Auckland Libraries blog

Alison and Karen pay homage to some true literary power couples from the romantic era’s Percy and Mary to the modern day’s Nicole and Jonathan. We include the beat generation’s Jane and Paul, the lost generation’s Zelda and Scott and the timeless Gertrude and Alice. These pairs would make great cat names for those who are double-kittied. Listen to this week's episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast. Books mentioned in the show: Forest dark by Nicole Krauss Here I am by Jonathan Safran Foer Save me the waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald The collected writings by Zelda Fitzgerald Tender is the night by F Scott Fitzgerald Two serious ladies by Jane Bowles The sheltering sky by Paul Bowles Frankenstein by Mary Shelley  Selected poems and prose by Percy Bysshe Shelley The autobiography of Alice B Toklas by Gertrude Stein What is remembered by Alice B Toklas Paris was yesterday, 1925-30 by Janet Flanner Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond

This week on Books & Beyond, Alison drinks water and meditates on this precious, almost mystical commodity H20. Listen to this week's episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast. Books mentioned in the show: The girl in the water by AJ Grayson Into the water by Paula Hawkins The mistake I made by Paula Daly Big little lies by Liane Moriaty The water dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates Beneath pale water by Thalia Henry Death by water by Kenzaburo Oe Water for elephants by Sara Gruen This is water: some thoughts, delivered on a significant occasion by David Foster Wallace All visitors ashore by CK Stead Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35pm. Recent shows can be listened to as podcasts via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

This week on Books & Beyond, we pay tribute to the city of Auckland by choosing books of historical recollections, novelistic descriptions and poetic odes. Books mentioned in the show: Dove on the waters by Maurice Shadbolt The new animals by Pip Adam High hope in hard times: a history of Grey Lynn and Westmere by Kaaren Hiyama Te Atatu me: photographs of an urban New Zealand village by John B. Turner A fine prospect: a history of Remuera, Meadowbank and St Johns by Jenny Carlyon and Diana Morrow Urban village: the story of Ponsonby, Freemans Bay and St Mary’s Bay by Jenny Carlyon and Diana Morrow Auckland by the sea: 100 years of work and play by David Johnson Flowers after the sun: poems by John Pule Love as a stranger by Owen Marshall Sonnets to Van Gogh & providence by John Pule One hundred poems and a year by Bob Orr This mortal boy by Fiona Kidman Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books wit

The first few sentences of any book are the most important because they have to hook the reader and reel them into the story. In an unscripted, gameshow-style episode, Alison and Karen test each other on some of the best opening lines in literature. Feel free to play along! Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast . Books mentioned in the show: The 10 pm question by Kate De Goldi The catcher in the rye by J.D. Salinger Breakfast at Tiffany's: a short novel and three stories by Truman Capote Of mice and men by John Steinbeck The god of small things by Arundhati Roy The English patient: a novel by Michael Ondaatje The member of the wedding by Carson McCullers Where angels fear to tread by E.M. Forster One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García Márquez The grapes of wrath by John Steinbeck Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommend

On this week’s show, Alison and Karen are still in New Year Resolution mode. They talk about personality traits they would like to acquire in 2020 and take inspiration from some of their favourite books. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast . Books mentioned in the show: Little women by Louisa M. Alcott Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg Any human heart  by William Boyd The girl with the dragon tattoo by Stieg Larsson Madeline , story and pictures by Ludwig Bemelmans The cat in the hat by by Dr Seuss Charlotte's web by E.B. White The whale rider by Witi Ihimaera Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6, Sundays at 9.35pm. Recent shows can be listened to as podcasts via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

On this week’s show, Karen and Louisa recommend books to power our New Year’s Resolutions, past and future. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast. Books mentioned in the show: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray Rage becomes her: the power of women’s anger  by Soraya Chealy Good and mad: the revolutionary power of women’s anger by Rebecca Traister Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis Today will be different by Maria Semple Better than before: mastering the habits of our everyday lives by Gretchen Rubin Conversations with Capote by Lawrence Grobel Ma’am darling: 99 glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown Do less be more: ban busy and make space for what matters by Martina Sheehan and Susan Pearse Rich enough? a laid-back guide for every Kiwi by Mary Holm Eat up! by Ruby Tandoh Terminations  by Henry James The payoff principle: discover the 3 secrets for getting what you want out of life and work by Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman

