Wednesday 30 December 2015

Books we got (and gave) for Christmas

Working at a library, you might think we see enough books to last a lifetime, and that receiving them as gifts is a bit of a busman’s holiday. Not for us! We really can’t get enough of them and we think we have the best job in the world; working in a library is like being a kid in a sweet shop so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that most of us here found at least one book in our stockings come Christmas morn, and we gave as good as we got!

The sleuth

Judith is in mystery mode this month, having used a gift voucher to pick up a copy of Wolf Winter by Ceclila Ekback – a chilly, Nordic mystery that looked interesting and a nice respite from the heat of summer. It is set in 1700s Lapland; a family of settlers arrive to eek a living out of a bleak and inhospitable climate, when the 14 year old daughter stumbles upon a body. The death is put down to mauling by wolves, but young Frederikia and her mother aren’t so sure and set out to find out the truth. Judith liked the eerie and atmospheric look of the story, plus the writing is good, vividly drawing you in. She also bought an eBook online, the first in The Detective’s Daughter series by Lesley Thompson. We have one of the later books at the Libraries' and it looked so good, Judith wanted to read this one first. It’s pretty good too – quirky peculiar amateur detective who decides to solve the case that obsessed her late father.

Catalogue Link: The Detective's Secret

The gastronome

This wasn’t strictly a gift but I’ve included it anyway as it was given at Christmas – even if Carla had to arrange it herself! A lover of modern gastronomy, both cooking and eating out, a subscription to Cuisine magazine was the perfect self-indulgent present for our Carla who loves both fine dining and good kai at home. Cuisine features try-at-home recipes and restaurant reviews and is available to borrow free of charge from the Hastings District Libraries.

Catalogue Link: Cuisine


The humanitarian

Kristen is the Childrens Librarian at Hastings War Memorial Library and always has a smile on her face and a kind word for anyone. She was given the Humans of New York storybook for Christmas which is filled with inspirational people with often heart-breaking (but uplifting) stories to tell. In 2010 photographer Brandon Stanton set out to create a photographic census of New York City. Armed with his camera, he began crisscrossing the city, covering thousands of miles on foot, all in an attempt to capture New Yorkers and their stories. The result of these efforts was a vibrant blog he called Humans of New York. If you haven’t come across this phenomenon yet, take a look at the Facebook page. Humans of New York is available to download free of charge as an eBook from Hastings District Libraries.

Catalogue Link: Humans of New York


The neophyte

I call myself a lifelong learner. I’m always into something new and I’m forever studying some topic or other. I’m also a very keen traveller but I am, however, a terrible photographer. I even bought myself a bridge camera last year in the belief that it was my tiny point-and-shoot that was letting me down. It turned out not to be my equipment but rather my lack of talent that was holding me back (“a bad workman blames his tools” and all that). So I was pretty chuffed to receive not only a copy of Cities: Explore 100 Fascinating and Iconic Cities by Falko Brenner, but the very practical Complete Photography Manual by Weldon Owen, which promises to turn me into the next David Bailey, or at least Instagram-superstar Taylor Swift. Hastings District Libraries holds large collections of both travel guides and photography how-to manuals available to borrow.

Catalogue Link: Travel guides
Catalogue Link: Photography Manuals



The baker

Viv, our Assistant Customer Services Team Leader, is an enthusiastic cook and loves whipping up puddings, pies and cakes for her delighted family and colleagues. She did actually receive a few cook books as presents but she gave a few as well! She chose Simon & Alison Holst’s Everyday Easy cookbooks as gifts for all FOUR of her sons as a sort of tongue-in-cheek present, but it turns out they love them! Everyday Easy is designed to help you prepare healthy, delicious food everyday with easy to follow recipes, ideas and inspiration, and all with affordable, readily available ingredients. We have an enormous collection of Simon and Alison Holst’s brilliant cook books at Hastings District Libraries.

Catalogue Link: Simon Holst books


The fanatic

If you’ve been keeping an eye on our microvlog series, you might have spotted Kim, the Local History Librarian at Havelock North Library, giving his opinion on Jerome Kaino’s autobiography. Kim’s reading habits reveal he’s a total fanatic who can’t get enough of the game, as he received not one but three books about rugby. First up is Sir Graham Henry celebrates The World Cups 1987 to 2015, by Sir Graham himself. Kim has always wanted to read this as he was fascinated by the World Cup. A slightly left-field entry, but rugby-themed nonetheless, was Rugby Pantry: Healthy Measures and Guilty Pleasures by Daisy Dagg, the wife of All Black Israel Dagg. It’s an awesome cookbook of great rugby food. Kim’s final (for now!) rugby read was Dan Carter’s My Story. Another book on Kim’s wish list, Dan was an awesome All Black and the book is a great read which showed us what makes him tick and the mischief he got up to as a child and an All Black. All three books are available to borrow from Hastings District Libraries.

