Community Reading Challenge 2015 Nearing Its End

There's only a handful of days left in 2015, and so, only a couple weeks left to complete our Community Reading Challenge. 

Check out our website for the full list of items on the checklist here!

Thanks to Shoppers Drug Mart, Lokal's Kitchen, and the Town of Sylvan Lake, we have some very exciting prizes to be won! 

Haven't completed the challenge yet? That's okay! Just turn in what you have before January 5th, 2016 to be entered in to win a prize! 

Struggling for titles to read? Try some of these: 

Sweetland, by Michael Crummey

The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx

Creatures of the Rock, by Andrew Peacock

Singily Skipping Along, by Sheree Fitch

Alligator Pie, by Dennis Lee

Dance Me to the End of Love, by Leonard Cohen

Nice Day for Murder, by Kimmy Beach

Kicking the Sky, by Antony De Sa

All My Friends Are Superheroes, by Andrew Jaufman

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, by Alan Bradley

Find these books and more at your library! (Follow the links on the titles to request your copy now!) 

Keep up the good reading!

Inside Out Movie Day

Fun for the whole family! 

Join us Monday, October 21st for an Inside Out Movie Day! We'll watch the movie, eat some snacks, then play some games and do some crafts, all based on Disney Pixar's Inside Out! 

Movie starts at 2:00, craft/game stations will be set up during and after the movie. If your child is fidgety, or tired of the movie, feel free to check out the stuff outside of the room. Take home anything you make! 

If your child is under 6 years old, parental supervision is required. Older than 6 may stay on their own; please make sure child is able to contact you in case of an emergency.

See you there! Can't wait to start the fun!

Library Amnesty Day 2015

Late Fees?

Saturday, November 14.

One day only!

Don't let fines get between you and the library.  Return your lost or overdue library materials and we will waive the fines associated with them.

*Amnesty applies only to items owned by the Sylvan Lake Municipal Library.

Famous First Lines - Judging a Book By More Than Its Cover

We're all guilty of pulling a book off a shelf because it has an interesting cover. Or because it's a well-known author. Or maybe it's the next book in a beloved series. But what about when we can't see the cover at all? No names, no back-stories ... what if we had to judge based on nothing but the writing? 

We've pulled some books with interesting, eye-grabbing, or even just confusing opening lines, and we want you to check them out! 

The only hint we'll give you about these books, is that they're ALL Young Adult books. 

Can you identify these books based on their first line? Which one jumps out at you and makes you want to take it home RIGHT NOW? 

Come down to the Library and check out from our new Famous First Lines display!

Alzheimer's Coffee Break

Saturday, September 26

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Everyone welcome! Drop-in.

Make a donation to the Alzheimer's Society of Alberta
and enjoy a cup of coffee and homemade cookies.

 We would like to thank Sugar Belle Cakery in Sylvan Lake
for graciously donating the cake for our 2015 Volunteer Appreciation Party.

It was beautiful and delicious.

We are very grateful.

What's In a Name? Check out these YA Titles @ Your Library!

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

“I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.” - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

A name can tell you all you need to know about a story. In the case of Shakespeare, you didn't want to get attached to the character whose name was in the title of the play. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, the Scottish play ... 

Check out some of these titles inspired by the characters within them:

Alice in the Know, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Alice on Her Way, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Ali's Pretty Little Lies, by Sara Shepard

An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake

Dracula, by Bram Stoker

Forever Julia, by Jodi Carmichael

I, Coriander, by Sally Gardner

Jake, Reinvented, by Gordon Korman

Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron, by Stephanie Barron

Luna, by Julie Anne Peters

Plain Kate, by Erin Bow

Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

Snow, by Tracy Lynn

Waiting for Sarah, by Bruce McBay and James Heneghan

Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney

Zack, by William Bell

 Did we miss your favourite book? Let us know!

Beach Book Buddies

Free Books on the Beach

We're mobile this summer!

Beginning Thursday, July 2.

All summer in the afternoon.

Looking for a great book to read at the beach this summer?

Watch for our Beach Book Buddies wagon on
Lakeshore Boardwalk and at Centennial Park.

It's loaded with FREE paperbacks.
There's sure to be something for everyone.

Donations gratefully accepted.

