Get ready for a month of great local reads and insightful author talks as We Read Auckland / Ka Pānui Tātou Tāmaki Makaurau returns for 2024.
We Read Auckland / Ka Pānui Tātou Tāmaki Makaurau is Auckland Council Libraries’ annual celebration of local writers and readers, with plenty of ways to engage with your local library for the month of August.
Check out the new Bestie Collection, a selection of 16 must-read local stories, without the wait; book a writing workshop for rangatahi; and head along to free author talks with the Bestie authors, including Michael Bennett, Saraid de Silva and more!
Councillor Richard Hills is excited for Aucklanders to get involved in We Read Auckland.
“This festival is a showcase of what Tāmaki Makaurau is reading and talking about right now and is a great opportunity to spend more time in our excellent network of libraries,” he says.
“We Read Auckland is a fantastic way to present stories, inspire future writers, and share a deep love of reading and writing in the heart of our communities – our libraries.”
The hugely popular Bestie Collection with multiple copies of each title, will be available in every Auckland Council Library from 1 August. Borrowers can skip the holds queue and read them right away.
Auckland Council’s Head of Library and Learning Services, Catherine Leonard, encourages all to check out this year’s Bestie Collection titles.
“Last year, our inaugural Bestie Collection proved to be a huge success with eight of the 2023 titles featuring in the top 20 most checked out books of the year,” she says.
“This year, we have curated a set of 16 titles that covers a wide range of topics and interests, showcasing some of the most in demand books in Tāmaki Makaurau. Head to your local library this August to find your next book obsession.”
From fiction to non-fiction, crime to coming-of-age, these compelling stories feature stories about Auckland or by Aucklanders and offer something to captivate every reader.
To celebrate the collection, Auckland Council Libraries is hosting a stellar line-up of free author discussion sessions, featuring the talented local authors of the Bestie Collection as they share insights on their work.
Hear Michael Bennett and Gavin Strawhan compare notes at Mount Roskill Library on what makes a gripping Kiwi crime caper; listen to the financial experts in a special session from Hannah McQueen and Liam Dann at Glenfield Library; or catch two rising stars of the literary world, Saraid de Silva and Shilo Kino, in conversation at Studio One Toi Tū in Ponsonby, and more!
Other not-to-be-missed events featuring Jude Dobson, Niki Bezzant and Matt Heath are taking place throughout the month, check out the full list of author talks here to reserve your spot.
We Read Auckland / Ka Pānui Tātou Tāmaki Makaurau runs from 1 – 31 August. For more information, head to: aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/WeReadAKL.