Catalogue Link: Sir Graham Henry celebrates The World Cups! 1987 to 2015
Catalogue Link: Rugby Pantry: Healthy Measures and Guilty Pleasures
Catalogue Link: Dan Carter: My Story


The eclectic

Katrina, one of our Library Assistants at Havelock North Library, also chose to give Dan Carter’s My Story to the man in her life (for the gossips among you… this is not Kim!). He loves rugby but will only read one or two books a year so this was an inspired gift. Katrina’s 12 year old requested the YA classic, The Maze Runner by James Dashner after a friend recommended it, which sent Katrina on a treasure hunt of her own, only tracking down a copy after visiting her third book shop. After all this excitement, Katrina treated herself to a couple of self-indulgent reads. First off, the best-selling Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith. This is a great series and so far, in Katrina’s opinion, this one is the best yet. Lastly, she picked up a copy of Homemade Happiness by Chelsea Winter, a cookbook which has the most amazing looking custard square recipe which she is attempting this weekend! Again, all three books are available to borrow from Hastings District Libraries.

Catalogue Link: The Maze Runner
Catalogue Link: Career of Evil
Catalogue Link: Homemade Happiness

Tuesday 29 December 2015

What were your favourite reads for 2015?

As I look back on my library check out list for 2015 these four books jumped out at me - how about you.....?

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
Helen writes beautifully – from her overwhelming grief at the sudden death of her beloved father, to her difficult task of training a scary and highly strung goshawk through trial and error (and almost becoming feral herself), and her interest in the history of falconry training.
Like all great books it took me to another place, held my attention and I did not want it to end! Best book of my reading year.

The Green Road by Anne Enright
Anne Enwright writes with wit and honesty about the Madigan family, who are called home to Western Ireland for Christmas by their cold and difficult mother Rosaleen when she unexpectedly decides to sell the family home.
Set over three decades and three continents the believable and imperfect characters will make you wince, laugh, and think about your own family relationships and dynamics….

Swimming in the Dark by Paddy Richardson
Serena is a bright 15 year old living in Alexandra under the shadow of her rat-bag family’s reputation. When something horrific happens to her she is convinced no one will believe her story and goes into hiding. Her rescuers, trusted teacher Ilse and Ilse’s mother Gerda, have their own brutal family secrets from life in their native East Germany.
This novel is part gripping psychological thriller and part literary drama, detailing the recent history of the former East Germany before the fall of Communism. Themes of family, helplessness, power and courage come together in a powerful and suspenseful novel.

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
Deeply moving and beautifully written, A God in Ruins is an insightful view of what war means and the moral dilemmas of who is right and wrong. Written as a companion novel to the highly successful Life after Life, A God in Ruins could easily be read as a stand alone novel; or indeed the two books read in any order. Just do read it – the writing is exquisite. 


Posted by Katrina

Sunday 27 December 2015

Great reads for Intermediate school-age kids Part II

In Part II of our YA Reads blog, we bring more reviews written by participants of our iRead programme: a summer reading programme for children aged 11 and 12 at the end of this school year.


My Story: Fall of the Blade by Sue Reid
It’s 1792. Living comfortably in a chateau just outside France is a girl called Isabelle. But times are dangerous; it’s the French Revolution. Isabelle saves a boy called Armand and cares for him until he is well enough to leave. Soon after, Isabelle finds herself in a cell with Armand’s cousin and they become friends. When Isabelle escapes by wearing a guards uniform and seeks refuge with some friends. While running away from that (when a house search is carried out) she meets up with Armand. Together they escape to England and I don’t know what happens next but I think they get married.





Time travelling fashionista and Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile by Bianca Turetsky
Louise is an ordinary girl in the 20th century, she is regularly pick on by the school bully, has the best friend in the work and she has a passion for vintage fashion. When she tries on a Grecian dress in a mysterious store, she’s transported to the film set of the famous movie Cleopatra and she is the temporary assistant to one of her famous dress designers. But after trying on a pearl necklace and being transported way back to 51BC, will she survive being handmaid to Queen Cleopatra? Experience snake attacks, poisoning, treason, conspiracy and being BFF to one of history’s most glamorous figures. She discovers that all wasn’t as it seemed – Cleopatra’s siblings were amazing and murderous and Cleopatra was an ordinary teenager with a lot on her plate.



My Story: Pompeii by Sue Reid
Claudia is the daughter of a baker, sister of two brothers and a friend to a Briton slave. Rumblings and minor quakes are frequent and Claudia fears that something bad is coming. After briefly meeting him at a slave market, she befriends a young British slave. After meeting a stuck up girl’s cousin, Claudia meets an unlikely friend. Then the slave boy, Aengus, is sold and forced to be a Gladiator. He survives, then escapes and Claudia is reluctant to part. Then Mount Vesuvius erupts and (partially guided by a wise beggar called Ancient) they flee to a nearby city, Herculaneum. I don’t know what happens next but it finishes with “No matter how dark the night, the sun always rises.”




