Author Talk: Editor Anna Valdinger - HarperCollins Australia: A glimpse into the world of book publishing

Hurstville City Library
cnr Queens Rd & Dora St, Hurstville
Thursday 27th October @ 7pm
Bookings 9330 6142

Ever wondered what it takes to get published?
Why do some authors end up on bestsellers lists?
What are publishers looking for?
What is the role of an editor?
Anna Valdinger Commissoning Editor of Australian commercial fiction authors for HarperCollins Australia will take us behind the scenes of the book publishing world. Anna is responsible for looking after and building up a stable of Australian commercial fiction authors and helping to develop their careers from book to book particularly in the genres of crime, thrillers, sagas, women's fiction both contemporary and historic.
Anna will share her insights and experience and looks forward to answering all those questions you may have about the publishing scene.
Star authors with HarperCollins include;
Colleen McCullough, Tara Moss, Nikki Gemmell and Belinda Alexandra.
Anna also looks after international authors such as Paullina Simons, Paulo Coelho, Daniel Silva and Michael Crichton, as well as some of the Avon romance authors including Stephanie Laurens and Anna Campbell.
With experience in the publishing world both in London and Sydney this evening promises to be a real treat for all avid readers and aspiring writers.

Colleen McCullough

Movies Adapted From Books

Lot's of great movies have been adapted from books. Maybe the list below will inspire you to watch the movie and read the book to make a comparison.

The library holds both the movie and the book in this list at the time of writing this blog.

1. Never Let Me Go: based on the book by Kazuo Ishiguro

2. Crossing the Ditch: based on the book by James Castrission

3. The Kite Runner: based on the book by Khaled Hosseini

4. Pillars of the Earth: based on the book by Ken Follett

5. The Color Purple: based on the book by Alice Walker

6. The Green Mile: based on the book by Stephen King

7. Winter's Bone: based on the book by Daniel Woodrell

8. Dear John: based on the book by Nicholas Sparkes

Is there a movie you like that was adapted from a book and isn't in our DVD collection? You could post the title here and we will see if we can purchase it for our DVD collection.

Russian Ark

This has to be one of the most astonishing films ever made. Not just for it's sheer majesty but also for it's technical accomplishments. Russian Ark involves an unseen narrator accompanied by "The Stranger" walking in and out scenes from Russian history as they wander through the Winter Palace (now the Russian State Hermitage Museum) debating Russia's role in European affairs.

From a technical perspective the film is amazing: 2,000 actors, 300 years of Russian history, 33 rooms at the Hermitage museum, 3 live orchestras, filmed in one, 99 minute continuous camera shot (which took I believe three takes due to technical faults. The third take is the final film). No camera trickery or CGI employed at all. It's worth watching this film just for that alone.

Careers for Young People in Local Government

Are you just starting your career and looking at Local Government as a prospective employer? Hurstville City Council employ a number of Trainees as part of our Professional Traineeship Programs. This program has a big impact for people at the start of their career. The Library Museum and Gallery employ two trainees – one in business administration and one in library studies.
Shereny Selim presented an extremely popular paper in Canberra at the 2011 International Public Works Conference organised by the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia. The topic of her paper was ‘Grab Them While They are Young’ and focussed on how programs such as Hurstville City Council’s Professional Traineeship Program can make a difference to address current skill shortage problems in the Local Government industry by attracting emerging professionals to Local Government as a prospective employer. See the presentation here!

Careers for Young People in Local Government by Shereny Selim.

