Library Notes 19 June 2020
Published on June 19, 2020
Top 10 Fiction
Into the raging sea: thirty-three mariners, one megastorm and the sinking of the El Faro by Rachel Slade
Tasting the past: recipes from the Middle Ages to the Civil War by Jacqui Wood
The family travel handbook
Secrets in Montana: A True Story by Vickie and Linda Dyar
Miniscapes by Clea Cregan
Dog dilemmas: the dog's-eye view on tackling pet problems by Sophie Collins
Coke by Jeremy Scott
Victory at Gate Pā? by Buddy Mikaere
Amazing boat journeys
Harry Potter knitting magic : the official Harry Potter knitting pattern book by Tanis Gray
Cooking: active relaxation
Pam Coleman Community Engagement Librarian
I once found a gem of a cookbook (if we can even call it that) at a Girl Guide fundraising book sale. It was called, rather patronisingly, A Man, A Can, A Plan: 50 Great Guy Meals Even You Can Make. All of the recipes involve canned foods; one of my favourites, found in the “Vegetables” section, is a mushroom meatloaf. There is also an entire section devoted to recipes that involve a can of spaghetti. There’s even a whole series including “A Man, A Can, A Tailgate Plan” and “…: A Second Helping.” Surprisingly, the magazine Men’s Health, edited this and put their name on it, which as the title suggests, is fairly out of character. If I had bought this for my husband, he might have been have been mildly amused by it. But, he would gag at the very IDEA of this as an actual cook book. It was just too gimmicky and sexist to have enough substance to warrant actual money be spent on it so I believe it was destined to remain circulating in book sales and op shops for eternity.
Disclaimer: My husband is one of the best cooks I know. We play to our strengths in our house so he does all of the cooking. Many of my female friends are surprised or jealous of this fact, but there are two very good reasons for it. Firstly I do have to admit, I am not a cook. My kids do look forward to my one speciality – chicken wraps (chicken nuggets, salad and you guessed it! Tortillas.) More importantly, my husband finds cooking relaxing. It’s his downtime, and a bridge between work and home. He puts on his music, cranks up the volume, cracks open a beer and kitchen is his kingdom.
As the All Black great Sir John Kirwan says in his work with the mental health website depression.org.nz, one of the things you can do to find wellbeing is to actively relax. What does he mean by active relaxation? It’s choosing activities with the idea of being productive, yet contribute to a deep sense of well-being, centeredness, calm, and good health. This week is Men’s Health Week and the campaign organisers promises no preaching, no blaming, and no guilt. Instead they want to help us understand some of the things we need to be doing to keep our health good and to enable us to enjoy the lives we lead. So while I may be accused of being a bad mother, bad wife or lazy librarian I am encouraging my better half to enjoy good life/work balance and positive mental health. Seriously though, it’s something, many of us struggle with, so the Men’s Health week and Sir John Kirwan’s message is an important one to listen to and act on.
So the moral of the story is, pop into the library and find some great cookery books and magazines (including Men’s Health). There is an amazing plethora of easy to challenging recipes to be found on our shelves to inspire you and unsuprisingly, a lot of them are written by men!
Me? I’ll stick to A Man, A Can, A Plan: 50 Great Guy Meals Even You Can Make.
What’s on?
Exhibitions
Matariki – Deep Space: A View of the Stars and Beyond, by Dr Stephen Chadwick, Friday 5 June to Sunday 23 August, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom
Heritage room:
The Heritage rooms at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō are manned by volunteers 10am-12.30 pm Monday to Saturday and Wednesday and Thursday afternoons 1.00pm – 3.00pm. Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom Heritage Room has the Research librarian available all day every Friday.
Friday 19 June
Friday Concert: Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō 12pm
Sunday 21 June
Family Time in the Youth Space: Giant board games, craft activities and family fun in the Youth Space every Sunday from 1pm to 4pm. Come on in with the whānau!
Jazz Jam: Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō 2pm
Tuesday 23 June:
JP Service: Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō 11.30am-1.30pm
Wednesday 24 June:
Social crochet and coffee club: Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō 10.30am
Quiz Night: Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō 7pm $5
Thursday 25 June:
Made to Sew: Learn some new skills and develop the confidence to use our sewing machines for your own, un-tutored projects. Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō Youth Space 10am – 12pm
Friday 26 June:
Friday Concert: Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō 12pm