New Outreach Blog

Morning All,
Just letting you know that we are merging all of the blogs into one (easy) location.

http://mrclOutreach.wordpress.com

Come One Come All

Afternoon All,

Let me start this week’s post with a reminder that the Between the Lines Book Club are meeting this Thursday. Haven’t read the book? Come along anyway, tell us why you didn’t read it and see what everyone else thought of Rosewater and Soda Bread.

 

We’ll all meet up at Gordon White Library at 6.00pm, and sit around have a cuppa and a chat about the book. Bring your book back and pick up next month’s book An Empty Coast by Tony Park.

I’m pretty laid back so we’ll let the conversation roll and enjoy the company of other book lovers.

 

I’ll see you all on Thursday,

Jamie

 

Who Else Writes Like...

Morning All,

Well we’re getting towards the end of the book club month, and by now I think you’ll all have created your own opinion on Rosewater and Soda Bread.

Whether you like or hate the book, here’s some other recommended titles for you to read if you want to try out more titles in this genre.

 

That's all for this week, see you next time,

Jamie

Staff Read (They really do!)

Afternoon All,

Who would’ve thought that staff in the library actually read? This week instead of focusing on the monthly book I want to focus on our staff and what they are reading.

 

 “ Yes!! Finally the continuation of the Jack West series. A little confusing to start with but once he starts the pace is nonstop. Devoured it in 12 hrs. ”  -Jamie

(Four Legendary Kingdoms by Matthew Reilly)

 

“Loving it!!! I'm taking my time because I don't want it to finish” - Kathryn

(The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks)

“Took a bit to get used to but by book three I was totally hooked ”  - Laura

(The Captive Prince Trilogy by C.S. Pacat)

Feel free to add your own quick review in the comments below. We’re always looking for a new book to read.

See you all next time

Jamie

Fishing for a bread winner

Afternoon All,

Let me just say a warm welcome to you all, I'm the new Community Outreach Librarian and I look forward to getting to meet you all in the coming months.

Last Thursday we put Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday to bed. After much discussion the Between the Lines Book Club have decided to give the book a 4 Star rating. Some of the feedback about the book included:

 

"Hilarious"

"Nicely written, believable characters"

"Well-constructed and lovely"

And so we bid farewell to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and say hello to Rosewater and Sodabread by Marsha Mehran.

Rosewater and Sodabread is about:

More than a year has passed since Marjan, Bahar, and Layla, the beautiful Iranian Aminpour sisters, sought refuge in the quaint Irish town of Ballinacroagh. Opening the beguiling Babylon Café, they charmed the locals with their warm hearts and delectable Persian cuisine, bringing a saffron-scented spice to the once-sleepy village.

But when a young woman with a dark secret literally washes up on Clew Bay Beach, the sisters’ world is once again turned upside down. With pale skin and webbed hands, the girl is otherworldly, but her wounds tell a more earthly (and graver) story–one that sends the strict Catholic town into an uproar. The Aminpours rally around the newcomer, but each sister must also contend with her own transformation–Marjan tests her feelings for love with a dashing writer, Bahar takes on a new spiritual commitment with the help of Father Mahoney, and Layla matures into a young woman when she and her boyfriend, Malachy, step up their hot and heavy relationship.

Filled with mouthwatering recipes and enchanting details of life in Ireland, Rosewater and Soda Bread is infused with a lyrical warmth that radiates from the Aminpour family and their big-hearted Italian landlady, Estelle, to the whole of Ballinacroagh–and the world beyond. - Good Reads

That's all for this week see you agin next time.

Jamie

Fishing for Salmon in the Yemen

Paul Torday is the author of this month's novel, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. This light and easy read can be best described as quirky and amusing, with a satirical twist on government and their politics. 

John Walsh wrote this review for Independent, in short summarising the novel as "A moral tale about the importance of believing in something, and the comparative unimportance of everything else." Other readers who had their say on Goodreads, weren't as inspired as Walsh was. There was some criticism surrounding the 'overly satirical' characters, who in some ways didn't seem real enough to believe. 

What did you think? Our meeting for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen will be held on the 19th of January 2017 at the Gordon White library from 6pm-8pm. Come along and discuss your thoughts and opinions with your fellow bookclubbers, did you see eye-to-eye? We'll find out!

Hope to see you there.

My introduction to my first ever book club last night was very pleasant.  I was made to feel very welcome and it was nice to meet all you enthusiastic book lovers.

As for the book, there were some divided opinions and I was quite glad to realise I was not the only one who hadn't finished reading the book prior to the meeting.  Judging from the comments being passed around, many of the group found the book a little confusing, in the respect that it appeared to jump from the present to the past within a couple of sentences or paragraphs, without the reader realising this at first.  It was a book I wasn't personally keen to keep reading after the first few chapters, but having said that, I continued on and did become more engrossed and will now try to find the time to finish it.

In relation to the tile of the book, the question "what actually is a harrow" was raised and this brought upon some varying responses.  Due to the nature of the storyline I believe it projects the meaning of something painful and distressing, as in a "harrowing experience".

Overall, the get together with the members of the Between The Lines Bookclub was enjoyable and I hope to catch up with you all again in the New Year.