Summer Reading Adventure: January update

Summer Reading Adventure - 1 December 2023 to 30 January 2024

Summer Reading 2023 BlogOur adult Summer Reading Adventure is now well and truly underway and will continue to run until the 31st of January. If you’re not already involved, it isn’t too late to join the excitement (details of how to do so below).

Below are just a few of the fun statistics from this year’s adventure so far:

  • We have 1474 readers taking part! (so far)
  • As of January the 9th, 12,431 books have been read. That’s roughly 4.2 books per adult.
  • So far, a whopping 10,208 book reviews have been submitted.
  • There’s been 2,862 quests completed, with the most popular adult ones being:
    • Take A Trip Down Memory Lane. Revisit one of your favourite books from your childhood!
    • Summer Listening: eAudiobooks. Listen to an eAudiobook from Libby or BorrowBox.

Continue reading “Summer Reading Adventure: January update”

WCL podcast: Doctor Who 60th anniversary special

day of the doctor GIF

Doctor Who Title sequence Via giphy

Many of us at Wellington City Libraries love Doctor Who and are excited to celebrate its 60th anniversary. We can’t wait for the Christmas special, or the Doctor Who exhibition coming to Tākina, Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre. In this special podcast episode, big Whovians and librarians Patrick and Neil talk about some of the more unusual aspects of the show and highlight their favourite Doctors.

You can find this podcast episode here, or on your preferred podcast app.

Patrick talks about Matt Smith (the eleventh Doctor) and why Matt’s take on the iconic character makes him so appealing. Patrick then explores the themes of Britishness, national identity and politics to be found in the show.

Neil then takes us way back in time to the fourth Doctor Tom Baker to dissect why this Doctor is his favourite. He then delves into the wonderous, innovative and far-reaching sounds of Doctor Who across its 6o years of existence, including a brief look at the legendary BBC radiophonic workshop.

We have an extensive collection of Doctor Who items in our collection, including full DVD stories from across the series, Graphic novels, novelisations of stories for both adults and children, music CD’s, nonfiction titles and other various other assorted goodies. You can peruse our full collection here.

Below is just a tiny sample of our collection.

Doctor Who : the tenth doctor. Vol. 6, Sins of the father / Abadzis, Nick
“Trombones turn to terror when the Doctor, Gabby and Cindy visit New Orleans at the height of the jazz age… the Nocturnes are back! This time the threat comes from their terrifying chief, intent on enslaving the human race through sound! And speaking of enslaving, it would appear that Anubis is up to his old tricks – will the Doctor and his friends be able to stop this God from damaging the whole of Time? Could there be something even more sinister behind all of this, hidden in the shadows?” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Doctor Who : the thirteenth Doctor. Vol. 2, Hidden human history / Houser, Jody
“This critically acclaimed new story sees the Thirteenth Doctor, Rian, Yaz, and Graham stumble upon a sinister alien race with a thirst for human blood! Their second comic book adventure sees the gang track the Stilean Flesh Eaters throughout history, encountering friends, old and new, along the way. For once, the humans seem to know more about what’s going on than the Doctor, thanks to a podcast (Hidden Human History) that everyone is listening to — everyone except the Doctor, that is…” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Doctor Who, the twelfth doctor : time trials. Volume 1, The terror beneath / Mann, George
“The brand new Year Three comic adventures of the critically acclaimed Twelfth Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi! First, it’s the return of fan-favourite comics companion, space bassist Hattie, as the Twelfth Doctor takes her for the best fish and chips in the galaxy, in a sleepy seaside town in the 1970s. But there’s something ancient and evil beneath the waves, something that has mired its twisted tentacles into the local people, something that weaves itself into Hattie’s dreams and drags itself up onto land in mounds of shambling seaweed. Can the Doctor and Hattie get to the bottom of a cosmological horror before it devours them – and wipes the town off the map? And, in a solo adventure, the Twelfth Doctor heads back to the 1950s for a creep slice of small-town Americana, in ‘The Boy With the Displaced Smile’!” (Adapted from Catalogue)

BBC Doctor Who : a brief history of Time Lords / Tribe, Steve
“The High Council, the Inner Council– in fact all the great minds of Gallifrey– are determined that you should never read this book. The history of the universe is re-written by its future, and when you hold this book in your hands is at least one truth. Of course it is also official hogwash, and the pages are time-sensitive. Still, some of it may be true….” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Doctor Who, the ninth doctor. Vol. 2, Doctormania / Scott, Cavan
“The Ninth Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack continue their trip through the Universe! Someone is impersonating the Doctor — and has made him into a galactic celebrity! But something far more sinister is going on, as the trio are plunged into yet another shapeshifting civil war… The Slitheen are back! And just as they think their trip can’t get any worse, living gargoyles invade San Francisco and residents begin to fly…” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

The who’s who of Doctor Who : a Whovian’s guide to friends, foes, villains, monsters, and companions to the good doctor / McEwan, Cameron K
“This is the ideal Whovian guide to exploring the dynamic characters in Doctor Who over the past half century. Organized by character type, it includes top 10 lists, family trees, charts, graphs, and more.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

 

Doctor Who : the writer’s tale : the untold story of the BBC series / Davies, Russell T
“The definitive story of how Doctor Who is made, by the show’s executive producer” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