View more presentations from Hurstville LMG

Home and Community Care for the aged, disabled and carers

Do you need help at home? The Home and Community Care (HACC) services in your area may be able to help. Listed are some important contact numbers:

• Aged Care Assessment Team-Calvary Rehabilitation & Geriatric Service (CRAGS) 9553 3000
• Carers NSW Carer Support Line 1 800 242 636
• Dementia Advisory Service 9531 1928
• Hurstville Community Food Services 9584 1286
• St George Home Modification & Maintenance-can help make your home safer to live in 8558 4000
• St George Easy Care Gardening 9024 5500
• Nurses on Wheels 9502 3422
• St George Community Nurses 1 300 427 603
• St George Community Services - for shopping outings, social lunches, frozen meals & delivered groceries 8558 4000
• St George Community Services Stroke Support Group 8558 4000
• St George Community Transport 9580 8911

Author Talks: Michael Mobbs "The Sustainable House"

Author and sustainability expert Michael Mobbs will be Hurstville City Library's guest author for September. Whether you're planning to build, renovate or just want some tips, whether you live in an apartment or a house, Michael's book Sustainable House is regarded as the essential guide to help you achieve an environmentally friendly home. First published in 1998, the long-awaited second edition covers the revolutions that have since occurred in sustainable housing, and, critically, includes his assessment on technologies and materials used in his own ground-breaking sustainable house more than 14 years after installation. Did the solar panels last? Is rainwater in the city safe to drink? How has the garden handled over one million litres of treated sewage?
Michael has worked as a lawyer, specialising in environmental law. He has advised on technology, design, environmental law and policy to government, the private sector and community groups. Since publishing Sustainable House in 1998 he has founded his own company specialising in the design and project management of sustainable residential and commercial properties. Read Michael's website to find out more.

Michael's first hand experience on all aspects of sustainable housing and gardening promises an enlightening and information packed evening.

Hurstville City Library
cnr Queens Rd & Dora St, Hurstville
Thursday 22nd September @ 7pm
Bookings 9330 6142
Books availabe for sale & signing

STOCK UP! Get first pick of the new stock

Be among the first to take home some great new holiday reading, listening and viewing when

Hurstville City and Penshurst Branch libraries make available a great new selection of fiction and nonfiction books, CDs and DVDs for loan. Everyone is welcome, bring your library card or join on the spot. Membership is free!

Meet staff and take the opportunity to tell us what you think of the collections and what you'd like to see more of. We'll show you how to make suggestions and requests.

Find out about our eLibrary where you can download audio and e-books from home and about Freegal where you can download 3 tracks of music per week for free.

Hurstville City Library

cnr Queens Rd & Dora St, Hurstville

Wednesday 21 September

9.30am - 9pm

Penshurst Branch Library

630 Forest Rd, Penshurst

10.30am - 1pm, 2pm - 6pm

HOLLYWOOD STARS COME TO SYDNEY

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan and Isla Fisher are in Sydney for the next few months working on Baz Luhrmann's 3D film "The Great Gatsby", an adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel of the same name. They have been out and about whilst in Sydney being spotted at Darling Harbour, swimming at Bondi and shopping in Paddington. The Library DVD collection holds a number of movies these Hollywood stars have appeared in take a look below.

Leonardo DiCaprio: Titanic; The Aviator; The Departed; Blood Diamond; Inception; Shutter Island;

Tobey Maguire: Spider-man; Spider-man 2.

Isla Fisher: Confessions of a Shopaholic; Rango.

Carey Mulligan: Never Let Me Go; The Greatest; Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; An Education.

Do you have a suggestion for titles to add to our DVD, CD or Audio book collection? All you need to do is post your suggestions here.

Children’s Book of the Year – Early Childhood.

Maudie of the winner of the Children’s Book of the Year – Early Childhood, “Maudie and Bear” is a demanding and mostly obnoxious child. Bear’s patience and understanding is matched by the wonderful illustrations by Freya Blackwood. By contrast the babies in “The Tall Man and the Twelve Babies” are delightful infants full of the simple joys of childhood. Their willingness to co-operate contrasts with Maudie’s total obsession with her own desires.
But the small boy in “Look See, Look at Me” is enjoying every moment as part of a large loving family.
These delightful books all celebrate being young with the whole world before you but also show the different worlds that these small people inhabit.
From Maudie with her solitary companion to the twelve babies who act more like a litter of playful puppies, to the three-year-old who has a whole world of others, adults and children, they show that childhood is a very special world.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Cakes and Cooking exhibition on now

Visit Hurstville City Museum & Gallery for a delicious discovery into the world of cake decorating , sugar art and cooking.

