On the shelf: Fantasy fiction

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Fantasy fiction

Fantasy fiction - what does it mean to write fantasy fiction? We were lucky enough to hear Brent Weekes speak via skype from his home in USA last week. As he put it when you write fantasy, you can use the whole playground and the writer makes the rules!
If you haven't tried a fantasy author yet, this is the month to do it. Here's a very short list to start:
Joe Abercrombie
Peter V Brett
Terry Brooks
Tom Holt
Stephen Leather
Ursula Le Guin
George R R Martin
Elizabeth Moon
Robert Rankin
Brent Weekes

Junior and Young Adult readers may like the following
Holly Black
Isabel Carmody
Suzanne Collins
Becca Fitzpatrick
Charlie Hickson
Garth Nix
Terry Pratchett
If you have other authors to suggest, send me a list and a book review.
Happy reading, Helen

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Knit one, purl one..

It's that time of year again. Our knitting needles are busy knitting for Wrap With Love. I have just sent 8 wraps and over 100 squares to Wrap With Love headquarters so I now have room under my desk for more. If you have squares or completed wraps you can leave them at any of our library branches at any time during the year, but winter is a good time for working with wool. Not sure what to knit? Squares should be 25cm (10inches). 8ply wool, 4mm (size 8) needles. Cast on about 50-55 stitces and away you go. I have some patterns at Bowral Library if you want to collect one. Happy knitting, Helen

Scandavian crime

If you enjoyed Stieg Larsson you'll love these cold climate authors:

Jussi Adler-Olsen, Karin Alvetegen,
Camilla Ceder, Ake Edwardson,
Elsebeth Egholm, Thomas Enger,
Kjell Eriksson, Karin Fossum,
Sissel-Jo Gazan, Peter Hoeg,
Anne Holt, Arnaldur Indridason,
Mari Jungstedt, Mons Kallentoft,
Hans Koppel, Camilla Lackberg,
Jens Lapidus, Asa Larsson,
John Ajvide Lindqvist,
Henning Mankell,
Liza Marklund, Hakan Nesser,
Kristina Ohlsson, Leif Persson,
Anders Roslund, Yrsa Sigurdardottir,
Johan Theorin, Antti Tuomainen.

Escape to the movies

Ever wondered if you could live life like one of your favourite movie stars or characters? Have you ever imagined yourself finding your dream partner at the top of the Empire State Building like Meg in Sleepless in Seattle or bumping into a famous movie star at a quiet little book shop and falling in love like Hugh in Notting Hill or experiencing the adrenaline of watching two men fight for your hand whilst thrashing about in a water fountain like Renee in Bridget Jones’s Diary? This is what Scarlett dreams of in Notting Hill...With Love Actually. Everyone, including her fiancé, father and closest friend doubt her belief that real life can be just that. So Scarlett embarks on a quest to prove to them all, and to herself, that movies are based on actual events which occur everyday to normal people. She leaves all her family and friends behind and moves to Notting Hill to house-sit for some friends for a month. Can she complete her quest?
This was a brilliantly written and hilariously funny book. I couldn’t put it down. I quiet often found myself wondering whether any part of my life was like the movies. Sadly, my knowledge of the movies is not as in-depth as Scarlett’s, but you never know what the future holds.
Notting Hill with love…actually by Ali McNamara - request your copy today
Amy

The memory tree by Tess Evans

How would you feel about a novel that promoted itself as talking about mental illness, the after effects of serving in the Vietnam war, loss of loved ones and the lack of medical/ psychological help at the time for any of the above? I'd be a bit wary of opening the book, but this novel is about all of the above and much more. Set in a small town, this complex family story is told with compassion for each character. Beneath the horrors and seemingly unforgiveable events brought about by the effects of mental illness, there is believable depth and strength to each character. Family and friends, they support each other, rely on each other, laugh, grieve, love and dream with each other. This is defineitly one to recommend to your friends.
Helen

