Auckland Libraries blog

Karen chats with bestselling kiwi author, Catherine Robertson, about her new Gabriel's Bay novel What you wish for  and about what Catherine wishes for her readers - interested and varied characters, topical themes and lots of laughs. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast : Catherine's Gabriel's Bay novels are: Gabriel's Bay What you wish for   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 .

Photos compiled by Penny Howard. Happy Pasifika month! On Books and Beyond this week Louisa chats with two poets performing at the upcoming Stars of Pasifika Poetry event at Te Atat ū  Library.   Ria Masae and Doug Poole share their poetry and pride in being able to express their Pacific identity writing and performing poetry. Listen to this week's episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Doug's poetry: Mauri ola: contemporary Polynesian poems in English Niu voices Doug's online journal Ria's poetry: Manifesto Aotearoa: 101 political poems Other Pasifika poetry works mentioned in the show: Everything is here by Rob Heck Entangled Islands by Serie Barford 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 s

This week on Books and Beyond , Peter Bland, prize-winning poet, playwright and charismatic actor ("Came a hot Friday") talks with librarian Karen about his life and poetry, and reads works from his most recent collections. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast : Read on for the books mentioned in the show. Peter read: "The stone owl" from The happy garden "Our garden is a jungle" from The happy garden "Harbours" from A fugitive presence "Living close to the border" from Voodoo Peter's memoir: Sorry, I'm a stranger here myself View Peter's poetry videos on Facebook. 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 .

Books and Beyond celebrates Pride this week! Alison Fitzpatrick reprises her reading for the "After-hours Storytime for Grown-ups and Other Family" (Move over Brothers Grimm, the Sisters Gay are here!) which our Grey Lynn Library hosted for the 2019 same same but different LGBTQI literary festival, and chats with Karen about rainbow writing. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast : Read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books mentioned in the show: Fairytales for lost children by Diriye Osman (includes the story, "Watering the Imagination" read by Alison The spider's house by Paul Bowles The collected works of Jane Bowles by Jane Bowles Tales of the city by Armistead Maupin Logical family by Armistead Maupin The golden gate by Vikram Seth A boy's own story by Edmund White My lives by Edmund White Arts and letters by Edmund White The swimming-pool library by Alan Hollinghurst The trauma cleaner b

In this week's Books and Beyond episode , Karen and Louisa take inspiration from the Renaissance tradition of celebrating Valentine’s Day with " flirtatious entertainments ", frolicking with great and less great love stories through the ages, and sharing a selection of New Zealand love poetry. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast: Read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books mentioned in the show: The thorn birds by Colleen McCullough Pride and prejudice by Jane Austen Pride and prejudice and kitties: a cat lover's romp through Jane Austen's classic by Jane Austen, Pamela Jane, and Deborah Guyol Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet: a chooseable path adventure   by Ryan North, and William Shakespeare The French Lieutenant's woman by John Fowles Golden flower: a romance of New Zealand by Dulce Carman The first bad man by Miranda July Poems shared in the show: "The brief life o

Sharing little-known facts, talking about the weather, gossiping, pondering the big questions… What are your favourite conversation topics as you while away a weekend afternoon at the beach, or, one of our long summer evenings? Karen and Louisa recommend a selection of books which will assure you a brilliant head-start at the game! Listen to this week's episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast . Books mentioned in the show: The Guinness book of world records    Come rain or shine: a weather miscellany by Storm Dunlop The cloudspotter's guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney A million years in a day: a curious history of everyday life: from the Stone Age to the phone age by Greg Jenner Can a bee sting a bee? and other big questions from little people compiled by Gemma Elwin Harris Is it true? The facts behind the things we have been told by Max Cryer Factfulness: ten reasons we're wrong about the world - and why things are better than you think by Hans Rosling

This week on Books & Beyond, Karen and Louisa celebrate Auckland Anniversary weekend by paying tribute to our city by choosing books of historical recollections, novelistic descriptions, and poetic odes. Listen to this week's episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast .  Read on for the 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; historical essay by Grant Cole 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 Sonnets to Van Gogh & providence by John Pule Love as a stranger by Owen Marshall

