Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection

What a beautiful book! There are a lot of really gorgeous photography books around at the moment and this is a splendid example.

The pictures are lovely. Some of them are really surprising: they are straightforward shots of landscapes or features within landscapes but the angle of the camera or the light or the way the colours interact make them impossible to identify at first sight. All those "ordinary" things I'd just walk past and ignore if I were there, suddenly made wonderful. Others are just wonderful landscapes taken well. The colours are marvellous and some of the skies!

— Susan

We have one copy of this book, at the Wheatsheaf Library.

Literary awards

This is a bit of mischief on my part but I couldn't resist it: I've added the shortlist for the Literary Review's Bad Sex In Fiction award to the Reading Links pages of our Web Catalogue.

I'm not sure how much should be read into the fact that we've got all the titles on the shortlist and the previous five winners. Probably best not to think about it!

Web Catalogue: Winning Reads

Beowulf

With all the recent publicity and hooplah for the premiere of the film version of "Beowulf" it's worth our pointing out that we have a few different editions of the poem in our libraries, along with some scholarly commentaries on the poem.

As well as classic editions we have:

• Copies of Seamus Heaney's much-acclaimed retelling both in book and audio format;


• Michael Morpugo's version for children, with dramatic illustrations by Michael Foreman; and


• Caitlin Kiernan's novelisation of the film.

Early Chesterton Crime

"The Club of Queer Trades" is a classic treat: G.K. Chesterton's first foray into detective stories, before his 'Father Brown' stories. Private detective Rupert Grant and his unbalanced brother investigate a series of cases all of which seem to be linked to the club of the title.

There are elements of stylistic satire and outlandish characterisation to the stories which prefigure, and often surpass, later parodies of the detective genre, and which provide a bit of icing on the cake. A lot of fun!

-- Steven

We have two copies of "The Club of Queer Trades" in our libraries.

The Enemy by Lee Child

More comments and reviews from the Home Library Reading Circle

"THis could have been any Jack Reacher novel. They are all superb. Lee Child brings the 'all action hero' to life with his human flaws and his knack fro seeing off the bad guys. I love the way trouble seems to follow him."

— Sharon

"It is good but long-winded. Most of all, though, I guessed most of it at least a quarter of the way through. Although it did have a couple of twists to keep me reading."

— M. Jelbert

"He can be a little too descriptive at times, but the excellence of his story is so good it does not spoil the real enjoyment he gives his readers."

— E. Kenny

"A very well written story. Very enjoyable to read except for the military jargon which I found difficult to follow and understand. Jack Reacher is a great character, though."

— I. James

The Home Library Reading Circle were reading the large print edition of this book. We also have copies available in Crime Collections around the Borough and also as an audio book.

Shrek Cookbook

Isn't this great? Lots of nice, easy-to-follow recipes — without hundreds and hundreds of different ingredients for each one — nicely laid out with Shrek and Princess Fiona and the others. There's some wonderful stuff in here.

I like the way the book opens flat so that you're not having to keep on finding your place while you're following the recipes.

And there are some good ideas for uses for ear wax!

— Sue

We've copies of Shrek Cookbook in the Children's Non-Fiction collections in all our libraries.