Davenport library

"He said: 'Oh, don't talk about rewards. Look at Milton, who only got five pounds for Paradise Lost.'

"'And a great deal too much,' I rejoined promptly. 'I would have given him twice as much myself not to have written it at all"--The Way of All Flesh

Finished The Way of All Flesh.  If Main Street is a sharp satire, The Way of All Flesh is a savage one!

Next Wednesday my History Meetup is discussing the Holy Roman Empire.  I'd suggested Joachim Whaley's The Holy Roman Empire:  A Short Introduction for background reading.  But that book wasn't at any nearby library branches so I had to place a hold and hope it arrived in time for me to finish it before the Meetup.

I was afraid that the book wouldn't arrive in time, so I started reading Barbara Stollberg-Rillinger's The Holy Roman Empire:  A Short History, which unfortunately was mainly focusing on the formal institutions of the post-Renaissance centuries. (That book I did find at a nearby branch!) But the first book did arrive in time, so that didn't matter.  

They're still renovating the Wychwood branch, so I had to pick the book up Friday at the Davenport branch, which is actually closer to my house but a lot smaller. (That's a photo of it at the top.) One of the things I like about Toronto is those small library branches!  If a future Rob Ford decides to start closing library branches, places like Davenport will be the first to go and their neighbourhoods will be a lot worse off without them...

Friday afternoon I saw Fiddler:  Miracle of Miracles, a documentary about the Sholom Aleichem musical Fiddler on the Roof. (I saw it at the Bloor Hot Docs and renewed my membership--hadn't been there for months!) It reminded me of the time back in 1995 when I flew to London, England, to spend eight months researching my Ph.D. thesis.  The night before leaving I saw a video of the movie version and the finale had the line "Soon I'll be a stranger in a strange new place"!

Saturday I went to Margo's barbecue up in Vaughan.  This cooler weather is giving me headaches!

I've also been reading The Bluffer's Guide to Poetry.  It's a really funny book!