Reginald Hill, 1936-2012

Crime writer extraordinaire Reginald Hill sadly passed away in January this year. Hill was probably best known for his creation of Yorkshire's finest: Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel and DCI Peter Pascoe (who, of course, were made even more famous by the BBC television series starring Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan), but was a prolific author having written over 50 stories in a career spanning from 1970 up to what will be his final published work in 2013. I'm sure his wonderful, rich style will be missed by crime lovers everywhere.

Dumplings, Fried Rice and Hot Pots: Regional Cooking in China

Proudly sponsored by Kip McGrath Education Centres St George

Did you know that there are eight distinct regional styles of Chinese cooking? Explore Hurstville City Museum & Gallery's exhibition to learn about the unique cooking techniques and characteristics of Chinese cuisine. Also on show is a selection of antique food carriers, on loan from Anna Lee of the Chinese Australian Historical Society. Items on display include a 19th century tea pot holder or 'tea cosy', designed to keep a pot of tea warm. The tea could be poured using the two handles, without having to remove the teapot from the holder.

Don't miss your last change to see these unique objects. Dumplings, Hot Pots and Fried Rice: Regional Cooking in China must close this Sunday 26 February at 5.00pm.

For more information, go to our website or contact the Museum & Gallery.

Creative Cards for St Valentine's Day

Participants at recent our Be My Valentine workshop spent an afternoon decorating a card and envelope for Valentine's Day. Also on the agenda was the fine art of weaving paper hearts, which turned out to be quite tricky (until you got the hang of it)! As you can see, the class came up with some beautiful and imaginative designs.

What kind of art and craft activities would YOU like to see happen at Hurstville City Museum & Gallery? Post your thoughts here or contact the Museum & Gallery at museumgallery@hurstville.nsw.gov.au

Free Oscar Nominated Movies

The Academy Awards are happening this weekend. The library have several Oscar nominated movies in our collection that are free to borrow. We will be purchasing a selection of other nominated titles which will be added to our collection over the coming months. Keep checking here to see what title's are coming in.
The Help - nominated for Best Picture; Actress in a Leading Role (Viola Davis); Actress in a Supporting Role (Jessica Chastain & Octavia Spencer)
The Tree of Life - nominated for Best Picture; Cinematography and Directing.
Bridesmaids - nominated for Actress in a Supporting Role and Writing Original Screenplay
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - nominated for Art Direction; Make-up; Visual Effects
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - nominated for Visual Effects
Jane Eyre (2011) - nominated for Costume Design

Good luck to George (Clooney) and Melissa McCarthy, loved her in Bridesmaids and love George in anything he does.

What is your favourite past Oscar winning movie? Tell us about it by posting the title here.

Consumer Health Complete Database...become better informed about your health.

It has often been said that if a person possesses good health, they possess one of the greatest human blessings. It is interesting to note that many of the New Year’s Resolutions that we make, revolve around health; we want to lose weight, get fit, stop smoking, stop drinking and to generally lead healthier lifestyles.

Many people “google” information on health issues on the internet, but they don’t always find reliable or authentic information. Hurstville Library has a great health database called Consumer Health Complete which contains information on mainstream and complementary medicine. Library members can access information on a variety of topic including aging, cancer, diabetes, drugs and alcohol, and nutrition and dietetics.

A couple of years ago, one of my sisters became ill with acute myeloid leukaemia. I was able to access some fantastic information which gave me a greater understanding of the disease and made me feel better able to cope with the situation. Consumer Health Complete provides reliable health information at your fingertips – just log in from home (or in the library) using your Hurstville library card.

Rayyan.

Free Award Winning Music Downloads

The list below contains award winners from the Golden Guitar Awards and the Grammys and available for free download from Freegal via the library website. If you are a member of Hurstville City Library you can download up to 3 titles per week free of charge. It is very easy. Go the the library website, click on eLibrary Catalogue then the Freegal link, type in your library card number and pin number and away you go.


Grammy winners
*Wasting Light by the Foo Fighters - winners for Best Rock Album; Best Rock Song (Walk); Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance (White Limo); Best Rock Performance (Walk).
*Duets II by Tony Bennett and Various Artists - winner for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album; Best Pop Duo for Body & Soul with Amy Winehouse.
*Revelator by Tedeschi Trucks Band - winner for Best Blues Album

Golden Guitar winners
*Songs & Pictures by Beccy Cole - winner for Female Artist of the Year
*Mr & Mrs by O'Shea by The O'Shea's - winner for New Talent of the Year.
If you are a Whitney Houston fan Freegal have lots of her songs to download so why not take a look at downloading them for free?

