Sutherland Shire Libraries News

So you think you don’t have time to read? Think again!
Here's a short list of tips to get you thinking about how you can get reading:

• Just do it.
Pick up a newspaper or a magazine. Read a twitter post or a recipe. Keep reading this blog (it's short). Whatever you read, for however long you read it, whether it's a couple of minutes or a couple of hours, it all counts as reading.

• Swap something else for reading.
Read instead of watching TV, or swap surfing the net for reading an e-book. (You can download them free from the library via Overdrive).

• Read one page a time.
You don’t have to read a lot, just a little bit at a time. Try reading an article, or even one or two pages of a book. Those couple of pages may be all it takes to get you hooked on a book.

• Keep it short.
Read a short story, or a short book. Try one of the less-than-200 page Quick Reads, a collection of novellas by well-known authors available from the library.

• Just ten minutes a day.
Aim to read for ten minutes a day. Early in the morning, at morning tea, afternoon tea or lunch time, in the bath or before bed.

• Seize the moment.
Take a book, or an e-reader (loaded up with those books you’ve been wanting to read) with you everywhere, to give yourself more opportunities to read.

• Listen.
Download an audio book onto your ipod and listen while you exercise, cook or garden. Try listening to a CD audio book as you drive.

• Learn to speed read.
Read more in less time!

• Read about what you love.
Reading the genres and topics that interest you, means you’re more likely to keep reading it –and to finish it.

• Read to someone.
Take the time to read a bedtime story to a child. A great way to spend some quality time together and create a reading habit; a gift that can last a lifetime.
Would you like to be read to? Come along to Adult Storytime at Sutherland Library (bring your lunch), the first Wednesday of each month from 1.00pm. Listen as library staff read short stories to you during your lunch break.

photocredit: Flickr user Moriza "On the platform reading"

Mark Dapin, popular newspaper columnist and successful Australian author, answers five questions in five minutes...




What are you reading right now, and are you enjoying it?

I'm reading Tunnel Rats by Jimmy Thomson and Sandy McGregor. It's a book about Australian engineers in the Vietnam War. I'm actually in Vietnam with Jimmy and Sandy as I answer these questions.

Could you tell us a bit about your favourite book?

My favourite book is probably Money by Martin Amis. I read it in my twenties, and it helped me understand what was wrong with my life. My joint-favouite book, Graham Greene's The Quiet American, still helps people understand what was wrong in Vietnam.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I write, I train at the gym, I go to the pub, and I look at my children at marvel at how beautiful they are. That's my whole life, really.

Whats next for Mark Dapin?(could you give us a clue about your next book...)

I don't know what I'm going to do next. Newspapers, magazines and book publishing all seem to be in perpetual crisis. Maybe I'll become a pole-dancer.

If you could have dinner with two famous people, who would they be, and why?

I wouldn't really want to have dinner with anyone famous. It'd be too much like work.



Mark Dapin will be presenting an author talk/book signing at Sutherland Library, on Tuesday, 20th March, at 6.30pm. Copies of his books including his latest novel "Spirit House" will be available for purchase on the night, courtesy of Berkelouw Books.






You are welcome to join us for this event, bookings are essential. You can book online, or call the Library on 9710 0351.

International Womens Day is being celebrated today, 8 March, 2012! This is the perfect day (particularly with the weather being inclement) to curl up and start reading some great fiction by Australia women writers. Its also a great opportunity to participate in The Australian women writers 2012 challenge, by reading and reviewing books written by Australian women. This challenge is running throughout the National Year of Reading, from 1st January-31 December 2012. Whatever you read whether it's romance, fantasy, crime, biographies, non-fiction all of these, you're invited to participate.

To get you started, here is a list of recently published contemporary Australian women writers.

Belinda Alexandra

Diane Armstrong

Larissa Behrendt

Jesse Blackadder

Dianne Blacklock

Geraldine Brooks

Jaye Forde

Nikki Gemmell

Kerry Greenwood

Kate Grenville

Lisa Heidke

Katherine Howell

Wendy James

Maggie Joel

Fleur McDonald

Nicola Moriarty

Judy Nunn

Fiona Palmer

Bronwyn Parry

Lisa Walker

This list is by no means exhaustive, so why not tell us some of your favourite Australian women writers?

