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Little Libraries

@littlelibraries.bsky.social

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What’s a great way to spend an afternoon in Toronto? Grab a book from a little library and head to a park or café to read ☕️📚🌳 I want to visit as many little libraries as I can, either with my trusty dog Ripley or new baby Hera (or both!) 🐕 👶🏻

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · Aug 18

Anybody else fantasize about going to a library and doing this when they were a child (…or an adult)?

#Belle #BeautyandtheBeast #Books

a woman in a blue dress is reaching for a book on a ladder

Alt: Belle from The Beauty and the Beast, in a blue dress, is reaching for a book on a ladder as she swings across the library.

media.tenor.com

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 3d

I forgot to mention one of the cool things about Prism Knights is that they’re all based on fairy tales. Velvet is from the lesser known The Twelve Princesses and Coquelicot was based on Rapunzel. Though it must be said these are very loose interpretations.

#RepresentationMatters #LGBT+ #Booksky

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 3d

I left behind the next in the Prism Knights series (well, not really. I think the second one might be Lamplight? They weren’t published in order, and each book is its own story, so the order doesn’t really matter, but there is *some* overlap so maybe it does?), J. Kiakas’ Velvet.

#SwordsAndShields

In a ghost kingdom, a knight lives.
Unable to save those she loves.
A quiet love saves her.

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 3d

We continued on to our next little free library, this one an excellent two shelf unit that’s quite weathered.

Now, I really like it when there are two shelves, but the one problem (which we have here) is that the shelves are too short, so only pocket books fit.

Location:
18 Castle View Ave

#Books

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 3d

Now that I have a daughter I thumb through baby books a lot. And I’ve started to notice a disturbing trend…

Do writers not know any words that start with X?

#ABC #XIsFor #NowIKnowMyABCs #BabyBooks #Booksky

W is for Wait, it's quite hard to stop.

X is for don't eat yet, they are too hot!

Xx
is for kisses
for loved ones near and far.

Terry Fox Run in Sept
テリーフォックスラン

Xx is for example.
Terry's marathon is an example of how one person can make a big difference. People in other countries were inspired to carry on his dream.

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 12d

“What’s it like being a new mom?” People ask.

T Watson @ttquiltworks.bsky.social · 12d

Mood

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 12d

I left behind the first of four books in a series by author J. Kiakas, this first one’s called Coquelicot. There are actually two more in the series that I haven’t read yet. I intend to buy the complete edition, so I decided to give these cute pocket editions away.
#LGBT
@windywallflower.bsky.social

coquelicot
j.kiakas

a Prism Knights story

Two women; knights.
A malicious streak.
And a taste for blood.

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 12d

There weren’t a lot of options, but luckily that was fine because I was quite keen to bring this book home with me: Susanna Clarke’s The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories. I absolutely loved Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell when I read it back in university. In fact I might have to re-read that…

SUSANNA CLARKE
author of the bestselling JONATHAN STRANGE & Mr. NORRELL

THE LADIES
of
GRACE ADIEU
and other stories

Magic, madam, is like wine
and, if you are not used to it,
it will make you drunk.

Susanna Clarke returns with an enchanting collection brimming with all the ingredients of good fairy tales: petulant princesses, vengeful owls, ladies who pass their time in embroidering terrible fates, endless paths in deep, dark woods, and houses that never appear the same way twice. The heroines and heroes who must grapple with these problems include the Duke of Wellington, a conceited Regency clergy-man, an eighteenth-century Jewish doctor, and Mary, Queen of Scots, as well as Jonathan Strange and the Raven King. The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories introduces readers to a world where charm is always tempered by eeriness, and picaresque comedy is always darkened by the disturbing shadow of magic.

Praise for Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell:

"Ravishing...superb...a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien." —Time
"Magnificent and original." —Washington Post
"A gorgeous book of unforgettable images." —People
"The most sparkling literary debut of the year." —Salon.com

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 12d

Our first stop was the Arrowsmith School. I was expecting to find a public school, but instead found this cute private school in a renovated house.

The library itself was tiny with only two books in it and a very plain look to it. I got the impression it was new.

Location:
245 St CLair Ave W

A read brick building, once a home, no renovated into a private school. The sign over the door reads: Arrowsmith School

A little free library in front of a busy street, across the street is a church with large stained-glass windows and a bell tower.

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 12d

Hera was being super fussy so I thought I’d go on a walk and hit up a few little free libraries. Unfortunately Hera never calmed down and cried the entire time… but at least I found some good books!

