Wednesday 28 March 2012

Carnegie and Greenaway 2012 shortlists announced!

The shortllists for the CLIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards 2012 have just been announced.

The CILIP Carnegie Medal is the UK's oldest and most prestigious book award for children's writing. Although there is no cash prize, the CILIP Carnegie is regularly described by writers as "the one they want to win". 

The eight books on this year's shortlist are suitable for readers of 12 years or younger and feature no less than four debut novels.

And here's they are!  Click on a cover to check availability, or click here to bring up the whole list.








The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal is the UK's most prestigious prize for children's book illustration, and the only one to consider illustration exclusively.

This year the shortlist highlights the importance of illustration in books for older readers.

Click on a cover to check availability, or click here to bring up the whole list.

 

 





 

There, lots and lots of lovely new titles for you to be getting on with.  Why not let us know what you think of them?  Why not try to second-guess the judges and predict the winner?

And, in the true spirit of both prizes, we shall NOT be offering a cash prize for correct suggestions.

Monday 20 February 2012

Teens Aloud - a new reading group for...um, teens!




Welcome to the Reading Revolution!

"Teens Aloud", a  reading group with a difference, is being launched in Cardiff Libraries at the end of February.

“So what’s the difference?” I hear you ask.

Well, the difference is that all the reading is done during the session, rather than before - making it ideal for those social animals who find it difficult to fit regular reading into their manic lifestyles.

Inspired by the ‘Read to Lead’ training delivered by ‘The Reader Organisation’ (TRO), the aim is to bring teenagers together to read aloud, talk and share ideas about books, short stories and poetry, or reflect on similar experiences of their own. 

TRO work to bring the pleasure and value of reading to as many people as possible, bringing books to life by reading aloud in the company of others. 

According to TRO , the benefits to young people of reading aloud include -
  • Increased personal confidence
  • Improved health and well being
  • Increased love of reading
  • Greater social skills
  • Improved literacy
  • Improved stability and security
‘Teens Aloud’ will be launched at Cardiff Central Library on Wednesday, February 29th, and will meet weekly from 4.30pm-5.30pm.

And there’ll be biscuits – so no speaking with your mouth full!

Crumbs.

Friday 3 February 2012

The most borrowed books in Cardiff Libraries 2010-11!

Well, the PLR (Public Lending Rights) results for 2010-11 are out and here are our top 100 most borrowed books -


 

Title

Author

Year
 
Issues
1
The lost symbol
Dan Brown
2009
603
2
Wolf Hall
Hilary Mantel
2009
597
3
The Finkler question
Howard Jacobson
2010
508
4
Room
Emma Donoghue
2010
485
5
Worth dying for
Lee Child
2010
469
6
61 hours
Lee Child
2010
466
7
The short second life of Bree Tanner : an Eclipse novella
Stephenie Meyer
2010
453
8
Private
James Patterson
2010
449
9
Caught
Harlan Coben
2010
445
10
The girl with the dragon tattoo
Stieg Larsson ; translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland
2008
443
11
Deliver us from evil
David Baldacci
2010
442
12
The long song
Andrea Levy
2010
434
13
The killing place
Tess Gerritsen
2010
430
14
Play dead
Harlan Coben
2010
428
15
9th Judgement
James Patterson
2010
426
16
The Search
Nora Roberts
2010
420
17
A perfect proposal
Katie Fforde
2010
410
18
Horrid Henry v Moody Margaret
Francesca Simon ; illustrated by Tony Ross
2009
400
19
Worst case
James Patterson
2010
398
20
Blind fury
Lynda La Plante
2010
397
21
True blue
David Baldacci
2009
396
22
Bad boy
Peter Robinson
2010
388
23
The burning wire
Jeffery Deaver
2010
387
24
The other family
Joanna Trollope
2010
384
25
Don't blink
James Patterson & Howard Roughan
2010
384
26
In their footsteps
Tess Gerritsen
2010
381
27
The Lacuna : a novel
Barbara Kingsolver
2010
378
28
From the dead
Mark Billingham
2010
377
29
The way we were
Elizabeth Noble
2010
373
30
Gone tomorrow
Lee Child
2009
368
31
A rush of blood
Quintin Jardine
2010
368
32
Zog
Julia Donaldson ; illustrated by Axel Scheffler
2010
362
33
Solar
Ian McEwan
2010
360
34
Nine dragons
Michael Connelly
2009
358
35
Swimsuit
James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
2009
357
36
Broken
Karin Slaughter
2010
354
37
The postcard killers : a novel
James Patterson and Liza Marklund
2010
352
38
Horrid Henry v Moody Margaret
Francesca Simon ; illustrated by Tony Ross
2009
352
39
The woodcutter
Reginald Hill
2010
346
40
New moon / Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer

