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Post by Claire on Feb 21, 2012 21:25:15 GMT 1
You can reserve items but you have to pay for it and if its not in the North Yorkshire Libraries system it costs about £3 for an inter library loan! Would rather pay and buy the book itself. Our libraries are taking a battering from the Government at the mo, loads have closed down especially in rural areas like Yorkshire, so I suppose we are lucky to still have a library even if it isn't very good and isn't open very long hours. Some int he neighbouring villages have had to close down which is a disgrace. Funnily enough was just reading in the local paper today that in one village where the library was closed the local pub has set up their own little lending library in the bar!
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Post by susanb on Feb 21, 2012 22:26:17 GMT 1
We're in the same boat here....my town library was recently decertified by the Massachusetts Library Board*, so there's no interlibrary loan at all What is it with petty bureaucrats the world over....the first thing they swing the budget axe at is the library! *The town cut the library budget disproportionally to the cuts that were taken from other town departments (over a 30% cut, compared to an average of 4%). As towns are expected to at least ATTEMPT to support their libraries, this is a big no-no, so the board at the state level pulls certification. No interlibrary loan, no financial support from the state, no eligibility for state grants, etc. A bad downward spiral.
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Post by Claire on Feb 21, 2012 22:55:36 GMT 1
Didn't realise the same thing was happening over there susan. What a shame. They are also closing down our tourist information centres and theatres here. In fact anything remotely cultural seems to be getting the chop!
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Post by foxglove on Mar 26, 2012 16:28:27 GMT 1
I read The Hunger Games at the weekend to see what all the fuss is about; it's a dystopian adventure for young readers. It is very obviously influenced by the likes of Lord of the Flies, Battle Royale, Ender's Game and The Running Man but is fast-paced and exciting and I can see why it's become so popular. It is violent and brutal in places but quite moral too, with a very strong heroine.
The prose isn't top drawer (compared with say K M Peyton or Rosemary Sutcliffe), but I think its appeal is in scenario and story. I do get tired of the Nancy Drew thing of every chapter having to end on a cliffhanger though.
I remember the very vivid effect Louise Lawrence's Children of the Dust and the Stephen King story The Long Walk had on me as a teen reader. Apocalyptic struggles are very appealing at that age.
Definitely worth a try.
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Post by kunuma on Mar 26, 2012 21:56:55 GMT 1
I've been hearing a lot about this book and film too - people are raving about it - it's the "new Twilight" - OK that did it, I am going to read it too! The girl playing the lead apparently learnt to shoot a bow and arrow properly for the role - kudos to her!
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Post by Claire on Mar 26, 2012 22:00:50 GMT 1
I started to read the book but was put off going any further when the female heroine talked about how she tried to drown a kitten! Does she hate animals cos I couldnt relate to her as a heroine if that was the case.
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Post by kunuma on Mar 26, 2012 22:58:10 GMT 1
Hmmm, just found the first chapter on the net and see what Claire means, just decided not to read them after all! Most definitely not my sort of heroine!! Sitting at Prim’s knees, guarding her, is the world’s ugliest cat. Mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, eyes the color of rotting squash. Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower. He hates me. Or at least distrusts me. Even though it was years ago, I think he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when Prim brought him home. Scrawny kitten, belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas. The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed. But Prim begged so hard, cried even, I had to let him stay. It turned out okay. My mother got rid of the vermin and he’s a born mouser.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 7:12:37 GMT 1
Ugh, not my cup of tea
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Post by foxglove on Mar 27, 2012 8:53:17 GMT 1
Well, people who are genuinely starving have to make unpleasant decisions and pets are a luxury that many people on the planet cannot afford. I'm a vegetarian because I live in a society where shops sell veggie burgers. If I hadn't eaten in four days and was in the wilderness I'm fairly certain I'd eat anything I could lay my hands on, cute and fluffy or not.
The heroine has to fight for her family's survival, which involves hunting wild game and eating nasty stuff at times, and part of her defences is to not allow softness of feeling.
Some fish, rabbits and wildfowl get caught and eaten in the book, but apart from that there is no animal cruelty. Several children are murdered for mass entertainment- in that context, worrying about a kitten that doesn't in fact get drowned is part of the satirical point the author is trying to make, I guess!
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Post by Claire on Mar 27, 2012 12:02:16 GMT 1
Several children are murdered for mass entertainment- in that context, worrying about a kitten that doesn't in fact get drowned is part of the satirical point the author is trying to make, I guess! TBH I'd rather see people killed than a kitten any day! And its more the way she says it than the actual deed. Like if I had to make the terrible decision to kill an animal I'd be cut up about it, but she seems totally blase about it. Of course you are right foxglove and her hard way of thinking may be the product of the times she has grown up in but I just don't warm to her as a character. I did read a bit more of the book on-line and kitten episode aside I cant say I found the character getting any more appealing. Still just my personal opinion - I know a lot of people have enjoyed the books. I recently re-read Stephen King's The Long Walk which is a similar plot in that kids are being killed for entertainment but I found the character in that had a lot more compassion and was much more sympathetic. I'd really recommend that one to anybody.
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Post by foxglove on Mar 27, 2012 14:25:58 GMT 1
Yes, The Long Walk is a compelling (longish) short story.
The heroine in The Hunger Games has to be hard; at 11 her father is killed and her mother sinks into a torpor of depression leaving her to look after her younger sister. She is perhaps similar to Scarlett O'Hara or Becky Sharp; brave, resourceful and strong but not obviously likeable as such. I think I prefer these kind of characters personally, but maybe that says something about me!
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Post by Claire on Mar 28, 2012 0:58:39 GMT 1
She is perhaps similar to Scarlett O'Hara or Becky Sharp; brave, resourceful and strong but not obviously likeable as such. I think I prefer these kind of characters personally, but maybe that says something about me! Lol foxglove Funnily enough I dont like Scarlet O'Hara or Becky Sharp either. On the other hand I dont like characters who are too goody goody and/or good at everything. I like a few flaws, which is why I like the character of Jinny. Hmm might be quite interesting to start a thread about what sort of heroines (or heroes) people like/dislike.
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chris
Stablehand
Posts: 27
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Post by chris on Jul 18, 2012 19:41:14 GMT 1
Neil Gaiman's "Anansi Boys"? I just found 300-odd copies at Addall.com. Click on the "Used & OP" tab, fill in as many of the fields as you can, and click. Addall and Amazon are my go-to's for used titles. Also highly recommend ABEBooks and Alibris (though Addall covers them too).
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allyk
Pony Clubber
Posts: 184
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Post by allyk on Jul 13, 2013 18:17:57 GMT 1
You can reserve items but you have to pay for it and if its not in the North Yorkshire Libraries system it costs about £3 for an inter library loan! We're rather lucky to have 'free' ILL here Back to the topic . . . One that's fairly popular with the boys: John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series 1. The Ruins of Gorlan 2. The Burning Bridge 3. The Icebound Land 4. The Battle for Skandia 5. The Sorcerer of the North 6. The Siege of Macindaw 7. Erak's Ransom 8. The Kings of Clonmel One that's fairly popular with the girls (and the boys): Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series 1. The Thief 2. The Queen of Attolia 3. The King of Attolia 4. A Conspiracy of Kings
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