Click of each of the stamps to get the story of each stamp's significance and learn more about these Canadian icons. 

​Critically Acclaimed Black Canadian Authors
Read up on some these critically acclaimed novels written by Black Canadian Authors. We have all of the following novels on display in the C.C.I. library right now. Come check them out! For more great content and articles honouring black history and authors, be sure to also check out our blog Archive from February 2019.

The excepts listed below are from CBC Books post by Ryan B. Patrick
"14 must-read works of fiction by Black Canadian authors"

Checkout the following books that we have waiting for you in the library right now!

​20 Black Writers to Read All Year Round
Each year when February rolls around there is a sudden influx of content, online, in libraries and elsewhere, featuring black writers, artists, activists and historical moments and figures. Much of the focus looks to the past and while that’s important, we at Room want to also centre writers in the here and now, and also look to the future.
Here is a list of some of our most beloved black Canadian women and non-binary writers to enjoy all year round, compiled by some of the Room collective. Our list is certainly not an exhaustive one but these are some of our favourites.

Posted by Nailah King of ROOM

6 Must-Read Books by Chinese-Canadian Authors
Reposted from Culture Trip by Emily Paskevics

Chinese-Canadian Literature is a colorful thread in the tapestry of the country’s literary imagination, offering insight into the historical and contemporary experiences of this diverse community. If you’re curious to explore Canadian literature beyond the internationally renowned work of Margaret Atwood, these multi-award-winning authors should be next on your list.

​* All book covers courtesy of Amazon

​
​Chinese-Canadian poet Lien Chao's newest collection, Salt in My Life (Mawenzi House), is a remarkable, multi-sensory journey towards healing and understanding. Using elements of sound, taste, and vision, Chao explores themes of history and identity in an immersive, breathtaking literary experience.
We're thrilled to share an excerpt today from Salt in My Life, presented in both English and traditional Chinese.

The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first.

The Rat is also associated with the Earthly Branch (地支—dì zhī) Zi (子) and the midnight hours. In the terms of yin and yang (阴阳—yīn yáng), the Rat is yang and represents the beginning of a new day.
In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children.

Checkout this link for an interactive experience and to learn more about all things relating to Chinese New Year.   

​Chinese-Canadians get the vote in 1947
Reposted from CBC Digital Archives: Chinese Canadians get the vote
The Story
Harry Ho and Roy Mah both fought for Canada during the Second World War. But because of their Chinese heritage, they couldn't even vote in a Canadian election at the time. As Mah explains in this CBC Television clip, many Chinese-Canadians believed that fighting for Canada during the war was strategically wise. How could Canada deny Chinese-Canadians the vote after they bravely served the country overseas? They were right -- as of 1947, Chinese-Canadians were finally granted the right to vote in Canadian elections. 

Forgotten Chinese-Canadian Fought in WWI's Battle of Hill 70
Reposted from CBC Radio The National 
Frederick Lee was one of a few hundred young men of Chinese descent who volunteered to fight for Canada in WWI, in an era when even those Chinese-Canadians born in Canada were considered aliens and denied the right to vote. He fought in the little known but strategically crucial Battle of Hill 70. Until recently, few knew about his contributions.

​​The first novel in the Demonata series by Darren Shan, that will keep readers turning page after horrifying page.
Grubbs Grady has stiff red hair and is a little big for his age, which means he can get into R-rated movies. He hates history and loves bacon, rats, and playing tricks on his squeamish older sister. When he opts out of a family weekend trip, he never guesses that he is about to take a terrifying journey into darkness. Hungry demons and howling werewolves haunt his waking nightmares... and threaten his life.

“The door feels red hot, as though a fire is burning behind it. I press an ear to the wood – but there's no crackle. No smoke. Just deep, heavy breathing... and a curious dripping sound. My hand's on the door knob. Inside the room, somebody giggles – low, throaty, sadistic. There's a ripping sound, followed by snaps and crunches.
My hand turns. The door opens. Hell is revealed.”
When Grubbs Grady first encounters Lord Loss and his evil minions, he learns three things:
· the world is vicious,
· magic is possible,
· demons are real.
He thinks that he will never again witness such a terrible night of death and darkness.
...He is wrong.

This special paperback bind-up contains the first two books in L.J. Smith’s New York Times bestselling series                    The Vampire Diaries, The Awakening and The Struggle. Elena Gilbert is a high school golden girl, used to getting what she wants. And who she wants. But when the boy she’s set her sights on—the handsome and haunted Stefan—isn’t interested, she’s confused. She could never know the real reason Stefan is struggling to resist her: Stefan is a vampire, and Elena’s in danger just by being around him. What’s more, Stefan’s dark, dangerous vampire brother Damon has just arrived in town. And wherever Damon goes, trouble always follows.
Binge-read the first two books in the New York Times bestselling series that inspired the hit CW TV show The Vampire Diaries with this bind-up.  

