What’s on in York – PD James’ An Unsuitable Job for A Woman with Mari Hannah

Rowntree Park Reading Cafe : Tue 10 May : 10.30am – 12.00pm : £7.50 this will include coffee and cake

May _10Mari Hannah SquareTurn your morning break into an indulgent experience and hear bestselling crime author Mari Hannah talk about PD James’ An Unsuitable Job for a Woman over coffee and cake.

Explore York is partnering with the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival as part of its Big Read to offer a very special event at Rowntree Park Reading Cafe.

We are going to turn the morning break into an indulgent experience as Crime Festival Reader in Residence and bestselling crime author, Mari Hannah talks about PD James’ An Unsuitable Job for a Woman over coffee and cake.

Free copies (while stocks last) of An Unsuitable Job for a Woman will be available to collect from Rowntree Park Reading Cafe before the event.

Tickets can be booked at any York Library, please book your space as places will go quickly. To get your tickets please contact York Library on york@exploreyork.org.uk or telephone the library on 01904 552828. Or contact your local York Library and ask there.

What’s on in York: Computer courses

Discover Cloud Storage

Tang Hall Explore Library : Tue 10 May : 10:00am – 11:00am : £5

May _10cloudstorageIn this hands-on session, we’ll show you how to choose the best cloud service and sign up for a free account, how to upload and download files to your cloud folders as well as synchronising your work across all your devices.

To book your place, please contact Explore Tang Hall Library Learning Centre on 01904 552655 or tanghall.library@york.gov.uk.

Places cost £5 each, payable upon booking.

Discover Online Grocery Shopping

Acomb Explore Library : Wed 11 May : 10.00am – 11.00am : £5

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In this session, we’ll demonstrate the many ways you can order your groceries online and receive your shopping direct to your door with just a few clicks!

We’ll show you how to stay safe and secure when ordering your shopping and give you a few tips and tricks to help make the process simpler.

To book your place, please contact Explore Acomb Library Learning Centre on 01904 552651 or acomblibrary@exploreyork.org.uk.

Places cost £5 each, payable upon booking.

Introduction to Windows 10

York Explore Library :Thu 12 May : 2.00pm – 3.00pm : £5 with YorkCard, £10 without

May _12Windows 10This hands-on session will walk you through the new features, give you a few handy tips and tricks and help you get the most out of the exciting new operating system from Microsoft.

 

There are a maximum of 8 places and booking is essential.

For more information or to book please call in at Explore York Library.  t: 01904 552828 or e: york@exploreyork.org.uk

 

 

What’s on in York: Kathleen Harryman: The Other Side of the Looking Glass

York Explore Library : Mon 9 May : 2.30pm – 3.30pm : £4 includes refreshments

May 9_Kathleen HarrymanThe Other Side of the Looking Glass by Kathleen Harryman is a suspenseful thriller that you won’t be able to put down.

A beautiful lady wakes up in hospital with no memory of who she is or anything about her life. Her life is a blank. Liam is there when she wakes up and says she is his wife, Kate. He is attractive, well dressed and obviously very wealthy. However, something makes her distrust him. Why are his eyes so cold? And why doesn’t she remember him? As Kate is taken home to her luxury mansion and discovers what her life is like with the controlling Liam, she finds her ordeal is only just beginning. Then her memory starts to come back and the truth emerges… This is a truly exciting tale of subterfuge, mystery, mistaken identity and true love.

Kathleen Harryman lives in York, with her husband and two daughters, and family dog and cat.

After attending writing groups, Kathleen was inspired to write her own book based around the city where she lives. Stories run through Kathleen’s head whilst out walking the family dog. The miles disappear and are replaced with stories that are then brought to life in print. Writing is a natural part of Kathleen, and she enjoys watching the characters come to life.

If you would like to see more information about the author  w: http://www.austinmacauley.com/author/harryman-kathleen and t: KathleenHarrym1

There are a maximum of 50 tickets and can be bought online at http://www.feelinginspired.co.uk/detail/kathleenharryman-09-05-2016 or at any York library.

2016 “Big City Read” announced by York libraries

Big City Read PatBarker_RegenerationYork libraries have announced that the Big City Read for 2016 will be “Regeneration” by Pat Barker. The book was first published in 1991 and is set in the First World War.

It was subsequently turned into a film.

Pat Barker was born not far from York in Thornaby-on-Tees.

The Big City Read highlights one exceptional book and encourages hundreds of people across York to read it.

