From family stories to Feng Shui…

Helen Forrester

English Family Stories are ever popular, and authors such as Catherine Cookson are still among the most requested of authors in libraries. Sadly in 2011 two best selling authors in this genre passed away and we have some of their timeless works in our collection…

First up we have Helen Forrester. Helen was born 1919 in Cheshire to an upper middle class family, however during  the depression her family lost their wealth and were plunged into poverty. They moved to Liverpool in the hope of finding work, but economically things were just as bad there. As the eldest child, Helen took care of her six younger siblings and due to her family duties, she stopped attending school from the age of 11, but at the age of 14 she forced her parents to allow her to attend night school.

Her first autobiographical work was written in response to a critic of her fiction who claimed she would have little real understanding of poverty. ”Twopence to Cross the Mersey’ was published in 1974 and is considered to have been the first of it’s kind in depicting the harsh lives of families during the 30′s depression.

Twopence to Cross the Mersey - deals with Helens childhood in Liverpool 

By The Waters Of Liverpool - about her adolescence and struggle for independence.

Lime Street at Two - about her life during the war years in Liverpool

Her family fiction includes such titles as …

Liverpool Basque

Mourning Doves

Iain Blair whose pen name was Emma Blair

The second author is Iain Blair who wrote under the pseudonym Emma Blair. Iain was born in Glasgow in 1942, and before he became and author he was a journalist and actor. He ended his acting career after waiting to audition for a role in Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. After being kept waiting by the great director for hours, he was finally asked by Spielberg if he could  come back the next day to audition. Blair shot back at him, “No I F*****g Can’t!

After penning some unsuccessful thrillers, he started writing romance fiction, and his publishers thought it best that he adopt a female name to increase sales. Most of his books were set in Scotland and dealt not only with romance, but with the social and economic conditions of the times in which they were set.

Under the pen name Emma Blair he became one of britains most popular authors, writing about 30 novels over 30 years. His true identity remained a secret until 1998, when his novel The Flower of Scotland was nominated for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award.

We have The Flower of Scotland in the library as well as others by this author…

Jessie Gray

Twilight Time also in 7 vols of Braille

This Side of heaven also in 7 vols of Braille

Also on Hear This, Gavin Butler called in to talk about some  books in the collection.

 For rock music lovers ….

 Real Wild Child: An Insiders Tales from the Rage Couch by   Narelle Gee, also in 4 vols of Braille

 Thirteen Tonne Theory: Life Inside Hunters and Collectors by Mark Seymour

Sideshow: The Dumbing Down of Democracy by Lindsay Tanner.

In Gael’s Library News…

Out of the Vaults: Henry Lawson – The Man and the Legend

Where: State Library of NSW

When: 19 Jan 2012, 5:30PM – 7:30PM

Cost: $25 drinks and canapes provided

Email: bookings@sl.nsw.gov.au

Telephone:  2 9273 1770

Books by Henry Lawson in the Library…

A Camp-fire Yarn: Complete Works 1887-1891

A Camp-fire Yarn 2: Complete Works 1892-1893

A Campfire Yarn 4: Complete Works 1899-1900. In these volumes, the works are arranged chronologically and thematically, showing Lawson’s progression of ideas, themes and influences on his work. His poetry and prose blend together giving an insight into Henry Lawson’s world and mind.

You can read a short biography of Lawson from the The Australian Dictionary of Biography

The next Library event is a good one for those wanting to start the new year with a clean sweep of the broom….

Feng Shiu and Chinese Astrology

Where: Narre Warren Library

Overland Drive, Fountain Park

When: January 24th 7pm-8pm

Bookings: event is free buy bookings are essential on 03 9704 7696

For more than 10 years, Edgar (Lok Tin) Yung, a Feng Shui and Chinese astrology consultant, has been using his knowledge learned from Hong Kong masters to assist Melbourne’s Chinese community.

Feng Shui is about changing your environment to your advantage and, by learning techniques, you can enhance your life. Edgar will help to provide insights into understanding your personality, potential, wealth, health, career path, relationship and luck cycles.

Some books in the Library on the topic…

Feng Shui by Stephen Skinner

Feng Shui for Australians by Gerry Heaton

We also have an entertaining Mystery series featuring a Feng Shui consultant by Nury Vittachi.

From the Synopsis of the first book The Feng Shui Detective ( also in 4 vols of Braille) -  Mr Wong is a feng shui consultant, but his cases tend to involve a lot more than just interior decoration. You see, Wong specialises in a certain type of problem premises: crime scenes. His latest case involves a mysterious young woman who, according to a psychic reading, is doomed to die. Wong and his brash teenaged Aussie-American intern make a strange pair indeed as they travel around Singapore solving crimes while trying to decipher each other’s language and behaviour.

Further titles in this light and entertaining series are …

The Shanghai Union of Industrial Mystics also in 4 vols of

The Feng Shui Detective’s Casebook. also in 4 vols of Braille

Mr Wong Goes West also in 3 vols of Braille

Thats all for this week and we hope you find some books of interest!!

Happy Birthday Louis Braille

USA postal stamp issued for World Braille Day

 Hello and welcome to our first post for 2012.

 January 4th marks the anniversary of the   birth of Louis Braille and has been declared World Braille  Day. On Hear This, in honour of the occasion, we replayed an interview with Rebecca Maxwell the author and editor of ‘Blind and Busy: Life Stories of People who use Braille’

The book is available from Palmer Higgs Publishers  to buy as an e-text for  $34.95  or Paperback for $24.95; or you can borrow a copy from our Library in Braille

You can hear the interview with Rebecca Maxwell here

Also on Hear This, we cast our minds back to the cinema of 2011 and came up with 3 great books adapted for the Big Screen

The first one is …

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver. This is a compelling psychological drama about a woman coming to terms with the impact of her son’s murderous rampage at his high school. The novel won the Orange Prize for Literature in 2005. The film version stars Tilda Swinton and John C. Riley and you can find out what David Stretton and Margaret Pomeranz thought of it from the ABC programme At The Movies. You can listen to the author, Lionel Shriver speaking with Richard Fidler on ABC Radio here

The second book is …

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Set in the 1960′s in the rural southern states of the USA, the novel has 3 ‘voices’ Minny and Abilene both black housemaids for white families and  Skeeter a white college student who has been away for a while and returns to her home town. Skeeter embarks on a novel and interviews Minny and Abilene about their experiences thus setting a cat amongst the pigeons in this racist pre civil rights town.

This is the authors first book and it took her 5 years to write. Rejected  by 60 literary agents before it was finally accepted, it was  published in 2009. Since then it has sold 5 million copies and continues to remain in the USA best seller lists this day.

