Library News, 14th December 2011
Two racing certainties for Christmas !
Paul Carberry’s Autobiography , One Hell of a Ride , Hugely enjoyable account of his early life as part of the Carberry /Moore racing dynasty, his love of the “ craic” ,hunting and his amazing career as a jump jockey. An honest appraisal of his problems with drink and his brush with the law .
A.P.McCoy. My Biography Probably the greatest jump jockey of all time grew up in rural Antrim with no racing pedigree . An introduction to Billy Rock set him on a path that would lead to ride 3000 winners over jumps and become the BBC Sports Personality of the year 2010. Beautifully written with the assistance of Donn McLean . A must read for any racing fan!
Other book recommendations
The River House by Margaret Leroy
A well-respected psychologist and married mother of two is faced with a terrible dilemma. During an illicit affair carried out in an abandoned river house she witnesses a murder. Should she keep quite about it thereby allowing the killer to go free or risk all by confessing the truth?
Solace by Belinda McKeon
Solace is set between Longford and Dublin. The central characters are college-goer Mark Casey, his parents who pressurise him to take over the family farm and his girlfriend Joanne who unexpectedly becomes pregnant very early in their relationship.
Tragedy befalls and Mark is left to pick up the pieces.
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
Set on a farm in Mississippi at the end of World War 2 this is a story about racism and well kept family secrets. It explores the relationship between the land owners and sharecroppers who live and work on it and has plenty of twists and tragedies thrown in.
The Family by Martina Cole
Another intriguing book, based around the intricacies of a gangster family & the lengths they go to, both to uncover and bury the truth.
Mary Berry’s Traditional Puddings and Desserts – A very easy to follow cook book, with everyday ingredients, and pictures of different techniques included. Fabulous recipe for carrot cake! Perfect comfort food for the new year.
Kilkenny in focus – Photographs and memories over 50 years by Tom Brett
A pictorial history of Kilkenny with photographs of places and people involved in Fatima Place, The Dogs, The Gaelic league, ballrooms, hotels, The Kilkenny People to name but a few. Great photos – some sad, some happy, including “Boys as Girls – boys from CBS dressed in female finery for a school concert in the 1960’s” The stories that will come from looking at these photos!
Recommendations for children
2012 will be the anniversary of the sinking of The Titanic. 4 books in the children’s library worth reading are Titanic by Cora Harrison, Spirit of the Titanic by Nicola Pierce, Titanic by Arthur McKeown and Titanic Tragedy by Vincent McDonnell.
Dirty Bertie (Picture book) – David Roberts
Bertie’s naughtiness appeals to all in this simple story about all of his very bad habits, from nose picking to dog licking!
Before You Sleep-Benji Bennett
Another beautiful bedtime story in the series about Adam.
Piggley Makes a Pie (Based on “Jakers- The Adventures of Piggley Winks” programme– Wendy Wax
When Piggley’s mother leaves her freshly baked apple pie to cool, Piggley and his friends can’t resist the temptation. Adventure looms when they decide to bake a replacement! This simple but fun story also has some pictures replacing words in the text, which is both interactive and educational.
All the above recommendations are available in the libraries.
The Book Clubs of Kilkenny Library Service have produced a newsletter which gives dates, times and venues of meetings. It also has book news, reviews and recommendations. The newsletters are available in all libraries and on library website at www.kilkennylibrary.ie
City Library
New Year New Book Club:
If you are interested in joining an informal book club which will meet in John’s Quay, please leave your name at the desk or email citylibrary@kilkennylibrary.ie .The first meeting will be on Wednesday 25th January from 11.30-12.30pm in the library.
Flash Fiction….coming soon…..
Interested in writing? Why not try your hand at Flash Fiction? Flash Fiction is a very short story that can be enjoyed quickly! The challenge is be to create a complete (and hopefully compelling!) story within the limited amount of 300 words. Stories should be suitable for the general public, and emailed to citylibrary@kilkennylibrary.ie . Closing date for entries is 15th January. Selected work will be displayed from the month of February.
Christmas Tips & Treats Tree
See recipes, tips and treats for Christmas on the library Christmas Tree
Money worries?
How the City Library, John's Quay can help you:
A visit to the library can be enjoyed by the entire family, from great-grandparents to babies and it costs nothing.
Membership is Free for most people, and entitles you to borrow books, Cd's and magazines and use the internet for a whole year!
Teach yourself skills/crafts– knit a tea-cosy, make your own birthday cards, grow your own vegetables, redecorate DIY style…..
Browse through our cookery books and magazines for delicious homecooked recipes.
Use the internet service to do your shopping online and avoid filling your trolley with temptations found in the aisles!
The Recession Board is still on-going, with details of jobs and local groups that may be able to help/advise you.
Shoebox appeal:
Thanks to all those that donated gift-filled shoeboxes at the library. 3,764 boxes went from Kilkenny to Rwanda.
Loughboy
Toddler Hour-continues on Thursday22nd at 11.30 am. There will be a Christmas theme. During December the children and their parents/carers have already made advent calendars, snowflakes and baubles and have heard many great stories about Santa and his little helpers. All are welcome…
An Exhibition of Angels-by artist Caroline Sloane is on view until 23rd Dec. Caroline is a local artist and has worked on a variety of creative projects in Kilkenny over the years. She believes that everyone has the capacity to be creative and spread their wings just like her angels on show.
Christmas Spirit-enjoy the beautiful Christmas window at Loughboy Library kindly painted by Alice Croughan, Garringreen, Kilkenny.
Scrabblefor over 50s takes place every Wednesday at 2pm. The weekly prizes for the highest score in this popular word game has been won by Gemma Campion and Marian Ryan-the score to beat stands at 30. All are welcome.
Riveting Reads Book Club-the next meeting is scheduled for Thursday Jan 5th at 10.30am in the library and copies of the chosen books “The Cookbook Collector” and “When God was a Rabbit” are available at the library.
Castlecomer
In late November a Christmas Floral Demonstration was held in the library. Eva Holmes of Darver House Nurseries was the hostess.
65 people attended and it was a very successful event with people from across the North Kilkenny area attending.
On the night a film crew from COCO Television production was in attendance. They were filming a segment for a forthcoming TV programme called “Don’t tell the Bride” which will be aired next February. A local man will be the groom in question and for the purposes of the programme he needed to procure a wedding bouquet! Eva Holmes kindly incorporated this into the demonstration. The groom and his men were unlikely active members of the audience!
The Polar Express at Loughboy Library 22nd December at 6.30pm.
The reading and dramatisation of the book, The Polar Express by Mary Cradock is booked out. Entry by ticket only. The numbers attending is limited due to small space so no tickets on the door that night.
Opening hours during Christmas and New Year. The libraries will close from 2pm on 23rd December until usual opening times on 3rd January. Extra books may be borrowed for this closed period. Books on loan at the moment will not be due back when the libraries are closed. Library staff wish all their customers a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year. Thank you for supporting the service during 2011 and we look forward to meeting you regularly during 2012.