Meet the Author Fiona McIntosh Thursday 7th July 2011

Another fascinating author has visited us at Mount Gambier Library and entertained us with her humour and lively mind. Fiona McIntosh held a large audience enthralled as she described how she took up writing, her modus operandi and hints for other authors, with many fascinating side-trips like how her family nursed an injured bird - a crow named Ricciuto.

Fiona is unique in that she writes in four different genres - fantasy, crime, historical fiction and children's. Fields of Gold is her latest, a work of faction as she likes to call it, set in India and featuring an Anglo-Indian family based on her own great-grandparents.

Fiona McIntosh signing a book for a fan.

Meet the author Nicole Alexander Thursday 2nd June 2011

What a great speaker and nice person!

An appreciative audience heard Nicole Alexander talk about her book
The Bark Cutters and its sequel The Changing Land, Australian rural fiction that switches from modern-day to historical times.

Unusually for a new author, Nicole hit the best-seller lists quickly and has remained there with her second book.

Nicole Alexander signs copies of her books for fans.

 future events for Friends of the Library at
http://folevents.blogspot.com/

Big Book Sale

The Big Book Sale will run over 2 days at the Library

Saturday 9th July—Sunday 10th July 2011
opening at 9am.

New stock will be available for Sunday

We're accepting donations now -

bring us your unwanted books, cds, dvds, magazines, jigsaws.

There will be a BIG RAFFLE drawn on Saturday 9th July.

Many generous donations from local businesses have resulted in a wheelbarrow full of surprises - over $1000 worth!

Get your tickets at the Library
$2 each
Friends of the Library will be in attendance most days to sell tickets:
we want to raise money to buy more audio books on CD.

The Big Book Sale Raffle

Donors include: 

Banner Hardware, Barbara & Max Lightbody, Barry Mac, Bunnings, Camping World, Chapmans, Cocky’s Autocare, Conboys, DJ Interiors, Eddies, Fascination House of Gifts, Finer Details, Holiday Design, She’s Apples, Mitre 10, Murray T. Martin, Neds, Radio Rentals, Rubber & Plastics, Samsons, Target, Toy Stampede, 

UFS Pharmacy, Yoeys, Youngs Men’s Store.


Friends of the Library South Australia

Helen and Cynthia represented Mount Gambier at the 9th State Forum held in Adelaide at the State Library.
There was an opening address by Alan Smith Director State Library SA
and a presentation by Peter Zajicek of the Conservation Dept.

After morning tea the various FOL representatives reported on their recent activities: Adelaide, Murray Bridge, Unley, Prospect, Barossa, Salisbury, Willunga/Aldinga, Stirling and Mt Gambier.

Cynthia and Helen with Peter Zajicek

Meet the Author Fiona Palmer

Future Events for Friends of the Library at

http://folevents.blogspot.com/

Fiona Palmer, author of The Family Farm and Heart of Gold, travelled from her home in rural Western Australia to talk to us about how she came to write her books.

Before Fiona's talk we were entertained by local folk-singers Christy and Jason and their dancing Ruby.

Fiona sat and chatted informally and gave a delightful talk.

There's hope for those of us who can't spell!

Fiona Palmer lives in the tiny rural town of Pingaring in Western Australia, three and a half hours south-east of Perth. She discovered Danielle Steele at the age of eleven, and has finally written her own brand of rural romance. She has attended romance writers' groups and received an Australian Society of Authors mentorship for her first novel, The Family Farm.

She has extensive farming experience, does the local mail run, and was a speedway-racing driver for seven years. She currently works two days a week at the local shop in between writing her next book and looking after her two small children.

Fans gathered around to have her sign their books.



Fire and Song by Anna Lanyon

Future Events for Friends of the Library at
http://folevents.blogspot.com/

 Visit of Anna Lanyon

Anna is the author of Fire and Song, an epic historical novel based on the life of Luis de Carvajal, his mother and his sisters, who died together in Mexico City in 1596, exploring his determination never to lose heart, and to cling to his Jewish faith and cultural identity - the Law of Moses.

Anna, who now lives at Portland,  described how she discovered a treasure trove of inquisition transcripts in Mexico and the long time it took to translate them from the original Spanish and write her book.

Anna Lanyon

Pat Hussey played the guitar for our enjoyment before and after the talk.

Saturday 9th April 2011

A seminar with guest speaker Julian Burnside QC on the subject of Human Rights in Times of Stress was to have taken place at the Library but had to transfer to the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre due to a large enrollment.

Friends of the Library supplied afternoon tea.

Members of the Probus Walking Group volunteered to help prepare food.
L-R: Raelene, Marie, Nora, Ruth, Patricia and Chris.

Afternoon tea in the foyer of Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre
(Sir Robert's birthday: he would have been 102)

 

Barbie's wardrobe, made by Ethel Gleed, was raffled by the Friends at March and April's Arts & Crafts Markets.

Ethel was on hand to draw the winning ticket and the lucky winner was
Glenys Hughes of Mount Gambier.

Betty, Caroline, Ethel - drawing the ticket - and Nora

Bound by Books Sunday 27th March 2011

Forthcoming events are at http://folevents.blogspot.com/

Book groups in Mount Gambier and Districts met for a quick overview on what they have been reading - all extremely varied including a trip to the theatre - before moving on to the book under discussion by the panel. 

The book for discussion was The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver which proved to be a very meaty choice with lots of points for discussion, ranging through art, politics, newspaper reporting, homosexuality and the McCarthy-era witchhunts.
The central part of the book  features the lives of Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and Lucia Pichler, Director of Riddoch Art Gallery, brought along reproductions of some of their artworks.

Panel members: Louise Rockne, Marg Kaethner,
moderator Lucia Pichler
Diana Wiseman and Sonya Meznic

Not everyone liked all aspects of the book but it certainly gave rise to some interesting concepts and all agreed the ending is wonderful.

Marg Kaethner makes a point.

The usual delicious afternoon tea was supplied
by Friends of the Library committee.

Mary Leech was the winner of the raffle, a copy of The Lacuna.
The panellists' copies have been returned to stock in the Library and are available for loan.

Launch of eAudiobooks

Forthcoming events are at http://folevents.blogspot.com/

The theme was green for Mount Gambier Library's launch of Bolinda Digital's audiobooks.

In a first for South Australia libraries you can download a book from the wide range available, direct from Mount Gambier Library's website, onto any MP3 player.

Friends of the Library donated 4 MP3 players
as prizes for people attending the launch.
Thank you Harvey Norman and Target.

Library staff will show you how to download

or go to the Library website and follow the prompts.