Thank you to our generous local sponsors:

Fat Boyz Tattoo

Lakeshore Liqour

Paint Stop

Soulcase Tattoo

Friends of the Sylvan Lake Library

Annual Book Sale

Saturday, June 13

10 a.m. to 4 p.m

Sylvan Lake Library

4715 50 Avenue

Sylvan Lake

Everyone welcome.

Free Comic Book Day 2015

Free Comic Book Day 2015

Saturday May 2

  Celebrate and discover the amazing world of comics at the Sylvan Lake Municipal Library today.

We are giving away comics while supplies last.
They won't be around for long so stop by and get yours!

National Volunteer Appreciation Week 2015

YouthWrite and Your Library

Thanks to your generous donations and sponsorship of Corrie's Polar Bear Dip, we have raised enough money to send a local youth (age 14-19) to YouthWrite, a summer camp for the arts. 

YouthWrite, while primarily a camp for young writers, explores and celebrates all art forms. Whether you sing, dance, play an instrument, do yoga, love to act, or write, YouthWrite is the camp for you. 

The Library is holding a contest, similar to how YouthWrite takes their applications. You will need to provide:          
a) What school courses have you completed in English/ Language Arts?
b) What extra-curricular creative writing courses/ workshops/ activities have you previously participated in? 
c) Has your writing been published?  If so, where? 
d) What are your reasons for wanting to attend YouthWrite?
e) Your name and contact information, including your parent(s) name(s), phone number and email. 

Library staff will review each entry and select 1 winner. That lucky youth will have their registration fee and t-shirt paid for, and will be guaranteed a spot at the Peak Experience, which runs overnight from June 28 - July 3, 2015. 

For information about YouthWrite, click on the picture above. For questions or concerns, please contact Corrie at corrie.brown@prl.ab.ca or 403-887-2130. 

All entries must be delivered to the Library or emailed to Corrie no later than May 15th. Winner will be selected by the end of May. 

Good luck!

Poetry Writing Contest at the Library

April is Poetry Month! 

For the month of April, the Library is holding an all-ages poetry writing contest! Submit an original piece of poetry for your chance to win 1 of 3 fabulous prizes, including a FREE membership to the Library! 

Submissions can be dropped off at the Library while we're open (see website for hours of operation), or in the book drop in a sturdy envelope, or you can email them to corrie.brown@prl.ab.ca  
Include your name and contact information. Library staff will review the submissions and select three winners during the first week of May. 

If you have any questions, please call Corrie at 403-887-2130 or email corrie.brown@prl.ab.ca 

Good luck, and happy writing! 

Film Society - Nearing the end of the Winter Season

Film Society shows its films the last Monday of the month, September, October, January, February, March, and April. Films start at 7:00 at Landmark Cinemas, located at 9 Beju Industrial Drive, Sylvan Lake, AB. 

Tickets are $8.00, available at the Library for pre-sale until 5:00 the night of the showing, or at the theater at 6:30. 

Proceeds from ticket sales go towards the Sylvan Lake Municipal Library.


We only have two more films for the Winter 2015 Season of Film Society! 

Tonight we will be showing Princess Grace! 

"Movie star, princess, icon: Grace Kelly was one of the most glamorous public figures of the twentieth century, her journey from a Philadelphia childhood to Hollywood stardom to Monaco’s royal palace the very embodiment of the modern-day fairy tale. Taking place in the years shortly after her 1956 marriage to Prince Rainier III, Princess Grace — which opened the 2014 Cannes Film Festival — goes behind the gilded palace doors to offer a revealing glimpse inside the private realm of this legendary woman. As a political dispute between Prince Rainier and French president Charles de Gaulle in the early 1960s threatens to spark a French military invasion of the tiny principality, the recently crowned Princess Grace was confronting her own private crises. Beloved by her subjects and idolized by millions around the world, she nevertheless finds herself questioning both her marriage and her very identity. As Hollywood royalty herself, Nicole Kidman (The Railway Man, Stoker) is pitch- and picture perfect as the late princess, bringing sophistication, glamour, and an intimate understanding of the weight of fame to her portrait of this enigmatic icon. Featuring a remarkable supporting cast — including Tim Roth as Rainier, as well as Parker Posey, Frank Langella and Derek Jacobi — under the direction of veteran filmmaker Olivier Dahan (La Vie en Rose), and shot on the grandest scale by cinematographer Eric Gautier (The Motorcycle Diaries, Into the Wild), Princess Grace reveals the humanity and vulnerability of a woman who always seemed to be larger than life." - Mongrel Media

April 27, 2015, we will be showing Boychoir. 