Wildflower by Kimberley Freeman

Spanning three generations and half the world, Wildflower Hill is a sweeping, romantic story of two women who share a legacy of secrets, heartbreak, courage and love.
In 1929, a young woman is terrified to discover she is pregnant to her married lover. Eighty years later, her granddaughter is living her dream life as a prima ballerina, when a freak accident snatches away everything she has worked for. Wildflower Hill tells a parallel story of these two lives, and the Tasmanian sheep property which brings them together in a way that blood has never quite managed to do. It is a story about class divisions of depression-era Glasgow, the present day rich and famous of the London scene, and the rolling pastures of rural Tasmania.
Overall, in my opinion, this is a well-written book with characters I fell in love with. The plot is a bit predictable at times but still written in a way that you want to turn to the next page right from the beginning. I did not want my journey to end.
Readers who enjoy romantic fiction with a little meat on its bones will love this novel.
Tracie

Kill me once by Jon Osborne

Nathan Stiedowe wants to be remembered. Not for a good deed but to go down in history as the most perfect serial killer of all time. Copying killings from some of the most notorious serial killers in history Nathan wants to celebrate his heroes while not making the mistakes that they made. Extensive planning goes into all the killing that makes the authorities chances of finding him very slim. One of the many people trying to stop this killer is FBI special agent Dana Whitestone who after seeing her own parents brutally murdered as a child wants nothing more then to find and put serial killers away. This book is very heavy duty in its flow, going from Nathan, his victims and to the authorities lead by Whitestone. Nathan's murders are described in a fair amount of detail so if you have quite a weak stomach you may want to give this book a miss. Along the way it is described as to the incidents in Nathan's life that changed him from being a happily married man with a baby daughter to a ruthless killing machine and the connection between him and Dana and why he needed to confront her and finish things at the end. The only thing I didn’t like about this book is the ending was a little confusing with Nathan's intentions. Apart from that Kill Me Once was a very well written and cleverly composed book that kept me wanting more with every turn of a page. Disturbing, terrifying and suspenseful in its delivery Jon Osborne's debut novel will keep you on your toes from beginning to end.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to be kept guessing from beginning to end and wants to learn the inner works and thoughts of a new breed of serial killer.
Hannah

Water for elephants by Sara Gruen

This book is based on the characters and animals that perform in the travelling circuses around America in the 1920s and 1930s.
It is recounted by a man in his nineties named Jacob, who now resides in a nursing home. He became a vet for the “Benzini Bros Most Spectacular Show on Earth” after finding himself homeless straight out of college.
He is befriended by August, the Ringmaster who is married to Marlena, a beautiful performer. Jacob finds himself increasingly attracted to Marlena and feels guilty about his growing attraction.
When the circus acquires an elephant named Rosie, Jacob sees an ugly side to August, both in a professional and personal capacity. As Jacob fights to protect both Rosie and Marlena, things turn very bitter and violent.
I thought this was an excellent and interesting book even though it deals with both animal and human cruelty.
Cathy.

Life without limits by Nick Vujicic

Life Without Limits is the inspirational story of a courageous young man in his twenties born without arms & legs, with an unstoppable ‘never give up’ attitude to life.
Instead of seeing his disability as a ‘burden’ he realised it could also be a blessing, offering opportunities to reach out to others by speaking to schools, church groups & businesses in many countries. His positive attitude and insightful suggestions for overcoming life’s trials have made an impact on people wherever he’s travelled.
This book is not just Nick’s biography but a self-help book which encourages you to find your purpose, to be hopeful, be fearless & willing to take risks. He shows the reader through his deep faith in God, how he learnt to accept what he could not control & focus instead on what he could. If you think that any hardships/difficulties/challenges you are going through are worse than anything else... this book will make you re-think that.
Definitely worth the read!
Debra

#bookbites

Reading and food. Is there a more delicious combination? Even before Little Red Riding and her picnic basket it seems we have been tempted by food. The old adage "eat to live not live to eat" is difficult to achieve when faced with recipes from every country. What's for dinner? Tempt me...
So, are you a food history buff? Do you enjoy a mystery and murder with a good dessert on the side? Is food to keep you healthy a priority? Want to cook treats for your animals? Or do you just love to read and drop off into a soporific stupor dreaming of delicious delights?
Adam and Eve ate the apple, we have that and many more choices...
Delicious! Delicious! Delicious! There's a lot to savour this month, so start reading early!
We'd love you to join in the Readit2011 twitter discussion on 27th September, 8pm AEST. It's going to be full of tasty treats.

