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SCL_AdultPicks
Library StaffStrathcona County Library
SCL_AdultPicks's Profile Shelves

SCL_AdultPicks's Completed Shelf

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Waiting for the Long Night Moon, BookStories

by Peters, Amanda
Book, 2024. First Canadian edition
Added Jul 16, 2025

Comment:

Waiting for the Long Night Moon is a collection of short fiction that explores Indigenous experience through varied characters and across many different time periods. Reading it took my breath away and simultaneously punched me in the gut with the poetic beauty of Amanda Peters’ writing and the hardships and injustice her characters face. The best fiction reveals something true and Peters’ vignettes reveal characters whose resilience is interwoven with their relationships to the land, their families and their culture. In one story, a young woman moves through her grief following a pregnancy loss by joining a group of water keepers protecting a river. In the title story, which won the Indigenous Voices Award in 2021, an elderly reclusive man reflects on his life and the loss of his sister due to her attending a residential school. The deep love and bond between parents and children, as well as between grandparents and children, is a repeating theme throughout the book. Within the confines of a limited space, Peters manages to create rich characters and stories that stay with you long after reading.

Alberta Native News, Newspaper

Newspaper, 1984-
Added Jun 18, 2025

Comment:

Alberta Native News is a monthly publication covering Indigenous news, culture, and events in Alberta. It features community stories, legal issues, education, and arts, serving as a voice for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples.

Alberta Outdoors, Magazine

Magazine, 1999-
SCL_AdultPicks's rating:
Added Jun 18, 2025

Comment:

Alberta Outdoors is a magazine focused on outdoor recreation, conservation, and wildlife in Alberta. It features articles on hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and environmental stewardship across the province's natural landscapes.

Culinaire Magazine, Book

Book, 2012-
SCL_AdultPicks's rating:
Added Jan 23, 2025

Canadian Cowboy Country, Magazine

Magazine, 1996-
Added Jan 23, 2025

Comment:

Canadian Cowboy Country magazines shares western heritage and Canada’s unique cowboy culture: the people, the places, the lifestyle.

Alberta History, Magazine

Magazine, 1953-
SCL_AdultPicks's rating:
Added Jan 23, 2025

Comment:

This local magazine contains in-depth articles on Alberta's rich history. It is published quarterly by the The Historical Society of Alberta.

The Future of Us, BookThe Science of What We'll Eat, Where We'll Live, and Who We'll Be

by Ingram, Jay
Book, 2023
Added Jul 30, 2024

Comment:

If you want to think about the future beyond mid-twentieth-century visions of the Jetsons, this is a great book. The Future of Us is a conversationally-written book of nonfiction filled with the kinds of interesting facts you can use to sound interesting at parties. Ingram discusses four main topics: Our bodies and genes, what we will eat in the future, where we will live (and how we'll get around), and how our information technology will change (including some generative artificial intelligence). While the topics are advanced science, the writing makes them very accessible and fun.

Interior Chinatown, Book

by Yu, Charles
Book, 2020
SCL_AdultPicks's rating:
Added May 22, 2024

Comment:

Some of us thought that it was effortful to read the book as it is written in the form of a script, and it was difficult to tell whether it was a TV script, or the main character's story. Some of us also felt the style of writing made it hard to empathize with the characters. Others thought that the crafting of the story is clever, humorous and moving, and the use of the 2nd-person and script dialogue pulled the reader into the character's world, as if we are recruited into the show as well. We discussed how different characters in the story are "typecasted" into roles dictated by society because of racism, sexism or ageism, and how by doing so, they live inauthentic lives and become invisible to others. All of us agreed that regardless of how much we enjoyed the storytelling, the issues covered are important and enlightening about the Asian American experience.  