National Year of Reading

To celebrate National Year of Reading we at Hurstville Library took to the streets of Mortdale. Early morning travellers were given free books from the Library to enjoy and pass onto others when finished. A great morning was had by all.

AACTA Awards for Documentaries and Television Programmes

The documentary and television program titles below are in the library collection and all award winners at the recent AACTA Awards.
Mrs. Carey's Concert - winner of Best Feature Length Documentary
SAS: the search for Warriors - winner of Best Documentary Series
Out of the Ashes - winner of Best Cinematography in a Documentary
Murundak: songs of Freedom - winner of Best Sound in a Documentary
The Slap - winner of Best Tele-feature, Mini Series or Short Run Series; winner of Best Screenplay in Television; winner of Best Actor in a Television Series (Alex Dimitriades); winner of Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Series (Diana Glenn)
Sisters of War - winner of Best Actress in a Television Series (Sarah Snook)
Paper Giants: the birth of Cleo - winner of Switched on Audience Choice Award for Best Performance in Television (Asher Keddie)
Cloudstreet- winner of Best Young Actor (Lara Robinson); winner of Outstanding Achievement in Television Screen Craft
Angry Boys - winner of Best Performance in a Television Comedy
Tell us what DVD you would like to see in the collection. Post the title here.

Year of Reading thoughts

I have been thinking about what the Year of Reading can achieve and there are ways that as a community we can all work together to make sure people, and young people especially, can enjoy all the benefits that reading can offer.

There are people in our community who do not enjoy reading, not because they don't like it, more that they don't have the proper skills that they may have missed out on. There are very legitimate reasons that impact on that person and their abilities. The feelings that those people experience everyday in not being able to read or read well as a necessity, let alone for enjoyment, affects their life and confidence. If we can share our enjoyment and gift of reading with others who struggle with this during 2012 and beyond, then we will all be richer for sharing. For those that love to read, it's a year to celebrate the benefits reading adds to your life.

Lisa - Children's Library

Stock Up

Why not catch a glimpse of what is on show at our next Stockup at Hurstville City Library, Tuesday the 14th February. Starting at 11am and continuing through the day.

It will be a day to remember.

Not only is it the launch day for the National Year Reading 2012 - Love to Read, it is also Valentines Day

AACTA Awards for Australian Feature Films

The Samsung AACTA Awards were held on Tuesday 31st January. Our DVD collection holds a selection of nominees and winners. Today's highlight is Australian Feature Film Awards.
Red Dog - winner of Best Australian Feature Film and AFI Members Choice Award
Oranges and Sunshine - winner of Best Supporting Actor (Hugo Weaving)
Snowtown - winner of Best Direction of an Australian Feature Film; winner of Best Adapted Screenplay; winner of Best Editing; winner of Best Sound; winner of Best Actor (Daniel Henshall); winner of Best Supporting Actress (Louise Harris)
Griff The Invisible - winner of Best Original Screenplay
Legend of the Guardians; The Owl's of Ga'Hoole - winner of Best Visual Effects
Mad Bastards - nominee for Best Feature Film
In my next blog I will highlight award winners for documentaries and television.
Do we have your favourite movie in our collection? Post the title here and tell us about it.

Author Talk: Arwa El Masri at Hurstville City Library

Share an evening with Arwa El Masri whose memoir Tea with Arwa: one woman's story of faith, family and finding a home in Australia has become a bestseller with its focus on how alike we all are, regardless of faith as we seek safety, love and a sense of home. Arwa was born in Saudi Arabia in 1976 and as the child of Palestinian migrants was a stateless person. Just before her 9th birthday her parents came to Australia to give Arwa and her sisters a place to call home. Although it took some time for Arwa to feel at home in Australia and for her to reconcile her Muslim faith with life as a young woman in Western Sydney she became an Australian citizen in 1990. Part of her fascinating story is her courtship and marriage to legendary Rugby League player Hazem El Masri.


Thursday 16 February 2012 @ 7.30pm
Hurstville City Library cnr Queens Rd & Dora St, Hurstville
FREE EVENT
Bookings 9330 6142 or in person at the Information Desk
Copies of Tea with Arwa will be available for sale & signing

Be My Valentine

It's nearly Valentine's Day! Join us at the Museum & Gallery for a fun afternoon of papercrafts and make a handmade card for your Valentine. Participants will take home a handmade card, envelope, and a small woven paper gift basket.

Sunday 12 February 2012
2.30pm - 4.30pm $5 per person
Hurstville City Museum & Gallery
14 MacMahon St, Hurstville

Ages 12 to adult
Refreshments and materials provided, places are limited
Bookings on 9330 6444 or museumgallery@hurstville.nsw.gov.au

Image courtesy Bing Wu