Sutherland Shire Libraries News

Michael Robotham and Judy Nunn @ the Library

As part of the 2006 Books Alive campaign Sutherland Shire Libraries is giving you the chance to meet Judy Nunn and Micheal Robothom, two distiguished Australian authors.

Michael Robotham will be discussing his work at Sutherland Library on the 9th August at 7pm. After 14 years as a journalist and a number of ghostwriting jobs Michael turned to writing crime fiction. His two bestsellers, Suspect and Lost, were acclaimed worldwide. You can read more about Michael Robotham and his books on his official web site.

Judy Nunn will be holding an author evening at Caringbah Library on the 16th August at 7pm. You can hear Judy talk about her books and there will be an opportunity to ask her questions. Judy's latest book, Heritage, is set in the Snowy Mountains and the high plains of the Monaro during the fifties when migrants arrived from war torn Europe in their hundreds to work on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme. You can find out more about Judy on her web site, Judynunn.com.au.

Copies of both author's books will be available for sale on the night and you can get them signed by the author while you're there.

Places are strictly limited and bookings are essential. To secure your place at one or both of these author evenings telephone Jenny Miller on 9710 0245 today.

Fiction Follies: July 2006

Fiction Follies is a monthly newsletter containing a selection of NEW fiction added to the collection of the Sutherland Shire Libraries. Click on the book title to reserve your copy.

New Mysteries

Looking good dead by Peter James
A good citizen attempts to return a lost CD and is witness to a murder. His own murder then becomes a warped attraction on the internet. Some grisly elements, similar to Peter Robinson and Ian Rankin.

Murder in Montmartre by Cara Black
The sixth mystery to feature Parisian private investigator Aimee Leduc. Set in the seedy district of Montmartre it has an exciting plot interwoven with the culture and history of the famous district.

The risk of darkness by Susan Hill
The third Simon Serailler mysteries and a follow up to “The pure in heart”. For fans of Ruth Rendell, a well written mystery that deals with a number of complex issues and day to day problems.

Fresh kills by Reggie Nadelson
Hard boiled thriller set in Manhattan. Artie Cohen’s nephew is released from prison, supposedly cured of whatever caused him to commit murder. But then more deaths occur. Who is responsible?

Relentless by Simon Kernick
The action begins immediately in this thriller. Tom Meron hears a friend on the phone revealing his address before he is killed. From this moment it becomes a race to escape from, and find the reason why a group of sadistic men want to kill him.

Tomb of the golden bird by Elizabeth Peters
Humour and archaeology in this cosy mystery set in Egypt in the 1920’s. Features heroine Amelia Peabody.

Darkness and the deep by Aline Templeton
A Marjorie Fleming detective novel set in a small Scottish town. For readers of Clare Curzon and less blood thirsty mysteries.

Scared to live by Stephen Booth
A definite for fans of Ruth Rendell. Better than average mystery set in the Peak district of Derbyshire.

North by Northanger by Carrie Bebris
A historical mystery for fans of both Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen. Bebris plays a tribute to Jane Austen in this witty tribute featuring Elizabeth Darcy.

Game of patience by Susanne Alleyn
Police procedural set in post revolutionary France. Well researched history and a gripping who done it.

Nicotine kiss by Loren D. Estleman
Trouble and chaos follow Amos Walker the Detroit PI as he tracks down an acquaintance on the wrong side of the law who once saved his life. Comparable to Lee Child and Robert Crais.

Murder in exile by Vincent O’Neil
Fast paced who done it set in Florida. For readers of Carl Hiaasen.

New Romance

Putting on the style by Freda Lightfoot
Set in 1950’s Manchester. Has Dena fallen in love with her brother’s killer?

Nice girls do by Sarah Duncan
Anna falls in love while attempting to discover the secrets of a mysterious garden she is researching.

On dangerous ground by Sue Cook
Pru’s daughter goes missing in Vietnam just as her marriage of 20 years ends. This book combines thrills, romance and travel.

