Auckland Libraries blog

Fa’atāuaina o le Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa | Sāmoan Language Week 2019 | 26 Mē – 1 Iuni 2019 Tālofa lava! Afio mai! Gagana Sāmoa is the second most spoken language in Auckland and third most spoken in New Zealand after te reo Māori and English. Sāmoan Language Week is an ideal opportunity to engage with aiga in your community.  Join us at Auckland Libraries as we celebrate Sāmoan Language Week 2019! With  our extensive range of Pasifika books, DVDs, picture books and events - come and experience the joy of Sāmoa at your local library ! This year's theme is Lalaga le si’osi’omaga mo se lumana’i manuia  | Weave an environment for a better future. Books about Sāmoan customs and culture Tusi e fa’amatala ai tu ma aganuu Fa’a- Sāmoa Auckland Libraries has a wide range of books on Sāmoan oratory tradition, history, genealogy, poetry and art of tatau available for borrowing and reference. You can also find books on social life, customs and culture! Ask your local

This week our librarians Karen, Louisa and Alison share what they're reading and take us with them to four continents.  Listen to this week's episode on the Planet FM website and read on for the books mentioned in the show. From Oceania  Writing the Pacific: an anthology edited by Jen Webb and Kavita Nandan My name is Gary Cooper by Victor Rodger From India Girls burn brighter by Shobha Rao The ministry of utmost happiness by Arundhati Roy Q and A by Vikas Swarup From Nigeria Every day is for the thief by Teju Cole Known and strange things by Teju Cole Lagos noir edited by Chris Abani Song for night by Chris Abani Nollywood by Pieter Hugo (photographs); texts by Chris Abani, Stacy Hardy, Zina Saro-Wiwa From Spain Her mother's hands by Karmele Jaio  The dinner guest by Gabriela Ybarra Auckland Libraries' radio show Books and Beyond explores the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, gems from the Central Ci

This week Alison and Karen (aka Hunny Bunny and Pumpkin) celebrate Pulp Fiction, the cheap, disreputable paperbacks which eventually became cult classics, and its heirs: suspense, hardboiled crime, and noir. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Books mentioned: Desert of the heart by Jane Rule Darkness at dawn: early suspense classics by Cornell Woolrich The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett The thin man by Dashiell Hammett The big sleep by Raymond Chandler Farewell my lovely  by Raymond Chandler The postman always rings twice by James M Cain The Cormoran Strike series, starting with The cuckoo’s calling , by Robert Galbraith Other notable hardboiled detectives and series mentioned: Mike Hammer in The Mike Hammer collection by Mickey Spillane John Shaft in Shaft by Ernest Tidyman  Easy Rawlins in Devil in a blue dress by Walter Mosley Lew Archer in The drowning pool by Ross Ma

This week our featured guest is Penny Ashton, comedienne, improviser, social commentator, proud Jane-ite and the force behind and in front of the comic tour-de-force 'Austen Found: The Undiscovered Musicals of Jane Austen'. She chats with librarian Hecuba Hustlebottom (erstwhile Books and Beyond presenter Karen) about the many reasons to love Jane Austen and gives us a taste of her upcoming show, a mash-up of laughs and literature, jokes and jabs. 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. Recent shows can be listened to as podcasts via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

Michele Powles, Renee Liang and Lisette du Plessis (from left) on Books and Beyond. Writer, Michele Powles, and poet, playwright and paediatrician, Renee Liang, talk with Karen about capturing the joy, beauty, discomfort and humour of the first years of motherhood as co-authors of the new book When we remember to breathe: mess, magic and mothering , joined by publisher Lisette du Plessis from Magpie Pulp. 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. Recent shows can be listened to as podcasts via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

Margie Thomson chats with Karen about her new book, Womankind , in which she tells the stories of 53 amazing Kiwi women of different ages, backgrounds and interests, but all with a passion for helping others and effecting positive change. 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. Recent shows can be listened to as podcasts via the Auckland Libraries podcast .

On our national day of remembrance, Auckland Libraries will commemorate those who served and lost their lives for our country. Although our libraries will be closed on 25 April, we have plenty of resources you can use to learn more about ANZAC Day. You can find out more about our closures here.   Events  Check-in with your local library to see what events they are hosting. There will be poppy making classes, ANZAC quizzes and wreath making. See some examples below: ANZAC biscuits at Te Matariki Clendon Library ANZAC open mic tribute at East Coast Bays Library Knit a poppy at Glenfield Library Browse our events to find out what's happening at your local library. Booklists  If you're wanting to expand your knowledge on ANZAC Day and the history of New Zealand, browse our curated booklists.  ANZAC stories for tweens ANZAC picture books Children at War Māori in the First World War In the Flanders fields: Stories of the Great War - eBooks via OverDr