Review - Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum's ex-husband, Dickie, goes missing just after she attacks him in a ruse to plant a bug. Stephanie's the prime suspect and has to get to the bottom of the mystery whilst evading the usual threats and fires and juggling the attentions of Morelli and Ranger. I read this one in a single weekend and loved it. If you haven't been reading this series, I can't recommend it highly enough and if you have be sure to place your hold now before the queue gets huge.
---- reviewed by Maryanne

For more great staff selections check out our Staff Picks page on Reader's Corner.

Cheers, Maryanne

Reading Cafe - Meet Ann Cliff

Ann Cliff is that most rare of authors, a writer of English family sagas who lives in Australia. A journalist, she commenced writing non fiction books and articles, before publishing her first fiction book Moorland Lass in 2006.

Ann lives in Gippsland, where she and her husband breed Angus cattle, but retains strong connections to her home in Ripon Yorkshire where her brother still works the family farm.

Her second novel, Bitter Inheritance was published by Robert Hale in February 2007.

When: Monday 16th July 12:30pm
Where: Lilydale Library, Anderson Street, Lilydale
Cost: $7.50 includes lunch

Bookings essential 92943120

Cheers, Maryanne

Library growers and weeders - Waterwise succulents for the garden

Attila Kapitany author of Succulents for the garden and Succulent success in the garden will talk about different varieties of succulents and how to grow them successfully in your garden.

When: Friday 13th July 2pm
Where: Mooroolbark Library, 7 Station Street ,Mooroolbark Ph: 9726 8200

Bookings essential

Cheers, Maryanne

The Eastern Regional Library Show

Library staff member Lesley Conway runs a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 99.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next Wednesday for a great show.

On this week's show

Pia Butcher, Youth Services Librarian at Knox Library was a guest on this week's show and let me know about the books she discussed.

Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
A book combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film. The story of Hugo, orphan. clock keeper and thief. Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity.

Ballet shoes by Noel Streatfeild
The classic tale of three orphan girls who find a home and love. Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil, were adopted as babies by Great Uncle Matthew (or "Gum"). Pauline was the only survivor from a shipwrecked boat, Petrova the orphaned child of a Russian couple, and Posy the daughter of a widowed ballet dancer. They are looked after by Gum's great-niece, Sylvia, and her old nurse, Nana.

Cheers, Maryanne

Mobile updates

All of the mobiles are on the road today.

Cheers, Maryanne

Ranges Mobile

The Ranges Mobile will not be at Belgrave Heights this afternoon (Thursday) due to unforeseen circumstances. It will be back on the road tomorrow.

Items may be returned to any of our branches or you can renew through the web catalogue if you have your PIN.

Cheers, Maryanne

Lilydale library closed - no power

Lilydale library will be closed for the rest of today (Wednesday 27th). There is no power - a tree is down over the power substation. Hopefully this will be fixed for tomorrow.

You can return your books to any of our branches (the nearest branches are Mooroolbark, Montrose, Mt Evelyn and Croydon) or renew online if you have a PIN.

Cheers, Maryanne

Another Mobile update

Just in from Greg.....

"The Knox Mobile will be at Berrabri Dve from 3pm to 5pm, unfortunately The Basin will miss out today".

Apologies for any inconvenience. You can return items to any of our branches or renew online if you have your PIN.

Cheers, Maryanne

Know your trees

In view of the drought this is a timely discussion. Paul Mechelen, Senior Arborist with the Shire of Yarra Ranges, will discuss the health of our trees

• how to feed them
• how to monitor them
• how to tell if they are sick

A chance to find solutions to your tree problems. Hmm.....I have this stick in my front garden. It used to be a standard rose. What can I do for it? :-)

Bookings requested, refreshments provided.

When: Saturday 14th July 11am
Where: Yarra Junction Library, Hoddle Street, Yarra Junction
Ph: 5967 1588

Cheers, Maryanne

Big Book Sale

It's that time of year and Belgrave Library is having a big book sale. Don't miss out!

When: Thursday 12th July 10am-8pm
Where: Belgrave Library Reynolds Lane Belgrave
Ph: 9754 7266

Cheers, Maryanne

Bollywood Dancing Workshop

Wear comfortable clothes and removable shoes. Have some fun.

