We’ve gathered all the contenders and winners of the UK’s most popular literary awards in one place! So if you’re keen to read a whole shortlist, want to know what all the fuss is about a particular winner, or are just looking for a great book to read – take a look. All our book lists link straight in to the library catalogue, so you can find out which libraries hold copies of the book you’re after and whether they’re available (you can reserve from here too).
The book awards we feature include the Man Booker, Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Specsavers National Book Award and many more!
Book Awards page – part of the RBKC library catalogue
Why not try The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (above) – winner of the 2014 Waterstones Book of the Year, winner of Book of the Year and Best New Writer in the 2014 Specsavers National Book Awards. This is a wonderful read set in 1686 Amsterdam. It follows eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman as she arrives from a small village to the Amsterdam household of merchant trader Johannes Brand, her new husband. A gripping story unfolds as she is given a cabinet by her husband containing an exact replica of their house.
Take a look too through the excellent shortlist for the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, including the latest book by Sarah Waters: The Paying Guests. The winner will be announced in just a couple of weeks!
Each time a new shortlist is announced, the lists are refreshed – but we are gradually building a ’round up’ list of past prizewinners, so you can always be sure to find some great quality reading.
So, it’s our third blog post and only about a month to go until Christmas now. I’m sure you have all bought and wrapped your presents already…oh you haven’t?
Don’t worry! If you need something to keep the kids quiet while you get on with the festive preparations, come down to Brompton Library where we have a selection of children’s Christmas books that should keep them quiet- hopefully for a few minutes!
The last month has felt progressively busier in the library as students of all ages return or start their studies – it feels like lots and lots of them have joined the library and we’re very happy about that. They are making good use of the free computer access and wi-fi and hopefully they will be borrowing lots of books too!
At the end of October our new “Saturday Storyland” sessions for under-5s got off to a great start. I was very pleased to see mums and dads sharing the event with their children, listening to the stories, singing along with the rhymes and then playing with the dressing up costumes or drawing and colouring-in. Katie, Babita and Elisabeth, our Senior Customer Services Assistants will share the sessions along with Lisa, our great volunteer, who stays with us until midday to help keep the kids amused and engage with the parents to promote our other children’s events and the library service in general. And, best of all, she tidies up after they’ve all gone!
Samuel Johnson Prize for Non- Fiction- Shortlist at Brompton Library
I’m proud to say that, for once, Brompton Library was able to display the entire shortlist, including the winner, of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2012. It’s the richest non-fiction prize in the UK, worth £20,000 to the winner. As I write, five of the six titles are still on display despite enthusiastic tweeting!
Stephanie Webb
Stephanie Webb, Lending Librarian
Information and Book Displays at Brompton Library
We have lots of information on display from different organisations, library information, council information and current events such as:
– The Nour Festival of Arts, events are still happening this month
– The London History Festival, events are from 19 to 28 November
– The Winter Season at the Finborough Theatre and The Chelsea Theatre
We also have displays of new library books, recommended books to read and displays of books on different topics which are changed regularly.
Elisabeth Brown, Senior Customer Services Assistant
Book Break in Kensington and Chelsea
Book Break groups are small friendly shared reading groups provided by the award winning social enterprise, The Reader Organisation in partnership with Kensington and Chelsea libraries. The groups meet weekly to share great literature with others, with the odd cup of tea and biscuits too!
Groups read a wide range of short stories, novels, plays and poems. Recently the groups have read:
‘The old Man and the Sea’ by Ernest Hemmingway
‘Cry the Beloved Country’ by Alan Paton
‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier
Poems by John Keats, Sheenagh Pugh and Charles Bukowski
There is no pressure to read aloud, some people prefer to listen to others read. During the session words and thoughts in the story are discussed along with what they mean to us. Everyone has a chance to respond if they wish to.
Come and join in with one of the many Book Break groups in Kensington and Chelsea:
Mondays 2 to 4pm New Horizions (50+ group), Sloane Square, SW3 5EZ
Mondays 6.15 to 7.45pm and Thursdays 3 to 5pm, Chelsea Library, Kings Road, SW3 5EZ
Tuesdays 10.30am to 12.30pm, Brompton Library, 210 Old Brompton Road, SW5 0BS
Wednesdays 10.30am to 12 noon, Kensal Group at St Charles Wellbeing Centre (ground floor entrance), W10 6DZ
And as promised last month here is a list of strange items left in the library:
• Baby buggy ( no one missed it, as it was never collected)
• Domestos
• Walking stick ( due to the healing effect of books)
• Comb
• Driving licence
• Toilet plunger and toilet paper
• A bag of dry bread
• Lap top
• Framed old family photographs
• School bags
• Certificate
Have you seen our Book Awards page?
Take a look too through the excellent shortlist for the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, including the latest book by Sarah Waters: The Paying Guests. The winner will be announced in just a couple of weeks!
