Month: January 2016

What was popular in 2015?

Mo-moLeave a comment

Cover of Through the seasons: The free range cookYou may have read recently in the media about the top titles borrowed from Christchurch City Libraries in 2015, but that just scratches the tip of the iceberg. We’ve got even more to share with you.

If the publishing industry is a literary popularity contest then these titles from our library collection are the cool kids in school.

In non-fiction last year food and health were the overriding themes. Last year’s king of the culinary castle, Simon Gault was ousted by kitchen queen Annabel Langbein in 2015 with her Through the seasons: The free range cook taking out top spot.

Honorable mention must go to Dr Libby Weaver for appearing no less than 5 times in the top 10 non-fiction.

Cover of PersonalIn fiction, Personal by Lee Child finally made the top spot after getting pipped at the post in 2014.

Mysteries, thrillers and suspense titles continue to be popular and is reflected in the most popular authors for adults list which for the second year in a row was topped by James Patterson, but there’s still ran audience for perennial favourites like Danielle Steel, and even more perennial Agatha Christie, whose popularity continues unabated.

Novels by Lee Child also make a strong showing in the top eBooks list (5 times in the top 20), though the number one spot goes to Eyes on you by Kate White.

The most popular eAudiobook was cross-generational film-franchise juggernaut The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, with the three books of the series taking out the top three spots.

In fact, books with successful movie tie-ins made up a whopping 14 out of the top 20 eAudiobooks, showing that fans of franchises like Harry Potter, and the Divergent series aren’t solely interested in the visual part of “audiovisual”.

Cover of We're going on a bear huntIn kids books, again classic titles were very popular with Michael Rosen’s We’re going on a bear hunt, originally published in 1989, continuing to find an audience and securing the number one slot.

Geronimo Stilton featured strongly in the most popular kids’ titles and was the overall most popular author of children’s books whilst still leaving room for old favourites like Enid Blyton, Dr Suess and Margaret Mahy.

For teens The maze runner by James Dashner was the most popular fiction title with several other “books of the movie” also appearing in the teens top 20.

Top of the top titles

Cover of Cross Justice by James Patterson    Cover pf The race against time by Geronimo Stilton Cover of The maze runner Cover of Eyes on you Cover of The hunger games

See more annual lists of popular titles.

The most popular items in our collection

2016년의 태양이 더 크게 웃는 이유는?

cclkoreanjoLeave a comment

항상 되풀이되 듯 연초가 되면 새로운 다짐과 함께 많은 계획을 세우게 됩니다. 물론 이 맘때 쯤이면 작심 3일이 되기도 하지요. 다시 한번 마음을 다 잡고 머리를 흔들어 봅니다. 오롯이 이것 하나는 지켜야 겠습니다. 그 어느 해 보다 많이 웃으며 살기!

새로이 소개 할 책입니다.

누리야 누리야 – 1994년에 ‘누리야 누리야 뭐하니’ 라는 제목으로 출간된 후 2015년에 네 번째 재간된 작가 양귀자의 유일한 어린이 장편 소설입니다. 나 누리라는 아홉살 소녀가 엄마를 찾아나서며 만나는 세상의 양면, 그 이야기하는 책입니다. 힘겨운 현실에도 따뜻한 마음을 가지고, 자존감을 지키며 강하게 살아가는 주인공 누리는  읽는 내내 먹먹하던 가슴에 결국 눈물을 흘리게합니다. 이 책은 Upper Riccarton 도서관에서 만날 수 있습니다.

감성현 작가의 감성 SF 소설 ‘19 씩씩하게 아픈 열아홉‘은 우리 주변의 많은 루다와 다해들, 그들이 꿈을 향해 달리다 좌절하고 다시 일어서는 청춘의 이야기입니다. – 어른도 아이도 아닌 열아홉, 달리기를 좋아하던 난, 열 아홉 살이 되던 해, 더 이상 달랄 수 없게 되었다………기억할게. 내 첫 기억. 내 기억의 끝까지. 달려 루다. 멈추지 말고, 끝까지 달려 – 본문 중에서.

평양의 영어 선생님 – 재미 작가 수키 킴의 ’Without you there is no us’ 의 번역서입니다.  평양과학기술대학에서 학생들에게 영어를 가르치며 그녀가 진실로 원했던, 북한의 실상을 직접 보고 느낀 것을 책으로펴냈습니다.

가족 또는 주변 친구분이 아직 Christchurch City도서관 카드가 없으시다면 도서관 카드를 권해보세요. 올2016년을 도서관과 함께  보다 더 행복하고 건강한 시간이 되시길 바람니다.