The Elephant on Karlův Bridge, BookA Novel

by Trofimuk, Thomas
Book, 2022
Added Jul 18, 2023

Comment:

This book is so unique it almost defies description. To start with, the book is narrated by the 600-year-old Karlův Bridge. The bridge is self-aware and humorous, and it guides us through each story, offering small insights into the characters or tidbits of the history of Prague. I thought it would be strange, but I found myself looking forward to the bridge’s perspective. Showing the elephant’s memories of her long-ago capture in Africa seemed odd, but learning bit-by-bit how Sál came to be in the Prague Zoo and how her memories influence how she behaves on the night she escapes makes more and more sense as the book goes on. Between these two frames, the deftly interwoven stories of each character is where this novel shines. We start with Vasha, the night watchman at the Zoo who reads to the elephants, and Marta, his psychologist wife who has just decided she wants to have a baby. I loved the story of Mercy, a recovering alcoholic and lighthouse keeper on a remote Scottish Island, and Joseph, a clown who busks on the bridge and is terrified of water. There were so many interesting stories woven in that my only complaint is I wanted more!

Wag, BookThe Science of Making your Dog Happy

by Todd, Zazie
Book, 2020 ©2020
Added Jul 13, 2023

Comment:

Zazie Todd is an engaging and encouraging science writer, and a certified dog trainer, who is passional about good animal welfare. In Wag she covers it all: from choosing a dog who is a good fit for your family, through senior dogs and end of life. Learn about vets and grooming, social interactions with other dogs and people, motivation, enrichment, food and treats, sleep and more. She demystifies the inner life of dogs to help create a rewarding relationship with your pets and to keep them happy through their whole life. The entire book is supported by current canine science, sharing recommendations from leading veterinarians, researchers, and trainers. Each chapter includes point-form tips for how to apply the science at home. Stories of her two rescue dogs, Bodger the Australian Shepherd and Ghost the Siberian Husky/Alaskan Malamute cross, are woven throughout. Well-worth a read for dog owners, or future dog owners, at any level of experience who want their dogs to be happy!

Only Lovers Left Alive, DVD

DVD, 2014
Added May 01, 2023

Ru, Book[a Novel]

by Thuy, Kim
Book, 2012
SCL_AdultPicks's rating:
Added Mar 23, 2023

Comment:

Our Monday afternoon book club had divided opinions about Ru. While all of us agreed that it is a raw and beautifully-written book about the personal journey of a Vietnamese-Canadian refugee, some of us had difficulty connecting with it because of how it jumped between time periods and characters. Those of us who love the book appreciated how Thúy's experiences and hardships were vividly and movingly described. Finally, we all agreed that Sheila Fischman is an excellent translator and has retained the poetic language of Ru, which is originally written in French. On average, our rating for Ru is 4 out of 5 stars.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, BookA Novel

by Reid, Taylor Jenkins
Book, 2017. First Atria Books hardcover edition
Added Dec 21, 2022

Half-blood Blues, Book[a Novel]

by Edugyan, Esi
Book, 2011
SCL_AdultPicks's rating:
Added Nov 23, 2022

Earthlings, BookA Novel

by Murata, Sayaka
Book, 2020. First Grove Atlantic hardcover edition
Added Nov 09, 2022

Wired for Music, BookA Search for Health and Joy Through the Science of Sound

by Barton, Adriana
Book, 2022
Added Oct 25, 2022

Comment:

Adriana Barton was a cellist from childhood, but no longer plays due to debilitating soft tissue injuries and mental health impacts of the path to professional musicianship. During her career in journalism, she started coming across articles about the ways music can support our health and well-being. She dug deeper into the health research around music, seeking a way past the pain of her musical past. The result is "a why-to book: a passionate argument for following a yearning, however slight, to make more space for music in our lives." Barton's personal experiences as a classically trained musician damaged by her training are interwoven with a survey of the impact of music on health and wellness, and sprinkled with music-related tidbits (Need to get rid of an earworm? Chew gum!) As a trained journalist she is careful to point out quackery, insufficient evidence, and correlation-not-causation, and she even explores some of the darker sides of music in a chapter titled "Bad vibrations." A fascinating look at the role of music in our lives and the evolution of our species.

