Entertaining Librarians since 2000

I know that several of my readers are attending the Ontario Library Association Conference in Toronto next week, and you couldn't have picked a better weekend. The WinterCity 2007 festival is on, which means no shortage of events to keep you busy.

Part of the festivities is Winterlicious, where dozens of excellent Toronto restaurants offer fixed price menus for lunch ($15) and dinner ($25/$35). It's a super chance to try some fantastic restaurants in Toronto. Check the Winterlicious website for menus and make reservations.

I have to give special credit to Fred's Not Here, which is offering 8 different mains for lunch and 7 mains for dinner, which is above the typical 3 mains most Winterlicious restaurants offer. It's 2 blocks north of the Metro Convention Centre, at John and King.

You also have concerts at Nathan Phillips Square, with the highlight being a free show with The New Pornographers on Saturday February 3rd at 8pm. I know it may be cold, but you'll be dancing too much to notice.

I work in the same neighbourhood as the Metro Convention Centre, so if conference attendees are looking for some good quick lunch between sessions, the best kept secret is the food court across the street from the Convention Centre. It's easily accessible through the CBC Building, and has some good options. recommend Green Curry Thai and Vietnamese. The line-up looks long, but it runs really quick. The food is fresh and has good flavour, and you get a lot of bang for your bucks. Much better than watered down pasta from East Side Mario's.

And hey, if you want to sample some of the watering holes, drop a line and we'll see if we can work out a meeting after work.

Here are a couple of friends of Jason who are working the conference this year. They're some fine folks who love people who love books, so take the time to check them out:

• Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers is having a mass book launch on the Friday, and among the authors is my old friend Liam O'Donnell. Go by and ask him about his books. And then ask him how he manages to write so many children's books, and write the Max Finder Mysteries in OWL Magazine, and doing speaking engagements at children's libraries, and take up running. Then ask him how he still manages to put in time on Warcraft despite all that.

• My old employer National Book Service is one of the sponsors; they're a book wholesaler that caters exclusively to schools and libraries. I'm not sure who's working the booths, but drop my name and they'll treat you right. A least a couple of folks there will know me.