Author Talks - John Birmingham

John Birmingham, author of 'Leviathan' and 'He Died With a Felafel in His Hand' popped into Hurstville City Library earlier in September to discuss the inspiration behind his books and the grungey history of the 'Leviathan' itself - Sydney.
Check out this excerpt from his talk.

Matthew Reilly

Matthew Reilly is one of Australia's most beloved authors. His books have sold over 3.5 million copies worlwide and have been published in more than 20 countries.

One of the favourites here at the LMG is his Jack West series, starting with The Seven Ancient Wonders. The series continues to include The Six Sacred Stones and lastly The Five Greatest Warriors. These fast paced, action packed novels are a favourite of both young and old.

Come into the LMG today and check one out!

Who else writes like Nora Roberts

Ever felt sad whilst reading a book? Don't want it to end but can't wait to get there to see what happens? Can't wait to read another book by the same author only to discover you've read the lot?

Yes it's frustrating but there is light at the end of the tunnel! Often there will be other authors who write just like your favourite.

Our featured author this month is Nora Roberts so if you are a fan why not pop along to Hurstville Library to see the range of books currently on display and available for loan by authors who write like her. Just click onto any of the following names to see what the library holds.

Sally Beauman

Barbara Taylor Bradford

Janet Dailey

Jude Deveraux

Julie Ellis

Linda Gillard

Kristen Hannah

Iris Johansen

Jayne Ann Krentz

Debbie Macomber

Judith McNaught

Kasey Michaels

Linda Lael Miller

Diana Palmer

Luanne Rice

Lavyrle Spencer

Danielle Steel

Rachael Treasure

Recycled books

In the back of every cupboard amongst the mis-matched socks and clouds of dust there is an old book or two. Okay, admit it, there's about 30. They're all books that you bought, maybe read once, and then decided you didn't particularly like. But you're yet to donate these unloved members of the literacy world to your local library (which is what you should be doing. Right now.)

Perhaps you're a hoarder. Perhaps you're keeping them there until you can give them away as a birthday present to someone you don't particularly care for. Whatever the reason behind your accumulation of abandoned books, there's always someone somewhere else in the world that could be reading and loving those books that you use as a door stop.

And even if you don't feel like giving those books to a library and being a wonderful human being, there's always other ways of recycling these literary orphans...

How about this recycled book chandelier by Lula Dot Studio?

Maybe turn them into pot plants, like Italian designer GartenKulter.

But perhaps the best of all, a recycled book library information desk! Brilliance!

Free Books

Hi Fantastic news! I have just finished downloading my first Audio Book from Hurstville City Library, the Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

It was so easy, If I can do it so can you

Overdrive has arrived

Now there is no need for me to pay to listen to Audio Books and ebooks.

The best part of this is, I can now enjoy listening to my books wherever and whenever I like, even whilst walking the dog.

Come and have a browse.
Click onto the Hurstville Library Museum and Gallery Website and checkout the eLibrary catalogue.

Try it out and let us know what you think.Take it from one who has been paying in the past for this privilege. This is a great addition to the Library.

Image sourced from Creative Commons

Awesome Book Tour

I think we all need to know about Dallas Clayton.



It can be a very awesome world if this effort to promote children's literacy by encouraging kids to dream and dream often has anything to do with it.

Leipzig Book Fair

The Leipzeig Book Fair is an annual book fair held in March every year in Germany. It attracts over 150,000 book lovers all scrambling for the latest literary delights displayed.

Check out these photos from the book display for Mitteldeutscher Verlag Publishers this year.

The booth was made up of perforated boards and the original writing tool, pencils! The pencils acted as nails to hold the boards of the display together and as shelves to hold up the books.
Visitors however were invited to take one of the non-essential pencils and keep it as a reminder of this brilliant display.
15,000 pencils were involved in this installation. That's enough to draw a line 840,000 kilometres long! Wow!

Maximum Balloon

Maximum Balloon is the latest musical offering from Dave Sitek - guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and sometimes beat-boxer of TV On The Radio fame. Collaborations with other musicians such as Theophilus London, Tunde Adebimpe, Aku and many more of Sitek's "favourite voices" make an interesting offering from this multi-talented whiz-kid.



We're bopping away here at the LMG on this lovely Friday afternoon to this song, 'Tiger'.

Maximum Balloon's debut album is released on the 21st of September. Another one to add to the LMG catalogue perhaps?

Not as strange as you think...

There are all types of museums out there!

Check out this museum in Independence, Missouri. Leila Cohoon owns this hair museum with over 2,000 pieces of hair jewellery plus other hair wreaths and decorations. Some of the pieces date back to the 1600's.

Here's the catch...Leila's Hair Museum isn't the only museum with hair jewellery, we have some too!

Hurstville City Library, Museum & Gallery collection

This hair jewellery was donated to the LMG six years ago and is on display in our permanent exhibition Living on the Water's Edge: Stories of St George.

