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Kia ora! Welcome to the October newsletter from Palmerston North City Library

'Talk Like a Pirate' Day 2023

So many timbers were shivered, so many buckles swashed, on Talk Like a Pirate Day at the Library on September 19! These rogues raided our book-hoard and then sailed away. But that's fine as long as they bring the books back... they'll bring them all back, right?

'Together We Read' on Libby

In October, the Libby ebook/e-audio platform from Overdrive has a programme called Together We Read. (It seems a shame they didn't go with the name October-Drive but, as the saying goes: if wishes were horses, we'd need a bigger paddock.)

Together We Read lets multiple people read the same ebook or e-audiobook title at the same time with no wait lists or holds.

The programme actually started on September 27 and runs until October 11, so you still have plenty of time to get reading.

The title selected this time around is Aotearoa-based author Charity Norman's 'Remember Me', which is described by the publishers as "ideal reading-group fiction". Let's find out if they're right!

Election 2023

This nice orange person and their orange dog would like to encourage you to vote in the General Election on October 14.

Need help with deciding who to vote for? Try this handy Vote Compass provided by TVNZ, which helps you compare the policies of each major party. There's also Policy.nz

If you have any other questions, they're sure to be answered on the Electroal Commission website, vote.nz

Creative Writing Showcase

On Wednesday the 4th of October, seven of the finest student writers from Massey University Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa will present a showcase of their work at the City Library.

Massey’s creative writing programme has been running as an independent programme since the establishment of the Master in Creative Writing in 2011, and has “grown to be a flourishing part of New Zealand’s literary community" according to Dr Gigi Fenster, who will co-present the showcase with Dr Thom Conroy.

Read more about creative writing and why it's so important at this blog post.

No Holds Barred

Your mother probably told you it's good to share. And that's how things work at the City Library - most of the stock is shared across all the library locations. Some books are earmarked to stay at one location but you can still place a hold and have it sent to the location nearest you. So if there's a book in the Ashhurst Library and you live in Awapuni, you can place a hold and you'll be notified when it's at Awapuni, ready for you to go and pick it up.

Did we mention it's free to place a hold? No? Okay: it's free to place a hold.

A Line in the Sand

If you draw a line in the sand it will soon be washed away. You hear the phrase 'line in the sand' a lot on the TV news. People presumably mean to say they've drawn a line under the matter, and it's finished and will not be reasessed or changed. But what they're actually saying is that their decision won't stand for long.

Similarly, in the olden days, it was 'all hands to the pump' when everyone was called to help with a task. If it was done under pressure, it was done 'under the gun'. These days you hear a lot of people doing their work 'under the pump', which presumably means they're doing it while soaking wet, but no other time pressure is implied by this mixed-up phrase.

Now that we've kicked off this curmudgeon-fest, let's get into "Mount Fujiyama" (Mountain Fuji Mountain), PIN number (Personal Identification Number Number), and BNZ (Bank of New Zealand Bank).

Aaaaahhhh, that feels better, doesn't it?

Let us know if there are any annoying phrases you'd like to share!

In the meantime, enjoy this article about Mrs Malaprop.

Local Author - Book Launch

Here's a guest piece by Innovations Programmes Coordinator Sean:

Local author Bing Turkby is launching the second book in his Guitar Store Mysteries series. Sitting in the somewhat unique genre of 'cosy guitar mysteries', String Theory follows on from Dead Man’s Axe from just last year. Think murder mysteries, with less of the blood and more of the bizarre. Join guitar store owner Dana Osborne, Paws McCartney (a cat, no less) and Brody, the store assistant, as they track down the murderer of guitar legend Apocalypse BusLane.

The launch will feature doughnuts, some guitar playing, and books for sale courtesy of Bruce McKenzie Booksellers.

Saturday October 7th at the convenient time of 3.30pm.

Random cool/interesting stuff from around the net.

The latest "Where are the audiences?" report shows linear TV no longer has the biggest audience in the peak time of 6-10:30pm. But TVNZ+ is showing strong growth.

Rakiura Stewart Island residents show their class and refuse to hassle the Hoff when he pops along to a pub quiz.

Hard to believe that someone once had to introduce a bill to play more NZ music on the radio, but it's true and here's the story of what happened.

"For anyone who wants to be a writer, there are two things you must do — and that’s read, and just sit down and write." Quote from a great article by Robyn Bargh (Huia Books) encouraging more Māori authors.

This will warm your cockles - an article about a man who learned to read in his 50s, and has now written a book!

Children's Books in NZ

Publisher Ann Mallinson reflects on the children's book industry in Aotearoa.

Snifters and Jaffas

A paean to the classic Snifters lollies. 

Is there something you’d like to see in these newsletters? A question about the library? A suggestion? Let us know and we’ll see if we can help. You can email us at pncl@pncc.govt.nz, or use the phone number below.

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Palmerston North City Library
Palmerston North, Manawatu 4410
Phone: (06)3514100