Top 5 most requested items for March 2013

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.”
- Joyce Carol Oates

How much do I heart the quote for today? THIS MUCH. Very short post from me today BECAUSE REASONS. Namely: I don't have much to say to introduce these books, really, and I've never been much of a fan of saying things for the sake of it. So I'll get out of your way, and point you below to the top 5 most requested items for March 2013. Have a great weekend, people!

Top 5 books on my reading radar this week

"There comes a time when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book."
– Josh Jameson

I'm just coming out of a literary drought. For well over a month no book had managed to catch my interest for more than a few minutes at a time. While it happens every now and then, it's still an incredibly frustrating experience because it makes me feel half complete. Which is absolutely sappy and mawkish sounding, I know, but I don't know what I am without the bookish love. I associate the act of reading with so much of who I am - fangirl, geek, blogger, reader, storyteller, etc. - that to feel like I've lost the ability to enjoy it is to feel like I've lost those other parts of myself. Even if only temporarily. While I'm not quite back to devouring everything that moves (and lots of things that don't), I'm in a better headspace about it. I give you: Top 5 books on my reading radar this week (mostly new, with a few not-so-new thrown in for good measure).

Here's a question: How do YOU get through a reading drought?

Top 5 most requested items for February 2013

"Books are delightful society.  If you go into a room and find it full of books - even without taking them from the shelves they seem to speak to you, to bid you welcome." - William Ewart Gladstone

Bookishly speaking, I am an unabashed voyeur. I am forever curious about what people are reading. I don't care HOW they're reading. I'm not concerned about whether it's an eBook, eAudiobook, audiobook, printed book, or fanfiction. I'm not even fussed if it's Facebook updates, Twitter posts, blog posts or gaming. I rejoice in the fact that people ARE reading. I'm not at all snobby about it. The alternative is just too sad to comptemplate, and I feel like we would all lose in that instance. So lists like this - our top 5 most requested items for February 2013 - are, to me, like peeking through someone's underwear drawer, you know? Literary voyeurism. It's a thing. And I'm wholly unrepentant about knowing what some of you are reading.

Top 5 books for a roadtrip

"Babies are born with the instinct to speak, the way spiders are born with the instinct to spin webs. You don't need to train babies to speak; they just do. But reading is different."
— Steven Pinker

Today's list is courtesy of the fabulous Anne, Libraries Advisor Youth Service Development. Take it away, Anne :)

We had a discussion earlier this year about whether or not reading was natural. Like we all know from experience – babies make noise. It comes to them as naturally as some of their other bodily functions. In fairness there is an element of learning as they pick up the sounds and make sense of them, but in much the same way I believe movement is a babies first language, sound (or speaking) comes in a very close second. However reading is something that they have to learn to do.

And that may be one of the reasons why the joy of listening to a story never grows old. I am a fan of stories, storytelling and, by extension, this year have become a fan of the audio book. It may be something to do with an increasing commute and disillusionment with some of the random radio stations my car tuner picks up. It may just be one way to read a book without having to turn a page. It certainly does have its up side as while I am still number well down the list waiting my turn for a copy of J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy, I have already read it... on audio book. There might not be as many copies available through the library system, but as many people have not yet discovered the advantages of the audio book, they still come through much quicker.

So for those of you about to embark on the traditional long holiday haul to other parts of the country, here are my Top 5 to make the drive more bearable (and with something for everyone).

Top 5 most requested items for November 2012

"There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and a tired man who wants a book to read."
- G.K. Chesterton

I think I'm somewhat of a voyeur because I am always interested in what other people are reading/watching/listening to. It is the best part of conversations with other people. It is the worst part of conversations with other people. And so even as a small part of me goes SQUEE because YAY MORE BOOKS, an even smaller part of me groans in misery because my TBR (to-be-read) list cannot contain much more awesomeness. And yet I throw more at it, anyway. (Although not Fifty shades of Grey because I'm SO OVER THE HYPE OF IT. People, you need to find a new vanilla-BDSM book to OOH and AAH over). Today's list offers up some bad sex (although not so bad either of them won the Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award, no, that honour went to Canadian author Nancy Huston), the 17th book in the Jack Reacher series (I still can't bring myself to watch Tom Cruise play the lead role - it's enough to make me want to cry), a lawyer in prison for the murder of a judge, and the youngest of the Walsh sisters. Et voilà! The top 5 most requested items for November 2012. ALL fiction.

