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.
On Wednesday's show
The movie Twilight has sent a lot of people into the library to read the book on which the film is based. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is the first of four about teenager Bella Swan who falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. Talking with Pia on air today about the controversy which often can be aroused by popular novels which deal with occult themes, we remembered some of the criticism aroused by the Harry Potter series. Interestingly, authors like Harry Potter's J.K.Rowlings, and Stephenie Meyer never claim to actually believe in the occult or have any interest in propomoting it, they use it in the same way writers of fairy tales use magical concepts as allegory and to heighten the drama of the story. Meyer on her website is quoted as saying that being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a huge influence on who she is and her perspective on the world, and that she has been asked more than once, "What's a nice Mormon girl like you doing writing about vampires". If you are interested in visiting her website, follow this link http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html. It may be relevant to some readers that she does not believe in sex before marriage, and that the relationship between the teenagers is as much about being different and being persecuted as it is about a love affair. There are many other writers of fantasy for teenagers whose works have attracted a wider audience in the last few years, including Phillip Pullman, Garth Nix, Lian Hearn and Anthony Horowitz to name a few.
Pia also reminded us that the regular activiites for pre-schoolers through to teenagers will be commencing again next week, so for details about Storytimes and after-school activities and bookclubs, go to http://www.erl.vic.gov.au/kidteen/kidteen.htm.
Cheers, Maryanne
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