Summer Reading Challenge

The Gadgeteers Summer Reading Challenge is almost finished, and having signed loads of children up already we'd like to thank all those that have taken part, including over 1,200 new library members! There's still time for your child to read six library books and collect their stickers, medal, & certificate for those that manage to finish. We've loved the theme of 'Gadgeteers' being all about STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Maths), and it looks like your children have too! It's free to sign up to our libraries, so why not take yourself along to your local library to get library cards for the family, or join online today?

For further information on the Summer Reading Challenge click here.

Contact ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk or call 01629 533444 for further information

(illustrations by Julian Beresford 2022)

Talks at Ilkeston Library

Ilkeston Library are hosting two talks by Dr Ann Featherstone in September:

When Dracula Came to Derby - Thursday 15th September 2pm

1924. The year that Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula, was transformed into a stage play and had its premiere, not in the glitzy West End, but in Derby, at the Grand Theatre, Babbington Lane. Here, Dracula's trademark long black cape was first seen and a nurse patrolled the aisles to aid terror-stricken members of the audience! It was the beginning of the long stage career of the vampire Count, which would take the play from Derby to London and then to New York, when Hollywood beckoned. Join Dr Ann Featherstone in exploring this remarkable theatre debut and its reception in Derby and elsewhere.

Contact Ilkeston Library on 01629 533275 to book your free place.

A Good Night Out - Tuesday 13th September 6.45pm

Join Ann Featherstone for an excursion down the years to Ilkeston in the 19th century and the pubs and music halls, theatres and cinemas, the entertainments at the Town Hall and on street corners, where you might see Major Mite or James Berry, England's hangman. Or even Gracie Fields.

Book your free tickets via Eventbrite here.

'In Conversation with Emily John Garces'

Join us at Belper Library on Tuesday 20th September from 6.30-7.30pm for 'In Conversation with Emily John Garcés'. Emily is a local artist, poet and author. Her book, 'The Quiet Woman', contains 40 poems and 40 paintings. 'Each typewritten poem is accompanied by a full colour piece of art, chosen to hold space, and to help slow the pace of the reading experience.'

Emily will be reading some of her poems and talking about her work. She says, of the book: 'The Quiet Woman is for anyone who is reaching - as I was - for words that bring comfort and hope.'

Book your free tickets here, and ring 01629 533192 for more information.

Relaxing Reads

Join us for a cuppa, and unwind listening to our selection of relaxing reads at the following libraries:

Bolsover - Friday 30th September - 10.30-11.30am - 01629 537800

Clay Cross - Thursday 6th October - 10.30-11.30am - 01629 537084

Give your chosen library a ring for more information and to secure your free place!

Coming Soon in Libraries

Want to know what else is coming up in the future?

• Keep your eyes peeled for dates and libraries hosting the amazing children’s author Christopher Edge
• We welcome CSI back into libraries for crime scene investigations sessions (complete with forensics suits) for young adults aged 16 to 25
• More fun digital activities for our families and STEM sessions for children with Special Educational needs at Belper library

eAudiobooks on Libby

Baby Babble

Our popular Baby Babble course for 4 - 9 month old babies will be running at Glossop Library from Thursday 22nd September for 5 weeks. Please contact them on 01629 531199 to secure your free space.

More sessions will follow so please keep an eye out on our Facebook page for details! Email ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk or ring 01629 533444 for more info.

Brimington Library Colour & Chat

Come along to Brimington Library on Thursday, 8 September to Colour, Relax and Chat in the library. Drop in to this free event for adults, at any time between 10 am and 12 noon.

Materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring along your own colouring book and crayons/felts if you wish.

Tel Brimington Library 01629 537773 or contact ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk

Derbyshire Record Office

French prisoners of war in Chesterfield

Danielle, one of our Archive Assistants, has spent the last few months researching the lives of French prisoners of war held in Chesterfield during the Napoleonic Wars and she has unearthed many amazing stories about their time there. Her first blog post covers the general experience of the estimated 400 officers sent to Chesterfield and their relationship with the townsfolk.

In her second blog post she recounts the story of the daring escape of two of the officers, General Joseph Exelmans and Colonel Auguste de la Grange, and their subsequent fate.

Follow our blog to get similar posts sent directly to your inbox.

(Image: General Exelmans at the Battle of Wertingen, Wikimedia Commons)

Buxton Museum & Art Gallery

Buxton Museum & Art Gallery is free to visit and open at the following times: 

• Tuesday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm, last admission 4pm.
• Sundays (Easter to end of September): 12pm to 4pm, last admission 3.30pm.
• Bank holidays: 12pm to 4pm, last admission 3.30pm.

You can also follow their blog here to see their latest amazing stories. Recent pieces include:

• Cartimandua - Ice Age Queen of the North
• The Shivering Mountain
• Return of the Mermaid

Ring 01629 533540 or email buxton.museum@derbyshire.gov.uk for more information.

Multiply - Courses to help adults make things add up!

