St George’s Day- What To Read

Posted on by Zara

We have been celebrating English authors for St George’s day month at the library. We have a wonderful display with art by our volunteer Maddy, and a selection of hand picked books for you to discover. Here’s a closer look at a few of the titles.

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time. The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie’s empire faces threats from without and within. For beneath the dazzle of Soho’s gaiety, there is a dark underbelly, a world in which it is all too easy to become lost.

We say: This is about the dark under belly of London when two girls try to make it in the entertainment business.

Available at the library, click here to order further copies

The Pier Falls by Mark Haddon

An expedition to Mars goes terribly wrong. A seaside pier collapses. A 30-stone man is confined to his living room. One woman is abandoned on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean. Another is saved from drowning. Two boys discover a gun in a shoebox, and a group of explorers find a cave of unimaginable size, deep in the Amazon jungle. Here, Mark Haddon demonstrates two things: first that he is a master of the short form, and second that his imagination is even darker than we had thought.

We say: a dark and emotional collection of short stories

Available at the library, click here to order further copies

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Towsend

Teenager Adrian writes candidly about his parents’ marital troubles, the dog, his life as a tortured poet and ‘misunderstood intellectual’. His painfully honest diary makes hilarious and compelling reading.

We say: suitable for teenagers, YA, and adults, this is a humourous diary about school life and separation of a child’s parents

Available at the library, click here to order a copy

Library Journal – March 2025

Posted on by Zara

Our new computer system is now live! Our volunteers have risen to the challenge and are figuring out intricacies of the new system, finding new features as they go. As our librarians have their first shifts on the new system they may be a bit slower than usual in processing your books as we want to make sure that everything is done correctly. We thank you in advance for your patience. 

The new system up and running means that you can now reserve books to pick up at the library (£1 fee applies) and use Borrowbox as usual.

In January, we held an afternoon tea party for our volunteers and friends of the library to thank them for their support in 2024. It was a lovely afternoon, with tea, sweet treats and a quiz. These social events are fantastic ways for our volunteers to socialise.

To become a friend of the library we ask for a donation of a minimum of £10, but larger donations are gratefully received, membership lasts for the financial year. By becoming a friend of the library you are helping the library stay open as we are completely self-funded, and this scheme provides incredibly valuable income. Friends of the library get newsletters emailed to them throughout the year and are included in an annual draw to win a small gift. To become a friend of the library please come in and fill out a form.

In the summer we will be holding a summer fayre with a tombola, if anyone has any unwanted gifts or suitable items for tombola prizes, we would gladly accept any donations. Again, these events are vital for the financial stability of the library. 

Our non-fiction book stock has had a boost last month. We have lots of biographies, including Sonny Boy (Al Pacino), and Boris Johnson’s autobiography, and books covering health and history. If you don’t know what to have for dinner, we have a batch of new cook books including baking, easier recipes, high protein and vegetarian. Or, if you want to get away we have a selection of travel guides, explore London, Crete, Denmark or China, come to the library and decide where your next holiday will be.

The new year has seen the last of our original five trustees step down as her maximum term of nine years has been completed. Most of our library regulars will know Maggie, pictured below on the left with our chair of trustees, Helen. Maggie led the group who turned Narborough Library into a community managed library, thus saving the library from closure. She has worked tirelessly over the years not only behind the counter but also organising events, fundraising, and being a general beacon of knowledge for everyone else who volunteers at the library. She is carrying on as a volunteer, but we want to say a huge thank you to Maggie for her hard work and dedication to the library. At an afternoon tea we presented her with gifts, including a planter (she is an avid gardener and some of you would have bought her plants from our plant sales), and a book about her time at the library, and the important work she has done for the community. 

Throughout March we will be celebrating women’s authors and characters for International Women’s Day (March 8th), come and take a look at our display and recommended books.