​Enter the dark, magical world of the House of Night series by bestselling authors P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed.
One minute, sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird is a normal teenager dealing with everyday high school stress: her cute boyfriend Heath, the school's star quarterback who suddenly seems more interested in partying than playing ball; her nosy frenemy Kayla, who's way too concerned with how things are going with Heath; her uber-tough geometry test tomorrow. The next, she's Marked as a fledgling vampyre, forcing her to leave her ordinary life behind and join the House of Night, a boarding school where she will train to become an adult vampyre. That is, if she makes it through the Change―and not all of those who are Marked do.

Ancient Origins of Halloween
Posted by the History Channel

Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1.

This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.
​
When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

We've added some beautiful books to our indigenous collection. From the new Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, to creation story picture books, to award-winning young adult novels, we've got so many diverse and exciting titles to explore! Come visit us in the library to see all that we have to offer!

​Jonny Appleseed
WINNER, Lambda Literary Award; Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction; Finalist, Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction; Longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. A tour-de-force debut novel about a Two-Spirit Indigiqueer young man and proud NDN glitter princess who must reckon with his past when he returns home to his reserve.
"You're gonna need a rock and a whole lotta medicine" is a mantra that Jonny Appleseed, a young Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer, repeats to himself in this vivid and utterly compelling debut novel by poet Joshua Whitehead.
Off the reserve and trying to find ways to live and love in the big city, Jonny becomes a cybersex worker who fetishizes himself in order to make a living. Self-ordained as an NDN glitter princess, Jonny has one week before he must return to the "rez"--and his former life--to attend the funeral of his stepfather. The seven days that follow are like a fevered dream: stories of love, trauma, sex, kinship, ambition, and the heartbreaking recollection of his beloved kokum (grandmother). Jonny's life is a series of breakages, appendages, and linkages--and as he goes through the motions of preparing to return home, he learns how to put together the pieces of his life.
​

The Wolf in the Whale
A sweeping tale of forbidden love and warring gods, where a young Inuit shaman and a Viking warrior become unwilling allies in a war that will determine the fate of the new world.
There is a very old story, rarely told, of a wolf that runs into the ocean and becomes a whale...

Born with the soul of a hunter and the spirit of the Wolf, Omat is destined to follow in her grandfather's footsteps-invoking the spirits of the land, sea, and sky to protect her people.

But the gods have stopped listening and Omat's family is starving. Desperate to save them, Omat journeys across the icy wastes, fighting for survival with every step. When she encounters Brandr, a wounded Viking warrior, they set in motion a conflict that could shatter her world...or save it.

Welcome back everyone. Hopefully you had an awesome summer filled with wonderful stories; both created and read. While you were gone, we have been updating our collection with lots of new and exciting books to lose yourself in. Here is just a sample of some of the selections, but please come see us in the library to check out all that we have to offer. Also, if you have any recommendations, we'd love to hear them! 

Featured Display: The NEW BOOKS have missed you. 
"Intrigued by the first lines? Be the book's first reader-CHECK IT OUT!" ...scroll through the slide show below to discover something new. 

Hatsu*Haru Manga Volume 1

Hatsu*Haru Manga Volume 1 features story and art by Shizuki Fujisawa.

Playboy Kai definitely knows his way around girls' hearts, but when he has a run-in with tomboy Riko, he may be in for more than he bargained for! Riko definitely doesn't fit Kai's usual type of girl: she's short-tempered, scary, and can (has) easily beat him up. There's no way a rough and tumble girl like Riko is capable of a delicate feeling like love! So imagine his surprise when he finds out about her secret, one-sided crush... But it's none of his concern, right?

*We currently have the first 6 in this collection as well. 

Dreamin' Sun Vol. 1​

A heartfelt comedy from the creator of orange!
Shimana Kameko lives in a home where she feels she doesn’t belong. Her mother is dead, her father has remarried, and her six-month-old baby brother takes up everyone’s attention. Kameko skips school and runs away to a nearby park, where she literally stumbles over a mysterious man in a kimono. The stranger, Fujiwara Taiga, offers Kameko a place to stay―on three conditions. The first condition is that Kameko tell him why she ran away from home. The second is that she fetch the stranger’s lost apartment key (he is locked out!). The third condition is…to have a dream. Kameko meets the conditions, moves in, and begins a journey of romance and self-discovery.

​

About Pride TorontoPride Toronto is one of the largest Pride celebrations in North America and has become a major Canadian arts and cultural event. Pride Toronto started in 1981, and since then it has evolved into an incredibly lively celebration in the city that continues to attract loads of party enthusiasts from near and far. Everything culminates to the annual Toronto Pride Parade which is said to attract around 1.2 million spectators each year.

THE LOVE & LIES OF RUKHSANA ALI 
BY SABINA KHAN (JANUARY 29, 2019, FROM SCHOLASTIC PRESS)
​Rukhsana Ali thought living up to her conservative Muslim parents’ expectations was hard before she was caught kissing a girl—but after? That’s another story, entirely. She’s suddenly whisked away to Bangladesh to stay with family. But where does Rukhsana fit in in a world of tradition and arranged marriages? And yet help and perspective come in the most surprising of places—like her grandmother’s old diary and her unexpectedly supportive extended family.

