New books on display at Hurunui District Library from 29 Oct – 5 Nov

 ”New Zealand sculpture : A history” by Michael Dunn

The first important study of sculpture in New Zealand – well received by art lovers and educational institutions alike on its publication in 2002 – is now back in print in an updated edition. For the new edition, Dunn has added a chapter, ‘Crisis of Identity: Sculpture since 2000′, in which he discusses New Zealand sculpture’s international reach, its role at Venice Biennales and the importance of overseas-based New Zealand sculptors such as Francis Upritchard and Ronnie van Hout. Dunn also sees a new popularity for sculpture with the establishment of several outdoor sculpture walks. The book now charts the growth of sculpture from the era of British imports and influence to the more confident art of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It includes a general bibliography and reading lists for each major artist and fourteen new colour plates have been added to the original 76 black and white figures and 92 colour plates. [Cover]

 “Living as a moon” by Owen Marshall 

Set in both Europe and the Antipodes, these twenty-five stories are at once arresting, moving, funny and full of insight into human condition. This new collection of stories from master short fiction writer Owen Marshall is rich in people exploring their identities and how they are affected by others. There’s Patrick, whose life is radically alerted by a random encounter with a killer; widowed Margaret, who faces a new kind of existence alone; David, who experiences the spontaneous and passing friendship of strange Ian, whose wife’s demands for a better lifestyle lead him to a new career in telephone sex. Set in both Europe and the Antipodes, these twenty-five stories are at once arresting, moving, funny and full of insight into human condition. [Cover]

 “Sleeping with the dead” by Marko Cunningham 

“Today I raced through the streets of Bangkok in my rescue vehicle, extracted an injured man from a truck at the port, then took him to hospital. Shortly after, in another area, I donned a fire suit and breathing apparatus and walked into a flaming building looking for trapped people and ended up rescuing a firefighter who had fallen. Later in the day I went to a house to collect a dead body and took it to the local morgue. I will do the same all night, getting attacked by street dogs, arguing with arrogant and ignorant policemen and nurses, risking being struck by unconcerned and aggressive motorists at every accident I attend, or even shot by a rival group …” This is a normal day for New Zealander Marko Cunningham, the only foreigner to work as a volunteer ambulance officer or ‘bodysnatcher’ in Bangkok, Thailand. This is the story of eight years of his crazy adventures in the happy chaos that is Thailand – involving snakes, gun-toting policemen, bombings, fires, traffic accidents etc – as well as his moving first-person account of working in cadaver recovery and other aid in the popular tourist resort of Phuket, following the 2004 tsunami. [Cover]

 “Shanghai girls” by Lisa See 

May and Pearl, two sisters living in Shanghai in the mid-1930s, are beautiful, sophisticated, and well-educated, but their family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hoping to improve their social standing, May and Pearl’s parents arrange for their daughters to marry “Gold Mountain men” who have come from Los Angeles to find brides. But when the sisters leave China and arrive at Angel’s Island (the Ellis Island of the West) – where they are detained, interrogated, and humiliated for months – they feel the harsh reality of leaving home. And when May discovers she’s pregnant the situation becomes even more desperate. The sisters make a pact that no one can ever know. [Cover]

 “Sea Robber” by Tim Severin 

In his latest adventure Hector Lynch follows his quest for the young Spanish woman, Maria, with whom he has fallen in love. His search takes him and his friends on a nightmare passage around Cape Horn where they come across a small warship entombed on an icefloe, her only crew two skeletons – the captain frozen to death in his cabin and a dog. The corpse is the long-missing brother of a local Spanish governor in Peru. In gratitude for learning his brother’s fate, the governor tells Hector that Maria has moved to the Ladrones, the Thief Islands, on the far side of the Pacific. On the way there, Hector’s ship picks up an emaciated native fisherman adrift on a sinking boat. He dupes his rescuers into thinking that his home is rich in gold. But his poverty-stricken island proves to be the jealousy guarded by a Japanese warlord who treats the visitors as trespassers. Only when Jezreel, the ex-prize fighter, defeats the Japanese swordsman in a duel can they escape. Reaching the Thief Islands, Hector allies with the native people, the Chamorro, to launch a night raid on the Spanish fort and is finally reunited with Maria. But will the young couple ever be able to settle down? As a known sea robber, Hector will only be safe where the law cannot touch him so their journey continues…[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 22 Oct – 29 Oct