Korean books
Korean books. January 2016. Flickr 2016-01-IMG-0170

Sick bags and bedspreads: New titles from our Literature Selector

cclbloggerLeave a comment

The Bloomsbury set just keep on delivering. Hard on the heels of the TV series (yet to be seen here) about the sexy carryings on of the Bloomsbury set comes a new biography of David Garnett called Bloomsbury’s Outsider. Garnett – scientist, writer, free love enthusiast, conscientious objector in WW1 and spy in WW2 – certainly had an interesting life which is covered in this new book.

Cover Cover Cover Cover

Some centuries back and we are in the world of Ancient Rome and Daisy Dunn, in a new biography, Catullus’ bedspread : the life of Rome’s most erotic poet, which looks at the life and poetry of the Catullus who put it about more than a bit.

More contemporary, but still not one for being prim, is Nick Cave whose new book The Sick Bag Song is described as a narrative song and poetry. It started its literary life being scribbled on airplane sick bags during a tour of America.

And the master of all writers, Mr Shakespeare himself, is covered in  a new biography called Worlds Elsewhere which has had enthusiastic pre-publicity from the likes of Anthony Holden and Margaret Drabble.

See more of our new titles.

Philip Tew
Fiction selector

The waywardness of the holiday reader

robertafsmith1 Comment

The first thing you seeI boarded the plane at the start of the hols with lists of Books That Must Be Read Now That I have The Time and stepped off QF139 a month later with a suitcase full of Books That Popped Up Quite By Chance. Here’s how it happened:

Even though my hand luggage contained a perfectly good aeroplane read, still the lure of Sydney Airport book store was too great to resist and I emerged with a book that I bought mainly because I love the cover and it has a compelling first sentence: “Arthur Dreyfuss liked big breasts.” It’s Gregoire Delacourt’s latest novel: the first thing you see and it turned out to be a perfect holiday read about looking beneath the surface – for the first thing you see isn’t always what you’d hoped to get.

The Carriage HouseI met my second holiday read in a bookshop attached to a café in my hometown – Durban. There is a happy sentence if ever there was one. It was a complete impulse buy, written by an author I’d never heard of (turns out it’s her first novel), with tennis (a game I deeply loathe) as a major theme, and about three sisters (I don’t even have one). Yet its siren call sucked me in, all within the space of a single cappuccino. The book is The Carriage House by Louisa Hall. Don’t be put off by the cover of the library copy, it is a great little holiday read.

GironimoMy third little find was at a local market in a small town on the west coast of South Africa at a second-hand book stall where, to my amazement, I spotted a book that more than one male colleague had recommended to me. (I have no idea why they would do this, as I have never ridden a bicycle in my life!) Gironimo by Tim Moore is the author’s reaction to the Lance Armstrong debacle which motivated Moore to redress the imbalance and do something totally authentic for cycling – ride the notorious 1914 Giro d’Italia (wearing period clothing) on a gearless, wooden-wheeled 1914 road bike:

What unfolds is the tale of one decrepit crock trying to ride another up a thousand lonely hills, then down them with only wine corks for brakes

So, like all good holidays, I started in one place and ended up somewhere completely different. I went with the flow. I was in the zone. And I had a terrific time.

Now back to my lists!

In which Katherine indulges her weakness for Lord Byron

katcclLeave a comment

Cover of Selected poems, Lord ByronIt is always a great feeling to discover a book that you didn’t really know anything about before you picked it up and find that you can’t put it down. Recently a new book, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club caught my eye. The synopsis looked promising – young adult urban fantasy set in Regency London, and it involved Lord Byron (always a plus in my book).

I simply could not put it down, yet at the same time I didn’t want it to finish – the curse of many a good book. The plot isn’t terribly original (sparky heroine discovers she has special powers and is introduced to a secret supernatural underworld), there are many familiar tropes (tortured, but dashingly attractive Byronic hero etc), but the quality of the writing and the attention to period detail – such as the inclusion of the real life assassination of the British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval – in the setting make for an excellent read.

Young adult urban fantasy is an extremely popular genre (see Twilight, Fallen, Vampire Academy etc, as is Georgian / Regency fiction like Georgette Heyer, and Jane Austen and her imitators, so it is kind of fun for an author to mash up these genres to create something that is both familiar and fresh. And which uses words like ‘gallivanting’ and ‘fornication’.

Te Kupu o Te Wiki – Āwhina (help/assist)

Mo-moLeave a comment

Kia ora. To encourage the use of Te Reo Māori we are publishing weekly kupu (words) and phrases that can be used with children.

Kupu (word)

āwhina
help/assist

Māku koe e āwhina.
I will help you.

Whāngahia te Reo

Waitangi Day in Christchurch and Canterbury – Saturday 6 February 2016

Donna1 Comment

Find out about Christchurch and Canterbury Waitangi Day celebrations in 2016.

Rapaki Marae citizenship ceremony
6 February 2014. Rāpaki Marae citizenship ceremony. Flickr: 2014-02-06-Citizenship6Feb2014PR-0082. Photo supplied by Christchurch City Council.