Another review, which was too good not to include, features a book we don't currently hold in the Libraries:

Prickly Problems in Caktusplantz by Bobbi  J G Weiss
This story is a Looney Tunes comic – the two main characters are Daffy Duck as ‘Western type hero’ and Porky Pig as ‘comedy relief’. After weeks of full on action, Daffy and Porky stop in at the saloon. Daffy orders ten vanilla milkshakes with a round of decaf cactus cola chasers. Daffy is unable to pay so he makes ‘deputy’ Porky go on the dishes to pay for it. Bored waiting, Daffy looks for a job rounding up villains. He aims for the roughest, toughest one, Nasty Canasta. After failing in several attempts, Porky steps in and saves the day. Their roles are switched and the story ends with Daffy washing the dishes.

Saturday 26 December 2015

The Battle of Messines Road by JK & WJ Moloney

In this book, New Zealander William Moloney presents his grandfather Jack’s First World War diary in a fresh and intriguing way by setting it within a fictional story.

The story is set in 1968 in Karori, Wellington, and revolves around a paperboy, Zac, who, as a punishment for using his garden as a shortcut, has to read to blind Mr Moloney each day after his paper run. A bond develops between the boy and the elderly man to the point where the visits become the highlight of each day for both of them.

The author weaves in a subplot related to the Vietnam War and how that war is impacting on Zac, and the ANZAC Day protest that took place that year in Wellington forms the climax of the story.

To keep the focus of the story centred around the personal impact of war, William Moloney chose to ignore another event that occurred in April 1968 that impacted Wellington (and the whole country) to a far greater extent than any antiwar protest, and that was of course the Wahine Disaster. I had been reading with great anticipation of it being incorporated into the story, especially as my husband has vivid memories of the day, being himself a youngster and a paperboy in Wellington at the time. When I realised it wasn’t going to get a mention I emailed the author via the publisher. He explained that he had tried to make it work but just couldn’t without detracting from the plot. Once I got over that omission I enjoyed the rest of the story.

I liked how the author developed his characters and the plot, especially the twist near the end. I also enjoyed the setting because the streets in the story were on the bus route I used to take when boarding in Karori in the early 1970s. It was an inventive way to present a war diary and for me it worked. The book would have benefitted from more thorough proof reading, but overall it is a good read and I recommend it.

Posted by JM

Friday 25 December 2015

A tale of woe: books wounded in action

In the season of goodwill, spare a thought for those books which fail to make it through life without the occasional mishap; from the all-too-common drink spill to the lesser-spotted animal attack, we’ve compiled a tongue-in-cheek list of some of the rich pickings to be had amongst the great returns bin in the sky…

It’s worth pointing out that some of these mishaps happened to members of staff, so don’t feel too bad!

Water damage and spilt drinks

By far the most common scenario we come across when books are returned with damage is through exposure to water, often in the form of drinks bottles inside bags. The condensation on the outside of the bottle can seep into the book causing the pages to wrinkle, crease and become brittle when they dry out. Sticky soft drinks can also cause pages to stick together which rip when opened. One way to avoid this is to keep your books in a separate carrier bag when you need to transport them.




Left outside

Almost as common, and as unlikely as it sounds, we see quite a few books that have been left outside and been exposed to all the NZ weather gods can throw at them. This has the same effect as spilling drinks as pages get wet and then become fragile when they dry out. If the book is not allowed to dry, it may become moldy which presents a health risk to the reader. The other problem with leaving them outside is that rain water is not very clean so the books are exposed to salt and pollutants trapped in raindrops. We’ve also had the occasional book returned with slug trails on it!


Washed!

Accidents happen, and once in a while we see a book that’s definitely been through the ringer! Books can get bundled up into laundry if they’re near the bed, or put down absently-mindedly near the washing machine. Sadly, these books are well beyond repair – and identification as well! A tumble in the machine isn’t the only way to clean up a book… we hear of plenty of books that have taken a dunk in the tub at bath time along with their readers.





Repairs

We love that our customers love our books as much as we do, but if a books is damaged while out on loan please don’t be tempted to repair it yourself. Sticky tape can cause lasting damage when the acid in the glue seeps into the pages of the book. At the libraries we use special, acid-free tape to repair small tears and we have staff that are specially trained in the repair and restoration of books.






Too much love

Books can often be more than just a way to pass the time; some become treasured objects that invoke powerful feelings and memories in the reader. Some are handed down through the family and some are constant companions, read and re-read over and again. It’s these books which suffer from too much love as they become worn and weary, and tattered and torn.







My dog/little brother ate it!

More often heard in classrooms around the country, we’ve seen the odd dog-eared book come across our desk. Sadly most of these books are irreparable and we have no choice to but to dispose of them and replace them.

Thursday 24 December 2015

Kristen's top junior fiction picks - December

Looking for a new series from the junior fiction series? Look no further than Kristen’s December picks!