The other side of the track by Victor Pemberton
Saga style romance set after the Great War. A weary soldier falls in love with a vivacious nurse but can their love outlast the memories of war.

The marriage spell by Mary J Putney
Enthralling romance that combines fantasy and magic. Abby Barton must discover the evil spell that threatens her marriage to the wizard Jack Langdon.

New Family Sagas

Orphans of the storm by Katie Flynn
Follows the stories of two families, one in Liverpool, the other in Australia.

Kitty and her sisters by Maureen Lee
Set in Liverpool and described in the synopsis as “another unforgettable and intimate picture of one family’s chaos, unpredictability and warmth. Kitty McCarthy doesn’t want to get married and raise children like her three sisters so makes an impetuous decision that alters the course of her life.

New Thrillers

6 chambers, 1 bullet by Ralph Sonny Barger
An antidote to the in control policeman or PI. In this series hard drinking bikie Patch Kinkade solves the murders of his fellow gang members more by accident than calculation. Action centred mystery.

Smoked by Patrick Quinlan
Hard boiled action thriller for readers of Elmore Leonard and Harlan Coben. Lots of plot twists as ex bomb maker, Smoke is chased by the mob after stealing 2.5 million dollars.

Other Fiction

Sparkles by Louise Bagshawe
A thrills and glamour novel about a wealthy family of French jewellers. For fans of Jackie Collins.
The remnant by Christy Kenneally
Another in the Da Vinci code vein. The remnant are a group of militant priests waiting to unleash a new Inquisition.

The man of my dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld
Sensitive coming of age novel set in a dysfunctional family. Hannah has to live with the impact of her father’s vindictive break up of the family as she tries to find the man of her dreams. Has been compared to Melissa Banks.

My latest grievance by Elinor Lipman
“Enchanting, infinitely witty yet serious, exceptionally intelligent, wholly original and Austen-like stylist ... Delicately, she travels the line where reality and fiction meet. Reality being more oddball, quirky and chaotic than fiction can ever be, Lipman inures us to the truth about the way we live by making it up as she goes along, cracking jokes and pretending it's all fiction.” Fay Weldon.

Footprints in the sand by Sarah Challis
Life changes completely for Clemmie after she is appointed executor of her great Aunt’s estate. Adventures begin when she transports her Aunt’s ashes to her final resting place in the Saharan desert.

A most uncommon degree of popularity by Kathleen Seidel
A critique of upper middle class family life. This novel has polarized readers into those who thought it was a true depiction of the issues involved in parenting and others who were thankful they were never a part of the in group.

The time of our lives by Imogen Parker
Modern saga set during in a small English town during the Queens coronation in 1953. Full of period detail, easy to read and with likeable characters. Recommended for readers of Cathy Kelly.

New Historical

Lords of the north by Bernard Cornwell
The third in Cornwell’s King Alfred series this is “a powerful story of betrayal, romance and struggle, set in an England of turmoil, upheaval and glory. Uhtred, a Northumbrian raised as a Viking, a man without lands, a warrior without a country, has become a splendid heroic figure.”

The apothecary’s daughter by Patricia Schonstein
From the synopsis “a wondrous tale, rendered in erotic prose and poetry, stitched through with rich imagery, humour and tenderness. It is also a story of trade and exotic travel, both across the surface of the earth and among the stars”

Fort Pillow by Harry Turtledove
Well researched and readable account of an infamous massacre that occurred during the American Civil War.

New Adventure and Political Fiction

Ghost force by Patrick Robinson
For readers of Tom Clancy. A military thriller centring on a war over oil between the United States and Russia.


Have you recently seen an interesting book that we don’t have? Visit our web site to Suggest an Item for the Library's collection.

Collection Capers: July 2006

Collection Capers is a monthly newsletter of NEW interesting or unusual non fiction added to the Sutherland Shire Libraries collection.

The Medici conspiracy : the illicit journey of looted antiquities from Italy’s tomb raiders to the world’s greatest museums by Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini
The Medici are at it again, stealing antiquities from museums which eventually end up in the hands of other museums and collectors. The thefts are so well organized that corruption and inside dealing must seem the only way they could happen. Also implicated are the auction houses who perhaps acted with less than adequate regard for honesty.

