Haere mai, Afio mai, Welcome to my monthly musings on my library world. As you can tell from the title I am quite fond of alliteration. Not a bad quirk to have though. I am going to share with you some of my favourite things across a range of formats and a few thoughts along the way. A bit like a lolly mixture from your local library.

One of the things I really enjoy sharing is quotes. In fact…..I collect them. Words have so much power. Each month I will share a great quote excerpt from a book.

“But that’s the beauty of a book. It can take you places you can’t visit on your own, lets you meet people and see things you can’t in real life.”

- The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins

My favourite book this month is Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano. Twelve year old Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash which takes the lives of his family and makes him an immediate national celebrity, whilst grappling with his loss and memories of other passengers on the flight. His friendship with a new neighbour is what saves him and really is the back bone of the story. Despite the tragedy and depth of emotion this is still an uplifting book. It delves into how everybody deals with the event, which is a fascinating insight and reflection of real life. We all react differently and cope in our own ways.

My favourite movie this month is Hibiscus and Ruthless. No Going Out and No Boyfriends. Hibiscus' obedience towards her Mother's rules gets put to the test in her final year of University. As guys start to go all out to impress Hibiscus, she asks her childhood friend Ruth aka Ruthless, to help keep her on the straight and narrow. I laughed so hard at times that I cried. The Pasifika influenced humour is outstanding. I loved that at the heart of the film was bonds between strong women navigating their way forward.

Te reo phrase for the month:

He tino makariri.

It is very cold.

Noho ora mai!