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You can visit the calendar to view some of the upcoming programs.

 Author Events

2021
  • Glynis Peters

If you were unable to join us on December 4, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with historical fiction author, Glynis Peters, as she discussed her latest book, The Red Cross Orphan, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka Libraries collaboration.

  • Terry O'Reilly

If you were unable to join us on November 18, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with  author and host of CBC Radio’s Under the Influence, Terry O’Reilly, as he discussed his latest book, My Best Mistake, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka Libraries collaboration.

  •  Lisa Unger

If you were unable to join us on October 26, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with internationally bestselling author, Lisa Unger (Confessions on the 7:45, The Stranger Inside, Under My Skin) as she discussed her latest  thriller, Last Girl Ghosted, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka Libraries collaboration.

  • Susan Kelly

If you were unable to join us on September 2, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual event with author and retired registered nurse, Susan P. Kelly as she discussed her book on wellness, Still Sexy After Sixty: 7 secrets to finding life's sweet spot, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka Libraries collaboration.

  • Pam Jenoff

If you were unable to join us on August 18, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with author Pam Jenoff (The Orphan's Tale, The Last Summer on Chelsea Beach, The Lost Girls of Paris) as she discussed her latest book, The Woman with the Blue Star, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka libraries collaboration.

  • Kimberly Alexander and Dale Curd

If you were unable to join us on July 8, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with Kim Alexander and Dale Curd, authors of Living Lightly, the recording is available to view on YouTube.  Dale Curd is a mental health professional, the host of CBC TV's Hello Goodbye and a co-host of Life Story Project on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Kimberley Alexander is a therapist with an online practice. Dale and Kim founded The Child Therapy List and The Men’s List, to encourage and help people find therapy services and end mental health stigma. Milford Bay, Muskoka is home for Dale and Kim, where they live on a small farm. A Muskoka libraries collaboration.

  • Linwood Barclay

If you were unable to join us on June 3, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with author Linwood Barclay (The Noise Downstairs, Broken Promise, The Chase) as he discussed his latest book, Find You First, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka libraries collaboration.

  • Kate Hilton

If you were unable to join us May 4, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with author Kate Hilton (Just Like Family, The Hole in the Middle) as she discussed her latest book, Better Luck Next Time, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka libraries collaboration.

  • Nadia Hashimi

If you were unable to join us on April 8, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with author Nadia Hashimi (The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, A House Without Windows) as she discussed her latest book, Sparks Like Stars, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka libraries collaboration.

  • Susan Nairn

If you were unable to join us on March 25, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with Muskoka author Susan Nairn as she discussed her book, The Waking Hours, the first in The Relative series, the recording is available to view on YouTube.

  • Jennifer Robson

If you were unable to join us on February 25, 2021 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with author Jennifer Robson (The Gown, Goodnight from London, Moonlight Over Paris) as she discussed her latest book, Our Darkest Night, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka libraries collaboration.

  • Emma Donoghue

If you were unable to join us on November 24, 2020 or would like to revisit virtual live webinar with Emma Donoghue (Room, The Wonder, Akin) as she discussed her latest book, The Pull of the Stars, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka libraries collaboration.

2022
  • Hannah Mary McKinnon and Katie Tallo

June 7, 2022 7:00 p.m. Never Coming Home and Poison Lilies

Join us, in the comfort of your own home, as we host not one, but two bestselling suspense writers in a panel discussion! Hannah Mary McKinnon (You Will Remember Me, Sister Dear, The Neighbor) will discuss her latest thriller, Never Coming Home. Katie Tallo (Dark August) will discuss with us her new novel, Poison Lilies. 

Email us to get the Zoom access code emailed to you the day before the event. A reminder that your camera and mic are automatically disabled in our Zoom author events but that you can interact with the authors using the Q&A feature of Zoom. Join us! Signed books will be available for purchase. $15.

  • Anais Granoffsky

June 23, 2022 7:00 p.m. The Girl in the Middle : Growing Up Between Black and White, Rich and Poor

Though recognized around the world for her role as Lucy Hernandez on the hit show Degrassi, Anais Granofsky’s true childhood story is largely unknown.

Growing up, Anais was caught between two vastly different worlds: her father, Stanley, came from a wealthy, prominent, white Jewish family in Toronto. Her mother, Jean, was one of 15 children from a poor Black Methodist family in Ohio directly descended from freed Randolph slaves. When Anais’s parents met and soon had their first child, they didn’t anticipate being cut off by the wealthy Granofskys, or that Stanley would leave his family for an ashram in India.

