Ngā Pātaka Kōrero - Auckland Libraries

The books we’ve been reading this week take us from our own backyard to a galaxy far, far away. But where is the milk and honey? Find out on this episode of Literary Lounge with Alison and Ineka. This year's Auckland Libraries' Top 100 is out now: explore our pick of the year's most talked about books curated for you by our librarians. Most titles are available in multiple formats including OverDr...

Episode 6 - Sheep, Dog & Wolf Dedee chats to Daniel McBride from Sheep, Dog & Wolf about his album Two-Minds, released on Aphrodite in April 2021. Two-Minds is in his words; “a document of a dark time in a kind of positive way.” They talk about the album, the unexpected delays in releasing it, and the stories behind the music videos. Daniel talks about his experience living with anxiety, depressio...

In this episode of Literary Lounge, Alison and Ineka bring you a blizzard of bots with a side order of diversity and possibility. Enjoy!

The Convenience Continuum. Can you treat the pain of family grief with a 16th century elixir? Find out on this episode of Literary Lounge with Alison and Ineka.

Join Alison and Ineka in the Literary Lounge as they wander from Starbucks to a start-up – dropping in on a cult and a beach party along the way. Books mentioned in the show can be borrowed or requested for Click and Collect by Auckland Libraries members using the links below: Cultish: the language of fanaticism / Amanda Montell / 2021, https://bit.ly/3DlWvwF Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour / 2021,...

Is it possible to navigate our way through the chaos and complexity of our various emergencies while retaining humanity, hope and humour? Find out on this Literary Lounge episode with Alison and Ineka. All the books discussed in this episode can be found in the Auckland Libraries catalogue, most in a range of formats. Click the links below to request or borrow a selection of featured titles: This...

Literary Lockdown: S is for... Is it possible to link socialism, suffrage, sugar-daddies, scholarship, suspense and stylish, chunky woollen sweaters through books? Join Alison and Ineka in the socially distanced literary lounge to find out! All the books discussed in this episode can be found in the Auckland Libraries catalogue, most in a range of formats. Click the links below to request or borro...

Episode 5 - Lips In this Level 3 lockdown interview, Dedee chats to Steph Brown from Lips, about their album I Don’t Know Why I Do Anything. Steph talks about how Lips’ sound has changed, and how writing music for films influenced the sound of the album. We also talk about the music video for ‘What the Hell’, great memories from their last tour, and how living in New York feeds into your songwriti...

In this episode, we return to the friendship between Samuel Johnson and James Boswell by focusing on a trip the pair made to Scotland. Georgia explains how both authors wrote about their trip in quite different ways. Johnson’s book has a rational, almost anthropological take on their journey. While Boswell’s writing about Johnson fascinated and repelled readers in the eighteenth century because he...

Over the past 200 years, much has been written about the infamous mutiny on the Bounty. Listen to Georgia tell the whole grim story, from the events of the mutiny, to Bligh and his crew cast off in a tiny launch exposed to the elements, and finally the disastrous voyage of the Pandora, the naval frigate sent to track down the mutineers. Learn more about these rare books: https://www.aucklandlibrar...

Listen to learn about Mary Wollstonecraft’s groundbreaking book of feminist philosophy, her brave and unconventional lifestyle, her political writing on the French Revolution, and her imaginatively written travel book. After Wollstonecraft's death, her grief-stricken widower, William Godwin, published Memoirs of Her Life, a revolutionary biography, which inadvertently destroyed her reputation for...

In the eighteenth-century, accounts of maritime exploration were a popular genre in book publishing. This episode features two voyages that captured the public’s imagination – Anson’s controversial expedition to attack Spanish interests in South America, and Cook’s first voyage to the Pacific on the Endeavour. Listen to Georgia tell the story of these journeys through the books published about the...

Samuel Johnson and James Boswell were two figures of eighteenth-century literature who wrote highly influential works. Listen to Georgia explore Johnson’s dictionary - a publication that remained the single most authoritative English dictionary for over 150 years. We also learn about Boswell’s biography of Johnson, one of the first biographies in English to attempt to show the completeness of a pe...

