Picture books of joy – podcast 4

Hello lovely podpeople, we got a bit excited this podcast talking about our favourite picture books – and loads of other books too. Margo and I (Tanya) shared what we had recently been reading and listening to:
• Tanya read The Mating Season by P G Wodehouse
• Tanya has been listening to The News Quiz Extra podcast from the BBC
• Margo has been listening to an e-audio book of The Girls by Lisa Jewell
• Margo has just started reading The Witch at Wayside Cross by Lisa Tuttle

New and forthcoming adult books:
A Question of Trust by Penny Vincenzi
A Cornish Gift by Fern Britton
The Midnight Line by Lee Child
The People vs. Alex Cross by James Patterson
Hardcore 24 by Janet Evanovich

New and forthcoming children’s books:
• When I Grow Up by Tim Minchin (author) and Steve Antony (illustrator) (0 – 5 year olds)
• Santa Claude by Alex T Smith (5-7 year olds)
Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball by Laura Ellen Anderson (7-9 year olds)
• The Midnight Peacock by Katherine Woodfine (9-11 year olds)
• All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater (Teen)

DVD recommendations:

Our Reading Agony this week is all about reading with your child. A dad contacted Falkirk Library to ask for ideas for chapter books to read to his 5 yr old. He has been reading picture books, but now feels his daughter would enjoy chapter books, but wasn’t sure what to go for. I’ve suggested a mixture of classic and modern books:
My Naughty Little Sister books by Dorothy Edwards
Milly Molly Mandy by Joyce Lankester Brisley
Paddington Bear by Michael Bond
Olga da Polga books by Michael Bond
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (read it through yourself first though as there is a historically accurate discussion of saving meat to prepare for the winter near the start)
Mrs Pepperpot stories by Alf Proysen
Winnie the witch by Laura Owen (novel type version of the popular picture books)
Betsey Bigalow stories and the Girl Wonder stories by Malorie Blackman
The Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton (although you might want to rename the elf who helps them to Chicky)
• Daisy Meadows books – the fairy books and the magic animal friends series
The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
Anna Hibiscus stories and the No 1 Car Spotter stories by Atinuke
Porridge the Tartan Cat series by Alan Dapre

Staff quote of the day is about Vikki’s fancy dress costume from last year

Our Discussion was all about Picture Books. Margo and I suggest lots and lots to enjoy sharing with the little people in your life:
• The Katie Morag stories by Mairi Hedderwick, especially Katie Morag and the Tiresome Ted
How to Babysit a Grandad by Jean Reagan and illustrated by Lee Wildish
• Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama books, especially Llama Llama Shopping Drama
Nick Sharratt, especially The Foggy, Foggy Forest
• Anything by Julia Donaldson
• Books with few or no words, for example Baby Talk; useful words and noises for babies and grownups and Doing the Washing by Sarah Garland
• Anything by Lynley Dodd
• Judith Kerr , especially The Tiger Who Came to Tea and the Mog books
Martha and the Bunny Brothers series and Lucky Wish Mouse series by Clara Vulliamy
• The Maisy Mouse series by Lucy Cousins
Elmer the Patchwork Elephant books by David McKee
Six Dinner Sid by Inga Moore

Did you know? Picture books – we’ve got ‘em, they’re great, bring a child to read ‘em.  Enjoy together.

Thanks very much for listening and if you want to get in touch with us, then please come and chat with us on Facebook (Falkirk Libraries), Twitter (@LibFalkirk) or here on our website www.librarylovefalkirk.com

Delicious Cookbooks – podcast 3

Hello and welcome, we enjoyed ourselves talking about food on this third Library Love Podcast, with loads of excellent cookbooks suggestions.  Margo, Laura and I (Tanya) shared what we had recently been reading and listening to:
• Tanya read The Witch at Wayside Cross by Lisa Tuttle
• Tanya has been listening to the BBC’s In our time podcast
• Margo has been listening to an audiobook of Chris Brookmyre’s Black Widow
• Laura read David Lagercrantz The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye

New and forthcoming adult books:
The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch
Death in the Stars by Frances Brody
The House of Unexpected Sisters by Alexander McCall Smith
A Legacy of Spies by John le Carre
In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

New and forthcoming children’s books:
Pumpkin competition (0 – 5 year olds)
Ellie Featherbill by Daisy Meadows (5-7 year olds)
Krypto: the origin of Superman’s dog by Michael Dahl (7-9 year olds)
Tom Gates: DogZombies rule (for now) by Liz Pichon (9-11 year olds)
The cost of living by Rachel Ward (Teen)

