Librezine

LIBREZINE Summer Edition JUNE 2017

SHOWCASING ARISTOTE’S ART

SUMMER THEATRE REVIEWS

CREATIVE CORNER LRC NEW RELEASES BOTANICAL REMEDIES REVEALED

BECKY’S RECIPE

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LRC New Releases Becky’s recipe puzzle page botanical remedies Theatre Review & Poetry I want to ride my bicycle Theatre review (part 2) showcasing Aristote’s Art Student Voice creative corner

RC opening times 1st Floor LRC MonDAY - ThursDAY FriDAY

8.30am - 7.30pm 8.30am - 4pm

2nd Floor LRC MonDAY - ThursDAY FriDAY

8.30am - 7.30pm 9am - 4pm

Arts & Construction MonDAY - ThursDAy 8.30am - 4.30pm FriDAY 8.30am - 4pm

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RC new releases

aileys’ Women’s prize for Fiction

In the LRC we are proud to hold a wide selection of fiction and are always looking for recommendations. This year we have been inspired to order some of the short-listed fiction from the Baileys’ Women’s Prize for Fiction, previously sponsored by Orange and following 2017 will be sponsored by another organisation (tba). Each year the prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world. At the LRC we are lucky to have some of the short-listed books in stock: This Nigerian debut follows a woman on a journey to her father-in-law’s funeral, 15 years after she last saw her husband, who took another wife after finding out she was ‘barren’. The story depicts a life filled with tragedy involving disease, adultery, manslaughter and the loss of children.

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Alderman’s latest novel creates a world where all women hold ‘The Power’ over men, envisioning a supernatural power and significant physical advantage - at odds with the usual representation of women as ‘the weaker sex’.

In her review, Justine Jordan called it ‘endlessly nuanced and thought-provoking, combining elegantly efficient prose with beautiful meditations on the metaphysics of power, possibility and change.’

Previous winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction (in 2000) Linda Grant’s new novel ‘The Dark Circle’ re-visits the 1950s with the story of a brother and sister’s struggle with tuberculosis.

The characters are treated by the recently created NHS where they discover rumours of a miracle cure.

The Baileys Prize long-listed ‘The Essex Serpent’ has had a positive reception, winning the Waterstones book of the year and is also due to feature in next year’s Book Club at Bolton College. The novel is based on a folk tale of an Essex serpent which comes to life, terrorising the Blackwater estuary.

Riley’s novels have often revolved around the perspective of young dissatisfied women and ‘First Love’ carries on this theme with a closeup exploration of the everyday goings-on of a toxic marriage. The narrator lays bare the claustrophobic intimacies between two unhappy people in a novel that is both hard to bear and impossible to put down.

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op five L RC Audio Books

(1) This popular psychological thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat, which is

powerfully narrated through the three main characters of Rachel, Megan and Anna.

(2) ‘The Sense of an Ending’ is a philosophical coming of age tale which is told perfectly through the voice of actor Richard Morant.

(3) ‘I, Partridge: We Need to Talk about Alan’ is a hilarious spin-off from the comedy classic Alan Partridge TV series, suitably read by Steve Coogan.

(4) This audio adaptation of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ immerses the listener into the emotional yet comical story which has been enjoyed by many.

(5) Poetry is often best experienced through spoken word, as is the case with Rupi Kaur’s ‘Milk and Honey’, read by the author whose poems have been built on collective experiences of today’s modern woman.

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ecky’s Recipe

vocado and Mango Salsa

Ingredients To make enough salsa for three people.

1 ripe but still firm mango cubed 1 avocado sliced and diced Half red onion finely chopped Half red pepper finely chopped Half yellow pepper finely chopped Half orange pepper finely chopped 2 handfuls freshly finely chopped coriander 1 jalapeno finely chopped Juice of 1 lime Salt and pepper to taste

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Oh my days this is a taste sensation, like a carnival on your tongue.

If you haven’t tried this before you must try it today. It is so easy to make, only takes about 15mins to prepare and goes especially well on a hot summers day.

When I say so easy I mean you could almost create this masterpiece in your sleep and because you are using fresh ingredients it more than covers your 5 a day and is like a day at the health spa for your body.

