Friday, September 11, 2009

The Eastern Regional Library Show 2nd September 2009 & 9th September 2009

Library staff members Lesley Conway and Pia Butcher run a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 98.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next Wednesday for a great show. We've got updates for the last couple of radio shows.

2nd September
 
Devotees of Jane Austen do not tear your hair. In spite of the title, Lyn Baines thinks the novel Jane Austen ruined my life by Beth Pattillo is a good read. Here is the review she placed on Reader's Corner Reviews -  
"I’m not a fan of the many Austen sequels, prequels & other novels cashing in on the popularity of one of my favourite authors. This novel is an exception as it uses Austen’s life & work in an intriguing way. Emma Grant is an American academic. Her life is falling apart. Her husband has been unfaithful & she’s lost her job due to an unfounded allegation of plagiarism. Emma has been contacted by Mrs Parrot, a mysterious woman who hints that she has access to over a thousand unpublished letters by Jane Austen. Emma sees publishing the letters as a way of regaining her academic reputation. So, she goes to England to meet Mrs Parrot. Emma is sent on a series of journeys to places associated with Jane – Bath, Lyme, Winchester - & must pass tests at each place to be allowed to read more of the letters & discover more about the secret at the heart of Austen’s life. Emma also meets up with Adam, an old friend who is also in London doing research. Is his interest in Emma altruistic or is he chasing the same prize? The plot has a few holes in it, but Emma is an engaging character & a tour of Jane Austen’s England is always a pleasant way to spend an afternoon."
The other title Lyn reviewed today was House of treason by Robert Hutchinson. It deals with the fortunes of the Dukes of Norfolk from the second duke who fought at Bosworth for Richard III to plotters who were beheaded both in the reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The book also paints a broad and grim picture of life under the Tudors, Hutchinson sees Tudor  England  in the same light we view Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Russia, a world of spies, informers, rigged trials and lack of compassion. A "riveting story, splendidly told".
 
Music was from The cook and the chef : our favourite music and B B King.
 
9th September
 
A bit of a mixed bag today, making the most of the opportunity to let you know about  databases and resources which you might not otherwise have discovered. If you have not already checked out what is available through our Online Resources, take a look today. The Health and Wellness Resource Center is a wide ranging database which is informative on 'Diseases and conditions', 'Alternative medecine', 'Drugs and Herbal remedies' and 'Health Assessment'. If you are after a specifically Australian resource, the Victorian government has a terrific web site 'Better Health Channel' at www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au which has  fact sheets on specific conditions, resources and tools, suggestions and recipes for healthy eating and links to health services and support groups. There are many similar and useful links available from  Webs Link Wiki : Health on this site. 
 
And finally, for those keen to explore ebooks, go to Global Books in Print, via Online Resources on our webpage and follow this series of steps....Click on the Advanced Search button ion the GBIP home page, scroll down to the last box in the Limit Your Search Results area which is headed Full Text. In the drop down menu select 'ebrary' and if you then click search you will have access to a list of some 92/614 titles. Of course if you would like to narrow your search down a bit, you can enter appropriate search terms in 'Keyword in title', 'Author' or 'Subject.
 
Music today was from David Jones' Colour of the drum and Two men with the blues, a wonderful collaboration between Willy Nelson and Wynton Marsalis.
 
 
---- Lesley

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