If you had the chance to be a Super Hero for a day, who would you be?

There are so many great Super Heroes to chooose from. They often have extraordinary super powers, awesome skills and/or hi-tech equipment that enables them to save the world from the nefarious schemes being hatched by a rogue gallery of villains.

If you are looking for inspiration about which Super Hero you would like to be, or if you just want to read more about them, try a graphic novel. Do you you think you've grown out of comic books and graphic novels? Think again. They are not just for kids and teens. Graphic novels an entertaining and fun way to read, combining action stories of the fight against evil with amazing visual graphics. They are also a really great way to discover, or rediscover more about the adventures of a vast array of Super Heroes.
Here is a list of some graphic novels featuring popular Super Heroes that may inspire you.
Superman: Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow The epitome of a superhero, from his endearing mild mannered alter ego Clark Kent, to his incredible superpowers, x-vision and ability to fly...no wonder Superman is such an enduring Super Hero icon.
Amazing Spider-Man : the deadly foes of Spider-Man. A.k.a Spidey, the web slinger has won over a legion of fans with his trademark oneliners. Watch out for his latest movie , due out July.
Wolverine. The best there is : Contagion . Often appearing along side the other X-men, this mutant with three retractable claws and a healing factor is also a movie star. His catchphrase is "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do best isn't very nice."
Essential Hulk.The rampaging Hulk ; Volume 1 . Inspired by both Frankenstein and Dr Heykell and Mr Hyde, Super Hero The Incredible Hulk is both a monster and a good guy. Just don't make him mad.
Blackest night. Green Lantern Corps Green Lantern, protector of the Earth(sector 2814) is a member of the intergalatic police force known as the Green Lantern corps. Green Lantern wears a Power ring that bestows him with extraordinary abilities so he is better able to protect the Earth.
Catwoman: The long road home Considered by some to be a villian, Catwoman is a sophisticated and vengeful woman who takes matters into her own hands and stands up for societies outcasts. Her relationship with Batman? Its complicated.
Wonder Woman : Who is Wonder Woman? A warrior princess of the Amazons, she has superhuman strength, super stamina and super agility, as well as a magic lasso, tiara and a pair of indestructible bracelets to help her in her quest fighting against super villians.
Batman and Robin. Batman reborn The caped crusader and his sidekick, "The Boy Wonder" continue to be among the most popular and well known of the super heroes. Batman may have no superpowers, but he is intellectually gifted, physically fit, has numerous hi-tech gadgets and the Batmobile to help defeat his enemies in Gotham city.
Iron Man. War of the Iron Men A member of the Avengers, Iron Man gets his name from the powered suit of armor created by his alter ego billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer, Tony Stark.
Fantastic Four visionaries. Vol 1. This family of Super Heroes consists of Mr Fantastic, The invisible woman, The Human Torch, and Thing. They each have unique powers and abilities, and do not conceal their true identities, enjoying basking in the limelight of superherodom.
Daredevil. The man withour fear His name says it all. Although blind, his other four senses are developed to super human levels, so that few realise he cannot see.

Who is your favourite Super Hero? Still can't decide? Try this quiz.

This Sunday, 12th February at Cronulla Plaza, you are invited to take an opportunity to dress up as your favourite Super Hero and be part of a world record attempt for the largest gathering of people dressed up as Super Heroes.
You can find out more about this charity event at Day of Heroes .
Photo credit: Flickr user Joelk75 "find the fatal five!"From "Adventure Comics" #352, January 1967.

The National Year of Reading's January theme "Amazing Reads" is nearly over, but this doesn't mean you have to stop reading amazing books! Next time you are in the library looking for an Amazing Read, what could be more amazing than a book that has made it into the "1001 books you must read before you die" collection?