1. First of all prepare all the ingredients leaving the avocado until last to prevent the rank browning that happens if left exposed to the air for too long. (at this stage exclude the lime and salt and pepper) 2. Add to a bowl and mix well.

3. Squeeze the lime directly into the bowl using your hand to prevent the pips from falling into the mixture –the little blighters are teeth breakers and taste nasty so you don’t want to leave any of them in.

4. Finally add salt and pepper to taste mix well, job done.

This dish goes well with a bit of jerk chicken, rice and some lovely fried plantain oh and not forgetting the mojito cocktail to tantalise those taste buds.

Enjoy everyone I know I did.

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uzzle Page ord Search

by rachel webb

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otanical Remedies he Magic of nature

“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food� Hippocrates article by Zoe Rothwell

Gardening is fast becoming a favourite past-time for us Brits.

Both the young and the old seem to enjoy the process of planting, nurturing and enjoying the fruits of our labour. Not only does getting out into the garden have amazing health benefits with regards to keeping you active and keeping you calm, but gardening can also provide an abundance of organic home grown food, which taste so much better when picked and cooked from fresh. We have been blessed on this earth to have been given so many plants that also have healing properties within them, and although we may take our medicine for granted many cures are often found within our beloved plants, trees, herbs and flowers.

This is the LRC’s Top Five amazing botanical remedies which are easy to source and can help with various ailments from stress related symptoms to insomnia.

LAVENDER Lavender is a wonder little flower full of antioxidants and has so many benefits to help with stress and anxiety, depression, skin complaints such as acne or eczema and can also help to alleviate insomnia. Lavender is typically used for its aroma as an oil which can be rubbed on the effected skin, drops on the pillow to help you sleep or diffused in the air to dispel moods and improve brain activity. Digestible oil capsules can also be bought from your local health shop which can help with diabetes, metabolic disorders and liver and kidney function.

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SOY Soy is a bean that contains phytoestrogens and is commonly used to treat menopausal symptoms as its effects are similar the hormone estrogen. The soy protein also appears to reduce the risk of cholesterol levels and is a good substitute for meat-like or milk-like foods if you are a vegan, vegetarian or have food allergies.

GARLIC Although your breath may pong a bit after eating garlic there is no denying that it is both tasty and good for you. The garlic bulb is related to the onion family and contains Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Manganese which all help to cure many things from the common cold to stabilizing blood pressure, enhancing immune functions, protecting against infections, and supporting cardiovascular functions.

CRANBERRIES Cranberries contain antioxidants and can aid urinary tract infections as its antimicrobial properties prevents bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract. Cranberry has also been used for holistic therapies that focus on the heart reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

GINKGO Ginkgo Biloba is a tree native to China and its leaves can be used as a dietary supplement to enhance cognitive function. Extracts of the leaf have been used in studies as a possible treatment for dementia and Alzheimer’s with various results. Small quantities of the nut from the seeds are used in Chinese cooking and are known to have aphrodisiac qualities.

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heatre Review

welth Night by william shakespear oyal Exchange Theatre Manchester May 2017

‘If music be the food of love, play on’ is probably one of the best known quotes from Shakespeare and it suits this gentle, laidback comedy perfectly. The young aristocrat Viola has been swept ashore in the aftermath of a shipwreck. Believing her twin brother Sebastian to have drowned in the storm, she sets off alone.

After making friends with an old sea captain, she finds out a little about the place, (Illyria) and the opportunities available to her.

Now disguised as a man, adopting the name Cesario, she obtains a position at the court of the Duke of Orsino. He is duly impressed and sets her the task of delivering love messages to the beautiful Lady Olivia, his great passion.

The complication here is that Olivia becomes captivated by Cesario, who in turn has fallen for the duke. This love triangle is eventually resolved, but for the moment we are swept along with a plot of some complexity and a colourful array of characters.

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Toby Belch and his whimsical friend Andrew Aguecheek are brilliant, the latter especially so, as he leaps over his suitcase with great agility and superb comic timing. Along with the mischievous maid Maria they form a formidable threesome, as they play a practical joke on the rather pompous Malvolio (Olivia’s steward). We are also introduced to Feste, the playful and enigmatic fool, in this production played by transgender actress Kate O’Donnell. She plays this role perfectly, and even finds time to chat to the audience during the interval; a skill she has honed from her years as a cabaret artist.

