I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of reading about vampires and fairies and pixies and werewolves and robot-humans.
It's just getting a little old and repetitive. Like your favourite jeans that were great when they were stiff and new, but are now worn, shredding and full of holes.
The trouble is, I do enjoy the mystery and fantasy of a new species. I love delving into a world that takes me out of this world. And most of all, I crave getting just a little bit freaked out and a little bit scared by a suspenseful, frightening plotline (but not too frightening!).
So, if you are like me, I have two books to recommend to you. These are books with a paranormal twist but they do not have vampires and they are interesting, exciting and based on a fresh, new idea.
The first book I recommend for the non-vamp, pro-paranormal folks out there is Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.
The Graveyard Book transports you to the world of ghosts and life(?) after death. It opens on the scene of a crime, wherein a two-year-old boy manages to escape the bloody hands of a murderer who kills his family. Mercifully, miraculously, the boy ends up in a graveyard, where the ghostly residents adopt him and raise him as their own. Unfortunately, the boy is being relentessly pursued by the murderer and the safest place for him is in the confines of the graveyard.
Three words I would use to describe this novel: dark, witty, mysterious. Check out the book trailer.
You'll love it. It will keep you reading.
My second non-vamp, pro-paranormal pick is Miss Perengrin's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.
As a child, Jacob's grandfather told him stories about growing up on a small island in a home with friends who...had special "abilities," like the levitating girl on the cover of the book. Jacob believes his grandfather, until he gets to old for "fairy stories." The trouble is, Jacob wants to believe the stories are true--or does he?
A levitating girl, an invisible boy, a young woman who can hold fire, and a bird who is actually a old woman are just a few of the people Jacob encounters in his search for the truth about his grandfather's stories.
The eerie characters in this book gave me chills and the mystery kept me glued to the pages. Riggs uses old victorian photos to illustrate the book and they lend a spooky mood. You will love it.
Watch the trailer here.
It’s that time again! That time of year where we Calgarians count ourselves lucky if we can milk a solid 8 weeks of sunshine out of our summer. That time where we laze around Prince’s Island Park trying not to get eaten alive by mosquitoes and geese. That time where we revel in the glory of reading books about… well… ANYTHING … as long as it’s not Polynomial Equations, Chemical Nomenclature, or (horror of horrors) Short Historical Fiction from the Canadian Prairies… Unless, you know, you’re into that sort of thing.
Whatever sort of thing you ARE into, Calgary Public Library is where it’s at. So... Gear up for this summer's YOUTH READ program! Full of challenges created by YOU, we have amped up all our grand prizes, added new weekly prizes and ways to intereact with other teens, share your ideas, art, poetry writing and smarts! All this on top of your favourite activity - reading!
We’re running our YOUTH READ program from June 16th until August 31st, with contests, events, and some pretty sick prizes to be won all summer long!
*Go to the About This Contest page to learn how Youth Read works and be sure to check out our prizes. If your stymied about what to read, find out what others are reading.Challenges include: - Cook/Invent a fabulous recipe, photograph it and submit it. - Pick a celebrity & recommend a book they should read. - Make a comic strip of a scene from your favourite book. - Write a haiku book review of your favourite book and more!
So kick back, relax, and crack the spine of a new favourite, it’s time to YOUTH READ 2011!
DISCLAIMER: The creators of this site do not, in any way, recommend the cracking of book spines that have been borrowed from the Calgary Public Library. We also don’t recommend you crack the sides of your iPad or your e-Reader either. Or your own spine for that matter -- we can’t afford to pay your chiropractic bills… In fact, let’s just not crack any spines whatsoever. Instead, let’s kick back, relax, and gently-open-the-covers-of-a-well-loved-book or serenely-upload-the-WMA-files-of-an-e-book… it’s time to YOUTH READ 2011! (Yay.)
If you haven't noticed, the bloggers here in the Teen Zone get pretty freakin' psyched about books. And there's one coming out on Tuesday that has us positively tingling. It's called "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children", and I have literally had my copy on hold from the second I heard about it.
Inspired by the freaky and crazy photography that came out of the Victorian Era, author Ransom Riggs pulled together some of the weirdest ones he could find, and wove a story around them.
It's about sixteen-year-old Jacob's discovery of an abandoned building that used to house children of extraordinary --and possibly dangerous-- talents. It's been labelled "tense", "moving", and "wondrously strange" and even though the book hasn't been released to the public yet, 20th Century Fox has already scooped the movie rights.
