Adult Summer Reading Club Weekly Draw -Week 3.
Congratulations to Stephen of Caringbah, who is the winner of the third weekly draw for the Adult Summer Reading Club, 2012-2013. Stephen read The Shadow Patrol by Alex Berensen.
Book review:
Berensen continues his excellent work, awfully good comment on current political situations worldwide and a valuable insight into closed societies such as Afghanistan and Pakistan.I thoroughly enjoyed this work and will now follow this author forward. Sadly, I finished the book too quickly!
Adult Summer Reading Club Weekly Draw-Week 2.
3 short stories starring Eve and Roarke, from the "In Death" series. A great read to catch up on beloved characters.
Read more...
In Eternity in Death, Eve is confronted with a victim who appears to have been killed by a vampire.
Ritual in death has Eve looking for a killer that performed a satanic ritual to kill his victim.
In Time of Death a pool of blood is found and no body, leaving Eve and Peabody to try and figure out how the body disappeared.
All three stories are classic J.D Robb novellas, providing Eve with a challenge she hasn't faced before. But to her, a killer is a killer; it's just the method he chooses that is different.
December 24th Christmas Reading suggestion
Not only is today Mary Higgins Clarke's Birthday, but in 1816, Joseph Mohr wrote the poem, Silent Night (it was set to music by Franz Xaver Gruber in 1818).
24th December, Christmas Reading suggestions:
Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clarke
When Catherine Dornan's husband, Tom, is diagnosed with leukemia, she and their two young sons travel with him to New York during the holiday season for a lifesaving operation. On Christmas Eve, hoping to lift the boys' spirits, Catherine takes them to see Rockefeller Center's famous Christmas tree; while there, seven-year-old Brian notices a woman taking his mother's wallet. A St. Christopher medal tucked inside the wallet saved his grandfather's life in World War II, and Brian believes with all his heart that it will protect his father now. Impulsively, Brian follows the thief into the subway, and the most dangerous adventure of his young life begins. . . .
And everyone’s favourite “A night before Christmas” by Clement Moore; illustrated by Karen Erasmus.
Clement Clarke Moore's The Night Before Christmas is featured here in its original form, beautifully illustrated with Australian-centric watercolour images. There's a Hills Hoist, a possum or two, and everything else you'd expect to find in an Australian backyard.
24th December, Christmas Reading suggestions:
Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clarke
December 23rd, Christmas Reading suggestion
Santa is packing his sleigh, getting ready for his annual global trek, assisted by his team of reindeer. Today's Christmas Reading suggestions are all about the reindeer!
23rd December, Christmas Reading suggestions:
The great reindeer rebellion / by Lisa Trumbauer ; illustrated by Jannie Ho.
In verse reminiscent of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," tells of the year the reindeer went on strike, forcing Santa to audition a series of other animals to take over their job.
23rd December, Christmas Reading suggestions:
In verse reminiscent of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," tells of the year the reindeer went on strike, forcing Santa to audition a series of other animals to take over their job.
Christmas is just around the corner. The sleigh is polished. The toys are wrapped. The lists are all checked (twice). Everything's right on schedule — until Santa finds all eight reindeer in bed with the flu. How can Santa deliver presents without the reindeer?
What about Rudolph? Download and listen to this heartwarming tale, available from Overdrive, on the Library Catalogue.
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer: Although the other reindeer laugh at him because of his bright red nose, Rudolph proves his worth when he is chosen to lead Santa's sleigh on a foggy night. Rudolph shines again: Rudolph is certain that there is no way he can be of any use to Santa now, and decides to go far away, where no one knows how bright his nose used to be. But on his journey, something magical happens.
December 22nd, Christmas Reading suggestion
Only three days before Christmas! Here are a couple of reading suggestions, each featuring three (wise?) men.
December 22nd, Christmas Reading suggestions:
A boy is learning his father's craft, recognising the trees that release valuable resin and gathering the round drops, which look almost like pearls. Or tears. Today is a proud turning point for the boy. They have found a 'tear' of unusual size, big enough to fill his two hands. And in the marketplace, three strangers have their own surprising reason for wishing to buy the day's harvest. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline with exquisite paintings, this book brings new resonance to the well-known gift list of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
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The night before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey
All Lydia's ever wanted is a perfect Christmas...So when her oldest friends invite her to spend the holidays with them, it seems like a dream come true. She's been promised log fires, roasted chestnuts, her own weight in mince pies - all in a setting that looks like something out of a Christmas card. But her winter wonderland is ruined when she finds herself snowed in with her current boyfriend, her old flame and a hunky stranger. Well, three (wise) men is traditional at this time of year
Santa has left the building
Ho! Ho! Ho! Jolly ol' Santa has just completed his rounds of our Library Service. His Chubbiness is always a welcome guest at our annual Christmas Storytimes. Santa is happy to shake hands, high-five and offer that rare photo opportunity with your excited preschoolers before he has to race off to rescue his reindeer, prancing on the library roof. Thanks Santa, we hope you’ll visit us again soon, maybe … on Christmas Eve?