5 books I need to read before the films come out

"Books and movies are like apples and oranges. They both are fruit, but taste completely different."
― Stephen King

Anna Karenina. Les Miserables. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Great Gatsby. On the Road. The Hobbit. The host. The raven. The mortal instruments. Thirteen r3asons why. Cloud atlas. The lucky one. One for the money. The vow. The hunger games. Abraham Lincoln, vampire hunter. Breaking dawn. Life of Pi. World War Z. Is it just me or has 2012 been a huge year for books into film? Some released, some still to come in what little is left of this year and, already, a few queued up for 2013. I rarely have hard and fast rules. Mostly because 1) I'm too lazy and 2) life's too short to be that inflexible. As much as possible, though, I try to live by the following commandment: Thou shalt not see the book-of-the-film without having read it first. I try not to break it because, I'm sure, somewhere a fairy dies when I do. These days, though, I find myself having to read at a furiously quick rate just to break even with things I even vaguely think I might want to watch. I can't keep up. And yet...and yet, here I am, with a list of more books I need to request/read before their celluloid equivalent is due. Luckily, some of these still don't have a set cast yet, so I can (kinda/sorta) take my time.   Don't forget, for the next few days we are all about the 12 Posts of Christmas. This means that I'll be throwing all sorts of Top 5 lists at you every day up until Christmas in an effort to seduce you back into libraries/reading. Or something like that.  

Top 5 most requested items for July 2012

"Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere."
- Mary Schmich

Finally, a book has come along to bump The Hunger Games from it's spot as number one most requested title for the last few months. And what book knocked it off? A book that I've seen people reading in airport departure lounges, on buses and trains and standing in line at the post office. A book that I've heard people discuss with equal parts awe and scorn. A book that people are talking about in book clubs, emails, newspapers and radios. That's right, Fifty shades of Gray. Two series, five books (if we'd had more spaces I'm sure the last James book would've been on here somewhere) - I give you our top 5 most requested items for July 2012.

5 books that make up my second attempt at Spine Poetry

Falling together
Circus of ghosts
Of love and evil
Miss Fuller
Twice kissed
- Tosca, but not really - read the post and you'll see what I mean

Spine poetry. What is it? Take the spines of books and make poems out of them. It really *is* that simple. And how can you avoid it? You can't. Not if you're reading this blog, anyway. Congratulations - you're my first captives :) Most days I have books lying around on my desk waiting for me to review them, add them to a blog post, finish reading them or, sometimes, remember that they're there. Yesterday, in a moment of whimsy, I decided to try my hand at Spine Poetry...and spent a couple of minutes frowning, shuffling, frowning some more, re-arranging, and (you guessed it) frowning again. Finally, I decided I had a poem bad enough to share. What do the books have in common? Nothing, really, except two things: they were on my desk, and they're all fiction. Et voilà! 5 books that make up my second attempt at Spine Poetry. The first of which you can find on our tweetstream (complete with pic) here.

Top 5 most requested items for May 2012

"If we didn't have libraries, many people thirsty for knowledge would dehydrate."
Megan Jo Tetrick, age 12, Daleville, Indiana