When: Thursday 5th July 7pm
Where: Rowville Library, Stud Park Shopping Centre, Stud Road, Rowville
Ph: 9294 1300

Cheers, Maryanne

Booksale and Chinese storytime

Rowville Library have the following activities in July:

Booksale - Tuesday 3rd July from 10am
Bilingual (Chinese) storytime - Monday 16th July at 10.30am

Where: Rowville Library, Stud Park Shopping Centre, Stud Road, Rowville Ph: 9294 1300

Cheers, Maryanne

Knox Mobile update

The Knox Mobile will not be at the Wantirna Mall this morning (Wednesday) as we are waiting on some parts. Hopefully it will be ready for The Basin stop at 1pm. I'll keep you up-to-date.

Cheers, Maryanne

Knox Mobile

The Knox Mobile will be off the road tomorrow (Tuesday 26th June) for maintenance.

Items may be returned to any of our branches or when the mobile next visits Bayswater Shopping Centre, Upper Ferntree Gully and the Knoxfield Shopping Centre.

Cheers, Maryanne

Winter Book Sale

Come and grab a bargain from our tables of ex-library and donated books. Fiction, non-fiction, children's books.

When: Saturday 30th June - Sunday 8th July
Where: Croydon Library Civic Square Croydon Ph 92945640

Cheers, Maryanne

Crafty Creations

Are you interested in craft? Ladies from the Yarra Valley CWA are demonstrating a range of beautiful crafts, including patchwork, embroidery, knitting and much more. No need to book, just come along and browse.

When: Thursday 28th June 2-4pm
Where: Lilydale Library, Anderson Street, Lilydale
Ph: 9294 3120

Cheers, Maryanne

Server maintenance update

We've now finished with the maintenance and the Bookmarks Forum, Sequel Search, Who Writes Like and community databases are all now available.

Cheers, Maryanne

Maintenance on the server

We're just doing some maintenance on some of our servers at the moment and some features of the website will be temporarily unavailable. This includes the Bookmarks forum, Who Writes Like lists, Sequel Search as well as the community databases we host. We hope to have them back up and running very soon. This will also affect access to the Swift Forum.

Cheers, Maryanne

The Eastern Regional Library Show

Library staff member Lesley Conway runs a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 99.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next Wednesday for a great show.

On yesterday's show

Do you have an interesting family history story to share? If you do, you might like to join staff members Ann Dixon and Gail White for Family History is fun at Ringwood Library on 7th of August from 7.30pm. Ann and Gail have spent many years educating the public in family history matters, and Ann confessed today on the show that she began her personal family researches in 1967, and is still going. She can claim 7 convicts in her family tree, and had an interesting story to relate about one of them -- but you will have to go to the event if you want to hear it.

Ann brought us up to date with the Genie Exchange dates (go to our Family History link to find these), and mentioned that towards the end of July there will be an Introduction to Family History workshop which is not yet on our Calender, but should be within the week.

Another useful suggestion was to make use of the extensive resources of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, who have libraries in various locations in Melbourne, some quite close at hand. You can go to their web page www.familysearch.org for addresses, and a great deal of other helpful information about family history research, but I have included the locations which are easily accessible from the eastern suburbs.

Blackburn Australia
55 Whitehorse Road
Blackburn, Victoria, Australia
Phone: 61-3-9878-7414
Hours: T,Th,F 10am-2pm; T 7pm-9.30pm; Sat 1pm-4pm

Braeside Australia (specialises in Scottish records)
894 Springvale Road
Braeside, Victoria, Australia
Phone: 03-9706-3205
Hours: T, W, Th 10am-2pm, 6.30pm-9:30pm, Sat 9am-4pm (2nd & 4th Th 6:30pm-9:30pm by appt)

Croydon Australia
62-64 Hewish Road
Croydon, Victoria, Australia
Phone: 03-9723-9087
Hours: T,W, Sat 10am-2pm

Maroondah Australia (specialises in Irish records)
76 Cathies Lane
Wantirna South, Victoria, Australia
Phone: 61-3-9887-3786
Hours: M,W 10am-2pm; T,Th 7pm-9.30pm; Sat,10am-4pm

Cheers, Maryanne

Home Fire Safety

CFA Community Safety liaison officer (Lynda) will talk about home fire safety during the Winter season.

When: Saturday 30 June 10:30am
Where: Knox Library, 425 Burwood Highway, Wantirna South
Ph: 9801 1422

Cheers, Maryanne

Local for Locals : The Bargain Hunter

Meet Local Collector George Leeves. He'll provide tips on how and where to spot a bargain. Bring along your books and collectables. Free free to ask questions.

