World Smokefree day today

World Smokefree Day is all about celebrating and working towards smokefree auahi kore lives for New Zealanders. The focus for 2010 is all about giving quitting smoking a go – and friends and family supporting those who want to quit.

The library has a handful of resources which can help you if you're looking to quit. There is also The Quit Group website. (There's even a section if you're trying to quit again.)

Good luck.

Image: sticker from World smokefree day website

Another Movie

Here's something that snuck in under the radar of this Librarian. I was sitting in the theatre last night getting ready for my fix of Prince of Persia - Sands of Time, when I saw a whole lot of owls fill the screen. It's a preview of a new movie heading our way.

The Guardians of Ga'hoole is a series of popular children's fiction books by Kathryn Lasky. They follow young Soren and his friends who are inspired by great stories which lead them all to even greater adventures. The first book in the series is The Capture. The School Library Journal review reads "The story's fast pace, menacing bad guys, and flashes of humor make this a good choice for reluctant readers, while the underlying message about the power of legends provides a unifying element and gives strong appeal for fantasy fans".

The movie is called Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole. It is going to be shown later this year in 3D and comes from the same team that brought us Happy Feet. The animation on it looks absolutely amazing and I see today that there are some great names voicing the owls, including Kiwi's SamNeill and Jay Laga'aia. As it is not coming out until September there is plenty of time for everyone to catch up on the book before then so they can sit back and see how the movie makers turn the writer's vision into a tale for the big screen.

Happy milestone this blog! (Thanks to *you*)

Wow. This blog is over 1000 posts long. We started way back in May 2007, then shifted URLs in September of the same year. (Remember that bright green look? We changed the way it looked so that it would more closely match the website.)

Although it was just an experiment it's been a successful one. Readership has steadily increased (thanks!) We blog regularly during the week (and weekends if we have something to say.) In the beginning we were writing about all sorts of things. Now we've settled down to reviews, local events and literary happenings. There are two of us blogging - Anne and Kris. Our colleagues will occasionally guest post for us.

If there are things that you want to read about just let us know.

Here's to another 1000 posts! \o/

Hi Silverdale Primary

The Rodney Libraries Roadshow travels to Silverdale Primary School this morning. So a big hello to you all. I hope Liz and Julie got there okay and that you are enjoying the stories and readers theatre.

If any of your teachers take any photos of the Roadshow, remember to flick them through to us as we would love to put them up on our Blog or on Flickr if you will let us.

I hope you are all doing your half an hour of reading every day, so that you get your chance to win a brand new bike. We are almost at the end of May and once the month is finished, remember to get your entry forms into us before the 10th of June.

Have a great day. And remember - If you ever get stuck for something to read, just come in and ask us.

What's selling in New Zealand Bookshops?

Following on from looking at the British best seller lists last week, I thought I should take a quick look at what is selling in my own country. Here's a quick look at the lists (taken from the NZ Booksellers website and provided by Nielsen BookScan 2010).

NZ Fiction for Adults

1. The Night Book by Charlotte Grimshaw
2. Inheritance by Jenny Patrick
3. Head over Hells by Felicity Price

NZ Non-fiction for Adults

1. Slow: Mouth-watering Recipes for the Slow Cooker and Crockpot by Allyson Gofton and Alan Gillard
2. Bridging the Gap: Channelling Spirit to Heal Hearts by Kelvin Cruickshank
3. Robyn Martin's Easy Budget Recipes for Crockpots and Slow Cookers by Robyn Martin

International Fiction for Adults

1. House Rules by Jodi Picoult
2. The girl who played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
3. 61 Hours by Lee Child

International Non-Fiction for Adults

1. Stainless by Shannon Lush and Trent Hayes
2. Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi
3. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

In Children's & Teens Fiction, the vampire theme remains strong with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series heading off challengers. In the New Zealand category NZ Post Children's book of the year The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith heads off several classic Margaret Mahy tales which have been republished as part of the birthday celebrations for Puffin Publishers.

Do I have to mention that you can road-test all of these books at your local Rodney Library before you decide if they are worthy of your personal bookshelf? Nope - didn't think so.

Have a great day everyone.