The Calgary Public Library’s collection includes many books written by talented authors right here in Alberta. Here are two titles in our collection which I’ve recently enjoyed:

Bonfire: The Chestnut Gentleman by Susan Raby-Dunne

Told from the perspective of his horse Bonfire, this is the story of Canadian poet John McCrae’s experiences during World War I which ultimately led to the writing of the famous poem In Flanders Fields. Bonfire provides an accurate account of the conditions which faced both soldiers and the animals that served alongside them in the battlefields of Europe from 1914-1918. Amidst the chaos and destruction of the conflict an unbreakable friendship is formed between McCrae and his war horse which would last until the very end.

Great for those interested in history, horses or both, this well-researched offering from local author Raby-Dunne is well worth the read.

Rose’s Move by Graham McComiskey

Definitely one I’d pick for story-time with the kids, Rose’s Move tells the story of Rose, a flower who has grown too big for her bed and must make the transition to a new home. Told by McComiskey with charming style, Rose’s move is a great way to introduce young children to the concept of change and new experiences in their lives.

Complete with beautiful illustrations by Janice Blaine, (also local!) Rose’s Move is a wonderful choice to share with the whole family.

I enjoy reading suspense filled fiction full of unusual characters. The twists and turns of new offbeat novels by Jamie Mason and Gregory Gibson kept me engaged until the last page.

In "Three Graves Full", the delicious debut by Jamie Mason, you'll find a skillfull page turning thiller replete with delightfully quirky characters including two savvy detectives, a nosey surviving girlfriend and one stupendously intelligent dog. When quiet and unassuming Jason Getty decides to hire landscapers to tame his front yard it isn't long until they discover two bodies buried there. And neither one is the body that Jason knows is buried in the backyard. Jason is now petrified that his dark secret will be revealed and his world quickly unwinds as he desperately tries to stay ahead of the game.

If remarkable characters appeal to you, then try Gregory Gibson's soon to be released novel "The Old Turk's Load". Set against the backdrop of the 1967 Newark riots,the lives of the shady real estate developer Richard Mundi, crime lord Angelo DiNoto, his socially activist daughter Gloria, and drug ridden cancer survivor Mailman collide in a crime spree of heroin and stolen art. It's up to private investigator "Walkaway" Kelly to discover the truth behind Gloria's revolutionary activities, but he is soon distracted by what appears to be the murder of Gloria's mother. It all cumulates in an unforgettable showdown over the Old Turk's Load.

To find these and other great new books check out Calgary Public Library's catalogue.

Quick Tip: Did you know that you can put holds on books before Calgary Public Library has them in stock? As soon as the book is ordered we create a record for it. Once you see the record in our catalogue, go ahead and place your hold!

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been reading three books that vary tremendously in terms of subject and scope.

The Good: salads: beyond the bowl, by Mindy Fox. My only complaint is that there aren’t pictures provided for every recipe. But otherwise, this is a delicious book! Tonight, I’m having potatoes and green peas with pesto. YUM! Fox encourages readers to make gorgeous salads from all sorts of greens, of course, but also incorporates fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, grains, eggs, meats and more. If you’re bored of arugula, or you’d like to be the most popular guest at the picnic, check this one out!

The Bad: Six Weeks to OMG: Get Skinnier than all Your Friends, by Venice A. Fulton

Did I say “bad”? I meant awful. If you need me to tell you why competing against your friends, skipping breakfast and bathing in cold water might not be entirely sustainable (or healthy) routines, then you’re in trouble. And so are the readers of this…wait for it: crap. There – I said it. Dear readers, in nearly 400 Slice of Calgary posts, I have never once written a scathing book review, but this one deserves it. Fulton – an “expert in nutrition and exercise physiology” doesn’t provide readers with his credentials – neither in this book, nor in his blog. An “expert”, eh? Kind of like how I’ve got 65 pairs of shoes and therefore am a podiatrist, right? Skip this fat-phobic trash and do what you already know you need to do: cut out the junk, get your body moving, and eat your veggies.

