Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Sites | Writers | Advertise | My Orble | Login

21st Annual Trillium Book Award finalists

Canada has produced some of the best and most successful writers in the world. In order to encourage Canadian authors, there are many book awards. The most recent to announce its finalists is the Trillium Book Award. Six English books and six French books have been chosen as finalists in the 21st Annual Trillium Book Awards. Here are the English finalists.


[ Click here to read more ]



Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
49
Vote
Shared on
   


“OLA Forest of Reading Festival of Trees Awards” Winners 2008

The following awards have been presented by the Ontario Library Association:


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
37
Vote
Shared on
   


Poetry Friday

Today is Poetry Friday. Bloggers worldwide post poems on their blogs to highlight the fact that people are not reading enough poetry these days.

My contribution to Poetry Friday is May, by Christina Rossetti. Christina Rossetti was one of the best known female authors in Victorian England. Not many know her name anymore and that is a crime. I chose May because I am tired of this winter weather and I want May to come


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
63
Vote
Shared on
   


And the winner is...

The winner of the Charles Taylor Prize has been announced. I blogged about the nominations in January, you can read that post here.

It is John A.: The Man Who Made Us (The Life and Times of John A. McDonald, Vol. 1: 1815-1867) by Richard Gwyn, published by Random House Canada. The book is a biography of Canada's first prime minister


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (1)Comments (1) Add CommentsAdd Comments
72
Vote
Shared on
   


My Pants Are Looser, I Am Indeed A Loser

Of all the grammatical/spelling errors I see, the loose/lose one drives me to distraction. It seems that very few people these days, can tell the difference. I used to think it was just a plain typo, but I have seen it way too often for it to be just a typo.

If I read once more that someone is "loosing their mind", I may just lose mine


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
55
Vote
Shared on
   


Sunday diversions: Etymologic game

This game is, according to the web site, "the toughest etymology (word origin) game on the Web." I played it and, yes, it is hard. It's also educational and I found it interesting; some of the correct answers will probably surprise you. I got 8 out of 10 on my first game. Can you top that?

You can play Etymologic at http://www.etymologic.com/
[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
69
Vote
Shared on
   


Freedom to Read Week

Freedom to Read Week


Next week is Freedom to Read week in Canada. Freedom to Read week is meant to highlight the cause of intellectual freedom and to give some coverage to those books that have been banned or challenged by library patrons, parents and school boards. Among the better-known books that have been challenged are The Harry Potter books, Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Flowers for Algernon, and Huckleberry Finn. Reasons for challenging and banning the books range from promotion of Wicca, to foul language, to promoting homosexuality, to racism. In many cases the person who has challenged the book hasn't even read it, just heard about it from others


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (6)Comments (6) Add CommentsAdd Comments
87
Vote
Shared on
   


White Elephant

I was watching a 1970s sitcom on TV and the term "white elephant" came up. Okay, it was The Ropers if you need to know, spinoff from Three's Company. Anyway, one of the character's son asked what a white elephant was. The father had been referring to a house he couldn't sell. It got me thinking, exactly where did that term come from? The father lightly touched on it was rare and a bad thing in India.

According to Wikipedia, "The tradition derives from tales in the scriptures which associate a white elephant with the birth of Buddha, as his mother was reputed to have dreamed of a white elephant presenting her with a lotus flower, a symbol of wisdom and purity, on the eve of giving birth. Because the animals were considered sacred and laws protected them from labor, receiving a “gift” of a white elephant from a monarch was both a blessing and a curse: a blessing because of the animal’s sacred nature and a curse because the animal could be put to no practical use


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
56
Vote
Shared on
   


Library Thing

I've been a member of Library Thing for about 2 years now and just became a lifetime member tonight.

It is a site that allows you to catalogue your books for all the world to see. You can be a member for free but can only add 200 books. If you become a member you can list as many books as you wish. Library Things costs $10 a year, or $25 for a lifetime membership


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
47
Vote
Shared on
   


HarperCollins to offer free books on their website

HarperCollins is now offering free electronic versions of some of their books on their website.

According to the New York Times
[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (4)Comments (4) Add CommentsAdd Comments
78
Vote
Shared on
   


More Posts
2 Posts
3 Posts
12 Posts
33 Posts dating from August 2007
Email Subscription
Receive e-mail notifications of new posts on this blog:

Susan Keeping's Blogs

312 Vote(s)
3 Comment(s)
4 Post(s)
Moderated by Susan Keeping
Copyright © 2006 2007 2008 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]