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oetry

The stage itself has a light dusting of sand, which reminds us we are on the shores of some forwith eign land. It is also really versatile; ob steventon in one scene it is swept aside to resemble a cycle path. We also have several interesting props which are ‘An Ode to Abduls’ 4AM orders, marauding for starch, brought on stage at various intervals. Some of the time – it actually in polystyrene boxes, with grease in the corners and conspicuous rains! Suspended over the centre of the stage we have a large bundle stains.

My stomach, the poor thing, reof tree branches that impressively, coiling in shame from the sordid, when lowered, have the task of imprisoning poor Malvolio, who at ravenous banquet that caused thisfor four quid I bought this pain. this point is being interrogated by Zero star food hygiene ratings, to Feste. sober eyes it’s nauseating, their The musical score, with Trip-Advisor page is scathing, and violins & a folk guitar adds a melnow deep in regret I’m bathing. ancholy air to some scenes, whilst Coagulated yellow, glowing loosely the addition of an electric guitar off my pillow, from the pungent sets the tone for the mad party, in garlic mayo, that’s necessitated which Sir Toby & his pal frantic scrubbing and chemical Aguecheek spiral out of control.

A laden supermarket trolley deco- fumigating.

What did I order?! rated with fairy lights adds to the Chips and cheese with a side of general mayhem of the scene. legionnaire’s disease All’s well that ends well (!)

Slathered with ease and the play finishes, with With toxic, viscous grease, romance in the air for almost everyone and the reunion of Viola All for what’s left in my pocket, please... and Sebastian. A happy endingI declared chemical warfare on my we never doubted it for one minphysiology, ute!

Review: Janet Eckersley Now, with my body, I must make peace.

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See Rob live on stage at the Reading Ahead Ceremony on 29/6/17

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want to ride my Bicycle awesome local bike rides article by Hannah wood

1.Haigh Hall, Wigan A stone’s throw away from the Leeds Liverpool canal and Wigan town centre, Haigh Hall is a great place to visit with friends and family. There’s a short, relaxing route through the woodlands, and is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. The famous Haigh Hall house is always worth a visit and the excellent little café which serves the best full English is the best way to round off a ride. The famous Haigh Festival is back on this year too, so it’s the perfect time to grab your bike and chill to some fab local music this summer!

2.Rivington Pike, West Pennines, nr. Rivington If you fancy a challenge, then Rivington Pike is the one for you. The gnarly, twisty roads up to the Pennines can be dangerous during cold and wet days. The bumpy road is unsuitable for racing bikes, or bikes with thin wheels. A hot summer’s day is the best time to go; don’t be fooled, the further you cycle up, the cooler it will get. All that effort is well worth the end result; fantastic views of Greater Manchester and the best downhill cycle you’ll ever do! Make sure to stop off at the Rivington Barn on your way up; you’ll need to refuel for the last stretch and the cake there is gorgeous. If you cycle up from Bolton, beware of lost or stuck sheep!

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3.Chorley Circular, Chorley This stretch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal is a very well-connected area, and a hidden gem. There’s the Frederick’s ice cream parlour, which does the best ice cream. I seriously recommend both the strawberry ice cream, and the rainbow ice cream; they’re simply delicious! A little way up there’s Botany Bay, which always has something interesting in store. And a little further there’s the Top Lock Inn, an excellent pub which has some of the best pub food around!

4.Pennington Flash, Leigh A cute little circuit around the flash is a wonderful way to spend a lazy afternoon.

There’s plenty of wildlife, and there’s always a burger bar and ice cream van to keep you from getting hungry. It’s the perfect place to take younger or inexperienced cyclists, as the terrain is flat and easy to cycle on. For more seasoned cyclists, Haigh Hall is about twenty miles away along the canal. Between Leigh and Haigh Hall is the infamous Ince lock stretch; about a mile of very steep hills that’ll test even the hardiest cyclists.

5.The Busway, Leigh, Atherton, Worsley Only a year old, the Busway is quickly becoming extremely popular with cyclists. The track is slightly gravelly, but doesn’t really make it too hard to cycle on. It runs through Leigh all the way to Worsley, with plenty of stops for you to investigate the local suburbs.

