Delicious Summer Reading: A Homemade Life

Is there anything more satisfying than reading about food? Being an amateur foodie myself, I gravitate towards well-written food fiction, such as the charming School of Essential Ingredients and the sensual Like Water for Chocolate. I’ve even been known to branch out of fiction into food-related non-fiction and memoir. One of my recent favourites is Molly Wizenberg’s memoir A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table. Molly is the author of the popular blog Orangette, a collection of recipes and delightful food-based anecdotes. Molly adopts her blog’s friendly, inviting tone in her book, sharing the story of her life through food. The book is full of delicious recipes ranging from the perfect French toast to cider-glazed salmon to savoury salad dressings. I like the way Molly talks you through her recipes; she is supportive and clear in her instructions. In between the recipes, Molly shares the moments that shaped her life. Part cook book, part coming of age novel, part love story, I savoured every word of this memoir. A must read! -Vikki VanSickle
  

Join us for Nina's Summer Reads

Summer arrived this weekend, which means it’s time for sunscreen, gelato, and everyone’s favourite book event, Nina’s Summer Reads! At The Flying Dragon, we believe that summer should be as stress-free as possible, so let our resident expert Nina McCreath guide you through the hottest of seasons with the coolest of books. Join us on Friday June 4th at 10:30am in our literary salon for coffee, pastries, and great book recommendations. Nina has created a list of fantastic adult reads to get you through the dog days of summer, whether you are lake-side, pool-side, or at home in the city.


This is a $15 drop-in event. Grab a friend and join us on June4th. We look forward to seeing you!

The Solitude of Prime Numbers

Always curious to read a book that is enjoying huge international acclaim, I looked forward to hunkering down with The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Italian author Paolo Giordano. From the first page I was involved in the lives of two children, Alice and Mattia, and the series of incidents that would shape the way they see themselves, setting the stage for the outsiders they would become.

Clear, evocative writing, like a cold stream that allows you to see the grit and stones on the bottom, propelled me forward through the coming of age of these two young people who come to recognize a kinship in each other. Desperately hoping all will be well for my young friends, I found The Solitude of Prime Numbers to be a mesmerizing read that speaks to the anguish and poignancy of youth and young adulthood. A story not soon forgotten. - Nina

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Read the first chapter here.
Read  Liesl Schillinger's review at NYTimes Sunday Book Review.
Paolo Giordano speaks about "being protected by the page".

Jeremy Tankard Wins OLA Blue Spruce Award!

Congratulations to Jeremy Tankard who won the OLA Blue Spruce Award for Boo Hoo Bird. I love the 'Forest of Reading' awards because the winners are chosen by the readers (aka kids). In the photo above,  Jeremy was visiting our storytime, much to the delight of the children. - Cath

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Jeremy was the guinea pig for Seven Imp when they created a new format for their interview series called 'Seven Questions over Breakfast' which you can savor here. You may recognize his work in the banner for Shelf Elf and see the posts that lead up to its creation. I think it suits her personality perfectly! A great review of Me Hungry! here. Also, take a moment to enjoy the videos she has posted. 

Rick Riordan is a Rock Star!

The atmostphere was electric, it was like the Beatles for tweens. Rick Riordan is a rock star, the screaming coming from the depths of the Flying Dragon had our neighbors wondering just what we were up to now. After introducing his new book The Red Pyramid, book one in The Kane Chronicles Rick had some fun with the fans.- Cath






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Take a sneak peek at the first chapter in The Kane Chronicles.
For those of you that can't leave the Greek mythology behind visit Shelf Elf for some recommendations.
USA Today says 'Another towering Riordan tale of mythology.' 

Twice Upon a Garden

Filmed through the changing seasons, 'Twice Upon a Garden' captures the lush beauty of the historic Reford Gardens while intimately portraying the bond between Elsie and her great grandson, historian Alexander Reford - who took over the Gardens in the mid-90s. Both Elsie and Alexander reinvented the art of gardening with passion and daring: visitors are swept away by the rare plants in Elsie's classic English garden and enthralled by Alexander's cutting-edge International Garden Festival. Past and present, traditional and avant-garde are linked by stunning cinematography and evocative archival photos.

The DVD would make a lovely gift paired with Elsie's Paradise: The Reford Gardens
 
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Blogs that have visited the gardens Pruned.
Interesting interview with Alexander Reford at Mocoloco

Doors Open: Art Deco Architecture

Don't miss this visual presentation by Tim Morawetz, author of Art Deco Architecture in Toronto: A Guide to the City's Buildings from the Roaring Twenties and the Depression. Tim will be speaking at The Toronto Public Library Beaches Branch on the opening day of 'Doors Open', Saturday, May 29th at 2pm.

Autographed copies of the book may be purchased after the talk, or by visiting http://www.artecotoronto.ca/.

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Read a great review by Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star and another at the Torontoist.com.
Another great book to have in your pocket as you tour the city is A Guidebook to Contemporary Architecture in Toronto by Margaret & Phil Goodfellow. They will be giving a presentation at Harbourfront Centre Wednesday, May 26, at 6:00pm