Book news snippets

Lots of little bits and pieces this week.

Once again, if you are a radio listener as well as a book lover there are a lot of reviews that you might like to tune in to. One of the most popular will probably be Tuesday morning on Radio New Zealand when The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer will be discussed. Several librarians have their names down to read this as it has had some good write ups. Get full information on what station and when you need to have the radio on at the Booksellers NZ website or at Radio New Zealand.

Science Fiction fans will be interested in the 2008 Hugo Awards winners which were announced last week. Best Novel was awarded to The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon. The list of winners can be found in full at www.thehugoawards.org/?p=146. As well as perennial favourite Dr Who, a dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's Stardust was one of the winners - another book that is sitting on my "To be read" list. Rodney Libraries has the book, the graphic novel and the DVD of this so check them out.

Local Warkworth GP Stephen Barker has just released his first children's fiction novel, The Secret of Spirits Bay. Our copy hasn't arrived yet but as soon as I get my hands on it I will let you know what it's like. Ask at your Library if you want to put a request in for it.

I madly dashed from the netball courts to Borders in Westfield Albany on Saturday afternoon (driving to the legal speed limit of course) to pick up a copy of Monty Betham's biography Baring my Soul and get it autographed by the man himself (for my brother's birthday). He was gracious and smiling at the start of his national publicity tour and if my brother doesn't let the book go, there are plenty of copies in the library for me to request one and read.