December 21st, Christmas Reading suggestion
Enough of that Christmas cheer, it's Humbug Day!
December 21st Christmas Reading suggestion:
The Christmas spirits by Whitney Stieber
December 21st Christmas Reading suggestion:
A modern day re-telling of Charles Dickens's classic, A Christmas Carol, this sees a futures trader George Moore as Scrooge who is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Beware!These spirits are more frightening than Dickens's ...
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Great Reads you may have missed, 2012.
Sometimes, there are so many great books published in a year that some just fly under the radar. Here is a selected list of titles, procured from a list created by Lovereading UK "Great Reads you may have missed, 2012 ". Did you miss any of these? Now's the perfect time to catch up!
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The Man Who Forgot His Wife by John O'Farrell
Between a mother and her child by Elizabeth Noble
Sacrilege by S.J Parris
Life, Death and Vanilla Slices by Jenny Eclair
Brighton Bell: A Mirabelle Bevan Mystery by Sara Sheridan
Care of Wooden Floors by Will Wiles
The Last Summer by Judith Kinghorn
Secrets of the Tides by Hannah Richell
Friends and Rivals by Tilly Bagshawe
The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
The Perfect Location by Kate Forster
The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
Fifteen Seconds by Andrew Gross
A Place Called Armageddon by C.C Humphreys
A Foreign Country by Charles Cumming
A Perfectly Good Man by Patrick Gale
Birthdays for the Dead by Stuart MacBride
It's also a great time to read and review some books as part of the Adult Summer Reading Club program. Just fill in an entry form, with a short book review of what you have borrowed and read from the Library, for your chance to win some great prizes.
Kids and teens can also join in the fun!
Come into the Library to register the kids and pick up a Summer Reading Club pack. Teens can participate by simply filling in an entry form, rating the book they have borrowed and read from the Library. Drop completed Adult and Teen entry forms into any Branch of the Sutherland Shire Library Service.
December 20th, Christmas Reading suggestion
Five days to go! Enjoy a Christmas story about an FBI agent, love, Secret Santa and a serial killer.
December 20th, Christmas Reading suggestion
Cadence Jones, an unconventional FBI agent, finds love in the most unexpected places. Its Christmas season, a holiday Cadence adores. Her relationship with Patrick has been progressing nicely, and they are beginning to wonder if it might be time to bring their relationship to the next level...unprecedented in Cadence's life. In addition to adjusting to a new co-worker's foibles, shopping for her Secret Santa, receiving strange things from her Secret Santa, and trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for Patrick, a new serial killer appears to have blown into town. Perfectly ordinary fourteen year olds have disappeared each June, now four Junes in a row. The only thing the victims have in common are their ordinariness...and it's up to Cadence to figure out the case before another innocent fourteen-year-old dies.
December 19th, Christmas Reading suggestion
It's Christmas Carol Day! Download your favourite Christmas Carols from Freegal, (just search under "genre" using the keyword "Christmas"), and listen to some festive music as you read.
December 19th, Christmas Reading suggestion:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens ; [illustrated by] Lisbeth Zwerger
First published in 1843, Charles Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol' was an instant success and has remained the most popular Christmas classic for more than 150 years. The unforgettable story of the transformation of that parsimonious "old sinner" Ebenezer Scrooge by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future has thrillde and enchanted generations of readers.
December 18th, Christmas Reading suggestion
With only a week before Christmas, are you finding yourself without much time to read? Take a short break and read a short story.
18th December, Christmas Reading suggestions:
When a priceless ruby, belonging to a Far Eastern prince, is stolen from him whilst he is on a visit to England, Poirot is asked to make a quiet investigation. The ruby was destined for the prince’s bride-to-be and a scandal must be avoided.
The Kingfisher book of classic Christmas stories selected by Ian Whybrow.
Traditional favourites, legends from around the world and modern retellings of fourteen classic Christmas stories feature in this sparkling collection. Charming stories, whether familiar or less well known, will entertain readers of all ages, and get them into a festive mood. This beautiful book has been carefully compiled to appeal to both boys and girls. It will find a place in any home. Funny and sad, magical and mysterious, these stories and their stunning illustrations capture the true spirit of Christmas.