You can read some reviews of the book from the author’s website Here and it seems ‘The Help’ is destined to become an enduring American classic

The third book  has only only come to be regarded as a classic of American literature in recent times…

 True Grit by Charles Portis

This is the most famous of Portis’s novels. Published in 1968 it was  originally filmed with John Wayne, Kim Dalby and Glen Campbell in 1969. The latest film version has the Coen brothers directing with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon.

The novel is told through the eyes of  fourteen year old Mattie Ross, determined to bring her father’s killer to justice.  When she meets  Rooster Cogburn, an aging and irascible U.S Marshall, she decides she has found a man with the ‘true grit’ to do the job. From the opening lines of the book…

 ”People do not give it credence that a young girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father’s blood, but it did happen. I was just fourteen years of age when a coward by the name of Tom Chaney shot my father down, and robbed him of his life and his horse and two California gold pieces that he carried in his trouser band”

Reviewers have called it a ‘classic coming of age’ novel and the first  ’Noir Western’ written years before it could be fully appreciated. It now sits  alongside the darkly poetic works of Cormac McCarthy; though, as most critics point out, with a good dash of humour thrown in.

 To find out more about the book there is a great interview with American crime writer George Pelecanos from the NPR Books website.

To find out more about this author (who famously declines interviews) we found a good article from the Wall Street Journal

Remember to keep your feedback and reviews about books and authors coming in by mail, email or in the box below. If you prefer to use the phone, call us on 1300 654 656 or you can Facebook us as well.  Happy listening or reading for 2012!

Some Christmas reads…

To celebrate  Christmas, we have some wonderful seasonal classics that you may like to revisit or try for the first time…

Get into the Christmas spirit or spirits with …

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, on Daisy

A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas, on Daisy

Christmas at Fairacre by Miss Read, on Daisy

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg, on Daisy

However, if  your’e feeling a little fed up with Christmas cheer, our advice is to lock your door, take your phone off the hook, put your feet up, say “Bah! Humbug!” and have a listen to some books from the Library that deal with the darker side of of the season

 Gael, in her Library News segment  supplied the following list…

The Christmas Bow Murder by Brain Battison, on Daisy

Christmas Stalkings: Tales of Yuletide Murder  on Daisy, which  includes works by such well-known mystery writers as Elizabeth Peters, Robert Barnard, Sharon McCrumb, Reginald Hill, Dorothy Cannell, Charlotte MacLeod, and others.

Murder in the Dark, by Kerry Greenwood, on Daisy

Tied Up In Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh, on Daisy

Deck The Halls by Mary Higgins Clark, on Daisy and in 3 vols of Braille

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie on Daisy

We also have Anne Perry’s Christmas series of detective novels all on Daisy…

A Christmas Grace 

A Christmas Beginning 

A Christmas Secret

A Christmas Visitor

On Hear this, we also had Lucy Irons in the studio to review 3 audio books from the Library shelves.

First up…

Mother Of Pearl by Melinda Haynes

Summary: Twenty-eight year old Even Grade, a black man who grew up an orphan, and Valuable Korner, a young white girl, daughter of the town whore, are seeking the family, love and commitment they never had. When their paths cross through Judy Two Sun, a seer, all three confront their past and present.

We have this book available in Daisy and you can read an interview with the author from the Harper Collins Publisher’s website

Lucy’s second review was for A Man’s Got to Have a Hobby by William McInnes.

This looks back at the life of Colin McInnes, handyman, father of five and habitual stubbie wearer, and his wife Iris, lover of shopping centre openings, Volkswagens and Dean Martin. Through the memories of their second son, William, we are transported to a time when incinerators took up space in every yard and K-Tel glass cutters were the pride of many a home. William McInnes has created a memoir that poignantly reminds us of the changes that growing up brings – for parents and children.

This book is available in Daisy and in 3 vols of Braille and you can hear or watch an interview with McInnes on the ABC Big Ideas website

For those that love a good psychological thriller, Lucy’s last recomendation should fit the bill…

The Chameleon’s Shadow by Minette Walters

Summary: When Lieutenant Charles Acland is flown home from Iraq with serious head injuries, he faces not only permanent disfigurement but also an apparent change to his personality. Crippled by migraines, he becomes increasingly isolated and withdrawn and starts to display sporadic bouts of aggression .. particularly against women ..Rejecting medical advice, Acland discharges himself from hospital, cuts all ties with his former life and moves to London. Alone and unmonitored, he sinks into a private world of guilt and paranoia .. until a customer annoys him in a Bermondsey pub. He attracts the attention of police who are investigating three murders in the area that appear to have been motivated by extreme rage. Under suspicion, Acland is forced to confront the real issues behind his isolation. How much control does he have over the dark side of his personality? Do his migraines contribute to his rages? Has he always been the duplicitous chameleon that his ex-fiancé’s claims? And why if he hates women does he look to a woman for help?.

We have this on Daisy and in 5 vols of Braille and you can read about the author from her website

The Library is happy to announce the arrival of 3 new books this month that many Library clients have been requesting …

Sideshow: The Dumbing Down of Democracy by Lindsay Tanner, on Daisy

Guantanamo: My Journey by David Hicks, on Daisy and soon to be in Braille

Michael Kirby: Paradoxes and Principles by A. J Brown, on Daisy

To all our readers, Hear This Listeners and Library borrowers; we wish you a safe and happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

A special thank you to all those who supply such excellent book reviews and  feedback by phone, mail, email, please keep it coming - you inspire us!

Next Post

We have been a bit patchy with our Blog of late, however in 2012 we will be  dilligent about adding to it regularly!
On this weeks ‘Hear This’ we had Andrew Knopfelmacher talking about the book ‘The Rise and Fall of Marvellous Melbourne’ by Craig Davsion.
We have this book available in Daisy and in 6 vols of Braille. There are also a couple of other great books about Melbourne that provide good listening…

Bearbrass: Imagining Early Melbourne by Robyn Annear

Yarra: A Diverting History by Kristin Otto, also in 3 vols of  Braille

Now to books that have been recomended by our wonderful readers…

Hazel’s Journey: A Personal Experience of Alzheimer’s by Sue Pieters-Hawke. You can read an article from the Sydney Morning Herald about this touching and brave book

Travels With Charlie by John Steinbeck. In 1960,  in a camper van he named ‘Rocinante’ after  Don Quixote’s  horse, Steinbeck took off on a trip accross the USA with his giant poodle Charlie. A good insight into the man associated with such classics such as …

The Grapes of Wrath in Daisy and also in 15 vols of Braille,  and Of Mice and Men

I Peed On Fellini: Recollections of a Life in Film by David Stratton, also in 5 vols of Braille.  You can read a great review by Andrew Urban of this book in Senses of Cinema

One of our long serving and dedicated Braille Transcribers Allen Egerton recomends the following book and says it is ‘”one of the best books I have ever read”

The Lightkeepers Wife by Karen Viggers, also in 5 vols of Braille

In Gaels Library News we have a couple of events in NSW…

Special Human Rights Day Event

Where: Campsie Library

When: Saturday December 10th at 12pm -1.30pm

Cost: Free

Phone: 02 9789 9423

Shafeen Mustaq will talk about her experiences of travelling to Bangladesh and her interviews with women to find out how Microcredit has helped to empower them and improved their lives. Shafeen’s book “Financial Empowerment of Women in Bangladesh Through Microcredit” offers an insight into this inspiring area.

