Dennis McIntosh is next Summer Read author blogging from 6 – 10 January.

His book Beaten by a Blow is one of the books on the Summer Read shortlist.

Dennis McIntosh was born in Townsville and grew up in Newcastle and Melbourne’s outer west. He has been a manual labourer for twenty years, a recovered alcoholic for ten years, and a student of writing for three. This is his first book.

Beaten by the Blow details the life of a hopeful young man who, through the sights, sounds – and smells – of the sheep-shearing sheds, learns the gritty lessons of life and all its hardships. Heavy work, heavy responsibilities and heavy drinking – all lead to this young man dropping the shears and picking up a pen to write this compelling memoir.

As part of the free Summer Read events across Victoria, Dennis will be appearing at:

• Richmond Library, 415 Church Street, Richmond on Tuesday 27 January 2009, 7.00 – 8.00 pm
For more information phone 1300 695 427 or book online at  http://summerread4.eventbrite.com

• Shepparton Library, 41-43 Marungi Street Shepparton on Wednesday 28 January 2009, 6.00 – 7.30 pm
For more information phone 5832 1600 or book online at  http://summerread6.eventbrite.com

• Barwon Park, 105 Inverleigh Road, Winchelsea
Join Dennis for a BBQ, coldie and a darn good yarn. Wander through this magnificent  historic National Trust Homestead from 6pm; join us for a sausage and a coldie from the  bar-b-que.
Borrow books from the mobile library and settle in the historic courtyard overlooking  bluestone buildings for an evening of yarns from Dennis McIntosh.
For more information phone Annmaree Harper 5241 6151 or book online at  http://summerread7.eventbrite.com

What Dennis says about summer reading

‘I’ll never forget a few summers ago I started reading ‘The Reader’ I quickly realized I had a great book on my hands and I stopped reading immediately. I did all my jobs, cancelled any appointments, locked myself in the house, shut the curtains, put the jug on and read it from start to finish. It was great. Then I went round trying to get other people to read it. When I find a great book I always want to share it with my friends, or anyone who’ll listen to me.’

Port Phillip Library Service held their launch of the Summer Read 2008 program at St Kilda Library earlier in December.

Champagne and light refreshments were followed by a two hour piece of hilarious theatre with comedian, Monica Dullard, an expert reading consultant, who engaged the audience in an interactive book chat that was full of love and absurdity.

It would not be exaggerating to say that lives were changed by the experience. Using her inherent wisdom, intuition and impressive psychic abilities Maura was able to give reading guidance that will in many instances give new life directions to the recipients.

Also impressive was her knowledge of the 20 titles on the Summer Read List and the ease with which she knew which title would suit each individual. Her state of the art reading match machine was a miracle to behold.

The atmosphere after two hours of interactive fun with Maura was so friendly that I believe the entire audience is off with her on a cruise as soon as it can be organised.

St Kilda Library will be co hosting, with the Australian Poetry Centre, poet Peter Steele author of White Knight with Beebox one of the books on the Summer Read shortlist on Thursday 19 February, 6.30 - 8.00pm. For more information, or to visit the state of the art reading machine, phone 9209 6655 or book online at http://summerread29.eventbrite.com.

Fiona Capp is next Summer Read author blogging from 16 – 20 December.

Fiona trained as a journalist, has a PhD in English and has worked as a freelance writer and university tutor in English, journalism and novel writing. She is the acclaimed author of Night Surfing, Last of the Sane Days, and That Oceanic Feeling.

Her book Musk and Byrne is one of the books on the Summer Read shortlist.

Musk and Byrne is set in 19th-century Victoria and tells the story of passionate and headstrong Jemma Musk who seeks to establish herself as a painter and an independent woman. But scandal and tragedy set her on the run from the law, and a legend — that of the beautiful Musk and her accomplice Byrne — is born.

