Palmerston North Libraries have plenty to keep you entertained over the holidays

Author Catherine Robertson will be at Palmy's Central Library on July 19.

The inimitable Catherine Robertson will be speaking at Central Library on July 19 at 5.30pm.

Catherine is not only a bestselling author, she has done pretty much everything it’s possible to do in literature. She has taught creative writing, run a bookshop, appeared regularly on Jesse Mulligan’s RNZ show, helped organise literary festivals, and more.

Catherine will discuss why she switched to writing romance, a genre which manages to be both incredibly popular and incredibly undervalued as a form of literature. There are so many myths about romance. Catherine would like to bust some.

As well as her author talk, Catherine will also be running a workshop on July 20, about the different ‘paths to publication’ an author can take.

Did you know there’s a series of talks co-hosted by the City Library with the Royal New Zealand Engineer Charitable Trust / Engineer Corps Memorial Centre? There’s a monthly midday series, and an evening series. At the audio and video archive on the NZ Sappers website, you can access previous talks and slides.

Coming up on Thursday, July 11 at midday, there’s a talk by Rear Admiral (Rtd) David Ledson, RNZN, former Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy, about the Normandy landings of June 6, 1944. These talks are free, and open to all.

Each of the library locations are geared up to help keep your kids entertained during the July school holidays. From Canine Friends visits, to Beanstack challenges, to storytime sessions, there’s something for everyone. Plus the Library is involved with Pop Up Play sessions again, featuring things like a story walk, giant Lego, juggling, and an exploration of Ahimate Park’s play areas. The library is also just a cool place to hang out – grab a book, find a comfy spot, and chill out.

There’s a new reading group at Central Library called The Same Page. Brought to you in partnership with The Reading Revolution – an organisation that encourages shared reading sessions in an effort to improve inclusion, relaxation, and improved mental health. Experience the fun of shared reading. It’s like having a live-action audio-book right in front of you. Enjoy short stories and poetry read aloud over a cuppa. Everything provided, everyone welcome at 10.30am, second Monday of every month, at Central Library.

Central Library hours are getting a small tweak, based on the times when more people want to use it. So, from July 3, Sunday hours will be extended and Central will be open from 12 noon till 4pm. That’s an extra weekend hour to enjoy the library, hang out in the wonderful spaces, and grab some lovely books. To balance this out, Wednesday hours will move to 10am-6pm. The rest of the weekdays keep the opening time of 9am. Since more people have free time on the weekend, hopefully this will make it easier to enjoy the library.

Te Pātikitiki Library holds a regular quiet hour on Thursdays from 10am to 12 noon. That’s right, two quiet hours for the price of one! (Just to be clear, it’s free.) The aim is to provide a library experience that minimises noise and other sources of sensory overload. It is aimed at people who are neurodivergent – an umbrella term for people with autism, ADHD and other sensory-processing conditions. Music will be turned off, lighting will be turned down, and the general library hubbub will be minimised. Pop along and see if you like it.

Until next month, keep on reading, booklovers.