"From acclaimed Canadian director François Girard (Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, The Red Violin) comes a drama that the entire family can enjoy. Boychoir is the story of a talented youngster struggling against the odds to find his voice.
Stet (Garrett Wareing) is an angry eleven-year-old who can sing like an angel. Left an orphan after his mother is killed in a car accident, Stet ends up in an East Coast musical boarding school — a place about as different from his small Texas town as can be. Feeling misunderstood, out of place, and frustrated with the cards life has dealt him, Stet finds himself at odds with Choirmaster Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman, also appearing at the Festival in The Cobbler), a disciplinarian of the old school. But Carvelle recognizes something in Stet's voice, and pushes the boy to put his troubled young soul into the music.
Boychoir will have you swooning as voices converge in hymns — and cracking a smile when a joyous rap breaks out in the bathroom. Supported by a star-studded cast that includes Josh Lucas, Eddie Izzard, Debra Winger, and Kathy Bates (who nearly steals her every scene as the school's headmistress), Wareing makes a marvellous debut as a kid who's been through hell but has been granted a heavenly gift.
Boychoir is about the way that music can touch our lives — if only it's given enough encouragement to come out and play." - tiff.net

Don't miss your chance to see this great films on the big screen!  

Outreach Services - Books to Bethany

Those funky paw chairs aren't just for kids!

We had a wonderful tour today with some lovely Bethany residents, which brought about discussion of one of our fabulous outreach programs!

Did you know we bring books to Bethany and the Lodge? If you have a loved one in care who loves books, call us at 403-887-2130, or check in with us Tuesday mornings when we visit the Lodge and Bethany.

This outreach program is run by dedicated volunteers with Library staff assistance, who take the time to get to know each resident and their reading interests. They bring in books and audiobooks, large print and regular print, and even magazines! Anything you can sign out from the Library, we can bring to Bethany and the Lodge!

This program is completely free, and doesn't even require the resident to have a current library card.

So, what are you waiting for? Check us out!

Do You Accept the Challenge?

We're only three months into the year - there's still time to start our 2015 Community Reading Challenge! 

Check it out on our website here!  

This reading challenge is all about Canadian Literature! The checklist is as follows: 

2015 Community Reading Challenge Checklist

¨ A Scotiabank Giller Prize nominated novel
¨ A book set on the east coast
¨ A Canada Reads nominated book
¨ A book of poetry by a Canadian poet
¨ A book that was featured on Canada AM
¨ A Scotiabank Giller Prize winning novel
¨ A book set in the prairies
¨ A work of non-fiction by a Canadian author
¨ A book about a Canadian sports team
¨ A biography or autobiography of a Canadian celebrity
¨ A book by a Canadian author (but NOT Margaret Atwood)
¨ A book set in Toronto
¨ A book by Alice Munro
¨ A book by your favourite author
¨ A book by Margaret Atwood
¨ A book by an aboriginal author
¨ A Governor General’s Literary Award nominated novel
¨ A Canadian novel that was adapted for screen (TV/movie)
¨ A book with snow on the cover picture
¨ A book set in Alberta
¨ A book recommended by CBC
¨ A mystery or thriller by a Canadian author
¨ A book with a red & white cover
¨ A book by L.M. Montgomery

How does it work? SO SIMPLE! If you've already read a book with the above criteria this year, just check it off on the sheet provided on the website (or you can pick one up from the Library) and write the title in the space underneath. Once you've checked off four from the list, come in to pick a prize! When you fill the sheet, you get entered for the Grand Prize! Last year we had Sony Readers donated by Shoppers Drug Mart, Chapters Gift Cards, and more! 

This Community Reading Challenge is open to EVERYONE! That means YOU! Win prizes for reading, what would be better?

Ms Heather

Goodbye and Good Luck Ms. Heather

It is rare that one finds a good friend in a colleague. Thanks for being that wonderful person who always was willing to extend her helping hand.  We will miss your smiling face.
All the best to you Heather. Keep in touch.

