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…
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!
