The Creepy Eye at Ashburton Library

Check out The Creepy Eye at Ashburton Library as you sit and read a magazine!  Our latest booklist has the theme of dystopia.  Dystopia is a nightmare vision of society, the opposite of utopian dominated by totalitarianism or a technological state. It's common in science fiction and the best two examples are George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave new world.  But check out these for some modern takes on the theme.

P. D. James - The children of men
Terry Brooks - Armageddon's children

Scott Westerfeld - Uglies

Lois Lowry - The giver

Lauren Oliver - Delirium

Neal Shusterman - Unwind

Paolo Bacigalupi - Ship breaker

Paolo Bacigalupi - The windup girl

William Golding - Lord of the flies

Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451

Stephen King - The running man

George Orwell - 1984

Kazuo Ishiguro - Never let me go

Margaret Atwood - The handmaid's tale

Suzanne Collins - The hunger games

John Wyndham - The chrysalids

Patrick Ness - The knife of never letting go

Jeanne DuPrau - The city of ember

James Dashner - The maze runner

Jack London - The iron heel

Maria V. Snyder - Inside out

William Gibson - Neuromancer

Veronica Roth - Divergent

Michael Grant - Gone

Ally Condie - Matched

Catherine Fisher- Incarceron

Aldous Huxley - Brave new world

Anthony Burgess - A clockwork orange

Cormac McCarthy - The road

Gemma Malley - The declaration

M. T. Anderson - Feed

Shades more colourful than grey

Are you still waiting for your copy of Fifty shades of Grey?  Try some of these to warm up the cold nights.

Linda Jaivin writes sassy, witty, funny stories about strong women.  Guaranteed to get a laugh! Try Confessions of an S&M virgin, Eat me & Rock n roll babes from outer space

Before Shades of Grey was even was thought of Anais Nin pushing the boundaries and expectations of women.  Try  Delta of Venus or Little Birds.

Henry Miller published The tropic of Cancer in 1934 The tropic of Capricorn in 1938 which was semi-autobiographical and banned in the US until 1961. 

D. H. Lawrence - Lady Chatterley's lover has been one of the most controversial books ever published.

Nancy Friday explores the fantasies of actual women. She has written several collections of real-life interviews with everyday women.  Forbidden flowers is a classic!

Sylvia Day - Bared to you feels very similar to Shades of Grey except it's darker and grittier!

Tobsha Learner has written several books of erotic short stories - Quiver, Tremble and Yearn. These are well-written and sophisticated.

Erica Jong - Fear of flying was published in 1973 but it's still a great story of awakening and has strong feminist themes.

Judith Krantz - Scruples follows Billy (a woman) through various relationships as she works the Beverley Hills boutique.

Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita. Speaking of scruples...or not having any, middle aged Humbert becomes obsessed with 12 year old Dolores (who he nicknames Lolita). Controversial but beautifully written.

Krissy Kneen wrote Affection which is a very honest but tender autobiography.  It has strong psychological themes but is very personal.  Triptych is her follow up novel.


Perhaps you would prefer a collection of short stories by different authors.  Here is a list.


Some other authors to check out are Laurell K Hamilton and Jacqueline Carey.  However, these include paranormal themes.

Special National Year of Reading talk

Don't sit at home all by yourself this winter!  Come out and meet some people who love reading as much as you do!  This week at Balwyn Library author Narrelle Harris will give a special National Year of Reading talk.  Narrelle is an accomplished author of several books and short stories and short stories.  On Wednesday, she will talk about her love of reading and how growing up in a house of books set her on a path of lifelong reading.


Come and share your love of reading and meet some other like-minded people.  


For more information visit our website or book here or phone 9278 4666.

Foal's Bread wins ALS Gold medal

Foal's bread by Gillian Mears has taken out the Gold Medal Award given by the Australian Literary Society.  This award is given to the book that has made a considerable contribution to Australian literature.

Foal's bread is set in rural New South Wales prior to World War II and tells the Nancarrow family's stories over two generations.  It's heartwrenching and beautifully composed.  If you like horses you'll love it. If you don't like horses, you will by the end of the book.   Come to the next Ashburton booktalk 8 August 11am and hear a full review of Foal's bread.