The 1001 books collection includes many well known titles, some being those books that you may feel you really should read...one day. These are classic books that transcend time, each with something to offer the reader-they are all definitely worth reading!
With so many amazing books to choose from in this great collection , how do you decide what to read? Here are some suggestions:
You can google it, or ask a well read friend.
Some people use the alphabetical system, starting at A and working through the collection to Z, or vice-versa.
Others browse the shelves of this collection, serendipitously encountering titles that look vaguely familiar, books they have always planned to read.
Still others do judge a book by its cover, or by the number of pages. (Are you up to the challenge of an epic saga)?
A really great way to read this collection is one used by library staff. As you know, library professionals celebrate everything and anything. So we suggest you try reading a book (or two) each month, in the month of an authors birthday.

To get you started, here’s a list of authors birthdays for every month of the year. Reading one or two books a month will provide you with between 50-100 years of reading celebration!

January: J.R.R Tolkien (3rd), E L. Doctorow, (6th) Edgar Allan Poe (9th), Nevil Shute (17th)
February: James Joyce(2nd), Jules Verne (8th), John Steinbeck (27th), Charles Dickens (7th) (its also Dickens 200th Anniversary this year, so read, or re-read, two of his works and make it a double celebration).
March: Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( 6th) Douglas Adams(11th)
April: Charlotte Bronte (21st), William Shakespeare (23rd).
May: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (22nd), Patrick White(28th).
June: Thomas Hardy (2nd), George Orwell (25th), Salman Rushdie (19th), A.S Byatt (24th).
July: Rohinton Mistry (3rd), Marcel Proust (10th), Aldous Huxley (26th)
August: Sir Walter Scott(15th), Mary Shelley (30th).
September: Leo Tolstoy (9th?), H.G Wells(21st) Truman Capote (30th)
October: Thomas Keneally (7th) Oscar Wilde(16th)
November: Bram Stoker (6th)Kazuo Ishiguro (8th), Robert Louis Stevenson (13th), Voltaire (21st), C.S Lewis(29th), Jonathan Swift (30th), Mark Twain (30th).
December: Joseph Conrad (3rd), Jane Austen (16th), Rudyard Kipling (30th).
photo credit:Flickr user- ailatan

Angela, the library's Outreach and Collection Services Coordinator, shares her latest top ten Amazing Reads.

1. Wolf Hall / Hilary Mantel.
Well written, insightful historical novel set in the times of Henry V111. The author presents an interesting depiction of Thomas Cromwell, a key personality of the Tudor period. Along with Cromwell’s relationships with other characters of the period, the author delves into the politics and society of this much written about period of history.


2. A dog's purpose / W. Bruce Cameron.
A good story written through the eyes of a dog who is searching for his purpose in life over the course of several doggy lives.

3. The help / Kathryn Stockett
Somewhat superficial fictional insight into the lives of black maids and their white employers in Southern USA in the 1960s. By superficial, I mean that the some of the really serious issues are secondary to the characters. A mix of humour and heartache. The character construction make this a 4 star read.

4. No country for old men
I like the writing of this author Cormac McCarthy. He uses words sparingly to describe images and characters. This book begins with a drug deal gone wrong. A chance find of a bag of drug cartel cash by a struggling Vietnam veteran is followed by a storm of ensuing violence as the dug cartel hit men try to recover the cash. Then, there is the dead eyed psychopath Anton Chigurh, one of the most memorable baddies that I have ever encountered in a fiction book. The story is narrated by the ageing Sherrif Ed Tom Bell who battles with the increasing violence and wonders about his ability to deal with this new type of brutal criminality. A five star read for me. The Coen brothers film of this book is one of my top pick films. Javier Bardem as Anton was a highlight.

5. The slap / Christos Tsiolkas
A child is slapped at a family barbecue by an adult who is not a parent. This Australian author examines some of the universal themes of the dynamics of family life, relationships, child rearing practices, acceptable behaviour and other dilemmas through a multicultural Australian family. Very readable, provocative, with some unlovely characters.

6. Breath / Tim Winton
Set in a fictional town in the 1970s, this Australian book examines a young man’s coming of age and explores addiction, risk taking and consequences of actions. A surfing environment provides the backdrop for an older surfer with issues of his own to encourage the young man and his friend to take greater risks forcing the 2 young men to take very different paths. Well written, some confronting issues with a slightly abrupt ending.

