Storytime

Book Week is not only a great excuse to dress up (working in youth services in a public library) it also opens up a great chance for some wonderful discussions. What is your favourite book? What was your favourite book as a child? Do you have a favourite author? A book you reread over and over again? Dressing up means we get some great feedback. From 'WOW you look great' to 'what on earth are you meant to be?' and 'Is there something special going on?" This year I encouraged my Storytimers to dress up and the majority made the most of it. It was great to see superheroes such as Spiderman, Batman and Captain America...we had four Elsa's from Frozen and a few Disney princesses...a witch, Princess Leia, a 'cool' kid and assorted warriors.... and I was one of four unicorns. Love it when the crew at work throw themselves into it. At Storytime we discussed the CBCA Book Week. We talked about how impossible  difficult it would be to be a...

I am a reader, always have been. I read for pleasure and enjoyment. In fact it's part of my nightly ritual, to read in bed before I go to sleep. Sometimes tiredness overrules and the book is put down after half an hour, other times and I'm reading and reading until I realise it is a silly hour in the morning and I have to get up soon. I always have a stack of books by the bed. In fact I begin to worry when I'm down to reading my last book. Small case of abibliophobia- the fear of running out of reading material. Which frankly, would never happen, as there are bookcases full of books in this house...but...the worry persists. Over time I have noticed I have changed the way I read. Now I read as a writer. I'm pulled out of the story with inconsistent details. I'm annoyed by sloppy writing. Frustrated by bad dialogue. I listen to audio books in the car on my way to work and back. I've found that mysteries/ thrillers/ crime stories keep my interest on the...

Part of my day job is working with children and their parents. From new born babies all the way up to teens and I'm always amazed when someone will ask 'but how do you make books fun?' To me, it's very very simple. You begin when they are babies and make books a part of their life. You give them books before they even know what they are about. You let them feel them, play with them, yes even bite them (it's how babies learn). And you read to them, whenever, wherever. A board book takes only a few minutes to read. But what it offers up to children is 100 times more. It promotes brain development, improves concentration, builds up a child's imagination, teaches them new things, helps with language skills and vocabulary. The list goes on and on.... It's also a great way to strengthen your relationship. But the main thing is to make children realise that books are FUN. Recently we had two of the grandchildren here, and as naturally as co...

Bit lame to say but we are all different. Different in so many ways and it's our differences that make us who we are. Some people admire nature in all it's wonders. Others see nothing but problems. Animals, plants, weather...everything that can't be controlled. Some see weeds.... others have a reminder back to childhood whims. Some see ugliness..death... others see a chance for art.  It's the same with what we like to read. There are many that can only read fiction, have the best sellers noted and have to order their latest as soon as possible. There are others that only read biographies...others that only dip into magazines because they are so time poor.  No matter your preference there is something for everyone at the library.  No matter your interest or your choice of reading matter.  Little Miss has just discovered graphic novels.  Her reading is improving in leaps and bounds but she finds a novel confronting....

What to pack when heading off for a writing retreat. 1. SUSTENANCE. There is nothing worse than being so involved in your work that hours pass and you pause to find your fingers curled into talons, your back needs to be crunched and your stomach growling for food because you have happened to have missed breakfast, lunch and dinner. In truth, this has NEVER happened to me but...I believe for some people, it can, may, and does occur. So when going away, it is always great to have a selection of easy meals and snacks. Healthy snacks such as fruit and nuts, rice cakes and hummus. 2. THAT PIECE TO WORK ON. I mean you have to take your major WIP (work in progress) with you...why else are you going away with a bunch of fellow writers? Surely, some say, you could work on said piece at home. Alone. Or with assorted children/ grandchildren/ pets/ siblings/ parents/ spouses surrounding you. (AS IF) Writing, surely, is easy. Sit down and do it....this is often said by those that do...

I'm one of those people that will  have to read, every day. It is part of the going to bed ritual, I have to read. If I don't, I feel that my day isn't complete. Something is missing. At a restaurant I'm one of those that will read all the signage, the menu again and the specials board at least a few times (just in case I missed something that first time). I will read the back of the muesli packet, the side of the biscuit box. I will read junk mail and signage of all descriptions. Working in a library means I have access to so many books. At times it's a bit of overkill. So many books, so little time..what to read next? And the more people I meet in the library the more I realise that reading isn't for everyone. That a lot of people struggle with it...and one of the joys of my job is to find something that will work for them. The other day a man came in, toting his eleven year old son. Marched up to the desk with 'we need to find him a book. He d...

I decided, since our Book Club was on my day off, I would begin picking LIttle Miss up after school and take her. It gave the two of us some Grandmother / granddaughter time as well. We would park at the library, skip  walk to the shops and have a cappuccino/ milkshake/ drink of some description...and usually a cake. Then we would wander back to the library and fun would begin. Little Miss really enjoyed them. The games, the craft activity...even choosing a new book or three to take home. This is what libraries are great at...making reading fun. It doesn't matter if your child is an avid reader or not....it's all about making books a part of everyday life and the library a welcoming space. Huge part of my job is reading to little ones. From babies to toddlers and school age. But my main sessions are with babies. Some are a mere three weeks old, some are four months old. Some are crawling, some are toddling. The whole concept is to get them interested in books and make...

We all read to our children...I'll take a step back and say we SHOULD all read to our children. To the majority of us it's natural to have a baby/small child in our arms and a book in the other. And we read to them. It's a huge part of my job. I read to babies...I read to toddlers....I read to preschoolers...I read to school-age children. In fact I'll read to anyone and everyone. There are several library users who have limited sight and like help choosing their audio books. I enjoy reading the blurb out loud....most times putting on voices as I go along. (who doesn't?) And by now we all know how good .... important .....VITAL it is to read to children. Reading to babies and toddlers comes naturally to us...but we tend to get to an age when we stop reading to our children. Usually this is when they are able to read by themselves. When they can enjoy a book alone. But why do we stop reading out loud to them? At work we read to children all the time...

Recently I caught up with a friend. A good friend, a friend of a good many years. And even though we live physically close to each other it is hard to catch up when one works days and some weekends, and the other works nights and other weekends. But we managed a time and place (mine)- and Miss A and I had a good few hours catching up. Over a meal and a biscuit...or three. It's funny when you do catch up with people you haven't seen for quite a while. Often there is that awkward phase. After the initial 'hello' and hug and 'have a seat'. You try to fill in what has been happening since you last met. News about this child, this grandchild, this other child. Work, hobbies, reading. Sometimes there is that long pause. Sometimes this pause is good, it's a comfort pause. It's a 'we-know-each-other-so-well-that-this-silence-doesn't-bother-us' kind of pause. That's the kind Miss A and I shared. But it's that awkward pause wh...