The jewellery is thought to have been made between 1860 - 1870. Made from woven human hair, hair jewellery was popular in the Victorian era with hair being used as a physcial reminder of a loved one.

Come and check it out!

Branch trip ban

It has been decided that Ken is not allowed to take the work van on the daily branch trip between Hurstville Library and Penshurst Branch after his latest video was released on the internet. The books would never survive.

dtac Headquarters in Bangkok

Check out some of these cool pictures of the library/ampitheatre in the dtac House Headquarters in Bangkok. dtac is one of Thailand's leading communication providers who have a corporate philosophy of 'play and learn'. This library certainly looks like it would be relaxing. So innovative!

As well as this amazing circular library, the office building also houses a 'Funfloor' containing an indoor soccer arena, table tennis, running track and concert and performance spaces! Imagine that.

Unbelievable!

The Fry Chronicles

Actor, writer, journalist, comedian, television presenter. Stephen Fry has had a long and illustrious career spanning over 25 years. His second volume of autobiography, The Fry Chronicles, has recently been released, not only as a beautiful printed hardback, but also as an audiobook and an incredible and modern iPhone and iPad app! Now fancy that!

What do you think? Are iPhone apps the way of our literary future? Should the more traditional version of The Fry Chronicles be suggested for purchase for Hurstville Library?

An upcoming exhibition for 2011…

FRUiTS: Tokyo Street Style Photographs by Schochi Aoki


2011 will be here before we know it, so we wanted to introduce our first main gallery exhibition for next year to you.

Via this blog, you’ll be able to follow our process of organising and installing this exhibition.

We must confess that this is not exactly the beginning of the exhibition process…
Hurstville City Library, Museum and Gallery plans its exhibition schedule 2 years in advance meaning that staff have already been working on this exhibition for a while.

FRUiTS: Tokyo Street Style is a travelling exhibition from the Powerhouse Museum and the Museum & Gallery is lucky enough to be hosting it between February – April 2011.

As you can see in the image above, the photographs in this exhibition were taken by Shoichi Aoki. This exhibition details the fashion trends of the Harajuku district in Japan from the mid 1990s to the present.

At the moment the LMG is looking for local fashion students to contribute their own designs and interpretations of these fashion trends for possible exhibiting at the Museum & Gallery during the exhibition.

If you are interested in contributing some of your ideas or you are a fashion student from around the St. George area we would love to hear from you!

Send an email to museumgallery@hurstville.nsw.gov.au or give us a call on 9330 6444.

Leviathan - The Unauthorised Biography of Sydney

A new work that celebrates the colourful, and often dark, history of Sydney is opening at Hurstville Entertainment Centre’s Marana Auditorium on 18 September – Leviathan, based on the award-winning book Leviathan – The Unauthorized Biography of Sydney by John Birmingham.

Leviathan is a sprawling non-fictional examination of Sydney, blending factual recreations of early penal settlement, with brutal accounts of asylum seeking, racism and abuse, and powerful stories of Sydney’s migrant history

Kicking off this year’s Hurstville Discovery Festival of Community Arts, this fantastic show, launched recently at the Marana Theatre by Sydney Theatre Company directors Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton together with our Mayor, Clr Philip Sansom, is being produced by Sydney Theatre Company in partnership with Hurstville City Council and features Sydney Theatre Company’s ‘The Residents’ together with local community groups.

Tickets are now available for LEVIATHAN – The Unauthorised Biography of Sydney
http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingDates.aspx?eid=4972 or by phoning 9330 6084.
There are two shows only in Hurstville on the 18th and 19th of September so book your seats now!

Meanwhile, check out these photos from the Leviathan Media Launch!

Cate Blanchett & Andrew Upton, Artistic Directors of Sydney Theatre Company, at the Media Launch of Leviathan at the Hurstville entertainment Centre in early August

Leviathan Director, Stefo Nantsou with members of the cast from Sydney Theatre Company and the local Community.

(Images courtesy of the Sydney Theatre Company's Leviathan blog. http://leviathanstc.posterous.com/)

Hugh Mackay Australia's best known social commentator at Hurstville City Library

Hugh Mackay, one of Australia's pre-eminent social commentators is a familiar name to many from his days on ABC radio as a regular guest on the Caroline Jones morning program. More recently he has been a regular television commentator on the lastest federal election.

His new book What Makes Us Tick? is a hightly personal account of the things he has learnt from his experiences listening to people talk: about their dreams, fears, faith, hopes, disappointment, frustrations and fantasies.

Join Hugh at Hurstville City Library, cnr Queens Rd & Dora St

Friday 15th October at 7pm to hear about his new book What Makes Us Tick?

Bookings can be made at the Information Desk or phone 9330 6142.

Nutty's Adventures in Shelving.

Check out the mischief that our favourite little library helper got up to this week!

Being helpful as always.

Not being so helpful... Poor Nutty

Look who survived! This is Nutty's favourite book. Come into Hurstville Library sometime and check it out!

MOVIES AND MUSIC COMING SOON

There are a variety of DVDs and music CDs coming soon to the library and should be on the shelves with in the next few months.

