Summer Reading Challenge 2024!

This year’s summer reading challenge is here! 

For those new to the challenge, it is hosted annually by The Reading Agency, who set the theme and provide incentives to encourage children to read during the summer holidays. We have stickers to collect and medals to be won!

How It Works

Any library member aged 4 – 11 can join in, you can join the library for free at any time.

  1. Sign up for the challenge at any time from July 6th, your child will get a starter pack including stickers, a reading goal is set and your child can take part in our treasure hunt at the library.
  2. Any book counts towards their reading goal, including comics, ebooks and audiobooks.
  3. Upon returning books, your child will be given more stickers and a door hanger.
  4. When the reading goal is met (6 books or more!) your child will receive a certificate and medal! Everyone who completes the challenge will also go into a raffle to win a £10 voucher!
  5.  Your child has until September 7th to complete their challenge.

Sign Up

Any librarian can sign your child up at any time over the summer, during normal library opening hours and provide them with a starter pack during our usual opening hours.

This years theme is Marvellous Makers, although any book counts towards their reading goal. Book recommendations can be found here, or you can browse some recommended books from the Reading Agency, or come to the library and browse our shelves!

We will be holding a craft event on Thursday 8th of August, keep an eye out for details for that online.

Summer Fayre

Our Summer Fayre will be held at the library on Saturday, 15th June, from 2:15pm, coinciding with the Connecting Narborough Summer Saturday in the village.

We will have a tombola with exciting prizes, a bran tub for children and lovely handmade crafts and plants for sale – perfect gifts.

This is also the last chance to buy raffle tickets for just £1 each (check our earlier post for the full list of amazing prizes donated by local businesses!). The drawing will take place at 3:45 pm.

As always, these events are essential for fundraising to keep our library running. Any contribution, be it buying an item or a raffle ticket, is greatly appreciated.

Summer Raffle Tickets on Sale!

Our annual raffle of the year will be this summer!

Tickets are on sale at the library now for £1 each.

The raffle will be drawn on Saturday 15th June, 2024 at 3:45pm at our Summer Fayre.

Our raffle would not be possible without the generosity of the following local companies who have donated the following wonderful prizes.

Prizes:

Luxury food and drink hamper from Asda
Six month membership for two adults from LivingWell Health Club
Elizabeth Arden beauty products
Handbag from Royal Court Shoe Repairs, two to win!
Fresh flowers from Petals Florist
Food voucher from Plough, Littlethorpe
Gift from Narborough Eye Care
Alcohol from Tesco Copt Oak
Gift from Cotton Tail Cards
Wine from Old Inn Littlethorpe
Gift from Myrtles Home Furnishings
Voucher from Hi-Tide Fish Bar, Narborough

And more prizes to be won!

All proceeds from our raffle go towards the ongoing costs of running the library, so buy a ticket and support your local library!

Mental Health Awareness Week

For Mental Health Awareness Week we’d like to show you the books we have to support mental well-being. These books can be found in the non-fiction section, next to the printer.

Books pictured:

The Sheldon Short Guide to Phobias and Panic by Professor Kevin Gourney

Understanding Traumatic Stress by Dr Nigel C Hunt and Dr Sue McHale

The CBT Handbook by Pamela Myles and Roz Shafran

We’re All Mad Here by Claire Eastham

Overcoming Health Anxiety by Rob Willson and David Veale

Defeating Depression by Roslyn Law

The Mood Gym, Overcoming Depression by Dr Helen Christensen and Dr Kathleen Griffiths

Body Image Problems by Annemarie O’Connor

More books can be read via the BorrowBox app on your digital device, which you can access for free with your library membership. More information on BorrowBox.

The NHS has a 24/7 free mental health helpline for anyone who needs it, call 0808 800 3302, or go to leicspart.nhs.uk for more support.

International Men’s Day, Book Recommendations

Today is International Men’s Day, here is some notable male authors at the library. In addition to those covered here we also stock a selection of the popular crime authors James Patterson, Lee Child and David Baldacci. Also our biographies section features books about sportsmen Kevin Keegan, Freddie Flintoff, Stuart Pearce and adopted Leicester hero Claudio Ranieri.

The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer
Publishers Summary: Gary Thorn goes for a pint with a work acquaintance called Brendan. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He doesn’t catch her name, but falls for her anyway. When she suddenly disappears without saying goodbye, all Gary has to remember her by is the book she was reading: ‘The Satsuma Complex’. But when Brendan goes missing, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Satsuma to get some answers. And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life.

The Satsuma Complex is available at the library
More copies can be reserved here
The ebook is available to reserved on Borrowboxadd it to your library (free)

Billy Summers by Stephen King
Publishers summary: Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong? How about everything.

Billy Summers is available at the library
More copies can be reserved here

Ask An Astronaut by Tim Peake
Publishers Summary: How does it feel to orbit the Earth ten times faster than a speeding bullet? What’s it like to eat, sleep and go to the toilet in space? And where to next – the Moon, Mars or beyond? ‘Ask an Astronaut’ is Tim’s personal guide to life in space, based on his historic Principia mission, and the thousands of questions he has been asked since his return to Earth.

Ask An Astronaut is available at the library
More copies can be reserved here

Windswept & Interesting by Billy Connolly
Publishers Summary: In this full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life. Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy’s life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds. Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician – a ‘rambling man’ – with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart. As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken – willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility, and silliness too.

We also have stock of Made In Scotland by Billy Connolly.

Windswept & Interesting is available at the library
More copies can be reserved here

Library Closed 5th & 6th October

We will be closed on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th October while we have new electrical sockets installed.

The Busy Hands and Minds session scheduled for Friday 6th October has moved to this Friday, the 29th September.

You can return books via the book drop or renew them online.

You can also renew by telephone if you call another library.

Alternative libraries:

Cosby: Open Thurs 10am – 12:30pm, Fri 2pm – 5pm

Enderby: Open Thurs 2pm – 5pm, Fri 2pm – 6pm

We apologise for any inconvenience.

Autumn Fayre

We’re having an Autumn Fayre on September 23rd, 2pm – 4:30pm.

There will be gifts, crafts and cards for sale, prize to be won in a tombola and children’s bran tub. We also have a jar of sweets to win if you can guess how many are in the jar and a cake to win if you can guess the weight!

It’s also the last chance to enter our raffle, prizes include a luxury hamper from Asda, and prizes from Next, LivingWell health club, Copt Oak, Mill on the Soar, Narborough Eye Care and more. The raffle will be drawn at 3:45pm.

All proceeds from sales will fund the library so come along and support your local library.