For graphic novel fanatics

Explore the world of graphic novels by clicking on one of the links below:

• Words & Pictures - a virtual museum and portal to the world of comics and graphic novels
• Grovel - a UK web site full of news and reviews
• Graphic-Novels.com - which includes free online stories
• DarkHorse.com - home of Dark Horse comics
• DC Comics.com - well known publisher of comics
• Marvel.com - creators of Spiderman and other famous characters
• TokyoPop - a leader in manga publishing

Recommended - Ride on Stranger

Ride on Stranger - ABC miniseries (DVD) based on the novel by Kylie Tennant

Based on the book by Kylie Tennant, the ABC miniseries, Ride on Stranger, is delightful look at the coming of age of Shannon Jones, a young girl growing up in Australia in the 1930s. Always the odd one out, bright and outspoken Shannon is sent to live with her eccentric aunt. Fortunately for Shannon she doesn’t spend very long with her and ends up in working for a living in Melbourne. An enjoyable DVD to watch especially on cold winter nights.


Click here to search the library catalogue for titles by Kylie Tennant.

Riddle of the Week

Easy riddle:
What starts with T, ends with T and is full of T?

Hard riddle:
I never was, am always to be,
No one ever saw me, nor ever will
And yet I am the confidence of all
To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.
What am I?

Answers to last week's riddles:

What force and strength can not get through, I with a gentle touch can do, and many in the streets would stand, were I not as a friend in hand. What am I?
Answer - A key

I am the beginning of sorrow, and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me, yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never seen out of darkness.
Answer - The letter S

Why do writers write?

Writers have a myriad of reasons for creating stories - everything from childhood influences to being their own boss. Guardian Unlimited has presented a series of online articles that provide a window into the minds of several writers including:

• Maeve Binchy
• Louis de Bernieres
• Philip Pullman

Click here to read the whole series.

Can a comic be a book?

The answer is yes.

Novel length comic books are available for loan from the library, and are known as graphic novels (or GNs for short). They are extremely popular with both teenagers and adults, and are a great way to introduce reluctant readers to books, as they both entertain and educate (in the areas of visual literacy and art, just for starters).

GNs are not comics in the traditional sense. They are usually self-contained stories or anthologies told in a visual way, and published in a more durable format than simple comics. They include traditional superhero stories, as well as the more recent manga phenomenon (originating from Japan), and classic literature stories retold in comic book style.

Click here to search the library catalogue for graphic novels.

Recommended - Francesca's Party

Francesca’s Party by Patricia Scanlan

Francesca’s world is about to be shattered. She (accidentally) discovers that Mark, her husband of 22 years, is having an affair with a much younger, gorgeous work colleague (Nikki). Not like the usual ‘he cheated on me, we’re getting revenge’ story, this book follows how (during a year) Francesca goes from being emotionally and financially dependant on her husband to being self reliant. You also see what Mark’s and Nikki’s lives are like and how what looks perfect from the outside actually isn’t. A most satisfying read.


Click here to search the library catalogue for titles by Patricia Scanlan.

Carpentaria wins Miles Franklin

Alexis Wright's Carpentaria was announced last night as the winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award.

Click on the links below to read reviews of Carpentaria:

• ABC - The Book Show
• The Age
• Sydney Morning Herald

Recommended - The Portable Door

The Portable Door by Tom Holt (Humorous Fantasy)

Paul Carpenter is (just about) the most miserable, socially incompetent, boring person in the world and has finally just got his first job. Unfortunately for him, he’s working at J. W. Wells – a most unusual consulting company, where nothing is what it seems, including who is in charge. Do I need to say that hilarious adventures ensue? Well I won’t, because the best that happens to Paul is that he manages to survive his first couple of months at J. W. Wells (but it’s still funny). For those who are familiar with classic horror and fantasy tales, there is a list of items (stored by the company) that makes interesting reading. A compelling read that make me wish I had a portable door too.

Click here to search the library catalogue for titles by Tom Holt.

World Refugee Day

20 June is World Refugee Day, and the theme of the day is "keeping the flame of hope alive".

To find out more about refugees and their experiences try one of the titles listed below, or click here to search the library catalogue for other items.

• The Arrival by Shaun Tan
• Boy Overboard by Morris Gleitzman
• Cafe Sheherazade by Arnold Zable
• Human Cargo: A Journey Among Refugees by Caroline Moorehead
• No Gun For Asmir by Christobel Mattingley
• Olga's Story by Stephanie Williams
• Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah
• Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples
• Walk In My Shoes by Alwyn Evans
• White Butterflies by Colin McPhedran

Riddle of the Week

Easy riddle:
I am the beginning of sorrow, and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me, yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never seen out of darkness.

Hard riddle:
What force and strength can not get through,
I with a gentle touch can do,
and many in the streets would stand,
Were I not as a friend in hand.
What am I?


Answers to last week's riddles:

• What goes up and down at the same time but never moves? A staircase.
• Only one colour but not one size, stuck at the bottom yet easily flies, present in sun but not in rain, doing no harm and feeling no pain. What am I? A shadow

Create your own media

Did you know each branch library has a PC with professional media and publishing software tools? This software enables you to create and manipulate images, documents, web pages, music and videos.

The PC includes:

• ACID Pro 5 - for music composition and production;
• Adobe Creative Suite - for access to PhotoShop, InDesign, Illustrator and ImageReady; and
• Macromedia Studio MX 2004 - for web development.

