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. We've got two updates today
On 24th June show
Pia had some delightful new books on hand today. Frog Princess is a picture book by Rosalind Allchin which is a very different version of the classic tale of the Frog Prince. When a lady frog finds the Princes' golf ball she insists that he kiss her so she can turn into a Princess. Cleverly the prince suggests that she try being a princess for a day and if she still wants to, he will kiss her at midnight. Through a series of funny misunderstandings the Frog discovers that being a princess isn't quite what she thought it would be and leaves her somewhat disappointed.
A book for young adult readers is Beastly by Alex Flinn, another book which takes a fresh look at at a fairy tale. Kyle Kingsbury had it all , money and popularity. Unfortuantely it didn't make him a nice person. One day he goes a bit too far and tries to humiliate a witch. For his punishment she changes him into a beast, only to be changed back if he finds love's true kiss. Kyle quickly finds that his popularity was only superficial. Life as a beast changes Kyle in ways he could never imagine. A movie is currently being made of this story. Will it be the next Twilight?
With this year being the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, a number of books have come out telling his story. Several for children...What Mr Darwin saw by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom is a wonderful account of Darwin's momentous trip on the Beagle. We follow Darwin as he voyages around the world exploring the Andes, the Brazillian rainforest and last but not least the Galapagos islands. This story allows the reader to learn how Darwin fomulated some of his theories. The facts come in diary format as well as illustrations with little boxes on the side containing more facts. One beetle too many: the extraordinary adventures of Charles Darwin By Kathryn Lasky and Matthew Trueman is another wonderful account of Charles Darwin's travels on the Beagle. This is what is called faction or an information novel. There are some wonderfully detailed illustrations emulating some of Darwin's scientific drawings as well as some funny illustrations.
We also talked about podcasts and how there are some that I enjoy listening to.
Adult book shows
The Radio National Bookshow with Ramona Koval http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/
BBC World Bookclub http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/
Children's Book show
Just one more book http://www.justonemorebook.com/
On 1st July show
Lyn Baines has been sleeping poorly lately. The blame for this can be laid at the door of writers who write genuinely scary novels. Sarah Waters The Little Stranger has received some rave reviews, and Lyn testifies to the great writing and intriguing plot. It centres around the decaying grand house of the village, refuge for the last three members of a family, which becomes disturbed by mysterious sounds, writings on the wall, and eventually murder. The narrator is the doctor who grew up in the village,and now lives uneasily between the working class and gentry. The novel has many threads to it, including class friction, the dramatic social changes in post WW II Britain, and the supernatural.
A Perfect Death by Kate Ellis is a novel set in contemporary Britain which combines Lyn's love of history and detection. It is the latest in a series of crime novels which bring together a police detective and his archaeologist friend. The author skilfully draws the discovery of the archaeological dig into the crime mystery, and in this case it centres around some Roman ruins threatened by housing development, and the murder of a woman which almost replicates a medieval murder in the same location.
Music today was from Great voices of the Twentieth Century : John McCormack, and Lyn recommends another CD by the voice of our time Bry Terfel, which includes several of the same lovely British folk songs, Scarborough Fair.
---- Lesley
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