Gulliver’s Celebrates 25 Years!
We at Gulliver’s celebrated our 25th Anniversary Friday, October 28!
Suzanne Brooks, Gulliver’s owner, cuts into the cake to start off the festivities!
We were thrilled to have Donna Sinclair as part of our evening signing copies of her new book The Long View: An Elderwoman’s Book of Wisdom. Copies of her books are available in store.
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New author, Courtney Maika also signed copies of her book A Forest of Gold, logging stories of the Ottawa Valley. Copies of her book are also available in store.
We had a great turnout for the event. We’d like to thank everyone who came out to celebrate with us. All the local authors who attended and our many great customers and supporters. We’d also like to thank the publishers who donated all of the awesome door prizes: Canadian Manda Group, Kate Walker and Co. Ltd., & Scholastic Book Services. Also, the local media who interviewed Suzanne and have supported us over the past 25 years! Thanks again! We couldn’t have done it without you!
Hidden Treasures in Gulliver’s
Come in and find a “Hidden Treasure”. These beautiful little jewelled characters, from your favourite storybooks, will be just the perfect thing for that special someone on your gift list. Each one is cast in pewter with either 24 carat Gold or Silver plate, hand enamelled with an array of rich colours, and jewelled with Australian crystals. Inside each is either a lovely little necklace or pin. What treasures will you find?
Visitor to Gulliver’s
We were visited by our very own little Scaredy Squirrel (chipmunk) today. Guess he heard we were a critter-friendly place to hang out! He read for a bit, then scampered on his way.
Book Review: It’s a Book!
In this world of digital sensory overload where’s the scope for the imagination? Kids are so hooked on technology, TV at home, TV in the car (heard from one person that their toddler won’t travel in the car unless there’s a movie playing, yikes! When I was little my parents used to talk to me). My husband & I did a five hour trip with my nephew, 10 at the time, and we played a trivia game till we pulled into his driveway, had a blast. Then there’s the video games, the DS that goes everywhere, and now toddlers with iphones, I have to give that a “for reals!”. When I was little they said “don’t sit close to the TV it’s bad for your eyes”, now they tell us “get up from your computer every fifteen minutes or so because it’s bad for your eyes” and now everyone wants an e-reader, …not bad for your eyes? Makes me go hmm…. I’m not a ludite, I have an iphone, but when it comes to reading I will always love a good old fashioned book, love the feel of them, the smell of them and the delicious scope for the imagination.
Carrie
July 13, 2011
Summer Fun Ideas! For the Cottage or On the Road!
Travelling with the kids this summer? We have some great items in stock to keep them happily occupied for the journey. Need something to do once you get where you’re going? We have plenty of ideas for that as well. Stop in and browse or ask us for some suggestions, we’re more than happy to help! From board games to bath toys, we’ve got you covered… and books to curl up with by the fire or stretch out with on the beach. Nothing like a book to unwind with… well maybe a glass of wine (that’s the only thing we don’t have). Happy Summer!
June 1st, 2011
Featured Children’s Author: Nancy Shaw
Sheep in space? Why yes! In Nancy Shaw’s latest picture book Sheep Blast Off, the sheep have an extraterrestrial adventure that’s sure to have little ones ready to blast off into outer space then land safely in their beds. Be sure and check out the other shenanigans these woolly adventurers get into in Sheep in a Jeep, Sheep on a Ship, Sheep on a Hike and Sheep Out to Eat illustrated by Margot Apple.
May 31, 2011
Suzanne’s Views: More Money Than Brains
I have just started reading this book, mostly because the subtitle intrigued me: Why School Sucks, College is Crap, and Idiots Think They are Right. It’s written by Laura Penny, published by McClelland and Stewart in 2010, and newly released in paperback.
In the first segment, Penny is describing the anti-intellectual point of view that has so much prominence in today’s North American way of life. “Rational thought has become an excluded middle, squished and muffled by more popular mental modes such as wishing and counting.”
I think that there are many people who want to believe that books are obsolete, that something newer and better has replaced them. However, neither books nor the things they contain are dispensable or irrelevant. Culture is not “secondary and adjacent to the real world”. Thinking is not a lack of action, but in fact another way of acting that has great value in and of itself.
“Inconsistencies in the arguments against rational thought are not important”:(to those who use those arguments) “Cognitive dissonance is not a problem if you deny that cogitation has a value, if you insist that feelings and beliefs are more authentic, more democratic, more trustworthy , than ideas.”
She defends higher education against the argument that it should be technical and job-oriented: “Humanities education…teaches you that there are other values than use, that there is more to human existence than being an employee….”
As I said, I am only in the first section and thoroughly enjoying the book. I will update this review when I get time to gobble up more of this delightful book.
April 28, 2011
Book Review: When Elephants Weep
When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals
By Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
Anyone who lives with animals knows they share the same emotions we do. We’ve all seen that look of guilt on our dog’s face when he gets caught eating the kleenex or the look of pure joy while running on the beach. This book is full of stories about the emotional lives of animals collected from biologists, animal trainers and behaviorists. Some will make you smile and some will break your heart. I love this book and truly believe animals deserve a place in this world to just be.
Carrie
April 26, 2011
Gulliver’s Anniversary: October 2009
Gulliver’s had a grand celebration of 23 years in business, combined with the annual Independents’ Day, which draws attention to the value that locally owned independent businesses add to their communities.
This year we celebrated with not only other bookstores across Canada, but joined with our Downtown neighbours to widen the event. We had Anthony Rota, Monique Smith, and Vic Fedeli here to cut the cake and indicate their support for independent businesses locally, provincially, and nationally.
The local authors who attended were interviewed by the media. Sixty people enjoyed cake and savings on Canadian books. And the party went on all day. Thanks again to all our friends who attended.
