Alvin Rakoff (1927–2024)

The author used to live in Toronto ( he has been a director and writer in England for many years) and this book is really not a novel but a series of short stories or vignettes. Rakoff uses the same families to structure the incidents and personalities that he writes about -they all live on Baldwin Street in Kensington Market in Toronto. The reader certainly learns about the poverty and hardships that these Jewish immigrants faced in the first part of the 20th century.Many struggled to show more maintain small grocery or fruit stores and were always in debt. The stories of the children -growing up and making a better life for themselves -and their parents who had dramatic and some times tragic histories take the reader through a mini- history of Kensington Market in Toronto. Rakoff used a mix of real and fictional names in his work. I also thought that some if not many of the stories were based on real incidents that the author may have witnessed. I enjoyed this book and think that it gives life to the history of Kensington Market. show less

How can you not love Romeo and Juliet? It's tragic, it's beautiful, it's Shakespeare at his best! Just don't base your relationship goals on these two.

This version, which was a Library Sale find, and will be added to my Little Free Library, is from a BBC television production. The series, which was aimed at producing quality versions of Shakespeare's plays, published the plays to go along with student viewing so they might read along with the text as they watched the play. This is a nice show more idea, and is the way Shakespeare should be taught. The producers were also sure to mark the changes they made (omitted or moved lines) to avoid confusion, but providing the full text of the play in the book.

This version also includes a glossary in the back that includes any words or phrases that might have had a different meaning in Shakespeare's day or have fallen out of usage and might need explanation.

I adore Shakespeare, and want to spread that love to others, so I make sure there are always a few of his plays in my Little Free Library. show less

Collection of Sellers' early works is rather disappointing if you're looking for the Sellers of Dr. Strangelove or Being There or some of his more slapstick comedies. These are well-made films, and they're entertaining, but Sellers isn't even the main character in all of them.

Attempted to watch "Bloodline" (the one with Jeremy Brett in it), but it was too stupid to watch. This in spite of the fact that Jeremy Brett was looking great in his black period costume. Watched the Disraeli episode "Dizzy" as well. It was better, more political, more clever. Disraeli's interior decorating is enjoyable.