My walk took me from St. Clair West Station to Rosedale Station over on Yonge St.
#AfternoonWalk

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 12d

In typical fashion I haven’t started reading it yet! 😅 But hopefully I get to it sooner than later…

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 24d

I was hoping one of the stories would be set in Mount Pleasant so I’d be reading a story set in the place I was sitting. No such luck, but I did find a zombie story that was pretty cool!

@torontocomics.bsky.social

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 24d

I was foiled again because all the benches were occupied, so I kept walking and reached Yonge St when I finally found a bench in a cute homage to the old Belt Line Railway line that used to be on the pathway.

YONGE STATION
BELT LINE RAILWAY

This was the site of the Yonge station on the Belt Line Railway, a short-lived steam railway that circled Toronto from 1892 to 1895.
The Belt Line Railway Company was incorporated in 1889 by a group of Toronto businessmen. Their goal was to buy cheap rural land north of the city and boost its value by connecting it to Toronto via a railway. The line was known as the Yonge Street Loop or the Don Loop. The Humber Loop operated in the west.
While the line was still being built, the Belt Line Railway Company went bankrupt. The project was taken over by the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) and the Belt Line opened in 1892. The Yonge Street station was the largest station on the new line.
Despite early promise, the Belt Line was not successful. The suburban boom came later than expected and fares were expensive. In 1895, the GTR announced it would close the line due to lack of demand, and the stations were later demolished. The GTR went bankrupt in 1919 and Canadian National Railways took over the tracks in 1923. The Don Valley section of the Belt Line was abandoned. The track between Mount Pleasant Road and Allen Road was used for freight until the 1960s.
The City of Toronto acquired the Allen-Mount Pleasant section of the Belt Line in 1990 for park use.
In 2000, Beltline Park was renamed for city councillor Kay Gardner, who championed its creation.
HERITAGE TORONTO 2021

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 24d

I was out with Ripley so I wanted to go read in a park. Unfortunately nothing was super convenient. The closest bit of green to this little library was Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

However on the northwest corner of the cemetery is a nice pathway with benches one can read on.

Location:
335 Merton St

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 24d

Is this my first book return? Well certainly since I started documenting my little library trips, I think it is. I finished Myriam J. A. Chancy’s What Storm, What Thunder.

It was poetic and heartbreaking. It made me hold my daughter a little tighter after reading it.

@myriamjachancy.bsky.social

"Sublime. A striking and formidable novel by one of our most brilliant writers and storytellers."
-EDWIDGE DANTICAT

WHAT
STORM
a novel
WHAT
THUNDER

MYRIAM J. A. CHANCY

$"THE EARTH HAD BUCKLED AND, IN THAT MOVEMENT. ALL THAT WAS NOT IN ITS PLACE FELL UPON THE EARTH'S CHILDREN. UPON THE BLAMELESS AS WELL AS THE GUILTY, WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION.” ADVANCE PRAISE FOR WHAT STORM. WHAT THUNDER "Gorgeous and compulsively readable. If you love the works of Jesmyn Ward, Edwidge Danticat and J. M. Coetzee, this is the book for you. Absolutely breathtaking!" — ANCIE CRUZ. AUTHOR OF DOMINICANA "What Storm, What Thunder is a beautiful, haunting chorus of voices. This is a heartbreaking book, a striking achievement." -ZINZI CLEMMONS. AUTHOR OF WHAT WE LOSE "This book is devastating and tender... and though there is much pain in the novel, Chancy reminds us through her careful narration that none of her characters ever went unloved." - JOSE OLIVAREZ. AUTHOR OF CITIZEN ILLEGAL "What Storm, What Thunder refracts the tragic events of the 2010 Haitian earthquake through multiple perspectives and voices. The result is affecting and immersive. An important book." -DAN VYLETA, AUTHOR OF THE CROOKED MAID$

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 24d

Any time I see something set in Toronto I want to read it. So here is Toronto Comics vol. 3 from a variety of Toronto-based artists. I’m really excited for this one.

TORONTO COMICS 0L3
Foreword by Ryan North

FRESHER THAN A NEW SPADINA STREETCAR
Toronto, city of swords and sorcery. Toronto, the post-apocalyptic wasteland. From condo supervillains to the zombies of Yorkville, from flirty skyscrapers to vampire pigs, this book is a love letter to the city of Toronto.
Our home is overflowing with gifted creators, and we want to share the breadth of diverse viewpoints that make Toronto so captivating. Weve collected 30 stories from 46 local creators, from indie veterans and talented newcomers being published for the first time.
Whether you're a fan of sci-fi and fantasy, true history, slice-of-life, or any shade in between, theres something in these pages just for you!

