by Susan Griffith


"Because gap years are wasted on the young..." so says the new edition of Gap Years for Grown Ups. But a "gap year" is not necessarily a full twelve months, it is whatever length of time one needs to recharge, reinvigorate and follow one's bliss. Think of it as a sabbatical, an unpaid leave or just a break, a gap "year" can allow one to achieve a long-time dream, put spring back into one's step and give a person new focus, no matter if a person is burnt out, seeking simplicity or perhaps disheartened for some reason. Taking a break from a job - or just normal life - can be scary though, and this book outlines the steps needed to decide if the time is right for a gap, and how to determine what kinds of activities are out there to fill up that gap if the right time is right now: maybe a turn as an overseas volunteer, or perhaps a spiritual retreat is what is needed? The author includes advice on how to persuade the boss or family about that break, how to afford a gap year, and lots of practical tips for getting around red tape, where and how to find accommodations, health and safety and general travel. The best part are the many stories of people to took that gap and did extrordinary things, like volunteering on biological reserve in Ecuador, moving to Florence to take Italian immersion and cooking courses, teaching Tanzanian villagers how to knit, or leading tours in a variety of countries and cultures. By no means a solitary venture, "gapping" can involve the entire family, and the author shows how kids - especially young children - can quickly adapt to world travel, even with their schoolwork in tow. Lastly, there is a chapter about readapting to one's "normal" life - which may not feel as normal as after taking an exciting gap year of one's own. Click here to reserve a copy in our new on-line catalogue, Bibliocommons.

By Paul Sutherland

The laws of astrophysics state that the universe is expanding, but in 2006 when the International Astronomical Union “demoted” Pluto from a planet to a dwarf “plutoid”, our neighbourhood in it shrank by about 2,543,166,000 km. It created quite a stir, for a planet that had only been discovered in 1930. Astronomy has come a long way in the past century, with the spaceships Voyager 1 and 2 making their trips to infinity and beyond, sending back data along the way, and the powerful Hubble telescope able to capture images of our planets and deep space that are more incredible than any artists’ imagination. All the “news” from our solar system is contained in this well-organized book. The sun and each planet has a chapter dedicated to it and their moons or satellites, and our moon gets one of its own (because it’s ours), plus there are separate chapters on asteroids, comets, and “extra-solar” planets. Mars gets some extra treatment because of the excitement Rover created in finding bacterial fossils, ice and what appeared to be the ‘face of Mars’. One whole section tells you how to observe these heavenly bodies, with the help of the planisphere (included in the book’s cover) which can be set to show what you can see in the sky on any given date and time – if you can escape all our light pollution. There are loads of pictures, Hubble photographs, artists’ renderings and quaint illustrations of superstitions about our past beliefs, more astrological than astronomical. There are side-bar tidbits in each chapter designed to fuel deeper interest in these cosmological spheres, and the author includes a glossary and index for quick references. On a clear night this summer, throw a little planet-gazing into your star-gazing and learn a little more about our place in the universe. Click here to find Where Did Pluto Go? in our on-line catalogue.

by Sheryl Garrett, Camilla Cornell

by Jeff Beneke

Summer is coming (eventually), and to make the most of the lazy hazy days of summer for your children, here's a book full of fun structures sure to keep their imaginations engaged outside. From the Creative Homeowner publisher, author Jeff Beneker has compiled a whole host of play areas. Each plan comes with a complete set of illustrative schematics, a list of tools, lumber and hardware that will be needed, and of course like any good construction book, this one starts with chapters on planning (choosing a site), specialty tools (i.e. post-holers), materials (choosing materials to create a safe play space), techniques, finishing and maintenance for each structure. Then we get to the fun stuff, the projects themselves. For the smaller backyards there are plans for simple sandboxes, swings and teeter-totters; for larger areas there are plans for monkey-bar sets, playhouses, and some pretty cool tree houses - one even looks like a boat, 'floating' through the trees. Advanced projects include a miniature Victorian playhouse - complete with gingerbread, no less, the aforementioned boat tree-house, as well as a tree-house fort, for those clubs and backyard adventures that tend to make up the more thrilling aspects of kid-hood. Each project is accompanied by photos of the finished product, and the index is accompanied by a handy Canadian-friendly Metric conversion table. Be prepared for the X-Box to accumulate a layer of dust if a set of these monkey-bars appears in your backyard! Click here to find Kids' Play Structures and Tree-Houses in the SPL on-line catalogue.

By Stephen Thompson, CA, CFP, TEP


Tax season is quickly approaching, and in this economic climate those in small business ventures – entrepreneurs, mom-and-pop stores, small corporations etc. – are especially vulnerable. Stephen Thompson, a Certified Accountant with the firm Wilkinson & Company has put his specialist knowledge of small-business taxation into a well-organized guide to the murky world of Canadian tax rules, with the intent of showing how small business can reduce the taxes they pay. The table of contents alone reads like an FAQ for quick reference, although to get the most out of the book (and your taxes) it is recommended that the book is read from start to finish, since there may be savings tips along the way that you didn’t know could be applied to your business. The first chapter begins with the basics, like the types of expenses that can be deducted, then there is a chapter on accurate record keeping (essential in case the tax man revisits), a guide to incorporation, an entire chapter just on the GST, numerous chapters on saving, and he even provides information on what can happen after all the tax forms are submitted. I especially like the easy, (mostly) jargon-free language he uses, the side-bar “Tax Beater” short tips and its quick reference index in the back, which is very handy in avoiding turned-down pages or a mass of sticky-note bookmarks. Read this book early to avoid the tax-season rush. Click here to find it in SPL's on-line catalogue.

