Sunday June 30, 2013 What to Read When You're Expecting

 

As someone who has always preferred to sit down with a work of non-fiction over fiction, imagine my delight when I discovered that being pregnant meant a whole new subject area to read my way through. Before browsing the section for the first time I had a simple idea of what I would find, but I had no idea that there was such a vast amount of information from every point of view and on so many topics! Really, a non-fiction reader’s dream come true.

I will spare you the books with WAY too much detail (certain diagrams should never be to scale or in colour) and stick to my favourites, ones I checked out repeatedly and have recommended to expecting friends.

I looked through a lot of week-by-week books but You and Your Baby, pregnancy: Your Ultimate Week-by-Week pregnancy guide by Dr. Laura Riley, OB/GYN was definitely my favourite. Each week follows the same layout, providing information on Your Baby, Your Body, Your Self and Diet & Exercise along with other information relative to that stage of the pregnancy. There are also chapters dedicated to labour and delivery, feeding and postpartum care. For me this was a great way to start each new “week”.

Finally a book for Canadian moms-to-be! The Mother of all Pregnancy Books: an all-Canadian guide to conception, birth and everything in between by Ann Douglas was great for information on Canadian standards, policies and laws covering everything from maternity leave to car seat safety to hospital coverage and everything in between. The Canadian information doesn’t stop there but continues with The Mother of all Baby Books: an all-Canadian guide to your baby’s first year also by Ann Douglas which I am currently halfway through.

While I referred to most books over and over again throughout my thirty nine week adventure, I barely made a dent in Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother’s Soul: 101 stories to inspire and warm the hearts of soon-to-be-mothers by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery and Nancy Mitchell. The few stories I did read were inspiring and heart warming and made me look forward to the things I was about to experience, but I found myself in tears even reading the happy stories; definitely a read to be saved for when your hormones are in check (if possible).

The baby owner’s manual: operating instructions, trouble-shooting tips, and advice on first-year-maintenance by Louis Borgenicht, M.D., and Joe Borgenicht, D.A.D. is a great little book which uses humour to get the information to the reader. Written as a car manual, the book covers topics up until the twelfth month for both girl models and boy models.

I wish I had been able to read through Breastfeeding solutions: quick tips for the most common nursing challenges by Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA prior to giving birth. It definitely would have made the first few days (weeks) much easier. Unlike other books on the same topic, this information seemed to be much more realistic and to the point.

If you’re expecting and are looking for the latest info in what your little bundle of joy is doing or even just looking for a good laugh check out one of these books. Or, if you would rather just nap, it’s okay, we get it. Congrats!

Chelsea Cernjul-Marsonet

Sunday June 16th, 2013 June

June can be a perfectly beautiful month with warmer days and longer evenings. The sixth month of the year not only has the first full day of summer but also more daylight hours than any other month. Many noteworthy events have occurred in the month of June, one of which was the D-Day landings by Allied forces in Normandy on June 6, 1944. There are also events that recur each year including Trooping the Colour (a Military celebration of the Monarch's Official Birthday) held in London on the second Saturday of every June. June is also bike month in many cities across Canada, and June twenty-first is an annual holiday called Skateboarding Day, celebrated by millions of skaters around the world.

Exciting things happen in June at the Thunder Bay Public Library as well. June 19 is Registration Day for the TD Summer Reading Club. It is a free and inclusive program that strives to engage children in the fun of reading over the summer months. Children who register for this program at the library receive free interactive print materials and stickers just for reading any books of their choice over the holidays.

Then there is the Big Boreal Adventure. You can register for this city-wide, nature-based quest at any branch of the Library where you may pick up a map and guidebook to get started. The booklet lists thirty different sites where you can enjoy the world of nature and have fun outside with friends and family. You may also sign out a nature kit to add to the experience.

Perhaps you would like to explore a little farther afield. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL PARKS OF CANADA with a Foreword by Alan Latourelle showcases some of Canada’s beautiful National Parks from BC’s Pacific Rim to Newfoundland's Gros Morne to the Arctic landscape of Aulavik National Park in the Northwest Territories, complete with stunning photographs and one-of-a-kind maps.

100 COUNTRIES, 5000 IDEAS: WHERE TO GO – WHEN TO GO – WHAT TO SEE – WHAT TO DO, prepared by the Book Division, National Geographic Society. In a large-format, lavishly illustrated, softcover travel planner, this travel companion showcases one hundred of the world's fascinating countries and is packed with colorful images and original, detailed maps. Whether you are interested in a three week vacation, a long weekend or something in between, it will help you plan the perfect summer trip.

As you seek new adventures this summer, remember the Library is only a click away. Learn about other programs and events being held at the Thunder Bay Public Library this June, and all year, on our web site www.tbpl.ca. Our online databases are available 24/7. Just log on to My Giant Search with your library card number and PIN and you will find information for all ages to peruse at your leisure.

