Guest post by Henry Young.
This November libraries are all about rhythm, rhyme and song!
World Nursery Rhyme Week promotes the importance of nursery rhymes in early childhood development and education. We have weekly sessions across the county, so why not come along and join in?
We are also very excited to host an afternoon of chamber music in Uckfield, with players from the Glyndebourne Sinfonia, Jerwood Pit Perfect players and soloists from the Glyndebourne chorus.
November is also Men’s Health Month. This month our librarian Henry digs deep to find his inner geezer and suggests five mannish titles for you!
Top Man fiction
The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst
The first part of this is such fun! An Oxbridge jape in the manner of Evelyn Waugh, strawberries on the heath, lingering looks and spending Father’s allowance on fine Burgandy! Unreciprocated love and being fined by the steward for ‘rhythmic creaking’!
The Sparsholt Affair is a fictitious, gay version of the Profumo scandal. The novel, with humour and tenderness, explores how a mistake can ripple through the generations.
Top Man nonfiction
I am the law: how Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future by Michael Molcher
For those who don’t know, Judge Dredd is judge, jury and executioner, a ruthless comic book Lawman policing Mega-City One.
Back in the 1970s I just thought I was reading the story of a man on a motorcycle in a cool uniform with a huge gun!
It turns out I was actually reading dark political commentary an intense satire on uncompromising, militarised policing, ‘law and order’ politics, horrendous class inequality, crooked government, overstuffed prisons, omnipresent mass media, the violent suppression of protest and the surveillance state.
Michael Molcher takes the classic British comic character and demonstrates how 2000AD predicted the future.
Top Man’s audio
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
Molly Lane had many lovers, among them Clive, Britain’s most famous composer, Vernon, editor of a respected broadsheet, and Julian, Foreign Secretary – and tipped to be the next prime minister.
At Molly’s funeral, Clive and Vernon make a pact that descends into hatred and revenge.
Darkly humorous, occasionally chilling and peopled with wonderfully awful characters. A short book you can scarf down in a single sitting.
Top Man’s comic
Cormac McCarthy’s The Road: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Manu Larcenet
The story of a nameless father and son trying to survive with their humanity intact in a postapocalyptic wasteland where Earth’s natural resources have been diminished, and some survivors are left to raise others for meat, ‘The Road’ is one of Cormac McCarthy’s bleakest and most prescient novels.
This comic book adaptation is a study of bleak greys, soot blacks and unending horror.
Top Children’s Fiction
Bigfoot and the Wild Boys by Jenny Pearson, illustrated by Aleksei Bitskoff
Joe is tired of being called average and feeling completely forgettable at school. So when he hears that a Bigfoot-like beast has been spotted in some nearby woods, he sees an opportunity. Surely capturing Bigfoot will make him stand out from the crowd and bring him the popularity he longs for? An unforgettably hilarious quest with some very unexpected results!
Top Children’s Nonfiction
Atlas of Cats by Frances Evans illustrated by Kelsey Heaton
Explore the claw-some world of cats in this definitive guide that’s packed with fun facts and illustrations. Large continent maps show the origin of over 100 weird and wonderful breeds like the Sokoke from Africa – the rarest variety of domestic cats in the world – plus discover ancient cats, wild cats, record-breaking cats, and their super senses!