Dawn French is a household name in Britain and to those who watch BBC Canada. She played the Anglican minister Geraldine in The Vicar of Dibley for 10 years, which is tuppence compared to how long she’s been in the comedy biz with her buddy Jennifer Saunders (she of Absolutely Fabulous fame, and to whom the ‘Fatty’ of the title refers - who is anything but). Younger audiences may know Ms. French from her cameo as “the fat lady portrait” in the third Harry Potter film, and lately she has been seen in the series’ Jam & Jerusalem and Lark Rise to Candleford. In this most unusual memoir, however, she writes very little very about her own stardom, although plenty of pictures show just how broad her career has been. Still, she keeps the name-dropping at a tantalizing minimum, and instead focuses on the people in her life who have influenced and inspired her along the way. Each chapter is actually a letter to one of those people – her parents, Fatty, various friends met along the way, past crushes, her B.F. (best friend, whose name is not revealed), her husband and daughter – and each letter recalls hilarious anecdotes, cringe-worthy moments, and even imaginary fantasies (i.e. the kiss with George Clooney - not so imaginary, but the after-affect was). A perpetually overweight RAF-brat who moved around lot and developed her sense of humour to make friends and not alienate people, her seemingly privileged life has not been tragedy-free by a long-shot. However, she avoids being maudlin by introducing these episodes in a very gentle way, chapters before she gets into the nitty-gritty of the circumstances. More like a peek into someone’s diary, Dear Fatty is likely to leave one tearful as much from laughing at Dawn French’s ebullient self as from the tender revelations of her life. It is the best memoir I have read in a very long time.
Click here to reserve your copy of her memoir, or here to watch her in action on Youtube.
In the Stratford Gazette on January 9, 2009

It is the New Year, but we still have the same old economic crisis, the same old global warming, and maybe the same old tendency toward poor fitness habits. If only there was a way to tackle all three problems at once… But wait, there is! Check out The Human-Powered Home, and learn how to reduce your hydro bills, reduce your carbon footprint, and reduce your waistline all in one go. Through designs for pedal and pump power we can power any number of household appliances, from blenders to washing machines (remember the one on Gilligan’s Island?), even pedal-powered snowplows (wait till you see that one) and bike-framed cultivators for your garden. When considering implementing these plans in your own home, it may be helpful to have a friend or family member who is an engineer at heart, as the schematics are not as detailed as the instructions, but the author – who lives in her own human-powered home – also provides information on commercially available parts and contraptions. There are photos from all over the world illustrating the various uses for pedal and pump power, including some innovative entrepreneurs who use them in their various businesses. These machines are designed for energy efficiency, not time efficiency, of course, and your grandparents may recognize some of them from days gone by (the hand-cranked ice-cream maker is just one example), but sometimes the old things really are best for the economy, earth and your own health. This book is recommended by Mother Earth News.

Christmas is barely over, but New Year’s Resolutions are around the corner. Some of us may make the resolution to get rid of the STUFF that has been piled, hoarded, packed, and multiplying like dust bunnies in our various junk drawers, garages, closet shelves, basements and cupboards. But this is not just a de-cluttering guide, this is a decorating, repairing and downsizing guide all rolled into one bright little book. Lauri Ward, author of Use What You Have Decorating, explains how to make the transition to living large in smaller spaces – no matter the reason for the change. There are entire chapters on creative storage (you can never have enough), creating cohesiveness when there is not enough wall space, repurposing (or ‘MacGyvering’) older pieces, finding multiple functions for small spaces and how to decide what to keep or ditch – plus an entire chapter on where to ditch the things you decide not to keep, often a stumbling block for those of us who are pack rats at heart. Ward’s explanations are greatly helped by the use of lots of colour photographs of real homes – not the upscale ones you see in designer magazines, but the homes of real families that she has helped. Although some of the hints she suggests are not realistic for everyone (keeping the size of a television in proportion with your space would get pretty expensive after a few moves), most tips and suggestions are quite adaptable (choosing the right fabric for a small space, for instance). There is a handy source guide in the back with many Canadian retailers (although IKEA is notably absent), and the index makes it a snap to locate specific solutions. So whether you need to downsize or you are trying to lead a simpler life, or even if you are just tired of your STUFF, this is one book you need. Happy New Year!

Although today we associate Muslims with the middle east, the artistic stamp of the Islamic empire has been left on countries from as far west as Spain to as far east as Indonesia (the largest Muslim country by population), dating back to the seventh century. Encompassing Ottoman and Mamluk art, and influenced by both classical and Byzantine styles that came before, the ceramics, manuscripts, mosaics and towers of the Islamic world reveal much about its history and cultural development. The displays in this gorgeous ‘coffee-table’ type book, The Treasures of Islam, are not simply exotic eye-candy – although the rich patterns and jewel-like colours can provide hours of happy gazing. The author, a professor of Islamic Art and Architecture at the American University in Cairo, presents these treasures in rough geographic and chronological order with historic background, religious context, and close-up photos of intricate architectural detail, illuminated manuscripts and even some basic floor plans to some of the bigger structures, like the complex of Sultan Hasan, with its qibla iwan (hall of two hundred lamps). Some of the more impressive masterpieces are showcased in golden ‘special feature’ pages, like the Dome of the Rock in the centre of al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary (aka the Temple Mount). Like any university professor would, O’Kane provides a bibliography for further reading, plus a basic glossary and a complete index for quick reference – although this is one book which should be savoured, not quickly read.
Click here to find it in the on-line catalogue at SPL.
In the Stratford Gazette on December 19, 2008

Dec. 12, 2008