In times of despair, we can either take deeper refuge in our belief system to pull us through or shun all we have ever embraced completely. Whispers in the Wiring , Amanda Apthorpe 's first novel and the winning manuscript among thousands submitted to Atlas Productions, is the exploration of a priest faced with great loss and left questioning his faith as a result of his identical brother's death. It is the study of the infinite grapple between religion versus science, humankind and the metaphysical, human error and human hope, lost opportunities and second chances, separation and reunion, releasing what has passed and rejuvenation. Far from being a dark and futile experience, Amanda's book seeks to show its very human characters in all their shades - from their darkest hours to their moments of enlightenment, and how memory both propels and dispels each of them at different times through their road to recovery and acceptance of the loss they all share. Whispers in th...

Our final month of Autumn delivered an awe-inspiring display of poetic leaves that eloquently danced across our library shelves and graced our hearts. It was all thanks to the warm and humble Bayside Poetry Group. With four representatives from the group present on the day, each member read from their selection of Bayside Poetry Group anthologies and treated us to laughs, tears, food for thought...and for some audience members, inspiration to rise and share their own poetic efforts. Founder of Bayside Poetry Group Gaytana Adorna  and convenor of the library's launch of "Unweathered Words - Local Writing Group Showcases" , led the way reciting an array of her self-penned works detailing resilience, re-growth and re-invention. For more information about Bayside Poetry Group, please contact Gaytana via her website: http://www.gaytana-adorna.com/ BAYSIDE POETRY GROUP ANTHOLOGIES : Just a Moment Sharing the Moment This Life Write Again Righ...

Awe.  Contemplation. Laughter.  Cerebral Challenges ... and Pondering Life's Mind-Boggling Teasers Such as the Timeless Chicken's Reason for Crossing the Road. Another Round of Belly-Laughs. Such was the fascinating, enthralling, entertaining and   life-affirming talk presented by Cheryl Threadgold to continue the diversity of our Autumn instalment of "An Author for All Seasons - Series Three." Cheryl took us on a wonderful adventure that was her success story of publishing her widely-consumed riddle compilation: "The Riddle-O-Pedia." From a humble idea to create a comprehensive, indexed riddle resource to assist her children's ambitions to contribute to "Corinella" ; a former long-running riddle page of the Herald Sun Newspaper, emerged a popular series which saw several re-prints and found a major buyer in Scholastic Australia. Cheryl's talk not only proved inspiring as she documented her tireless perseverance to p...