As part of the free Summer Read events across Victoria, Fiona will be appearing at:

•    Portland Library, DiscoverIT Centre, 38 Bentinck Street, Portland on Thursday 12 February 2009, 7.00 – 8.00 pm
For more information phone 0355222 265 or book online at http://summerread21.eventbrite.com

•    Caulfield Library, Glen Eira Town Hall, Cnr Glen Eira and Hawthorn Roads, Caulfield on Thursday 26 February 2009, 7.00 – 8.00 pm
For more information phone 9524 3623 or book online at http://summerread32.eventbrite.com

What Fiona says about summer reading

“A few years ago when bushfires were raging through Gippsland and other parts of Victoria I was reading Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’ about a man and his son making their way to the West coast of America through an unrelentingly grey landscape devastated by some kind of apocalyptic event, most probably a nuclear war. The sun is blocked by a thick cloud of dust that cloaks the earth and everything on it. Eerily enough, while I was reading, the smoke from the Gippsland fires had veiled the sun here, creating a lurid, apocalyptic light that made the scenario in ‘The Road’ feel disturbingly close.”

Thanks Jarad for your informative posts which will inspire many aspiring writers.

As part of the free Summer Read events across Victoria, Jarad will be appearing at:

•    Ludo The Good Food Store Sandringham, Shop 3/1 Waltham Street, Sandringham, on Thursday 5 February 2009, 6:30 - 8:00 pm
For more information phone Brighton Library 9591 5906 or book online at
http://summerread10.eventbrite.com

Vote for Blood Sunset or SMS BLOOD to 13 46 88

Jarad Henry is the next Summer Read author, blogging from 11 – 15 December.

Jarad has worked in the criminal justice system for more than ten years, and is currently a strategic advisor for Victoria Police. He has a degree in criminology. His first novel was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, and for the Ned Kelly Awards Best First Crime Novel.

His book Blood Sunset is one of the books on the Summer Read shortlist.

Blood Sunset tells the story of Melbourne in the grip heat wave, when a teenager is found dead in St Kilda with a syringe in his arm. As the blood sunset washes the streets of Melbourne, Detective McCauley discovers the boy’s death is not simply an isolated overdose but a link in a dark network of drugs, child abuse and paedophilia.

As part of the free Summer Read events across Victoria, Jarad will be appearing at:

•    Geelong Gallery, Little Malop Street, Geelong on Wednesday 26 November 2008, 5.30 – 7.30 pm
For more information phone Annmaree Harper 5241 6151 or book online at http://summerread1.eventbrite.com

•    Ludo The Good Food Store Sandringham, Shop 3/1 Waltham Street, Sandringham, on Thursday 5 February 2009, 6:30 - 8:00 pm
For more information phone Brighton Library 9591 5906 or book online at
http://summerread10.eventbrite.com

What Jarad says about summer reading

“A good summer read goes likes this… Kicking back on the beach house sun deck, watching the ocean, a tumbler full of crushed ice, vodka and fresh lime, and Australia’s newest crime thriller in my hands… no better way to wile away an afternoon.”

Toni Jordan is next Summer Read author blogging from 6 – 10 December.

Toni Jordan has a BSc in physiology and qualifications in marketing and professional writing. She has worked as a sales assistant, molecular biologist, quality control chemist and marketing manager. Toni’s published work includes numerous magazine articles, a short story and a chapter in a medical textbook. She lives in Melbourne.

Her book Addition is one of the books on the Summer Read shortlist.

Addition tells the story of Grace Lisa Vandenburg, for whom numbers hold the world together. And so she counts. Everything. Seamus Joseph O’Reilly thinks she might be better off without the counting. She might be able to hold down a job, for example. Grace’s problem is that Seamus doesn’t count. Her other problem is…he does.

As part of the free Summer Read events across Victoria, Toni will be appearing at:

• Clayton Theatrette, Clayton Community Centre,
Cooke Street Clayton on Thursday 12 February 2009, 6.30 – 8.00 pm
For more information phone Clayton Library 9544 0668 or book online at http://summerread20.eventbrite.com

• Rosebud Library, McDowell St, Rosebud for morning tea on Valentines Day on Saturday 14 February 2009, 11.00 – 12.30 pm
For more information phone 5950 1230 or book online at http://summerread24.eventbrite.com

• Frankston Library, 60 Playne Street, Frankston for Cake and Champagne on Valentines Day, Saturday 14 February 2009, 2.00 – 4.00 pm
For more information phone 9784 1020 or book online at http://summerread23.eventbrite.com

What Toni says about summer reading

“Over summer I attack my teetering to-be-read pile, but also patch those embarrassing gaps in my reading history. This year will be Dickens (The Pickwick Papers and A Christmas Carol) and Eleanor Dark (A Timeless Land and Return to Coolami).”

