Top 5 for Friday - Go the Warriors

There can be only one topic on the Top 5 today and although it involves an oval ball, it does not centre around the world tournament currently taking place in New Zealand. Today's Top 5 is in celebration of the New Zealand Vodafone Warriors taking on the Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL Grand Final on Sunday. To top it off, the curtain raiser is between the Vodafone Junior Warriors and the North Queensland Cowboys, as well as the NSW Cup Grand Final between the Auckland Vulcans and the Canterbury Bulldogs. So here are a sprinkling to get you in the modd for Sunday.

1. Warrior nation : a celebration of 15 years of the Warriors / John Matheson. Going back to where it all began and tracing the highs (and lows) in the history of the Warriors. Original interviews, along with accounts from former players, coaches and CEOs, make Warrior nation a compelling read for any New Zealand sports fan as the fortunes of the club's 15-year history are spun together for the first time." -- Front flap.


2. The mighty Warriors [DVD videorecording] : [New Zealand's sporting heroes]. if you prefer your history visual, check this out. The Warriors hold the unique position of being the only NRL club to represent an entire country. The Warriors are recognised as future Premier contenders by everyone who sees them play. A profile of this powerhouse League performer, and players past and present, whose massive strength on the field contribute to the bone-crunching mix called the mighty Warriors! - catalogue summary. I particular like the bit about being "future Premier contenders".


3. The Players. When it came to picking a biography of one of the current or past Warriors (or any Kiwi league hero), I just couldn't do it. There are just too many quality bio's out there. In no particular order, here are a few I have either read or considered in the past. Tawerau Nikau (inspirational), Steve Price (leader), Stacey Jones (sparkling), Dean Bell, Ruben Wiki, Monty Betham....


4. The Kiwis : 100 years of international rugby league / John Coffey and Bernie Wood. Anecdotes, history, photographs, statistics. It's all here in one volume.


5. What a ride, mate! : the life and times of the Mad Butcher / Peter Leitch with Phil Gifford. Pride of place in today's Top 5 has to go to Sir Peter Leitch. Peter Leitch, aka the mad Butcher, is a legend in his own lifetime, a larger than life character who left school at 15 and went on to build a nationwide chain of successful butcher shops and a reputation as a foul mouthed league supporter with a heart of gold. They broke the mould after they made this one.

Go the Warriors - Keep the Faith!!

All things New

I was having a wander around the Auckland Libraries website on Monday and found something NEW. That's brand new, fresh and extra helpful.

There is a new addition to the New and Recommended option on our top toolbar. Click on "New Titles" and a whole new world of the most recent additions to the library collection opens up before you.

Browse our new titles lists which includes books, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, downloadable books and more. It is updated monthly, which should give you enough time to read the ones you ordered last month. There is also an option to print out some of the lists (perhaps your school library could do this for you).

We also offer a number of RSS feeds for new titles.
RSS for all new titles: Please see a daily feed of the latest Auckland Libraries titles to hit the library catalogue.
RSS for new titles by category: Please see an alternative selection of new titles lists updated daily, weekly, monthly or bi-monthly. Each comes with an RSS feed.
(Note: Although these lists are on the former Auckland City Libraries website, they contain titles from across the Auckland region.)

So far I have ordered two fiction, two graphic novels and one music CD. It is a wonderfully dangerous addition to our website. Check it out today.

Saving Daylight

First up let me say, I am a BIG fan of daylight saving. I look forward to those lovely long summer evenings filled with family and friends and relaxing in the outdoors rather than snuggled under a blanket watching the All Blacks beat France on a cold spring night (although that has it's attraction).

What I detest is the first week (or so) of the change. I can (almost) cope with changing all the different electronic appliances in my house over to the new time. The time piece I have the most trouble with is my own body clock. Crawling out of bed this morning was just a little harder than normal. I just have to keep telling myself that it will get better if I persevere.

Just for fun I did a keyword search for Daylight Saving in the library catalogue. It's amazing what it turned up.

Seize the daylight: the curious and contentious story of daylight saving time / David Prerau. The author weaves a tale of science, history, and politics - a story grand enough to involve luminaries such as Ben Franklin, Winston Churchill, and FDR, but personal enough to revolve around railroad conductors and schoolchildren waiting at bus stops on dark mornings - all about the simple act of setting the clock forward an hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall (publisher's summary).

Saving the daylight : why we put the clocks forward / David Prerau. The same author gives us another title. For several months every year, for better or worse, daylight saving time affects billions of people throughout the world. Every spring, the clocks go forward, and every autumn they go back. And for centuries this has been the subject of recurring controversy. Saving the Daylight explores for the first time the contentious and surprisingly entertaining story of this deceptively simple atempt to regulate the sunlight hours

And if that is all too profound for you, the other thing that turned up when I did the search was Brooke Fraser's album What to do with daylight which is much more my scene.