The Very, Very Ugly: People who Eat Darkness: Love, Grief and a Journey into Japan’s Shadows, by Richard Llyod Parry. I never read true crime, but was drawn to this book because of the review on its back cover: “Utterly compelling...comes with a cast-iron guarantee that you will read to the very end”. I wondered what was so compelling about it, so I read the first page. 224 pages later, it was midnight and time for me to go to bed, but I couldn’t stand not knowing what happened to Lucie Blackman – or what would happen next. This is a gruesome story, to be sure. But it’s not solely about the young British woman who moves to Japan and is abducted, killed, and dismembered. It’s about her family dynamics, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, misogyny in Japanese culture, and the way that we treat victims and survivors of crime. The journalism is exhaustive and the writing is fantastic!

Need a suggestion for your next read? Chat with your librarian, sign up for our monthly newsletters, or check out our other blogs!

In my last post, I mentioned crying while watching my new favourite documentary “...and this is my garden”. And now, the tears are going mobile; I’m crying on the train! I don’t know what it is about the work of Cheryl Strayed that so touches me, but each time I read snippets of her advice column, I feel my eyes welling up. There’s something so powerful about her voice. She’s sympathetic and acknowledges others’ problems without ever judging them, and she sees life through a wide angle lens.

tiny beautiful things: Advice on love and life from Dear Sugar is full of the advice that your I’ve-already-seen-it-all grandmother might give you if she were a totally unbiased blogger (and occasionally used the F word). My colleague made a good point, too: the advice in Dear Sugar is usually prefaced by, or at least mentions, experiences from Sugar’s own life. This isn’t ol’ anonymous Ann Landers. Not at all. The author is totally exposed.

There are a few underlying themes that recur in almost every letter: have the courage to live your own life, regardless of your own fears or the reactions of other people; grow up and start being honest about who you are and what you need; accept that there aren’t going to be easy answers to the problems and relationships that vex you. And so on.

tiny beautiful things makes for the perfect summer read. Each column is only a few pages, so you can jump in and out, as your beach or BBQ schedule permits.

Check it out for tender and uplifting advice that you probably don't think you need to hear. But you do.

A while ago, I read and quite enjoyed How To Be Black, by Baratunde Thurston. Its deft and humourous examination of blackness in America really got me thinking about race and race politics. So, when I saw No matter what...they’ll call this book racist: how our fear of talking honestly about race hurts us all, by Harry Stein, I grabbed it. I can’t wait to read more about this topic.

Two other titles that I’m interested in reading are Here Come the Brides! Reflections on Lesbian Love and Marriage, edited by Audrey Bilger & Michele Kort and Debating Same Sex Marriage, by John Corvino and Maggie Gallagher. The latter is from Oxford University Press, which is typically an indication that great quality brain food is only a flip of a page away.

The Calgary Public Library gets new books daily! Browse our New and Notable shelves, ask a librarian for a suggestion, use our databases to find books that suit your preferences, or subscribe to our electronic newsletters. We’ve got everything you’re into!

Who is your best friend? I’m willing to guess that whoever he or she may be, you met each other more than a couple of years ago, not recently. In fact, it can be pretty hard to go from “newlymets” to best friends; building friendship takes time – an increasingly rare commodity in this busy, busy world of ours. And where to go, when searching for a new best friend? It’s not like you can date around, the way you would if you were looking for a significant other. Or can you?

I’m reading a great new book (with an unfortunately lame title) MWF seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend, by Rachel Bertsche, which is both an examination of what friendship is, and the chronicling of Bertsche’s social experiment: 52 friend dates in one year.

As I read through it, I’m discovering that Rachel sounds like a girl I’d like to have as a BFF. She loves books and brunch and good bad TV. She’s not yet ready for kids, but feels too old for some of the Gen Y’s she meets. She wants to be a full time writer. She even has curly hair, like me! How cute we’d be, brunching and book clubbing and writing together…

I’ll admit that keeping track of the litany of friends' names can get a bit tedious (see the appendix for a full listing!) but what I really appreciate about Bertsche's writing is that it is so frank and honest. Admitting that you would like to find a new or another best friend might make you feel insecure – after all, what kind of total loser would find herself in the friendship “market”, anyway? But that’s just your inner bully talking. The fact is that it’s easy for former friends to drift apart, and for a void in our social lives to appear. Why not learn how we can find and sustain new friendships, and then actively put those strategies into practice?

I’m not all the way through the book just yet, but I’m enjoying it so far. Check it out in print or electronic format!