In Atherton, the route has fantastic views of Manchester, which on a clear day is simply stunning. The route branches off to Lilford Park in Leigh, which is a wonderful place to take your family. It’s also a stone’s throw away from the Roe Green looplane in Worsley, a brilliant tree-lined track.

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heatre Review atilda The Musical

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roduced by: The Royal Shakespeare Company riter: Dennis Kelly omposer and lyricist: Tim Minchin

CAST Rebecca Thornhill Mrs Wormwood Michael Begley - Mr Wormwood Miria Parvin - Miss Honey Daniel Hope Michael Wormwood Craige Els - Miss Trunchbull Sharlene Whyte - Mrs Phelps Matilda - Lilian Hardy, Emma Moore , Éva-Marie Saffrey, Abbie Vena Bruce - Owen Bagnall, Max Brophy, Archie Durrant, Ptolemy Gidney, Ben Robinson Lavender - Olivia Calladine-Smith, Elena Cervesi, Aiyana Goodfellow Amanda - Jessica Chalmers, Angelina Li, Kacy O’sullivan I booked to see this musical at the Cambridge Theatre, London, because it’s my daughter’s all-time favourite film and we were going on a girly weekend trip to London. Both the film and musical are glorious adaptations of the classic children’s novel by Roald Dahl. The film stars Dani DeVito and Pam Ferris, who are both outstanding and very talented

actors. Consequently, the musical had a lot to live up to and I couldn’t help having preconceptions of what to expect.

In short, the story is about an intelligent six year old little girl with special powers and who adores reading books. She frequently visits her local library and tells stories to Mrs Phelps, the librarian, who offers many pearls of wisdom to her best customer.

Matilda is from an extremely dysfunctional family, who make money from dodgy dealings and love to watch TV quiz shows. She is emotionally abused by both her parents, but Matilda gets her own back by playing tricks on them.

Crunshem Hall School is not much better for Matilda.

The Headmistress Miss Trunchbull is a former Olympic hammer throwing champion. She labels all children as “maggots” and throws them in the chokey (a pitch-black narrow hole in the wall with nails and glass sticking out of the door) for punishment.

The school’s only saving grace is Miss Honey, Matilda’s teacher, a sweet, kind and caring person who does her best to help

Miss Trunchbull has superb timing and had the audience in stitches with laughter. It’s hard to believe how talented the children were. Their performances where just as good as any experienced adult performer. I particularly enjoyed the dance scenes which had contemporary choreography.

The swing scene was executed with precision and courage - I was worried someone might fall off the

the children in her class. But why is Miss Honey living penniless in an old shack? And what is her relationship with Miss Trunchbull?

Whatever the answers, Matilda’s mission is to get rid of “the Trunchbull”.

After watching the film several times, it was strange to see different actors playing the lead roles and speaking with a cockney accent instead of an American one.

However, the cast were so captivating I soon forgot about the film and fell in love with the musical’s characters. Craige Els who plays

swing. However, I felt an opportunity was missed to include more demonstrations of Matilda’s magical powers. This would have made the show even more mesmerising.

Rob Howell collected the Olivier Award for Best Set Design in 2012. I was impressed at the speed in which the set became a classroom full of desks raised up out of the floor of the stage.

This show starts touring in 2018 and will be coming to The Palace Theatre, Manchester from 18 September 2018 to 24 November 2018. Well worth a visit!

Review by Janette Davies

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howcasing

ristote’s perception n art

Zoe - Could you give me a bit of background information on yourself?

Aris - My name is Aristote Iyuka Bobwa, I am 18 and I come from Kinshasa in the Congo and speak French. I am currently studying Civil Engineering, Pro Building Btec level 3 here at Bolton College.

Zoe - Have you ever studied Art? Aris - No, I am totally self taught.

Zoe - So who is your inspiration?

Aris - I knew someone who was very close to me like a brother called Danny Nicolas and he was very good at art. I have a very competative mind so I started drawing when I was about eight to try and get better than him, but then I started to enjoy it and now I draw for fun.

Zoe - Talk me through your technique and the process of creating a piece.