Ngāi Tahu Treaty Festival Ōnuku Marae

Every year Ngāi Tahu commemorates Waitangi Day at one of three locations where the iwi signed the Treaty – Awarua, Ōtākou and Ōnuku. In 2016, the Ngāi Tahu Treaty Festival will be held at the Ōnuku Marae in Akaroa on Saturday 6 February. Pōwhiri at 9am.

Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum 1146 Main Road, Okains Bay

Join the 41st commemoration at the Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum. Highlights include a powhiri (traditional welcome), hangi lunch, children’s races, spot prizes and the paddling of waka on the Opara Stream at 4pm. View the Museum’s collections and enjoy continuous demonstrations all day include blacksmithing, bread baking in a traditional clay oven, black powder shooting, early printing works, sheep shearing, crafts, stalls and more! Adults $10, Children $2. Please bring cash. No ATM available. Gates open at 10am. Powhiri (traditional welcome) commences at 10:30am.

Waka launch, Waitangi Day, Okain’s Bay
Waka launch, Waitangi Day, Okain’s Bay, 6 February 1977 Flickr: HWC08-SO10

Kaiapoi Waitangi Day Family Celebrations Troussellot Park, Kaiapoi

A family fun day to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi with entertainment, kapa haka, food, hangi, music and mock signing of the treaty.

Summer of Fun – Waitangi Day Community Country Picnic Darfield

I love New Brighton Thomson Park, Marine Parade, New Brighton (Monday 8 Feb)

I Love New Brighton is an annual event held at Thomson Park for the local greater Brighton area offering music, games, sports, and a market.

Waitangi Day coverage

Online Live Video Stream of Waitangi commemorations

Te Hiku Media of Kaitaia provides online live video stream of proceedings from Waitangi. The stream is available on most mobile devices and computers worldwide at waitangi.tv or by visiting tehiku.nz. Video announcing is in both Māori and English.

Māori Televison

Read Waitangi related information on Māori TV website.

More events on Waitangi Day

Find out more

Muscle Car Madness this weekend

kiwilouiseLeave a comment

Cover of Road hogsIt’s my favourite time of year when petrolheads get together to ogle the sights of the Muscle Car Madness at Rangiora Showgrounds this Saturday and Sunday.

The variety of cars, vans, utes and even motorbikes is phenomenal. So get your black t-shirt on and join us there!

 

Off the shelf (3)

RobynLeave a comment

As followers of our blog will know, voracious reader Robyn has been sharing with us on a regular basis the titles that she has been adding to her For Later shelf. This time she reports back on some of the titles that have graduated to her Completed shelf.

Some lovely books that have come off the For Later shelf recently.

Cover for Robert KimeRobert Kime by Alastair Langlands. Matthew Dennison, author of a great book about Vita Sackville-West, reviewed this in that madly aspirational magazine World of Interiors. He said that Kime can “claim to devise schemes that genuinely appear ‘undecorated’: stylish but lacking obvious contrivance, with nothing matchy-matchy and not too much strangulated coordination”. An irresistible recommendation and the book did not disappoint.

The Face of Britain: The Nation Through its Portraits by Simon Schama. Power, Love, Fame, the Mirror, the People – these themes are covered with Schama’s customary skill; matching great stories with images from the National Portrait Gallery in London. This book accompanies a television series of the same name.

Cover for Portrait of FashionA Portrait of Fashion: Six Centuries of Dress at the National Portrait Gallery by Aileen Ribeiro with Cally Blackman. A happy accident that two books featuring the collections of the National Portrait Gallery  arrived at the same time. Amazing that so few of the images overlap. The reproductions in this one are bigger and more colourful than in The Face of Britain but then they should be; clothes need detail.

Go fly a kite

ValerieLLeave a comment

Cover of Just A KiteDo you remember what your first kite was like? Mine was made out of brown wrapping paper. It had a picture of John, Paul, George and Ringo that had been carefully cut out of a magazine stuck on it. It didn’t fly very well at all.

Cover of KitesI was not deterred, and over the years I owned many kites that flew. I don’t own a kite at the moment, but I wouldn’t mind having a go at making one and taking it down to New Brighton beach and flying it. Kite Day is going to be on January 30th, and if I don’t get my kite to fly, I will get to enjoy those that do. I love the way that the small kites seem to duck and weave their way between the huge colourful kites.

So if you are like me and love kites, head on down to the New Brighton Beach, south of the Pier, on Saturday, 30th January between 1.30pm – 4.30pm with your kite and join in the fun.

Streets Kite Day, New Brighton 2015
Streets Kite Day – New Brighton 2015, Flickr 2015-01-24-IMG_4948
Streets Kite Day, New Brighton 2015
Streets Kite Day – New Brighton 2015, Flickr 2015-01-24-IMG_4942