344
41
The spy
Clive Cussler and Justin Scott
2010
339
42
Big girl : a novel
Danielle Steel
2010
339
43
The cobra
Frederick Forsyth
2010
339
44
The girl who kicked the hornets' nest
Stieg Larsson ; translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland
2009
336
45
First family
David Baldacci
2009
335
46
8th confession
James Patterson
2009
335
47
Ambitious love
Rosie Harris
2010
333
48
Breaking dawn
Stephenie Meyer
2008
332
49
Play to kill
PJ Tracy
2010
332
50
One day in May
Catherine Alliott
2010
331
51
Stick man
Julia Donaldson ; illustrated by Axel Scheffler
2008
330
52
Rough justice
Stephen Leather
2010
330
53
House rules
Jodi Picoult
2010
329
54
I, Alex Cross
James Patterson
2009
329
55
Started early, took my dog
Kate Atkinson
2010
328
56
Horrid Henry and the football fiend
Francesca Simon ; illustrated by Tony Ross ; read by Miranda Ric>
2010
327
57
The complaints
Ian Rankin
2009
327
58
Trick of the dark
Val McDermid
2010
325
59
The first rule
Robert Crais
2010
322
60
The shadow of your smile
Mary Higgins Clark
2010
321
61
Time's legacy
Barbara Erskine
2010
321
62
Beyond the sunset
by Anna Jacobs
2010
318
63
The dealer and the dead
Gerald Seymour
2010
318
64
The choice
Susan Lewis
2010
317
65
Alex Cross's trial
James Patterson
2009
317
66
The betrayal
Helen Dunmore
2010
317
67
The love verb
Jane Green
2010
316
68
Family ties : a novel
Danielle Steel
2010
316
69
The queen of new beginnings
Erica James
2010
316
70
Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone                   
J. K. Rowling                                                   
2001
315
71
Stolen
Lesley Pearse
2010
312
72
Heading home
Katie Flynn
2010
309
73
Tigerlily's orchids
Ruth Rendell
2010
308
74
Bloodline
Mark Billingham
2009
308
75
Horrid Henry and the bogey babysitter                      
Francesca Simon: ill Tony Ross                                  
2002
308
76
Trespass
Rose Tremain
2010
308
77
The scarecrow
Michael Connelly
2009
307
78
206 bones
Kathy Reichs
2009
305
79
The Scarpetta factor
Patricia Cornwell
2009
304
80
The girl who played with fire
Stieg Larsson ; translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland
2009
303
81
The fort
Bernard Cornwell
2010
303
82
A mistletoe kiss
Katie Flynn
2010
302
83
Whispers of love
Rosie Harris
2010
301
84
Savour the moment
Nora Roberts
2010
301
85
Parrot and Olivier in America
Peter Carey
2010
299
86
The sweetest thing
Susan Sallis
2010
298
87
Deception
Jonathan Kellerman
2010
297
88
The business
Martina Cole
2008
296
89
U is for undertow
Sue Grafton
2010
296
90
And thereby hangs a tale
Jeffrey Archer
2010
295
91
Horrid Henry rocks
Francesca Simon ; illustrated by Tony Ross
2010
295
92
The Judas gate
Jack Higgins
2010
294
93
Soldier girl
Annie Murray
2010
293
94
The official DSA theory test for car drivers ; and, The of>
Driving Standards Agency (Great Britain)
2010
293
95
6 Rainier Drive
Debbie Macomber
2010
292
96
Edge
Jeffery Deaver
2010
292
97
Silent scream
Karen Rose
2010
292
98
This body of death
Elizabeth George
2010
292
99
Where death delights : a forensic mystery of the nineteen->
Bernard Knight
2010
292
100
Storm prey
John Sandford
2010
291

No great surprise that as usual the list is dominated by crime and thrillers, but nice to see lots of other stuff in there too.


Nationally its been a great year for children's authors, taking 5 out of the top 10 places.


The full list and lots of interesting regional and other breakdowns can be seen here

The main PLR site gives lots of information about their work in helping authors get just a little of what they deserve for entertaining us so well, and a big "thanks" to them for making alll this information freely available.


And now I'm off to change my name to James Patterson in the hope of some financial fallout.