help, we can create an excellent eco book collection at Hrat House Library!

The details:

Who: Hart House Library
What: Eco Book Drive
Where: Donation box at the Hub (main desk inside the West entrance at 7 Hart House Circle)
When: March 21-28, 2011, 7a.m.-11p.m.
Why: To help build our blooming collection!

Looking forward to perusing all those books. If you have any questions, please contact Val Stevens at val.stevens@utoronto.ca

Ode to a Good Read

Ryan Nayler, a second year Masters of Information student, is the contributor of this entry. He praises classic literature, championing the belief that the latest vampire series simply will not be challenging enough for the growth and spirit of many readers. One need only take a glance at a person's bookshelf to gain a greater sense of who that person is. In this post, Nayler suggests that the language we use also comprises our personalities. The image below captures Hart House Library, circa 1942.

My fascination with fiction began through my intrigue with the archetypal figure you might call the ‘deviant gentleman’ (i.e. Dorian Gray, Jekyll & Hyde, Notes from the Underground, etc.). Classy, yet somewhat villainous, through literature I could not resist the urge to tap into these intriguing anomalies of the human psyche. The historic settings and situations evoked the sort of nostalgia and ambiance that is often attributed to literature, but only experienced when you begin to pour over the pages of immersive, eloquent prose, even though some patience is often required. Fifth Business, by the prolific Canadian author Robertson Davies, illustrates this quite well, as the narrator gradually conjures up a haunting atmosphere, where the fates of numerous people become gradually interwoven in such an intricate way that one cannot help but appreciate the calculation and artistry that must have gone into crafting such a story.

A film director might adopt the philosophy, “show, don’t tell”, although a writer realizes that the process of translating what we see and perceive into language helps us understand it much better. In one page, one line even, a clever writer can make us look at that which we have seen a million times in a different light. Thoreau’s Walden is a diary-come-to-life that depicts the connection of a man with nature through vivid articulation of thought, feeling, and philosophy, which cannot be as clearly illustrated through any other medium. I love film as much as the next person but, in this regard, it doesn’t come close to literature.

Librarians and educators seeking to promote sustained reading in this hurried digital era should explore exactly what sets short stories and novels apart from other mediums. Reader’s advisory programs need to include works which best exemplify these qualities which are idiosyncratic to print. Promoting the latest vampire fiction series may encourage literacy among some teens, but educators should also select classics which challenge the common preconceptions that older literature is too dense, inaccessible, or unappealing to younger audiences. Jack London’s Sea Wolf is a personal favourite that I would recommend to any budding, or seasoned, reader. Its antagonist (or protagonist, depending on your perspective), Wolf Larsen, is one of the most fascinating fictional characters I have encountered. Wolf is the ruthless captain of a ship who uses Darwinian survival-of-the-fittest philosophy to justify his tyrannical command of the schooner. He is also described as a sort of beast, with superhuman strength, although the reader is made to sympathize with him. The story is one of an affluent literary critic who inadvertently boards a rogue pirate ship, and is appalled to discover that anarchy prevails among the cutthroat crew, and life appears to be cheap and disposable.

Books such as Sea Wolf, historical fiction, and fantasy or gothic horror novels provide readers with a healthy escape from reality, while still promoting intellectual growth. However, there is a final merit of literature that I would like to highlight. Beyond our interests, or fashion styles, the language we use helps to make up our personality. Language is an art form and a personality trait, and this is perhaps the greatest appeal of poetry. Everyone has their favourite poetic lines or verses, those which really seem to resonate with them because they just love the way the poet captured the essence of something, or made a distinct statement that was deeper than the superficial personality indicators I’ve alluded to. Perhaps it is owing to the fact that the process of reading itself is more active than merely observing something, requiring us to decode, interpret, and compelling us to take notice of the details often overlooked in everyday life. Even as the usefulness of reading fiction remains a topic of debate, there is always something unique and nostalgic about the experience of curling up in front of the fire with an extravagant tale. Hmmm, I know just the place where you can do this!

The image above is of Robertson Davies, circa 1984.
...Feel free to comment with your favourite poetic lines or verses.

More Fun Additions for Fall Reading

Hart House Library continues to get new acquisitions that will whet several types of appetite! Some of the new books you can find on our shelves include:

The Boardwalk Jungle (Ovid Demaris; History) gives a history of the development of Atlantic City as a gambling resort, and a lot of the backroom dealing and underworld elements that built it up. If you’re excited about the new HBO show Boardwalk Empire, this book may be a great selection.

