Auckland Libraries blog

Love it or loathe it, it's Valentine's Day again! Whether you’re whipping up a romantic dinner or having a quiet night in with your Beamafilm subscription , we have put together our top seven reads for whatever the occasion. This year we are celebrating all types of love – from self-love to diehard romance, there’s something for everyone! Princesses behaving badly: real stories from history without the fairy-tale endings by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie You think you know her story. You've read the Brothers Grimm, you've watched the Disney cartoons, you cheered as these virtuous women lived happily ever after. But the lives of real princesses couldn't be more different. Sure, many were graceful and benevolent leaders - but just as many were ruthless in their quest for power, and all of them had skeletons rattling in their royal closets. Eat your heart out: love stories from around the world by Peta Mathias Peta Mathias has encountered many a

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 .

We chatted to a few members of the Rainbow Working Group at Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero Central City Library to find out how their mahi is making a difference for Auckland’s diverse communities.  We are lucky enough to have a uniquely positioned library in Tāmaki Makaurau, which sits at the heart of our bustling CBD. The Central City Library caters to customers from all walks of life, and the staff that work there are committed to ensuring the library is a place that supports and embraces all customers – especially the local rainbow communities.  The Rainbow Working Group at Central City Library has been collaborating closely with the community to find out what we can do to make library experiences fun, safe and engaging but, most importantly, to give a genuine sense of belonging here at Auckland Libraries.  We spoke to members Rhion and Rhi about their innovative projects and their experiences being a part of Auckland’s diverse rainbow community.   Rhi Lennox: Library Assistant a

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

A message from Mirla 4 March 2020: Read latest update about Leys Institute Little Library opening date 19 December 2020: Read Leys Institute Library closure announcement and FAQs 31 January 2020 I am pleased to provide you with an update on library services and the Leys Institute Library. Over the holiday period we worked to find an interim solution for the community and today we take over the lease of a retail space at 14 Jervois Rd, Ponsonby, just 100m from the Leys Institute Library. It will take some time to design, convert and fit it out, but we expect to open the 'Leys Little Library' mid-March. When we have a more precise date I will let you know. The footprint is smaller than previous and the Leys team are thinking creatively about how to make the very most of the space available. From library data, we can see the 'hot' parts of the collection that are most used so we can make sure that the most popular genres have lots of fresh content

Get back into the swing of school with Auckland Libraries back to school resources! We have plenty of books, online databases and events to keep kids busy and help them prepare to learn.  Book lists Browse our specially curated book lists for kids and teens. Kids Coding for kids Environmentalism 101 Native animals of New Zealand Myths and legends from NZ and the Pacific Dyslexia friendly reads for kids Reread a childhood favourite Teens Get your study sorted Diverse teen reads Kickstart your teen's reading Dyslexia friendly reads for teens Check out Overdrive's  A little homework help  book list for more eBooks and eAudiobooks to help out with study. Keep browsing  our dozens of book lists for fun reads, interesting facts and much more! Online resources Visit our Homework Help page where we have lots of online resources to help you with your homework or assignments.  Check out these databases for kids and teens: World Book Kids  

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