Mapmaker chronicles by E.L Tait (suitable for ages 10+)

 The King of Verdania has heard rumour that a neighbouring kingdom is in possession of a map that suggests that the world is not flat. Such knowledge brings power and Verdania will not be left behind. He declares that the explorer that brings him the most comprehensive map within a year will win whatever their heart desires. 3 men step forward. 10 young men from throughout Verdania will be trained, and paid dearly, to become mapmakers but only 3 will be picked to join the explorers on their expeditions.

Although Quinn, 14, is the youngest of five farmers sons his mother has taught him how to read and write, a skill that normally only those of noble upbringing experience. He is more than happy to stay in with small world he knows but predictably he is picked as one of the 10 young men who are to be trained. Follow Quinn as he sets sail. The things he sees make him question everything he has ever known.

I could not put this series down- I read the first two over a weekend and then blabbed to anyone that would listen about how great it was! A great introduction to fantasy but at the heart of it is a story about a boy growing up.


Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling

Harry Potter lives in a cupboard under the stairs and has spent his life at the beck and call of his Uncle and Aunty (who are perfectly normal, thank you very much!) and rotten cousin Dudley until a mysterious letter arrives. His Uncle and Aunty try to do whatever they can to stop Harry receiving the letter and before long hundreds if not thousands are arriving daily, all by owl!

Who would have guessed that Harry Potter was the most famous Wizard that the world (well wizarding world) had ever known? Harry Potter is the Boy Who Lived!

Follow Harry as he attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He must learn all he can about the wizarding world, along with making friends, navigating school and saving humanity from He Who Shall Not Be Named.
These have been my favourite books since I was 7 years old (best Christmas present ever, Mum!) and I want everyone else to love them as much as I do.


Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (suitable for ages 9+)

Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are bundled off the live with their distant uncle, Count Olaf, after the mysterious death of their parents in a fire. Upon arrival, they are dismayed to discover that Olaf has no interest in them whatsoever and seems to go out of his way to make their stay as unpleasant as possible. The only thing that Olaf does seem interested in is their rather large inheritance.

Violet is a hugely talented inventor, Klaus is an avid reader and remembers everything and Sunny is great at biting things. With no one to help them, they must help themselves.

Throughout the series, the Baudelaires meet more distant relatives than they thought possible and find out more about their parents mysterious death all the while avoiding Olaf at every turn.

This is a great read aloud series, written in a unique style. Snicket makes the reader very aware that they are reading a story and he will often break the forth wall to give the reader more information.


The “Just” series by Andy Griffiths
If you have a reluctant reader, or someone that enjoys captain underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid or just plain gross stuff, this is the series for you!

Andy has a wide collection of books made up of short stories based on events from his childhood. If you can think of an awkward situation, Andy has experienced it AND written about it!

My favourite story revolves around Andy’s massive desire for a bath with is hampered by the fact that their house only has a shower. Throw in industrial grade super glue, a flushing toilet, boiling hot, then freezing cold water a broken shower head and your Dad’s boss coming over for an important dinner and you have comedy gold.

Andy has been a favourite of mine since my little brother received a copy almost 15 years ago!








Wednesday 23 December 2015

Great reads for Intermediate school-age kids Part I

In Part I of our YA Reads blog, we've gathered some reviews written by participants of our iRead programme: a summer reading programme for children aged 11 and 12 at the end of this school year.

Asterix and the Laurel Wreath by René Goscinny
Asterix and his friend, Obelix, accompany their chief to see his wife’s brother. Chief Vitalstatistix drinks “a drop too much” and in his drunken state, says that he is in a much better position than his brother-in-law and tells (to prove it) Homeopathix to come to his Gaulish village to taste a stew seasoned with Caeser’s laurel wreath. This leads Asterix and Obelix on an adventure in the city of Rome. They encounter slave-traders, palace cooks, the fiercest cut-throat gang in Rome, the Circus Maximus and its lions and, of course, Caesar! But, as always, it ends in a happy banquet under the twinkling stars of Gaul.




Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
A dragon called Firedrake, the rest of the pack and a brownie called Sorrel live in a (previously) unknown valley in Scotland. But when humans find and plan to destroy their home, Firedrake and Sorrel must find a new home. It’s a perilous journey but with the help of new friends, a homeless boy called Ben, a professor and his family, a rat called Lola, a dubidai brownie, a dracologist and many more, they grow closer and eventually find their new home. But on their trail is a dragon-like terror called Nettlebrand – an indestructible monster who will stop at nothing until all the dragons are GONE!! Firedrake discovers a way to melt Nettlebrand’s armour and, together with the help of new friends, they defeat him once and for all.
P.s. They also encounter a friendly sea serpent.


My Story: Roman Invasion by Jim Eldridge
Bran, a prince of the Carvetii tribe, longs to be a great warrior. But when an attack on the Romans fails, he is taken hostage. As he travels with the Romans, he witnesses their strength and power. The Romans believe that since he is their captive they will be safe, but attacks keep coming – and Bran is being hunted by a grief-stricken soldier. Eventually, the soldier dies, and Bran is freed. But he seeks to destroy the Romans – forever (he doesn’t – all the epilogue tells you is that he becomes king of his tribe and has three children).