Kelly Sheehan talks with librarian Karen about co-founding Earth’s End Publishing, with Adrian Kinnaird and Damon Keen. They discuss their mission to bring into print exceptionally designed comics and graphic novels by New Zealand’s finest cartoonists, and about their latest release. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast and read on for the books mentioned in the show. The Earth’s End graphic novels mentioned in the show are: Dharma punks by Ant Sang Terry Teo and the gunrunners ; art by Bob Kerr, written by Stephen Ballantyne Moa by James Davidson Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray Auckland Libraries podcast Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35pm. Recent shows can be listened to as podcasts via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

Alison and Karen consider the phenomenon of the bad boy from a literary standpoint, from Byron to the Beats. Listen to this episode  and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books mentioned in the show: Young romantics: the Shelleys, Byron and other tangled lives by Daisy Hay Just kids by Patti Smith M train by Patti Smith Rimbaud: the double life of a rebel  by Edmund White A season in hell by Arthur Rimbaud Infinite jest by David Foster Wallace Every love story is a ghost story: a life of David Foster Wallace by DT Max A supposedly fun thing I’ll never do again by David Foster Wallace Brief interviews with hideous men by David Foster Wallace The liars’ club by Mary Karr On the road by Jack Kerouac Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac Big Sur by Jack Kerouac Auckland Libraries podcast Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet

Alison and Karen are in holiday mode and discuss a selection of very long books for your reading enjoyment. Listen to this episode  and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books mentioned in the show include: Infinite jest by David Foster Wallace The goldfinch by Donna Tartt 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami A suitable boy by Vikram Seth The luminaries by Eleanor Catton Les miserables by Victor Hugo An angel at my table  by Janet Frame War and peace : original version  by Leo Tolstoy ; translated by Andrew Bromfield Lonesome dove by Larry McMurtry The Silk Roads: a new history of the world by Peter Frankopan Auckland Libraries podcast Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on  Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35 pm. Recent shows can be listened to via the  Auckland Libraries podcast .

Alison and Karen plan their holiday reading and recommend some great beach reads. At last, time to read! Listen to this week's episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast . Books mentioned in the show include: Forest dark: a novel by Nicole Krauss Flights by Olga Tokarczuk; translated by Jennifer Croft The right swipe: a novel by Alisha Rai Kismet: a novel by Luke Tredget The body: a guide for occupants by Bill Bryson Wild fire by Ann Cleeves The overstory: a novel by Richard Powers A sharp left turn: notes on a life in music, from Split Enz to Play It Strange by Mike Chunn Me by Elton John Janis: her life and music by Holly George-Warren Made in Scotland: my grand adventures in a wee country by Billy Connolly with Ian Gittins Year of the monkey by Patti Smith Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Plane

Alison and Karen take a literary journey to Cornwall and discover why this rugged and mysterious place continues to provide inspiration for so many writers. Listen to this week's episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast. Books mentioned in the show: Jamaica Inn  by Daphne du Maurier ; introduced by Sarah Dunant Frenchman's creek  by Daphne du Maurier ; with an introduction by Julie Myerson Daphne Du Maurier : enchanted Cornwall : her pictorial memoir  edited by Piers Dudgeon ; photographs by Nick Wright Daphne du Maurier  by Margaret Forster Ross Poldark : a novel of Cornwall, 1783-1787  by Winston Graham Rough music  by Patrick Gale A perfectly good man  by Patrick Gale Sword at sunset  by Rosemary Sutcliff The crystal cave  by Mary Stewart Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on  Planet FM104.6 , Sundays

Books that celebrate the human-animal bond are a firm favourite among our readers. Karen and Louisa talk about some classics of the genre and some new arrivals on the literary scene. If you’re having a ruff day, this episode will leave you feline pretty good! Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast. Books mentioned in the show:  Finding Gobi: the true story of a little dog and an incredible journey by Dion Leonard with Craig Borlase Flush, a biography by Virginia Woolf ; new introduction by Trekkie Ritchie Afterglow : a dog memoir by Eileen Myles My family and other animals by Gerald Durrell Black Beauty  by Anna Sewell  Boo to a goose by Mem Fox  Kahu: the cautious kiwi by written by Brian Birchall  We’re going on a bear hunt by retold by Michael Rosen Te haere ki te rapu pea  nā Michael Rosen ngā kōrero Mission impawsible by Krista Davis Murder most howl by Krista Davis Not a creature was purring by Krista Davis Auckland Librar

Peter Bland, prize-winning poet, playwright, charismatic actor and recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement talks with Karen about his life and his work. Hear him read some of his gorgeous poetry and tell some wonderful anecdotes. Listen to the episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast. Books mentioned in the show: Sorry, I'm a stranger here myself: a memoir by Peter Bland Collected poems: 1956-2011 by Peter Bland Expecting miracles by Peter Bland Just looking by Peter Bland Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35 pm. Recent shows can be listened to via the Auckland Libraries podcast.