Adult Summer Reading Club Weekly Draw- Week 1.
Brief review: An enjoyable read, believable characters, good plot-most characters quite unlikeable.
Read more...A well written and clever book- an adult novel of people all wanting to be "top dog" in the council- all have their own agendas. Many characters, this causes lots of confusion, husbands, wives and children-everyone is at war with each other. It's hard to see who will come out at the top in the end; or who will be the worst trouble maker. A clever plot with twists and turns, a fairly long read that keeps you wanting to know more. Surprise ending. But this is not a memorable story. There are no sympathetic characters.
Why not borrow a book (or audiobook) from the library and fill in an Adult Summer Reading Club entry form for your chance to win one of the great weekly prizes, and the chance to win an e-reader. The more you read, the more chances you have to win. Just drop your entry form (with a book review) into a Summer Reading Club Entry Box, there is one at every branch of Sutherland Shire Library Service. All the family, adults, teens and kids are invited to get reading this summer by joining our Summer Reading Clubs.
December 17th, Christmas Reading suggestion
17th December, Christmas Reading suggestion:
Part of the Richard Sharpe series started in 1980 by Bernard Cornwell. Embattled once again, this time in the mountains of western Spain near the pass called the Gateway of God, Richard Sharpe faces a redoubtable array of opponents, including an army of deserters, ten fierce French battalions, and the contemptible Obadiah Hakeswill.
December 16th, Christmas Reading suggestion
Happy Birthday to Jane Austen, born 237 years ago. (1775).
Beautiful, clever, rich – and single Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protigie Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work. (Penguin)
December 16th, Christmas Reading suggestion:
Beautiful, clever, rich – and single Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protigie Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work. (Penguin)
December 15th, Christmas Reading suggestion
Ten days 'til Christmas. Share a fun Christmasy book with the kids that will make you all laugh!
15th December, Christmas Reading Suggestion:
It is time for Christmas and the old lady's festive appetite is enormous! Hold on to your chimneys as even Santa isn't safe from the old lady's chompers this year! Surely she'll POP!
Christmas Storytime at Cronulla Mall
Cronulla Library staff took Story time outside into the mall last Wednesday. Perfectly positioned in the amphitheatre under the shade weary shoppers could take a break while their excited kids could participate in a Christmas themed story time, it was also the perfect entertainment for children waiting for that precious Santa photo. Thank you Debra and Andria for doing a great session.
December 14th Christmas Reading suggestion
The south pole was discovered by a party of Norwegian explorers under the command of Roald Amundsen, 101 years ago today.
December 14th, Christmas Reading suggestion:
The winter of the lions / Jan Costin Wagner ; translated from the German by Anthea Bell
Every year since the tragic death of his wife, Detective Kimmo Joentaa has prepared for the isolation of Christmas with a glass of milk and a bottle of vodka to arm himself against the harsh Finnish winter. However, this year events take an unexpected turn when a young woman turns up on his doorstep. Not long afterwards two men are found murdered, one of whom is Joentaa's colleague, a forensic pathologist. When it becomes clear that both victims had recently been guests on Finland's most famous talk show, Kimmo is called upon to use all his powers of intuition and instinct to solve the case. Meanwhile the killer is lying in wait, ready to strike again. In Kimmo Joentaa, prizewinning author Jan Costin Wagner has created a lonely hero in the Philip Marlowe mould, who uses his unusual gifts for psychological insight to delve deep inside the minds of the criminals he pursues.
December 14th, Christmas Reading suggestion:
The winter of the lions / Jan Costin Wagner ; translated from the German by Anthea Bell
Every year since the tragic death of his wife, Detective Kimmo Joentaa has prepared for the isolation of Christmas with a glass of milk and a bottle of vodka to arm himself against the harsh Finnish winter. However, this year events take an unexpected turn when a young woman turns up on his doorstep. Not long afterwards two men are found murdered, one of whom is Joentaa's colleague, a forensic pathologist. When it becomes clear that both victims had recently been guests on Finland's most famous talk show, Kimmo is called upon to use all his powers of intuition and instinct to solve the case. Meanwhile the killer is lying in wait, ready to strike again. In Kimmo Joentaa, prizewinning author Jan Costin Wagner has created a lonely hero in the Philip Marlowe mould, who uses his unusual gifts for psychological insight to delve deep inside the minds of the criminals he pursues.