My Royal Story: Catherine of Aragon by Alison Prince
Eva is a best friend and maid to Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon. She watches as Catherine is set to marry Arthur (son of Henry VII) but falls in love with his younger brother Price Harry. When Arthur dies, Catherine strives to marry Prince Harry – and succeeds. Then Eva meets the Court Jester whom she marries. She frets over Queen Catherine as Catherine leads the English troops to war and gives birth to a girl who (later – not in this book) becomes the infamous Bloody Mary. Eva also has a baby girl called Roseanna. Rose “for her pinkness and health and Anna because it is my mother’s name.”

Tuesday 22 December 2015

Some favourite biographies from our shelves....

Life by Keith Richards
'Keef' writes a fine memoir.  From his childhood friendship with Mick Jagger,his passion for music and to his battles with addiction: it's all here.
Well written (sorry Keith, but I was pleasantly surprised about that), the man speaks his mind and has an amazing story.

Catalogue link: Life
Catalogue link: Life: ebook



                       My Life in France by Julia Child

Julia's trailblazing journey of leaning to cook like a French chef, then spending 10 years getting her immense cook book published.  A great read by an intelligent, articulate, and funny woman.

Catalogue link: My Life in France
Catalogue link: My Life in France: ebook




The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
Will and his mother Mary Anne read and discuss old and new books while she is undergoing cancer treatment; as well as reflecting on life and Mary Anne's fascinating past as a humanitarian aid worker.  Poignant, funny and sad with lots of interesting books discussed to add to your reading list!

Catalogue link: The End of Your Life Book Club


A Life on Gorge River by Robert Long
A modern day pioneering story.  When a young Robert Long had a desire to 'go bush' he moved to an abandoned forest service hut in a remote part of south Westland.  His story of survival in the isolated, primitive and rugged surroundings; eventually with a wife and two children, is fascinating.

Catalogue link: A Life on Gorge River
Catalogue link: A Life on Gorge River: ebook



*Also read 'A Wife on Gorge River' by Katherine Stewart - because Robert was not the one dealing with the practicalities of washing nappies down by the river!

Catalogue link: A Wife on Gorge River

Monday 21 December 2015

The Drowning Lesson by Jane Shemilt

Jane Shemilt takes every woman’s nightmare – the theft of a baby – as the turning point in her beguilingly named novel, The Drowning Lesson. Emma Jordan is an awkward heroine. A fearlessly talented doctor and obstetrician, her early life experiences have taught her to be the best she can be, often at the expense of her emotional needs.

The mother of two young daughters, Emma is reluctant to take a year off work when her husband is offered a sabbatical in Botswana, helping with AIDs research. When she falls unexpectedly pregnant she eventually agrees. This backstory is woven in with the chilling events that start the story, when Emma returns home from work at a clinic to discover her baby boy has been abducted. The police are slow to come up with any leads, but Emma’s desperate need to find her son means she throws doubt and suspicion in every direction.

This is a gripping story with a surprising ending, and while I didn’t at first like the main character, she is given depth and allowed to develop into one I could understand. She goes from being a cold fish to a woman driven by desperation. Her frantic energy drives the plot and her relationships with others, particularly her brittle daughter, Alice, and her beleaguered husband, threatening her marriage.

Shemilt is a fine writer, her prose spare and telling, with a talent for plotting so that for me the chapters just flew by. The Drowning Lesson is well worth a look, but I warn you, once you pick it up you might find hard to tear yourself away from it.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: The Drowning Lesson

Saturday 19 December 2015

Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay




A man walks down a New York street, looking into the windows of shop and cafes, and taking in his surroundings. He happens to glance upwards and catches sight of something out of place in one of the upper windows – it looks like a mannequin with a plastic bag over its head. But wait – the mannequin is very lifelike and it even looks like it might be screaming.

Thomas is sure he’s witnessed a murder, but the chances of anyone believing him are slim. Thomas is a map-obsessed schizophrenic who believes he’s working for the CIA, and he’s not even on the street in question – he’s viewing the image on his screen on Google Earth-type software, Whirl360, which could have been taken any number of years ago. Thomas’ brother, Ray, who has returned to the family home following the tragic death of their father is drawn into the mystery which unfolds with many a surprising development.

Trust Your Eyes features so many twists it doesn’t let up for a second. It is a little slow to get going, particularly as I didn’t like any of the main characters in the first three or four chapters, but once Ray starts to believe Thomas the story starts to draw you in. There are quite a few plot reveals towards the end – at least two of which I did not see coming. It’s an enjoyable easy read which builds plenty of anticipation and keeps you hooked, and guessing, until the very end.

Posted by RJB

Catalogue link: Trust Your Eyes

Friday 18 December 2015

Make Me by Lee Child

Lee Child is back in top form with Make Me, the latest Jack Reacher novel where the eponymous hero gets off the train at Mother’s Rest, a small town with big secrets.

