Library News
Library News
Dear Students and Staff,
I hope you’ve all had a good staged return to campus over the past weeks. It’s been great to have all students back, able to access the library and to have the buzz around the school again.
In the week before holidays it’s a great time to pick up some good books to read and enjoy. I hope that this news post will give you some good ideas for holiday reading.
New-look Library website:
We have created a new library website that brings together links to our catalogue, online resources and databases, research skills site and updates about what is happening at the library. You can find a link to the library site on the portal (image below) and a direct link here: Link to site here
Request a book package:
On the library website we have also created a new book suggestion request page, if you feel like a good book but not sure where to start we can help! Here is a link to the book suggestion request form: link here to book request form
This form allows you to submit a book request directly to me so that I can put together a book bundle for you. The form is created to ask about the kind of books you enjoy to read and how many books you would like (1-3) so that I can put together a tailored book pile just for you! Once your request is received through the form, I will send you an email when your books are ready to collect from the library.
New books at the library:
We have some new titles as part of a subscription to Lamont Books which come with great review articles to give you a taste of each book- you can read the reviews on our library website and by clicking on the titles below:
Lamont Reviewed:
Again Again by e. lockhart
The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska
The End of the World is Bigger than Love by Davina Bell
The Schoolmaster's Daughter by Jackie French
Fiction:
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
True Stories:
Adventures of a young naturalist
21 letters on life and its challenges
Non-fiction:
The Art of Statistics : Learning from Data by David Spiegelhalter (not a Lamont title but tackling interesting topics)
Interesting articles:
Magpies vol.35 no.2 May/June 2020
Reading the Other : Empathy through Fiction by Wendy Orr
This article discusses how we engage with what we read and in particular how it allows us to step into the shoes of another. The act of reading can therefore shape how we interact with the word and further define and colour our understanding of experiences outside of our day to day lives. Interestingly the article discusses how Fiction is a particularly good tool for developing this kind of empathy and understanding and that our experience of reading True Stories, Biographies and Memoirs is slightly different.
GoodReads
Resilience in Reading Jane Austen
“When hard times hit, debut author Natalie Jenner turned to rereading Jane Austen for solace. That coping mechanism eventually led to her writing historical fiction novel, The Jane Austen Society. Jenner talked with Goodreads about the joy of writing and the comfort of reading during a pandemic.” GoodReads
Top reading picks from popular authors
“Looking for the perfect recommendations for your upcoming reading plans? We asked some of the most popular authors on Goodreads to select books for their readers. See what Margaret Atwood, James McBride, Anne Tyler, Ottessa Moshfegh, John Scalzi, and many more writers are picking just for you!” GoodReads
June Book Review:The Great Cave Rescue by James Massola
‘The Great Cave Rescue’ recounts the story of the Thai boys soccer team (players and coach) rescued from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai Province. The rescue took place in June and July 2018, 2 years on and it is a story I remember following anxiously on the news. Reading this book now has been timely as it shows how people from around the world all came together to help the boys escape the cave system. For anyone looking to read more true stories and biographies this is a great book to read. Although the writing is very simple the story keeps you wanting to know more, I didn’t want to put this book down. It is at times hard hitting when you realise what the boys and rescue teams went through but ultimately it has such a positive ending that leaves you feeling amazed at how this rescue came together with all the people involved. Even though you’ll be familiar with the story it includes fascinating details about what unfolded, this is definitely both about the journey of reading. Even though you know the end outcome, realising the difficulties of this rescue left me in awe of how this was pulled off and it is really a case of people from all over the world working together at their very best.
I hope you all have a great and very well-deserved holiday break!
Take Care All
Ms. Veldsman