Alison and Karen get into the Joan-zone as they discuss this celebrated essayist and style-icon. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast. Books mentioned in the show: Democracy by Joan Didion Live and learn by Joan Didion Slouching towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion We tell ourselves stories in order to live: collected non-fiction by Joan Didion Good and mad: the revolutionary power of women's anger by Rebecca Traister My misspent youth: essays by Meghan Daum The unspeakable: and other subjects of discussion by Meghan Daum The Problem with Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars by Meghan Daum Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35 pm. Recent shows can be listened to via the Auckland Libraries podcast.

Alison and Karen talk about trains. Travel, romance, elegance, intrigue and crime. It’s always better on the tracks. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast. Books mentioned in the show: Orient Express: the story of a legend by text by Guillaume Picon; photography by Benjamin Chelly; preface by Kenneth Branagh Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie The girl on the train by Paula Hawkins The flight attendant: a novel by Chris Bohjalian Going west  by Maurice Gee Stamboul train: an entertainment by Graham Greene Strangers on a train by Patricia Highsmith The Kreutzer sonata and other stories by Leo Tolstoy Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35 pm. Recent shows can be listened to via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

Alison and Karen talk about Paris – the city of light, love and literature. Listen to this week's episode on the Planet FM website and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books mentioned in the show: The piano shop on the Left Bank: the hidden world of a Paris atelier by T.E. Carhart Finding Fontainebleau: an American boy in France by Thad Carhart The little Paris bookshop: a novel by Nina George; translated by Simon Pare The flâneur: a stroll through the paradoxes of Paris by Edmund White Inside a pearl: my years in Paris by Edmund White The elegance of the hedgehog by Muriel Barbery; translated from the French by Alison Anderson A moveable feast by Ernest Hemingway Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35 pm. Recent shows can be listened to via the Auckland Lib

Alison talks to beloved children’s author, Stacy Gregg, about her new book Prince of Ponies and finds out why horses have such a strong place in our imaginative and literary worlds. Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35 pm. Recent shows can be listened to via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

Alison talks about cats in literature and finds out what makes them so alluring to readers and writers. Listen to this week's episode on the Planet FM website and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books mentioned in the show: The travelling cat chronicles by Hiro Arikawa ; translated by Philip Gabriel (2017) The guest cat by Takashi Hiraide; translated by Eric Selland (2014) Sleeping with cats by Marge Piercy (1986) Cat out of Hell by Lynne Truss (2014) Cleo: the cat who mended a family by Helen Brown (2010) Dewey: the small town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron (2008) THE CAT by Georges Simenon (1967) I am a cat by Soseki Natsume (originally published 1905) Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35 pm. Recent shows can be listened to via the Aucklan

Alison discusses books about migration and finds out what it’s like to try for a new start in a new land. Listen to this episode  and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books mentioned in the show: We have always been here : a queer Muslim memoir by Samra Habib Without a country by Ayşe Kulin ; translated by Kenneth Dakan Scribe : a novel by Alyson Hagy Beirut Hellfire Society : a novel by Rawi Hage Do not say we have nothing by Madeleine Thien Girls burn brighter by Shobha Rao Only killers and thieves : a novel by Paul Howarth Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35 pm. Recent shows can be listened to via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

Alison talks about some exciting new books by emerging writers and discovers that the timeless themes of love, loss and belonging continue to be explored in literature. Writing is in good hands! Listen to this episode  and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books mentioned in the show: The woo-woo: how I survived ice hockey, drug raids, demons and my crazy Chinese family by Lindsay Wong Peach by Emma Glass  Kismet: a novel by Luke Tredget Pink Mountain on Locust Island by Jamie Marina Lau Sight by Jessie Greengrass Our homesick songs by Emma Hooper Half gods  by Akil Kumarasamy Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central City Library basement and… beyond. Catch us on  Planet FM104.6 , Sundays at 9.35 pm. Recent shows can be listened to via the  Auckland Libraries podcast .