Young Anais and her mother teetered on the abyss of poverty, sharing a mattress in a single room in social housing in Toronto, while her grandparents lived in a mansion that was 20 minutes away. As Anais grew up, she spent weekends with her wealthy Granofsky grandparents. On Saturdays and Sundays she would wear expensive clothes and eat lunch by the pool. In the weeks between, she and her mother lived day by day penniless, rarely knowing where their next meal would come from.

From her earliest youth, Anais realized that if she wanted to be loved, she had to keep her two lives separate, learning to code switch between her Jewish identity on the weekend and her Black one during the week. Her life was compartmentalized, until at age 12, Anais was cast in the internationally successful television show Degrassi Junior High. The Girl in the Middle is a tale of two vastly different families and the granddaughter they shared and clashed over.

Email us to get the Zoom access code emailed to you the day before the event. A reminder that your camera and mic are automatically disabled in our Zoom author events but that you can interact with the author using the Q&A feature of Zoom. Join us! Signed books will be available for purchase. $15.

  • Kate Quinn

If you were unable to join us on April 28, 2022 or would like to revisit the virual live webinar with Kate Quinn, the New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code, as she discussed her latest historical fiction, The Diamond Eye, the recording is available to view on YouTube.

  • Amita Parikh

If you were unable to join us on March 24, 2022 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with Amita Parikh as she discussed her debut novel, The Circus Train, the recording is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka libraries collaboration.

  • Heather O'Neill

If you were unable to join us on February 24, 2022 or would like to revisit the virtual live webinar with Heather O'Neill, bestselling Canadian author (The Lonely Hearts Hotel, Lullabies for Little Criminals, The Girl Who Was Saturday Night), as she discussed her new novel, When We Lost Our Heads, the recording will is available to view on YouTube. A Muskoka libraries collaboration.

 

Book Reviews

 Reviewer: Deb Duce, librarian/book lover
  State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny

October 29, 2021

I have to admit I was dubious about whether I wanted to invest time into the co-authorship of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny. I am a huge fan of Louise Penny and her Inspector Gamache series but I was unsure about what Clinton would bring to the table. Clinton and Penny caught my interest from page one of State of Terror. I stepped into a fast paced, detailed, and gripping narrative where new Secretary of State Ellen Adams returns from unsuccessful talks in South Korea late for the State of the Union. This is quickly followed by terrorist bombings in London, then Paris, and also Frankfurt – all within twelve hours. Ellen Adams must work with a President and team that she doesn’t really trust to find who is behind the bombings and stop the threat of more. Supporting her is long-time friend Betsey Williams who serves as her aide/counsellor and is the one person she truly trusts. Adams and Williams travel the world to meet with leaders, colleagues, foes, and family to discover who is behind these attacks and prevent further devastation. 

From page one, State of Terror caught my interest with suspense, intrigue, and interesting characters. I devoured the 512 pages in record time and learned about world politics (past and recent – you’ll see), history, terrorism, family, and friendship. It is an intense and complicated story and I admit to looking back to try to recall the titles behind acronyms and occasionally to check a plot line after an ‘ah ha’ moment. I recognized the parallels to recent history and politics in the intriguing story and narrative. A definite highlight for me was the connection to Three Pines, which the dedicated readers of Louise Penny will recognize immediately. Clinton and Penny didn’t disappoint with this fast moving, intriguing, touching, and funny treasure. I cannot wait to see what comes next as the ending hints at a second novel dealing with “every horror made by man”.

 Reviewer: Eva Moore, Bala library

 The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

November 2021

I discovered Lisa Jewell with Then She Was Gone (2018), and was compelled to read everything that came before and after...I am definitely a fan. Jewell is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels, including The Family Upstairs and Girls in the Garden, as well as Invisible Girl and Watching You. Her novels have sold over five million copies internationally, and her work has been translated into twenty-nine languages. 

The Night She Disappeared is a substantial book at 416 pages, and I was hooked from page one to the conclusion. This book has all the major food groups: secrets and lies, love and hate, family, dark and twisted places, and it kept me guessing without freaking me out! I love mystery but I can’t handle horror…and Lisa Jewell is a master at keeping you on the edge of your seat without giving you nightmares.