Whilst we don’t have that book in our Library we do have a book that looks at life in India for Women …

Broken Bangles by Hanifa Deen

Synopsis: From the comforts of the Mona Lisa guesthouse in Dhaka to the dusty town of Peshawar, Hanifa Deen travelled through Bangladesh and Pakistan, meeting and talking to women; to discover the many faces of Muslim women today. Hanifa relates stories of their fight against oppression, of the joys and frustrations of the extended family, of the unwritten laws that govern women’s lives and the violence that can threaten them.

Gael’s 2nd event is a celebration of a new release for author Tara Moss

Where: Friends Room, Mitchell Wing of the State Library of NSW

When: Thursday 15th September 6pm- 7pm

Cost: Adults $15 and Friends of the Library $10

Phone: 02 9273 1770

Join best- selling author Tara Moss for a night of high fashion, gothic glamour and all thing paranormal to celebrate her second book in the Pandora English series,”The Spider Goddess”

Armed with a wooden stake, Gael our Library’s fearless interlibrary loans book hunter can send out the first in this series, “The Blood Countess” if you would like to embark on the series

Tara’s earlier series of books featuring Makedde Vanderwall, part time model and forensic psychology student, are available to borrow and here they are in order …

Fetish

Split

Covet

Hit

Once again – happy reading and thanks for your time!

Love To Read – National Year of Reading 2012

Next year is the National Year of Reading and the Love2Read campaign will be holding events of all kinds throughout the year to spread the joy of reading across Australia

In the lead up to this literary feast of a year Love2read have asked Australians to vote on the book that best captures the spirit of the State they live in – the winning books from each State will be announced on the 14th of Feb 2012, the official launch date of The National Year of Reading.

From the National Year of Reading Website: “We are setting out to identify a set of eight books, which together describe what it’s like to live in, be from, visit or in some other way connect with the eight different states and territories. We want to create a collection of books which, if read together, will articulate the Australian experience – remote, regional, suburban and metropolitan”

Here is the link to voting page – Love2read…

and here is the shortlist of the books nominated that we have in our Library

First up – The ACT…

Smoke and Mirrors by Kel Robertson, narrated by David Tredinnick

The Fog Garden byMarion Halligan, narrated by Helen Morse, also in 4 vols of Braille

Now to NSW…

Bereft by Chris Wormersley in 4 vols of Braille

The Harp in the South by Ruth Park, narrated by Beverley Dunn

The Idea Of Home: Autobiographical Essays by John Hughes, narrated by Richard Bligh, also in 2 vols of Braille

Lilian’s Story by Kate Grenville, narrated by Jill McKay, also in 5 vols of  Braille

Torn Apart by Peter Corris, narrated by Noel Hodda

Up in the NT…

The Far Country by Neville Shute, narrated by Peter Gray

Listening to Country: A Journey to the Heart of What it Means to Belong by Ros Moriarty, narrated by Marie-Louise Walker

Territory by Judy Nunn, narrated by Jeffrey Hodgson, also in 8 vols of Braille

The Red Highway by Nicholas Rothwell, narrated by Humphrey Bower, also in 4 vols of Braille

Now to QLD…

Affection by Ian Townsend, narrated by James Wright

Brisbane by Matthew Condon, narrated by Jim Pike

Journey to the Stone Country by Alex Miller, narrated by Jenny Seedsman also in 4 vols of Braille

The White Earth by Andrew McGahan, narrated by James Wright, also in 5 vols of Braille

Across to SA…

Three Dog Night by Peter Goldsworthy, narrated by Noel Hodda, also in 5 vols of Braille

Times Long Ruin by Stephen Orr in Braille only

Down to Tassie…

In Search of Hobart by Peter Timms, narrated by David Baldwin

Into The Woods by Anna Krien, narrated by Amanda Morrison

The Hunter by Julia Leigh, narrated by James Bean

Wanting by Richard Flanagan, narrated by Francis Greenslade, also in 3 vols of Braille

In Vic…

Bearbrass by Robyn Annear, narrated by Helen Morse

Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung, narrated by Melissa Chambers

Well Done, Those Men by Barry Heard, narrated by Mike Bishop

Last but not least,  WA…

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton, narrated by Peter Hosking, also in 6 vols of Braille

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey, narrated by Humphrey Bower, also in 4 vols of Braille

My Place by Sally Morgan, narrated by Lise Rodgers, also in 10 vols of Braille

Remember to cast your vote by 6th January 2012! Happy summer reading from Hear This!

Audible’s best Narrator for 2011 goes to…

Congratulations to Lorelei King who has won Best Narrator Award from Audible for 2011. We have quite a few books read by this sublime narrator on Daisy….Lorelei King

Hear an interview with Lorelei from Audiofile Magazine in which she talks about narrating the Janet Evanovich novel Finger Lickin’ Fifteen also available in 3 vols of Braille

Guantanamo:My Journey

Just to let you know – we now have David Hicks book Guantanamo: My Journey on Daisy . Soon to be in Braille

Books for Remembrance Day

For  Remembrance Day …

 Pozieres: The Anzac Story by Scott Bennett on Daisy

You can read some revies of Pozieres from the  publisher Scribe\’s website

On youtube a profile of Albert Jacka VC  who saw action at Pozieres

The Other Anzacs: Nurses at War by Peter Rees on Daisy, also in 5 vols of Braille

On youtube, a short interview with the author Peter Rees

 Claude Choules: His Autobiography by Claude Choules on    Daisy

To Hell and Back: The Banned Account of Gallipoli by Sydney Loch

Read a reveiw of this book from the Sydney Morning Herald

The Australian Light Horse by Roland Perry on daisy and in 7 vols of Braille

Hear an interview with Roland Perry from ABC Radio

German Anzacs and the First World War by John Frank Williams on Daisy

Read a review of this book from The Australian Humanities Review

Happy Birthday Miles Franklin…

 Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin, known as Miles Franklin,     was born on the 14th of  October 1879

 We have a few books by this wonderful writer and lets start  with …

 My Brilliant Career narrated by Megan. E. Rees, also in 5   vols of Braille and in Daisy e-text

This book was followed by…

My Career Goes Bung narrated by Vivien Creegor

Plus a lesser known work…

Some Everyday Folk and Dawn narrated by Pauline Munro

Marjorie Barnard was a writer and Librarian who was a long term member of The Fellowship of Australian Writers, and a friend of Miles Franklin. She published a biography of the author in 1967…

Miles Franklin: The Story of a Famous Australian narrated by Chris Williams

For a more up to date biography we have …

Stella Miles Franklin: A Biography byJill Roe, narrated by Elizabeth Oats

e have a CD copy of a collection of letters written between Franklin and other top Australian Authors such as Eleanor Dark and Katharine Susannah Prichard. For those of you familiar with the Daisy format, just be prepared, as this CD version is on 17 discs ….