Karen chats with Joanne Drayton about Hudson & Halls: the food of love , her new book about two television chefs who helped change the bedrock bad attitudes of a nation in the 1970s and 80s to that unspoken thing – homosexuality. They were also captains of a culinary revolution that saw the overthrow of Aunt Daisy and Betty Crocker and the beginnings of Pacific-rich, Asian-styled international cuisine. Listen to this week's episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast. Read on for the books mentioned in the show. Joanne Drayton is also the author of the New York Times bestseller,  The search for Anne Perry , about the bestselling crime novelist who left behind another identity - that of Juliet Hulme of ' Heavenly Creatures ' fame - as well as a number of critically-acclaimed biographies. 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… beyo

Mike Lee wears his scholar and author’s hat as he talks with Karen about his new book Navigators and naturalists: French exploration of New Zealand and the South Seas (1769-1824) , which weaves together geography, natural philosophy and human history, in telling the story of the great French naturalist-voyagers. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast . 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. Listen to recent shows via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

Karen and Louisa celebrate the 50th anniversary of Books & Beyond with a stroll through past shows, bloopers, and the ones that got away, plus a dip into the Auckland Libraries Top 100 and Great Summer Read . Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries SoundCloud . Books mentioned in the show Body parts: essays on life-writing by Hermione Lee Galileo’s middle finger: heretics, activists, and the search for justice in science by Alice Dreger Winter eyes by Harry Ricketts Murray’s Handbook for Scotland (1894)  The trauma cleaner: one woman’s extraordinary life in death, decay and disaster by Sarah Krasnostein The Pacific: in the wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill Navigators & naturalists: French exploration of New Zealand and the Pacific (1769-1824) by Michale Lee  Authors mentioned in the show Jojo Moyes Liane Moriarty Nicky Pellegrino Catherine Robertson Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of boo

This week on Books and Beyond Louisa chats to Peter Millett, author of over 50 children’s picture and fiction books. Peter introduces his new book  More Classic Rhymes for Kiwi Kids , and the latest in his superhero  Johnny Danger DIY Spy  series, which we find out is as popular in the UK than home in Aotearoa NZ.  Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries SoundCloud . Books by Peter Millett: The ANZAC biscuit man and other classic kiwi tales . Jean Batten   by Peter and Ruth Millett.  The ANZAC puppy .    The kiwi go marching one by one , sung by Jay Laga'aia with lyrics by Ngaere Roberts. Johnny Danger: lie another day , as part of The Johnny Danger series. The petrifying plot of the plummeting pants , as part of The Boy Zero series. 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 FM 104.6, Sundays a

Wondering what to read this summer? Need a book to escape into while you're on the road or relaxing in the park? Auckland's Tāmaki Pataka Kōrero Central City Library is here for you! Six months ago, we asked Aucklanders to choose their all-time favourite book: the book they always recommend to friends, the book they would want with them if they were stranded on a desert island, the book they could read over and over again. We've now curated all your suggestions into one exclusive collection: The Desert Island Bookcase. With over five hundred titles, you'll be spoilt for choice! So, drop into the desert island on the ground floor of Central to borrow a 'treasured' favourite or browse our curated Desert Island Bookcase list on OverDrive and find some gold! Follow our Desert Island Bookcase Instagram this summer to get some great reading recommendations and tag #desertislandbookcase to tell us what your Desert Island picks would be.

