Reaping the summer harvest

Have you found yourself with a surplus of gorgeous summer fruits?

If you're wondering what on earth to do with it all, then it's time to get your preserving pans to the ready and learn to bottle it, can it, freeze it, dry it, store it. It's a good excuse to start practising so that you can make your own Christmas gifts for 2012!

There's a cornucopia of books to start you on your way, including:
- Making the most of your glorious glut : cooking, storing, freezing, drying & preserving your garden produce by Jackie Sherman;
- Put 'em up! : a comprehensive home preserving guide for the creative cook, from drying and freezing to canning and pickling by Sherri Brooks Vinton;
- Can it, bottle it, smoke it : and other kitchen projects by Karen Solomon;
- Tart and sweet : 101 canning and pickling recipes for the modern kitchen by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler;
- Canning & preserving with Ashley English : all you need to know to make jams, jellies, pickles, chutneys & more; and
- The art of preserving by Lisa Atwood, Rebecca Courchesne and Rick Field.

Top 5 books about iPhone photography

List by Tosca

"There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are."
- Ernst Haas

I heart my iPhone. Indecently so. In fact, I heart it so much that it goes everywhere I do and it sees whatever I see. I am never more than a jacket pocket away from taking a picture, clearing an RSS feed, catching up with family on Facebook, sharing a link on Twitter or staying on top of both work and personal emails. Thanks to the quality of the camera, and a small variety of apps, I've re-discovered how much I enjoy taking photos (one of which is attached to this post). Judging by my instagram stream maybe a little *too* much. (Feel free to go through my images on my instagram stream, any image I take is purposely meant for sharing and inviting comment). Some of my photos are quite beautiful, and some are amazingly dumb. A sibling asked me the other day, "Why do you take so many photos? Why do you feel such a burning need to share them all? Do you think people really care?" (There is no critic more harsh than your own family members). I take so many photos because so many things catch my interest. I have no clear answer. I just know that sometimes things/situations/people catch some part of your mind and, for reasons not always known to you, need to be captured forever. Need to be documented. And so I take a photo...for me, for the moment, to show beauty wherever you find it (yes, even in the most strangely mundane things/places), for the art of it, for personal satisfaction, to create memories, for entertainment, for reflection, in the hope that what I see in my head translates just as well as a physical image, to challenge (myself and others) and always, always because sometimes a photo I've taken can frame feelings and thoughts I sometimes cannot find the words for. Whoa. This turned into a rather deep post and that wasn't my intent. But I'll roll with it, anyway. I've used all of the books below in my hope to be able to achieve all of the above. Not fanatically so, though, just in ways that work for me. So, if you have a passing interest in photography that is coupled with an indecent stalker-ish type of love for your iPhone camera, this post is just what you need :)

What camera apps do you use?

Public holiday hours

Don't forget Auckland Libraries will be taking a break on Mondays for the next couple of weeks, when 54 of our 55 libraries close on Monday 30 January 2012 to celebrate Auckland Anniversary Day (with normal opening hours resuming on Tuesday 31 January) and then again on Monday 6 February for Waitangi Day, with usual opening hours back in operation from Tuesday 7 February.

The only exception is Botany Library which will remain open on both public holidays, from 10am - 5.30pm.

Don't forget to stop by your local library for some long weekend reading, music, viewing or those audio books (children's and adults) if you are planning a long car journey! And hopefully summer is here to stay so it will be a fantastic one for everyone. Don't forget the sun screen and drive safe everyone.

Dare to Explore - Books about books part 2

Yesterday we had Ania's Dare to Explore Top 5 children's fiction titles about books. Which got me thinking about a couple of picture books I have read recently that we can add to the list.

Look, A Book! by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood
Another great contribution to the world of books about books, and where they can take you if you let your imagination go. Look closely at the illustrations made up all sorts of unusual objects. The words are simple and although it tends towards a sophisticated or complex picture, it will only take a small amount of guidance for children to enjoy it.

That Book Woman by Heather Henson
I recently read an adult fiction based on the story of the Pack Horse Librarians who are part of American history during the Depression years. This book tells their story in picture book form from the point of view of a (perhaps) 10 – 12 year old boy. He can do lots of things, but he has no desire for “dumb old books”. However he is impressed with the perseverance and bravery of the woman who rides the pack horse in every kind of weather to deliver the books. He wants to give her something for her trouble and doesn’t realize that he has given her the best gift of all… by becoming a reader. Watercolour illustrations catch the tempo and feel of the book ideally, and in some places it is left to these illustrations to tell the story rather than words. A lovely book.

Dare to Explore Top 5 - Books about Books

Ania who is the children's and teens librarian at Birkenhead Library has provided us with her Top 5 list of inspiring children's fiction about books and stories that will make you take more and more books from the library and read, read and read more!

Inkheart / Cornelia Funke
Meggie’s father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life. One day one of those characters abducts tries to force him into service but Meggie fights for his dad and mum using words and stories.

The emerald atlas / John Stephens
The Emerald Atlas is the magic book that allows Kate, Michael, and Emma to travel through time to find their parents. But can they correct the future? Would you try to change the past if you could?

Bad dreams / Anne Fine ; illustrated by Susan Winter
Imogen touches the cover of a book, and she knows what will happen to the characters inside, even she can feel their emotions… Would you like to do it too?... Would’t it hurt others?

The inside story / Michael Buckley
In this story they all meet together: Alice, Mowgli, Jack the Giant Killer, Hansel and Gretel, the Headless Horseman to help get the story right like it should be.

Voices / Ursula K. Le Guin
Memer, young girl will discover the power of the written word in this fantasy novel. This is a very powerful story for advanced readers.