View a unique collection of decorative handcrafted cakes from across Australia that have been elegantly handcrafted using a variety of techniques, accompanied by photographs of cooking demonstrations and food shops from Hurstville. This display will feature recipes from the St George County Council's All Electric Cookery Book, photographs of the former Classic Cake Shop in Forest Road and both traditional and contemporary examples of cakes and cake decorating equipment.

Display dates: 3 September - 2 October 2011
Hurstville City Museum & Gallery
14 MacMahon St, Hurstville
ph: 9330 6444

EAT HISTORY at Hurstville City Library, Museum & Gallery

This years History Week is on NOW and the theme is EAT HISTORY! To celebrate Hurstville City Library, Museum & Gallery is hosting three wonderful events:

Sugary Delights: Sugar Art and Cake Traditions on display at Hurstville City Library, Local Studies Room

On display now is a unique collection of cakes and sugar art including sugar art instruction books and booklets, tools and associated utensils. Take the time to look at the intricate details of each cake and observe techniques not commonly practiced today. On display until 11 September 2011.

Eat History: High Tea at Hurstville City Museum & Gallery
To celebrate the theme of Eat History, Hurstville City Museum & Gallery is hosting a high tea! Whilst enjoying some scrumptious high tea goodies, Marian Jones, President of the Cake Decorators Association of NSW, will be hosting a cake decorating and sugar art demonstration.

Wednesday 7 September 2011
Session 1: 10am - 11.30am
Session 2: 2pm - 3.30pm
$10 per person
Hurry spots are limited! Call the Museum & Gallery on 9330 6444 today!

Something Sweet Kids Program at Hurstville City Museum & Gallery
This fun 90 minute workshop is designed to teach the basics of cupcake decorating. Our aim is to encourage kids to explore thier imagination, whilst learning techniques from a bygone era. Materials and tools provided.

Thursday 8 September 2011
4pm - 5.30pm
$5 per child
7 -12 years
Please call to today to secure your spot on 9330 6444! Limited spaces!

Batavia

The events that happened aboard the Dutch East India Company's Batavia in 1629 off the coast of Western Australia is sadly one of the lesser known events of early Australia history. While it takes place over 150 years before Phillip and the First Fleet landed, it is the earliest know landing of Europeans.

But that's only a (very) small part of the story. And what a story it is! Peter Fitzsimons described it as being "a true Adults Only version of Lord of the Flies meeting Nightmare on Elm Street." A slight exaggeration perhaps, but the shipwreck of the Batavia (especially in Fitzsimons rollicking style) tells the tale of the birth of the world's corporation, the brutality of colonisation, the battle of good versus evil, sea-faring adventure, mutiny, shipwreck, love, lust, blood-lust, fascist dictatorship, a reign of terror, murder most foul, sexual slavery, survival, retribution, rescue, first contact with native peoples and much, much more (phew!). No wonder there's talk of turning this book into a movie.

Machine Atlas – the techno expo

Machine Atlas - the techno expo, 28 August 2011.
Anything is possible ... if you have the right machine!
Image courtesy Emma Williams.

Staff from the Library Museum & Gallery attended a fantastic event put on by Shopfront Contemporary Arts & Performance on Saturday evening. Machine Atlas - the techno expo transformed Kogarah Town Square into 'a night market like no other', including performance, film, music, and installation pieces. It was a spectacular (and at times, confronting) feast for the senses. Keep your eye out for future Shopfront events.

Did you attend Machine Atlas? Post your thoughts here.

The Built-in Bookcase