Music CDs Coming Soon

• So Fresh Hits of Spring 2010 - 20 of the biggest hits of the season. Songs from Pink, Guy Sebastian, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift to name a few.
  
• Flamingo - Brandon Flowers : Brandon is the front man for the Killers. The album is a mix of Electo-pop, Gospel and Alternative Blues Rock.
  
• Obadiah - Frazey Ford : Ford is a member of "Be Good Tanyas", a trio from Canada.
  This is a laid back album from classic R&B to soul.
  
• I Believe You Liar - Megan Washington : an Australian musician, songwriter who sings, plays piano and guitar. The album is a little bit of Rock, Pop, Jazz and Blues.

DVDs coming soon

• Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief: A fantasy-adventure movie starring Pierce Brosnan, Rosairo Dawson and Uma Thurman. Percy Jackson has learned he is the son of Poseidon and is accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt, the most powerful weapon ever created. Percy embarks on a cross-country journey to prove his innocence and recover the bolt to prevent a war amongst the gods.


• Dear John: from the author of "The Notebook". Starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried . Soon after John and Savannah meet and fall in love their relationship is put on hold. John has to leave to complete his service in the armed forces and Savannah has to finish her college education so they keep in touch by writing letters to each other. When war breaks out their relationship has to survive the test of time.


• Natalee Holloway: a true story based on the book "Loving Natalee" by Beth Holloway Twitty: Starring Tracy Pollan, Grant Show and Catherine Dent. Natalee Holloway is a teenager on class trip and disappears without a trace. Together her mother, father and best friend search to uncover the truth which takes more the four years.
  
• In The Loop: nominated for "Best Adapted Screenplay" Academy Awards 2010. Starring Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini. A British comedy about an American President and a bumbling British Prime Minister on the brink of war and the possibility of things spinning out of control.

*Do you have any suggestions for us add to our DVD and CD collection? If so please post your suggestions here.

Local Natives

Something for the collection? Let us know if you digg this tune by comment. Could end up on the order list.

Katie Duncan - Trainee of the Year!

Congratulations to Katie Duncan who won ‘Trainee of the Year’ at the MG My Gateway 2010 Apprentice & Trainee Awards.

This year MG My Gateway employed 300 apprentices and trainees making it a very competitive field.The winners for all MG My Gateway awards were announced at an awards night at Campbelltown RSL, on Friday 3 September 2010.

Katie has been working as a Trainee in both Customer Service and Library, Museum & Gallery services over the past year. Katie now works as a Trainee in the Museum & Gallery. Katie is an outstanding trainee, who is dedicated to excellent customer service. She is always willing to assist colleagues as well as internal and external customers.

Katie shows enormous respect for her colleagues, her supervisors and to all staff within Council. Her maturity, calm attitude and enthusiasm are valued by all Council departments.

Katie commits 100% to her work and as a consequence Hurstville City Council has extended Katie’s traineeship by offering her the opportunity to complete Certificate IV in Business Administration earlier this year. Hurstville City Council feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to host Katie’s traineeship.

Treasures from the Reference Collection now available for loan

Ever browsed through Hurstville Library's reference collection and wished you could borrow that special book? Now many titles from the collection have been transferred to the lending collection and are available for loan. Check out some of the titles now on the display stands when next you visit. Many more titles will be available in the coming months for you to borrow and read in the comfort of your own home. A few are listed below:

A History of the Islamic World
Entertaining and informative, with over 70 illustrations, photos, and maps this is a stimulating depiction of the world's second-largest religion, with over one billion adherents.






How I Write The Secret Lives of Authors

Where do writers get their ideas? How do they deal with writer's block? What do they do all day?
Find out the answers from the authors themselves. Original contributions are from well known authors including Jonathan Franzen, Joyce Carol Oates, Will Self and A. S. Byatt. Letters, photographs, drawings, illustrations, and other scattered mementos make up this book.



Oxford Guide to Style
Contains 16 topic-based chapters
offering advice on how to present
the written word.

Fighting Talk
Stirring speeches and battle cries
from history's greatest warriors and
revolutionaries.

Australia's Quarter Acre
A spirited defence of the home garden, includes explanations of how Australia became the world's first great suburban nation, how the layout of the back and front yard has changed over time and why manicured lawns and productive vegetable gardens have declined. The hidden meanings of the ordinary garden are explored along with fascinating insights into everything from fruit trees, woodsheds, rotrary clotheslines and illuminated Santas.

Sneakers: The Complete Collectors' Guide
This book comprises over 550 specially taken colour photographs; over 180 sneaker designs from 11 leading brands chosen for the mark they have made on sneaker culture worldwide, brand histories and information on creating and caring for your collection.Encyclopedic in scope it is a delight for both the novice and hard core aficionado of all things sneaker.

It's a book

From children's author Lane Smith comes this book trailer (and how awesome is that, a book trailer!).



Genius! Think I'll put in a suggestion for purchase...