n BATH LIBRARY BOOK REVIEWS AND NEWS

Adult Fiction

Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid

This proved a real summer hit last year but the book is a great escape read and just right for cold, February days. It is set in 1983, on the coats of Malibu, at one of the glittering mansions that hug the coastline. It is August and Nina Riva is about to host her annual summer party. Nina Riva and her siblings are the talk of Malibu. Nina an accomplished surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a surfer and the other a photographer and their baby sister Kit. All the children of the very famous musician Mick Riva. To add to the gossip Nina has just been very publicly abandoned by her tennis pro husband, Brandon. This all adds to anticipation for the party.

By midnight the party is out of control and by the early hours Malibu is alight. The Riva mansion is consumed by the flames. Long lost secrets will come bubbling to the surface and the privilege family will never be the same again but always remember from the ashes a phoenix can rise! A great escapist read.

Island in the East – Jenny Ashcroft

For fans of Victoria Hislop and Deborah Jeffries, this book is beautifully written and very evocative. It begins in Singapore in 1897 with the arrival of twins, Harriet and Mae Grafton. Their arrival causes great gossip among the British community as they appear to have quite a scandalous background.

For the twins it means being flung into a new world, with a wealthy benefactor and new friends including the mysterious Alex Blake.

The story then flips to London in 1941 and we meet Ivy Harcourt, recovering from injuries both mental and physical from the Blitz. She can speak Japanese and therefore finds herself posted to Singapore. She feels a break from worn torn London may aid her recovery but her grandmother Mae, is much more cautious. Ivy arrives in Singapore just before the Japanese’s invasion and immediately meets strangers from her grandmother’s past which includes an unstoppable love affair and a shattering secret that has been waiting to be uncovered. thoroughly enjoyed this book. I particular liked the character of Ivy – quite a tough cookie. The author describes the Far East very well – you can feel the heat from the page and particularly the devastating Japanese invasion. A real emotional and absorbing read and I am definitely on the lookout for more books by this author.

Adult Non-Fiction Travel Books

As the winter chill of February continues there are many, enjoyable travel books here in Keynsham Library to tempt you to new places both in Great Britain and further afield, such as:

Pocket Rough Guide to Pembrokeshire

This beautiful part of the United Kingdom is only a few hours away across the bridge and could be a longer stay destination or a day trip. There is the delight of Tenby – a real seaside town with a Dinosaur Park and castle; then slightly further afield the magnificent Cardigan Bay and Laugharne the home of the poet Dylan Thomas. Any rough guide to an area has great sections of food and drink, activities and handy local maps.

DK Family Guide: Rome

This guide is a perfect accompaniment for any families wishing to visit Rome. There are some great recommendations and practical information to get the best out of your visit to a very busy city. There is a useful guide to eating out, particularly on a budget, sections of the famous sights e.g. the

Pantheon and Colosseum and a very handy Kids Corner on each page with interesting facts and tips and of course very important and clear maps of the city.

Children’s Fiction

Watership DownRichard Adams Watership

Down is the emotive tale of a colony of rabbits forced to flee their warren. It follows the story of their journey, fraught with the impalpable air of danger.

However, more foreboding than the traumatic journey is the difficulty of finding and digging a new home, and the task of finding more rabbits to fill it.

An outstanding tale of determination, loyalty, friendship and territorial rivalry. Well worth the read, a classic everyone will enjoy.

Library News

Storytime: Thursday at 11am is Storytime at Keynsham Library – term time only and for 0-4 years. Come along, with a cushion and listen to some fantastic new stories.

As here’s always so much going on in all our libraries, and it’s all free, so drop in and see what’s on offer. For families with children, sing along at Baby Bounce and Rhyme, or get comfy whilst listening to stories at our ever-popular Storytime.

For adults, we’ve got book clubs, writing classes, and much more throughout the year. Joining the library costs nothing, so pop in or visit www.librarieswest.org.uk to also access thousands of eBooks, eMagazines, Audiobooks, and a wealth of other resources! Our ‘Virtual Library’ has loads going on, including the latest library news, competitions, book reviews and, all our digital offers. Search ‘Bath and North East Somerset Libraries’ on social media or visit bathneslibraries.wordpress.com

Moorland Road Community Library

Tues 10-4pm, Thurs & Fri 10-1pm and Sat 10-1pm. Email for more info at Moorlandroadcommunitylibrary@ gmail.com And visit https://www. moorlandroadcommunitylibrary. com/ to find out how to volunteer and much more.

world of working Bath through a series of authentically reconstructed workplaces, workshops and display galleries. Two thousand years of working life are on display from a Victorian ironmongers and engineering works, a soft drinks making factory and even a Bath Stone mine working, all on show in a former Real Tennis court, dating from 1777. Displays in two galleries: Landscapes and Livelihoods and Knowing Your Place.

Victoria Art Gallery. Capturing Life: A Century of the New English Art Club This exhibition will combine work by current New English Art Club members alongside a core of over 30 paintings by illustrious past members. You’ll have the chance to see major pieces by John Singer Sargent, Philip Wilson Steer, Gwen John, Walter Sickert, Stanley Spencer and Winifred Nicholson. Until 11 April.

Holburne Museum. Illustrating the World of Woodcuts in the Age of Durer. This is a rare opportunity to view the complete set of woodcuts known as The Great Passion, produced by the most famed artist of the German Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). Until 23 April; Alberta Whittle: Dipping below a waxing moon, the dance claims us for release: newly commissioned sculptures. Until May 8 2023.

Herschel Museum of Astronomy. Commemorating 200 years since the death of William Herschel. Star Viewfinders. Come and make a star viewfinder and take part in the National Star Count. Find out how light pollution can affect our views of the constellations and see how many stars you can spot from your back garden. Drop in activity. Free with museum entry. Activity will run daily in the gallery from Saturday February 11th.

Museum of East Asian Art. Revolution, Propaganda, Art: Printmaking in Modern China. Continues to 3 June 2023. The exhibition showcases a series of prints selected from Muban Educational Trust’s collection of over 6,000 and tells the story of China’s twentieth-century wars, revolution and rejuvenation. The exhibition explores artistic trends, political movements and technical developments in modern Chinese printmaking. The works presented mark several significant anniversaries in China’s modern history, including the May Fourth Movement (1919), the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (1921), and Lu Xun’s seminal printmaking class, which symbolises the origin of the Modern Woodcut Movement (1931).

Exhibition Picks outside Bath Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Queens Road. The art of Japanese porcelain. The exhibition examines how Japan became the global leading makers of porcelain between 1640 and 1680. Until 30 July 2023. We Were Everywhere: World war experiences from pre-Partition India. This exhibition explores the experience of Indians and Pakistanis during the world wars and the partition of India. Until 5 March 2023. Sweet Patootee Arts: Turning Point. A series of four short films by Sweet Patootee Arts inspired by oral histories about the Black Caribbean experience after WWI. Until 5 March 2023.

Stonehenge Visitor Centre. Circles of Stone: Stonehenge and Prehistoric Japan is a new exhibition celebrating the rich culture of prehistoric Japan. Through a number of exquisite objects, some seen for the first time outside of Japan, the exhibition tells the story of Japanese settlements and stone circles of the middle and late Jomon periods, roughly the same time when Stonehenge was built and used. Until 20 August 2023.

Do you have an event you would like to be included in the next edition - email Erica at erica@bathvoice.co.uk or call her on 07402 441485.