Trio of crime writers coming to libraries

Three acclaimed whodunit authors will be visiting libraries in Leicestershire to talk about their work, meet their readers and even sign a few of their novels over the next few weeks.

Anne Zouroudi, Stephen Booth and Peter James will each be visiting libraries as part of Leicestershire County Council’s Words On The Streets season.

Anne Zouroudi’s books centre around a mild-mannered Greek sleuth called Hermes Diaktoros. They include The Messenger of Athens and The Taint of Midas, and she was shortlisted as a breakthrough author for the ITV Crime Thriller Award in 2008.

Her evening talk takes place at Harborough Library on Thursday 20th October between 7pm and 9pm and tickets cost £2. She will be signing copies of her books after the talk. For more details call 0116 3053627.

Stephen Booth, creator of the acclaimed Ben Cooper detective novels, will be giving his evening talk at Ashby Library the following evening 21st October at 7.15pm, followed by a book signing. Tickets cost £2.50, to book or for more details call 0116 3055917.

Peter James is one of the biggest names Words On The Street has yet managed to attract – a renowned author and film producer whose Roy Grace series, which includes Dead Man’s Grip and Dead Like You, has topped the Sunday Times best seller list. Peter is also the current Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association.

He will also be appearing at Market Harborough Library on Wednesday 2nd November between 7pm and 8pm, followed by a book signing. Tickets cost £3 each, to book or for more details call 0116 3053627.

All these events are expected to be popular, so tickets should be booked early if you would like to attend.

Roll up to read with Circus Stars in Harborough

Kids can sample circus life for free at local libraries and sign up to a fun scheme that will keep them learning this summer.

 

Over 9,000 children across Leicestershire have already signed up to this year’s Summer Reading Challenge – Circus Stars 

 

In August there are special circus skills workshops at libraries in the Harborough area, where children can have a go at spinning plates, juggling and other circus activities.

 

These free workshops take place at Harborough Library on Friday August 5th in the afternoon and Lutterworth Library on Thursday 18th August from 2pm until 4pm. Pre-booking is essential.

 

There are also fun circus-based events at other libraries in the area. At Great Glen Library there is a Wriggly Reader session for under 5s on Thursday 4th August between 10.30 and 11am, and on Tuesday 9th August there is an activities afternoon entitled All The Fun Of The Circus for children and families. Both events are free.

 

There are also further All The Fun Of The Circus events at Market Harborough Library on Saturday 20th August between 11am and 3.30pm and again on Saturday 27th August, also between 11am and 3.30pm. For more information call Harborough Library on 0116 3053627.

 

Away from the circus, Lutterworth Library will be holding a Creative Writing workshop for children aged between 5 and 11 years led by an author. This event is also free but spaces are limited, so please contact the library on 0116 3053619 to book a place.

80th birthday for Resource Box

England’s longest running museum loan collection, the Resource Box in Leicestershire, is celebrating its 80th birthday this year, and a special display will be stopping off in Melton Library for the next few weeks for local people to come and view.

 

The full collection is one of Leicestershire County Council’s best-loved museum services, and lends a vast range of museum objects to schools, colleges and community groups, enabling anyone to get up close and personal with history and heritage.

 

The display at Melton Library runs until Monday July 25th and is free to view for visitors.

 

Also at the library there will be regular Wriggly Readers sessions every Tuesday and Thursday  10 – 10.30am. These free sessions are for children aged up to four years of age with their parents or carers.

 

9th July also sees the start of the Summer Reading Challenge, the theme of which for this year is Circus Stars.

All Aboard for Bookstart fun

Young children and carers can take a trip to their local library and enjoy National Bookstart Week together, and pick up free packs of books for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

 

This year’s Bookstart has a travel theme, and will focus on journeys, transports and flights of the imagination.

 

There are free events taking place at libraries around Leicestershire to encourage families to read together and have fun, including special Bookstart Wriggly Reader sessions for children aged four and under.

 

The free packs contain guidance for parents and carers on how their children can share and enjoy books. They can be claimed from your local Leicestershire library, children’s centre or from your health visitor. For more information click here.

