My heart is heavy. My heart is broken. Boomer cannot stay with us. We can’t even foster him while we search for his forever home. One of our dogs is extremely stressed by Boomer’s presence. It’s causing some behaviours that are intolerable and potentially dangerous, and will only worsen over
Continue readingAuthor: laura k
wmtc: in which the "no third dog rule" is happily thrown away: introducing boomer!
This handsome boy is Boomer, the newest addition to our family. I saw him a couple of times outside the library, scrounging food. He was quiet and meek, friendly but very cautious. A library regular — the person who used to have Cookie — told me folks have been calling
Continue readingwmtc: listening to joni: #17 and final: shine
Shine, 2007 Shine is Joni’s most recent, and likely final, studio album. She came out of retirement in 2007 to release the album, nine years after her previous Taming the Tiger. Shine, which was also re-issued on vinyl in 2020, is a themed collection: the lyrics focus on environmental destruction and endless
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: the bridge by bill konigsberg — important, powerful, essential teen fiction
The Bridge, by Bill Konigsberg, is the best YA novel I’ve read since Eleanor & Park in 2012. Unfortunately, I know that many readers won’t go near this book, because of its subject matter: teen suicide. This would be a terrible missed opportunity. It’s a great book that both teens
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: ghosts of gold mountain, the epic story of the chinese who built the transcontinental railroad
Ever since reading, in 2006, The National Dream and The Golden Spike, Pierre Berton’s books about the building of the Canadian railroad, I’ve been interested in the Chinese railroad workers. Two details stuck in my memory: Chinese workers retaining their food traditions (and the racism and abuse they encountered over
Continue readingwmtc: fact: you cannot wave the confederate flag or the swastika flag and rightly call yourself a patriotic american
This post has been half-written and sitting in drafts for many months. Days after an armed mob tried to violently subvert the results of an election seems like a good time to finish it. * * * * Here’s a statement that should be completely obvious. You cannot wave the
Continue readingwmtc: a reading plan for 2021: big stacks of nonfiction, plus some fiction, and series for mind breaks
2018: Titles and reading projects that were languishing on my List. 2019: The year of the biography. The first time I created a reading plan for the year. 2020: I liked having the 2019 plan, and created a new plan for 2020. In each case, I read many titles from
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: never cry wolf by farley mowat
I have read many essays and op-eds by Farley Mowat, the legendary Canadian naturalist, but until now, had never read any of his many books. (He was incredibly prolific.) When visiting Russell Books in September, I noticed a copy of Never Cry Wolf and picked it up. I’m so glad I
Continue readingwmtc: greetings island: the best e-card site you’ve never heard of
Tl; dr: Greetings Island is the best e-greeting-card site. * * * * I love greeting cards — birthdays, anniversaries, thank yous, “glad you’re my friend”. I used to love spending time choosing unusual and relevant cards for family and friends. No Hallmark drivel, and no holidays that are meaningless
Continue readingwmtc: in which i inadvertently discover a downside to working at home
I’ve always loved working at home. I loved it when I first started writing fiction and working as a freelance proofreader in 1985, and I loved it even more when I started writing for magazines in the mid-90s. As much as I find great satisfaction in my new career as
Continue readingwmtc: how do you read? in which my reading habits unexpectedly change
Librarians like to ask readers about their reading habits. How do you read? What format do you most prefer? Do you have a secondary format? These days, most avid readers have found a use for e-books — travel being the number one reason — but generally prefer print. But some
Continue readingwmtc: happy new year from wmtc
Wishing you all a happy, healthy 2021. Peace, love, and vaccinations! Click here to open the card. PS: This is my new favourite e-card site. I will post about them soon.
Continue readingwmtc: further to rebecca solnit: angry men attack me online
I recently completed three booklists for library customers, part of a system-wide readers’ advisory project. The lists use good gender balance, and a strong representation of people of colour and LGBT themes. I did classics, award-winning nonfiction, and essay collections. I love readers’ advisory, and I really enjoyed the challenge of
Continue readingwmtc: the post of orphaned notes
Like many writers, especially those of us who grew up before the digital age, I keep a notebook. I use it to capture ideas, capture thoughts about I’m reading, take notes on experiences, and take notes on various activist or community meetings I attend. I’ve learned that I have to
Continue readingwmtc: wondering what to do with all that privilege and surplus good luck? try #write4rights 2020
Here we are in the middle of a global pandemic, and I feel (to paraphrase my favourite baseball player) like the luckiest person on the face of the earth.* I’m healthy, my partner is healthy, and no one in our extended families has gotten covid. Thanks to my union, and
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: an antidote to covid boredom: virtual book clubs
An Antidote to COVID Boredom: Virtual Book Clubs As winter settles in on the North Island, and we continue social distancing to lessen the risks of contracting COVID-19, life can sometimes get a little monotonous. Boredom is bad for our mental health. Plus, it’s boring! If reading is one of
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" column in the north island eagle: homeschooling? your library can help
Homeschooling? Your Library Can Help One of the many ways COVID has changed our lives is an increased interest in homeschooling. Of course no parents want their children to be exposed to the virus. But many families face health challenges that make the possibility of exposure much more dangerous. Parents
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: new e-resources and new hours at the port hardy library
New E-Resources – and New Holl different areas – language learning, music, crafts, local history and culture, auto repair – and so much more. And like everything in your library, iurs The Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) has added some terrific new e-resources to our catalogue. The Vancouver Island Regional
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: september is literacy month
Catching up on my “At Your Library” column in one of our free local newspapers. September Is Literacy Month When you hear the word “literacy”, you might think of reading and writing. That is the traditional definition of literacy, but did you know there are many different kinds of literacy?
Continue readingwmtc: listening to joni: #16: taming the tiger
Taming the Tiger, 1998 Taming the Tiger is markedly different than Joni’s previous album, Turbulent Indigo. Where Turbulent Indigo is dark, intense, and enigmatic, and the lyrics largely topical, this one has a light, lyrical feel, the music shimmering and weightless, the lyrics more personal. Many critics regard it as
Continue reading