We’re testing out a new app that creates promotional images – here’s a list of LGBT-themed Young Adult books, and if you click on a cover in the image below it will take you straight to that title on our library catalogue!
Young Adult LGBT titles
Category: Books
Selector’s Picks
I always tell people that the most stressful part of my job as a Content Development Librarian is never having enough time to read all the amazing books I see and handle every day on the job.
My TBR pile is huge, scattered across several Living Rooms in the Fiction area. Here’s a smattering of my recommendations.
Charity Norman’s latest title, Remember me sounds very appealing with an unsolved cold case and fraught familial relationships in a New Zealand setting. I’ve read several others of Charity’s books and thoroughly enjoyed them.
I don’t think Patrick Gale could ever surpass his sublime 2007 novel Notes from an exhibition but I’ll read anything he writes regardless. Mother’s boy, his 17th novel apparently, is based around the known facts of the boyhood and youth of the great Cornish poet, Charles Causley and the life of the mother who raised him singlehandedly.
For Lucinda Riley fans, The murders at Fleat House has just been released in New Zealand. As the title implies this one is a murder mystery and according to very reliable sources – it is a page-turner from beginning to end! Originally written in 2004/2005 and now published posthumously. Reserve it now.
British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak is a writer I greatly admire. Her pocket-sized non-fiction title How to stay sane in an age of division is an absolute gem. I recently read 10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world and now her latest The island of missing trees is on my TBR list. Hers is a voice for the unheard, the unloved, the outcast. Listen to this recent interview with her on RNZ – Elif Shafak: The Island of Missing Trees | RNZ
Reviews for Unsheltered by Wellington based novelist Clare Moleta have consistently been very positive so this one has found a place on my list as well – a dystopian novel where Li is searching for her eight-year-old daughter Matti, who she’s been separated from in a fire which broke out during the clearance of an unsanctioned Makecamp – a refugee settlement. Described by Elizabeth Knox as ‘extraordinarily suspenseful’.
Jill
Story time!
We have a fantastic digital resource if you are looking for some story options for kids. It is the Story Box Library. You have free use of this resource with your library card, and you can find access to from our website under the Collections tab.
Manga books
Konnichiwa!
Did you know the Palmerston North City Library has a manga collection?
Manga is a specifically Japanese form of graphic novel, with several subgenres. Manga books read in Japanese format, ie. right to left rather than left to right. It’s a buzz! You’ll find them mostly in the Young Adult area, although some titles are in Adult Graphic Novels.
Many of these books have been made into serialised shows, or movies, or else have been adapted from shows. See: Sailor Moon; Alita, Battle Angel; Cowboy Bebop, and more.
The bulk of the Manga collection is spread between the Central Library and the Youth Space, but these books can be brought in to any branch just like other books. Simply talk to your local librarian if you’d like to see more!
Due to the episodic nature of most Manga, the series can get very large, some with more than one hundred titles. As a public library with limited space, it’s not always possible for us to hold all the titles at one time. And every so often, something will go out of print, so we aren’t able to replace a lost title. But we do our best to keep the collections up-to-date so you can enjoy them! You can reserve copies from any of our branch libraries.
If there’s a series you’d like to see that we don’t have, contact content@pncc.govt.nz and we’ll see what we can do.
Book recommendation – ‘Breaking Badger’ by Shelley Laurenston
A google review for this book says it is a ‘wacky, violent’ and thrilling book to which one of our library staff members agrees whole heartedly. The sarcastic humor in this book will make you laugh out loud, with the quirky unforgettable characters to the fast pace plot you wont be able to put the book down.
This book can be borrowed as an eBook from Libby.
Book recommendation: ‘The Diamond Eye’
This recommendation is from a library staff member.
I finished reading The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn over Anzac weekend. An amazing story based on the true story of Mila Pavlichenko, who was a history student in the Ukraine when the second world war broke out and then became one of the best snipers in the Russian Army. I always know if I have found a good book if I end up googling for more information which is exactly what I did for Mila Pavlichenko. Kate Quinn did an excellent job telling her story.
It was kind of weird reading this book knowing what is happening in Ukraine at the moment. I personally do not know much history in regards to Ukraine, but from reading this book it seems like there has been a long complicated history, one I will definitely be looking into further. The history of the country isn’t the main part of the story but I just found it interesting because of what is happening at the moment.
This book is currently on our New Book display but we have a few copies of it, and even a copy in large print. I got my copy as an eBook through Libby.
Book recommendation – ‘Diddly Squat’
One of our library staff members has been reading Diddly Squat by Jeremy Clarkson. It is a humorous book about Jeremy’s ventures into running his own farm over a year- spoiler alert- it doesn’t go smoothly!