So here's the deal:
We're so excited about this book, we're going to start giving it away for free! We have several copies available to be won through the TEENS CREATE portion of this website.
There are two ways to submit an entry:
1) Create an image of the weird and wonderful. You're free to use digital photo-editing tools, but why not try playing around with perspective and exposure the way the Victorians used to? They loved things like carnival freak shows, fairies, and the paranormal.
2) Write a limerick as a caption to one of the photos in the image above! For example:
"There once was a man so balding,
That the back of his head was appaling.
He'd cover it with paint
(which attractive, it ain't)
and it earned him some awful name-calling."
Believe me, it won't be hard to write one that's better than that.
Once you've created your entry, all you have to do is log-in to TEENS CREATE, and upload your image or your limerick. Make sure you indicate somewhere in the title that it's an entry for "The fReAkY cRaZy Contest".
The contest closes June 16th, so you have about two weeks to get cracking. Once we have all of your submissions, we'll enter them in the draw for the book prizes. We'll inform everyone shortly after that who the winners are!
And just in case you guys need some paranormalic, steam-punky, or down-right creepy reads to tide you over until this one comes out, check out these:
/MC.GIF&client=calgp&type=xw12&upc=&oclc=& "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Graphic Novel")
So you've read and own the entire Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins? The Uglies series by Scott Westerfield? and you're hungry for more? ouch! yeah= pardon my pun.
I, for one, am really excited because everyone is abuzz about a new series called Divergent by Veronica Roth - apparently worked on during college when she should have been doing her creative writing homework @ Northwestern University - a choice - which has now transformed Veronica into a graduate and full time writer.
A Dystopian novel at it's best, the heroine Beatrice, lives in a society where ONE choice made at the age of 16 determines - your friends - your beliefs - and your loyalties FOREVER. The choice - which of the 5 factions: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the intelligent)- to belong to, can seperate or unite you with you family, previous friends, schoolmates and former interests. One is not supposed to be "Divergent" (gifted in more than one faction). If one is - as Beatirce discovers, it can mean death. She makes a choice and renames herself Tris, joining her faction hiding a pretty big secret. Tris then discovers a growing conflict threatening to unravel her seemingly perfect society. Her secret may destroy her or help her save those she loves most...
The first book has just come out and hit CPL's library stacks. There will be two sequels books to follow.
I'm all in!
If you liked the Hunger games you might also check out Graceling by Kirstin Cashore and the companion novel Fire - both gripping all night reads. In Graceling if a person is born with 2 different coloured eyes they are "graced" with a special gift or ability that becomes aparrent as they mature. When Katsa discovers that she is graced with killing she becomes a pawn used by her uncle, the king. Katsa, however, has other ideas about how she wants to live her life and a gripping suspense/romance novel ensues.
And if you like Graceling you will also enjoy The Healer's Keep a companion novel to Vicoria Hanley's The Seer and the Sword
The Giver by Lois Lowry will also interest those who like Divergent as well as 1984 (George Orwell) and Brave New World (Aldos Huxley) (both found in our adult fiction collection)
You guys aren’t going to believe this. It’s seriously the best thing EVER and I’m not even just saying that. This is going to be the highlight of my life. Well… it’ll make Top 5 at LEAST.
Cineplex Sunridge and Chinook are offering HARRY POTTER PASSPORTS for $24.99 that will allow you to see the first SEVEN MOVIES again on the BIG SCREEN, as well as buy advance passes for the last movie on July 15th. It also gives you a chance to win a trip to London for the premiere, and you can download a copy of any of the first movies at a discounted price.
Yeah, I know, right?
The only catch is that they’re only offering two showings per movie, so if you can’t make them, you’re going to miss it.
Still, that’s better than trying to cram all seven of them in on July 14th (I realized the hard way that movie marathons stopped working after OOTP came out…)
If you’re fan-girling/boying as hard over this as I am, comment on this blog about the geekiest thing you've ever done in the name of Harry Potter. I’ll go first (in the comments section).
Gringott’s account is a little low on sickles at the moment? You can always check out all 7 of the released films on DVD or Blu-Ray from the Calgary Public Library!!!
And just in case you guys need a little something extra to tide you over, you HAVE to check out Team Starkid. Their phenomenal shows “A Very Potter Musical” and “A Very Potter Sequel” are TOTALLY AWESOME. If you haven’t seen them yet, I won’t spoil the fun, but you’re going to LOVE gLee’s Darren Criss as Harry, and he’s not even the best part!