December 13th, Christmas Reading suggestion
The countdown is on! There are only 12 days until Christmas.
December 13th, Christmas reading suggestion:
The down under 12 days of Christmas by Michael Salmon
December 13th, Christmas reading suggestion:
The down under 12 days of Christmas by Michael Salmon
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December 12th, Christmas Reading suggestion
One for the girls! Combine some Christmas themed chicklit with cupcake recipes for today's Christmas Reading suggestion.
12th December Christmas Reading suggestion:
Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe / Jenny Colgan
Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Cafe, is in love and couldn't be happier. Her new business is thriving and she is surrounded by close friends, even if her cupcake colleagues Pearl and Caroline don't seem quite as upbeat about the upcoming season of snow and merriment. But when her boyfriend Austin is scouted for a possible move to New York, Issy is forced to face up to the prospect of a long-distance romance. And when the Christmas rush at the cafe - with its increased demand for her delectable creations - begins to take its toll, Issy has to decide what she holds most dear. This December, Issy will have to rely on all her reserves of courage, good nature and cinnamon, to make sure everyone has a merry Christmas, one way or another ...Indulge yourself and your sweet-toothed friends with Jenny Colgan's new novel, simply bursting with Christmas cupcake recipes and seasonal sugar-fuelled fun.
Reel Teens Film Night
Our film was 'It's a Wonderful Life' with James Stewart and Donna Reed.
What a remarkable film it is too!
Thanks and Merry Christmas to the Teens that shared the evening with us, I hope I didn't cry too much up the back but you know the saying 'Whatever happens at Reel Teens - stays at Reel Teens'. See you next year guys!
December 11th, Christmas Reading suggestion
December 12th, Christmas Reading suggestions:
This beautiful book is the second title in the Classic series following on from the bestselling Classic Cakes. Christmas is the time for family celebration and this title is filled with all your seasonal favourites. Classic Christmas is where you’ll find that recipe your mother gave you for baked ham, roast turkey, mince pies, fruit cake, Christmas pudding. There are traditional and contemporary recipes for drinks and nibbles, starters, mains, sides, puddings, cakes and edible gifts. It’s a book you’ll hand down to your own children so that generations to come can enjoy classic Christmas food.
Do some Christmas cooking with the kids!
Christmas cooking by Rebecca Gilpin and Catherine Atkinson
This cookbook features easy step-by-step recipes for delicious Christmas biscuits, cakes and sweets that can be given as gifts, hung on a Christmas tree, or simply eaten and enjoyed. There are lots of wrapping ideas, including festive gift boxes and tags. It features colourful illustrations and mouth watering photographs throughout. Ages 5+.
Summer Reading Club starts today!
Adults:
Do you have time to read just one book in the next 8 weeks? If so, you could win some great prizes. Each book you read equals one entry into the weekly draw, as well as a chance to win the grand prize. So the more you read, the more chances you have to win. Just fill in an entry form for each book you borrow and read from the Library. Write a short book review, telling us what you thought of the book, and drop your entry form into any of the Sutherland Shire Libraries.
Teens:
Fill in an entry form for every book you read, get your entry form signed off by a Library staff member, and place it in the entry box. There are fortnightly prizes, as well as a major prize to be won. The more you read, the more chances you have to win!
Kids:
Come into any of the Sutherland Shire Library branches to register and pick up your reading club pack. Record the books you have read in your reading log. Incentives are awarded for each five books read, (up to twenty books), along with a ticket into the major draw.
December 10th, Christmas Reading suggestion
It's Human Rights Day today.
December 10th, Christmas Reading suggestion:
Matchless: A Christmas Story by Gregory Maguire
Inspired by and intertwined with the classic fairy tale "The little match girl" by Hans Christian Andersen, this is the story of Frederik, whose mother is seamstress to the Queen and who spends many evenings crafting a village in the attic of their small, cold home...
December 10th, Christmas Reading suggestion:
Inspired by and intertwined with the classic fairy tale "The little match girl" by Hans Christian Andersen, this is the story of Frederik, whose mother is seamstress to the Queen and who spends many evenings crafting a village in the attic of their small, cold home...
December 9th, Christmas Reading suggestion
December 9th, Christmas Reading suggestion:
Pop-up cards, with their wonderfully interactive, dimensional nature, are all the rage these days--and renowned artist Sandi Genovese shows crafters how to make their own. These 25 memorable projects truly make cards pop, including a multi-tiered chocolate cake design that looks good enough to eat; an ornament-bedecked, three-dimensional Christmas tree card for the holidays; and the accordion-folded `Hand in Hand` card that seems to applaud when it's opened and closed. All projects feature a gorgeous color shot of the completed card, templates, and a vibrant page layout.
