Do you enjoy reading mysteries? Share the enjoyment of good mysteries in a relaxed atmosphere. Join us for discussion usually every third Friday of the month. 

Join us for the ultimate armchair travel around Europe. The European Book Club is offered in partnership with European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in Ottawa to promote contemporary European authors and their works. A book title from an EU country is selected for discussion each month.

We will be discussing "Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World" by Irene Vallejo.

IRENE VALLEJO

Irene Vallejo earned her European Doctorate from the Universities of Zaragoza and Florence. Papyrus was awarded the National Essay Prize, the Critical Eye Prize for Narrative and the Bookstore Recommendation Award, and will be published in thirty countries. She is a regular columnist for El País and Heraldo de Aragón, and is the author of two children’s books, two novels, and three collections of essays, articles, and short fiction.

PAPYRUS

Long before books were mass-produced, scrolls hand copied on reeds pulled from the Nile were the treasures of the ancient world. Emperors and Pharaohs were so determined to possess them that they dispatched emissaries to the edges of the earth to bring them back.

Papyrus, traces the dramatic history of the book and the fight for its survival. This is the story of the book’s journey from oral tradition to scrolls to codices, and how that transition laid the very foundation of Western culture. And it is a story full of heroic adventures, bloodshed and megalomania – from the battlefields of Alexander the Great and the palaces of Cleopatra to the libraries of war-torn Sarajevo and Oxford.

Listen to a curated list of podcast episodes (see list and links below) on a particular topic or theme and then we meet at the Rockcliffe Park branch for a moderated discussion led by Heather Goldik.

It’s the perfect discussion for time-starved folks. No long books to read! Listen to the podcasts while you commute, do chores or go for a walk. Listening to podcasts is such a great way to learn something new and then further reinforce that knowledge by discussing with others.

This month's theme is Oceans!

In April we’ll be diving deep into the history of the oceans, its animal life and sounds and conservation.

1) Podcast: BBC History Extra

Episode: How Oceans Shaped Human Civilization (25 minutes)

Physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski discusses the impact of oceans on human civilisations through history, from providing food to connecting trade routes. Plus, she explores how our relationship with the oceans has changed throughout the ages.

2) Podcast: NPR Ted Radio Hour

Episode: An SOS From the Ocean (48 minutes)

For centuries, humans have relied on the oceans for resources and food… but even the deepest sea has its limits. This hour, TED speakers discuss how we can save our seas to save our planet.

3) Podcast: Overheard at National Geographic

Episode: She sails the seas without maps or compasses (35minutes)

A Hawaiian navigator describes how she sails the seas without maps or modern instruments to keep Polynesian wayfinding traditions alive.

4) Podcast: Twenty Thousand Hertz

Episode: 20,000 DBS Under the Sea (26 minutes)

71% of the Earth is covered by water. And most of us imagine it to be a serene, almost silent world. But why should we have all the fun up here? Discover what sound is like just below the surface and all the way down to the ocean’s depths. And see how mankind might be making it unpleasant for everyone and everything that calls the oceans home.

About Heather

Heather has worked in libraries for over 15 years. As Adult Service Coordinator at the Nelson Public Library in BC—and inspired by her love of learning through books, podcasts, and conversation — Heather started a podcast club. Now living in the Ottawa area, Heather is happy to be sharing her interests with Rockcliffe Park.  This is her second podcast club event at Rockcliffe Park.

On April 25, join author Dimitri Nasrallah and CBC’s Alan Neal for a conversation about the One eRead 2024 book: Hotline. Universal human themes - belonging, identity, isolation, and connection - make Hotline a perfect story to read and discuss with thousands of fellow Canadians as part of this year's One eRead /Un livrel program. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a question & answer session at the end of the discussion.  

This is a hybrid event: the program is in-person, but we will also stream live on OPL's YouTube page. Registration is for the in-person portion of the event, an Eventbrite account is not required to register. A recording of the event will be provided on YouTube afterwards. A One eRead Canada French language event is being hosted by BAnQ in Montreal on April 23 at 7:00pm (livestream available). 

The Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC) is excited to bring you Canada's largest bilingual book club, while highlighting the need for equitable access to digital books in Canadian libraries. Throughout April, public libraries across the country will participate in One eRead / Un livrel Canada, during which thousands of readers will borrow digital copies of Dimitri Nasrallah's novel Hotline from their public libraries with no waitlists.  

Longlisted for the 2022 Giller Prize, and a Canada Reads selection in 2023, Hotline is the story of Muna, a mother starting a new life in Montreal after escaping devastation in war-torn Lebanon with her 8-year old son in the 1980s. Even as she struggles to find acceptance, healing, and purpose in a new city where she doesn't feel welcome, Muna finds herself providing solace and a sympathetic ear to fellow Montrealers via her job as a hotline operator for a weight-loss center.  

Dimitri Nasrallah is the author of four novels. He was born in Lebanon in 1977, and lived in Kuwait, Greece, and Dubai before moving to Canada. His internationally acclaimed books have garnered nominations for CBC Canada Reads, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and the Grand Prix du Livre de Montréal, and won the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the McAuslan First Book Prize. He is the fiction editor at Véhicule Press. 

Alan Neal is the award-winning host of the afternoon show All In A Day, heard 3 to 6 p.m. on CBC Radio One and CBC Listen. He has lived in Ottawa almost his entire life, and is known for his carefully researched interviews of authors and musicians.

This program is presented by the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, Ottawa Public Library, Library and Archives Canada and the CBC.  

Accessibility: 
The Pellan Room at Library and Archives Canada is accessible via elevator. There are gendered washrooms with barrier free stalls on the main floor of the building. There are additional gendered washrooms available on the same floor as the event. There are no universal individual washrooms available at this venue.  

Related booklist: If You Love Hotline - One eRead Canada 2024 | Ottawa Public Library | BiblioCommons