All Star Canada Reads

Today CBC Radio announced this year’s Canada Reads titles. For those of you who are not aware, Canada Reads is a Radio program held annually. Five books by Canadian authors are selected, and debated among a panel of celebrities who debate for five days and vote one book out of the competition each day. The final book is crowned the winner of Canada Reads. This year’s competition has the winning panelists from pervious years back to defend more books that they love. You can learn more about the program HERE.

I cannot stress how much I love Canada Reads. I am one of those people who have trouble finding books to read, and I rely heavily on suggestions from other people. Having a list of five Canadian books to read makes me very happy. There have been some cool Canadians on the program too. Sherraine MacKay, Canadian Olympic fencer, author, and former Brooks resident was a panelist in 2005. (Her choice, No Crystal Stair by Mairuth Sarsfield, did not win that year.)

I look forward to this competition every year, and I am always surprised how many other people are into it as well. For a complete list of the Canada Reads books, come by the library. We have most of the titles on our shelves now, so you can start reading the list today!

Canada Reads 2007 – All Star Edition
1) Children of My Heart (Ces Enfants de ma vie) by Gabrielle Roy
2) Natasha and other stories by David Bezmozgis
3) Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor
4) The Song of Kahunsha by Anosh Irani
5)Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill (On Order - Here Soon!)

Fictional and Rich

Forbes Magazine recently released their annual list of the top fifteen richest fictional characters. This article is a hilarious and interesting read. It made me wonder if Scrooge McDuck was third because he liked to stock his vault with coins to swim in, rather than investing his cash in the stock market.

You can read the article HERE. There is also a small article about the fictional characters that did not make this year’s top 15.

You can learn more about these characters’ rich and famous adventures here at the Brooks Public Library. Click on the name of these winners to check them out:

1. Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks - Little Orphan Annie

2. Montgomery Burns - The Simpsons

3. Scrooge McDuck - Duck Tales

4. Richie Rich - Richie Rich

5. Jed Clampett - The Beverly Hillbillies

6. Mr. Monopoly A.K.A Uncle Moneybags - Monopoly

7. Bruce Wayne - Batman

8. Tony Stark - Iron Man

9. Prince Abakaliki of Nigeria - An Internet Scam/Hoax

10. Thurston Howell III - Gilligan’s Island

11. Willy Wonka - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

12. Lucius Malfoy - The Harry Potter Series

13. Tony “Scarface” Montana - Scarface

14. Lara Croft - Tomb Raider

15. Mario - Super Mario Brothers

It's The Season of Giving...

It's coming into the holiday season once again and the search for the perfect gift has begun! Not sure what to get the person who has everything? Why not get them a gift certificate for a library membership? With thousands of books, CDs, and movies, it's the gift that keeps on giving.

The best part? Even if they already have a membership, the gift certificate can be used to renew their membership later on. So, no pesky returns to worry about!

Come on in - pick up one for a friend and get a membership for yourself while you're at it!