You’ve dug your shorts out of the dirty hamper. You’ve hitched, hiked or biked to the field. Your cleats are tied… and the thunder rolls.
Aaaarrrggghhhh! Practice is cancelled – again. The game’s been postponed – again.
Don’t give in to rain-out-rage! Use your lightning reflexes - grab a great read from your ball-bag and escape the soggy scene.
Here are a few rainy read suggestions...
And remember--things could be worse! This is Calgary...it could be snowing.
Making seed bombs. Just what is a seed bomb you might ask? It’s basically a ‘bomb” (or “green grenade” of you like) that is made of dirt, clay, and seeds. The idea is not to spread violence, but growth. Throughout North America and Europe, many “guerrilla gardeners” use seed bombs to help beautify their cities, turning grey lifeless ashphalt into green spaces. Being a guerilla gardener can be as simple as doing something in your backyard, or just outside in your back alley, or by the side of an otherwise lifeless parking lot.
So why do people do it (garden that is)? Apparently, it’s revolutionary to plant things: a group of artists got together and actually had a “weed exchange”, where they dug up weeds , traded them, and replanted them throughout their city. I think we could do that with more than weeds – why not plant some native flowers or herbs you can eat instead?
Here is a link for some ideas on how to make a seed bombs (you can look for the eco friendly ones!).
Get to know Bombus.
Bombus is the bomb. Or, at least, sometimes these girls sound like low flying bombers as they fly by. Basically, bumblebees rock. If you’re scared of bees, you need to know a few things: 1) bees are not wasps (which actually can be pretty nasty!), 2) no, there are no “killer bees” in Calgary, so relax, and 3) bumblebees aren’t out to sting anybody unless they feel like you’re trying to hurt them – so don’t. Bees are also in trouble, as their populations are in decline. I figure, since we’ll be out guerrilla gardening anyway, why not make a seed bomb for bees? It’s just one more way to make the world a better, more interesting place.
You can visit www.bumblebee.org for information about bees. Generally, bumble bees love purple and yellow flowers, and they really seem to love sunflowers, oregano and other herbs (which you can also eat!), snapdragons, as well as native flowers like asters and wild bergamot (which butterflies also love!)
Being eco chic
Gardening is also a great excuse to wear great hats. Seriously. It keeps the sun out of your eyes, off your skin, and can make you feel styling even when you’re out getting your hands dirty. Good shades are also a must, and don’t forget your gloves (yes, even garden gloves come in a variety of colours and styles too). Joining a community garden and growing stuff with your friends is a great way to spend some time this summer. Don’t forget the sunscreen.
Hey all!
CPL’s Movie Maniacs Blog is holding a contest giving away free tickets to KUNG FU PANDA 2!! All you have to do is follow this link to the Movie Maniacs page, where they ask you to leave a comment naming any ONE person who voice-acted in the first movie (it’s almost TOO easy). Don’t forget to leave a name and number they can reach you at!
So the casting of “The Hunger Games” was pretty high on my radar for a while there, but I just couldn’t keep up with the constant drama that Hollywood was putting us through – Who’s going to be the perfect Katniss? How do we please Team Gale and Team Peeta at the same time? What ethnicity is Rue supposed to be anyways? At any rate, I checked a couple of days ago, and most of the cast now looks set in stone. Here’s the problem… aside from Josh Hutcherson being cast as Peeta (…WHAT?!?! Adorable little Josh from Bridge to Terabithia is now old enough to play hunky Peeta!??!?!), and Elizabeth Banks being cast as Effie… I realized I have NO IDEA WHO ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ARE! A preliminary search of IMDB told me that the guy playing Gale used to date Miley Cyrus, and the girl playing Katniss was in this movie that surprised everyone at the Oscars last year. But I have seriously never heard of any of them before! So here’s my question: Is a cast of relative Unknowns better than an All-Star cast? Will this help separate Suzanne Collin’s characters from other characters that better-known actors have played before? (I once watched a movie that had Rupert Grint in it, and I was like “Ron Weasley? What are you doing here?) And finally… if you could have your ultimate Dream Cast, who would star in The Hunger Games?
Want to learn to animate?
Come to this class where you'll learn to make your own cartoon animation by creating a take-away flipbook.