#grrlpower

Twitter Reading Group 2011

This year the NSW Readers Advisory Group encourages Australian library users to read and tweet about what you are reading.

Check out the site below and the monthly themes to decide what you will read each month and how to tweet your reading experiences.
Start now ... Don't let your kids have all the fun with Summer Reading Club, you can "Scare up a good book" of your own.
http://readit2011.wordpress.com/

If you don't want to tweet, althought it's easy to do, send me a review and I'll publish it here for you.

Whtaever way you decide to get involved, we'll be covering some great subjects and adding more information and suggestions monthly.

Helen

Christmas at Wingecarribee Libraries

As you know Christmas is nearly here... again! This year seems to have disappeared. Llibrary staff are looking forward to Christmas and hopefully, finding some time to read the books we have been stockpiling.

The libaries will close at 4.30pm on Christmas Eve and we hope everyone enjoys their Christmas, however

you choose to celebrate. May the New Year bring you good health, happiness and the desire to make our library an important part of your life.

As usual, next year we'll bring you more books, more reviews, more information. Visit us when we re-open at our usual time on Tuesday 4th January 2011.

Helen

Murder in the Metcalf

Recently, two of us attended a Readers Advisory seminar in the Metcalf Room of the NSW State Library. As the title suggests, the theme for the day was Crime and Mystery... We got out alive, but crime is a very murky business and an addiction to reading crime novels can sneak up on you, so beware... which one will you choose ... there's cosy, culinary, forensic, medical, paranormal, police procedural, psychological, romantic, animal sleuths, modern crime, historical crime, and let's not forget, suspense. Its a long list and we haven't started in the true crime non-fiction yet. In short, there's a crime and mystery novel to suit everyone, even the kids.

Need inspiration? Ask us, or check out suggestions on the following web addresses for inspiration. We are.

It's also pretty special to hear an author read some of his own work, so thank you Matthew Reilly, we are waiting in suspense for your next release.

http://www.crimedownunder.com/

www.librarything.com/author/heralddianatixier

http://www.abbeys.com/ you can subscribe to Crime Chronicles

http://www.matthewreillyl.com/

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/

twitter.com/cfwriter Rachel Franks

and just for fun

www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/games/death_rome/death_in_rome.swf

See if you can work out who dunnit and why. We did it in less than 10 minutes.

Helen

Welcome to 2010

Thursday, January 14, 2010

It seems that Christmas has been and so quickly, gone.I hope everyone received lots books in your Christmas stockings, but if you didn't, we have plenty to share.
Was your New Year's resolution to read more? Visit one of our branches and start today.
Looking for the latest items to arrive in the library? Now they are easier to find and request.
When you search our catalogue either from home, www.wsc.nsw.gov.au ,or in the library, you will see a "New Book List" tag.When you click on the subject, it will open a list of the latest items we have recieved. You can request directly from this list and the list is updated as we process items so keep your eye on it.
Posted by on the shelf at 9:16 PM 0 comments

Time to celebrate!

Christmas is coming. It's time to gather a collection to read/listen/watch over the Christmas break. As you can see from our photo, forget the three wise men... we have plenty of wise women who are happy to help you select items for your Christmas reading.
The libraries will be closed from midday on Christmas Eve until Monday 4th January for Bowral branch and Tuesday 5th January for Mittagong and Moss Vale. Items borrowed after the 10th December will be due back in the week beginning the 4th of January.

