Keep Toronto Reading is back for 2011, and since we love the library and Toronto and book recommendations and other people getting on video besides Erin and me, the KIRBC has once again recruited volunteers to join in the effort to connect Torontonians with books they love. This year the campaign’s theme is “Let Books Transform You,” so you may get some Oprah moments along with the regular recos. After last year’s 30-day video party, we’ve cast our net wider and pulled in some great authors, booklovers, publishers and the like, and we’re bringing you more videos that ever. As an added bonus, the TPL has agreed to try to add any recos they don’t have to their already impressive collection.
Today Erin and I will kick things off (independently, though that frame feels so empty and lonesome now), and then we’ll start airing the recos of our guest stars every day until the end of April. We’ve already got quite a few videos lined up, but if you’d like to contribute, we’d love to have you! No need to live in Rob Ford’s fiefdom — anyone from anywhere can recommend any book. Just drop me a line to let me know you’re interested and I’ll provide the details!
So to kick things off, here’s my reco for a transformative book, Gayla Trail’s Grow Great Grub:
(For more on Grow Great Grub and for photos of my modest first year accomplishments, check out my review.)
And time for a little third-person action:
Jen Knoch is the president of the Keepin’ It Real Book Club, and the principal blogger on this site. By day, you can find her working as an Associate Editor at ECW Press, and by night she runs Books in 140 Seconds with Erin Balser and ropes people into schemes just like this one.
You’re so good at this, Jen! I’ve looked at this book before; we have it in the store. It is indeed beautiful and inspiring. C and I love growing things and come next month we’re starting our seedlings! What will you grow this year? I remember your posts from last year. There are some really cool urban gardening books and even mags, too…
[...] will be posted all month on the KIRBC site to help spread the love of books and reading. So far Jen, Erin, and Terry Fallis have videos up on the KIRBC site. Tons more have submitted, authors and [...]
[...] off until Friday, friends of this blog at The Keepin’ It Real Book Club couldn’t resist opening their presents early. Starting this week, and running throughout the rest of April, Jen will feature at least one video [...]
Aw, Steph, you’re too kind. This one felt easy for some reason. Maybe because I disregarded my own time limit? This year I have the luxury of a huge garden in my backyard. My friend and I have our sights set on a huge mess of vegetables: tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, herbs, peas, onions and more. Not all from seed though. We’ll see what we can make happen! Perhaps I’ll post some photos if things turn out well.
[...] the best book I’ve found for urban gardening, and one I’ve recommended extensively (to all of Toronto in fact!). Then highlighter in hand like an eager pupil, I went deeper with Small Plot, High-Yield [...]