When: Saturday May 7th from 2-3:30
Where: 2nd floor Central Library (616 Macleod Trail)
Visit here to register or call 403-260-2620
Eric Walters is coming to Calgary Public Library on April 15th!
To celebrate, we're giving away a free copy of his recent book Shaken.
To win, be the 3rd person to email cplteenservices@gmail.com and name 4 books written by Eric Walters!
NOT interested in dating? Ever wonder how to be alone? Into Spoken Word? Poetry Slammin? The Jams going on @ CPL every 2nd Saturday of the month. The next one is Saturday May 14th 2011. Wonder how all this could be related?
Tanya Davis' video "How to be Alone" went viral on the internet in 2010 watch it here check out her website here. She did an outstanding performance at Extra-Sensory In-vox-ication- Poetry and Music Event #3 on Wednesday March 30th at the Calgary Spoken Word Festival.
Also performing that night were Ian Ferrier, Louise Bernice Halfe - Sky Dancer, Tyler Perry and Robert Priest.
Robert Priest performed a VERY uh - short- poem - uh hum which surmised all of the word - "Brevity". Start. Finish. That's all folks. He is one on the writers in the FREE Online Words Aloud Study Guide for High School Drama, LA and Media Arts. Check it out and brush up on your slamin' skills!
The Golden Beret Award was given to Ian Ferrier from Montreal by last year's winner, Calgary's own Sarah Murphy.
The Spoken Word Festival continues in Banff this week if you want to go to the mountains and check out some rockin' poetry! - April 15th Student Speak check it out here.
April is National Poetry Month in Canada! Upcoming Poetry events in Calgary include:
April 11th 8pm - Salon: A Gathering of Word Artists - Cafe Koi 1011 1st SW - Come perform on the open mic!
It’s also time for Flywheel!
April 14th 7:30pm Pages Books on Kensington - 1135 Kensington Road NW
Join host Meghan Doraty for the April Flywheel Reading Series with readings from local poets Beth Langford, Stuart McKay and Juliet Burgess. Gayleen Froese will be launching her new book, Grayling Cross (NeWestPress).
April 20th 7-9pm - City of Poets: New Poetry Celebration in the John Dutton Theatre @ Central - Celebrate the launch of new books by Calgary poets Rosemary Griebel and Kirk Ramdath. Listen to readings from Calgary favourites Weyman Chan, Richard Harrison, Jen Kunlire, and Bob Stallworthy. Kirk Ramdath has been doing a lot to promote the spoken word scene in Calgary with his blog Passion Pitch and the FREE magazine WAX check it out here.
Last Saturday, April 9th, The Calgary Public Library held it's first Youth Advisory Council! We're pretty stoked.
We've established the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) because we want to hear what you want from us. YAC provides a way for you to express your ideas and to help us shape your library service into something that works for you.
So far we've only had one meeting. We will have two more and then break for the summer. However, starting in September 2011 we will establish a permanent YAC that will meet monthly. We are looking for youth volunteers who are interested in expressing their ideas. If you are keen to volunteer and are between 13-18 years old, please email Jilliane at jilliane.yawney@calgarypubliclibrary.com and explain why you'd like to be involved. We look forward to hearing from you!
Looking for something to do over Spring Break?
Come to Nose Hill library.
Drop-in gaming from 2 – 4 pm every day Mon – Fri (Mar 28 – Apr 1)
The Wii will be out as well as board games, card games, and life sized checkers.
Oh, and we’ll have some books too.
"Beastly", the new movie starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer was released Friday, ranking 3rd in Box Office Hits for the weekend. If you haven't heard already, it's the modern re-telling of 'Beauty and the Beast', and it's getting some really great reviews. What's more, all our copies (and E-Copies) of the original book keep whizzing off the shelves, so put yours on hold now!
CPL's TeenZone Blog, Movie Maniacs Blog and Interact PR are teaming up to bring you one 'beast' of a contest to celebrate the release of the movie!
To win one of our book prizes, just comment on this blog post with the title of one OTHER novel by 'Beastly' author Alex Flinn, which you can find through the library catalogue. Make sure to leave your full name (the one you use for your Library Card) so we can contact you and get you your prize!
You can also come to Crowfoot Library, Shawnessy Library, or the 2nd Floors at Central and Fish Creek Libraries this weekend (March 11-13), to pick up some cool 'Beastly' swag, including posters, notebooks, and some phenomenal bag charms! Come to the desk and say "BEASTLY" -- prizes will be given out on a first come, first served basis.
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