October Library Update
October Library Update
Meet the Author
On Wednesday 16 October, Alistair Love gave us an interesting insight to the background of his new novel The Heath written under the pseudonym of A.J. Munro. Working as a news producer based in London, Alistair developed a love of Hampstead Heath in which his gripping novel is based:
As an August heatwave grips London, a crack sniper starts shooting the dogs of the great and the good on Hampstead Heath. It falls to DI Jack Love to solve this most perplexing of crimes and when a famous rock star loses his dog to the marksman, the whole country becomes embroiled in copycat shootings and a media circus. Meanwhile, a new client for renowned counsellor, Jane Harkness is the most challenging in her career as the line between work and home life becomes dangerously blurred. As Love fears the shooter will start killing humans and Harkness realises that she has bitten off more than she can chew, worlds collide in a desperate race to catch a man out of control. DI Love finds himself on a rollercoaster ride through an unravelling mind played out in the full glare of a hungry media desperate for a silly-season sensation with devastating consequences.
You can buy the book online from Amazon and we also have a copy in the library. You might also wish to follow Alistair’s podcast – The Cardiff Podcast on which he interviews local people and addresses current issues.
New volunteers: We would like to give a warm to our new volunteers who have stepped forward to work on the library desk or behind the scenes in organising events. Our library wouldn’t survive without its volunteers and if you have a few hours a month to spare, we would love to hear from you.
London trip Saturday 30 November
Just a few tickets left to book your seat on the London trip. The cost of the trip is £22.
Sylvia Harvey has made two recommendations for those visiting London.
Royal Academy, Piccadilly– Anthony Gormley Exhibition: Thoroughly recommend a walk round this. You really feel part of the exhibits, to quote Anthony Gormley “I want to use sculpture to throw us back into the world”.
Teatulia Café, Neal Street, WC2. Near Covent Garden: Organic tea and coffee served in comfortable surroundings with the added bonus of an excellent selection of books to browse through. The books have been selected and arranged by Tilda Swinton and Stephen Fry. Note: Payment by card only.
Christmas Raffle: It is time to buy your raffle tickets for your chance to win our fabulous hamper. Tickets are on sale now in the library.
Laminating and photocopying: Just a reminder that we offer both A4 laminating and A4 photocopying (in both black and white and colour). The cost of photocopying is 10p per sheet for black and white and 20p per sheet for colour. Laminating is 20p per sheet.
Apologies: We are so sorry that we left Maureen Richards off the list of winners in the Village show. Maureen’s knitted toys came third in the Craft category.
Off the Shelf Book Club Review: ‘When Breath Becomes Air’by Paul Kalanithi
‘When Breath Becomes Air’ is a non-fiction autobiographical book and a memoir about the author’s life and illness, battling stage IV metastatic lung cancer. Whether you simply want to read about the life of a doctor at the top of his game and how he copes when everything comes crashing down; or you too wonder about the interwoven connection between the meaning of life, as seen in literature and philosophy, and the physiological mechanisms of the brain.
The Off the Shelf book club found this book highly enjoyable and felt that Paul Kalanithi dealt with the balance of being a neurosurgeon and an author beautifully. He found his knowledge of literature more helpful for reflection than moral philosophy or ethics. He wrote with an honest approach and there were no wasted words. His wife wrote the epilogue which added a unique aspect to the book. He was an astonishing individual who demonstrated great ambition, resilience and determination in the face of great adversity.
One of the members found an interview with Paul’s wife that had been televised on the news. We watched the clip as a group which added a real tangible element to the story. The group were unanimous in their decision about the book and gave it a mark of 10/10! Highly recommended