Jack doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into when he gets caught up in a missing person case with a beautiful ex-FBI agent; the answer was always going to be nothing good because Jack attracts trouble, and he gets plenty of it following vague leads and dead ends that make no sense until suddenly, they do.

Lee Child throws everything bar the kitchen sink into this novel and what a great read it is - I couldn’t put it down! It was an adrenaline filled rollercoaster ride right to the end.

Highly recommended.

Posted JMcC

Catalogue link: Make Me

Thursday 17 December 2015

One-Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata

I was lucky to pick up the first two volumes of One-Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata, a new manga the libraries now hold. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this before: it’s funny as hell and illustrated really well.


The protagonist, Saitama, is exceptionally strong; so strong he defeats every opponent who approaches him with a single punch (very graphically and a bit gruesomely) so he’s constantly trying to find bigger and better opponents to fight. Trouble is, he doesn’t look like a hero (and is a little sensitive about it) and forgot to sign up as one in the Heroes Association so no one knows he exists or even believes he’s a hero (he’s often mistaken for a villain).

It really is one of those books that must be seen to be believed because the humour is very visual (and a little immature, hehe) but I recommend it if seinen/shonen manga is your thing.

Catalogue links:
One-Punch Man vol. 1
One-Punch Man vol. 2

Wednesday 16 December 2015

Waitapu by Helen Margaret Waaka

Central Hawke’s Bay author Helen Waaka’s first collection of short stories entitled Waitapu (the fictional rural town where they are set) contains 18 vignettes of life.

New Zealanders will recognise themselves, their friends, their relatives and their lives in it and, as often happens with short stories written elsewhere, non-New Zealanders will learn a little more about us, and likely as not recognise themselves and their lives too for the themes are the same the world over.

The compilation covers the universal themes of life and loss, hardship and kindness, ways of coping and not. Two of my personal favourites are “The Pool” about a teenaged boy and his grandfather, and “Snapshot of a Woman” telling of a Resthome resident, her wandering and finding.

As Anna Taylor’s comment on the cover reads: “This book is about the small, and significant, ways we have an impact on each other’s lives, and it is also about survival, and the triumph of kindness.”

Adrienne Jansen of Escalator Press said at the Book’s launch: “Helen is to be commended for writing short stories which read effortlessly. It is a difficult thing to do.” I agree with her on both accounts. This book is one to read, and recommend to others.

Tuesday 15 December 2015

400 Days DVD review

I recently watched a DVD called 400 Days. Before watching, I read some reviews and they were pretty split so I thought, “Okay, I’ll give it a chance, can’t be that bad.”

The premise is that four astronaut wannabees have been sealed in an environment that simulates a space going journey to Mars, and the purpose is to study the psychological effects of such a journey on the crew. They are essentially buried underground in a capsule and from the very beginning, troubles are a brewing in the crew with all the drama they bring on board and never really leave behind. Tension is compounded by unexpected events that drive them to question everything about the mission. If they leave early for any reason, they will never be accepted for a real flight to Mars so none of them are prepared to actually leave despite some fairly terrifying indications that not all is well in the world above them… and that’s where the film takes several turns from “what the heck?” to “I don’t even know anymore” territory at the end.

It’s not the best movie ever made but it had some interesting stuff going on and will leave the viewer thinking about what actually happened, kind of like Inception.

Catalogue link: 400 Days DVD

Official 400 Days movie trailer:


Monday 14 December 2015

What our book clubs are reading....


Here are a few recent favourites from Havelock Library book clubs:

The Last Four Days of Paddy Buckley by Jeremy Massey
A dark and unexpected novel about a Dublin undertaker who finds himself on the wrong side of the Irish mob. Paddy Buckley is a grieving widower who has worked for years for Gallagher's, a long-established--some say the best--funeral home in Dublin. One night driving home after an unexpected encounter with a client, Paddy hits a pedestrian crossing the street. He pulls over and gets out of his car, intending to do the right thing. As he bends over to help the man, he recognizes him.  (Wendy)


The Chocolate Promise by Josephine Moon


Christmas Livingstone has ten rules for happiness, the most important of which is 'absolutely no romantic relationships'...In The Chocolate Apothecary, her enchanting artisan store in Tasmania, she tempers chocolate and creates handmade delicacies. And then one day a stranger arrives at her front door - a dishevelled botanist seeking her help. “Mouth watering” (Mary)

Catalogue link: The Chocolate Promise




Departures - directed by Yojiro Takita (subtitled DVD)

Soon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) learns that his orchestra is disbanding. Daigo and his wife move back to his hometown in northern Japan, where he answers an ad for what he thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary. As he learns and carries out the rituals used in preparing the dead for their final rest, Daigo finds his true calling in life. (Mike)

 Catalogue link: Departures


Maggie Smith: The Biography by Michael Coveny


No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith, one of Britain's best-loved actors. This new biography shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, one whose career spans six decades. (Marion)

Catalogue link: Maggie Smith




Sunday 13 December 2015

The Steady Running of the Hour by Justin Go

My subject of choice when it comes to fiction is a good old mystery. I devour these books and often finish them in one or two sittings. I particularly love stories featuring some kind of treasure hunt as I’m a sucker for the Big Reveal. It’s for these reasons that I picked up a copy of The Steady Running of the Hour by Justin Go.

