Dunedin Public Libraries News & Reviews Blog

For the men who enjoy Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum, there is a new writer of that genre, James Phelan. Patriot act is a fast-paced action-filled story.

September 11 changed how the world reacts to acts of terrorism. The U.S. Patriot Act gives greater authority to surveillance of individuals suspected of acts of violence.

Ex-navy operative and investigative journalist Lachlan Fox uncovers a trail of lies and corruption and cover-ups at top level government. It is a race against time.

This is a book which would translate onto the big screen, and is well worth a read.

“I was conceived in a bath in Norfolk in September 1946. How do I know? Well, my  mother told me. As she put it, they were all rather exhausted after the war and there weren’t many opportune occasions”
This is the opening paragraph of Spilling the beans by Clarissa Dickson Wright

When Two fat ladies hit the television screens they revolutionized cooking and travelling the English countryside by motorbike and sidecar.

We were all sorry when Jennifer Paterson passed away and with it the demise of the popular programme.

Here is the story of the “other” Fat Lady – Clarissa Dickson Wright.

This is a wonderfully funny and sad biography of a woman who  has battled her demons throughout her life -  a fractured childhood, successful barrister, drunk and then a household name and with it the pressures of stardom.

A truly honest and harrowing account of her early life gives you an insight into the person she has become. She is a woman who lives life to the fullest.

This story is chock-full of famous names and events.

 It was finally the cooking which has brought her success, sobriety and peace.

 This book makes up one of a tremendous range of biographies and autobiographies found in the Mosgiel Library.

A prisoner of birth  by Jeffrey Archer. This is Archer at his best. It was in the “Kane and Abel” and “Sons of fortune” vein.

Danny Cartwright is wrongfully convicted of the death of his best friend on the day he celebrates his engagement to Beth Wilson.

Facing 22 years of prison, he despairs for his future. He is befriended by his cellmate and learn to read and write and this opens up a new world to him.

The novel is split into the five stages of Danny’s life. From incarceration to release, to revenge and then finally redemption.

This 500-page novel was a real page-turner and I thoroughly recommend it.

Reviewed by Fiona

Over 70 children and adults attended our recent Storytime session at City Library.

Our weekly sessions can include stories, rhyme, songs, scarf activities and musical instruments.

These activities are important in helping your child develop their language and memory skills, motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination as well as stimulating their senses

City Library sessions are held every Wednesday at 10.30a.m. during term time.

Our website has details of Storytime sessions at our other libraries.

Drawing on her vast knowledge of Shakespeare and Elizabethan times, Germaine Greer has written a scholarly but very interesting book on Ann Hathaway. She forms a picture that is quite different from the accepted view of Ann’s place in Shakespeare’s life.

Instead of an older (26) woman seducing a handsome young (1 Shakespeare, a hateful marriage and time spent mostly apart, Greer puts the few known facts firmly in the perspective of the times.

She portrays Ann as an intelligent, independent woman who runs the family home and business, and raises the children in her husband’s absence.

I did skim through some of this, especially the quotes, but I recommend Shakespeare’s Wife to anyone who enjoys history, Shakespeare and/or Greer’s witty style of writing.

Whether the title shocks or amuses you, this book is well worth reading. This really entertaining Australian adventure won the 2003 Australian Popular Fiction competition and though it does stretch the boundaries of reality at times, it is about a man having a mid-life crisis!!!

Martin Carter has a complete meltdown on his 50th birthday. Redundancy, danger, bitter truths, intrigue and romance, this book contains aspects that appeal to any adult reader.

Fat, Fifty & F***ed includes philosophical ideas about coffee, truck stop breakfasts, brown suede shoes, cancer and relationships. I feel this is a story written for film.

The latest issue of Childrens Choice has been published and contains a good list of books for kids spanning fiction, non-fiction, picture books as well as news updates from staff working in the childrens area.

Read the latest issue (.pdf) online today.

Blueskin Library hosted a storytime for Blueskin Playcentre.

We read the following books;

Shoe Baby by Joyce Dunbar

Little Apple byBrigette Weninger

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

The children also made either a butterfly mask or a small butterfly to be worn around the wrist. They also had fun in the playground and choosing a book for the playcentre to borrow.

Does you child struggle to read or comprehend what they are reading?

New to our website - we have produced a list of some excellent titles to help parents / care givers in this area.

Talk to our helpful children’s team for more information and be sure to review our website for suggested readings dealing with other milestones & hurdles.

This weeks Storytime at Mosgiel Library included the following books..

• Ducky Dives In!
• Who’s Laughing?
• Don’t be Afraid, Little Ones

The Children also made some bookmarks for themselves - check out their work above! Storytime - suitable for pre-school children and their care-givers.

• Every Tuesday
• 11:00am
• Children’s Area
• Mosgiel Library