When: Saturday 30th June 11am
Where: Yarra Junction Library, Hoddle Street, Yarra Junction

Bookings appreciated Ph 59671588
Refreshments provided

Cheers, Maryanne

Friday @ Your Library - How To Create An Energy Smart Home

What is the best way to save energy? What is a passive solar home? Do low voltage down lights really use less power?

Find out all the answers at this friendly, practical session sponsored by Knox City Council.

When: Friday 29th June 12noon
Where: Knox Library, 425 Burwood Highway, Wantirna South
Bookings essential Ph 9801 1422
Tea/Coffee provided

Cheers, Maryanne

Literary Lunch - Tony Birch

Tony Birch is a widely published and versatile author who has written short stories, poetry and non-fiction. He was Senior Curator of the Koori Voices exhibition at the Melbourne Museum's Bunjilaka Centre. Tony has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and PhD in Urban cultures and Histories. He currently teaches creative writing at Melbourne University. His recent book Shadowboxing was voted amongst the five most popular books in the Reading Victoria campaign.

When: Thursday 28th June 12:30pm
Where: Belgrave Library, Reynolds Lane, Belgrave
Cost: $7.50 includes lunch
Bookings essential Ph: 9754 7266

Cheers, Maryanne

Keeping Chooks

Chooks are great in the home garden, not just as providers of fresh eggs, but as part of the garden eco system. Join Judy Witney, Secretary of the Victorian Rare and New Breeds Society and her feathered friends for this fascinating introduction.

When: Friday 28th June 10am
Where: Boronia Library, Park Cres, Boronia. 97624099

Gold coin donation

The activity is run by the The Basin/Boronia Sustainable Living Group
The Basin Community House
1221 Mountain Highway
The Basin
97610209

Cheers, Maryanne

Winter Warmers with Jill Hess

Warm up your winter with these fabulous cookery demonstrations with Jill Hess.

When: Monday 25th June 12:15pm - Soups
Monday 23rd July 12:15pm - Casseroles
Monday 20th August 12:15pm - Frittatas and Risottos
Where: Mt Evelyn 50 Wray Crescent Mt. Evelyn
Bookings essential Ph 9736 3851

Cost $7.50 includes lunch

Cheers, Maryanne

New Teen Online site

Just wanted to let you all know about the revamped Teen Online site. It's always been our most popular site and now I've converted the reviews section into a blog - Teen Online Reviews (TOR).

Teens can send in book, CD or computer/console game reviews to the blog or check out the fantastic links on our Fashion and Funstuff pages, among others.

Also, have a peek at the fantastic photos from Croydon Library's Star Wars activity. Darth Vader reading House and Garden in the library is a classic!

Cheers, Maryanne

The Eastern Regional Library Show

Library staff member Lesley Conway runs a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 99.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in this Wednesday for a great show.

On today's show (hot off the presses!)

Many of us are inspired to write, but we don't always have the 'craft' at our fingertips. If you are searching for the ways and means to help you develop some skills, there are many resources available. The library has titles which cover an extensive range of writing styles, such as Secrets of film writing, Writing comedy, Not now Jack - I'm writing a novel, Writing a 'non-boring' family history, Non-boring travel writing and even The book of letters.

The author Hazel Edwards, who wrote the 'non-boring' books has run many successful writing workshops, and is constantly extending her writing boundaries. She has recently collaborated with her son Trevelyan Quest Edwards to publish a book based on his email diary of a cycling journey. The book is Cycling Solo : Ireland to Istanbul, and could inspire others to pull the adventure of travel into a story to share.

Letters and diaries of well-known people are constantly being published, and if you want to have a taste of how entertaining these can be, you can't go past Decca : the letters of Jessica Mitford. Someone whose name is not as well known as one of the Mitford sisters is Frances Partridge, whose The diaries of Frances Partridge 1939-1972 are engrossing reading and provide insight into the literary world of England over many decades.

If you feel that attending workshops and courses would help the Victorian Writers' Centre (www.writers-centre.org) is an excellent starting point, but also, local community houses and TAFE colleges are good places to look for some practical assistance.

Finally, an incentive to pick up your pen is the ERL National Story Writing Competition, open to entries now and until September 14th. If you are interested in reading entries which have been successful in previous years, all branches have copies available.