In this episode, we get up close and personal with Horace Walpole: prime minister’s son, writer, and patron of the arts. Georgia first discusses a book of poetry printed at Walpole’s Strawberry Hill Press before taking us inside the walls of the house itself, a gothic masterpiece on the banks of the river Thames on the outskirts of London. Learn more about these rare books: https://www.aucklandlib...

One of the most valued attributes of a scientific illustration in the eighteenth-century was colour, which at that time was painstakingly applied by hand. Listen to this episode to hear Georgia discuss the illustrations in two remarkable books - one about plants and one about insects - then head to Kura Heritage Collections Online to browse all the images. Learn more about these rare books: https:...

In the eighteenth-century, exotic plant species were arriving in England from all over the world, but prospective gardeners faced the challenge of growing them successfully in the local climate. Listen to Georgia discuss two famous books that provided advice on everything from building coal-heated greenhouses to making and preserving wine, alongside sumptuous illustrations of the new flowers and f...

Illustrating early books could be difficult and time-consuming, but could also produce stunning results. In this episode, we delve into the delicate process of creating a book by engraving on to copper plates and then printing from these plates on to paper. Learn more about these rare books: https://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/en/heritage-and-research/meet-a-rare-book/ep2-engraved-books.html Enj...

Listen to Georgia Prince talk about one of Auckland Libraries' particularly beautiful medieval manuscripts, the Besancon missal, created in 1470. Discover how medieval manuscripts were created and why they have always been luxury objects. The process of making the vellum, sourcing the best pigments, and commissioning the best artists and apprentices were time-consuming and expensive tasks. Learn m...

Don’t grow up – it's a trap! What is it about the ever popular coming-of-age novel that makes it so appealing? Alison and Ineka investigate and highlight some recent cool literature about adolescent angst. All the books discussed in this episode can be found in the Auckland Libraries catalogue, most in a range of formats. Click the links below to request or borrow a selection of featured titles: B...

International Banned Books Week: Books unite us, censorship divides us. Join Alison and Ineka as they highlight the value of free and open access to information. They review some current challenged titles and some from 40 years ago. Celebrate the freedom to read! All the books discussed in this episode can be found in the Auckland Libraries catalogue, most in a range of formats. Click the links be...

This month Dedee chats to Henrieta Tornyai aka Henika, about being a musician stuck in lockdown, and her upcoming album Strange Creatures, which uses samples of birdsong she recorded on Tiritiri Matangi in the Hauraki Gulf. She talks about the electronic instrument the theremin and two artists who have influenced her, Björk and Kimbra, who she admires for the way they blend electronic and organic...

This track is Part 2 of an interview with musician Henika. In this track we talk about the music videos for the first two singles from her album Strange Creatures, featuring dancers wearing beautifully made papier mache bird heads. We also delve deeper into the message behind the songs. This interview was recorded on September 16, 2021 References: Henika – artist links: https://henika.bandcamp.com...

Discover a riveting read on OverDrive with Poukōkiri Whakatapoko Tāpaenga / Senior Collections Librarian Maureen Ned's review of Tōku Vanessa e pōuriuri / My dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, written and recorded in te reo Māori. Written in English, this bold and powerful 2020 novel follows 32 year-old Vanessa and her former English teacher, Jacob. Emerging allegations and the Me Too movemen...

Some exciting news to spice up this Literary Lounge Lockdown episode - the 2021 Booker Prize shortlist has just been announced. Alison and Ineka discuss the list and recommend some read-alike titles you could crack into while you wait to get hold of the reading world’s latest hot-ticket items.

Whakarongo (listen) as Poukokiri Rangahau Māori / Senior Māori Research Librarian Xavier Forsman reviews a favourite pukapuka, Purple Heart by Ta'afuli Andrew Fiu, in te reo Māori. Available as an eBook on OverDrive and Libby and written in English, this inspiring memoir tells Fiu's story of growing up Samoan in Aotearoa and his experience of living with rheumatic fever. Through hospital stays, si...