 

Doctor Who : the eleventh hour : a critical celebration of the Matt Smith and Steven Moffat era
” Published to celebrate the Doctor’s anniversary, this book provides a valuable record of the Matt Smith Doctor, who arrived in 2010 and is set to bow out in this year’s Christmas special. This first book devoted solely to the Steven Moffat/Matt Smith era is written by experts on the Doctor. It is wide-ranging and varied in viewpoint and explores such issues as the performance of the Doctor, the gothic and fairy tale genres, the portrayal of history on screen, gender and sexuality, the phenomenon of Christmas television, the transatlantic dimensions of the programme, its look and sound, promotional culture and audience response.” ( Adapted from Catalogue)

Top 10 most borrowed titles for 2023


The lists you’ve been waiting for. Here are Wellington City Libraries’ top 10 most borrowed titles for 2023.

Top 10 adult fiction

 

Top 10 children fiction

 

Top 10 non-fiction

 

 

 

 

Best of 2023: Our top fiction picks!

A beach scene. 2023 is written above 2024 in the ocean, and waves are coming into shore to wash away the old year 2023
Waving goodbye to 2023 (literally and literarily)

As we say goodbye to 2023 and hello to 2024, it is now tradition for us to take stock of the literary year and take note of some of the novels we regarded as highlights.

As always, we aim to cover as wide a mix as possible — from fabulous new Aotearoa New Zealand books to big international bestsellers and major prize-nominated books, not to mention the best of this year’s crime and thriller titles and some standout science fiction and fantasy books. We have selected books that got lots of attention as well as others we felt fell undeservedly under the radar — and we’ve also thrown in a few left-field curveballs of books we just absolutely loved and felt we could not ignore. As is always the case with these lists, some of the selections we make are by their nature subjective and we apologise in advance if we missed any of your favourites out. All in all it’s been a fascinating and exciting year for readers — roll on 2024!

So here we go — Wellington City Libraries’ very subjective list of the top 100 novels of 2023!

2023 Fiction Highlights — Browse the full list
Browse the full list with all our picks, or browse just the topic you enjoy!

Best of 2023: Our top non-fiction picks!

Our list of the top 100 non-fiction books for 2023 is here! It includes the best in memoirs and biographies, poetry, local history, science, social history, art and more. We’ve highlighted an exciting mix of new books made up of hidden gems, popular bestsellers, literary prize winners and acclaimed local talents. There’s plenty to choose from for every kind of reader.

2023 Non-fiction Highlights — Browse the full list
Browse the full list with all our picks, or browse just the topic you enjoy!

We were thrilled to watch the ongoing success of many homegrown authors who have generously graced our physical and online spaces this year, including Redmer Yska for Katherine Mansfield’s Europe: Station to Station, Arihia Latham (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha) for her sublime debut poetry collection Birdspeak, and the rousing collection of diverse voices found in the anthology A Kind of Shelter Whakaruru-taha. Here are some more Aotearoa specific highlights that you’ll find within our 2023 best of non-fiction list!

For celebrity biographies there’s no prizes given for which ex-Royal’s book topped most bestseller lists this year, but not far behind a Kiwi talent shone through with Sam Neill’s Did I Ever Tell You This?. We’d recommend listening to the eAudiobook version voiced by the actor for the full experience.

In the world of art there’s plenty of talent to admire in the visually stunning and comprehensive volumes Pacific Arts Aotearoa, and Urgent Moments: art and social change. Then, take an integral look into how Māori artists have adapted age-old techniques in their contemporary practices, forming clay workers collective Ngā kaihanga uku

In Science and Environment, American author John Valiant’s Fire Weather is a must-read and recently won the prestigious Baillie Guifford Prize for Non-Fiction. But for local stories on lifetimes spent in the outdoors and helping conservation efforts, look to Dave Towns’ Ahuahu: a conservation journey in Aotearoa New Zealand and Kennedy Warne’s Soundings: diving stories in the beckoning sea. There’s also The Forgotten Forest by Robert Vennell for those wanting to take an illustrated walk through the bush via the page.

Looking under the health umbrella, local author Kristen Phillips wrote a touching memoir, Dad, You’ve Got Dementia, and Dr Emma Espiner’s (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Porou) There’s A Cure For This highlighted significant problems within our medical system and important improvements that can be made for Māori.

Rugby League in New Zealand by Ryan Bodman sums up a national pride, complete with full page photographs of unforgettable games by legendary players. And don’t miss Our Land in Colour: a history of Aotearoa New Zealand 1860-1960 to see a century’s worth of historic photographs seen for the first time in full colour. Find all these local titles, plus their internationally acclaimed counterparts in our best of 2023 selection. Happy reading!

Summer Reading is back!

Summer Reading 2023 Blog

Summer Reading 2023 Blog

Read books, explore the city, win prizes! This year the Summer Reading Adventure runs from 1 December 2022 — 31 January 2023, and we are inviting intrepid explorers of word and page of all ages to join us — children, teens, and adults!

Pre-registrations are open from the last week of November — find all the information over on our Summer Reading information page, or head straight to our Summer Reading Beanstack website to get started!

Continue reading “Summer Reading is back!”