Canada Reads 2015

The One Book to Break Barriers is the theme of 2015 Canada Reads. The panelists and the books they are championing have been chosen. They are:

And the Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier, defended by Martha Wainwright

Tom and Charlie are living out what's left of their lives on their own terms in a remote forest, two pot growers their only connection to the outside world. But then two women arrive-a photographer on the trail of survivors of a decades-ago forest fire and an elderly escapee from a psychiatric institution-and everything changes. Originally published in French, And the Birds Rained Down , the recipient of many prestigious awards, is a haunting meditation on aging and self-determination. Jocelyne Saucier 's novels have received countless prizes, including the Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie. Rhonda Mullins's translation of Saucier's novel Jeanne's Road was nominated for the Governor General's Award. 'Nostalgic and beautifully grotesque, this novel is delightfully baroque and, although short, so striking it simply will never leave you. ... A parable of second chances, independence and ultimately love, expertly centred around the Great Fires of early 20th-century northern Ontario, this novella will awe you.

Intolerable: A memoir of extremes by Kamal Al-Solaylee, defended by Kristin Kreuk
In the 1960s, Kamal Al-Solaylee's father was one of the wealthiest property owners in Aden, in the south of Yemen, but when the country shrugged off its colonial roots, his properties were confiscated, and the family was forced to leave. The family moved first to Beirut, which suddenly became one of the most dangerous places in the world, then Cairo. After a few peaceful years, even the safe haven of Cairo struggled under a new wave of Islamic extremism that culminated with the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981. The family returned to Yemen, a country that was then culturally isolated from the rest of the world. Intolerable is part memoir of an Arab family caught in the turmoil of Middle Eastern politics over six decades, part personal coming-out narrative and part cultural analysis. This is a story of the modern Middle East that we think we know so much about.


Ru by Kim Thúy, defended by Cameron Bailey

 Ru. In Vietnamese it means lullaby; in French it is a small stream, but also signifies a flow - of tears, blood, money. Kim Thúy's Ru is literature at its most crystalline: the flow of a life on the tides of unrest and on to more peaceful waters. In vignettes of exquisite clarity, sharp observation and sly wit, we are carried along on an unforgettable journey from a palatial residence in Saigon to a crowded and muddy Malaysian refugee camp, and onward to a new life in Quebec. There, the young girl feels the embrace of a new community, and revels in the chance to be part of the American Dream. As an adult, the waters become rough again: now a mother of two sons, she must learn to shape her love around the younger boy's autism. Moving seamlessly from past to present, from history to memory and back again, Ru is a book that celebrates life in all its wonder: its moments of beauty and sensuality, brutality and sorrow, comfort and comedy.

The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King, defended by Craig Kielburger

The Inconvenient Indian is at once a "history" and the complete subversion of a history--in short, a critical and personal meditation that the remarkable Thomas King has conducted over the past 50 years about what it means to be "Indian" in North America. Rich with dark and light, pain and magic, this book distills the insights gleaned from that meditation, weaving the curiously circular tale of the relationship between non-Natives and Natives in the centuries since the two first encountered each other. In the process, King refashions old stories about historical events and figures, takes a sideways look at film and pop culture, relates his own complex experiences with activism, and articulates a deep and revolutionary understanding of the cumulative effects of ever-shifting laws and treaties on Native peoples and lands. This is a book both timeless and timely, burnished with anger but tempered by wit, and ultimately a hard-won offering of hope -- a sometimes inconvenient, but nonetheless indispensable account for all of us, Indian and non-Indian alike, seeking to understand how we might tell a new story for the future.

When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid, defended by Elaine Lui
An edgy and extravagant YA novel about a glamorous boy named Jude. School is just like a film set: there's The Crew, who make things happen, The Extras who fill the empty desks, and The Movie Stars, whom everyone wants tagged in their Facebook photos. But Jude doesn't fit in. He's not part of The Crew because he isn't about to do anything unless it's court-appointed; he's not an Extra because nothing about him is anonymous; and he's not a Movie Star because even though everyone know his name like an A-lister, he isn't invited to the cool parties. As the director calls action, Jude is the flamer that lights the set on fire. Before everything turns to ashes from the resulting inferno, Jude drags his best friend Angela off the casting couch and into enough melodrama to incite the paparazzi, all while trying to fend off the haters and win the heart of his favourite co-star Luke Morris. It's a total train wreck! But train wrecks always make the front page.

The debates start March 16 to 19th. This year Canada Reads is hosted by Wab Kinew. If you have never listened to him before he is fantastic!