Earth Matters March

The Earth’s climate is changing, human activity is causing our planet to warm at an alarming rate. International bodies of scientists have warned that we have just over a decade to halve our emissions to avoid the most devastating impacts of climate change on our food supply, national security, global health, extreme weather, and more.

There is no time to waste. Everyone can do something to address our climate challenge, Hampshire County Council is working with all its services to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, increase biodiversity and make the land we manage as resilient as possible to climate change issues like flooding.

Plans include using our land and built estate to sequester carbon; making changes across our vehicle fleet; making the food we serve our customers more sustainable; ensuring we consider climate impacts when purchasing products and services and promoting changes that we can all make at work and at home.

To help us all make small changes at work or at home Hampshire Libraries launched Earth Matters March on 1 March. This month-long campaign features 31 suggestions – published as Instagram stories – for small changes most of us can easily make.

We are supporting this campaign with three special collections of books:

Our digital library is available 24/7 via the free BorrowBox app – you can join the library online if you’re not already a member – and get access to the app straightaway. All of the books from our three environmental collections can be reserved and sent to your local library for collection – you can reserve online, but a small charge applies to cover our costs.

Women’s Prize for Fiction 2018

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the UK’s most prestigious annual book award for fiction written by a woman. Founded in 1996, the Prize was set up to celebrate excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women throughout the world.

The Prize, formerly know as the ‘Bailey’s Prize for Women’s Fiction’, has bee rebranded for 2018 due to a new sponsorship model

The Longlist was announced on 8th March, International Women’s Day, a selection of 16 top titles.

The Shortlist was announced on 23rd April.

Find the selection across Hampshire Libraries in print, to download and even to listen to:

The 2018 Shortlisted books are as follows:

Elif Batuman, The Idiot

Imogen Hermes Gowar, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock

Jessie Greengrass, Sight

Meena Kandasamy, When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife

Kamila Shamsie, Home Fire

Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied, Sing (Coming soon, reserve now!)

 

After Such Kindness by Gaynor Arnold

About the book

When the writer, Oxford scholar and photographer John Jameson visits the home of his vicar friend, he is entranced by Daisy, his youngest daughter. Jameson charms her with his wit and child-like imagination, teasing her with riddles and inventing humorous stories as they enjoy afternoons alone by the river and in his rooms.

The shocking impact of this unusual friendship is only brought to light when, years later, Daisy, unsettled in her marriage, rediscovers her childhood diaries hidden in an old toy chest.

 

Reviewed by Bridgemary Bookworms

“Well written but shocking to be made aware of the connection to Alice Liddell (Alice in Wonderland) An insight into Victorian values and behaviours in supposedly law abiding middle class family life. Not universally enjoyed and caused some discussion regarding ethical conduct”

star rating ****

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