I’m also partial to a little World War I literature. As anyone with an interest in this genre will have already spotted, the title of this book is a direct reference to Wilfred Owen’s Strange Meeting – an unsettling poem in which Owen talks with a soldier he has killed.

Justin Go is also clearly influenced by these writers as The Steady Running of the Hour draws deeply from giants of the genre such as Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong in particular, but there are also echoes of Pat Barker’s Regeneration and Vera Brittain’s Testament of Youth.

The Steady Running of the Hour’s American protagonist, Tristan Campbell, learns he may be the sole heir of a Will written in Britain in the 1920s. It turns out Tristan’s family history may not be what he thought as he travels to Europe to unravel the mystery before his time runs out and the estate is donated to charity. During his journey of exploration, we learn about a forbidden affair, the lovers’ secret and the horrors of the trenches.

En route, Tristan makes two significant acquaintances who reappear throughout the book. The first, Pritchard, is the lawyer dealing with the case and the other, Mereille, a mysterious French girl he meets in a Parisian bar. Both are mildly irritating characters that pull Tristan in opposite directions. Pritchard is sure Tristan is following the wrong leads and Mereille thinks the whole thing is a waste of time. Their continual attempts to put him off track don’t ring true and left me feeling bewildered. I suppose Pritchard represents Tristan’s head (as opposed to his heart) and his relationship with Mereille heavily mirrors that of the doomed war-time lovers Tristan is trying to track down.

The Steady Running of the Hour is beautifully written in places and left me so choked up after chapters in the trenches that I had to simply sit and absorb the words before I could move on. The modern-day element is fast-paced and intriguing, and provides some relief from the gruesome war-time narrative. The latter part of the novel is full of surprising twists and turns, although I was left feeling somewhat dissatisfied at the end. As I said before, I like a good plot reveal but this book left me wanting.

I picked this book up because of the ‘treasure hunt’ theme and I was happy to see it handling the topic through the lens of devastating conflict and loss, a concept which reverberates throughout the book.

Posted by RJB

Catalogue link: The Steady Running of the Hour

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Six of the best free image editing sites that don’t require any design skills

One of the things I love best about my job is that I get to play with beautiful pictures for our social media updates. The old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words” remains as true today as it always has been – if not more so, with the continual surge in the use of visually rich, image-based social networking.

For anyone working in the digital arena, finding appropriate and eye-catching images to sit alongside your text can be a long and expensive process if you’re using stock imagery sites like iStock or photos.com. And once you’ve found your perfect snap, editing it to fit your needs exactly can be a bit of a nightmare if you’re short on design experience or a bottomless wallet! Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are brilliant if you have a degree in Graphic Design but for us mere mortals, we need something quicker, easier and cheaper!

Cue my very short list of image resources that I use on a daily basis to beautify our Facebook and Twitter feed…


Pic Monkey

Pic Monkey
Pic Monkey is my go-to editor for user-friendly, intuitive edits that require absolutely no design experience. Although it’s free to use, you have the option of upgrading to a paid account which unlocks more features. I find the free options are more than enough for everyday usage.

The navigation menu on the left uses icons and images which do exactly what they say on the tin. Cropping, rotating, brightening and resizing are easily dealt with in just the click of a button and you can compare the original image with the changes by holding a button on the top menu. There are loads of great filters to make your pics Instagram-worthy and you can also add fun stamps and themes to make them even more festive/hilarious.

Canva

Canva
Canva is great for adding text and stamps to images. As opposed to an image editor, it’s more of a graphic design platform which is great for websites, blogs, invitations, posters and any other occasion when you might need a smart graphic or image. Don’t be put off by the term ‘graphic design’ as it really is as easy to use as Pic Monkey – just drag and drop!

Canva has pre-formatted templates for different uses so you can simply choose the one that suits your needs best and get cracking. Just click on the template and then edit as required.Filters can be added to make the image more interesting and the Elements tab provides illustrations you can drag and drop right onto your picture. The Text tab again offers loads of pre-formatted word stamps that you can plonk onto the image and edit away to your heart’s content. You can also upload your own image if you can find one that doesn’t work for you.

Note: you have to create a free account to use the site – as with Pic Monkey, there is an option to upgrade to a paid account and some of the features are only available once you start handing over cash!

Pixlr

Pixlr
The Pixlr editor is a stripped down, browser-based version of Adobe Photoshop so is great for those who have some experience of this platform. You can work with layers, masks and a lot of the basic tools, filters and adjustments available in PhotoShop. For quick and comprehensive free image editor I think it’s one of the best (it certainly beats Gimp which I find a bit awkward, especially when working with layers).





