Longview Library Literally Speaking

Just a reminder; Should you wish to find out more about our programs or any other information about our goings on, check: facebook.com/longviewlibrary and the bulletin board inside the Town Office building always has a list of the programs and sign up sheets below. Again, our phone number is 558-3927 and Joan is our librarian.
The Book Arts Exhibit is still on, so do come in and see it. Allow yourself some time, because it is a linger and learn kind of show.

On Wednesday, May 11th from 2-3pm there will be a video-conference on the Healing aspects of Tai Chi. In this live interactive videoconference Jane Sponiar and her senior student Shelia Foster will demonstrate Tai Chi and then will talk about the benefits it can bring. Shelia, a cancer survivor, will speak about the role Tai Chi played in her healing journey.

On Wednesday, May 11th, from 7-8:30pm Julie Walker will give a talk on Medicinal Plants. You will learn the medicinal uses of local Alberta plants. Find out what plants make good tonics and which ones heal an assortment of aches and pains. Sample some medicinal teas too!!

The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich is an engrossing, quickly paced story of both sixteenth century Venice and a troubled love affair. Added are mystery and murder. A fun read.

Bad Medicine by John Reilly. Reilly was appointed Provincial Court Judge whose jurisdiction was the First Nation's community of the Morley Reserve. He exposes the failure of the justice system in dealing with the Aboriginal lawbreakers. He describes the soul destroying circumstances under which our Natives are forced to live. Reilly's cry for help is being largely ignored, by both our federal and provincial governments. Reilly has some very positive suggestions for change and his book should be a must read for every Canadian.

Another book I enjoyed is Louise Penny's The Brutal Telling. It is a murder mystery from one of Canada's best. It takes place, as do all of hers, in the Eastern Townships south of Montreal. A small village is in chaos because a man has been bludgeoned to death. He has no name, there is no sign of a weapon and no obvious motive. While solving the murder, Penny entertains us with the cultural and social mores of the little picturesque French Canadian town. In order to assist in the investigation, the chief of police must travel to the Queen Charlotte Islands in B.C. Here we are enveloped in the rugged beauty of coastal B.C. with its bald headed eagles and majestic totem poles. We are also given a taste of what it was like to have been a refugee from Czechoslovakia at the beginning of the Second World War. Penny is a challenging read because she is not just a mystery writer. She explores many aspects of the arts, even the culinary ones. Her descriptions of how Emily Carr's art evolved from a strictly representational one to a spiritual one are fun to read about. "Murder," Penny writes,"is about fear, and the lies it produces. It's about stories--the tales the people tell the world and the tales they tell themselves." She writes with deep psychological understanding and her books are peppered with myth and allegory. We have all her books in the library.

And again, many thanks for your bottle donations. It all really helps.

Happy Reading
Sylvia Binkley