BOOKS! WE HAZ THEM! Seriously, if the CAPS LOCK didn't singe your eyeballs then it's official, nothing will. I know, right? You're welcome :) Seriously, though, we do have books. I'm going to keep today's post short and sweet. (Shelve your disbelief, people! Some days I can do quick - I just let my fingers run away from my brain and then, wow, before I know it we've got a loooooong intro). *shamefaced look* As I was saying, I'm going to keep today's post short and sweet and remind you of a few things before I introduce the title: If you're a person after my own heart and are constantly looking for new books to read THEN try these:

our new titles lists - SO MUCH CHOICE. Books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, sheet music. Our lists are updated at the beginning of each month, and will keep you busy for a whole week while you work your way through all of them (this I know from experience)

our NextReads eNewsletters - emailed eNewsletters that arrive in your inbox, all you have to do is subscribe. They're FREE, and contain some fantastic reading suggestions (once again I know this because I've met the editors and they LIVE FOR BOOKS)

our Auckland Libraries tweetstream - where we share library/geeky/book related links and information with followers (and the world and the universe and, well, you)

See? Short! And so, today's list: Top 5 most requested items for May 2012 :)

Top 5 most requested items for April 2012

"If we didn't have libraries, many people thirsty for knowledge would dehydrate."
- Megan Jo Tetrick

So, the other day I tweeted the fact that our copy (yes, I daftly used the word 'copy' instead of 'copies') of The Hunger Games had a large number of requests and, well, our tweetstream exploded. A lot of what came through were very funny responses suggesting that we buy more than one copy to go round *clears throat* because I had crazily made it sound like we only have one :/ Rookie mistake that I won't be making again. All of which culminated in an article with the NZ Herald. Yeah so it'll be a wee while before I do *that* again *sigh* A few people even suggested we manage the request list with death matches. I'd quickly like to point out that umm we won't. The reason I relate this story is because the book in question - indeed, the entire series - features in top spots for today's list. And so, this being the time that I write my monthly 'Top 5 most requested items' post, I'm feeling a little bit leery and hoping that the blog doesn't explode (implode?) in much the same way. Here are *she says hesitantly* our top 5 most requested items for April 2012.

Top 5 general fiction reads

List by Tosca

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers."
- Charles W. Eliot

Greetings from New Orleans! As they say in the Vieux Carre (French Quarter), how y'all doin'? Our post pic today is totally unrelated to books and all about my holiday because, hey, I can, and is of a saxophonist busking down on the corner of Bourbon Street and Canal Street that I took about 2am the night we arrived. One of the many things I heart about this place. Here's a tip: never do Bourbon Street at that hour of the morning, the place really isn't at her best at that hour and, if you're a newcomer to the city (I'm not, but sibling and friend are) the smell of booze and horse manure can be a little bit much on the olfactory senses. That aside, the people, the cultures, the music, the sights, the food (dear goshness, the food - I've had gumbo, red beans and rice, jambalaya, alligator bites, beignets mmmm) I LOVE IT HERE :)

Enough waffling from me. Back to the pleasure of reading! Read an opinion piece over at BookRiot this morning that was more than worth the read: "There's never been a better time to be a reader." Jeff talks about how even though the publishing industry is experiencing challenging times, it is, in fact, a fantastic time for readers. A couple sentences in particular make me agree: "That’s not to say we live in the best of all possible readerly worlds, just that this is the best one we’ve ever seen. Many of the forces straining the traditional book business are the same forces creating unheard-of reading possibilities." For the first time in a long time we have more choice than ever before. It's not all hearts and flowers, though. Jeff readily admits that with more choice comes new technologies that change quickly, and the issue of which particular service/device/platform to use changes just as quickly also. It's a really solid piece, but don't take my word for it - check it out yourself :) Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if you agree/disagree.

Today's post is a very simple one (in contrast to my usual longwinded, rambly style intro - sorry), and is made up of our most requested general fiction reads!

Top 5 most requested items for January 2012

List by Tosca

Just a quick post from me this morning for two very good reasons: it's a public holiday, and y'all probably have far more interesting things to do today instead. This post is our top 5 most requested items for January 2012! So I won't hold you up except to say that however you're choosing to celebrate Waitangi Day, I wish you a beautiful day with great friends.

