Pride Month
June 2021 is pride month, a time to celebrate the history and lives of the LGBTQ+ community.
We have compiled a list of books for adults, young people and children that bring together themes of equality, bravery, love and pride.
Although the list could go on and on, here are our top recommendations for adult readers, followed by young adult titles, and books for children:
Recommendations for adults:
• Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward
• What's The T? by Juno Dawson
• On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
• Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
• The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Recommendations for young adults:
• The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
• Love Frankie by Jaqueline Wilson
• Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
• The Outrage by William Hussey
• The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
• Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth
Recommendations for children:
• Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer
• Me, My Dad and The End of the Rainbow by Benjamin Dean
• Uncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen
• Proud of Me by Sarah Hagger-Holt
• Mommy, Mama, and Me by Lesléa Newman
• And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
Let us know what you think of our list and which books you would have included yourself. Remember: you can have a look at these titles and hundreds more on our online library catalogue.
Select and Collect
It has been wonderful to see the community return to our library buildings. Whilst the libraries are open for select browsing, we are still really enjoying putting your Select and Collect orders together. You can browse and reserve items for collection via our online library catalogue at www.aura.wales/flintshire-library-catalogue/
We will just need to know your library membership number, a contact telephone number and email address, your book requests/preferences, and your preferred collection point. If you would like to make an order, please telephone us on 01352 703750, or email us at libraries@aura.wales .
Aura Book Corner
This week's book recommendation comes from Francine at Broughton Library.
She said: "I read a wonderful book not long ago which I heard about at university but never got around to reading: I was desperate to read it and it was brilliant. It's called The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington.
"Carrington was one of the most interesting member of the Surrealists, born to a strict Catholic family in Lancashire. She ran away to Paris when she was 18 with her much older lover, the artist Max Ernst where she became a painter and a writer. She moved to Mexico in 1942 to avoid the war, where she spent the remainder of her life.
"Written in the 1960s The Hearing Trumpet is a quietly radical book with the main character – a 92-year-old lady called Marion Leatherby – living in Mexico and enjoying a quiet life of looking after her cats.
"She dreams of one day going to the North Pole. She is given a special hearing trumpet for her birthday by a friend and soon overhears her stuffy family plotting to commit her to a retirement home.
"She finds herself trapped in this institution full of bureaucrats and rules such as when they eat, when the lights go off at night, and how nobody can leave the premises if they choose, and nobody can visit except at certain pre-approved times.
"Marion conspires to run away with her fellow old ladies at the home and thus begins a wonderfully surreal adventure full of unusual characters and humour, with themes of freedom, independence and liberation.
"It's easy going yet totally original. With a combination of the down-to-earth ruminations of Marion Leatherby combined with the strangeness of the tale, the book is somewhat akin to a grown up Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. I give it an Aura Book Score of 5/5."
The Hearing Trumpet, along with other titles by Leonora Carrington, is available to borrow from your local Aura library. If this book sounds right up your street, why not add it to your next Select and Collect order!
Computer use at your local Aura Library
As a reminder, computers are available to book by phoning the library:
• Broughton Library - 01352 703760
• Buckley Library - 01352 703860
• Connah's Quay Library - 01352 703730
• Flint Library - 01352 703737
• Holywell Library - 01352 703850
• Mold Library - 01352 703780
• Visit us on social media to view our weekly rhyme time or story time sessions, as well as lots of book and audiobook recommendations, plus handy information about our services and the online monthly events we host, including Zoom reading groups for adults and children. We can be found on Facebook at @LlyfrgelloeddAuraLibraries, Instagram at @llyfrgelloeddauralibraries and Twitter at @LibFlintshire.
From everyone here at Aura Libraries, thank you for reading, stay safe and we hope to hear from you or see you soon! Whilst we may be facing difficult times, remember: we are always united by books!
• Aura is a charitable, not-for-profit, organisation responsible for managing the majority of leisure, libraries and heritage services in Flintshire. Aura is owned by its employees and operates for the benefit of local communities.
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