Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2009 shortlist

The 2009 Prime Minister's Literary Awards Non-Fiction and Fiction shortlists have been announced.

Seven fiction and eight non-fiction works have made the 2009 shortlists, selected from more than 250 entries:

Non-Fiction

• Van Diemen's Land - James Boyce (Black Inc.)
• Doing Life: A Biography of Elizabeth Jolley - Brian Dibble (UWA Press)
• Gough Whitlam: A Moment in History - Jenny Hocking (Melbourne University Publishing)
• The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island - Chloe Hooper (Penguin Books)
• House of Exile: The Life and Times of Heinrich Mann and Nelly Kroeger-Mann - Evelyn Juers (Giramondo)
• Drawing the Global Colour Line - Marilyn Lake and Henry Reynolds (Melbourne University Publishing)
• The Henson Case - David Marr (Text Publishing)
• American Journeys - Don Watson (Random House)

Fiction

• The Pages - Murray Bail (Text Publishing)
• People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks (Harper Collins)
• Wanting - Richard Flanagan (Random House)
• Everything I Knew - Peter Goldsworthy (Penguin Books)
• One Foot Wrong - Sofie Laguna (Allen and Unwin)
• The Boat - Nam Le (Penguin Books)
• The Good Parents - Joan London (Random House)

For more info about the awards click here.

To check our catalogue click here.

Kew Booktalk 16 September 09

If you missed the booktalk here is the list of books talked about.

Annie’s books PENNY, Louise Armand Gamache mysteries. FIC PENNY SHAW, Rebecca Barleybridge novels & Turnham Malpas novels. FIC SHAW Bauermeister, Erica The school of essential ingredients. FIC BAUER

Fiona’s books JANCE, J A Fire and ice. FIC JANCE BARCLAY, Linwood Fear the worst. FIC BARCA MAFFINI, Mary Jane Death loves a messy desk. PB MAF TUROW, Scott One L: the turbulent true story of a first year at Harvard Law School. 340.071174 TUR

Lisa's books MAITLAND, Barry Dark mirror. FIC MAITL LACKBERG, Camilla The ice princess. FIC LACKB GOLDENBERG, Howard My father’s compass 920.71 GOL GOFTON, Allyson Bake 641.815 GOF POLLEN, Bella Hunting unicorns FIC POLLE LUTZ, Lisa Revenge of the Spellmans. FIC LUTZ

Melbourne Writer’s festival -revisited

On Friday 21^st August I attended a great session at the MWF “Love & Truth” with authors Howard Goldenberg and Rupert Isaacson.

Howard has written the critically acclaimed book “My father’s compass” about his father’s life and more recently “Raft” which deals with his work with indigenous communities.

Rupert’s second book “Horse boy” is about his son Rowan who is autistic and the family’s trip to Mongolia to investigate horse therapy for Rowan’s condition.

Robert Hillman chaired the discussion and elicited some very moving and humorous anecdotes from the two writers around the theme of love and truth and whether the two can be balanced when writing about those you love.

A wonderful session.

Lisa,
Kew Library

Man Booker Prize for 2009 shortlist announced

We're getting closer to the winner of the Man Booker Prize with the following shortlist:

The children's book by A. S. Byatt

Summertime by J. M. Coetzee

The quickening maze by Adam Foulds

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

The glass room by Simon Mawer, and

The little stranger by Sarah Waters

The winner will be announced on the 6 October 2009.

Find them on the library catalogue today.

Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2009

And the winners are:

The Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction.
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas.

The Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-Fiction.
The Tall Man: Death & Life on Palm Island by Chloe Hooper.

The CJ Dennis Prize for Poetry.
The Golden Bird by Robert Adamson.

The Louis Esson Prize for Drama.
Goodbye Vaudeville Charlie Mudd by Lally Katz.

The Prize for Young Adult Fiction.
Something in the World Called Love by Sue Saliba

The Alfred Deakin Prize for an Essay Advancing Public Debate.
'We Have Still Not Lived Long Enough' by Tom Griffiths

The Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize for Writing about Italians in Australia.
Death in the Mountains by Lisa Clifford.

The John Curtin Prize for Journalism.
'The Penalty is Death: Inside Bali's Kerobokan Prison' by Luke Davies (The Monthly)

The Prize for Best Music Theatre Script.
Shane Warne the Musical by Eddie Perfect .

The Prize for Science Writing.
The Rise of Animals: Evolution and Diversification of the Kingdom Animalia by Patricia Vickers-Rich

The Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript by an Emerging Victorian Writer.
'Sufficient Grace' by Amy Espeseth

For more information on the awards click here.