DVD recommendations:
Wonder Woman (12)
Fate of the Furious (12)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Salaza’s Revenge (12)
Churchill (PG)
The Mummy (15)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (U)
Captain Underpants

Our Reading Agony this week is to help a lady who has just been diagnosed with diabetes – she wants to eat healthily but is really bored of what she’s been eating. We recommended some great cookbooks for her:
Healthy Eating for Diabetes by Antony Worrall Thompson
• Phil Vickery’s Ultimate Diabetes Cookbook
The Everything You Need to Know About Diabetes Cookbook by Karin M Hehenberger
Quick Cooking for Diabetes by Louise Blair
The complete book of diabetic cooking by Bridget Jones

We discuss delicious cookbooks today and Margo, Laura and I had a great time talking about some of the tempting recipes books on our shelves. Cookbooks (or authors) mentioned :
Goodhousekeeping One Pot Cookery
Delia Smith
• Jamie Oliver’s Save with Jamie
Rick Stein, especially his From Venice to Istanbul
Cooking up a storm and Get Cooking by Sam Stern
River Cottage Gluten Free by Naomi Devlin
Madhur Jaffrey’s Eastern Vegetarian Cookery (or anything by her)
Rose Elliot
Cooking Without by Barbara Cousins
Sabor by Nieves Barragán Mohacho
Diana Henry, particularly Crazy water, pickled lemons : enchanting dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa
The Hairy Bikers, particularly The Hairy Dieters. Book 1, How to Love Food and Lose Weight

Staff quote of the day is more dragons

Did you know? Laura tells us about the joy of Reading Groups (for all ages)

Thanks very much for listening and if you want to get in touch with us, then please come and chat with us on Facebook (Falkirk Libraries), Twitter (@LibFalkirk) or here on our website www.librarylovefalkirk.com

 

Turned off books aged only 8? How you can help

Turned off books aged only 8?  Our Reading Agony from podcast 1 has certainly struck a chord with some listeners, so here it is by itself.

As an addition to this mini podcast,  I’ve popped together a few specific authors and books that I think a child, around this age, turned off reading might like to have read to them, or might want to try reading themselves (go gently and don’t force it, folks).  All these books have been read and loved at Library Love HQ:

Books to read to them / audiobooks:

Comics / Graphic Novels:

Stealth books:

 

Chick Lit Strikes Back – podcast 2

Hello pod people, we had lots of chat today on the second Library Love podcast, with loads of great reading suggestions. Tanya, Margo and I (Vikki) shared what we had recently been reading and listening to:
Tanya read The Habit of Murder by Susannah Gregory
and has been listening to The Guilty Feminist podcast (sweary warning)
Vikki read Follow the Dead by Lin Anderson
Margo read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

New and forthcoming adult books:
• Bernard Cornwall – Fools and Mortals
• Joanne Harris – A Pocketful of Crows
• John Grisham – Rooster Bar
• Karen Rose – Edge of Darkness (Cincinnati Series book 4)
• Diane Chamberlain – Stolen Marriage

New and forthcoming children’s books:
Hack and Whack by Francesca Simon
Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: Jingle Bells by Tracey Corderoy
The Girl who saved Christmas by Matt Haig
Matt Millz by Harry Hill
La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One by Philip Pullman

DVD recommendations:
Their Finest (based on book Their Finest Hour and a half by Lissa Evans) (12)
Hidden Figures (PG)
T2 Trainspotting (18)

Our Reading Agony this week “I’ve finished all the Danielle Steel novels and I don’t know who else to read” – we recommend some other authors who write a bit like the hugely popular Steel.

We discuss Chick Lit , why does it have such an offensive title and what types of books does this genre encompass? Some of the titles and authors mentioned:
Missing Wife by Sheila O’Flanaghan
• Marian Keyes – Rachel’s Holiday and Mystery of Mercy Close
• Jojo Moyes – Me Before You
Hester Brown
Jane Austen
Katie Fforde
Cathy Kelly
• Patricia Scanlan – Orange Blossom Days
Contact us with your favourite chick lit book and why we should read it!

Staff quote “No Smiling” (obviously we are having far too much fun planning these podcasts)

Did you know? On these podcasts we are discussing and recommending lots of books and DVDs so we thought it might be useful to remind everyone how to request an item from Falkirk libraries.

Thanks very much for listening and don’t forget to subscribe to Library Love on itunes or your favourite podcast app.