Auckland Libraries blog

For lovers of literature and those who don’t know where to start (and everyone in between!), we have the perfect podcast to help build your ‘to be read’ pile. Books and Beyond  is our weekly radio show and podcast where we explore the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads and… beyond! Discussing everything from time travel and banned books to Pacific poetry and feminist fiction, each week hosts Alison and Ineka share their love of reading and give you inspiration for what to add to your library request list. With informative insights, fresh perspectives, and a feast of fun – no matter the theme of the episode, one thing’s for sure – you will learn something new every episode! Meet the hosts Alison and Ineka are our Reading Engagement specialist team and are passionate about the benefits of reading for pleasure and wellbeing and want to inspire you to join them to get cosy with a great book. A science graduate and constant reader, Alison began her career as a chemist but

If you’ve got a long list of books you want to read, but it feels like there’s never enough time to read – why don’t you give our fantastic selection of eBooks and eAudiobooks on BorrowBox a go? With a wide range of popular New Zealand, Australian and international authors, you can read on the bus, enjoy a short chapter with a morning cuppa or listen while you’re vacuuming the house! No cost, high reward Borrowbox is free if you have a library card, and the number of titles is staggering. There are 1000s of free eBooks and eAudiobooks on offer, from classics like Lord Jim and Lee Child’s blockbuster novels to modern sensations like Where the Crawdads Sing (more on that later). Not sure where to start? Take a page out of someone else’s book. You can explore what’s flying off the shelves by browsing through the bestsellers section or find the next big thing by looking at what’s trending . The lowdown You can borrow up to 15 eBooks and 15 eAudiobooks at a time, so you’ll never be sh

The world can feel pretty challenging at times, and we all have different ways that help us to cope. For some, it’s getting out in nature, calling a friend, or dancing in the living room; for others, it’s getting cosy with a favourite book. We asked our librarians what books they turn to when seeking comfort. Read on for their reading recommendations, or pop into your local library to chat with our friendly staff. John – Birkenhead Library Fables  by Bill Willingham is my favourite comfort read as it has amazing art and a compelling story about fairy-tale characters coming into the real world, it’s a fantastic detective-esque story with great characters that’s fun to read over and over again. Ineka – Reading Engagement   My pick is My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. This classic memoir is by renowned English naturalist Gerald Durrell. It recounts his tween years when his family shifted from rainy England to the idyllic island of Corfu in the four years before the sta

Hot off the press: did you know that your library card gives you access to thousands of eMagazines and eNewspapers in full colour, full-page format? Read on to discover how we can help you use PressReader to read content from more than 100 countries in 60 languages. What’s the story? PressReader has made keeping up to date with the news more accessible than ever before. And we aren’t just talking about standalone articles. You can read entire magazines and newspapers cover-to-cover on your device. In addition to articles, you can enjoy all the same content you would expect from print publications, such as classifieds, comics, puzzles and family notices. Whether you’re looking for your morning fix of The Guardian or El País , or you’re eager to relax in the evening with the latest edition of Mindfood or Rolling Stone , PressReader has something for everybody! Also featured are regional newspapers from across Aotearoa / New Zealand, from the Northern Advocate down to the

  If you’ve ever used a streaming service, you’ve probably found yourself scrolling endlessly, and it feels like you take more time choosing something than watching it. Why not stop the scroll and try Beamafilm instead? The synopsis Beamafilm is an ad-free, on-demand streaming service that aims to champion local, diverse and independent voices from Australasia and showcase high-quality, engaging international productions. One of this unique streaming service’s aims is to promote great films that might not otherwise get much attention or distribution. You will find a diverse and eclectic selection of movies and TV shows that often cannot be found on other platforms. Beamafilm uses a handy system that makes it easy to find something to watch based on subject and genre. The list is exhaustive – you will find everything from the ‘ Criterion Collection ’ and ‘ New Zealand documentaries ’ to ‘ Horror ’ and ‘ Music ’! And it’s free?! Yes! Your library card gives you unlimited streami

  Did you know that you can access Auckland Council Libraries’ extensive eCollections without leaving the comfort of your whare? Libby is a free and easy-to-use app that gives you access to our massive selection of titles with no subscriptions, fees or monthly limits. Curated lists With over 200,000 titles, don’t be intimidated by the vast range  -   we can help you find the perfect page-turner. Go to OverDrive From celebrating rainbow communities, Lunar New Year, New Zealand authors and Book Club favourites, explore lists curated by our librarians, designed to help you find something great to read, as well as our popular Top 100 list, so you know what’s hot. What’s different about Libby? Libby makes borrowing books simple  -   the titles you borrow return themselves automatically when you reach the end of your loan period. Not finished reading or listening? Renew it or borrow it again  -  it’ll save your place so you can pick up where you left off! For some, it’s hard to bea

This year’s Te Ara Poutama Level Up summer reading challenge ran from 13 December until 28 January and was open to tamariki aged 5-12 years and teens aged 13-18 years. Each reader who registered received a free customisable library bag to fill up with lots of summer reading material. Each was encouraged to read every day, whatever they liked and for as long as they liked. They also had activities to choose from, giving them lots of ideas for levelling up their reading and recreation time. Together, our Level Up readers logged over 20,000 days of reading over six weeks – ka rawe (awesome)! As they logged, they were also earning entries into our Summer Prize Pack draws. We’re so proud of all our Level Up readers for spending their summer reading up a storm, learning something new, trying something different and having lots of fun with whānau, friends and their communities! Congratulations to all Level Up readers, and to our Level Up Summer Prize Pack winners! 2021/2022 Te Ara Poutama Lev