The Politics Of Housework (edited by Ellen Malos; Generalities) combines Feminist essays and debates from the 60’s and 70’s, discussing women’s role with domestic labour. If your interested in the shifting role of women from previous generations to the present, highlighted by shows such as Mad Men, then this book may be an exciting exploration for you.

On the spiritual front, we also have Stories for the Six Worlds: Micmac Legends (Ruth Holmes Whitehead; Canadiana), Greek Myths: With Selected Episodes from the Trojan War (edited by Olivia Coolidge; Generalities) and Mythology (Edith Hamilton; Generalities). I personally have always loved reading about Native American legends and other mythologies – no matter in what tradition your spirituality lies, reading about other cultures’ traditions can offer insight into spiritual life and the world around us. Delving into stories or traditions can offer an exciting perspective we are not normally accustomed to.

Also on the topic of spirituality, or at least 'spirits,' Bluenose Ghosts (Helen Creighton; Canadiana), is a folklore of real experiences of ghosts in the Maritimes, an area known for having a lot of hauntings. This book is renowned for its legitimacy, so it may be the perfect reading material if you like thinking about what may be left over in an old lighthouse or colonial barracks.

Some other interesting books that have recently come into our collection are:

History: 20 Years Of Rolling Stone: What A Long Strange Trip It's Been by Jann S. Wenner

Generalities: Fear Of Falling – The Inner Life Of The Middle Class by Barbara Ehrenreich

University: The Prevailing Influence: Hart House And The Group Of Seven by Catharine D. Siddall

Fiction: Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Canadian Poetry: The Nightmare Alphabet by Sean O’Huigin

Hart House has many books that may be a great escape during the quiet first weeks of school, or anytime you need a break. Pop up to see us and you may just find what you never knew you were looking for!

Richard III...minus Al Pacino.

"Conscience is but a word that cowards use, Devised at first to keep the strong in awe."
--Richard in Act V, Scene III

Sir William Shakespeare's Ricahrd III will be playing at the Hart House Theatre from September 15th until October 2nd. To prepare yourself for this historical affair, why not stop by the Hart House Library first and familiarize yourself with the play?

Richard is suave, calculating and brutal. Come and meet one of Shakespeare's greatest villains!

Student tickets are available for $12, as well as $10 student tickets on Wednesday nights. Visit http://www.harthouse.ca/hart-house-theatre/richard-iii to find out more.

James Reaney, [b.1926-2008]

On the first of this month was the birthday of beloved James Reaney, a Canadian poet, playwright, professor and critic. He was born in South Easthope Ontario and led a thoroughly literary life, inspired by the noteworthy Northrop Frye. Reaney was awarded his PhD, here at the University of Toronto, in 1958. Having taught at both the University of Western and the University of Manitoba, Reaney's accomplishments did not end with his students. He won three Governor General's Awards and launched a successful career in writing drama. Several of his plays have been performed at Hart House's very own Theatre.

Beginning in September, the Hart House Library dedicated a display to several of James Reaney's books to begin educating people about his influence on Canadian literary culture.

James Reaney's style has been referred to as "Southern Ontario Gothic." Margaret Atwood was also quoted as saying that without "[Reaney's short story] The Bully, my fiction would have followed other paths."

"Clouds"

These clouds are soft white horses
That draw Weather in his wagon
Who bears in his old hands
Streaked whips and strokes of lightning.
The hooves of his cattle are made
Of limp water, that stamp
Upon the roof during a storm
And fall from dripping eaves;
Yes these hooves have worn away mountains
In their trotting over Earth.
And for manes these clouds
Have the soft and various winds
That still can push
A ship into sea
And for neighs, the sable thunder.

Reaney's poetry demonstrated a true playfulness, as shown in "Ice Cream," a poem from his collection Souwesto Home, currently on display at the Hart House Library.

