New books on display at Hurunui District Library from 26 Mar – 2 Apr

 “Rita Angus : an artist’s life” by Jill Trevelyan

Rita Angus (1908-70) was one of New Zealand’s most loved and respected artists. Landscapes and portraits such as Cass, Central Otago, and Rutu have become national icons. But until now, Angus’s life has remained a mystery. In this fascinating book, Jill Trevelyan (editor of Toss Woollaston: A Life in Letters) paints a vivid picture of Rita Angus the person – curious and forthright, staunchly pacifist and feminist, and wholly dedicated to her art. Stunning artworks, personal photographs, and insightful letters help bring Angus’s colourful and complex story to life. [Cover]

 “Leaving the world” by Douglas Kennedy

Aged thirteen, Jane makes a vow to herself and to her feuding parents – she will never marry, have children and lead the resentful life they chose. Years later, now a Harvard professor and living with Theo, a filmmaker, Jane falls unexpectedly pregnant. Resolved as she’s been to childlessness, she begins to warm to the idea of motherhood, even with a partner who is increasingly absent. But a devastating turn of events takes the decision out of her hands in a way she could never have predicted. Her familiar world torn apart, Jane feels forced to leave her old life behind, and piece by piece begins to destroy the little that is left. She resigns from her job, cuts all ties with friends and family and moves to a place where no one will find her. Isolated, she feels she has finally succeeded in leaving her world. Yet when a young girl disappears, prompting a high-profile police investigation, Jane is drawn in. Convinced that the person at the heart of the case is much closer to her new community than anyone realises, she has to make a decision – stay hidden or bring to light a shocking truth. [Cover]

 

 

“Up the duff : the real guide to pregnancy” by Kaz Cooke

The new edition of Up the Duff is out now, with all the favourite features including week-by-week info on what’s happening to you and the baby and Hermoine’s hilarious pregnancy diary, plus new stuff for blokes, all the latest on medical tests including when to have them and why, what you need to know if you’re trying to get pregnant and what to do if it’s not happening, help with feelings about post-baby body image and sex, and all the latest medical and emotional help you need, including stacks of recommended websites, contacts and books on special issues. [Cover] 

 

 

 ”Devils on horses” by Terry Kinloch

Reunited with their horses in Egypt after the shattering experience of Gallipoli, the Anzac mounted riflemen and light horsemen were initially charged with the defence of the Suez Canal, then with the clearance of the Sinai peninsula, and finally with the destruction of the Turkish armies in Palestine and Syria. At last they could pursue the style of warfare for which they had been trained: on horseback. The First World War battlefields in the Middle East have long been overshadowed by those of Gallipoli and the Western Front. Yet the story of the mounted riflemen in Sinai and Palestine is a truly fascinating one. Using the soldiers’ original letters and diaries wherever possible, Kinloch vividly describes every battle and skirmish in the long campaign against the Turks: the crucial Battle of Romani, the defeats at Bir el Abd, Gaza and Amman, and the successes at Beersheba, Ayun Kara and elsewhere. He explains the reality of tactical operations in the harsh desert environment, the ever-present necessity of securing water for the precious horses and the remorseless tenacity of the enemy. The horses play a major part in the story, but of the thousands of faithful animals involved, only one would ever return home after the war. Devils on Horses is a gripping read that offers new information about a theatre of war that has been overlooked for decades. Based on original research and drawing from letters, diaries, published memoirs and interview records of nearly 60 New Zealanders, it is sure to be the standard reference work on New Zealand’s Middle East campaign for years to come. [Cover] 

 

 “The china garden” by Kristina Olsson

The China Garden follows three protagonists over a 2-week period that culminates in a shocking event that affects them all. Fifty-year-old Laura has come home from Italy to bury her mother Angela and get her affairs in order. However, she has an unexpected surprise waiting for her until Angela’s death, Laura had believed she was an only child, but the will has made allowance for a brother she had never known, adopted out at birth. In another part of town, 70-year-old Cress is grieving the loss, not only of Angela, but of her own faith. She consoles herself with irregular thefts from the op shop where she volunteers: an old wedding dress, a silver fork, small pictures of the Virgin Mary. Somewhere among these things, she knows, she will relocate faith, she will fend off fear. Kieran, the watcher, sees them both. Kieran is a gatherer of information, a 30-year-old quiz show addict who failed junior school but is good at other kinds of knowing; who knits his world together with cunningly garnered facts and lovingly stored information. As the tragic event looms, it pierces and links the lives of the three characters. [Cover]