Razor’s edge : the unofficial history of the Falklands War by Hugh Bicheno
A former British spy and diplomat goes behind the scenes and official version of the origins of the Falklands War. Also analyses the battles and the political outcome of the war.

Too close to the sun :the life and times of Denys Finch Hatton by Sara Wheeler
Denys Finch Hatton, Eton boy and Oxford graduate with the larrikin aristocrat about him. A soldier in the East Africa Campaign, a white hunter, farmer, pilot - the epitome of a brave pioneer. This book talks about the life of one of the key figures in the mythic story of British settlers in East Africa. An adventurer straight out of the boys own annuals, or a character to fit well in Michael Palin’s Ripping yarns.

Riding rockets : the outrageous tales of a space shuttle astronaut by Mike Mullane
The memoir of the author's career with the space shuttle program. Describes his work as a Mission Specialist in the first group of shuttle astronauts, and voyages aboard Discovery and Atlantis. Also delves into the politics and personality of NASA, the problems, heartache and ineptitude.

Written lives by Javier Marias
A short compendium of literary biographies with a dash of quirkiness, just taking some interesting facets of some authors’ lives without going into too much detail that clouds the anecdotes.

The mystery of the Tunguska fireball by Surendra Verma
In 30 June, 1908 a huge fireball exploded in the Siberian sky. A thousand times the force of the Hiroshima bomb, it flattened an area of remote Tunguska forest bigger than Greater London, forming a large mushroom cloud. Tremors registered in St Petersburg and soundwaves were registered in England. The prevailing view is that a large meteor did the damage but perhaps the meteor triggered an underground volcanic reaction.

Rat by Jonathan Burt
A beaut little book that traces the history of the rat, particularly its relationship with human beings. Reviled for its tendency to start plagues and run across floors at your fancy dinner party, it also makes a wonderful pet (here Basil). It plays an important part in science and medicine and would no doubt be aggrieved at being put in the same basket as Hitler, Stalin, certain football players and unnamed politicians.

Sing Sing : the inside story of a notorious prison by Denis Brian
A chilling but thrilling account of one of the most infamous prisons in the world (well, at least one we know about – who knows what’s hidden out there). This prison held some of the most cold-blooded killers in history including mafia chiefs, the ‘Lonely Hearts killers’ plus alleged spies the Rosenbergs whose convictions and executions still arouse much controversy.

10 simple solutions to adult ADD by Stephanie Moulton Sarkis
If someone you know is running around crazily, always doing three things at once and stressing out big time, its okay, they’re parents and the situation is normal. But if someone is perhaps being overly forgetful and lacking concentration they could have ADD with an extra A, or adult ADD. This book may help, if you can stop long enough to read it.

The man who wrote Mozart : the extraordinary life of Lorenzo da Ponte by Anthony Holden
The many and varied lives of Lorenzo da Ponte - librettist of three of Mozart's greatest operas. He had an extraordinary life, from court poet to bookseller and Italian Professor at Columbia University. But he is really only known as the librettist of the Marriage of Figaro, Cosi fan tutti and Don Giovanni, any one of which would guarantee immortality. Da Ponte was also a skilful negotiator to make his way in the Viennese court amongst jealous rivals and officials. A triumph of art over trivia.

Sundials : history, art, people, science by Mark Lennox-Boyd
Before the dawn of the modern watch, sundials were the main way of measuring time.This book charts the evolution of sundials around the world from the earliest neolithic rondels and stone circles. It has many historical examples and showcases a range of stunning modern sundials that have been inspired by them. At the time the earliest watches were being developed, people had wrist sundials which they would use to correct their watches as the watches were very unreliable.

Stutter by Marc Shell
Lewis Carroll, E.M. Forster, John Updike are just some of famous writers who stuttered. Written by someone who has himself struggled with stuttering all his life, this provocative and wide-ranging book investigates stuttering across history and culture. Did you know that Marilyn Monroe stuttered? So it affects many people, as well as Donald Duck and Porky Pig.

