The Eastern Regional Library Show

Well I've been a bit remiss in posting the recent articles about the radio show so I'm posting a few articles in one....Cheers, Maryanne

Library staff members Lesley Conway and Pia Butcher run a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 98.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next Wednesday for a great show.

6th January

Have you come to the end of your favourite author's work ? You have the difficult task of finding a new author. Do not despair! There are some very handy resources at your fingertips. From the ERL webpage you can go to Readers' Corner where you will find lists of 'Who writes like' , which suggest authors who write in a similar style or on similar themes. There is a Sequels database, links to booklists and sites dedicated to genres of fiction on the Net, and Reader's Corner reviews. Lyn Baines has some suggested blogs to investigate too...'

Random Jottings of a Book & Opera Lover 'at http://randomjottings.typepad.com
Dovegreyreader at http://dovegreyreader.typepad.com,
Stuck-in-a-book at http://stuck-in-a-book.blogspot.com, and
A work in progress at http://www.danitorres.typepad.com

Lyn discovered a new crime author through a recommendation from one of these blogs, and is now waiting with bated breath for the third in the Martin Edwards series which began with Coffin trail. It is set in the English Lake District, and features a young man who is returning to the setting of childhood holidays, and also an old murder which his policeman father had investigated. There are many threads to the story, and the promise of interesting revelations to come. The second in the series is Cipher garden, and the third will be out soon, Arsenic labyrinth.

A bit or a romp, as an antidote to the drama of the detective novel, is Hearts and minds by Rosy Thornton. Lyn admits to a weakness for novels set in the Colleges of Oxford and Cambridge, and this one is set in Cambridge. A women's college has just had the first ever male College Head appointed, and in the clash of sexes, and the new broom versus tradition, there are many very funny passages.

Last but not least, Lyn had with her The far traveler : the voyages of a Viking woman by Nancy Brown. This is about Icelandic sagas, about Viking culture and particularly women's roles, about Viking exploration to the west, with archaeological evidence suggesting that they reached North America long before any other Europeans, altogether a fascinating read.

30th January

This week we celebrated a wonderful collaboration of 12 years with Ray Lawrence, our host at Eastern FM community radio. The studio was awash with memories and nostalgia as Ray and Alan Thompson (who began the library information session for the Croydon Council prior to Council amalgamations) remembered the cramped conditions endured when the original studio burnt down and the workers constructing the new studio would be hammering and sawing in the background to the on-air conversation. Ray has been an inspiration to ERL staff who have contributed to the program over the years, with a superbly professional and calm demeanor. Even with rebellious characters like Lyn Baines and Alan Thompson who would cheerfully ignore his signs that it was time to stop for a break, Ray would maintain an impeccable sense of pace and timing, from which we all learnt.

Chocolate has been a recurring theme over the years, so Ray was presented with Lyn Baines' famous chocolate muffins, chocolate from Jill McCallum's very special source in the southern suburbs, and chocolate fudge from Healesville. We look forward to sharing similar goodies with our new host.

Pia, our Youth Services specialist took the opportunity to remind listeners that the Storytime program for pre-schoolers is beginning again in all our branches now that the school year has begun. Not every branch has Storytime for every age group, but at a branch near you there will be sessions for Tiny Tots 0-12 months, Toddlers 1-3 years, and Preschoolers.

We said fond farewells and thanks to Ray to the melodic voice of Sarah Vaughan singing In a sentimental mood. There are several cds and two dvds featuring Sarah Vaughan in ERL branches.


13th February

ARCANE, definition : known only to a few; secret, mysterious or obscure; the two halves of the Tarot deck. Last week on air I said I would be looking at some "arcane" areas of the library collection. I should be careful what I say, I had to look the word up, and it a presented challenge. What do we have that fits the definition?

Well, the tarot was straightforward, there are many many books on the tarot and it's meanings, and I was able to put my hand on a new one to the collection, Tarot masterclass by Paul Fenton-Smith. Designed for beginners and accomplished readers, this author gives and in-depth guide to the four suites, detailed meanings, colour charts for access to card meanings and much more. On the same shelf at 133 you will find books on a wide range of divinition methods such as runes, about which there is a new title Simply runes by Kim Farnell, as well as astrology, Fengshui, Nostradamus and I Ching.

To delve into the mysterious, I found a book which will appeal to readers who enjoyed Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and are interested in similar legendary stories around the life of Jesus. Alec Maclellan has researched a book The secret of the spear about the spear carried by the Roman centurion Longinus which pierced Jesus on the cross. Apparently there is a spear in the Hofburg Museum in Vienna which is claimed as the authentic spear, but given it's history of passing through the hands of the Emperor Constantine, Charlemagne, and Adolf Hitler, there is a question mark hovering.

Last but not least, the obscure fascination of Fans, a book by Avril Hart and Emma Taylor based on the collection held by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The completely gorgeous illustrations bring to life the multitude of purposes fans have had and brilliant works of art which they have often been.

---- Lesley