“Regeneration” plot summary

Regeneration begins with Siegfried Sassoon’s open letter, dated July 1917, protesting the conduct and insincerities of the First World War. The letter has been published in the London Times and has received much attention in England, as many people are upset over the length and toll of the war thus far. The army is not sure what to do with Sassoon, as his letter clearly threatens to undermine the strength of the war effort at home.

 With the string-pulling and guidance of Robert Graves, a fellow poet and friend of Sassoon, the Board agrees to send Sassoon to Craiglockhart War Hospital—a mental facility in Scotland—rather than court-marshaling him. Sassoon is at first hesitant to agree to this, since he (rightly) fears that being committed to a mental hospital will undermine his cause; however, convinced by Graves that there is no other option, Sassoon agrees.

At Craiglockhart, Sassoon meets with Dr. W.H.R. Rivers, a former anthropologist turned psychiatrist who encourages his patients to express their war memories so that they can heal their “nerves.” Though Rivers can sympathize with the strong dislike of the horrors of war, he believes it is his duty to encourage Sassoon to return to France to fight.
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Mixed picture on library book lending in York

As we reported last week, Acomb Library attracted record numbers of users last year.

However a report from the mutual company now responsible for running the City, suggest a more varied picture in some areas.

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The reports says,

“In both visits and issues libraries are performing differently. Overall both are showing a decline – but that masks a more complex picture.

Some of our smaller libraries are doing well.

When we look at visits we can see that Acomb is up 14% and Huntington up 20%.

Others are not performing as well, for instance Fulford down 28% and Strensall down 22%.

Look at book issues and Fulford are 17% up and Haxby is 14% up. Down are Acomb 19% and Poppleton at 27%.”

Toy Library a big success

“The Toy Library was launched in May and has been a resounding success. York, Clifton and Acomb have the most borrowed toys, but most libraries are now issuing them. Since the launch we have issued 267 toys.

We make a small charge of 50p per toy so have collected £133.50 which goes back into the collection and we are looking for additional ways to fund adding new toys to the collection”.
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Happenings in library land

Start your baby’s family tree

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Tue 9 June : York Explore
Thur 11 June : Tang Hall Library

Pop along to one of our Baby Days to find out how to start your baby’s family tree.

Booking not necessary. For more information contact allison.freeman@exploreyork.org.uk

Map attack with Lego

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York Explore Library

Sat 13 June 10.00am – 4.00pm
Sun 14 June 11.00am – 3.00pm
Sat 20 June 10.00am – 4.00pm
Sun 21 June 11.00 – 3.00pm

Come along and get creative with Lego to make buildings, scenes and sculptures inspired by maps and photographs which tell stories of our city’s past.

Green watch and their fire engine!fire-engine_165x116

Tue 16 June 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Strensall Library

The Green Watch are bringing their engine to Strensall Library so you can see what they do and have a good look at their big red fire engine.

No booking needed, all ages welcome, please contact Sarah at Strensall Library on 01904 552677 for more information.

Coffee, chat and community

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Mon 22 June and every third Monday after.
Dringhouses Library

Join us at the All Seasons Cafe for delicious cakes, drinks, chat and fun. Book chat, games, and the chance to meet other people from the local community. Come alone or bring a friend.

Totally informal, everyone welcome. We don’t set a charge, but suggest a donation of around £2.

For more information contact Lucy on 01904 552674, or email dringhouses@exploreyork.org.uk

More

“Flash retelling” on World Book Day

Around 750 pupils from City of York Council schools will be taking part in a ‘flash retelling’ to help mark World Book Day on Thursday 5 March.

Pupils across the city will be retelling a traditional tale they have learnt off by heart at 10.30am.

The pupils have used the ‘Talk for Writing’ approach to help them learn the tale. This involves them using actions and a visual story map to learn the tale. Learning stories off by heart gives children the story language and text structures to be able to create their own stories.

Pie Corbett who developed the Talk for Writing approach, said: “The great City of York will ring together the bells of a thousand voices, telling and celebrating the joy of a story. Stories lie at the heart of every culture. Without them, education is dry as dust. They bind us together as one people helping us to understand ourselves and each other. Stories make us a stronger and better people. Let the story spread across the city and stay in the heart of every teller and every listener.”

World Book Day is a worldwide celebration of books and reading, marked in over 100 countries all over the world. For more information on libraries in the city visit www.exploreyork.org.uk