Books and films to look forward to

Looking for an exciting new read? Here are some recent titles to keep an eye out for…

Inferno by Dan Brown – his latest thriller featuring Robert Langdon, hero of The Da Vinci Code

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver – bestselling author of We Need to Talk About Kevin

Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger – sequel to the hilarious The Devil Wears Prada

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini – author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns

If you’re more of a film buff, check out these new and upcoming book-to-film adptations. If any of these interest you, it might be a good idea to read the book ASAP – books often become very popular just after their movie comes out!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, this dazzling film is now out at cinemas.

Carrie by Stephen King – this Stephen King horror novel was first adapted into the well-known 1976 film and will be remade later this year.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – this sci-fi classic from 1985 is finally coming out as a film in late 2013, with Card as co-producer.

Horns by Joe Hill – Daniel Radcliffe is set to play quite a different role to Harry Potter in this supernatural thriller.

Click any title to visit our catalogue and put it on hold!

Spotlight on: Iain Banks

Iain Banks has been a library stalwart for the past two decades, writing both mainstream fiction and science fiction, the latter under the name Iain M Banks. 

Born in 1954 in Scotland, Iain started writing at an early age, writing his first book, The Hungarian Lift-Jet, at age 16. He found mainstream fame at the age of 30 when The Wasp Factory was published in 1984. The deal with his publisher was to write a book a year, enabling him to become a full-time writer.

Iain’s work has found outlets in  TV and radio, and Iain himself has appeared as a guest on the occasional celebrity talk show.

Iain was also prolific in his political commentary and opinion, having been a major contributor the the public outcry against the British involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.  He went as far as cutting up his passport and posting it to then Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Iain published 27 novels, the last, The Quarry is set to be released next week. He died from cancer of the gallbladder at the age of 59.

Reading is for anyone – Necessities: time and ability to read.

Do you believe that you dislike reading? Perhaps because of that, you may believe reading isn’t your thing? I once believed that I disliked reading but ever since finding a book called The Giver by Lois Lowry, I came to a realisation that I have a passion for reading.

You may ask, how exactly did this book make me realise my passion for reading? Well, as a student I am required to read at least one book each term of the school year as a part of my English studies. I randomly choose a book each term and this particular term I choose a book that was soon to become the first book that I enjoyed, which was The Giver. At first getting into the book was quite tedious because back then as I disliked reading, yet I had to quickly finish it because the term was nearly coming to an end. What did I do? I read whenever I had the chance, and soon enough, without realising, I had already been seduced by the book. To an extent, when I think about it, it was like I was being pulled in by the book, making me continue to read it.

Looking back, it’s almost unbelievable how much this book has changed my opinion on reading. Just because a person thinks that they dislike reading doesn’t mean they actually hate it, it’s just that they probably never gave it much of a try. I myself am proof of this. As the title says, reading is for anyone - anyone who has time, and anyone who can read. Even if you think you dislike reading, it’s just a matter of finding the right type of book for you, whether it is sci-fi, comedy, or perhaps even horror. There are so many different kinds of books available, that I am almost certain that everyone has a book out there that is suited to them.

As regular visitor of the Tea Tree Gully Library, I know how easy it is to find a book that I feel is suited to my taste. The catalogue that is available within the library makes it easy and convenient to search for books and there are also friendly library staff members who can help you find the items that you are after. At the Library it is also possible to access resources from many other libraries using the catalogue. While you’re busy finding books, you can also borrow other types of resources such as DVDs, CDs, and even Magazines. Discover the reader in you, it’s easy.  Try different books and if you get bored after reading a few pages, you can always stop reading. There’s no rule saying that you have to finish a book once started.

Written by: Jedwin – Work Experience Student @ City of Tea Tree Gully Library

My Work Experience placement and what I learned from it…

Have you ever wondered what it is like to work in a library? Well let me tell you it is not at all boring, but actually an exciting adventure.

In the Library you are not just given one task to do all day but instead everyone is given a different task to do each hour. One hour a person may be working on the “Ask here” desk and the next hour they may be placed in the chute room and then perhaps they may do some shelving.

The Library also has special events or programs. Some programs are scheduled for certain days. For example, on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:00am the Library hosts a program called Baby Bounce which is aimed at children 0 to 2 years old. The library hosts another program called Toddler Time, which is also on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:30am to 12 noon aimed at children aged 2 to 4 years old.

During my work experience placement I did so many different things. Some of the things I did were Baby Bounce, Toddler Time, Storytime, working in the chute room and many other things.  My favorite task during my placement has been working on the customer service desk because I got the opportunity to interact with a range of different people from the community. During my placement my least favorite task was processing (which is putting contact and labels onto the new books) because putting the contact onto the new books is hard and if you make a mistake you have to start again, which can be very frustrating.

I really enjoyed my time working in the Library which was due to the friendliness of the staff that helped me while I was there. I have liked working at the Library as it is fun and am now considering becoming a librarian in the near future.

Being in a library isn’t boring as some people may think, but instead it’s a great adventure.

Written by: Robert – Work Experience Student @ City of Tea Tree Gully Library

A Time of Endings…

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again…there are no endings, and never will be endings, to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was an ending.

In January this year, the 14th and final volume in the epic Wheel of Time hit the shelves – almost 23 years to the day since the release of Eye of the World. Entitled A Memory of Light, the book is written by Brandon Sanderson, who took over writing the series after its creator Robert Jordan passed away in 2007.

In this penultimate volume of the battle of Good Versus Evil, the Dragon Reborn faces off against The Dark One, embodiment of all evil, with the fate of all creation hanging in the balance.

Sanderson faced the unenviable task of tying up all of the numerous plotlines of the series into a satisfactory conclusion, based on Jordan’s own notes.

Did he succeed? That is really up to the individual reader, but this writer found the ending to be satisfactory. The actual one-on-one battle between Rand and The Dark One was particularly clever in the way that they…no, that would be telling!

So, after 23 years, the saga has drawn to an end, and it is not the only one.

This year has also seen the release of Magician’s End, the final volume in Raymond E. Feist’s Riftwar Cycle, which began in 1982 and now spans a whopping 29 volumes. The novels that inspired the hit HBO series True Blood are also coming to an end with the published Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris. This is the 13th and final volume in the adventures of Bon Temps’ very own psychic fairy barmaid Sookie Stackhouse.

Why not pick up one of these titles from the Library and see how a series, decades in the making, finally comes to an end.

Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday Closure

The Library will be closed on Monday 10 June for the Queen’s Birthday public holiday. We’re open again at 10am on Tuesday 11 June.
If you want to return any items before then, the outside return chutes on the eastern wall adjacent to the carpark will be open.

Ten years at Montague Road video

You may remember that the Library celebrated ten years at our current location back in February. As part of the special celebration, Library officer Ben created a video chronicling the change to the new location in 2003 featuring then Mayor Lesley Purdom, staff and Library users.  Check out the video below.