As Good As A Yarn With You, narrated by Jenny Vuletic

Feedback about our wonderful narrators…

Last year we talked to Robert Degraauw, our long time Senior Audio  Producer. Robert has now added  the role of  Narrator to his accomplishments and he spoke to  Hear This about the books he has worked on and his approach to bringing these works to audio.

you can reserve some his work here…

Kinglake 350 by Adrian Hyland

Here you can read an extract from Kinglake 350. You can also read an interview with the author Adrian Hyland from Reading\’s Website

The Ottomon Motel by Christopher Currie

You can read an interview with the author from Readings website

The Amateur Science of Love by Craig Sherborne

Hear a podast or read a transcript of an interview with the author from the Radio National Book Show

The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett

Hear an interview or read a transcript of the interview from the Radio National Book Show

Gaels Library News 

Join Teresa Oates and Angela Villella as they take you on journey through the creation of the book,  Mangia! Mangia!

Having grown up together in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, they wanted to preserve their families’ southern Italian migrant food culture and its rich traditions.

When: September 22 from 6.45pm to 7.45pm

Where:  Northcote Library, Melbourne

Bookings: 1300 655 355

The night will end with some offerings of bread, cheese and olives.

We have a range of cookbooks available in the Library and here a just a few which concentrate on Italian cooking…

The Commonsense Italian Cookery Book by Amelia Santini in 4 vols of Braille

Donnini\’s Pasta by Tiberio Donnini and Gianni Milani, narrated by Peter Pierce

The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, narrated by Diana Copisaro

Also in Gael’s Library news…

Author Karly Lane who’s latest book ‘North Star’ has been selected as one the GET READING “50 Books You Can’t Put Down”, will be talking this Month at Coffs Harbour.

When: September 21 from 5.30 to 7.00pm

Where: Coffs Harbour Library

Bookings: essential phone Jessie or Carolyn 02 6648 4900

Whilst we don’t have this author as yet in the collection, we do have authors who write in a similar style that you may enjoy. Lynne Wilding has penned a few books in the family and romance genres with an Australian setting…

52 Waratah Road narrated by Kate Hood

Heart of the Outback narrated by Kate Hood

King of Cane Valley narrated by Stephanie Daniel

Turn Left at Bindi Creek narrated by Kate Hood

Another Author you may enjoy is Amanda Hampson…

The Olive Sisters narrated by Jenny Seedsman, also in 3 vols of Braille

Two for the Road narrated by Catherine Jennings, also in 4 vols of Braille

and finally Kerry McGinnis…

The Waddi Tree narrated by Humphrey Bower

Heart Country narrated by Elaine Speight

Wildhorse Creek narrated by Noel Hodda

Happy listening and have a great week!

10 years since the September 9th attacks…

On the 10th anniversary of the of the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers we looked through the Library catalogue and found the following books.

DC Confidential: The Controversial Memoirs of Britain\’s Ambassador to the U.S. at the Time of 9/11 and the Run-up To the Iraq War. by Christopher Meyer, narrated by Christopher Oxford

My Story by General Peter Cosgrove, narrated by David Baldwin and also in 6 vols of Braille

Squaddie: A Soldiers Story by Steven McLaughlin, narrated by Glen McReady

The Looming Tower : Al-Qaeda\’s Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright, narrated by Garrick Hagon

last Man Down: The Fireman\’s Story by Richard Picciotto, narrated by Ian Mallyon. On September 11th 2001, Battalion Commander Richard Picciotto led seven companies of firefighters up stairway B of Tower 1 in the World Trade Centre. This is the story of how “Pitch”, the highest-ranking firefighter, survived the collapse of the twin towers and led his men to safety

Talk given by Richard Picciotto on Youtube

Gaels Library News

Marieke Hardy’s recently published  autobiography, ‘You’ll Be Sorry When I’m Dead’,  has hit the bookstores and you can attend a Literary event with Marieke where she will be talking about her outrageously entertaining and deeply revealing reminiscences.

Where: Mosman Library

When: September 19th 7.00pm to 9.00pm

Cost: Adults $10, Pensioners and students, $8

Bookings and enquiries: 02 9978 4091

Whle we don’t have this recent book in the collection we do have piece written by the author in…

 The Best Australian Humorous Writing edited by  Andrew O’keefe and Steve Vizard, narrated by Shane  McNamara and Jane Clifton, also available in 3 vols  of Braille

Andrew O’Keefe and Steve Vizard corral the country’s  funniest minds and canniest observers into one  entertaining anthology. The writers bring a unique  antipodean mirth to everything that has touched our lives in recent times – from Sir Ian McKellen disrobing on stage to busting up the Logies, from the privatisation of Telstra to the curves of Nigella Lawson, from the perils of entertaining children to the perennial outrage that modern telecommunications offers. Whimsical, acerbic, energetic, witty, thought-provoking, absurd and downright funny, contributors include Phillip Adams, Graeme Blundell, The Chaser, Mark Dapin, Catherine Deveny, Frank Devine, Dame Edna Everage, Charles Firth, Germaine Greer, Gideon Haigh, Marieke Hardy, Clive James, Danny Katz, Mungo MacCallum, Shane Maloney, Shaun Micallef, Les Murray, Guy Rundle, Roy Slaven, Steve Vizard, Julia Zemiro.

 In our follow segment on Shakespeare, Andrew  and Frances discuss Elizabethan society and  Theatre…

Bring this colourful, historical era to life with the  following books…

Armada by Robert Carter, narrated by Peter Drake

Drake\’s Voyages: A Re-assessment of their Place in Elizabethan Maritime Expansion by Kenneth Raymond Andrews, narrated by David Broomfield

Elizabeth\’s London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London by Liza Picard, narrated by Barbara Joyce

The Jewell House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution by Deborah Harkness, narrated by Liza Ross

We have oodles of Shakespeare available and here a just a few starting with some comedy…

As You Like It narrated by William P. Fletcher, also in 1 vol of Braille

The Comedy of Errors, also in 1 vol of Braille

Now some Tragedy…

Cymbeline on Daisy

Hamlet, also in 7 vols of Braille

Here we have Dame Judy Dench as Lady Hamlet in the Sleepwalking scene: Hamlet on youtube

On This Day in History 

Live long and prosper!

