Sutherland Shire Libraries News

The Sutherland Shire Libraries staff would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. May it be filled with lots of love, laughter and resolutions you can keep.

As our final blog post of the year, we'd like to share with you some of our favourite books of 2010:

Melinda:



Brian:

The heart of the novel is Mantel's creation of Cromwell's character, her imaginative leap into the workings of his mind, and - in particular  - the sharpness of his wit. There are some truly wonderful passages of description. Those who enjoy reading for the sheer joy of figurative language, rather than just a chore to get to the end of the story, will find much in this book that is rich and rewards your patience.

Jacinta:

The Anthology of Colonial Australian Gothic Fiction by Ken Gelder and Rachael Weaver. This collects the best examples of Australian gothic short stories from colonial times. It took me back to being a Kid and reading all the old Australian ghost stories I could find.

Angus:

Iain Banks "Culture" novels are darkly humorous and very often deal with the dichotomy of an advanced, generally non violent and benign society, dealing with less technically and socially advanced peoples through the agents of "Contact" and "Special Circumstances". I really enjoyed this book and while in my opinion it is not the best example of Bank's work it is engaging and entertaining and I read through all 600 odd pages of it in only a couple of sittings.

Kaye:


Debbie:


Danny:


Kris:

What I liked about the book is that Foer didn't undertake writing this book at all. As an expectant first-time father, he wanted to make informed choices about the food he would be feeding his child. Foer had been an on/off vegetarian for many years and didn't seem particularly swayed to raise his child as a non-meat eater so he decided to investigate where 'meat' comes from. He wrote to a large poultry corporation which pushes a 'family friendly' approach to ask whether he could visit some of their facilities to see what goes on for himself, but never received a response. After many months and letters with no contact from these people, he decided to undertake his own investigation. He was confused about the evasion and secrecy. His findings form the basis of this book.

I like that his book isn't just factual - there are plenty of statistics for those that want facts, but he also is a wonderful storyteller and weaves part of his own family's history into the tale and what food means in terms of identity, family and culture. I also like that Foer's book could easily have been a book based on the horrors of factory farming, but instead he has presented a well researched account on the impact of eating animals. Foer also presents various viewpoints - eg he visits and talks to 'old-fashioned' farmers who care about their animals and the products they're producing, an animal rights activist, and workers on the kill floor in abattoirs. I believe Foer has written a very powerful book that is easy to read. It isn't a preachy book but it's certainly about ethics and the important question of whether to eat animals or not. It's about how we choose to live our lives and the impact of the choices we make - do we support an industry based on the suffering of voiceless beings which have minimal rights as they are technically commodities and not individuals (unlike our pets).

Barb

The book opens with the reminiscences of old Jacob Jankowski who is languishing in a nursing home. He relates how, as a 23 year old, he was about to sit his final veterinary exams when his parents were involved in a fatal car accident. When Jacob discovers that his father's veterinary practice was in dire straits and that there was no inheritance (because his kindly father was most often paid "in kind" and not in hard cash), he suffers a meltdown, abandons his studies, and runs off and joins the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Set in the Great Depression era, the author apparently did extensive research on circuses and conditions of the time and so she manages to create an exciting and convincing environment for her characters. As you would expect of a circus, the cast includes misfits, freaks and grifters but somehow Gruen manages to imbue all of them with qualities that make you either love or hate them, there is no middle ground. The story regularly jumps from Jacob's memories as a 23 year old to the present day. The author portrays old age as a most undignified and pitiful state, particularly in a nursing home, but still manages to make Jacob a lovable curmudgeon. While the ending was a little 'twee' and improbable, I'll admit it felt just right to me and I finished the book feeling very satisfied with the outcome.

Karen:

I thought it was an enlightening book. There is so much of Gilbert's personality I could identify with (especially her love of travel) and there were times when it felt like the she was talking directly to her reader. The section on India was the most interesting and it's the place where Gilbert seems to really discover who she is. Written with raw honesty, I'd recommend this book to any person who has sometimes felt like there is something missing from their life.

Monique:

All Sutherland Shire Libraries would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

We hope you've enjoyed our Library services, collections and events in 2010 and we look forward to seeing you in 2011.

If you find a page you like, you can share it on Facebook, Twitter or MySpace and if you have a specific information query, try using our 'Ask a Librarian' form located on the home page.

These are just some of great features on the new website. We hope you enjoy exploring it further. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

While Park made a living writing plays for ABC Radio she is best known for her popular novels and children's books. Her best-seller The Harp in the South was published in 1948. It told the story of an Irish Australian family living in the Surrey Hills slums during the depression. The novel received rave reviews and was translated into 37 languages. She went on to write Poor Man's Orange and Swords and Crowns and Rings (for which she won the Miles Franklin Literary Award).

In 1962, Park wrote her most famous children's book The Muddleheaded Wombat which led to a series of picture books. In 1980, her best known young adult novel Playing Beattie Bow was published.

Park had published two autobiographies: A Fence around the Cuckoo and Fishing in the Styx.

Ruth Park was one of the greatest authors in Australian history. Her books richly portrayed our social history and she made a great impact on the writing industry.