Now I’m going to cheat slightly as these aren’t image editing sites but they are a fantastic free image resource. I’ve often found it really hard to source the perfect free-of-charge and free-of-copyright image just by googling ‘free image site’. These sites take some of the pain out of my never-ending quest and Hootsuite posted a great blogpost suggesting even more free image sites.

Unsplash

Unsplash
Unsplash offers really beautiful Instagram-style, high resolution imagery. I sometimes put a filter on top if I want to create a particular theme but often the images are so beautiful I don’t bother. There is a search function but I suspect most of the images are not robustly keyworded so it often returns only a few results. I can waste hours lost in thought scrolling through the gallery as there are literally hundreds of pics to choose from.

Pixabay 

Pixabay
This is a great, free shutterstock-style platform with a good search function. The images are generally pretty nice with only a few really bad staged ones! A note of caution: be careful which images you click on as it sneaks in adverts from the fee-charging Shutterstock site!




Negative Space

Negative Space
This site has a large selection of photos and a decent search function. Some of the images are beautiful but some are really cringey, and not very well keyworded so the search can sometimes return bizarre results (eg: a search for ‘tree’ yielded not one, but two images of people playing bagpipes – worth it for the comedy value!).









So, know you know my secrets - go forth and create! Happy editing :) 




Gold Digger by Frances Fyfield

The first book by this author I have read but I promise you it won’t be the last, and with 20 previous publications listed in the front I won’t have any trouble locating one.

Ian Rankin says; “Her knowledge of the working of the human mind – or more correctly the soul – is second to none.” And Minette Walters “Fyfield at her best is compelling, disturbing, but always elegant.”

This book was the winner of the CWA Duncan Lawrie Gold Dagger and she has previously won both Gold and Silver Crime Writer’s Association Daggers. Frances Fyfield has spent much of her professional life practising as a criminal lawyer and this work has informed her highly acclaimed novels.

All that aside, the novel is warm, funny, sad and serious all mixed in together. It deals with love and family (not necessarily together) and loyalty, and is beautifully written. The world of art, both of accumulation for the collection’s sake and for investment, comes into it and then upon the death of the collector: greed and jealousy, lies and deceit. A jolly good read.

Catalogue link: Gold Digger

Tuesday 8 December 2015

Cross Fingers by Paddy Richardson

Rebecca Thorne is a television journalist who is researching a documentary about a crooked property developer in Rarotonga. Her boss takes her off the story to begin another documentary for the 30th anniversary of the 1981 Springbok Rugby Tour protests. At the same time Rebecca begins to receive anonymous phone calls and photographs of herself; is it her ex-boyfriend or something to do with her research?

Rebecca becomes interested in the identities of the two protesters who dressed up as lambs, taunted the police and entertained the crowds. Is an under-investigated murder of a gay man around the same time related to the tour and the protesters?

Paddy Richardson mixes the significant history of a time when New Zealand became deeply divided into pro and anti-tour factions and hard line policing came into practice; with the story of a capable young woman determined to find out the truth about what happened 30 years ago, and who is stalking her.

New Zealand currently has a talented group of crime writers and Paddy Richardson is a favourite of mine. I was at secondary school in 1981 and well remember the heated conversations in families and between friends about whether New Zealand should play rugby against a country with an apartheid regime, the uncompromising Muldoon government of the time, police and protester clashes, and the law forbidding homosexuality. Richardson combines great story telling and history with pace and suspense.

Posted by Katrina

Catalogue link: Cross fingers



Monday 7 December 2015

The Reader on the 6.27

The Reader on the 6.27 is one of those runaway best-sellers which owe their success to their unique charm, in this case French charm – think Amélie crossed with Mr Penunbra’s 24-hour Bookstore.

Guylain Vignolles, teased as a schoolboy because of his unfortunate name (Vilain Guignol translates as ‘ugly puppet’), works at a paper pulping plant, manning the monstrous, book devouring machine: the Zerstor. Guylain loves books however and takes comfort in rescuing pages from the Zerstor’s clutches to read out loud on his commuter train.

Julie has an equally unlovely job, keeping the toilets pristine at a busy shopping mall. She dreams that someday a white knight will rescue her and spends her days writing a journal, which she stores on a USB stick. It seems unlikely that the paths of Guylain and Julie will ever cross, until one day Julie accidentally leaves the USB on her train.

Along the way, we are treated to a little more of Guylain’s quiet life, which is slowly expanded when two old ladies take delight in Guylain’s readings and invite him to read at their retirement home. We also get to meet Guylain’s unlikely friends: the pulp factory security guard, Yvon, who speaks in Alexandrine verse, and Giuseppe, who used to run the Zerstor, until a terrible accident robbed him of his legs.

In some ways this is a novel about redemption, and in particular the importance of literature, of all kinds, and the way it can bring people together. This might sound as wet as the paper pulp produced by the Zerstor, but there is a droll humour that runs through the book and with that French charm I mentioned before, I can see why this one’s such a winner.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: The Reader on the 6.27