Bookings are essential. Contact the ACT Public Library on 6205 9000.

For ravenous readers

Overbooked is the perfect site for booklovers looking for new books to read. Packed with book lists galore, readers can search for read-a-like suggestions, or browse lists by theme, literary style, or place. And take some time to check out the "hot lists" for new and notable book suggestions (including forthcoming titles).

Book now

Bookings are now open for the July school holiday activities. The full program is available on the library web site, and the range of fun activities include:

• Cartooning
• Storytelling
• Folk dancing
• Ferrets,
• Spiders,
• Reptiles,
• Hip hop dancing, and
• Magic.

Bookings are essential for many activities, please phone 6205 9000 or email library.customerinfo@act.gov.au.

Chinua Achebe wins Man Booker Prize

Chinua Achebe has just been announced as the winner of the 2007 Man Booker Prize. His first novel Things Fall Apart was published in 1958, and he has written over twenty books.

The Man Booker International Prize is awarded once every two years to a living author, for a body of work that has contributed to an achievement in fiction on the world stage.

Save your favourites

If you have ever been frustrated by not having access to your bookmarks/favourites when surfing the web, then you probably haven't discovered del.icio.us.

Described as a "social bookmarking" site, Del.icio.us allows you to store and share your favourites on the web, and tag them with relevant subjects. You will find a lot of interesting sites tagged by other people; and it doesn't matter where you use the Internet, you will still be able to access your favourites!

Riddle of the Week

Can you answer this week's riddles?

Easy riddle: What goes up and down at the same time but doesn't move?

Hard riddle:
Only one colour, but not one size
Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies
Present in sun, but not in rain
Doing no harm, and feeling no pain.
What am I?

Answers to last week's riddles:
What can travel around the world while staying in a corner? A stamp
Food can help me survive but water will kill me. What am I? Fire

"Share, reuse, and remix - legally"

If you are not already aware of Creative Commons (CC), it is worth some time exploring. As the site itself says, "Creative Commons provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists, and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry."

Search for licensed work, license your own work, and discover open source tools to help you publish your own CC-licensed images, software, and other media.

Recommended - Toddler Play

Toddler Play edited by Dr. Wendy S. Masi

Filled with fun activities to do with toddlers aged from twelve months to thirty months and up. This book is really well designed with single page and double page spreads, including photos, for each activity. Also included is an explanation of how the activity helps develop your child's skills.

Music, movement, ball games, fingerplays, rhymes, and water play are all part of an inviting book which every parent will find useful.

Orange Prize winner - Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun, the second novel by Nigerian-born Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has won this year's Orange Prize for Fiction. Set during the Nigerian civil war of 1967-70, the story follows three principal characters caught up in the social and political turmoil of war.

Adichie's first novel, Purple Hibiscus, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2004, and won the Commonwealth Writers' Best First Book Award.

The winner of the Orange Award for New Writers was The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly.

Can you solve the Riddle of the Week?

There has been a lot of interest in the "Riddle of the Week" displayed at Woden Library, so we thought it might be a fun addition to our blog. Can you solve the riddle?

Easy riddle: Food can help me survive, but water will kill me. What am I?

Hard riddle: What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?

We'll post the answer next week.

Recommended - Dark Heavens Trilogy

Dark Heavens Trilogy by Kylie Chan (fantasy)

The third book in the Dark Heavens series, Blue Dragon, was released in late 2007 (the others are White Tiger and Red Phoenix). It’s good but it doesn’t finish the story. If I tell you why I’ll spoil it and I’m not going to (I know what happens - gloat, gloat).

For everyone unfamiliar with this series it’s about Emma, a bright, energetic, enthusiastic Aussie working in Hong Kong as a kindergarten teacher who supplements her income by tutoring. Emma enjoys her job but doesn’t like the person she is working for and one day loses her temper and leaves. She ends up as governess for one of the children she was tutoring and if I tell you much more than that I’ll ruin the surprises for you. So go and read it. Also don’t look at the series description on the website because that has general spoilers on it as well. Although I’d classify this as fantasy I think that many people who don’t normally enjoy fantasy will really like this book. I can’t wait for the next one.

Digitised Internet Library

The Internet Archive is a useful portal to access digitised "Internet Library" collections. Founded more than ten years ago, the Internet Archive includes text, audio and movies.

Browse or search archived:

• Web sites - some as far back as 1996;
• Moving images - including everything from classic full-length movies, to alternative news broadcasts and user-uploaded videos;
• Open-access texts - including those with Creative Commons licenses, Project Gutenberg, and other other "free" texts;
• Audio recordings - including live music (eg Grateful Dead concerts), radio shows, book and poetry recordings, podcasts, alternative news; and
• Software - a range of shareware, freeware, previews (including games).

Public holiday - Monday 11 June

All libraries will be closed for the Queen's Birthday public holiday on Monday 11 June 2007.

Book Reporter

Would you like to share what you're reading with booklovers around the world? Join other readers online at BookReporter.com to discover new authors and books, news, reviews and information about books and authors.

Most requested book - May 2007

In May, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows remained the most requested library book. The next most requested book was The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.

Visit the Official Web Site for The Memory Keeper's Daughter for an excerpt from the novel, author interviews and information.