 

To reserve any of these items please contact your local library or email info@hurunuilibraries.govt.nz

 

Avril

 

 

New books on display at Hurunui District Library from 19 March – 26 March

 “Pacific jewellery and adornment” by Roger Neich

This magnificent book showcases more than 250 of the finest examples of traditional jewelry from the Pacific. Myriad designs and materials, including jade, whale teeth and bone, shark teeth, tapa, shells, and plant fibers, are woven together in a skillful combination of color and craftsmanship. Apart from their beauty, these personal items also convey information about power, status, and community. Their significance, the ceremonies in which they are worn, and the messages they convey are explored in an illuminating introductory essay. [Cover]

 ”In the frame” by Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren has been an internationally acclaimed actress and the recipient of many awards, transferring between stage, cinema and television for over 40 years. Known in her youth for a forthright style, a liberated attitude and a bohemian outlook, she has never ceased to be out of the public eye, with legions of admiring fans all over the world. This illustrated memoir is an account of an extraordinary talent, and a life well lived. Helen’s aristocratic Russian grandfather, Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov, a military man, was sent to London by the Czar and found himself stranded and penniless by the Bolshevik revolution, cut off from the family estate near Smolensk. He brought with him a trunk of papers and photographs. This delightful memoir starts with the contents of the trunk, with evocative pictures of Helen’s Russian antecedents. She has kept a rich seam of photographs and memorabilia from her life, and her parents, family life, childhood, teenage and early years as an actress living in insalubrious flats are vividly documented. Helen’s many distinguished roles in theatre, cinema and television and the illustrious men and women she has encountered are commemorated, as well as her forays into Hollywood and her subsequent life in the United States with her husband, film director Taylor Hackford. Golden Globe and Oscar ceremonies make their appearance, as do many stunning images of Helen by the world’s leading photographers. [Cover]

 

 

 

 “When giants walked the earth” by Mick Wall

Forty years since their formation in a grubby Chinatown basement comes the first truly definitive biography of the world’s most legendary rock band – Led Zeppelin.
They were ‘the last great band of the sixties; the first great band of the seventies’; they rose, somewhat unpromisingly, from the ashes of the Yardbirds to become one of the biggest-selling rock bands of all time. Mick Wall, respected rock writer and former confidant of both Page and Plant, unflinchingly tells the story of the band that wrote the rulebook for on-the-road excess – and eventually paid the price for it, with disaster, drug addiction and death. When Giants Walked the Earth reveals for the first time the true extent of band leader Jimmy Page’s longstanding interest in the occult, and goes behind the scenes to expose the truth behind their much-hyped yet spectacularly contrived comeback at London’s O2 arena last year, and how Jimmy Page plans to bring the band back permanently – if only his former protégé, now part-time nemesis, Robert Plant will allow him to. And Wall also recounts, in a series of flashbacks, the life stories of the five individuals that made the dream of Led Zeppelin into an even more incredible and hard-to-swallow reality: Page, Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, and their infamous manager, Peter Grant. Above all, a book that tells the full, shocking story of Led Zeppelin from the inside, written by someone who has known Jimmy Page for over twenty years, When Giants Walked the Earth is the culmination of several years research. It is based not just on the individual interviews with every member of the band that author Mick Wall has conducted over the years – as well as those who knew and worked with them – but on the insight that only thirty years working in the music business alongside its biggest artists can bring. [Cover]

 “The spies of Sobeck” by Paul Doherty

Paul Doherty’s brilliant new Amerotke novel will take you on a compelling journey into the glory, splendour and corruption of Ancient Egypt. 1477 BC and once again treacherous forces are on the rise in Egypt. Fresh from her victories in the north, Pharaoh Queen Hatusu has returned to Thebes to find sinister threats emerging from neighbouring province, Nubia. The Arites, a secret murderous sect, are waging bloody war against the Pharaoh. Imperial messengers and members of the Medjay, Egypt’s elite army, are disappearing around the Oasis of Sinjar and now Imothep, formerly chief scout for the Spies of Sobeck, has been found strangled in a fortified room at his mansion. The Arites are on the hunt. Will Amerotke, Chief Judge of the Hall of Two Truths, be able to confront this boiling mist of murder and treason, and save Hatusu, before Egypt is overrun by its menacing and dangerous underworld? [Cover]

 

 

 