There are a few big events taking place around Auckland today:

Toi o Manukau Waitangi Day Family Celebrations 2012 in Sir Barry Curtis Park - this year you can expect to see Katchafire, David Dallas, Ardijah, Maisey Rika, Sons of Zion, Bella Kalolo and Foundation. And, for the first time ever, China’s number-one reggae band (only reggae band?), Long Shen Dao. I'll be there, so if you see me make sure to come up and say HI

The Black Seeds with dDub, Sassy and the Pocketbook - Henderson Park, Wilsher Crescent, Henderson, Auckland, 2pm-6pm

Manurewa Waitangi Day - Jack Shelley Field, Mountfort Park, Weymouth Road, Manurewa, 12pm-6pm. You'll see stalls, children's activities and entertainment from local talent including Sweet N Irie, One Sound, Potensity, A2J, Resample, Wicked, Pack of Maori, E12, Michael, Risnm, Unknown Peace, Khona Gray and J.Roc

Te Hana Te Ao Marama Waitangi Day Celebrations - Te Hana Te Ao Marama, 317 State Highway 1, Te Hana (near Wellsford). Powhiri is at 10am at the marae

Muriwai Waitangi Day Festival - Houghtons Bush Camp, 75 Motutara Road, Muriwai Beach, 10am-6pm. Limited number of tickets available, so do check their page for details

And that's it from me until Wednesday. Be safe, whanau!

Top 5 most requested general fiction reads

List by Tosca

A very short post for today that lists, essentially, our most requested general fiction reads at the moment. I offer it up as possible 'What do I read next?' suggestions. Don't be in a hurry to read them, though, as they have a fair few requests. Where I can I've also listed similar books/authors :)

I apologise most unreservedly for the brevity of this post. I am, currently, on sick leave due to a bout of food poisoning. Right at this moment in time I look, feel and smell like something crawled into my mouth and died. True story. I shall see you guys tomorrow with another 12 posts of Christmas list, where I plan to be at my sparklingest, bestest, ever :P

Top 5 most requested titles for November 2011

List by Tosca

"A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint.... What I began by reading, I must finish by acting."
- Henry David Thoreau

I bet you thought we forgot all about our regular Top 5 most requested titles list, didn't you? We didn't! I've also added review comments where we have them listed in the catalogue. Which reminds me, I meant to ask: Did you know that you can look up reviews and author notes from within our catalogue? If you see a book that you're interested in *and* it has a picture of the cover attached to the record, click on the picture. You're then directed to an Additional Information page, and it's here that you'll quite often (*but not always*) find links to reviews, author notes, and excerpts. You can test it out now: click on this link to practice (and yes, I'm making you look at this book because it is full of WIN and BECAUSE I CAN).

Top 5 deadly summer reads

List by Danielle

'Every young person should have one summer they look back on for the rest of their lives.'
From The poison tree, by Erin Kelly

Summer can be terrifying. Anyone contemplating wearing a pair of togs in public knows and understands this. But! There are actually far more reasons to fear summer than not looking like Jessica Alba in a bikini (or Daniel Craig in speedos). If you're looking for something a bit suspenseful to read over the holidays, the books below all feature long, hot summer days that mark turning points in the lives of their unlucky characters. The stories that follow lure you in as the narrators gradually pick apart the threads of that one crucial day, and you begin to make sense of the echoes that have chased them down the years.

Top 5 most requested titles for October 2011

List by Tosca

"Books had instant replay long before televised sports."
- Bern Williams

A 6"5 inch mountain of a man (who, weirdly, will be 5"7 instead in the recently announced book-into-film version, but more on that later). Civil rights in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. Gods and demigods. The memoir of a man who managed to offend most of NZ without even trying. Dragons and destiny. What do they have in common? On a normal, day to day basis probably no crossover whatsoever. Unless you work with books. Behold, our top 5 most requested titles for October 2011!

P.S. I don't envy anyone waiting on our #1 book. That number is phenomenal.