On September 8 1966, iconic TV science Fiction  Star Trek aired for the first time in American

We have 2 volumes of short stories which are  based on every episode of this first incarnation  of the Enterprise crew…

Star Trek: The Classic Episodes vol 1 by James Blish, narrated by William Dufris

Star Trek: The Classic Episodes vol 2 by James Blish, narrated by Hayward Morse

Star Trek: The Classic Episodes vol 3 by James Blish, narrated by Hayward Morse

James Blish was a respected writer and a founding member of the Futurians, a bunch of New York writers who worked to get the genre widely accepted as a literary movement. Other members of the group included Isaac Asimov and Frederick Pohl. You can read about the group here: Wikipedia entry on Futurians

To All Braille Readers…

The winner of the 2011 Braille Book of the Year will be announced on the 30th September – we would love as many votes as possible.

If you have not yet read the 3 books you can reserve them here…

Bereft by Chris Womersley in 3 vols

Shortlisted: Miles Franklin Award, 2011.  This book is part of the Joan Ledermann Memorial Braille Collection.

It is 1919. The Great War has ended, but the Spanish flu epidemic is raging across Australia. Schools are closed, state borders are guarded by armed men, and train travel is severely restricted. There are rumours it is the end of the world. In the NSW town of Flint, Quinn Walker returns to the home he fled ten years earlier when he was accused of an unspeakable crime. Aware that his father and uncle would surely hang him, Quinn hides in the hills surrounding Flint. There, he meets the orphan Sadie Fox – a mysterious young girl who seems to know more about the crime than she should.. A searing gothic novel of love, longing and justice, Bereft is about the suffering endured by those who go to war and those who are forever left behind.

When Colts Ran by Roger McDonald in 4 vols

Shortlisted  Miles Franklin Award.  This book is part of the Joan Ledermann Memorial Braille Collection.

In this sweeping epic of friendship, toil, hope and failed promise, Roger McDonald follows the story of Kingsley Colts as he chases the ghost of himself through the decades, and in and out of the lives and affections of the citizens of ‘The Isabel’, a slice of Australia scattered with prospectors, artists, no-hopers and visionaries. Against this spacious backdrop of sheep stations, timeless landscapes and the Five Alls pub, men play out their fates, conduct their rivalries and hope for the best. Major Dunc Buckler, ‘misplaced genius and authentic ratbag’, scours the country for machinery in a World War that will never find him. Wayne Hovell, slave to ‘moral duty’, carries the physical and emotional scars of Colts’s early rebellion, but also finds himself the keeper of his redemption. Normie Powell, son of a rugby-playing minister, finds his own mysticism as a naturalist, while warm-hearted stock dealer Alan Hooke longs for understanding in a house full of women. They are men shaped by the obligations and expectations of a previous generation, all striving to define themselves in their own language, on their own terms.

That Deadman Dance by Kim Scott

Shortlisted Miles Franklin Award. This book is part of the Joan Ledermann Memorial Braille Collection.

That Deadman Dance is set in the first decades of the 19th century in the area around what is now Albany, Western Australia, and explores the early contact between the Aboriginal Noongar people and the first European settlers. Young Noongar man Bobby Wabalanginy is clever, resourceful and eager to please, and befriends the new arrivals, joining them hunting whales, tilling the land, exploring the hinterland and establishing the fledgling colony. He is even welcomed into a prosperous local white family where he falls for the daughter, Christine, a beautiful young woman who sees no harm in a liaison with a native. But slowly – by design and by accident – things begin to change. Not everyone is happy with how the colony is developing. Stock mysteriously start to disappear; crops are destroyed; there are “accidents” and injuries on both sides. As the Europeans impose ever stricter rules and regulations in order to keep the peace, Bobby’s Elders decide they must respond in kind. A friend to everyone, Bobby is forced to take sides: he must choose between the old world and the new, his ancestors and his new friends. Inexorably, he is drawn into a series of events that will forever change not just the colony but the future of Australia..

You can cast your votes here….Online Voting Form

Happy Reading!!

Dame Nellie Melba

On Hear This last week, Lucy Irons reviewed I Am Melba by Ann  Blainey. This remarkable woman was more than an  opera singer;   she was an astute business woman who  managed her career with vision and aplomb, comitting  her voice to vinyl and collaborating with the worlds  best . Blainey also writes of the woman behind the  success – the mother who had her son taken away from  her for 10 years, the unhappy marriage and the (very  few) performance flops.

You can reserve the book here…

I Am Melba: A Biography by Ann Blainey, narrated by Lise Rodgers

In Braille we have …

Melba: The Voice of Australia by Therese Radic, in 12 vols

In her long career, Melba worked with …

Caruso - this Biography is on Daisy. Written by Stanley Jackson for the Singer’s centenary, it’s full of drama, anecdotes and the personalities  of the era.

Another great composer Melba worked with was Puccini and we have a biography by William Weaver…

Puccini: The Man and His Music, narrated by Aileen Seaton

Here is a Youtube clip of Dame Nellie Melba, showing a few glimpses of her from newsreel footage, with the sound of her singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

For general books on music we have …

A Dictionary of Composers, edited by Charles Osborne, narrated by Rhett Walker, also by the same author, How to Enjoy Opera, narrated by Patricia Hughes

For a more irreverent view of the great composers…

Bach, Beethoven and the Boys: Music History as it Ought to be Taught by David W. Barber, narrated by Peter Marinker

Also on Hear This we played an excerpt from The Eyed of the Storm, by Patrick White which has been made into a film to be released this year. Renowned Australian director Fred Schepsi leads a cast of wonderful actors including Judy Davis, Geoffrey Rush and Charlotte Rampling in bringing the book to the big screen.

Reserve it here …

The Eye of the Storm narrated by Jenny Vuletic

Have a great week!

John Howard Autobiography

Hello there… Just to let you know we have Lazarus Rising in the Library in audio …

Lazarus Rising, narrated by Nicholas Day-Lewis

More Reader Recommended

This week let’s start off with some great Reader Recommended titles.

Our first book comes from Penny Jordan who is a prolific author of Light Romance, the following book is but one of the 30 titles we have by her the Collection…

Power Games, by Penny Jordan, narrated by Jacqueline King

Penny Jordan had been reading Mills and Boon books since she was eleven years old and when she was about 30 she entered her own romance story into a competition. Although she didn’t win, a literary agent who was looking for ‘the next Georgette Heyer’ signed her up and started her on a successful career.