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Zoe - What do you see for yourself in the future?

Aris - Many of my drawings come from the things that I watch like games, animations or movies. I find the image from google and I usually have it on my laptop or on my phone as a reference, so I guess I am taking the electronic version of an image and making it traditional. My preferred medium is pencil because I just really like the effect and control I have with it. I never actually finish my drawings in one day - I change the mistakes and add more shading over time.

Aris - I want to do Civil Engineering, mostly because I like what civil engineers do. For example, just take this building of Bolton College, I would be able to tell you what the ground can bear, tell you what type of foundations you will need and what materials you should use for this type of building. I could tell you how high this building can go and I would have to do all the math to work it out.

I enjoy knowing the way that a building is constructed.

In the future I would like to go to university either Manchester, Salford or Liverpool, it just depends mostly on the entry requirements but I will still continue to draw.

Zoe - Would you say that when you are drawing it helps to calm you down?

Aris - Yes, I also draw to music as it helps me focus. I mostly listen to Rap but sometimes I listen to Mozart and Beethoven.

Interview by Zoe Rothwell

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tudent Voice

On Sunday 21st May I attended Telford Fanzone, an event specially for meeting actors from a variety of films and TV shows.

Telford Fanzone is located in Telford at the International Centre. The event ran throughout the weekend; however I only attended on the Sunday.

At the event people had the chance to get autographs and photos with their favourite actors.

Also, the event held stage talks with groups of guests where people had the opportunity to ask the actors questions.

You could also browse around the hall for merchandise of your favourite TV shows or films.

Meeting your favourite actors is quite surreal.

I had the opportunity to meet actors, Jeremy Jordan who plays Winn and David Harewood who plays J’onn J’onnz in Supergirl, one of my favourite TV shows.

I had the chance to get my photo taken with Jeremy Jordan which definitely was the highlight

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Event Review by Nikita Allred

of my day. I also got an autograph from Jeremy and David on a Supergirl comic book.

For the final hour of the event I went to the Supergirl cast stage talk which included Jeremy, David and Brit Morgan who played Leslie Willis/Livewire.

I found the stage talk very interesting because I got to learn more about what it is like behind the scenes for the cast and how they got their roles. Also, I got to know how the actors deal with rejection.

Overall, it was an exciting day and I would love to go again next year. If you are someone who enjoys film and TV then I would highly recommend going to this convention.

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REative orner

The Show-stopper

By Hannah Wood

I tugged at my cuffs and followed the judges as they worked their way around my showcase garden. It was my first year at the Chelsea Flower Show, and a year I will never forget. I had dressed up in my best blouse and most expensive jeans, and awaited their judgement nervously.

My garden was special. I had worked hard; digging the soil and getting blisters, spending tireless nights designing the perfect flower accompaniments to my water feature and treating every flower with love and care. The end result was spectacular! I have a beautiful, modern seating area surrounded by a plethora of colourful blossoms and truly massive shrubberies. A small stream wound its way around the garden, bubbling merrily. The plants were pristine, and had never been so much as nibbled by a pesky bug!

I was up against some tough competition, and since it was my first time in the show, I wanted to make an unforgettable impression.

My showstopper was a tall tree in the very centre of the garden.

It was the oldest thing in the entire garden. I had worked with my grandfather my whole life to nurture it, helping it grow to be the great towering tree it is today.

My grandfather was at the event too, guiding the judges around the winding path which followed the little stream as it frothed its way through the garden. The tree had a secret: it was millions of years old. My grandfather was a brilliant palaeontologist; a man who studied dinosaurs and ancient plants. He discovered a large seed totally encased and preserved in amber. After careful experiments, he realised he could cultivate and grow the seed. The seed and I grew up together and I learned how to look after and care for her every need. And now, after a lifetime of work and study, I could show this magnificent tree off to the world.

My grandfather yanked on a vine from the tree, releasing a hidden door behind a huge bush.

A deep, low rumbling noise caused the judges to jump backwards. A triceratops emerged from the undergrowth, and raised its horned head to nibble at the ancient tree’s leaves. The judges gasped in awe.

‘Nothing is going to stop her from eating the whole show!’ I thought. ‘this girl is a real show-stopper!’

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