 “Love me tender” by Max Cryer

Love Me Tender tells the remarkable stories behind 40 popular and traditional songs. Some evolved from folksongs, some are from musical theatre, while others hit the mark because a particular recording appeared at just the right time. In some cases, one word made all the difference: Paul McCartney composed a tune but could only think of the words “scrambled eggs” to fit it, but fortunately he later came up with the perfect solution “Yesterday”. In a book full of surprises and curiosities, Max Cryer reveals stories from all around the world, and from artists as diverse as Marlene Dietrich, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and Elton John. This truly fascinating book makes enthralling reading. Some of the world’s best-loved songs have had remarkable origins. Had Robert Burns not heard an old man sing a quavering version of an ancient Scottish country song, we would never have had “Auld Lang Syne”. Miss Jane Ross wrote down the tune she heard played by a piper at an Irish village fair in 1855. Had she not done so, the rest of the world would not have heard “Danny Boy”. Marie Antoinette heard a peasant nurse sing an obscure lullaby to her princely son. The empress’s unexpected promotion of the song resulted in its now being listed by The Guinness Book of Records as one of the three most familiar songs in the world. [Cover]

 

 

To reserve any of these items please contact your local library or email info@hurunuilibraries.govt.nz

 

Avril

 

 

New books on display at Hurunui District Library from 12 March – 19 March

 “Baby” by Desmond Morris

Renowned zoologist and scholar of human behavior Desmond Morris (The Naked Ape) reveals a baby’s incredible powers of development and extraordinary growth patterns. Through informed text and stunning photographs and artworks, this insightful reference surveys the biology, physics, chemistry and other forces which drive the rapid changes that occur in a baby’s body every day. “Baby” is a discovery tour through a baby’s first two years. The story progresses from the moment of conception through each phase of development in the womb and beyond as the baby is born and matures into a talking, walking individual with a unique personality. Chapters are organized by both stage and type of growth. The book features 250 large and beautiful color photographs and illustrations in an innovative layout that invites both browsing and study. Full-color tracing paper overlays illustrate the many intricacies of infant anatomy. Throughout the book, retrospective glimpses of life in the womb remind the reader of the profound influence of those first nine months. [Cover]

 ”The hunter’s wife” by Katherine Scholes

Mara, a young Australian, falls deeply in love with John, a big-game hunter who lives on the spectacular grasslands of East Africa. He promises everything Mara is looking for, and she joins him there, full of hopes and dreams. But three short years later, their safari lodge is in trouble – and so, too, is their marriage. When a Hollywood movie crew descends to film on location, Mara knows this could be the lodge’s salvation. The success of the shoot depends on her, and she thrives on her sudden responsibility and independence. But she also finds herself dangerously attracted to the film’s leading man. A poignant love story set against the breathtaking backdrop of Tanzania, “The Hunter’s Wife” explores a young woman’s heartfelt struggle to reconcile duty and desire. Amid the gritty reality of the hunter’s world and the make-believe realm of the film-maker, Mara finds that passion must be measured against courage, and that fate will reward the brave. [Cover] 

 

 

 “The anatomy of wings” by Karen Foxlee

Ten-year-old Jennifer Day lives in a small mining town full of secrets. Trying to make sense of the sudden death of her teenage sister Beth, she looks to the adult world around her for answers. As she recounts the final months of Beth’s life, Jennifer sifts through the lies and the truth, but what she finds are mysteries, miracles and more questions. Was Beth’s death an accident? Why couldn’t Jennifer – or anyone else – save her? Through Jennifer’s eyes, we see one girl’s failure to cross the threshold into adulthood. We see a family slowly falling apart. In this award-winning novel, Karen Foxlee captures perfectly the essence of growing up in a small town and the complexities and absurdities of family life. [Cover] 

 

 

 ”In my chair” byJohn Gillies

A collection of painted and pen-sketched portraits of Cantabrians, selected by John to celebrate the special qualities of people typical of those who live in this unique province. Drawing from the backgrounds and personal anecdotes of each of John’s subjects, Christchurch writer and actor David McPhail has assisted John in bringing them to life in these pages. [Cover]