Next up is …

The World From Down Under, by George Negus, narrated by Peter Farmer.

George Negus is up there with Laurie Oakes and Kerry O’Brien as one of Australia’s most respected journalists.  Much of his career  has been spent covering international current affairs, but here he presents Australia as he sees it and, and through the eyes of world.

For those who like American crime/suspense you can’t go past Lee Child.

The first book in his long running Jack Reacher series is …

Killing Floor, narrated by Jack Benedict, followed by…

Die Trying, narrated by Garrick Hagon

Tripwire, narrated by Garrick Hagon

The Visitor, narrated by Hayward Morse

You can read more about Lee Child from Wikipedia.

The next book is regularly requested and is number 10 on the ABC’s best Australian books of all time…

A Fortunate Life, by A. B. Facey, narrated by Peter Hosking, also in 5 vols of Braille

 It was at the prompting of his wife, that Bert Facey  eventually wrote his eventful life up into a full    manuscript.  He did it all by hand, in a series of exercise  books, working at the kitchen table. He then had the  manuscript typed up and sent it to Fremantle Arts Centre  Press, requesting that twenty copies be printed and  bound for family members and friends. Facey’s story was  so remarkable, however, that it was immediately accepted for commercial publication. It appeared just nine months before his death on 11 February 1982, in his 88th year.

You can read an extract Here.

Synthetic Voice update

To all who voted on their favourite Synthetic Voice, Josh Stavert was in the studio to tell us the final result….. and the winner is Amy followed closely by Brian. Josh wanted to thank all those who listened and cast their votes, your feedback is invaluable! Although voting is closed you can still have a listen to our vocal contenders. Just scroll halfway down our Webpage, Listen In,  and you will find all 4 synthetic voices listed by name.

Gael’s Library News

Author Talk – Anna Funder

When: Wednesday 7th September

Where: Stanton Library, North Sydney

Time: 1.00pm

Booking: free but phone 02 9936 8400

Anna Funder talks about her latest book, All That I am, and while we don’t have this latest novel we do have her acclaimed earlier work Stasiland.

You can read an article and interview with Anna Funder from the World Press Website and reserve it here, Stasiland, narrated by Erica Grant, also in 4 vols of Braille.

It seems a timely book to read, as last week saw the 50th anniversary of the erection of the Berlin Wall.

The next book may be of interest as well. It is the true story of a girl who left her London for a holiday in 1937 , and due to the tumultuous events of the 2oth century, was not to see her country til the fall of the Berlin Wall…

My Family is All I Have, by Helen-Alice Dear, narrated by Anne Dover

In another Author Talk – Anne Patchett

When: 5th September 1.00pm

Where:  Stanton Library, North Sydney

Booking: call 02 9936 8400

Ann Patchett’s novels have been called Elegant,layered and nuanced and able to capture the vastness of the human heart.

we have 2 books by this award winning author available on Daisy…

Bel Canto, narrated by Joan Walker

The Magician\’s Assistant.

You can read more about the Author from her Official Website.

Well, that’s it for this week. Happy Reading!!

August 18th – Vietnam Veterans Day

On Hear This for this week  we found some books to commemorate Vietnam Veterans day which falls on August the 18.  This date is also the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan fought in 1966, and we have the autobiography of an Australian soldier who was there…

The Soldiers Story, by Terry Burstall, narrated by Peter Hosking, and A soldier Returns, again narrated by Peter Hosking, in which the author travels back to Vietnam and the site of the battle of Long Tan 25 years later.

Some other books ….

Harvest of Fear, by John Murphy, narrated by Geoff Cartwright and also in 5 vols of Braille

Payne V. C, by Mike Colman, narrated by Andrew Windsor

War For The Asking: How Australia Invited Itself to Vietnam, by Michael Sexton, narrated by Tony Porter

The Vietnam War was the longest major conflict in which Australians have been involved; it lasted ten years, from 1962 to 1972, and involved some 60,000 personnel.

Also on Hear This …

Without William Shakespeare, would we have  such words  as ‘bloodstained’,’ gossip’, ‘lonely’ or  ’accused’? Possibly not as they are just a few of the (at  least) 1700 words that Shakespeare set in print for  the first time. Whether he invented these words or  harvested them from the popular ‘street talk’ of the  day has never been decided.

However his success as a playwrite was enough to garner him at least one jealous jibe, ”…an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger’s heart wrapped in a player’s hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Johannes fac totum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country.” So wrote fellow playwrite Robert Greene in 1592. Mmmm perhaps a victim of what Our Bard, in his own words would say,  ’the green eyed monster’?

On Hear This, Andrew Knopfelmacher presented a little of what is known about Shakespeare and his weighty and witty contributions to the English language.

The following books may add some context to the man and his life…

The Story of English, by Paul McCrum, narrated by David Rider

The Living Monument, Shakespeare and the Theatre of His Time, by M. C. Bradbrook

The lodger: Shakespeare on Silver Street, by Charles Nicholl, narrated by Gareth Armstrong

Shakespeare: Hit or Miss, by John Gielgud, narrated by Ronald Markham

Shakespeare: The World as a Stage, narrated by William Roberts

Gael’s Library News

 Meet Lynda La Plante , the Queen of Crime!

Where: Geelong Performing Arts Centre, Victoria

When: 4th September at 4.00pm

Price: $15

Bookings online: www.stickytickets.com.au/6155

Bookings via Telephone: call Anthea Doran at Geelong Librray (o3) 5272 6010

Lynda La Plante has created some of the most memorable criminals and crime solvers to hit our bookstores and TV screens over the last 20 years.  She is the writer of the Prime Supect series, The Widows and The Governor to name but a few. She has received praise for her realistic portrayal of women characters who are often forging their careers in male dominated worlds; just think Jane Tennison played by Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect!

In the Library we have ….

Part 1 of the Ann Travis series: Above Suspicion, narrated by Kim Hicks and part 2, The Red Dahlia, also narrated by Kim Hicks

we also have some stand alone novels by the author…

Bella Mafia, narrated by Peter Wickham

Civvies, narrated by Richard Derrington

Cold Heart, narrated by Lyndal Howley

Cold Shoulder, in 8 vols of Braille

Entwined, narrated by Daniel Philpott, and in 8 vols of Braille

Royal Flush, narrated by Tony Saunder, and in 9 vols of Braille

She’s Out, narrated by Ann Mitchell

In NSW 

Susan Duncan will be giving a talk about her latest book The Briny Cafe’ set in a ‘fictional’ Pittwater.