7. People of the book / Geraldine Brooks
The story of an Australian rare book expert who is offered the job of the analysis and conservation of the famous Sarajavo Haggadad, a priceless illustrated Jewish book rescued from Serbian shelling during the Bosnian War. Through a series of tiny clues she traces the history of the book.

8.The girl with the dragon tattoo / Stieg Larsson ; translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland.
The Millennium Trilogy - This book is the first book of the trilogy. When disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist is hired by Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of his great niece Harriett many years ago, he discovers events linked to a series of gory murders. He then crosses paths with Lisbeth Salader an antisocial computer hacker with a difficult past and a desire for revenge.Well written with many gory parts trilogy of thrillers.

9. We need to talk about Kevin : a novel/Lionel Shriver
A novel about a high school massacre told through a series of letters between the teenage killers mother and his estranged father. Eva the reluctant mother faces herfear that her dislike of her difficult son helped to create the killer. Nature vs nurture.

10. The strain / Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
This is the first book in The Strain trilogy. A plane makes a perfect landing but nearly all the passengers are dead. A vampire tale written by movie producer Guillermo del Toro, of Pans Labyrinth fame and Chuck Hogan. Vampires have been somewhat romanticised by Twilight but the vampires in this book are dark, ancient and terrifying. This book is somewhat predicable however an engaging read for those who like this genre. I have finished the trilogy and was disappointed with the ending.

Bonus read:
11. The street sweeper : a novel / Elliot Perlman
A well researched book by an Australian author/lawyer. This book is a blend of historical factual events and fiction. This story takes the reader from current day New York and Melbourne back through two of the critical periods in world history.

Photo credit: Flickr user: shawnzrossi -"Girl reading by window book"

More Amazing Monday Reads! Martin, our E-services Librarian shares his list of Amazing Reads.

Into thin air / Jon Krakauer A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. The storm claimed five lives and left countless more--including Krakauer's--in guilt-ridden disarray.

Breath / Tim Winton Breath is an extraordinary evocation of an adolescence spent resisting complacency, testing one’s limits against nature, finding like-minded souls, and discovering just how far one breath will take you. It’s a story of extremes—extreme sports and extreme emotions.

Foucault’s Pendulum / Umberto Eco One for the conspiracy theorists, a literary Da Vinci Code...Bored with their work, three Milanese editors cook up "the Plan," a hoax that connects the medieval Knights Templar with other occult groups from ancient to modern times. This produces a map indicating the geographical point from which all the powers of the earth can be controlled—a point located in Paris, France, at Foucault’s Pendulum. But in a fateful turn the joke becomes all too real, and when occult groups, including Satanists, get wind of the Plan, they go so far as to kill one of the editors in their quest to gain control of the earth.

Everything is Miscellaneous / David WeinbergerMy favourite book on the impact that new technology is having on our lives. In this book David Weinberger charts the new principles of digital order that are remaking business, education, politics, science, and culture. In his rollicking tour of the rise of the miscellaneous, he examines why the Dewey decimal system is stretched to the breaking point, how Rand McNally decides what information not to include in a physical map (and why Google Earth is winning that battle), how Staples stores emulate online shopping to increase sales, why your children's teachers will stop having them memorize facts, and how the shift to digital music stands as the model for the future in virtually every industry. Finally, he shows how by "going miscellaneous," anyone can reap rewards from the deluge of information in modern work and life.

Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance This book has little to do with eastern philosophy or motorcycle repair. In essence it is an essay on quality. Maybe its resonance had something to do with the time of life that I read it - as a young adult, but it remains for me a though provoking book. Some may find it too pretentious and for that reason I’m too scared to read it again. I do think that everyone should read it at least once.

Bustin’ Down the Door / Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew Most sporting biographies I’ve read are dryer than a Sao biscuit. Rabbit’s story is a rollicking ride that tells the history of professional surfing through the eyes of someone who lived it. He’s a natural raconteur with a thirst for adventure. A must read for any surfers.