Honourable mention (i.e. next 5 on the list):

Cabin fever by Jeff Kinney - children's fiction, book 6 in the Diary of a wimpy kid series. Currently on order

People's republic by Robert Muchamore - teen fiction, book 13 in the Cherub series

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - teen fiction, book 1 in The Hunger Games series

Thea Stilton, big trouble in the Big Apple by Geronimo Stilton - children's fiction

Diary of a wimpy kid : Rodrick rules by Jeff Kinney - children's fiction, book 2 in the Diary of a wimpy kid series

The conductor by Sarah Quigley - historical fiction, NZ author (I really want to read this one! I just don't want to have to wait *sigh*)

Top 5 most requested titles for September 2011

List by Natalie and Tosca

"Lord! when you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book."
- Christopher Morley

Kia ora and gidday! October has arrived, people :) Before I offer up our Goodies list - top 5 most requested titles for September 2011 - I want to take a few minutes to point out some new content on our library website that YOU WILL LOVE OR ELSE.

Have you checked out our New Titles page, yet? It has, quite quickly, become my most favourite page on our entire website). Our new lists are updated monthly (the first day of every month, to be exact) and display over 100 categories of new adults, children and teens items. The lists consist of our newest books, CDs, DVDs, audio books, kids' material, large print, console games and non-English items. With such a wealth of new items to choose from you won't be disappointed. A big, Big, BIG thank you to Danielle, Julia and Natalie for all of the hard work that went into building these lists :) Try out the new section and let me know what you think of it!

Did you know that we've added new sections to our website? Our Collections and services section contains four in-depth portals for our blogs, computers, kids, and Maori services.

October is a very busy and exciting month that sees us celebrating Diwali, the Rugby World Cup 2011 and the school holidays. We're also hosting a number of author talks and presentations from personalities such as Margaret Pope, Spiro Zavos, Dr. Anna Sandiford, and John Dybvig. You can view all upcoming special events and regular programmes in the Events section of our website. Our What's On eNewsletter, edited by the wonderful Jo, provides a wonderful monthly summation of any and all upcoming events.

On to the top 5 most requested titles for September 2011: teen spies, Gods of Olympus, a New Zealand television personality, a book-turned-film set in Mississippi and the latest Jack Reacher novel. Happy reading!

Top 5 most requested titles for August 2011

List by Natalie and Tosca

Happy September, everyone! After the serious tone of my last post I'm going to opt for something a little less hard on my brain and keep it light (but not fluffy) and offer up the top 5 most requested books for the month of August. I'm seven shades of happy to see that teen/kids books are sitting comfortably in 4 of the 5 spots on today's list. 3 books also have film tie-ins. Ooh, and before I forget, our new books lists are up and ready for you to go crazy reading and requesting! Enjoy :)

Top 5 most requested titles for June 2011

List by Natalie and Tosca

Kia ora and gidday! Today's post is a simple one that serves only to share our top 5 most requested titles for June 2011. Enjoy :)

5 books I wouldn't have noticed if not for Good Reading magazine

List by Tosca

"To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations - such is a pleasure beyond compare."
- Kenko Yoshida

I spent the weekend and Monday sick with germs and I can say, hand on heart, that I make a terrible patient. I'm the sort of person who likes to be ill loudly and in full view of anyone else unlucky enough to be in the house with me at the time. I will park myself up on the sofa in pyjamas and with a blanket and generally wallow in my misery. An act which involves lots of sniffling and moaning about how hot my head is and how my throat hurts and that my eyes won't stop watering... The whole litany of ills. It's not much fun for anyone but I do like to milk the drama for all it's worth. One thing I've noticed, though, is that time stretches i-n-t-e-r-m-i-n-a-b-l-y long when you feel awful. And there's only so much daytime tv a person can take. Thankfully I had umpteen back issues of Good Reading to keep me sane. In a rare moment of pity I decided to hole up in my room to generally ooh and aah over each magazine and make notes about what I wanted to request. And here they are in this list of '5 books I wouldn't have noticed if not for Good Reading magazine.'

Query: Have you heard of Good Reading magazine? Do you request a lot of what they recommend? Did you know that you can access Good Reading via our Digital Library?