The Bookstart events are taking place in the following libraries:

 

Enderby Library, Saturday June 4th, 11am – 12 noon

 

Syston Library, Monday June 6th, 10 – 10.30am

 

Birstall Library, Monday June 6th 10 – 10.45am

 

Glenfield Library, Monday June 6th 2.15 – 2.45pm

 

East Goscote Library, Tuesday June 7th 2.45 – 3.15pm

 

Loughborough Library, Tuesday June 7th 2.45 – 3.15pm and Thursday June 9th 2.15 – 2.45pm

 

Sileby Library, Wednesday June 8th 2.15 – 3.15pm

 

Oadby Library, Wednesday June 8th 2 – 2.30pm

 

Hinckley Library, Thursday June 9th 2 – 2.30pm

 

Coalville Library, Thursday June 9th 10.30 – 11am

 

Mountsorrel Library, Friday June 10th 10 – 10.45am

 

Ashby Library, Friday June 10th 10.30 – 11.30am

 

If you go down to Earl Shilton Library, you’re in for a big surprise…

A special Teddy’s Bear’s Picnic session for Wriggly Readers and their parents is coming to Earl Shilton Library as part of National Family Week.

Children and carers should bring their bears along to Earl Shilton Library on Wednesday 1st June for a free morning of fun activities from 10.30am. There will be a stroll in the local park, with stories, songs and rhymes for all to enjoy.

There are many other free events in Leicestershire County Council’s libraries in the Hinckley & Bosworth area during National Family Week, including a Once Upon A Time story session at Burbage Library on Thursday June 2nd between 2.30 and 3.30pm. Please contact the library on 0116 305 3558 to book a place.

There will also be special All Aboard! sessions of Wriggly Readers in three local libraries as part of National Bookstart Week, where there will be stories, songs and rhymes with a transport theme for pre-school children and their parents.

The first takes place at Newbold Verdon Library on Saturday June 4th, which is also Dad’s Day. Dads, grandads and uncles should bring their pre-schoolers along for 10.30am.

There are also All Aboard! Sessions at Earl Shilton Library on Wednesday June 8th at 10.30am, and at Barwell Library on Thursday June 9th, also at 10.30am. All the events are free.

There will also be an informative Afternoon Tea session at Newbold Verdon Library on Wednesday June 8th between 3pm and 4.45pm, when a talk by spokesperson from Vista – Leicestershire’s service for the visually impaired – will take place. This event is also free.

And you can live the Good Life at Newbold Verdon Library later in June, when there will be a coffee morning with health advice and an opportunity to exercise on a Wii Fit. The Good Life coffee morning takes place on Friday June 24th from 10am until 12 noon and is completely free.

For more information on these events, please call Newbold Verdon Library on 0116 305 3661, Earl Shilton Library on 0116 305 8392, or Barwell Library on 0116 305 3547, or visit www.leics.gov.uk/hinckleybosworth_libraries

If you go down to Melton Library, you’re in for a big surprise…

A special Teddy’s Bear’s Picnic session for Wriggly Readers and their parents is coming to Melton Library as part of National Family Week.

The Active Together team will be joining up with Melton Library on Tuesday 31 May for a free morning of fun outdoor activities from 10am. Children should bring their bears for a walk around the local park, followed by a round of ‘bearobics’ at the bandstand.

There will also be regular Wriggly Readers events every Tuesday and Thursday throughout June between 10am and 10.30am. All the sessions are free, so come along and have fun.

For more information contact the library on 0116 305 3646 or visit www.leics.gov.uk/meltonmowbray_library

Poetry, history and exercise at Oadby & Wigston Libraries

There will be lots to keep library users of all ages active in mind and body in Oadby & Wigston in April.

Lyrical laughs can be had at Wigston Library on Saturday April 2nd when humorous poetry from Urdu and Hindi cultures, known as Mazahia Shayeri, will be explored for free from 3 – 5pm.

Wigston Library will also host its regular free knitting group at 2pm on Monday April 4th, and its stroll club, which is also free, on Wednesday April 6th at 10.30am. All ages and abilities are welcome to these events, which are as much about socialising as they are about developing skills or keeping healthy.

As part of Listen While You Lunch, Oadby Library will be hosting a visit by local historian Sally Henshaw, who will reveal the life and times of the notorious Nell Gwyn, mistress of King Charles II.

This talk will take place at 12 noon on Thursday 7th April, with tickets costing £2.50, including light refreshments. Pre-booking is required for this event.

Explore Learning creative writing workshops offer schoolchildren between the ages of 7 and 11 years old the chance to imagine, plan and write their own stories and characters. There will be one hour sessions at Wigston Library on Thursday 21st April at 2pm, and at South Wigston Library on Tuesday 26th April at 2pm.

For even younger bookworms, free Wriggly Reader sessions will take place every Tuesday 10- 10.30am at Wigston Library, every Wednesday  2 – 2.30pm at Oadby Library, and again every Tuesday 10.30 – 11am at South Wigston Library.

Knights and dragons do battle at Coalville Library

As St George’s Day approaches, Coalville Library is inviting younger readers to take part in the Knight’s Challenge and the Dragon Quest.