There was some tough competition for Mears.  The following books were also nominated:


People of earth by Chris Edwards
All that I am by Anna Funder
Five bells by Gail Jones
The street sweeper by Elliot Perlman
New and selected poems by Gig Ryan.

PD Martin at Ashburton Library

If you missed the author talk by PD Martin at Ashburton Library, here's an update!

Philipa asks the audience which cover they prefer.

PD (also known as Philipa) started her path to writing through singing and writing songs.  Then she wrote her first book and sent it off to a publisher.  While it didn't get published she kept writing and writing, each book getting better and better.  Finally, she hit gold with Body count.  The main character, Sophie Anderson, starred in five more books!

Philipa's book shelf is full of 'not very nice' books - on murder, dead bodies, serial killers. She has received some fantastic advice from a friend on where to dump bodies in Los Angeles for her book The Killing Hands.   Even so, she had almost finished writing it and even she didn't know who the murderer was!

Body count was based on a real nightmare that PD kept having.  She has interviewed real life vampires for an article she wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.  Philippa loves the ebook world - she says it's great for authors and readers alike.  

NAIDOC week booklist - Aboriginal authors to read

To celebrate NAIDOC week we compiled a list of some excellent books both fiction and nonfiction by Indigenous authors that you might like to read.

Larissa Behrendt author of Home which won several awards and Legacy  her first novel which is about a young Aboriginal woman's complex relationship with her father.


Tony Birch a Melbourne author has written Father's Day, Shadowboxing and Blood which was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in 2012.  Tony tells riveting stories with strong characters.


Kevin Gilbert a poet, playwright, printmaker and photographer he is most famous for The Cherry Pickers a play that became an important symbol for Aboriginal activists.

Anita Heiss is the author of several books both fiction and nonfiction.  Her latest book is Am I black enough for you? She is also a National Ambassador for the National Year of Reading.


Kate Howarth author of Ten Hail Marys : a memoir which tells the story of Kate's early life as she is abandoned by her mother only to become pregnant at 15 and is sent to a home for unwed mothers.  Kate has an amazing gift for storytelling.


Sally Morgan wrote the classic biography My place told in three parts about different members of Sally's family.  It was one of the first books written by an Indigenous person.

Kim Scott has written three novels - True country, Benang from the heart which won the Miles Franklin award in 2000 making him the first Aboriginal person to win that award.  He won again in 2011 with That deadman dance. Kim explores the lives of light-skinned Aboriginal people and his books are somewhat autobiographical.

Tara June Winch wrote Swallow the air a novel about family, growing up and how these connect to complex social issues.  It was nominated and won for several awards.


Alexis Wright broke onto the Australian literature scene with Carpentaria, winning the Miles Franklin award in 2007. Carpentaria tells a modern story of a fictional Aboriginal clan and the conflict they face.

A masterchef load of cook books

The latest cook books are sure to help you on your own masterchef journey...even if you don't leave your kitchen or just look at the beautiful pictures!


Bistro by David Bransgrove
A great introduction to French cooking for beginners, this book has all the classics from souffles to escargots. Great photos of the dishes are posed next to lovely old photos of bistros around France.


Winter on the farm by Matthew Evans
Matthew has been a food critic and chef but gave it away to live in Tasmania and grow his own produce.  This book is perfect for now but you will want to cook some of these recipes all year round.


Movida Cocina by Frank Camorra and Richard Cornish
Another delectable book by the Kings of Spanish cooking.  Learn how to make your own tapas like pork crackling or fancy potato croquettes.


Mourad : new Moroccan by Mourad Lahlou
Spice it up with this Moroccan genius.  Teaches you how to cook Moroccan but celebrates the basics of their cooking; spices, couscous, harissa, charmoula, the tagine. 


Maha : Middle Eastern home cooking by Shane Delia
Don't you wish cookbooks were scratch and sniff sometimes?  Maltese chef introduces you to his style of cooking and you will want to eat the pages! 


Recipes from my mother's kitchen by Guy Grossi

Italian men love their mamas...and their mama's cooking.  This book is a beautiful celebration of Grossi's mum and her love of simple, tasty home cooking.


Monday morning cooking club : the food, the stories, the sisterhood by Merelyn Frank Chalmers

A group of Sydney Jewish women started the Monday Morning Cooking Club to share food and recipes.   They wanted to find special recipes among their community to treasure and pass on. This is their collection of favourites.