THE GROOVE BOOK REPORT

The National Library of New Zealand was formed in 1965 when the Alexander Turnbull Library, the General Assembly Library, and the National Library Service were brought together by the National Library Act (1965). In 1980, the Archive of New Zealand Music was established at the suggestion of New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn. In 1985, the General Assembly Library separated from the National Library and is now part of the Parliamentary Service and known as the Parliamentary Library. Staff and collections from 14 different sites around Wellington were centralised in a new National Library building, officially opened in August 1987. The architecture of the building is said to have been heavily influenced by design of the Boston City Hall, but direct reference to the Birmingham Central Library should not be ruled out. In 1988, the National Library became an autonomous government department where previously it had been administered by the Department of Education. The same year, the Librar...

  Kete  gathers reviews and news about books, authors, events and awards in Aotearoa. Kete forages weekly so you don’t have to. Stay up-to-date with all the latest releases. Read new book reviews every week. Find your next book event or festival. Lose yourself in the books of Aotearoa and find a new favourite. Check out the news from the world of books.  Sign up  for regular news and updates.  Kete is an independent website devoted to helping readers discover the latest books in Aotearoa. It’s brought to you by the  Coalition for Books , a collaborative organisation that develops initiatives and creates opportunities for the authors, publishers, booksellers and festivals that make up Aotearoa’s literary eco-system.

 

Here's a book about a decidely ordinary child.  No special talents, no special powers.  Nothing to see here.  Move on... Hold on, just one minute! Ok, so Midmost Marvin is decidedly average . . . and that's in every respect.   "...Not gushingly good, nor bullishly bad. "Marvin was average, medium, bland. Not suspiciously small.  Not overly grand." "...Mid-level, moderate in everyway ...well, almost"  Skateboarding. He's great at that.  Not that anyone really cares.   But when Marvin is bowled over by the new girl, Millie - colourful, bubbly and quirky.  It turns out Millie is an ace on the board, too.  And she has the look.  Her board is bright purple.  She has funky hair.  And she has a spider tattoo on the side of her neck.  She's super cool!  Marvin falls head over heals. "She was spontaneously sassy; she was riotous fun. Without a doubt Midmost Marvin knew that she was the one."  Elsewhere, Ma...

Cashing in or documenting an historic and unprecedented moment - The Covid Chronicles is a 'boots on the ground' record from those that were there at the begining. Oh, hang on, wasn't that us too?  For the first time in history, on 15 March 2020 the New Zealand government closed the country's borders. What followed was a story unprecedented in almost every way imaginable.  Featuring comments and quotes from Finance Minister Grant Robertson, science communicator Siouxsie Wiles, Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult, funeral directors Francis and Kaiora Tipene, Student Volunteer Army founder Sam Johnson, the Prime Minister's Chief Science Adviser Juliet Gerrard, businesswoman Jenene Crossnan and Auckland City Missioner Chris Farrelly - from a kura kaupapa principal to real estate agents: The Covid Chronicles is a multi-stranded account of one of the most extraordinary times in Aotearoa's history, and the lessons we must heed for our future. When this book landed in the mail...

The Bodleian Library is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library. Together, the Bodleian Libraries hold over 13 million printed items. First opened to scholars in 1602, it incorporates an earlier library built by the University in the 15th century to house books donated by Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester. The Humfrey library featured in the Harry Potter SeriesSince 1602 it has expanded, slowly at first but with increasing momentum over the last 150 years, to keep pace with the ever-growing accumulation of books, papers and other materials, but the core of the old buildings has remained intact. It's collection boasts a copy of every book ever produced, over 4 million to date.  It includes some of the most significant and precious, including the Magna Carta (four copies), The Vernon Manuscript (Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Eng. poet.a.1), the longest and most important surviving manuscript written in Middle English, a...