Author: Charlotte Brontë Published: 1840s Genres: Bildungsroman (novel about growth or morality, education etc.), Classic, Gothic, Romance By: Alexandrina Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I loved Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is a romance novel which mixes with various other genres such as coming-of-age and gothic. It was published by the author Charlotte Bronte in the 1840s under the male pseudonym Currer Bell. The novel describes the life of a girl … Continue reading Book Review: Jane Eyre
Author: N.H. Kleinbaum Published: 1988 Genres: Coming of age, Fiction, Poetry, YA By: Catherine Dead Poets Society a well-written and executed novel by N.H Kleinbaum, embarks you on a journey of friendship-brotherhood, self-discovery, bittersweet tragedy, conformity vs individualism, and romance. Todd Anderson, a timid, woke, and somewhat reserved 16-year-old boy transfers to Welton Academy. A private, disciplined, academy for boys’, where he meets his permanent dorm roommate, Neil Perry, a charismatic, passionate, and charming boy, and his friend group of somewhat rebellious and intelligent boys. Despite stark contrast to himself, they quickly become friends. Welton Academy is infamous … Continue reading Book Review: Dead Poets Society
Author: R.F. Kuang Published: 2025 Genres: Dark Academia, Fantasy By: Maya Star Rating: 4/5 stars Katabasis by RF Kuang is a novel that one can only describe as addictive. The novel, entitled after Greek word Katabasis, directly translates to “descending” and follows Alice Law and Peter Murdoch’s descent into Hell. The main characters, both of which are graduate students at Cambridge, aim to retrieve the soul of their … Continue reading Book Review: Katabasis
Author: Gaston Leroux Published: 1910 Genres: Gothic Literature, Horror, Romance By: Lucinda Star Rating: 5/5 stars In the gothic heart of Paris in the late 1800s, Gaston Leroux transports us to a time of beauty, glamour and romance but with a touch of the sinister, the melancholy, the cursed. The Phantom of the Opera follows the strange occurrences in the Paris Opera House once the new managers take … Continue reading Book Review: The Phantom of Opera
Author: Lily Braun-Arnold Published: 2025 Genres: Dystopia, LGBT+, Romance, YA By: Jess Star Rating: 4/5 stars It has happened. The world has ended. Ripped apart by storms and acid rain, Liz has nothing left, except for her bookstore. For a year she has lived here, trading books and passing mail, never venturing outside of the bookstore’s safety. She wasn’t always alone, but old friends left for survival, for new possibilities, for a … Continue reading Book Review: The Last Bookstore on Earth
Our last display of the term is up and looking fantastic! Quite poetic even, you could say! This display was inspired in part to celebrate World Poetry Day in mid-March. The idea was simple – make a poem out of book spines, well done to all the student librarians and staff who contributed and let their creativity fly! #SpinePoetry #TryItOut! Thank you to our wonderful … Continue reading Māpuna Library’s: Spine Poetry 2026!
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day we put together a slightly different display, with a collection of fantastic Irish authors, green books and a play on words – books written by Patrick’s or Pat’s! #St.Patrick’sDay #BooksbyPatsorPatricks Continue reading Māpuna Library’s: St. Patrick’s Day 2026!
Our first display of 2026 is up and running! To celebrate February with Blind Date a Book! The idea was simple – wrap up a selection of books and describe the novel in 3 words! And see if the students are encouraged to take one out! #BlindDateABook #TakeOneOut Thank you to our wonderful Library Team who put together this display and contniued to wrap up … Continue reading Māpuna Library’s: Blind Date a Book 2026!
Author: Tahereh Mafi Published: November, 2011 Genres: Dystopia, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, YA By: Alexandrina Tahereh Mafi’s debut novel, Shatter Me, is a bold and imaginative work of young adult dystopian fiction that explores themes of isolation, identity, and the burden of power. The novel revolves around Juliette Ferrars, a teenage girl whose touch is fatal and whose life has been controlled by the authoritarian regime known as the … Continue reading Book Review: Shatter Me
To celebrate the end of the year and the arrival of summer, our Summer’s coming display! The student librarians chose some of their favourite reads to display as well as some recommended books that were wrapped up so you didn’t know what you were going to get! #SummerIsComing #MysteryReads #ReadOverTheHolidays Thanks to a group of our student librarians who worked together to collect books and … Continue reading Māpuna Library’s: Summer Reading 2025!
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