Easter Opening Hours:

Friday 22 April CLOSED

(Observing Good Friday)

Saturday 23 April OPEN

Library open 10am-1pm

Sunday 24 April CLOSED

(Observing Easter Sunday)

Monday 25 April CLOSED

(Observing Easter Monday &

ANZAC Day)

Tuesday 26 April OPEN

Library open 9am-5pm only

(Observing Southland Anniversary

Day)

The Radleys

Matt Haig

The Radleys are a normal family: Mum (Helen), Dad (Peter) and two teenage children. Except they all have to wear SPF 60 sunscreen all the time, are violently allergic to garlic, and are constantly thirsty (the kids never understanding why). The parents know: they are all "abstaining" vampires (who have rejected the vampire way of life and try to live as normal "unbloods", never tasting live blood).

They have kept their children in the dark until one day teenager Clara discovers the joy of drinking blood when a boy attacks her. Suddenly the parents have to explain to their children who they really are. A secret anti-vampire police unit comes looking for Clara and Peter calls his estranged brother Will (a practising vampire) for help, little knowing that Will is the last person Helen ever wants to see.

This is a darkly comic and unconventional look at modern vampire life in the suburbs, but is just as much about families and family secrets, and is definitley not suitable for the kids! Some of the funniest moments come as teenager Rowan tries to come to terms with being a vampire as well as a normal teenage boy.

(Reviewed by Angela)

Oxford English Dictionary

Here is the perfect database for all those “word issues” in life – be it a need for a quotation for an assignment, the correct spelling for a crossword answer, or just curiosity about the history of a word. This database is so much more than a dictionary.

From the home page you can:
• Perform a word search in the quick search feature
• Browse the dictionary from A-Z
• Browse categories for words by subject, usage, region, or origin
• Browse timelines to see when a word entered the English language
• Browse sources to explore the top 1,000 authors and works quoted in the OED
• Browse the historical thesaurus of the OED contents
The “Sources” feature is useful because you can click on that option to see the list and then click on a link in blue, for example William Shakespeare, and then you can see from the results that there are quotes from his plays. Then if you click on Hamlet, for example, you will be taken to an alphabetical word list of results and then from there you can click to see a quotation from the play. You also will see other quotations that use the same word.
When you choose to click on “Historical thesaurus” you get a choice of three headings: the external world, the mind, and society. You then see a list of subheadings to choose from. These further sub-divide and each step you go down shows the link to the previous list. From the home page there is also “This month’s feature”. This is useful for seeing what is new to the site.

Also on the home page there is:
• A “word of the day” feature
• A list of newly added words. Words are embedded frequently; for example “podcasting” is now included
• A list of helpful resources

Overall, there is a huge amount of information on the site but it does take a bit of drilling down to access it. All you budding etymologists will enjoy!
To access this go to our “Databases”. Scroll down the alphabetical list and click on the “Oxford English Dictionary” link.

Vanessa

When Hungry Eat

Joanne Fedler

When the “Food Fascist” calls her ‘obese’, author Joanne Fedler knows she has to do something about her weight. A fear of being “fat and forty” gives Fedler the determination to develop a new attitude towards food and eating. Fedler examines her past to discover what has caused her to gain weight and in the process goes on a journey to self-acceptance. ‘When hungry, eat’ is a wonderful mix of philosophy and spiritualism which also provides an insight into the Fedler family’s experience of leaving their home, their friends and their family in South Africa, to forge a new life in the relative safety of Australia. A really good read.

(Reviewd by Jill)

Let the Library come to you

Do you love to read but find it difficult to get to the Library because of age or disability? Why not let the Library come to you? The Housebound service is available to you in your own home, and with the help of volunteer couriers, can provide books in standard and large print as well as audio books, magazines, videos, DVDs, and music CDs. This is a free service for those people who live within the Invercargill City Council rating area.
If you are interested in becoming a member or know of someone else who would benefit from the service, please contact me. I will then arrange for a home visit to discuss your requirements and explain how the service operates. Please phone me on (03) 211 1444 or email me at housebound@ilibrary.co.nz I look forward to meeting some new housebound members.

Alison Fraser, Housebound Librarian.