Irish author Frank McCourt dies

Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes, died on Sunday 19th July 2009.

Frank was born in Brooklyn in 1930 but his family moved back to Ireland when he was four. Angela's Ashes tells the story of his poverty-stricken childhood in Limerick. His father was an absent alcoholic and his mother was haunted by the deaths of three of her young children. Frank and his siblings grew up with hungry mouths and worn shoes. But somehow, Angela's Ashes is also a heartwarming, funny and endearing memoir; written with a child's intelligence. It was loved by readers but hated by many Irish who felt its depiction of Limerick's poverty and intolerance was unjust. Either way, it's a great read and Frank McCourt was awarded a Pulitizer Prize for his life works. Find them today, on the library catalogue.

Books talked about at the Balwyn Booktalk

Liz

VREELAND, Susan.

Forest lover

FIC VREEL

LAMOTT, Anne.

Bird by bird

808.02 LAM

LAMB, Wally.

I know this much is true

FIC LAMB

TREMAIN, Rose.

The road home

FIC TREMA

Hilary

MASSON, Jeffrey Moussaieff.

The face on your plate

641.306 MAS

SINGER, Peter.

The life you can save

362.5 SIN

PYM, Barbara.

No fond return of love

FIC PYM

BAKEWELL, Joan.

All the nice girls

FIC BAKEW

Lisa

LACKBERG, Camilla.

The ice princess

FIC LACKB

TASCHEN, Angelika.

Taschen’s Paris

FOL 914.4361 TAS

CAREY, Gabrielle.

Waiting room: a memoir

306.8743 CAR

FYFIELD, Frances.

Blood from stone

FIC FYFIE

One small step

It was forty years ago today that we watched Neil Armstrong take that first step on the moon.

It was one of those "where were you when..." moments in history.

For me I can remember the whole primary school crowding into the general Purpose (GP) room and watching (or trying to watch) the moon landing on a small black and white television.

This morning on the news I was watching the re-mastered film of the moon landing and it bought back some memories and had me heading for the library catalogue to read about that moon landing, that moon walk, and those astronauts.

The library has lots of information about the Space program, if you're interested just head over to the library catalogue and have a look. We have books and dvds to suit a range of ages and interests.

Where were you when man first walked on the moon?

Review: DOG ON IT by Spencer Quinn.

This is the first in what will hopefully be a new mystery series by the American author, Spencer Quinn. Featured as narrator is Chet the Jet, a dog who failed police dog school. He now works with Bernie, the down on his luck owner of the Little Detective Agency.

Chet & Bernie investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl, a possible kidnapping despite the lack of a ransom note. The chase takes them both into danger on a collision course with some very unsavory characters.

The dog as narrator concept is one that could easily result in an over cute tone but Spencer Quinn unerringly strikes all the right notes. Chet is all dog, intensely loyal, living in the moment & filled with a joie de vivre with all the doggy pleasures of life – riding shotgun in the car – a good nap – an especially tasty treat.

He also has all the limitations of being a dog, a rather short attention span, more than a few comprehension issues with the complicated matters that preoccupy humans, and a marked propensity for mischief.

This is a fun, fast paced, entertaining & very well written detective story showcasing a most endearing duo – Chet & Bernie.

reviewed by JB