Coffee House

Just a reminder that the next Coffee House will be on May 30th at 2:00 pm. Hope to see you all there. If anyone is interested in performing, send an email to

ndanyluk@owensound.library.on.ca.

portrait of a coffee cup by: seventime

New Space

Library Makeover: Kids' Edition is finally done! All last week library staff moved approximately 33,000 books along with shelves, desks, files, chairs etc. back upstairs into the renovated space. I think it looks great, and I love how colourful, and open it is. I will post some photos of the space within the next week. In the meantime, come by the Library and see for yourselves!

For Those About to Write...

Sure the Library has its own creative writing contest, but why stop there? If you want to see your work in print, here's another opportunity for you to do just that:

What If? is a creative writing magazine out of Guelph, ON that comes out four times a year. The stories, poems, reviews and accompanying artwork are all created by teens. They are constantly running contests and accepting submissions of creative work. Pick up a copy of the magazine at the Library or check them out online at http://www.whatifmagazine.com/ .

Write @ Your Library

Last week we officially launched the Write @ Your Library contest. This is the fifth year for this event and I'm looking forward to lots of really great entries. Short stories and poems from teens in grades 7 through 12 can be submitted until April 24th. For more details check out the Teen Buzz section of the Library's website: http://www.owensound.library.on.ca/page.php?PageID=26 . We're also running a contest to create the cover for the creative writing anthology that is produced from the winning entries. Deadline for that is May 1 and you can find out more of the details by clicking on the link above.

New Books

Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos

Rico Fuentes has traded in Harlem for the mid-west. In Harlem his light skin and hair marked him as an outsider and made him a punching bag for his school. Now living in Wisconsin, the land of milk and honey, he must give up part of his identity. For anyone who loved The Outsiders - and for anyone who ever felt like one - Pulitzer Prize winning author Oscar Hijuelos brings to life a haunting choice and an unforgettable journey about identity, misidentity, and all that we take with us when we run away.

War Is... Edited by Marc Aronson and Patty Campbell

Is war noble? Or is it delusional? Should it be obsolete? Or is it inevitable? respected commentators Marc Aronson and Patty Campbell have commissioned and edited nearly 20 pieces of fiction and nonfiction as varied and complex as war itself.

Witch-Hunt Edited by Marc Aronson

Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. Acclaimed historian Marc Aronson sifts through the facts, myths, half-truths, misinterpretations and theories around the Salem witch trials to present a vivid narrative of one of the most compelling mysteries in American history.

Race by Marc Aronson

Acclaimed young adult historian Marc Aronson tackles questions about race and traces the history of racial prejudice in Western culture back to ancient Sumer and beyond. He shows us Greeks dividing the world into civilized and barbarian, medieval men writing about the traits of monstrous men, until, finally, Enlightenment scientists scrap all those mythologies and come up with a new one: charts spelling out the traits of human races.

New Books!

Did you know that we actually get new books delivered every single week at the Library? I've told some people this recently and they seemed very surprised. For all of our great new YA titles I'm going to try and do a post every week. The previous post was from last week's shipment. Here's this week's:

Half World by Hiromi Goto

Melanie Tamaki is an outsider. Just how much of an outsider she's about to find out. When she returns home to find her mother missing, lured away to Half World by a creature called Mr. Glueskin. Melanie must embark on an epic and darkly fantastical journey to bring back her mother and save the universe. (Jeepers, I can't find a picture of the cover of this book, which is too bad as it was illustrated by Jillian Tamaki who did the graphic novels Skim and Emiko Superstar)

Bliss by Lauren Myracle

Bliss has left her life with her parents on a commune and moved in with her wealthy and conservative grandmother to attend the stately Crestview Academy. However, it's not long before sensitive Bliss starts hearing a voice that speaks of blood and the dark secrets of the school's past.

Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link

Nine short stories about: a phone booth in Las Vegas, unhelpful wizards, possibly carnivorous sofas, a handbag with a village inside it, Tennessee Fainting Goats, dueling librarians, a statue of George Washington, a boy named Onion, pirates, an undead babysitter, a nationally ranked soccer player, shapeshifters, and an unexpected campfire guest. All accompanied by drawings from Shaun Tan (and if you don't know Shaun Tan, check out Tales of Outer Suburbia).

New Books!

New books in this week:

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

17 year old Lucy Scarborough finds out she is doomed to suffer her family curse. If she cannot complete 3 impossible tasks by the time her first child is born, she will fall into madness. Based on the ballad "Scarborough Fair".

Vidalia in Paris by Sasha Watson

Vidalia wins a scholarship that allows her to move to Paris to study art. When there she falls for two guys. One a quiet guy who works at a bookstore, the other a mysterious art dealer. When she finally discovers the extent of the art dealer's illegal activities it may be too late.

Something Wicked by Alan Gratz

High school detective Horatio Wilkes finds himself mixed up in a plot surrounding a death at a Scottish Highland Fair. What with suspicious parents, goth-punk bagpipers, hot girls and caber tossing, Horatio will need lots of snark and smarts to solve this one.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

North America is in ruins and the cruel Capital that rules the remains demands that the 12 outlying districts provide 1 girl and boy each year to participate in the Hunger Games. A fight to the death on live tv.

Renovation News

Just thought you might want to take a look at some of the plans for the renovated and revitalized Children & Youth Services Department.



<-- This lovely green chair is known as Luemmel. You will be seeing a collection of these in the new teen space.





The carpet that we are using is called Stimulus Blip in Pistachio. It is made by a company called Milliken. -->

Don't worry, there's more. But I'll include more info in another post. Just to keep you all interested.

We've Moved!

That's right, the Children & Youth Services Department is now located in the Auditorium while the renovations take place upstairs. I can't wait to move back up, it's going to be like a whole different planet. No more ventilation shafts! No more cinder block walls! Colour! Woot!

Coffee Anyone?

Well Saturday was another fun coffee house at the Library. Looking forward to doing this again in the spring when the renovations are complete. Thanks to TAG for all of their help setting up and putting on an awesome event. Happy Holidays!

Erik Wagenaar and Tristan Käärid the Righteous Duo performing at the December 13th TAG Coffee House. Thanks guys. Hope to see you at the next one!