“The mythic bestiary” by Tony Allan

Dragons and firebirds, fairies and orcs: these are just a few of the residents of The Mythic Bestiary. A whole menagerie of make-believe beings from the earth, water, and air inhabit these stunningly written and eye-catching pages, from Japan’s Yukki-onna, a beautiful but deadly spirit who appeared to stranded travelers, to the two-headed venomous snake Amphisbaena, which hailed from the imagination of the Greek poet Nicander. Many are hybrids such as the Quetzalcoatl, the Aztecs’ gorgeous combination of serpent and bird; others, more monstrous, tested the mettle of ancient heroes. A few, like the gigantic winged lion, lammasu served as guardian angels, warding against evil spirits. This guide gives not only a taxonomy of size, appearance, habitat, and powers, but also provides vivid descriptions of the cultures that produced them. [Cover]

 

 

  

To reserve any of these items please contact your local library or email info@hurunuilibraries.govt.nz

 

Avril

New books on display at Hurunui District Library from 5 March – 12 March

 ”Eat fresh : cooking throught the seasons” by Annabel Langbein

We all know that food tastes best when it is grown and eaten in its own natural season. Few of us have the opportunity to grow our own food, but increasingly we desire to eat sustainably, and enjoy food at its natural best. Eat fresh – cooking through the seasons, delivers Annabel’s signature style of accessible, simple yet stylish food, and brings a new freshness and flair to the way we cook and eat today. In this beautiful book, which takes a journey through the season’s harvests, Annabel draws on her own gardens as a source of cooking inspiration, and working with the palette of seasonal fresh flavours, produces fresh and delicious dishes around the season’s offerings. Packed with culinary inspiration, this book shares useful tips on produce including growing, handling and nutrition. In addition, Annabel shares many ideas around sustainable ways of living and eating.Eat fresh – cooking through the seasons, connects us to the rhythms of nature and allows the enjoyment of eating fresh seasonal fare at its very best. [Cover]

 

 

 

 “Who’s that girl” by Alexandra Potter

If only you knew then what you know now! Imagine if you could meet your 21-year-old self — would you recognise her? And what advice would you give? Wear sunscreen! Back away from those PVC trousers? DON’T give that idiot your phone number? Lemon juice won’t bleach your hair — it just attracts wasps! For Charlotte Merryweather, there’s no need to imagine. She’s about to find out for real. With surprising consequences! Alexandra Potter’s deliciously funny and enchanting tale looks at life, love and what might happen if you could turn back time. [Cover]

 

 

 “The widows of Eastwick’ by John Updike

Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie return to the old Rhode Island seaside town where they indulged in wicked mischief under the influence of the diabolical Darryl Van Horne. Darryl is gone, and their lovers of the time have aged or died, but enchantment remains in the familiar streets and scenery of the village, where they enjoyed their lusty primes as free and empowered women. And, among the local citizenry, there are still those who remember them, and wish them ill. How they cope with the lingering traces of their evil deeds, the shocks of a mysterious counterspell, and the advancing inroads of old age are at the heart of Updike’s delightful, ominous sequel. [Cover]

 

 

 “Tea time for the traditionally built’ by Alexander McCall Smith

Mma Ramotswe is widely known for many things; for example, everybody knows about her kindness and her taste for redbush tea and cake – she is after all traditionally built. Everybody is familiar, too, with her tiny white van, which is beginning to feel its age. Are its difficulties to be terminal, or will Charlie, the feckless garage apprentice, be able to save the day? Mma Makutsi certainly thinks the van’s days are numbered, but she can do little to help, as she is experiencing a crisis in her engagement to Phuti Radiphuti. A scheming woman – the pernicious Violet Sephotho – has obtained a job at Phuti’s store, clearly intending to prise him away from Mma Makutsi. And Charlie has to deal with a young lady with a baby who she claims is his responsibility. Is all this enough to unsettle Mma Ramotswe? Certainly not! Calm reflection, and frequent cups of tea, will be enough to solve even the most trying of problems. [Cover]

  “Toi ora : ancestral maori treasures” by Arapata Hakiwai and Huhana Smith

This exceptional book highlights over 120 taonga tuku iho (ancestral Maori treasures) from Te Papa’s collections. Rich images of these precious objects, are accompanied by stories from the artists who created the taonga, the people who used them in daily life, and their living descendants. Items include traditional carvings, weapons, waka huia (treasure containers), jewellery, and taonga such as puppets used by tohunga (ritual experts) and tools for tā moko (customary skin marking). Maps, diagrams, and additional photographs – both archival and contemporary – elaborate on the making of the taonga, and elucidate Maori life, art, and beliefs. [Cover]

To reserve any of these items please contact your local library or email info@hurunuilibraries.govt.nz

 

Avril