Have a great day all.

Top 5 for Friday - Women Stand Up.

Earlier this week, New Zealand celebrated the 118 years of women having the vote. In 1893 New Zealand was the first country in the world where women won the right to vote in national elections. The suffrage movement was this country’s first truly mass movement – mobilising tens of thousands of New Zealanders with rallies and a series of massive petitions.
The petition was signed by nearly 32,000 New Zealanders. Nearly 24,000 of those signatures have survived on the copy of the petition presented to Parliament. (Ministry of Women's Affairs).

Far be it from me to ignore such a historic event. For today's Top 5 for Friday, here are a selection of books on not just the suffrage movement in New Zealand, but also the place of women in helping to shape our country.

1. Standing in the Sunshine (Sandra Coney). Published to celebrate the centennary of woman achieving the vote in New Zealand, this is my absolute top pick of books if you want to read about the history of our country from a female perspective. This illustrated social history is extremely readable, able to be picked up and put down with short sections and explores all aspects of women's lives from 1893 to 1993, turning up new and unexpected moments in New Zealand women's history. In addition, the Sir George Grey Special Collection at Auckland Central Library holds some of the research notes from the publication. Highly recommended.


2. Kate Sheppard is one of the iconic figures in New Zealand suffrage and Auckland Libraries have a selection of biographies highlighting her life.


3. The Suffrage Trail The description of this book calls it a "Guide to... memorials of our Suffrage Centennial Year- the gardens, the parks, the trees, works of art, sculptures, hangings, murals, paintings, plaques and buildings". In one volume a biography, inventory and travel guide celebrating the women of Aotearoa.


4. Be counted : the diary of Amy Phelps, Dunedin, 1893 (Janine McVeagh). If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that I am a fan of the "My story" series of children's fiction. So it will be no surprise that this turns up on a Top 5 list. Thirteen year old Amy goes to live with her aunt and uncle in Dunedin to be educated. Amy is an aspiring artist and has the opportunity to meet the acclaimed woman artist Frances Hodgkins. In big city Dunedin, Amy finds herself involved with the darker side of life through her friend Mary, who works in a sweatshop then goes missing. Amy also observes her aunt's involvement with the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and the struggle to get women the vote. Another great introduction to an episode from our history for junior readers.


5. Her Story: Women shaping New Zealand History A compilation of the highlights of past issues of the New Zealand Memories magazine.

Celebrations for the anniversary will be held throughout the country. Specifically in our area, Libraries in Waiuku, Whangaparaoa and Warkworth will be hosting displays (assisted by the Ministry of Women's Affairs). Or you can make use of our free Wifi or computer services to check the original petition online to see if there is a family connection. Find out more on these websites

+ Search the petition online at www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/womens-suffrage to see if a relative was a suffragist.

+ Join us on facebook www.facebook.com/NZWomenandtheVote

Have a great weekend everyone. Go the All Blacks.

Comics Galore

We are over halfway through Comic book month and I have seen plenty of superhero librarians out there around Auckland (including some with wonderfully graphic tights). So it seems only fair to share some of my favourites.

Some of these are new favourites following sitting in on some book recommendations. Some of these are old favourites. I grew up with comics. I was never really into Archie & Co and only discovered Asterix and Tin Tin later. However my brothers' collection of western and war comics were thumbed just as enthusiastically by me as they were by the male members of the family. Weekly subscriptions to Tammy and Jinty magazines gave me a rose-coloured view of English comics before I delved into the super hero phase. That's my background in comics.

Green Lantern was my favourite super hero. I'm not even sure why that was (unless it had something to do with his eternal patience with the carping of Green Arrow). I still love the comics, especially when he joins his colleagues from the Justice League of America. I have withheld judgement on the movie.

Wolverine is my favourite X-man (everyone loves a Bad Boy). I came to the Xmen later than most but they would probably rank as one of my favourite super-hero groups.

The Fables have been called "probably the smartest mainstream comic going" (Publisher's Weekly). Imagine a group of storybook characters (both good and evil... and some a bit of both) are living around the corner from you. They are Legends in Exile which is the title of the first collection of tales available at Auckland Libraries. All your favourites are here (Bluebeard, Little Boy Blue, Rose Red and the Big Bad Wolf). They fight wars, make up, solve crimes, have families and much, much more. Not scared to kill off your favourite characters, there is always a twist in the tale of this wonderful series.

The Action Bible was recommended by Mack (and several others) at a recent Teens meeting in Manukau. I am so pleased I followed through and requested it. Yes, it's the Bible in graphic novel form, but this is not a dumbed down version. All the stories are here, from both the Old and the New Testament. It's fast paced and contemporary but still portrays the spirit of the Bible. There's even a website which invites you in to meet "the original action heroes".