Hilariously honest from page one it is a good book to pick up if you need a laugh.
This book can also be found as an eBook on BorrowBox.
Book recommendation
I was recently recommended Jennifer Ryan as a new author to read. I am so very glad I took this recommended as I really loved the 3 stand alone novels of hers that I read which were Lost and Found Family, Sisters and Secrets, and The Me I Used to Be. I feel the theme of ‘families’ and the all the drama’s that goes with families is the over lying theme in all of these books. They were really were all an enjoyable read and I would recommend them.
Book recommendation – The Essential Fairy
Spotted on the shelves at the Awapuni Library! We so enjoyed this picture book by Anna Kenna! The Essential Fairy is the story how the tooth fairy’s job got added to the list of essential roles during the 2020 lockdown. It’s a fun, rhyming read and captures a special part of New Zealand history. A great read for kids and adults! Find it on our shelves or reserve it here: https://bit.ly/3MYPpSu
Friday Fast Food inspo
We kiwis love our takeaways, especially on a Friday evening, when we’re tired and just want to take it easy. But we *know* takeaways aren’t the best for us, but that hankering for something quick, affordable and tasty is so great. Luckily for you, Palmerston North City Library has curated some great books for fast Friday food, in case you feel the need to cook on Friday (or if you want fast food any other day of the week). Get stuck in here and pay us a visit to check out your fave (don’t forget we also offer click and collect, in case you’re really busy!)
Time saving fast food, by Simon Holst
Most of us are on the lookout for different ways to create tasty meals that will satisfy ourselves and families. With fast busy lifes and households Time Saving Fast Food will save you time in the kitchen and cooking can be a more enjoyable experience instead of a chore.
Find it in the library here.
Vegan fakeaway, by Katy Beskow
We all love a takeaway. It’s one of life’s little pleasures, and a great way to try food from around the world in the comfort of our own homes. But when hankering after a plant-based treat, the takeaway menu isn’t always the easiest thing to navigate. Vegan Fakeaway offers 70 recipes that deliver fast, easy, vegan takeaway classics that will make sure that you’re able to indulge, whenever the craving strikes.
Find it in the library here.
Nigella express, by Nigella Lawson
The Domestic Goddess is back — and this time it’s instant. Nigella and her style of cooking have earned a special place in our lives, symbolizing all that is best, most pleasurable, most hands-on, and least fussy about good food.
Featuring fabulous fast foods, ingenious shortcuts, terrific time-saving ideas, effortless entertaining tips, and simple, scrumptious meals.
Find it in the library here.
Eat : the little book of fast food, by Nigel Slater
A collection of recipes that you can have to the table in less than an hour . The recipes are generally for two but are easy double or triple up for more.
Find it in the library here.
Fast & fun family food, by Alison Holst
This collection of recipes provides lots of exciting ideas for parents faced with the dilemma of how to provide nutritious, economical – and above all tasty and tempting – meals for their young families.
Find it in the library here.
In the mood for quick family food, by Jo Pratt
Jo Pratt has devised a cookbook full of delicious and healthy food that addresses one of the most challenging problems experienced by busy parents- finding time to cook meals for their family. The recipes are simple, easy to shop for and quick to make, with shortcuts and prepare-ahead tips.
Find it in the library here.
Gordon Ramsay’s fast food
Everyone needs quick, healthy, and delicious recipes for feeding a family–and no ones better at providing them than Gordon Ramsay, the three-star chef famous for his no-nonsense cooking. Here he serves up a feast of doable ideas: more than 100 recipes and 15 great menus for putting food on the table each and every day. Many of the dishes take only 15 minutes to prepare and cook!
Find it in the library here.
The “I love my air fryer” 5-ingredient recipe book, by Robin Fields
Create deliciously quick and easy recipes in your Air Fryer using only 5 ingredients or less! Want simple meals that your entire family (even the pickiest eaters) will devour? This easy-to-use cookbook provides mouthwatering, whole-food dishes for every meal–from breakfast and dinner to appetizers and dessert–using favorite, familiar ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
Find it in the library here.
Nadiya’s fast flavours, by Nadia Hussain
Known for her bold and surprising flavour combinations, Nadiya loves to throw the rulebook out of the window, always finding ways to take familiar recipes to the next level. Now she makes it easy for others to do so too, with a host of everyday recipes that are guaranteed to send your taste buds into overdrive. Sour, sweet, spicy, zesty, earthy, fruity, herbal – her delicious recipes offer new and innovative ways to pack your meals with flavour, using clever shortcuts, hacks and handy ingredients to put the va-va-voom into your food without spending hours in the kitchen.
Find it in the library here.
Bon Appétit Palmy!
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