Melbourne Cup Day

Due to the Melbourne Cup, all Mitchell Shire Libraries will be closed on Tuesday, November the 3rd.

2009 Inky Awards Shortlist – VOTE NOW!

“Huh?.... What’s an Inky Award” did I just hear you ask??

Well, The Inkys are a unique, 1 of a kind award. They reflect what Teens in Australia want to read, not what people tell you to read.

Teenagers everywhere who are readers of the insideadog website have voted for their favourite books. With all those votes compiled, the wonderful people at insideadog have put together a Gold and Silver list, with each list having 5 books on them.

So VOTE NOW for your favourite books on the Gold and Silver shortlist!! There are a few rules though… You can only vote once, and you must be under 20 years of age, and voting closes on November 20, 2009.

So…. Why are you still reading this??! Get Voting…. Now!!! Quickly, GO!!!

A Quick Note...

Queens Birthday

All of the libraries will be closed on Monday 8th June for the Queens Birthday Public Holiday.

What To Read Next: After Twilight

Feeling lost now that you've completed the Twilight series, and sad knowing that Midnight Sun may never be completed and published? Don't worry, because we know just the thing to cure your woes!

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is a wonderful fantasy novel that will appeal to everyone who fell in love with the way Twilight combined fictional ideals like vampires and werewolves with reality.
Clary isn't your average fifteen-year-old nerdy hipster. She sees invisible people, strange people - demons with facial piercings, gay warlocks, and young, attractive, arrogrant demon-hunters.
City of Bones is book 1 in the Mortal Instruments Trilogy.

Sabriel by Garth Nix is a spooky fantasy novel to suit teenagers. Garth Nix is one of Australia's most popular fantasy authors, his works are always fast-paced with vivid descriptions, excitement and humour.
Sabriel follows the story of 18-year-old Sabriel, who enters the mysterious (and dangerous!) realm of the Old Kingdom to save her father, a necromancer, from a great evil that will threaten more than her life. Inside the Old Kingdom is a world of uncontrolled magic and the dead - who won't stay dead.

Following in the footsteps of Twilight is the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.
Bloodlines and heritage rights, the struggle between good and evil interwoven with teenage life makes for a compelling read, but if you aren't familiar with the structure of typical fantasy novels, you might find yourself a little overwhelmed at the complexity of this novel. It is well worth the effort though, some of the concepts introduced by Mead are the things you'd wish Twilight included.

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld is a unique spin on vampire fiction, combining it with science rather than fantasy. There is no magic, no flying and no romance.
Cal's life is changed forever after an encounter with a mysterious woman. He becomes infected by an insidious parasite and is unknowingly infecting his partners and now they've turned into what he calls "peeps". Now it's Cal's turn to hunt them down, before they create even more of their own kind...

Undine by Penni Russon is a tale of sixteen-year-old Undine and her neighbour, Trout. Together they are two-thirds of a romantic triangle, make a compelling and believable pair, grappling with the equally daunting burdens of newfound magical ability and of ordinary high school.The tension between these very real teens and their mythic underpinnings is what makes this title so intriguing.

The Vampire Display @ Wallan Library didn't stay for long
- all the books were quickly taken off and borrowed by vampire fanatics!

Magazine Madness

Mitchell Shire Library Service have just purchased heaps of new magazine subscriptions!

For the music lovers we now subscribe to Jmag.
It features the best music, behind-the-scenes at triple j action, competitions, fashion, sport and hot topics, straight from the triple j airwaves to you.

Don't worry though, we still subscribe to the ever-popular Rolling Stone.

The artsy designers will appreciate the wonderful new

Dumbo feather, Pass it on magazine.
Labelled a "mook" (half magazine, half book) it is published quarterly and features 5 remarkable tales of human life.

It's printed on 100% recycled paper using soy-based inks, making it one of the eco-friendly magazines published anywhere in the world.

Whether it’s baking the best 100% natural sourdough bread in the world, producing fabulous fashion in remote Northern Pakistan, writing poetry, making music, fighting for human rights or film making, each article is fascinating reading.

We also now subscribe to Alpha magazine

& Top Gear magazine so sport and car fans can get their fix.
Every month Alpha offers you previews, interviews, features & fixtures across all the major footy codes, cricket, motor sport & tennis.
Top Gear magazine is THE mag for people who want their slab of Clarkson, Hammond, May and The Stig covered lovingly with a spicy BBQ sauce of Australia’s most interesting cars, people and experiences.

Computer enthusiasts will enjoy Netguide and APC magazines, both of which we have subscribed to for years. They'll keep you up-to-date on all the latest technology buzz, software developments, virus or scam warnings and product reviews.

Old favourites such as Girlfriend & Dolly are still available, so reserve one of them today to catch up on celebrity gossip, beauty, entertainment, quizzes, fashion and more.

Penny Arcade Comics

(click to enlarge)
If you find this funny, you'll love Penny Arcade.
We currently have 3 Anthologies of Penny Arcade material at Wallan Library, tucked away in our Teen Graphic Section.
The collections cover more than 3 years of comics from the popular website, but if you are unfamiliar, click here to learn more.
A warning though, some of the comics contain "mild" course language, making it suitable for teenage readers & young adults.