December 8th, Christmas Reading suggestion
Is all that Christmas shopping, cooking, wrapping presents and parties to attend leaving you with little time to read? Read a short story about a house where its Christmas all year round...
December 8th Christmas Reading suggestion:
Conjured from a wickedly imaginative pen, here is a new collection of short stories that showcases Joanne Harris' exceptional talent as a teller of tales, a spinner of yarns. Come to the house where it is Christmas all year round; meet the ghost who lives on a Twitter timeline; be spooked by a newborn baby created with sugar, spice and lashings of cake. Worry for a young girl in the Congo who rides the rapids to earn a crust of bread; and spy on Norse gods battling each other for survival in modern Manhattan. In her first collection since Jigs & Reels, let Joanne Harris ensnare and delight you with the variety and inventiveness of her storytelling.
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December 7th, Christmas Reading suggestion
Today's suggestion is a fast paced page turner. Be warned, once you start reading this, it's hard to put down!
7th December, Christmas Reading suggestion:
It's Christmas Eve in Washington DC, Detective Alex Cross is at home with his family decorating the tree and enjoying a Cross family tradition, a big bowl of egg nog, when he receives a phone call that causes the festivities to be put on hold.
December 6th, Christmas Reading suggestion
Today is St Nicholas Day.
Read both fact and fiction. Find out more about St Nicholas, and enjoy a charming, original tale about Santa Claus.
Read both fact and fiction. Find out more about St Nicholas, and enjoy a charming, original tale about Santa Claus.
December 6th, Christmas reading suggestion:
Santa: A life by Jeremy Seal
Santa Claus began as Nicholas, a Byzantine bishop whose anonymous acts of night time charity would turn him into the most popular and enduring of all saints. Jeremy Seal's journey follows Nicholas' allconquering expansion west from Turkey to the Crusader ports of Bari and Venice, and thence to 16th century Amsterdam. Seal records his subject's 20th century rebirth in the advertising boardrooms of Manhattan, and his own children's encounter with Santa in his new Lapland home. This high adventure spans early-Christian relics and Italian chicanery to reindeer, chimneys and chocolate coins, in a riveting narrative that combines epic sweep with cameos of childhood innocence. From the nature of belief to the settling of modern America, this is an extraordinary tale, triumphantly told. (Trove)
Every child knows about Santa Claus, the jolly man who brings gifts to all on Christmas Eve. There are many stories that tell his life, but the delightful version related in The life and adventures of Santa Claus is by far the most charming and original.
The 10 Aussie books to read before you die are...
To celebrate the National Year of Reading, 2012, ABC TV's The First Tuesday Book Club has been looking for the great Australian reading list of Ten Aussie Books to Read Before You Die, as voted by the Australian public. The top ten were announced last night, in a one hour television special. Maybe you have read them all, maybe there are some titles here to add to your reading stack!
The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas
The Secret River - Kate Grenville
Picnic at Hanging Rock - Joan Lindsay
Looking for more? Search the Library catalogue for "Top 50 Aussie books", to find the more of the top 50 book titles as voted for by you, the Australian public.
What do you think of this list? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Top Ten Books To Read Before You Die....
Cloudstreet - Tim Winton
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
A Fortunate Life - A.B. Facey
The Power of One - Bryce Courtenay
The Harp in the South - Ruth Park
Jasper Jones - Craig Silvey
The Magic Pudding - Norman Lindsay The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas
The Secret River - Kate Grenville
Picnic at Hanging Rock - Joan Lindsay
Looking for more? Search the Library catalogue for "Top 50 Aussie books", to find the more of the top 50 book titles as voted for by you, the Australian public.
What do you think of this list? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
December 5th, Christmas Reading suggestion
Do you like mysteries? Give yourself an early Christmas gift of reading, and enjoy a Victorian Christmas murder mystery.
December 5th, Christmas Reading suggestion
Mrs Jeffries and the mistletoe mix up .by Emily Brightwell
 Ring in the season with another Mrs. Jeffries tale of holiday homicide. Under a bundle of mistletoe, art collector Daniel McCourt lies with his throat slit, a bloody sword next to his body. Inspector Witherspoon is determined to solve the case-preferably before the eggnog is ladled out on Christmas Eve-but of course he will require assistance from the always sharp-witted housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, who has a few of her own theories on why McCourt had to die by the sword. |
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