Synopsis:

Tallulah and her boyfriend Zack disappear one night without a trace. Tallulah's mother Kim knows her daughter would never abandon her baby boy, but a year passes and the police are no closer to an answer. That changes when a new headmaster and his girlfriend Sophie, a cozy mystery writer, move into the village. When Sophie finds a sign saying 'Dig Here’ in her back garden, she does, and the first clue to what might have happened is found.

Jewell tells the tale in three timelines with multiple points of view, every chapter gives us more hints to the past, gradually giving the reader more knowledge and answers. I love how it misleads you in places and makes you think you know what’s happening or happened, then a surprise twist comes to play and you realize how wrong you were. Once the past meets with the present, questions are answered but it still leaves the reader anticipating what is going to happen next.

Jewel gives us well-drawn protagonists in grieving parent Kim and amateur detective Sophie. These characters are imbued with personal storylines as well, quite believable in their relationships, doubts, loss and more. Jewell ekes out the story of Tallulah before she disappeared and the reader can see what's coming as her narrative progresses. There are plenty of supporting characters and each seems to have trouble with the truth. It's nuanced, suspenseful, and plot-driven. Overall this was a slow-burning psychological thriller I would highly recommend.

Another five star read from the amazing Lisa Jewell!

Reviewer: Lindsay, bibliophile
 Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez

March 2022

This book has been around for a few years already, and has been awarded many accolades, most recently being shortlisted for Canada Reads 2022.  Oftentimes novels whose covers are plastered with many awards aren't ones that I gravitate towards, fearing that they'll be too...artsy.  When asked what I like to read, my answer is 'a good story', without a specific genre that appeals to me; so long as I am entertained, and the writing style is such that I don't cringe at disingenuous dialogue and unfortunate typos, I'm usually up for giving anything a go!  I had heard from numerous patrons that this was a book worth reading, and so I decided to check it out, and to not judge it by its award-strewn cover, as the saying goes.

In this debut novel by playwright Catherine Hernandez the spotlight is shone on the inner city centre of Scarborough, focusing on a group of people whose paths intersect at a government funded early literacy centre.  The stories of the characters are told in a variety of voices, and with the interesting use of emails between the Literacy Centre's staff member, Hina, and her management.  The three children who we get to know throughout the book are living very challenging lives, and yet somehow manage to keep showing up to the centre, for their friends, and for themselves.  The author expertly weaves their stories with a diverse tapestry of race, religion, sexuality, socio-economic status, disability and the assumptions that we make about people based on the very little we actually know about them.  There is such depth of feeling and voice in all of the characters that I found myself laughing along with them, as well as crying for them.  I flew through this book, not wanting it to end, loving the voices within it and hoping that somehow, against the odds, their lives somehow, miraculously, unrealistically, improved.  

Catherine Hernandez has written a heartbreakingly beautiful debut novel, full of hope and love, and the understanding that every single one of us has a role to play in the daily lives of others; our choices do matter, and there are always battles being waged well behind the closed doors that we will know nothing about.  Her characters remind us to choose kindness, and that even when things seem insurmountable, it's still okay to hope.  I highly recommend Scarborough to anyone who likes a good story! 

 Reviewer: Maggie, bookdragon


Northern Spy by Flynn Berry

December 2021

Northern Spy is a novel that centres on the contemporary IRA (Irish Republican Army) and the loyalty between sisters.

Tessa is a new mom and a producer at the BBC, while her sister Marian is a paramedic….or so she thought. After footage reveals Marian was present at a robbery by the IRA, Tessa must face difficult facts and make some hard choices. Her identity as a sister and as a mother are challenged as she gets deeper into the truth of what is actually going on with Marian.

I really appreciated the fast pace of the writing. It’s a book that kept me saying, “Just one more chapter.” The IRA aspect can get a little bit tedious every now and then if you don’t enjoy politics in your reading material, but the faith and trust between the sisters makes up for it.

Not everything here is black and white, which makes for interesting reading. It challenges the notion of right or wrong, and how well you can ever really know a person. I enjoyed this novel enough that I will be adding Flynn Berry’s other books to my To Be Read List.

Northern Spy is a Reese's Book Club pick. (As is Where the Crawdads Sing, The Island of Missing Trees, Paper Palace, and many others available with your MLPL membership.) Wondering what Witherspoon uses as her criteria for recommending a book, I investigated her Book Club website and found this as their guiding principles for including a book into the collection:  "Each month, Reese, our founder (and book-lover-in-chief) chooses a book with a woman at the center of the story. There's not a formula to the books we spotlight, and we like it that way. We make our choices thoughtfully and look for ways to deepen our connection to books, authors and ourselves." 