WIRED FOR MUSIC : A SEARCH FOR HEALTH AND JOY THROUGH THE SCIENCE OF SOUND, Book

by Barton, Adriana
Book, 2022/10/11
Added Oct 25, 2022

Comment:

Adriana Barton was a cellist from childhood, but no longer plays due to debilitating soft tissue injuries and mental health impacts of the path to professional musicianship. During her career in journalism, she started coming across articles about the ways music can support our health and well-being. She dug deeper into the health research around music, seeking a way past the pain of her musical past. The result is "a why-to book: a passionate argument for following a yearning, however slight, to make more space for music in our lives." Barton's experience as a classically trained musician damaged by her training are interwoven with a survey of the impact of music on health and wellness, and sprinkled with music-related tidbits (Need to get rid of an earworm? Chew gum!) As a trained journalist she is careful to point out quackery, insufficient evidence, and correlation-not-causation, and she even explores some of the darker sides of music in a chapter titled "Bad vibrations." A fascinating look at the role of music in our lives and the evolution of our species.

The Essentials, Music CD

by Postmodern Jukebox (Musical group)
Music CD, 2016
SCL_AdultPicks's rating:
Added Oct 19, 2022

How to Be A Climate Optimist, Downloadable AudiobookBlueprints for A Better World

by Turner, Chris
Downloadable Audiobook, 2022
Added Sep 21, 2022

Comment:

After many years working as a reporter, many of them focused on researching and writing about the impending climate crisis, Chris Turner is about to become a father and decides to start looking for stories of hope. Perhaps surprisingly, he found them. While news outlets persist with publishing cautionary tales of impending ecological doom, Turner demonstrates that we are living in the age of miracles. In the last 20 years solar energy has become more affordable, viable and widely used than anyone anticipated. Electric cars are hitting roads in much larger numbers and much faster than anyone thought possible. The world’s largest country, China, is leading the world in production of wind turbines and solar panels. Turner is not just wearing rose-coloured glasses. He acknowledges the evidence that humanity has altered the earth in many irreversible ways, but he believes that human civilization will continue. He also provides insights into a realistic roadmap to create a world that is not just “less bad” but actually “much better” than the one we are living in now. For anyone suffering from ecological grief, Chris Turner offers a welcome and thought provoking perspective. The book is read by the author and he does a very good job as narrator, as if having a conversation with the listener or giving a presentation (and he's a good presenter!) He's expressive and keeps the listener engaged, while narrating at a good pace without going to fast.

How to Be A Climate Optimist, BookBlueprints for A Better World

by Turner, Chris
Book, 2022
Added Sep 21, 2022

Comment:

After many years working as a reporter, many of them focused on researching and writing about the impending climate crisis, Chris Turner is about to become a father and decides to start looking for stories of hope. Perhaps surprisingly, he found them. While news outlets persist with publishing cautionary tales of impending ecological doom, Turner demonstrates that we are living in the age of miracles. In the last 20 years solar energy has become more affordable, viable and widely used than anyone anticipated. Electric cars are hitting roads in much larger numbers and much faster than anyone thought possible. The world’s largest country, China, is leading the world in production of wind turbines and solar panels. Turner is not just wearing rose-coloured glasses. He acknowledges the evidence that humanity has altered the earth in many irreversible ways, but he believes that human civilization will continue. He also provides insights into a realistic roadmap to create a world that is not just “less bad” but actually “much better” than the one we are living in now. For anyone suffering from ecological grief, Chris Turner offers a welcome and thought provoking perspective. The book is read by the author and he does a very good job as narrator, as if having a conversation with the listener or giving a presentation (and he's a good presenter!) He's expressive and keeps the listener engaged, while narrating at a good pace without going to fast.

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