Auckland Libraries blog

To spark your reading inspiration this summer, we’ve rounded up a legacy of best-sellers to bring you the best books from over the decades. Thanks to the Auckland Libraries Top 100 , we all know the best books of our most recent decade. But what about the many decades before? After much deliberation, we've chosen our top reads from the 1950s right through to the 2010s.  Agree?  Visit our website to start requesting!  Disagree? Let us know your favourites via Instagram , Facebook or Twitter .  The 50s East of Eden by John Steinbeck East of Eden was considered by Steinbeck to be his magnum opus. Its epic scope and memorable characters explore universal themes of love and identity, and it remains one of America's most enduring novels. Set in California's Salinas Valley, two families find their destinies fatefully intertwined. The 60s To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Lee explores the issues of race and class in the Deep Sout...

Alison has been on a mission over the summer to re-read her favourite books by the classic American author John Steinbeck .  In this episode, she’s joined by fellow Steinbeck fan, and high school teacher Daniel, and together they discuss the author’s enduring popularity, particularly amongst young readers.  Tune in to our podcast and find out how books that are so old can seem so new.  Ngā Pātaka Kōrero - Auckland Libraries · Books and Beyond: A summer of Steinbeck Books mentioned in the show East of Eden by John Steinbeck  Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck  The Pearl by John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 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 Ineka have been reading up a storm over summer and have some great suggestions for those of you who want to break out of your literary bubble and try books that are a bit different.  So, tune in for recommendations and then relax, reset and reflect and get your summer reading sorted!  Listen to this episode of Books and Beyond on the Auckland Libraries podcast . Ngā Pātaka Kōrero - Auckland Libraries · Books and Beyond: Relax, reset, reflect Books mentioned in the show Weather by Jenny Offill A Lonely Girl Is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir by Tyler Feder Apeirogon by Colum McCann 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 .

With international travel off the cards for a little while longer, we've selected some reads to take you around the world from the comfort of home. Sweden A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman Ove is the block's grumpy old man who enforces strict neighbourhood rules and whom everybody avoids. One ordinary day a new family moves in next door to Ove and turns his world on its head. Also available on  DVD . United States of America Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens For years, rumours of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. She's barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark. But Kya is not what they say. Also available on  DVD . Botswana The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith Wayward daughters. Philandering partners. If you've got a problem, and no one else can help you, then pay a vis...

It's the best of the best, the cream of the crop - we've narrowed our Top 100 down to the Top 10 best reads of 2020! We've chosen our Top 10 books that you cannot go without this summer. Our Top 10 features one book from each category of the much-anticipated Top 100, so there's something for every kind of reader! Browse the full Auckland Libraries Top 100 on our website. Fiction Such a fun age by Keily Reid : Alix is a woke white woman, a mother and a successful internet influencer. She is shocked when her young black babysitter, Emira, is accused of kidnapping while out with Alix's toddler at a high-end supermarket. Non-fiction Husna’s story by Farid Ahmed : Husna and her husband Farid Ahmed were praying at El Noor Mosque in Christchurch when a gunman burst in and shot and killed 51 people and injured many others in a terrorist attack. This book is about a life of selflessness, bravery and love. Graphics Mophead tu by Selina Tusitala Marsh : Poet laureate Selina T...

What will you be reading this summer? These tips will have you fully prepared for a summer of rest and relaxation. Just for you After the year that we've had, it's time to read, relax and reset with our Summer reading, sorted programme.  Earn badges by logging your reading, completing activities and submitting reviews that put you into the draw to win fantastic prizes from Specsavers, Auckland's hottest attractions and more! All whilst you kick back and chill out with a good book! Download the Beanstack Tracker app on your device and register to be in to win. Find out more about Summer reading, sorted on our website. Fun for the whole whānau The fun doesn't stop there! Register your whole family for our summer reading programme and take on our reading missions as a team. Read to earn badges that put you and your readers into the draw to win great prizes from Specsavers, MOTAT, Snowplanet and many more!   Download the Beanstack Tracker on your device and register to be i...

Alison and Ineka talk elegies, eulogies and the euphoria of lives well lived. We promise you at least one Eureka moment. (Hint: it’s to do with dogs who drive cars). Find out on this Literary Lounge episode of Books & Beyond . Ngā Pātaka Kōrero - Auckland Libraries · Books and Beyond: Literary lounge: Everything begins with E Books mentioned in the show  Homeland elegies by Ayad Akhtar  Death in her hands by Ottessa Moshfegh  Zen heart: what I've learned from animals and life by Mark Vette  The Pōrangi Boy by Shilo Kino Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore  The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue 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 .