Thanks Steven for your beautiful posts, which will inspire many a classic to be added to ‘must read’ lists this summer.

As part of the free Summer Read events across Victoria, Steven will be appearing at:

• Radcliffe’s in Echuca on Thursday 15 January 2009, 8 – 9pm
For more information phone Echuca Library 5482 1997 or book online http://summerread2.eventbrite.com

• Sam Merrifield Library, Moonee Ponds on Thursday 22 January 2009, 7.00 – 8.00 pm
For more information phone 8325 1950 or book online http://summerread3.eventbrite.com

Vote for The Zookeeper’s War or SMS ZOO to 13 46 88

Steven Conte is next Summer Read author blogging from 1 – 5 December.

Steven Conte was born and raised in rural New South Wales. He has lived and worked in Europe, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, and his first published short stories drew on his experiences as a traveller. He has supported his writing with numerous jobs, including barman, taxi driver and life model. In 1998 he moved to Melbourne and in 2000 began a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Melbourne, developing the manuscript that became The Zookeeper’s War. He graduated in 2005 and now lives in a Melbourne university college where he works as a student advisor.

His book The Zookeepers War is one of the books on the Summer Read shortlist.

The Zookeepers War tells the story of an Australian woman, Vera, and her German husband Axel who are zookeepers in wartime Berlin. When the zoo’s staff are drafted into the army, forced labourers are sent in as replacements. They become the zoo’s only hope as tension mounts in the closing days of war. This powerful story confronts the brutality of war and the challenges on many levels as a result. The Zookeeper’s War this year won the inaugural Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction.

As part of the free Summer Read events across Victoria, Steven will be appearing at:
• Radcliffe’s in Echuca on Thursday 15 January 2009, 8 – 9pm
For more information phone Echuca Library 5482 1997 or online at http://summerread2.eventbrite.com

• Sam Merrifield Library, Moonee Ponds on Thursday 22 January 2009, 7.00 – 8.00 pm
For more information phone 8325 1950 or book online at http://summerread3.eventbrite.com

What Steven says about summer reading

“Last June I took my first northern-hemisphere holiday in 15 years, and so my most recent summer reading was only half a year ago. I was in Morocco when I came across an old copy of a novel I’d first read as a teenager, The Girl in a Swing by Richard Adams, who also wrote Watership Down. I remembered liking the novel, so I swapped it for another and took it with me on a trip to the Sahara Desert. Books are passports to different worlds, and the England and Denmark of The Girl in a Swing gave me cooling relief from the Sahara sun. At the same time, this story of a timid porcelain dealer’s romance with a femme fatale, and its supernatural consequences, transported me back to the teenager I was in the 1980s. Books are like that: teleportation and time travel in one small and affordable device.”

Thanks Sophie for your enjoyable posts, sharing your snaps as you were getting the hang of your new Nikon D80 camera and updating us all with the outcome of the ‘emu egg cup’.

As part of the free Summer Read events across Victoria, Sophie will be appearing at:

* Yea Library on Tuesday 3 February 2009, 7.00 – 8.00 pm

For more information phone 5797 2209 or book online at http://summerread17.eventbrite.com

* Mildura Library on Wednesday 11 February 2009, 7.30 – 8.00 pm

For more information phone 5018 8350 or book online at http://summerread19.eventbrite.com

Vote for Bird or SMS BIRD to 13 46 88

Thanks so much Alice for your insightful posts.

Vote for Growing up Asian in Australia

As part of the free Summer Read events across Victoria, Alice will be appearing at:

- Footscray Library on Wednesday 11 February 2009 at 7pm
For more information and bookings phone 9688 0289

- Mill Park Library on Monday 23 February 2009 at 6.30pm
At this event Alice will launch the Mill Park Writers Group. For more information and bookings phone 9437 8189