GRASSROOTS: Longview Library Literally Speaking

(Grassroots: Page 10)

We would like to thank our volunteers, Jubilee, Peggy and Jan for all the hours they have put in this past year to make our library the special place that it is. We would also like to thank Ross for taking the donated cans and bottles to the depot and the community for dropping them off at the library in the first place! They are a very welcome source of income. We have had a marked increase in our membership over the past few months. Joan, our librarian, has spent many hours making the library user friendly and welcoming and it seems her efforts have paid off. Our hours over the festive season will be as usual---Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 to 5:00, and Wednesday 12:00 to 7:00. The library phone number, again, is 403-558-3927.
Blanca Botero has arranged for another exciting exhibit from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for early spring and we will keep you posted on the event closer to the time.
Two books worth mentioning--A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman is a saga of two intersecting stories about two Sri Lankan women, set against the volatile backdrop of class and prejudice. The latter part of the book is a real page turner and I found myself skipping ahead to find out what happens. Freeman defines herself as both an activist and an author. The second one is On Beauty by Zadie Smith. On Beauty is set in New England at a university college and in London, England. It is a story of two feuding families--the Belseys and the Kippses. It is full of campus politics, student angst and the aesthetic wranglings of art historians. Smith writes with wit, wisdom and warmth. The book won the Orange Prize for 2006 and was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2005. It is a thoughtful, delightful read.

Happy Reading and a very Happy New Year!
Sylvia Binkley