HOW NOT TO ASK A BOY TO PROM 
BY S.J. GOSLEE (APRIL 23, 2019, FROM ROARING BROOK PRESS)
​When Nolan Grant’s big sister stages an elaborate promposal to help him ask his crush to prom, he freezes. Instead of dying from embarrassment, he somehow winds up fake-dating bad boy Bern, who wants to pretend to date Nolan for his own reasons. It seems like the perfect plan to get his sister off his back and spend the rest of senior year in peace—if Bern’s ex-girlfriend doesn’t kill him first.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL 
​BY ASHLEY POSTON (APRIL 2, 2019, FROM QUIRK BOOKS)
​This companion novel to Geekerella follows Jessica Stone, movie star and reluctant con attendee. Jess never expected to be typecast as a space princess and can’t wait until her contract is up so she never has to play Princess Amara again. Then there’s Imogene, Princess Amara superfan determined to see her princess return for the sequel. And, yes, she’s aware that she looks uncannily like Amara actress Jessica Stone, except for her bright pink pixie cut. What neither of them expects is for Imogen to be mistakenly put on a panel as Jessica Stone—or that they’ll both enjoy the role reversal so much that they decide to continue it. Jess is enjoying a break from the limelight—especially when she gets to sit next to gorgeous girl selling fanart next to her. And Imogen is living for the chance to be a star—until a paparazzi snafu shows her that fame isn’t all fun and games.

THE PAST AND OTHER THINGS THAT SHOULD STAY BURIED 
BY SHAUN DAVID HUTCHINSON (FEBRUARY 19, 2019, FROM SIMON PULSE)When your parents run a funeral home, you get pretty used to death. But when Dino’s ex-best friend, July, dies and comes back to life, well, that’s definitely a new experience. Now Dino and July have to confront how things ended as they try to figure out what on Earth—or beyond—is actually going on. Shaun David Hutchinson is the author of great novels like We Are the Ants, The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza, and At the Edge of the Universe, so it’s easy to assume this one will be another heartbreaking hit.

​
​THE MUSIC OF WHAT HAPPENS 
BY BILL KONINGSBERG (JANUARY 29, 2019, FROM ARTHUR A. LEVINE BOOKS)
​Max and Jordan seem like total opposites. Max is the epitome of chill, a video gamer totally at ease with his sexuality. Then there’s poet Jordan. Totally not chill and fairly sure even Mr. Right—if he ever finds him—would get tired of him. Throw them together for one summer in Mesa, Arizona where the temp hits 114 degrees easy, and these two opposites will have to decide what they’re willing to risk to get everything they ever wanted.

THESE WITCHES DON'T BURN
BY ISABEL STERLING (MAY 28, 2019, FROM RAZORBILL)Being a witch in Salem may seem corny, but Hannah’s the real deal. She’s an elemental with the ability to control water, fire, earth, and air. But she spends most of her time selling candles and crystals to tourists at the Fly by Night Cauldron, spending time with her best friend, and avoiding her ex-girlfriend, Veronica. When a dangerous blood ritual interrupts the end of year bonfire, Hannah knows it’s the work of the Blood Witch—but no one in her coven believes her. Now, Hannah has to team up with the only person who believes her—and the last person she wants to work with: Veronica. Throw in a crush on the new ballerina in town and the possible fate of Salem in their hands and that’s a whole lot of supernatural pressure for one teen girl to handle.

Ramadan 2019
The holy month of Ramadan is underway. One of the five pillars of Islam, Ramadan marks an important time for millions of observing Muslims around the world.

Explore the Marvel Comic site to see all the cool comic stuff it has to offer (from new releases to older classics). It even offers free versions of some comics to read online. Click on the pics below to read some of them here. 

American Jewish illustrators to be theme of Jewish American Heritage Month
Famous Jewish illustrators have included the late Stan Lee, Ezra Jack Keats and Rube Goldberg; currently, they include Roz Chast, Maira Kalman and Liana Finck.

Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament of the Bible, the event is said to have occurred three days after Jesus was crucified by the Romans and died in roughly 30 A.D. The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent—a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice—and ends with Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles), Good Friday (on which Jesus’ crucifixion is observed), and Easter Sunday. Although a holiday of high religious significance in the Christian faith, many traditions associated with Easter date back to pre-Christian, pagan times. For more, checkout the videos below or the following link posted by The History Channel

​Here it is - the first new Catechism of the Catholic Church in more than 400 years, a complete summary of what Catholics around the world commonly believe. The Catechism draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints. It comes with a complete index, footnotes and cross-references for a fuller understanding of every subject. The word catechism means "instruction" - this book will serve as the standard for all future catechisms.

Using the tradition of explaining what the Church believes (the Creed), what she celebrates (the Sacraments), what she lives (the Commandments), and what she prays (the Lord's Prayer), the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers challenges for believers and answers for all those interested in learning about the mystery of the Catholic faith. 

*all images from (and synopses available on) amazon.ca