Where:  Mosman Library

When:  12th September from 7.00pm to 9.o0pm

Bookings are essential on: call 02 9978 4091

Cost: $10 or or $8 for pensioners and students

While we don’t have this latest book, we do some earlier works by the author in the autobiography genre…

Salvation Creek: An Unexpected Life, narrated by Ella James, also in 5 vols of Braille, which is followed by The House at Salvation Creek.

and finally the Reader recommended title for this week…

A few of our readers have commented on this book saying that is cleared up a few questions and was very interesting to boot!

13 Days; The Cuban Missile Crisis, by Robert. F Kennedy, narrated by David Broomfield

Hope you all have a great week!

Synthetic voice – what do you think?

On last week’s Hear This we had Josh and Jamie in to discuss a few  Synthetic Voices that the Library is currently testing. Newspapers, magazines and other non fiction material can be produced very quickly using this developing technology and we need your feedback on which voices you prefer. This is a big help to the Library as we really want to create the sort of service that reflects the needs of our community. You can link in to our Survey and ‘meet’ Emma, Brian, Joey and Amy, and cast your vote here;  Synthetic Voice Survey  on who is your favourite and who is your least favourite.

Gael’s Library events

Author talk: Stuart Littlemore

Where: Stanton Library, 234 Miller Street, North Sydney

Date: Thursday 18th August

Time: 1pm

To Book: 02 9936 8400

Stuart Littlemore will be introducing his debut novel, ‘Harry Curry: Counsel of Choice’, an insightful and engaging romp.

Whilst we don’t have this title we have The Media and Me, narrated by Noel Hodda

in Victoria we have another Author Talk with Peter Klein. Peter writes as an expert in the world of horse racing and the turf, having worked for some of the top trainers such as T J Smith and Bart Cummings.

We don’t have Peter Kleins book ‘ A strappers Tale’, or his latest in which he has ventured into the crime fiction genre with, ‘Silk Chaser’, but we do have some books set in this world that will set your hearts and pulses racing!

 John Francome is a former National Hunt  Champion Jockey who has turned his passion to  Mystery fiction writing. We have his  Autobiography in the Library - Born Lucky,  narrated by Simon Coady

Here are a few of his mysteries…

Back Hander, narrated by Martyn Read

Blood Stock, narrated by Fred Fenton

Dark Horse, narrated by Jonathan Keeble

Inside Track, narrated by Steve Hodson, also available in 6 vols of Braille

Lifeline, narrated by Martyn Read, also available in 6 vols of Braille.

Richard Pitman is a retired Jockey who also pens  racetrack thrillers featuring ex jockey and jailbird Eddie Malloy…

Warned Off, narrated by John Cormack

Hunted, narrated by Nigel Graham

Blood Ties, narrated by Tony Saunders

and of course we plenty of Dick Francis….

Banker, narrated by David Sinclair

Blood Sport, narrated by Michael de Morgan

Come To Grief, narrated by Robert Gladwell, also in 6 vols of Braille and there are about 50 more titles by Dick Francis in the collection !!

In our regular Reader Recommended segment we had one of our reader’s, Darren, recommend one of the many books we have in the Library by Lucy Clark…A Baby for the Flying Doctor, narrated by Lucy Rasheed

 We have also had some great feedback about  this  next book by a beloved Australian actor  who  was in such classics as The Shiralee and  Breaker  Morant. This hardworking actor was  even the  voice behind some Thunderbird Puppets in the late 60′s!

Bud: A Life, Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell,  narrated by the Author

Well, that’s it til next week! Happy Reading!

Vale Nancy Wake…

Nancy Wake passed away  at the age of 98. We have Peter Fitzsimons Biography of this amazing woman…

Nancy Wake: A Biography of Our Greatest War Heroine, narrated by Jenny Seedsman, also in 7 vols of Braille

We also have Nancy’s autobiography …

The Autobiography of the Woman the Gestapo Called the White Mouse., narrated by Bettine Kauffmann

 

 

 

Missing Persons Week…

August 1st was the beginning of National Missing Persons Week with this  year’s theme being…

When someone goes missing

More than one person is lost

 This aims to communicate that for every person reported missing approximately 12 people are directly affected, including family members, friends and work colleagues

The following book is about the  experience of one family  who found themselves in this tragic situation…

 Every Eighteen Minutes…, by Ellen Flint, narrated by Marie-Louise Walker

From the Synopsis: Every eighteen minutes in Australia, a person goes missing. On 14 November 2001, twenty-six-year-old Glenn Flint walked out of the family home. He took nothing with him – not even his much-needed medication – and has not been seen since. Every Eighteen Minutes is the story of his sister Ellen’s, and her family’s, subsequent futile efforts to locate him. Since he was eighteen years old, Glenn had suffered from epilepsy and later, depression. Even so, his disappearance was sudden and unexpected.

You may like to read a transcript of an interview conducted by Andrew Denton with the Flint Family - Enough Rope

we also have…

And Then The Darkness: The Disappearance of Peter Falconio and the Trials of Joanna Lees, by Sue Williams, narrated by Kate Hood

Whatever Happened to Brenda Hean?, by Scott Millwood, narrated by Humphrey Bower

On a happier note, the 2011 Kibble Literary Award for Australian Women Writers, was awarded to Brenda Walker for her autobiographical work ‘Reading By Moonlight’. This book chronicles her soulful journey from diagnosis to recovery from breast cancer.

Brenda comes from a literary family. Her mother Shirley Walker and brother Don, of Cold Chisel fame, have also put pen to paper and been published…

Reading by Moonlight, narrated by Jane Nolan

Shirley Walker won the Kibble award in 2010 for The Ghost at the Wedding, narrated by Kate Hood

In a series of vignettes from  childhood to his  days on the road with Cold Chisel we have Shots, narrated by Ian Bliss, also in 2 vols of Braille

For the Best First Published Female Author, Kristel Thornell took out the award.

We have her novel Night Street, narrated by Emma Pritchard, also in 2 vols of Braille

Gaels Library News

In Victoria a literary event….

Marcus Clarke in 1874

Come and hear a talk about Marcus Clarke: Journalist, poet and novelist and Australian ‘bohemian’

Date: 16th August

Time: 6.15pm -7.15pm

Telephone: 03 9094 7800

The following  classic convict novel was first published in book form in 1874 by Marcus Clarke:

For The Term Of His Natural Life, narrated by Jeffrey Hodgson, also in 13 vols of Braille. We also have Australian Tales, narrated by James Condon

There is some more information on this author in this Wkipedia entry

Also in Victoria…

Book Bites – Meet Author and Journalist Kate Veitch

Kate’s insightful and perceptive family stories have been international best sellers.