Have you recently seen an interesting book that we don’t have? Visit our web site to Suggest an Item for the Library's collection.

YourTutor - Online Tutoring

Did you know that members of the Sutherland Shire Libraries can access online tutoring at home for free using our subscription to the Yourtutor service?

Here is what one parent had to say about Yourtutor:
"Just wanted to let you know my Year 9 daughter used YourTutor from home to help with a maths assignment (Yr 9 maths is way beyond me!) and had great success! It was quick, easy to use and the tutor was able to help by working through the problem with her. My daughter was equally impressed...this in itself is no easy thing to achieve!"

Yourtutor allows student to connect via an online classroom to live tutors, one-to-one. Help is available to students in Maths, Science and English for homework problems, assignment research and study skills for students in years 4-12.

Students and tutors can review specific homework, exam, and assignment questions using features such as controlled chat, an interactive white board and shared Web browsing. Tutors and students can type maths equations using a special equation tool, review educational Web sites using a shared browser tool and much more.

The tutors are certified teachers, professional tutors, post-graduates and advanced undergraduates from top Australian universities. They all have years of tutoring experience, are experts in the subjects they teach and have passed government background checks.

Best of all - it's free!
Sutherland Shire Libraries has a subscription to the service that allows library members to access Yourtutor from their home computer. Just make sure you have your library card number handy when you log on.

So, before spending money on expensive private coaching why not give Yourtutor a try?

June Additions to our Web Resources

These are the June additions to our collection of Web Resources, web sites and online resources selected by our librarians. We are always adding interesting sites to our collection and the list is constantly updated on the New Sites page of our site.

Sydney Metropolitan Strategy
The Metropolitan Strategy is the NSW Government's long term (25 year) plan to maintain Sydney's role in the global economy and to plan for growth and change.
Date added: 23 June, 2006. Page: Environment.

State Infrastructure Strategy 2006/7 - 2015/16
This document outlines the NSW Government's plans for funding and delivering infrastructure projects over the next 10 years.
Date added: 23 June, 2006. Page: Government.

Desalination, Waste Water, and the Sydney Metropolitan Water PlanThis briefing paper, produced for the NSW Parliament in August 2005, is an update on the 2004 Briefing Paper The Future of Water Supply. It examines the NSW Government's proposals to secure future water supplies for the Sydney region.
Date added: 23 June, 2006. Page: Hot Topics - Desalination.

The Future of Water Supply
This briefing paper, produced for the NSW Parliament in April 2004, looks at the use of water in Sydney, and the response by water authorities to managing demand.
Date added: 23 June, 2006. Page: Hot Topics - Desalination.

Australian Government Agriculture Portal
A catalogue of Australian, State and Territory Government information and services for the agricultural, fisheries, processed food and forestry industries.
Date added: 16 June, 2006. Page: Agriculture.

Sheet Music Consortium
Use this site to search for sheet music. The Sheet Music Consortium is a group of libraries working toward the goal of building an open collection of digitized sheet music. That is, the libraries involved have created digital images of the sheet music in their collection and it can be viewed online.
Date added: 2 June, 2006. Page: Music.

Rhymetime @ Engadine Library

Our Rhymetime program has been so successful at Sutherland Library that we have decided to start Rhymetime sessions at Engadine Library.

Rhymetime is our storytime program for babies and toddlers aged 6 to 18 months. There are stories, rhymes, songs and more designed to assist in the development of early childhood literacy - plus it's fun!

There is no cost and you don't need to make a booking, Rhymetime is a drop-in session. You do, however, need to come prepared to participate. Each child needs a carer and they are expected to get involved.

Rhymetime starts at Engadine Library on Thursday 20th July at 2pm. It will be on at the same time each Thursday, except school holidays.

...and don't forget that there is also a regular Rhymetime session at Sutherland Library every Tuesday at 2pm.