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk

February 2022

This debut novel by Torontonian Eva Jurczyk was a lot of fun to read.

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections is the story of Liesl, a librarian working in the very distinguished rare books department of a large university. She spends her days making her boss look good, and doing all his menial tasks. One day however, her boss suffers a stroke, and in his absence she must take charge of the department and prepare the library’s most highly delicate and newly acquired manuscript for a huge donor event. Upon opening the safe where this elite book is kept under the watchful eyes of the university’s president, Liesl discovers it missing.

What follows is the mess that comes with questioning each of the library’s employees, trying to hide the fact that the rare item is not where it is supposed to be from curious individuals, maintaining control of her department, following the directive to keep the police out of it, and keeping the donors who made the acquiring of such a priceless artifact happy. Liesl’s job is not made any easier when one of the other librarians stops showing up at work!

The characters are interesting, the mystery of where the manuscript has gone is a good one, and the language used to depict certain images is surprising and breaks the mold of a librarian’s “quiet life.” I look forward to more books by Eva Jurczyk, as this debut was quite good. 

Reading Challenge 2022

Do you like to set reading goals for the year? Here are 22 challenges for you! We have printed tracking pages of the 2022 Reading Challenge for adults as well as simpler ones for children to encourage them to set their own goals for books read. Ask for them next time you're at the library or print them at home using the links provided. All completed challenges returned to the library by January 20, 2023 will be entered into a draw to win a prize!

Book PromptBook Title You Read            Author                    

A book published this year

 

 

A book by an indigenous author

 

 

A book with onomatopoeia in it's title

 

 

A book about a matriarchal society

 

 

A book by a Muskoka author

 

 

A book becoming a TV series or movie this year

 

 

A book about a musician or band

 

 

A non-fiction bestseller

 

 

A book that sparks joy

 

 

A book based on a real person

 

 

A book featuring a library or bookstore

 

 

A banned book

 

 

A book set in a world war

 

 

A book with chapter titles

 

 

A book over 500 pages

 

 

A book with a number in the title

   
A coming-of-age story by a BIPOC+ author    
A book about mental health    
A book about magic    
A book about food
   
A book about books    
A book about something you've always wanted to read but never did    

Something Learned

 Self Help / Personal Growth

 Candice's Offerings

  • Self Care Guide 2021

Download this self-directed self care guide. Self care is not selfish. You cannot give others what you don’t have yourself. Self-care encourages you to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself so that you can transmit the good feelings to others. Fill your own cup, so you have more of yourself to share with the help of this activity guide.

  • Metamorphose 2022

"I have compiled this offering from various stories and sources, for those seeking something a little different than the narrative of the past few years. It won't be for everyone, but it might just be for you." -Candice

Instructional Videos

Visit our YouTube channel for our videos, some produced and submitted by you, our library users, on a variety of subjects. 

  • Friendship bracelet with Fiona
  • Lime curd with Candice
  • Hemp bracelet with Harper
  • Choose your own adventure cake with Evan
  • 3 DIY bookmarks with Evan
  • Quick draw part 1 with Nancy
  • Quick draw part 2 with Nancy
  • Soup stock with Maggie
  • No-knead bread with Gord
  • Foot scrub with Kendra and Chloe
  • Granola with Maggie
  • Napkin folding with Greer
  • Elves and gnomes with Jen and family
  • Pipe cleaner flower rings by Kendra and Chloe
  • Makey banana piano with Kaleb
  • All-purpose natural cleaner with Candice

 

Story Time

In-library story time will return in the fall of 2022. Watch for the library participation at the farmer's market at Hanna Park in Port Carling during the summer of 2022.

Story Trails

Story Trails are a fun way to enjoy reading while spending time outdoors. Community members are invited to visit Hanna Park in Port Carling and the Township of Muskoka Lakes Sports Park in Bala, May to October, and walk the path as you read the book. This is a self-guided tour that families can enjoy at their leisure.

Take and Make

We make up kits for you to take home and make! We have them for adults and for kids. Note: Some of the kits are per household and some are per person. A reminder that you must be an active Muskoka Lakes Public Library cardholder to participate in this program. First come, first served. No reserves.

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