fav ... ourite books ... the lists

fave books ... the lists

Greeting YPLibbers!

Sorry I can't be at the meeting in Ipswich today. However, I'm with you in spirit, as they say. If you have had time to look at my new experiment - you'll be looking at it right now! Here are some points I have noticed since beginning this blog. Hope it makes some sense.

1. Blogs are very easy to maintain, once the initial set-up is achieved. I experienced the same frustration as new users of free email systems like Hotmail - eg, finding a memorable username and password that isn't already taken.

2. You don't have to be too clever to make a blog look OK, such as adding images, but you do need to be a bit organised, and sometimes very patient. If at first you don't succeed ...

3. Because blogs are chronological it's easy for everyone to see how committed you are by the recency and regularity of the posting.

4. It's easy to link to other sites, and a lot of blogs seem to be mainly links. I found it was possible to link to our library catalogue, so each title mentioned in reviews takes you back to the record where you can reserve the item if you want. The links to the left stay there, and can be changed or added to by modifying the template.

5. I think it would be necessary to publicise a blog like this one, to get some interest among young readers and to gather some feedback. I had thought of developing one for homework topics, or to run a trivia quiz online, or maybe a young writers' group.

6. The comments function can be manipulated a little, so you can delete unwanted remarks or restrict those allowed to comment in a number of ways.

7. Anyhow ... that's all for now. Back to your meeting. See you all next time.

Golem

Golem: n. a human image brought to life; a robot; a shapeless thing
Golem, a five-part series written jointly by three authors, has been called a " funny, scary and streetwise techno-thriller". I'm half-way through the second book and I must keep reading ...
The series hosts a multitude of characters whose perceptions of the "golem" phenomenon all differ and overlap. There's Majid, who began it all by winning a state-of-the-art computer, his English teacher and part-time computer gamer who helps him instal it, the year 8 class with it's usual ratbags and the residents of Hummingbird Tower. Golem appears to be a pirate game which installs itself on Majid's new computer and lures the player into the game only to shut down abruptly just when it gets interesting. The many story threads include mysterious events in the basement of Hummingbird Tower, sinister characters who must have Majid's computer, an inexplicable attraction to a product called "farting goo". There's a great scene in the school library when all the computers become "infected" with the Golem virus, to the consternation of Miss Minx, the school librarian. It's far too much to talk about here, and anyway this is keeping me from reading. Check out the website. And here's a reader review.

Chasing Charlie Duskin

Cath Crowley's second novel about teenage girls, their trials and triumphs, "Chasing Charlie Duskin", has finally reached the top of my enormous mountain of books that must be read. Cath Crowley's characters have many talents - they just need some help discovering them. In "The life and times of Gracie Faltrain" Gracie's passion is soccer. With Charlie Duskin it's music. Charlie's story is told alternately from the viewpoints of two girls: Charlie (Charlotte) from the city - introverted, bullied throughout her school life, alone - on holidays for the summer at her grandparents' in a small country town; and Rose who's brought up in the country - bright, confident and bossy - wanting to get out and see the world. You can read about it in the Courier Mail - or catch a review by a teenager reader - or better still read the book yourself. It's terrific.

Coming soon ...

I’ve been looking at some new books to add to the library’s collection. Here’s a preview of some things to come. You can click on the title to go to the Noosa Library catalogue, then use your library card number and PIN to reserve the book when it arrives.

Glint by Ann Coburn. “Glint blurs the boundaries between our world and another with two fantastic adventures running in parallel.” Read the review from Reading Matters.

Persephone: secrets of a teenage goddess by Jennifer Cook. You may already know the ancient Greek myth of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter – allegedly abducted and taken to the Underworld by Hades. In this modern reconstruction, Persephone tells her own version of the story.

Surviving Amber by Charlotte Calder. Reading Time magazine said: “…with a keen ear for contemporary teenager language [the author] tapped into the heartaches, embarrassments and anxieties of adolescent relationships … a satisfying and fast-paced read”. What do you think?

Mad arm of the Y by David McRobbie. “Here is a story that will take hold of you … and not let you go”! David McRobbie is one of the 10 Queensland authors whose books are being promoted in the U.S. If you have audio, you may still be able to listen to David’s interview on ABC Queensland

The curse of Zohreh by Sophie Masson. The author’s own website “will lead you down the path of incredible stories”, and if you click here you will be transported to her own explanation of this exciting adventure full of “revenge, magic, love and hatred – and a curse so powerful it has lasted for centuries!”

Mean spirits [The Mediator #3] by Meg Cabot. According to Susannah Simon – the sassiest ghost-hunter ever! – “Most people do not end up as ghosts. God forbid. If that were true, my social life would be SO over.” More about Meg Cabot – look here