Auckland Libraries blog

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.

Congratulations to the lucky winners of this week's The Great Summer Read prize draw! Everyone who completed a Great Summer Read challenge and checked it in on the website between 8 December and 14 December, was entered into the draw. This week, our sponsored prizes went to: Patricia from Northcote Library, winner of the Specsavers NZ voucher, including an eye examination, two pairs of glasses from any Specsavers range and prescribed lenses (including polarised sunglasses) Bronwyn from Glen Eden Library, winner of the New Zealand Maritime Museum family pass to sail on the Ted Ashby heritage scow Jess from Massey Library, winner of the family pass to visit MOTAT Chris from Remuera Library, winner of the family pass to visit Auckland Zoo . Five other winners won vouchers for a free rental from our Top Picks new release collection: Amanda from Māngere Bridge Library Alex from Central City Library Qurat-ul-Ain from New Lynn Library Tina from Massey Library Alisha

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 .

Congratulations to the lucky winners of The Great Summer Read's weekly prize draw! Everyone who completed a Great Summer Read challenge and checked it in on the website between 1 December and 7 December, was entered into the draw. This week, our sponsored prizes went to: Michelle from Remuera Library, winner of the Specsavers NZ voucher, including an eye examination, two pairs of glasses from any Specsavers range and prescribed lenses (including polarised sunglasses) Micheal from Mount Roskill Library, winner of the New Zealand Maritime Museum family pass to sail on the Ted Ashby heritage scow Ruobing from Blockhouse Bay Library, winner of the family pass to visit MOTAT Zeldon from Māngere Bridge Library, winner of the family pass to visit Auckland Zoo . Five other winners won vouchers for a free rental from our Top Picks new release collection: Nicola from Glenfield Library Serene from Mount Albert Library Sara from Remuera Library Davina from Massey Librar

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. 

Our libraries offer a variety of digital spaces, clubs, programmes and workshops that are both fun and educational. Jump into technology by exploring our Makerspaces - laboratories where you can explore hangarau (technology) and have a go at robotics, 3D printing, app making, music production and much more. Get a head start on computing with your kids or use our resources to give new technologies a go! North Glenfield Library 's 3D printing workshop covers the basics of 3D printing using Tinkercad to build a simple object.  These objects can then be printed to take home! These workshops are aimed at school-aged children. No need to book a place, simply turn up after school on Thursdays during school term time only. Birkenhead Library 's weekly Tech time for kids on Thursdays  encourages you to explore creating robots, apps, digital music and 3D printing. Try something new and connect with other kids and parents with similar interests during school term time.

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