Do Boys and Books Mix?

Not according to a study of year 7 boys just done by New Zealand teacher Sheryl White.

"Boys think reading books is for girls, but that reading for information, such as a TV guide, is a useful, masculine activity, a new study shows. The study of Year 7 boys sheds some light on why it's so hard to get boys to read" reads the opening of the report in the Sunday Star Times yesterday.

I would love to read the whole report sometime as it is something that librarians, parents and teachers all struggle with. However a reluctance to read is not restricted to the boys and my personal opinion is that there is a danger (albiet small) that a knee jerk reaction in concentrating on the boys will lead to a future where girls will struggle to find good quality reading material.

My faith in the boys was restored yesterday when a young man (9 or 10) came up to me at a social gathering and asked me if I had any other books like Holes (Louis Sachar) which he has just finished. He said it was the best book he had ever read and he was keen to find more. With our Summer Reading programmes starting up today, it will be a great opportunity to see how the boys and girls of Rodney match up.

Read the full article from the Sunday Star Times here.

Pass on your messages of support

People from right around the Auckland area will be able pay their respects to the victims of Pike River and the people of the West Coast in condolence books at the Auckland Town Hall and all libraries across Auckland. Books are now available at Wellsford, Warkworth, Mahurangi East, Orewa, Whangaparaoa, Helensville and Kumeu Libraries for the public to sign.

Mayor Len Brown is working with church leaders to organise a memorial service to be held in Auckland and we will let you know the details once they have been confirmed.

Top 5 for Friday - Thanksgiving Day

It may already be Friday in New Zealand, but in most of North America it is still Thursday, which means that a lot of people are lying back, completely stuffed to the brim with lots of good food and family festivity, because the fourth Tuesday of November is Thanksgiving Day.

I feel a bit of a fraud as I don't have a drop of pilgrim or American blood in me and have never celebrated (or even thought much about) Thanksgiving Day. I must also admit in the following list that I have not read any of these books. But I really wanted to finish the week off on a positive note so here is my Top 5 List for Thanksgiving Day.

1. If Thanksgiving is about family and feasting (which to a large extent it is), then first up we have to have a recipe book. Thanksgiving 101 : celebrate America's favorite holiday with America's Thanksgiving expert (Rick Rodgers) looks like it has it all. And in the lead up to Christmas, who doesn't need a few new recipes. One of the reviews says "Rodgers tells you Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner but Were Too Harassed to Ask". Sounds like my kind of book.
2. Thanksgiving : the biography of an American holiday (James W. Baker). We know Thanksgiving primarily as an American tradition (although this is not srictly true as Thanksgiving and/or harvest festivals are celebrated in many other places around the world. However if you want to know the American history, this is one of the books from the library that can help you.
3. A Thanksgiving book written by a Kiwi - who would have thought it? I was surprised to come across this one. Gracias, the Thanksgiving Turkey by none other than Joy Cowley. Trouble ensues when Papa gets Miguel a turkey to fatten up for Thanksgiving and Miguel develops an attachment to it.
4. A catered Thanksgiving : a mystery with recipes (Isis Crawford) is the seventh title in a series. I (and a lot of our customers) enjoy books that integrate two different elements (i.e. the story and the recipe or the story and the quilts). The Publisher's description makes it sound quite light hearted and good fun so I may have to add it to my TBR list. The proprietors of A Little Taste of Heaven, their Longely, N.Y., catering company, prepare a Thanksgiving feast for Scrooge-like fireworks manufacturer Monty Field and his family at the Field mansion. When Monty comes into the kitchen to test the roasting turkey, Bernie and Libby watch in horror as Monty taps the pop-up button in the bird's breast and the turkey explodes, blowing off the top of his head. Libby fears their stuffing made the turkey explode, but they soon learn that there was plenty of rivalry among the assembled family members, any one of whom had reason to want Monty dead. A heavy snowstorm ensures the suspects stay put as the sisters start to investigate. That their father, Sean, was on bad terms with the victim complicates their task. The action builds to more fireworks and a dramatic rescue.
5. Thanksgiving on Thursday (Mary Pope Osborne) is one of the Magic Tree House series for children. I love the concept and so do a lot of the kids. Jack and Annie travel in their magic treehouse to the year 1621, where they celebrate the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians in the New Plymouth Colony.

Have a good and safe weekend everyone.

RIP

It is hard to find the words and sometimes words are not enough.

To the miners underground - Rest in Peace
To the families left behind - Our deepest sympathies
To the rescue teams and mine staff who were frustrated in their efforts to rescue their brothers and mates - You did everything you could
To Peter Whittall - Your dignity and strength are an inspiration
To the community - Your togetherness and support in the face of this disaster are what makes us Kiwi

My final wish - that they do manage to bring the boys home.

What does it mean to be Brave?

The Brave by Nicholas Evans is the author’s first book in five years, and while it is a departure from the wilderness and nature that feature in some of his other titles (e.g. The Horse Whisperer, The Smoke Jumper), it retains strong characterisation. Several people complete journeys of discovery and there are very mixed destinations.

Nicholas Evans skilfully intertwines the stories of 1950’s England and Hollywood, with present day America. The constant running through both is Tom Bedford. In earlier times he was Tommy, bullied at boarding school, and taking refuge in a fantasy world of TV Westerns. Today he is Tom, slightly bitter, living alone and estranged from his son who is fighting in Iraq.
Despite the fact that (for me at least) parts of the book were telegraphed, it still kept me entertained and interested to the end. Characters were developed, innocence destroyed and with everyone confronting their demons, true bravery was discovered.

It wasn’t the book I was expecting from Nicholas Evans. It reminded me slightly of the Sidney Sheldon novels of Hollywood that I used to devour. But it had an innocence and naivety to the storytelling which came from much of the story being told from the viewpoint of the younger Tommy and this lifted it above some of the other books and sagas which use the darker side of Hollywood as their base. It is well worth a read.

As well as being available in print, The Brave will also shortly be available in audio book in the Library. Or request some of the author's other titles by clicking on this author link.