Books read in December 2025

1. Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto by Shawn Micallef

2. The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

Things They Should Invent: library book sale queue

Sometimes, people are willing to pay a small amount of money for a book, but not retail price.

 

A place you can buy a book for a small amount of money (usually smaller than second-hand book stores) is the library book sale. 

 

What if you could sign up to be automatically notified when a book you're interested in is added to the library book sale, so you can get the books you're interested in owning at an extremely affordable price? 

 

Depending on how their computer system works, you could either get a notification when a book is added to book sale inventory, or when it is removed from the catalogue because it's being weeded from the collection. 

 

Also depending on how the system works, maybe they could put books aside for people who signed up for notifications rather than putting them directly into the general book sale. (I feel like putting a book aside for the person who requested it is already within the library's skill set).

 

The book sale could charge more for this priority - maybe $2 or $3 or a book that would normally be $1 - thereby raising more money for the library while still being a fantastic deal on a used book. Win-win!

Horoscopes

Toronto Star: You don’t run away or give up on something just because it’s hard. Instead, you lean into the challenge. You’re adept at solving problems and creating actionable plans. Others often look to you for advice, leadership and support. You enjoy showing up for the people you care about. You know how to keep everyone grounded and safe. You’re patient, reserved and discerning. You know a good thing when it’s in front of you and waste no time in seizing the opportunity. This year, money may not buy happiness, but staying true to yourself and your values will.

 

Globe & Mail: For best results this year you need to be more of an observer. Instead of rushing into every new thing that comes along try standing back and watching what other people are doing. Learn from their mistakes and then do it right!

 

 

I love how these are almost opposites!

"Birds and animals, lots of different kinds"

I have this song stuck in my head that I remember from a childhood TV show, and I can find no evidence of it on the internet.

The lyrics:

Birds and animals, lots of different kinds

Wild ones and tame ones

On the farm and in the jungle

In your home and at the zoo

In the pet store too

Even dinosaurs from long ago

The tune is here.

 

I remember it being sung on close harmony by both male and female voices in a way that made me first think it was Sharon, Lois & Bram, but I can find no evidence that Sharon, Lois & Bram sang it. (Although as I replay the song in my head, I can only place two voices, one male and one female. However, that aspect of my memory isn't necessarily reliable.)

 

I'm nearly certain it's from a TV show, so it would have been a TV show available by antenna in Southern Ontario in the 1980s. 

It's highly unlikely that I imagined this or wrote it myself (it wouldn't have occurred to me to write a song like this without a rhymier rhyme scheme). Anyone have any idea where it did come from?