Fatal Storm / Rob Mundle
This book is an account of the horrific 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht race in which several lives were lost. While Rob Mundle isn’t the most engaging writer ever to put pen to paper the tragic series of events during the race leave a lasting emotional impact on the reader.
Photo credit: "Bookman" from Flickr user Markhillary.

Are you looking for your next amazing read? Here are ten books to try, suggested by Sutherland Library Service Corporate Librarian, Kelly Wilson.
Don't forget to fill in an entry form for your chance to win some great prizes in the Summer Reading Club promotion.

1. Oscar and Lucinda / Peter Carey
A sumptuously written novel about the chance meeting of two eccentric gamblers, Oscar and Lucinda. Oscar is a socially awkward Anglican minister and Lucinda owns a glassworks. Carey’s descriptions of the explosion of glass curiosity known as a Prince Rupert’s Drop and the glass church the pair create for a bet are images that are burnt in my mind forever.
2. Water for Elephants / Sara Gruen
Although this book is being sold as a romance (especially since it has been made into a film), it is the history of the train circuses during the Great Depression that I found most fascinating aspect of this story. The humans and animals were all quite desperate often leading to disastrous consequences. Regardless of the cruelty and misery in this book I found it compelling.
3. The Corrections / Jonathan Franzen
While the family patriarch, Alfred Lambert increasingly struggles with Parkinson’s Disease and dementia his wife Enid hopes for one last family Christmas with her three grown children. The black humour Franzen uses to describe this dysfunctional family and their tortured interrelationships goes some way to lighten his very accurate portrayal of the way people behave.
4. Dirt Music / Tim Winton
Georgie Jutland is married to Jim Buckridge, a successful fisherman in the small West Australian town of White Point. She falls for a troubled poacher and former musician, Luther Fox. Tim Winton uses evocative language to describe the Australian landscape which in turn helps to progress the story.
5. The Great Gatsby / F.Scott Fitzgerald
Sure to be popular again once the new movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio is released The Great Gatsby is a classic that readers can revisit and still be amazed. It paints a fabulous picture of life in the “roaring twenties” in America but does not fail to expose the reality behind the glamorous facade.
6. 44 Scotland Street / Alexander McCall Smith
This is the first book in a charming series about the residents of an Edinburgh apartment building. It was originally serialised in “The Scotsman” newspaper and therefore is an entertaining read that it divided into satisfying chunks making it easy to put down and pick up again. The characters include Pat, a 20-year-old student on her second gap year, a narcissistic surveyor, Bruce, widow Domenica, artist Angus and his dog Cyril and my favourite character 5-year-old Bertie whose ambitious and overbearing mother Irene micromanages his education when all he wants is to be a normal child.
7. Tales of the City / Armistead Maupin
Tales of the City is another serialised newspaper column this time for the San Fransisco Chronicle converted into a novel. It focuses on the residents of an apartment house in Barbury Lane. Mary Ann Singleton is naive young woman from Cleveland who befriends Michael “Mouse” Tolliver, a homosexual and so begins a very funny novel that captures the spirit of San Fransisco in the 1970s and in later novels, the 1980s.
8. Open: an autobiography / Andre Agassi
I am not an avid tennis fan but I found this biography to be very surprising revelation of how Andre Agassi became a champion. Agassi repeatedly states throughout the book that he hated tennis and admits that he and his wife former tennis star Steffi Graf do not have a tennis court at their home.
9. A Thousand Splendid Suns / Khaled Hosseini
Although the author Khaled Hosseini is better known for his second novel The Kite Runner, I enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns more because it is told from a female point of view. The two main characters are Mariam a poor traditional woman and Laila a younger, more modern and educated female. Set in Afghanistan the story spans 40 years of conflict between warlords, Soviets, Mujahideen, Taliban and Americans and the consequent effects of life for all but particularly the women.
10. Jasper Jones / Craig Silvey
A remarkable story about life as an “outsider” in a mining town in Australia. The main character Charlie is drawn into hiding the body of girl by Jasper Jones, an Aboriginal boy who they assume would be blamed for her death. Charlie is also best friends with Jeffrey, a Vietnamese-Australian and their light-hearted banter gives some relief to the dark undertones of the book.