You can meet her at: Croydon Library

Date: 11 August

Time: 12:30pm

Cost: $10 which includes lunch

Booking are essential on 03 9294 5640

we have 2 of Kate’s books in the collection…

Listen, narrated by Edwina Wren

Trust, narrated by jennifer Gilchrist

And in NSW….

Barry Maitland is launching his new novel, the latest in the Brock and Kolla mystery series. You can hear him in conversation with another great Australian author, Michael Robotham.

Where: Maitland Regional Art Gallery, 230 High Street, Maitland

Date: Thursday August 11th

Time: 6.00pm

Cost: $15 – includes wine and nibblies

Phone: 02 4933 6952

As Gael reported on Hear This,  Barry Maitland was among the first contemporary crime fiction writers to introduce the male – female police team as the central characters…

Books in the Brock and Kolla Series …

The Marx Sisters, narrated by Denise Kirby, also in 4 vols of Braille

The Malcontenta, narrated by Kate Milte

All My Enemies, in 4 vols of Braille

The Chalon Heads, narrated by Richard Aspel

Silvermeadow, narrated by Denise Kirby, also in 6 vols of Braille

Babel, narrated by Gary Files

The Verge Practice, narrated by Denise Kirby, also in 5 vols of Braille

No Trace, narrated by Denise Kirby

Spider Trap, narrated by Denise Kirby, also in 5 vols of Braillen

We also have the first 2 Michael Robotham books in his series featuring criminal psychologist Joseph O’Loughlin …

The Suspect, narrated by Crispin Redman

Lost, narrated by David Baldwin

and last but not least 3 books that our Reader’s have recommended…

Arthur Upfield has stood the test of time and his perceptive detective Bony is still a popular choice with our readers…

An Author Bites the Dust, by Arthur Upfield,  narrated by Peter Hosking

Another ever popular character,  Scobie Malone, is the star of this next recommended title…

The Easy Sin, by Jon Cleary, narrated by Francis Greenslade, also in 4 vols of  Braille,

Take This Woman, by Josephine Cox, narrated by Maggie Ollerenshaw

Read an interview with Josephine Cox from The Guardian

Have a great week!

A variety of books…

A Lady Writing a Letter by Johannes Vermeer 1665

Each month our Library receives on average 300 notes, letters or emails in which Readers give their feedback on what books they loved .

This feedback is  very valuable to us as it can tell us what books are being widely enjoyed as well as unearthing some lesser known gems.

This week on Hear This we featured just some of the books we had feeback about over the last month…

If you  loved the Anne Of Green Gables books as a child (or adult), you may like to have a listen to this book by the author Lucy Maude Montgomery. Originally published in 1917,  it is the autobiography she wrote in response to the oft asked question “How did you become a writer?” …

 The Alpine Path: The Story of My Career, narrated  by Susan Sneath

You can gather some more information about the  author on Wikipedia - Lucy Maude Montgomery

We  also received a recommendation for the  following…

Hearing Birds Fly: A Nomadic Year in Mongolia, by Louis Waugh, narrated by Candida Gubbins.

From a review in the Guardian Newspaper – “Waugh has captured the  starkly beautiful landscapes in restrained descriptive  passages, but the most fascinating aspect of her  narrative is her portrayal of the villagers and the  nomads she meets higher up in the mountains, tending  their livestock through the cruellest elements. The mere  fact of their survival here is a triumph of the human  spirit”.

Maritime non fiction is a popular choice with many or our readers, combining as it does a love of adventure, history with rivers, lakes and oceans.  We have had some recommendations in this month for the following…

In The Heart Of The Sea, by Nathaniel Philbrick, narrated by Jonathan Oliver. You may like to read more about the author and how he researched this book  : Interview with Nathaniel Philbrick

Next up is …

The Ship That Changed The World: The Escape of the Goeben to to The Dardanelles in 1914., by Dan Van Der Vat, narrated by David Sinclair. Read about this ship on Wkipedia - The Goeben

Now to another very popular fiction subject among our Readers – Hospital Stories. This month we had a reader strongly recommend…

The Girl Next Door, by Caroline Anderson, narrated by Marie McCarthy

Like many authors of Hospital or Medical Romance, Caroline Anderson has a medical background. She was a nurse for many years until a back injury forced her to look for other ways to make ends meet.

Also on Hear This we looked at books written by Journalists about their lives and work….

ABC journalist Peter Lloyd was imprisoned in Singapore for possessing the drug ‘Ice’ in 2008.  We have his book  on Daisy, Inside Story, From  ABC Foreign Correspondent to Singapore    Prisoner #12988.,

You can hear Peter Lloyd interviewed  here: Conversations with Richard Fidler

A Pasty Faced Nothing, by Mark Munro, narrated by Ian Mallyon

Ray: Stories of my Life, by Ray Martin, narrated by Nicholas Day-Lewis, also available in 6 vols of Braille

The Media and Me, by Stuart Littlemore, narrated by Noel Hodda

Dirt Cheap: Life at the Wrong End of the Job Market, by Elizabeth Wynhausen

Travels in American Iraq, by John Martinkus, narrated by Paul English, also in 2 vols of Braille

Also available only in Braille …

Basking in Beirut, by Peter Fitzsimons, in 5 vols of Braille

and to finish with a light hearted book from Hugh Lunn…

Lost For Words: Australia\’s Lost Language in Words and Stories, on Daisy, narrated by Clem Fechner

Gaels Library News 

At Woollahra Libraryin NSW, the Journalist Alan Ramsey will be speaking about his latest book, The Way They Were. While we don’t have this latest book, we do have A Matter of Opinion, narrated by Bill Daish, also in 7 vols of Braille

Date and Time: August 18th at 6pm

Entry to the event is $20 (includes a glass of bubbly). Pay at the door. $10 for Woollahra Library Friends.

Please contact the Woollahra Library & Information Service on 9391 7100 for more information.

Moving to Victoria,  at the Melbourne Town Hall there will be a talk and onstage interview with the author Amos Oz.

 Born in Jerusalem in 1939, Amos Oz is the  internationally acclaimed author of many novels and  essay collections, translated into 30 languages. He has  received several international awards, including the  Prix Femina, the Israel Prize and the Frankfurt Peace  Prize. He lives in Arad, Israel.

Date and Time: August 3rd 7-830pm

Cost: $20 and $12 concession

Booking: (03) 9094 7800

Some books in the collection by this author

Black Box, in 5 vols of Braille

Don\’t Call it Night, narrated by Stanley McGeagh

In The Land Of Israel, narrated by Jonathan Oliver

A perfect Peace, narrated by Tom Crowe

Fima, narrated by Stanley McGeagh

That’ s all for this week – enjoy the week ahead!