From Saturday 16th April until mid-May children can support either the Red Knight or the Yellow Knight in a joust, and the more they read they further their knight will go in completing his challenge.

And on Wednesday 20th April, young squires and maidens can take on the Dragon Quest between 10.30 and 12 noon, with craft sessions and stories about these mythical beasts. Both Dragon Quest and the Knight’s Quest are free to take part in.

There will also be a host of Easter antics for library users of all ages to enjoy in North West Leicestershire.

At Castle Donington Library and at Kegworth Library until Monday the 18th of April, young children who visit can design their own Easter egg for free, while children over seven-years-old can design an Easter card.

There will also be special Easter Wriggly Reader sessions at Ashby Library on Friday 15th April  10 – 10.30am, at Ibstock Library on Thursday 21st April 10 – 10.30am, and at Coalville Library on Thursday 21st April  10.30 – 11am.

April 21st is also the final date for library members to enter the Shepshed Library group raffle. Simply borrow 6 books from Shepshed, Kegworth or Castle Donington Libraries until this date to get a free raffle ticket, with the winner being announced on the 21st as well.

BBC reporter, crime writer and Where’s Wally at libraries

There is lots for children and adults to do at libraries in Hinckley and Bosworth this April, particularly at the recently re-opened Earl Shilton Library, where a whole week of events is being put on.

 

The BBC’s Monica Winfield will be dropping in on Earl Shilton Library for a special coffee morning talk about her work as a street pastor. This event, which starts at 10am on Tuesday 12th April, is free to attend, but it is hoped that visitors will make a donation to charity. For more information on all these events ring 0116 305 8392.

 

Later that same week there will be a revealing historical event featuring old photographs, entitled ‘Old Earl Shilton: A trip down memory lane’. Local historian Jim Laws will present this free talk on bygone Earl Shilton. Booking is required for this event.

 

And from April 11th to the end of the month there will be an Easter Treaure Hunt for children at Earl Shilton Library, as well as a raffle to win a teddy bear. Simply visit the library and book out six books or more to pick up a ticket.

 

Over at Newbold Verdon Library there will be Dads Day, a free event for men and their pre-school children featuring stories and songs at 10.30am on Saturday 10th April.

 

A famous crime writer will also be visiting the library; Stephen Booth, creator of the acclaimed Ben Cooper detective novels, will be giving an evening talk at Newbold Verdon Library on Tuesday 12th April at 7pm, followed by a book signing. Tickets cost £2.50, to book or for more details call 0116 3053661.

 

And especially for children over the Easter holidays, there’s the chance to dress up as famous literary character Wally for “There’s Wally” at some Hinckley & Bosworth area libraries.

 

These fun-packed sessions based around the adventures of the famous bespectacled traveller are all free and take place at the following times:

 

Tuesday April 19th:

10am – 11.30am at Market Bosworth Library

2pm – 3.30pm at Earl Shilton Library

 

Wednesday April 20th

10am – 11.30am at Newbold Verdon Library

2pm – 3.30pm at Ratby Library

 

Thursday April 21st

2pm – 3.30pm at Barwell Library

 

 

Families urged to read together in the New Year

Leicestershire parents and carers are being urged to go along to their local library in the New Year and enjoy shared book time with their youngsters and encourage them to read.

A series of wriggly reader sessions have been arranged throughout libraries in Leicestershire for the New Year.  They give families the chance to share books, stories and rhymes and provide an opportunity to meet other parents and carers, make new friends and have fun.

Leicestershire libraries offer free access to books and learning resources. They also promote the value of literacy through reading, and offer informal learning opportunities for residents and community groups.

Whilst at the library, families can take advantage of the many resources and facilities that libraries now offer. Alongside books, libraries offer free use of internet ready computers and music and films for hire from as little as £1 per week.

Did you know that Leicestershire has:

• 54 libraries and 6 mobile libraries
• Nearly 4 million library visitors
• Over 400 library computers
• Around 24,000 DVDs to rent
• Nearly 790,000 books to borrow

Local Wriggly Readers sessions are being held at a number of libraries in the   County including:

• Newbold Verdon Library (Tel 0116 305 3661) – 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday of each month, 10.30 -11.00 am.  Please note the new time.

• Desford Library (Tel 0116 305 3624)– 1^st Thursday of each month; 10.00 10.30 am

• Market Bosworth Library (Tel 0116 305 3581) – 1^st Friday of each month; 10.30 – 11.00 am

For more details about sessions at other libraries please contact your local library or visit: www.leics.gov.uk/libraries