ABC Knit in 2009 for Wrap with Love

Once again the community of the Southern Highlands has been exceptionally generous for this promotion.
Our final total of donations for teh ABC and Wrap with Love is as follows:
531 knitted squares and
11 completed wraps.
That's 100 squares and 2 wraps more than last year.
Thank you to everyone who donated their time, materials and skill to this great project.
If you knit all year round, you can leave your knitted squares or completed wraps at any of our branches and they will be delivered to Wrap with Love in Sydney.
Thank you for your generosity for those in need,
Helen

Do you have a PIN attached to your library card?

If you have a PIN attached to your library card you can
visit http://www.library.wsc.nsw.gov.au/ and...
Search our catalogue
Renew your loans... anytime, day or night!
If you aren't sure how many books the kids have borrowed, or if you really did return all those magazines, you can check your account before you turn the house upside down searching!
Request items from any of our branches.

It's only four numbers, but a PIN will open up a whole new world at Wingecarribee Public Library for you. Attach one to your card next time you visit the library.

The end of daylight saving and the start of the cooler evenings mean just one thing... time to curl up, keep warm and read all those books you have on your list. Nothing there? Look at our new books list for inspiration. Not sure what to read? Try this. On the library computers and web resources page, click on databases and then on NoveList. This fiction database provides subject heading access, reviews, annotations, and much more for over 120,000 fiction titles. It also includes other content of interest to fiction readers, such as Author Read-alikes, Book Discussion Guides, BookTalks, and Feature Articles. Cross reference to our catalogue and you'll soon have a reading list longer than winter in the Highlands!

Summertime reading

What did the song say... "summertime and the living is easy"? Well the summer season has arrived and we are well on our way to Christmas. Our shelves are a bit like the Christmas table, overloaded with good stuff. We have packaged Christmas Reads again this year too, so borrow a surprise from under our Christmas tree... and hopefully you'll find a new author to love!
Our Christmas hours are listed on the News page. Visit us before closing time on the 23rd December... don't miss out on your Christmas reading!

Spring is a great time for reading

What are we enjoying? Receiving your comments about our blogs. Please keep them coming!
As you may know, librarians are generally curious by nature and as such, we want to know what you are reading. Why not send us a blog about your favourite book? What about your least favourite book? The first book you remember reading? The one you stayed up all night reading because you needed to know if everything turned out ok in the end? The one mum caught you reading by torchlight? The one that made you cry, made you think harder about life or the one you had to share immediately with friends because it was so funny? Share them with us too. We look forward to reading about them.
Helen

Welcome

Hello and welcome to Wingecarribee Libraries' blog site,
On the shelf.
Check here to find out what the locals are reading.
Be inspired!
Add your voice to our blog. Email your book review attention Helen at libweb@wsc.nsw.gov.au
If you haven't blogged before, read our introduction to blogging before you start. It's easy.
We're looking forward to hearing from you.
This month I've written a couple of blogs to start the process, and in the process, enlisted Chris as well. I hope you enjoy reading them,
Helen

Blogs defined

Short for the term "web log", a blog is defined as the following:
- a frequent, online journal of personal thoughts intended for general public consumption. Usually maintained by one person and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order.
So, blogs are used express views and opinions, to reflect and communicate. If you like to talk about the books you read, then think about putting it in writing to us.
How do I post a blog?
Email your book review attention Helen at libweb@wsc.nsw.gov.au
How do I post a comment?
Click on blog in the On the shelf section of Good Reads.
Click on comments next to any of the existing blogs.
Write your blog in the leave your comment box.
Word verification
Type the characters you see in the picture.
Choose an identity
If you wish to leave your name, click name/url.
If not, click anonymous.
Publish your comment - click on this button
There! You've sent your blog.
All comments submitted are forwarded to the blog's administrator for approval before being published.

On the shelf

Don't forget we are also on twitter

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Fantasy fiction

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