Derbyshire County Council's Multiply

Around 17 million adults in England (Half of the working-age population) have the numeracy level of a child leaving primary school. 

Evidence shows that those who improve their numeracy skills are more likely to be in employment, have higher wages, and better wellbeing. Poor numeracy skills can hold people back from having the confidence to get on in life and into work.   

Derbyshire County Council, as part of the Government’s Multiply, is set to receive some extra money over the next three years. This is to offer adults who need to improve their numeracy skills through free, flexible courses that fit around their lives. Courses are expected to be available from this autumn - in person or online, at work or at home, part time or on an intensive basis - whatever best suits your personal circumstances. 

If you’re interested in what support is available to get you the numeracy skills to help you to make your money go further, reduce waste, be more energy efficient, improve your job opportunities, or help your children to do better at school, then register your interest by completing this form and we’ll keep you up to date

New Adult Fiction Books Coming in September

We’ve highlighted three adult fiction titles arriving in September. They include the latest Kate Atkinson, Medusa’s story and an obsessive treasure hunt. You can reserve them via our online catalogue:

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson’s latest novel is set in the London of the 1920’s. The scene is the clubs of Soho with their mix of clientele from peers of the realm to starlets and foreign dignitaries to gangsters. The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but with great ambitions for her children. But enemies follow great success, and her empire faces threats from within and without.

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

Natalie Haynes turns to Medusa’s story for her new book. ‘Growing up with her sisters, Medusa quickly realises that she is the only one who gets older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know. Then, the subject of Athena’s ire, Medusa is turned into a Gorgon. Appalled by her own reflection, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude in the shadows to limit her murderous range. That is, until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon. This is the story of how a young woman became a monster. And how she was never really a monster at all.’

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

‘Nell has come home at her family's insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous degree. The book made Frank a rich man. Nell became a recluse. Now the Churcher family must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows.

Here are some crime/thriller highlights arriving in September:

The Rising Tide - Anne Cleeves’ next Vera Stanhope mystery

My Darling Daughter  - J.P. Delaney’s latest suspense thriller

Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths - the latest mystery for Harbinder Kaur

Picture you Dead by Peter James - the latest crime to solve for Roy Grace

The Bullet that Missed  - the third book in Richard Osman’s bestselling, ‘Thursday Murder Club’ series.

Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb. Her latest Eve Dallas mystery.

Murder in a Mill Town by Helen Cox.  The next book in the Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mystery series

You can request any of these titles at your local library or place a hold yourself via our

 our online catalogue:

Multi-Use Titles

Every month we get a new selection of titles on our BorrowBox app of both eBooks and eAudiobooks that can be taken out by multiple users at one time. These stay multi-use for 60 days, so if you have a book club and you're looking for your next title then one of these could be your next choice! 

You can find these titles on the main BorrowBox page, identified as a collection with 'No Waiting!' or 'Available Now!'

Titles available from September are:

In eBook and eAudiobook format:

• Talk Bookish to Me – Kate Bromley
• Mark Anchovy Pizza Detective - William Goldsmith
• All Creatures Great and Small – James Herriott

In eBook format only:

• The Startup Wife – Tahmima Anam

eAudio only:

• Behind Closed Doors – Catherine Alliott
• Shadow and Bone – Leigh Bardugo (YA)
• End of Summer – Anders de la Motte

This Month We Recommend You Read...

One of our favourite things to do is recommend amazing books to you! This month, as the Summer Reading Challenge continues, we're recommending that you join the Gadgeteers and check out these titles!

The Baddies - Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler

In the famous writing & illustrating duo's newest book, the Baddies are the meanest ghost, witch and troll in the land. They adore being bad and fight over who is the nastiest. When a little girl moves into a nearby cottage, the Baddies can't wait to scare her out of her wits, but will they succeed?

The Light Thieves - Helen Duggan

The earth has shifted on its axis and a mysterious dark mark has appeared on the sun - the whole world is in peril! But billionaire tech genius Howard Hansom has a plan. When Grian's sister goes missing he's convinced she has run off to Hansom's new city to help save the world. But when Grian and his two friends Jeffrey and Shelli track her there they find that nothing is quite as it seems. Why is everything so secret? Where is the mysterious Area 13? What does Howard Hansom want with all the people he has enticed to live in his city? The days are getting darker but what's really happening to the sun?

Up Close: A Lifesize Look at the Animal Kingdom - Isabel Thomas & Dawn Cooper

Did you know that the world's biggest tongue belongs to the blue whale? Or that the snub-nosed monkey's nostrils point upwards, and when it rains it makes them sneeze? From paws to claws, tongues, teeth, tails and more, compare the biggest and the smallest animals (and all the others in between) in this illustrated exploration of creatures and their features. Includes up close pages, which take a life-size look at a particular feature of two very different animals. See the mighty elephant's trunk (it can grow as long as a bathtub) and compare it to the sensitive snout of an elephant shrew.

Order you copies of these fantastic books on our online catalogue.

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