"Ice Cream"

The local poet is riding his bike uptown
On a fairly hot summer day
Bent on Jumbo's Ice Cream Booth
Before mailing a poem to Chimaera at the Post Office
At Jumbo's Ice Cream Booth there are
Thirty flavours including --
Licorice, fudge, lemon, orange, apple, grape,
Banana, chocolate, cherry, Maple Walnut (my favourite)
Vanilla, of course, peppermint, strawberry, raspberry --
Weren't there some vegetable ones? Do I remember --
Onion ice cream?
And this pair of double dip skim milk flavours
Cost only a nickel each!
And the ceiling was of pressed tin!
So, I plunk down a nickel for a Maple Walnut!
And so out the door bent on making the cone
Last till I reach the Post Office Door --
The Post Office is French Provincial with four clocks.
The poet holds his bicycle up with his left hand.
Walks slowly licking as he proceeds.
Two little girls say scornfully: "He's acting
Just like a little kid!"
But he thinks -- "Isn't that what life is all about?"

One website remarked that James Reaney has treated the contrasting worlds of innocence and experience, the underlying forces of evil in everyone, love's power to redeem and the process of growth from childhood to adolescence and maturity. He has done so with talent and grace. This year, James Reaney would have been 84 years old and his works remain alive with each re-reading. Isn't that what literature is all about?

Our collection continues to grow!

The Hart House Library has recently acquired a number of new exciting donations. As always, we have a lot of diverse books that will be interesting for a variety of discriminating tastes.

Some of the new acquisitions include six lesser-known novels by author Jules Verne. Verne is, of course, famous for his science fiction novels such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Around the World in Eighty Days. He is referred to as one of the "Fathers of Science Fiction," along with Edgar Allen Poe, Hugo Gernsback and H.G. Wells (a collection of whose short stories we have also acquired). Verne is also the second most translated author of all time, second only to Agatha Christie.

Our new Verne novels are:

1. Five Weeks in a Balloon -- Verne's first novel involves the exploration of Africa, which was still fresh to European explorers at the time.

2. A Floating City -- An adventure novel about a woman who, while on board a ship with her husband, finds that the man she loves is also on board.

3. The Steam House Parts 1 & 2 -- Tells the story of a trip through British-controlled India in a wheeled house pulled by a steam-powered mechanical elephant. The book is set after the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and contains plenty of historical information as well as social commentary.

4. The Secret of the Island -- the third part of the Mysterious Island Trilogy and the second sequel to his famous Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

5. Michael Strogoff: A Courier of the Czar -- The title character must race across Russia to deliver a message, helping to thwart the attempt of an invasion. Critics consider this to be one of Verne's best novels.

6. Into the Niger Bend: Part 1 of the Barsac Mission -- The first part of an adventure to French West Africa where a team is captured and brought to a mysterious city in the desert.

Verne's novels are best known for their scientific predictions that include navigable aircraft, practical submarines, air conditioners, space travel and the Internet. They were also popular for their fantastic adventurousness and may be a great, light escape between assignments this Fall!

We have a number of other exciting acquisitions, including a history of Rolling Stone Magazine. As well, we now host some great Canadian poetry by Michael Ondaatje and Sean O'Huigin in addition to a book about the relationship between Hart House and the Group of Seven. So, when you have a moment this Fall, stop in to take a breather at the library!

Want to buy a library?

...Okay no, Hart House Library is not for sale!

However, as Larry T. Nix of Library History Buff Blog points out, you can buy one of the original Carnegie libraries in Duluth, Minnesota for less than the cost of a downtown Toronto condo. Only $862,000 folks! The building has been generating revenue by renting office space, but other Carnegie branches have been less fortunate. Just across the bridge in Superior, Wisconsin a Carnegie branch remains abandoned and in search of a purpose.

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist who aided the building of 2,500 public and academic libraries between 1883 and 1929. Funding was given gradually over the course of the library's development and this method was largely successful for development. Carnegie also ensured that free service would be given to all patrons once the library had been established. His philosophy was one of success through hard work. Having struggled as an immigrant in a new country, Carnegie was convinced that libraries are essential to personal and professional growth.

Andrew Carnegie's philosophy is greatly admired by the Hart House Library. Although, we can't say that we'll be buying that Duluth library just yet!

Exciting New Acquisitions for 2010

The following list of delicious summer selections is brought to you by Hart House Library's very own Socialite Librarian, Katya Pereyaslavska.