"Toronto is considered a comic book mecca and if you didn't know that before picking up this book, youll understand why after reading the eclectic, amusing, and diverse comics presented here by a collective of multi-talented creators living, creating, and being inspired by their city."
- J. Torres (True Patriot, Teen Titans Go!)

“Toronto is a wellspring of creative talent and this anthology is a perfect way to introduce people to the next generation of Canadian comic creators.”
- Jim Zub (Wayward, Samurai Jack)

"This book is a perfect microcosm of the Toronto Comics community. A massive amount of unique storytelling talent with incredible visuals. Great to see a well executed anthology like this some to life. It's what comics is all about.”
- Fearless Fred (Teuton, The Fourth Planet)

"A delightful genre-spanning love letter to the city we call home."
- Shaggy Shanahan (Flight, Silly Kingdom )

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · 24d

What a cute little free library I found. I really love how each library has its own personality. I just adore the vines and the blue picket fence.

Location:
529 Merton St

A white little library, painted to look like a tiny house, sitting under a tree.

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · Sep 10

I also thought this ABC book would be cute for Hera… but I take umbrage with some of their choices.

‘X’ is not, in fact, for ‘extreme’.

#KidsBooks #Booksky #NowIKnowMyABCs

My First Canadians
ABC

A touch-and-feel alphabet book!

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · Sep 10

Of course this is a dangerous game I play. I am trying to NOT buy more books, but if I do find something interesting I can take a picture of it and see if it’s available at the local library. So here’s hoping I can find Rachel Smythe’s Lore Olympus and this LotR art book.

@rachelsmythe.bsky.social

The Art of
The Lord of the Rings
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · Sep 10

Been very stressed this past week. Hera’s not gaining enough weight and to make things more fun I got a cold. Know what I like to do when I’m stressed? Go to the bookstore!

#Chapters #Indigo

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · Sep 6

So jealous! I want to meet Milly/Dusty so bad!

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · Sep 5

And I found a classic to take home with me, L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Of course with the movie adaptation of Wicked having come out last year I’ve had a craving to read this book, so how fortuitous to find a copy!

Signet Classics
The Wonderful
WIZARD
$ 0Z
L. Frank Baum
Illustrated with the Giginal Drawings by W. W. Denslow
With a New Introduction by Regina Barreca

Signet Classics
The Wonderful Wizarch of Uz
L. FranK Baum
Since it first appeared in 1900,
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has brought wonderment and joy to succeeding generations of adults and children alike. In it, all the special fears and delightful fantasies of a child's dreamworld come to life as the cyclone lifts Dorothy from Kansas and deposits her in the enchanted country of the Munchkins.
Here she meets the famous Oz characters: the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch of the West.
And here her adventures along the Yellow Brick Road on the way to the Emerald City and the Wizard himself evoke the rich, universal appeal of a classic fairy tale.
"I have never known or heard of an American man or woman who has started to read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and put it down without finishing it. I hope there will never be one." —James Thurber
With a New Introduction by Regina Barreca

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · Sep 5

Left behind a book about special military operations, Major Steven Hunter’s Breaching Barriers. Not sure how I ended up with this book. I do come from a military family so I guess it got mixed up with my books somehow. I hope someone really interested in modern warfare find this.
#CanadianForces

CANSOFCOM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
BREACHING BARRIERS
A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES DECISION-MAKING IN NON-TRADITIONAL SECURITY ENVIRONMENTS
MAJOR STEVEN HUNTER

Viam Inveniemus

Professional Development Centre
centre de perfectionnement professionnel

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · Sep 5

Jammed at the back of the library I found some kid’s art and homework (I think). From a note written on the back it looks like maybe it’s been in there for over a year, waiting for someone to find it. So if this art belongs to you, it’s waiting at the intersection of Dundas and Woodfield.

Two shelves stuffed with books, and some works of arts by children.

A yellow note reads:
Found Sapt 19/2024
When I was walking with L— to her school to look for her tracker

Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · Sep 5

I set out to find five little free libraries, but one of them had disappeared. Well as luck would have it, heading north from the beach, I found one! This library had not only book, but VHS tapes, DVDs, and more! So it all worked out in the end :)

Location:
123 Woodfield Rd
#Booksky

A beige and brown little library in front of a flowering garden.

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Little Libraries @littlelibraries.bsky.social · Sep 4

Found this other picture I took, a better look at the Sharon, Lois, and Bran part of the park. You can see the stature of the elephant on the left, and inside the fence are multiple different instruments kids can play with. It’s so charming! Anyway, go visit June Rowlands Park!

#Skinnamarink

An elephant statue in a park, surrounded by trees and musical instruments.