Wherever your inclinations check out any of these fine TBPL resources and may June be the beginning of a beautiful summer.

Caron E Naysmith

Sunday June 9, 2013 Spring Cleaning

 Although it seems like spring has passed us by, I still feel the urge to spring clean.  Of course, spring cleaning  is much more than just cleaning the house for most of us.  It is an opportunity to go through what we have accumulated over the year(s) with a mind to organize and purge.  Your Library has many materials to help with both components of the clean-up.

If you’re looking to clean your home in an environmentally friendly manner you need look no further than Clean Home, Green Home:  The Complete Illustrated Guide to Eco-Friendly Homekeeping by Kimberly Delaney.  Delaney guides you in cleaning your home without the use of toxic chemicals.  It may come as a surprise that you can have a germ-free clean home without those chemicals so prevalent in commercial cleaning solutions.  While this guide is illustrated, if you would like even more visuals for green cleaning check out Green Cleaning For a Healthy Home on DVD.  In this program from the Green Living series Emmanuel Rey guides viewers through products you can buy or make yourself.  Rey also demonstrates effective, chemical free cleaning methods.  There are of course many other titles to check out in this area.  I’m currently reading A Guide to Natural Housekeeping by Christina Strutt to assist me in greening my home.  It’s chock full of interesting tips and recipes.

Alright, so now our homes are clean, time to get organized!  There are many books on home organization and it is such a popular topic that there are an ever increasing number of television programs devoted to this topic.  Yet in spite of all these great examples I still need a periodic boost to get me going again.  Not to be missed is Organize Your Life:  Free Yourself from Clutter and Find More Personal Time by Ronni Eisenberg and Kate Kelly.  Not only does the book offer tips to help get things done, but it also provides tools and tips for every part of your life.  From managing what things you have to what you have to do this book has something for everyone.  Another title to check out is The Ultimate Guide to Clearing Your Clutter:  Liberate Your Space, Clear Your Mind, and Bring in Success by Mary Lambert.  Lambert provides practical advice in conjunction with spiritual techniques.  She provides maps to look at clutter hot spots and balances this with feng shui principles to understand your connection to clutter.

When it’s time to purge check out SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life:  A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck by Julie Morgenstern.  Sometimes organizing just isn’t enough and we need to get rid of things.  Psychologically it can be challenging, but Morgenstern helps the reader separate treasures from trash and making the changes stick.   There are a plethora of other books on this subject so come in and get organized!

Ruth Hamlin-Douglas

Sunday June 2, 2013 Reading Outside Your Comfort Zone

I have spent the last few months recuperating from a broken leg. People often asked if I was bored, but being an avid reader I was not. One of the best things about the experience was having lots of time to read. Kind friends brought me a steady stream of books, including some I never would have chosen myself.

Reading outside your comfort zone can be enlightening, I have learned! While I hope you don’t have a broken leg, I do encourage you to ask a friend, or a friendly Library staff member, to choose some books for you – you just might be surprised to find a new favourite author or genre. Here are some of the books I enjoyed the most.

The prisoner of Brenda: Curses, nurses and a ticket to Bedlam by Colin Bateman

Although this is Book 3 in a series, it stands alone quite nicely. The main character has two passions: mystery books and detective work. He also has some major unresolved personal issues, a sweet girlfriend and a new baby. When approached by two different people to solve the same mystery he dives right in, disregarding the law, good manners and social niceties. The snappy dialogue and Scooby Doo-like crime fighting combine to make this book funny and engaging.

The Other Woman’s House by Sophie Hannah

Have you ever poked around a real estate Web site looking at pictures of other people’s houses? That’s what Connie, the main character in this book, does one night when she can’t sleep. Then she sees a dead body in one picture. She wakes her husband to show him, but the body is then gone. This startling event kicks off the story of Connie and her husband, who has always seemed a bit out of sorts. Connie manages to work her way through to the truth, in spite of how much is stacked against her.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

This book reminded me of the DaVinci Code as it focuses on solving an ancient mystery, involves a secret brotherhood and employs an independent sleuth. A young man gets the night shift job in a seemingly quiet, rather odd bookstore. He is instructed to make detailed notes about the few customers. Soon he realizes the bookstore is much more than it appears. The books hold clues to a secret code, and the customers all belong to a secret organization. The young man just happens to have a girlfriend who works at Google and is willing to use the mega company’s super computing power to help solve the mystery.

I enjoyed tracking my reading using the social reading Web site: GoodReads.com. Once you have logged 20 books, GoodReads makes suggestions for you. You can also connect with friends, share reviews and ratings and join discussion groups on GoodReads.

Joanna Aegard