1. Oonagh O'Hagan: I Lick my Cheese
2. Keri Smith: The Guerilla Art Kit
3. David Foster Wallace: Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
4. Keri Smith: How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Art (Life) Museum
5. Faythe Levin & Cortney Heimerl: Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft and Design
6. C.D. Payne: Youth in Revolt
7. Wearing Propaganda: 1931-1945, Textiles on the Home Front in Japan, Britain, and the United States
8. Mario Bataille: ABC 3D
9. Adria Vasil: Ecoholic Home
10. Chuck Klosterman: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto (Now with a new Middle)
11. Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein: Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar...Understanding Philosophy through Jokes
12. Alex Ross: The Rest is Noise: Listening to the 21st Century
13. Steve Knopper: Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age
14. Ben Luzatto: The Theory of Everything, Abridged
(Iceland: Ugly Duckling Press, 2010 -- Limited 1st edition [500] artist book)
15. Denis Dutton: The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution
16. Lewis Carroll: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Limited Edition -- Illustrated by Ralph Steadman)
17. Steven Henry Madoff: Art School: Propositions for the 21st Century
18. Christina Kiaer: Imagine No Possessions: The Socialist Objects of Russian Constructivism
19. Ed. Alex Steffen: World Changing: A User's Guide for the 21st Century
20. Conn Igulden & Hal Iggulden: The Dangerous Book for Boys
Andrea J. Buchanan & Miriam Peskowitz: The Daring Book for Girls

BeerBBQBands + Books?

Coming up on Thursday July 29th at 7pm is the 3rd Annual Craft Beer Festival. Why not reward yourself after a few good reads by joining fellow beer drinkers in the Hart House Quad?

Your $35 ticket ($25 for students) includes 8 beer samples, some BBQ bites and free tunes provided by CIUT 89.5 DJs. Simply visit www.uofttix.ca or call 416-978-8849

All craft brews are Canadian and include some of the finest ales, lagers and pilsners.

Here is a list of participating breweries to excite your thirst! ...

Beau's All-Natural Brewing Company · Big Rock Brewery · Creemore Springs Brewery · F & M Brewery · Flying Monkeys Brewery · Great Lakes Brewery · Hockley Valley Brewing Company · Mill Street Brewery · Steam Whistle Brewery · Wellington Brewery and Quebec's very own Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! · Les Trois Mousquetaires and Microbrasserie Charlevoix

Or visit the event page for more info: http://www.harthouse.utoronto.ca/beta/html/events/craft.php

National Geographic Documentary

Notice: The Hart House Library will be closed this Sunday, July 18 2010, for a very exciting purpose.

The National Geographic Channel's Explorer Series has chosen Hart House Library as part of the film locale for a documentary based upon John Geiger's book The Third Man Factor! Interestingly, the Explorer Series is the longest-running documentary series in cable television history.

Explorer is taking a close-up look at the extraordinary phenomenon highlighted in the book, investigating the science behind reported experiences from people at the very edge of death (often adventurers or explorers) who experience a presence beside them who encourages them to make one final effort to survive. This film is truly about the science behind this phenomenon -- including top neuroscience being done in the US, Canada and Switzerland. Bestselling author John Geiger is a Senior Fellow at Massey College and his interview in the documentary will be set against the backdrop of our very own library.

Much to our excitement, National Geographic will also be dedicating a "Special Thanks" to Hart House at the end of the Third Man Factor documentary. It will be broadcast in Spring 2011 on the National Geographic Channel, which reaches 320 million households in 34 languages in 166 countries.

Stay tuned to the blog as Hart House Library will likely host a special screening of this programme in the Spring.

Supporting Independent Toronto Bookstores

Hart House Library is an avid supporter of the independent bookstores around town. The majority of new acquisitions are purchased from local downtown stores such as BMV, Sonic Boom or This Ain't the Rosedale Library. Much to the disappointment of many Torontonians, particularly the bibliophiles, This Ain't the Rosedale Library will be unable to continue serving its patrons due to a $20,000 debt. With the reported drop in book sales by BookNet Canada, other stores may follow suit if they do not become fierce competitors to online giants such as Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. John Scythes, owner of the bookstore Glad Day in Kensington Market, points out that patrons walk into his store to browse, but inevitably make their purchases online from retailers such as Amazon.

For more accounts of how the book selling industry is changing in our city, check out Vit Wagner's article for the Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/831630--tough-times-but-some-bookstores-have-a-different-story

Yes, Amazon does offer a myriad of discounted books, but Hart House Library will continue to support the independent stores around town whenever possible.