Libraries team up with BBC for Doctor Who competition

Last updated at 09:53, Thursday, 18 November 2010

HANDS up... who loves the Doctor? Cumbria Library Service and BBC Audiobooks are challenging local youngsters to read or listen to four Doctor Who titles, two of which must be audio books.

BY THE BOOK: Children’s author Andrew Newbound was left speechless by a keen young fan, Isabella Hankin. Andrew was reading extracts from his book Demon Strike and discussing his ghostly books on a recent visit to Whitehaven Library when nine-year-old Isabella stunned him with her knowledge of his novels. ‘She knows more about them than me!’ he joked.

On joining this challenge, which starts on December 1, the youngsters will be given a collector’s card which acts as a reading record and which also has a quiz and puzzle to solve.
They have until January 9 to complete it.
Each youngster who finishes will get a certificate and prize, and their name will be put into a draw. One lucky winner will then get a bumper bundle of Dr Who goodies.
Look for further details at your local library.
Top honours for thriller writers
THE 2010 winners of the Specsavers Crime Thrillers Awards have been announced.
Run in conjunction with the Crime Writers’ Association and ITV3, they included Cumbrian writer Diane Janes who was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) which was eventually won by Ryan David Jahn for Acts of Violence.
Other winners were The CWA Gold Dagger 2010 (Best Crime Novel of the Year): Blacklands by Belinda Bauer; and the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2010 (Best Thriller of the Year): A Loyal Spy by Simon Conway.
Author of the month
THIS month’s recommended author is Philip Kerr.
Those of you searching for a series of books to grip them through the long, winter nights should look no further than Philip Kerr.
Thriller lovers who haven’t come across Kerr are in for a treat; his protagonist ex-cop turned PI Bernie Gunther is one of the most fascinating and appealing in the genre.
Kerr’s books follow Gunther over 20 years from 1930s Berlin to 1950s Cuba, combining a strong sense of place and time with cracking story-lines.
Gunther fans, of which I am one, simply adore him. A flawed hero, he appeals to both men and women, and is a believable character which Kerr smartly develops through the novels.
Kerr’s latest Gunther book, Field Grey, is out now, however I recommend reading the books in order: Berlin Noir (trilogy) published by Penguin; The One from the Other; If the Dead Rise Not; A Quiet Flame and Field Grey, all published by Quercus publishing. Titles are available through local libraries.
Book review: Stewart Lee
COMEDIAN Stewart Lee isn’t a household name – and nor does he want to be, writes Andrew Clarke.
As one of the last truly ‘alternative’ stand-ups around, Lee doesn’t do chat shows, panel shows or stand-up showcases like Live at the Apollo or Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow.
Instead he has built up a cult following of fans, through his beautifully crafted and perfectly delivered stand-up that, in my opinion, makes him untouchable on today’s circuit.
All of which makes his autobiography, How I Escaped My Certain Fate, a must-read for comedy fans.
As you would expect from someone as diverse as Lee, it doesn’t the follow the typical autobiographical route. It doesn’t start in his childhood, but instead begins in the 2000s, with only passing references to what went before. It centres around three shows that won him critical acclaim and put him on the alternative A-list; Stand-up Comedian, 90s Comedian and 41st Best Stand-up Ever.
After a spattering of success in the 1990s (remember Fist of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy – Lee’s collaborations with Richard Herring), he slowly became disillusioned with comedy and quietly gave up.
However, a blasphemy prosecution (for his writing role in Jerry Springer: The Opera) and a re-evaluation of comedy and its mechanisms followed, and a gradual comeback began.
Lee spends the book analysing comedy, art and music, in the context of his own career of peaks and troughs. “I go through a cycle of being popular about every six years,” says Lee, in 41st Best.
Interspersed with a narrative, the shows are transcribed in their entirety, but the beauty comes in Lee’s detailed annotations that are longer than the shows themselves.
We get to read how every joke or story originated, and the asides – once you get used to them – surprisingly enhance the quality of the material. Of course, it’s advisable to watch the shows first as the written word doesn’t to them justice; it’s Lee’s deadpan delivery and deliberate awkward pauses that make his shows.
It’s quite an involved read, however, with a number of high-brow references that may go over readers’ heads – they certainly did mine!
The subject matter too is often not for the faint-hearted. Lee deliberately tackles sensitive subjects, but not to shock or sensationalise, but instead to make social comment, and more often than not, criticism.
Has political correctness gone mad? Lee says not. “There is a whole generation of people who have confused political correctness with health and safety legislation.”
And he performs a particularly offensive routine in 90s Comedian, just so he could write a joke “that Joe Pasquale couldn’t steal”.
A cracking read, but don’t take my word for it. Whitehaven Library currently has it in stock, but make sure you watch the original shows first.
Drop-in sessions at the library
NHS Partnership and Cumbria Constabulary are both running drop-in sessions in Daniel Hay Library, Whitehaven.
Moira Quayle will be in on Thursday, December 2 from 9.30am-1pm she will provide a listening ear for anyone who wishes to talk about problems such as anxiety, insomnia or stress.
And Sarah Fletcher is running police surgeries on Saturday, November 27 from 12.30-2pm and Wednesday, December 22 from 12.30-2pm. Any concerns you may have about matters such as neighbourhood policing, dog fouling or anti-social behaviour can be raised with Sarah.