Music today
Dirt music : music for a novel
I love a rainy night from Country Legends

---- Lesley

The Eastern Regional Library Show

Library staff member Lesley Conway runs a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 99.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in this Wednesday for a great show.

On last week's show

Lyn Baines emerged out of a thick mist on the moor to bring us some recent arrivals to the collection. Memories of the storm by Marcia Willett is set on the moors of southern England, a story which moves between events during the second World War and today, teasing out relationships, misunderstandings and secrets of two women who were friends. Another favourite author of Lyn's is Margaret Foster, who began her writing career in the 1960's with Georgie Girl. Her latest book is Over about a family torn apart by the death of a teenage daughter. Finally, The yellow-lighted bookshop by Lewis Buzbee is a lovely indulgence for book lovers, an autobiographical memoir of a book salesman who loved, and still loves, spending time in bookshops.

Lyn and I chatted about the pleasure of listening to stories on CD and cassette tape, of which ERL has many hundred. There are a lot of Margaret Forster's books on CD, read by Susan Jameson, who Lyn says is an excellent reader. I recommend anything read by Prunella Scales, who did a particularly good job with junior stories by Eva Ibbotson, and has made many adult recordings, such as Summer at Fairacre by Miss Read and Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell.

---- Lesley

Local to Local - Calling all poets

Join Janette Fernando for an hour of poetry. Janette will read some of her works and you are welcome to bring along your own poetry to read.

When: Saturday 16th June 10:30-11:30am
Where: Mooroolbark Library 7 Station Street Mooroolbark

All welcome. Tea and coffee provided. Bookings essential 9726 8200

Cheers, Maryanne

Water-wise gardening

Di Cotter, a consultant with Sustainable Gardening Australia, will talk about water-wise gardening and the whole question of sustainability. What is it? Is it worth the effort? And what will it cost? It’s a timely and most relevant topic.

When: Saturday 16th June 11am
Where: Yarra Junction Library, Hoddle Street, Yarra Junction 3797
Bookings Appreciated phone 59671588
Refreshments provided

Cheers, Maryanne

Valley Mobile off the road today

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Valley Mobile will be off the road today. It will be back on the road on Monday.

Items can be renewed via the web catalogue if you know your PIN or via library staff at one of our branches.

Cheers, Maryanne

The Eastern Regional Library Show

Library staff member Lesley Conway runs a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 99.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in this Wednesday for a great show.

On last week's show

Unapologetically Australian, is how a new series of books for younger readers between 8 and 11 years of age is described. Our guest today, author Delwyne Stephens has written one of the series, published by Aussie School Books. The Copperhead tells the story of a young girl who often acts before she thinks, but when faced with her younger brother being bitten by a snake, must show how resourceful she can be. Delwyne has another book published, for teenagers, titled Wheels. This book is a down to earth, fast paced and realistic look at what an active young man has to deal with when he becomes a paraplegic. The book tackles some big issues, such as how do friendships stand up to the challenge of disability, dealing with an ambitious father and an honest look at the uncomfortable physical consequences that are rarely talked about.

Delwyne shared some thoughts on the challenges of reaching publishers, and how to decide what to write. She has only recently employed an agent, and initially did all the leg work of contacting companies, and organising publicity herself. She suggests researching as much as possible via the net, finding out about different publishing companies and their focus, subscribing to online newsletter and chat rooms such as Pass It On (for those interested in the children's writing industry), and making use of organisations such as The Victorian Writers Centre.

I look forward to talking to Delwyne in the near future, as she has several books with publishers at the moment, and it would be interesting to hear more about them. Wheels can be found in the ERL collection, and The Copperhead will be in the near future.

Cheers, Maryanne

National Storywriting Competition

It's that time of the year and the National Storywriting Competition is now open.

Entry is for Australian residents. Short stories should be original, previously unpublished work and stories should not exceed 3,000 words.

View the competition entry form

The judge for this year is James Phelan. James Phelan writes both fiction and non fiction and has written for a variety of publications, including The Age and Griffith Review. He is a MA Writing graduate and a current PhD student at Swinburne, where he tutors.

Prizes:
Adult 1st Prize $1500
Local Award $500 For residents in Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges
Teenage 1st Prize $350 13-18 years sponsored by DLS Australia
Junior 1st Prize $250 9-12 years sponsored by The Little Bookroom

Thanks to all of the competition sponsors.
Entries close Friday 14th September.

Cheers, Maryanne