Libraries
Jan 18, 2026
Driving my kids and wife to various places (activities, shopping, meetings, volunteering) and then waiting nearby is a very common thing for me. My favourite way to wait is at a nearby library. I’ve been to many libraries around Toronto, Markham, and most recently Vaughan (where I’m writing this from).
The one I’m at now is the Civic Centre Resource Library, next to Vaughan City Hall. It’s one of the nicest libraries I’ve been to in terms of size and design. They have a coffee machine where I get a cappuccino every time before sitting down to read a book (currently The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone) and play chess.
At home, with all the available screen distractions, I rarely sit down with a book. But at the library, it’s easy, and I really enjoy it. I should just visit the library even when I’m not waiting around for someone. There’s a spacious, recently renovated multi-floor library (Albert Campbell) about five minutes from my house, and I’ve been there a few times both by myself and with Adele.
The Civic Centre Resource Library, like all public libraries, is open to everyone. You simply walk in and find a seat. There are all sorts of seating options: long desks by the glass windows with bar stools (where I usually sit), large tables with chairs on both sides, rooms with comfy couches, round tables with chairs around them (I often see students working together there), and small rooms for meetings. There’s also an outdoor courtyard in the middle of the building with umbrellas and round tables for the spring and summer. I haven’t been to the upper floor yet, but there’s a 3D printing room as well.
Today’s window seat faces the road. On my side of the street, the ground is covered with snow. I see cars going by in both directions and some commercial buildings across the road. The gently falling snow looks beautiful. I can’t hear the noise of the cars thanks to the well-insulated glass windows. Inside, it’s quiet, warm, clean, and comfortable.
OK. Back to reading.
Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 8: Fiona (about the Kindle e-reader):
Bezos unshackled Kessel from Amazon’s traditional media organization. "Your job is to kill your own business," he told him. "I want you to proceed as if your goal is to put everyone selling physical books out of a job." Bezos underscored the urgency of the effort. He believed that if Amazon didn’t lead the world into the age of digital reading, then Apple or Google would. When Kessel asked Bezos what his deadline was on developing the company’s first piece of hardware—an electronic reading device—Bezos told him, "You are basically already late."