On Books and Beyond this week, Karen chats with author, oral historian and biographer, Deborah Shepard, about her new book The writing life , one of our picks for the 'Life and times' category of this year’s Auckland Libraries Top 100. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries SoundCloud . The writing life comprises a series of curated conversations in which twelve of New Zealand’s most acclaimed and admired writers speak candidly about their lives and their work. They are: Joy Cowley Marilyn Duckworth Tessa Duder Chris Else Patricia Grace David Hill Witi Ihimaera Fiona Kidman Owen Marshall Vincent O’Sullivan Philip Temple Albert Wendt 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 FM 104.6, Sundays at 9.35pm. Listen to recent shows via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

The Great Summer Read He Pānuitanga Raumati is centre stage this week on Books & Beyond, as Karen and Louisa shared what they might be reading for their favourite challenges. Listen to this week's episode on the PlanetFM website and read on for the books mentioned in the show: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray The remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro The prime of Miss Jean Brodie  by Muriel Spark Lean in by Sheryl Sandberg Becoming by Michelle Obama Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard Nightwork by Jachym Topol Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi Watership down by Richard Adams Winter eyes by Harry Ricketts Bonsai: best small stories from Aotearoa New Zealand edited by Michelle Elvy, Frankie McMillan and James Norcliffe 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. 

It's the last challenge on the Great Summer Read challenge list but we're seeing people choosing it as their first! And why not? It's the chance to set your own challenge! It could be something you've always meant to do but never quite had the courage, like writing a fan letter to your favourite author. Or something where you’d welcome a little extra incentive - like maybe winning a prize - to persevere, like reading a book in the language you studied in school. If you haven't already got an ace up your sleeve to play, try one of these great suggestions from our librarians. Be sure to tell us about your wildcard in the comments section below, whether it’s one of these or one of your own! Share a favourite quote from the book you read. Take an insect/bird/animal guide with you on a wildlife hunt and see how many species you can find in your garden, neighbourhood, at the beach, etc. Judge that book by its cover! Choose a book without looking inside. Read

Poet, writer and journalist, Kirsten Warner, talks with Karen about her debut novel The sound of breaking glass , a tour de force set in Auckland in the 1990s which invites us to contemplate how many ways of shattering or being shattered one person’s story can contain. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries SoundCloud . The sound of breaking glass has just made the Auckland Libraries Top 100 of 2018 in the New Voices category. 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. Listen to recent shows via the  Auckland Libraries podcast .

Prize-winning poet and novelist, Anne Kennedy, chats with Karen about her new novel The ice shelf , a wicked and hilarious satire on life and literati as experienced in the course of a wild night in Wellington by a modern-day Moll Flanders. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries SoundCloud . Anne's books:  The ice shelf  The last days of the national costume The darling North  The time of the giants Sing-song 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. Listen to recent shows via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

This week on Books and Beyond, Louisa talks to Lorraine Thomson about walking the 800km Camino de Santiago across northern Spain from France. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries SoundCloud. Lorraine's book: The French way: trekking the 40-day El Camino de Santiago by Lorraine Thomson Other books about the Camino de Santiago: Camino de Santiago by Andy Symington Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago (Camino Frances) by John Brierley On the Camino by Jason Jason (graphic novel) The Lore of the Camino de Santiago: a literary pilgrimage by Jean Mitchell-Lantham The way, my way: a Camino memoir by Bill Bennett I'll push you: a journey of 500 miles, two best friends, and one wheelchair by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck Kiwi authors who have written about the Camino de Santiago: Kiwi on the Camino: a walk that changed my life by Vivianne Flintoff Exciting Eighties: a time of high expectations by Esther Paddon A movie ab

The 2018 winner of the  Diagram Prize for Oddest Title is being chosen this week by public vote! Karen and Louisa tell you all about it while recalling some other offbeat literary awards, such as the Weird-Ass Picture Book prize and the Three Tokes Anti-award. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries SoundCloud. Diagram Prize historic winners and shortlisted candidates: Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on nude mice The 2009-2014 world outlook for 60 milligram containers of fromage How to avoid huge ships Greek rural postmen and their cancellation numbers Cooking with Poo  The mushroom in Christian art  Mr Ando’s Pennine diary: memoirs of a Japanese chicken sexer in 1935 Hebden Bridge  The Great Singapore Penis Panic and the future of American mass hysteria  Estonian sock patterns all around the world  Advanced pavement research Divorcing a real witch: for pagans and people that used to love them   Diagram Prize 2018 short list:  Are