With "Twilight" still on our minds ...

... here's yet more suggestions for fangtastic reading over summer. The librarians have been searching and checking, and so let's see how they shaped up. Vampire fiction list, from Cairns in North Queensland, plus a Read-Alike list , and a few fang sites to check. Oh stop! that's quite enough!

Dead, dying and undead - booklist

If you're thirsting for a bit of ghoulish reading, or just need something to fill the hours (days) till you can read the Twilight trilogy right through, maybe you should get your fangs into some of the titles on this quite long list. And you may be happy to know that it's not all about vampires.

Twilight competition announced

With the movie soon to be released, and with over 110 readers waiting for their chance to read the 20 library copies, we have decided to give some away. That's right, we have 5 copies of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer waiting for 5 lucky readers to win. All you need to do is tell us, in 25 words (or fewer), why you would like to win. Competition starts on December 1st, and closes on December 22nd, so be in it to win a Christmas gift for yourself or someone you love!
Just go to the library website to fill in the online form, or pick one up in your nearest library. One entry per person, and you must be 18 years or younger to win.

Twilight series

Have you got the latest in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer? Readers are already telling me they don't know what they'll read once this is over - it's that good! Unfortunately, I will have to save up and buy them, because the library copies are still in such demand. I've been doing some checking, though, and will start a list of the "readalikes". Meanwhile, if you can suggest any books in a similar vein, please get in touch...

THOSE AWARDS, AND MORE ...

So, those Book Awards were announced - some weeks ago! And the winner is ... "Ghost Child' by Sonya Hartnett. It would have been a difficult choice as all of the short list were great. But, moving on, it's time to choose the "Inkys" - Australia's only teenage choice book awards. The long list was announced on insideadog.com.au. There are 10 Australian books in the list, going for the gold Inky, and 10 international titles vying for the silver Inky. Readers can also win. So check out the website now. And while you're there, have a go at a quiz. You'd be surprised how much you know!

BLACK WATER by David Metzenthen

Reading my way through the CBC shortlist, I have started with the "watery" titles. So ...
David Metzenthen's "Black Water" - It's set in the period of the "Great War" (WWI) when many Australian teenagers enlisted for national service, went to Gallipoli, and didn't come back. Their main motivation, being innocents, was to biff the enemy, and they had little idea who they were. In this story, there are two brothers: the main one (the younger) is at home in a small fishing village in southern Australia (Queenscliffe) living with his father. His mother died some time ago I guess, and his older brother has gone to the war, so he (Farron) and his father (Tom) carry on as "normal". After the father drowns in a storm at sea, then the brother (Danny) returns wounded from the war, the story goes on with thoughts about coping with what you have left. This is a story of loss and loneliness and so I don't recommend it if you are looking for action and adventure. Although action and adventure are available in buckets, there is a strong sense of the price to be paid for the "thrill" of high adventure, whether that be in signing up to go to the war, or in sailing out on the southern ocean. However, if you do like some great character stories, and the kind of book that leaves you wondering what might happen next, and what might have happened if ... then I think you will like it. It has lots of sad bits. I heard it read on the Louis Braille audio book, which gave it some very old voice characteristics that you will not naturally create in your own head. Read it and weep ...

BOOK AWARDS ON THE WAY

Australia's biggest book awards in young people's literature happen in August every year. Today the short list was announced by the Children's Book Council. From this list the winner will come. In the Older Readers category the following books have been selected:

Author	Title	Publisher
FRENCH, Jackie	PHARAOH: THE BOY WHO CONQUERED THE NILE	Angus&Robertson (HarperCollins Australia)
HARTNETT, Sonya	THE GHOST’S CHILD	Viking (Penguin Group Australia)
HEFFERNAN, John	MARTY’S SHADOW	Omnibus Books (Scholastic Australia)
McDONALD, Meme	LOVE LIKE WATER	Allen & Unwin
METZENTHEN, David	BLACK WATER	Penguin Books (Penguin Group Australia)
NORRINGTON, Leonie	LEAVING BARRUMBI	Omnibus Books (Scholastic Australia

Aurealias Awards

The Annual Aurealias Awards recognize Australian writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. The 2007 winners have just been announced, and one of my favourite authors, Anthony Eaton, has won the Young Adult fiction category for Skyfall the second part of his Darklands trilogy . Here are the winners and the judges comments. While you wait for the book to come in to the library, you could read a review. If you have already read the book, send us your comments.