  ”Mucking in: the gardens and the gardeners”  by Jim Mora

‘Hi, it’s Jim Mora from Mucking In and we’d love to give you a new garden…’ For nearly 10 years, New Zealanders have been thanking those amazing individuals with the biggest hearts, the most generous natures, and (often) the most neglected gardens, by nominating them for Television One’s premier garden makeover show, Mucking In. And for nearly 10 years Jim and the team, which now includes garden designer Tony Murrell, have been working with communities throughout New Zealand to surprise, amaze and delight viewers and garden recipients alike, as friends, colleagues and neighbours come together to show how much these unsung heroes are cherished and appreciated. To celebrate, Jim and Tony share a selection of highlights, garden designs and tips from the last three series, including some of the behind-the-scenes magic that has transformed gardens for the people who transform others’ lives. [Cover]

 “That old cape magic” by Richard Russo

That Old Cape Magic is a novel of deep introspection and every family feeling imaginable, with a middle-aged man confronting his parents and their failed marriage, his own troubled one, his daughter’s new life and, finally, what it was he thought he wanted and what in fact he has. The storytelling is flawless throughout, moments of great comedy and even hilarity alternating with others of rueful understanding and heart-stopping sadness, and its ending is at once surprising, uplifting and unlike anything this Pulitzer Prize winner has ever written. [Cover]

“From image to stitch” by Maggie Grey

Written especially for those with limited art training and drawing skills, this is a book on designing for textiles. It takes a range of techniques – that don’t include drawing – for design development, such as using computers (quite simple programs), digital cameras and images, photocopiers, tracing paper and copyright-free design books. [Cover]

 “The rapture” by Liz Jensen 

In a merciless summer of biblical heat and destructive winds, Gabrielle Fox’s main concern is a personal one: to rebuild her career as a psychologist after a shattering car accident. But when she is assigned Bethany Krall, one of the most dangerous teenagers in the country, she begins to fear she has made a terrible mistake. Raised on a diet of evangelistic hellfire, Bethany is violent, delusional, cruelly intuitive and insistent that she can foresee natural disasters – a claim which Gabrielle interprets as a symptom of doomsday delusion. But when catastrophes begin to occur on the very dates Bethany has predicted, and a brilliant, gentle physicist enters the equation, the apocalyptic puzzle intensifies and the stakes multiply. Is the self-proclaimed Nostradamus of the psych ward the ultimate manipulator, or could she be the harbinger of imminent global cataclysm on a scale never seen before? And what can love mean in ‘interesting times’? A haunting story of human passion and burning faith set against an adventure of tectonic proportions, The Rapture is an electrifying psychological thriller that explores the dark extremes of mankind’s self-destruction in a world on the brink. [Cover]

  ”The Colony : A history of early Sydney” by Grace Karskens

The Colony is the story of the marvellously contrary, endlessly energetic early years of Sydney. It is an intimate account of the transformation of a campsite in a beautiful cove to the town that later became Australia’s largest and best-known city.
From the sparkling beaches to the foothills of the Blue Mountains, Grace Karskens skilfully reveals how landscape shaped the lives of the original Aboriginal inhabitants and newcomers alike. She traces the ways in which relationships between the colonial authorities and ordinary men and women broke with old patterns, and the ways that settler and Aboriginal histories became entwined. She uncovers the ties between the burgeoning township and its rural hinterland expanding along the river systems of the Cumberland Plain. This is a landmark account of the birthplace of modern Australia, and a fascinating and richly textured narrative of people and place. [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 15 Oct – 22 Oct

 ”Whitebaiters never lie” by Anita Peters & Murray Hedwig

This book documents and celebrates the characters who catch that most-prized Kiwi food – the whitebait. Whitebaiters are a breed apart and photographers Anita Peters and Murray Hedwig have spent over three years travelling the country talking to and photographing New Zealanders about their passion, and documenting the, at times, complex unwritten ‘rules’ that surround it. [Cover]

 “Legendary gems” by Eric Bruton

Gems still exert a powerful influence on the modern world, enlightened though it is said to be: once poverty-stricken, Botswana has recently found sudden wealth under the desert sands, where diamonds have been hiding for a hundred million years. In the Congo, Zaire, and Angola, civil war in our times has been inspired partly by mineral riches. And the rivalry of East and West over the African continent is concerned almost entirely with natural resources.This absorbing and often astonishing history of legendary gems is told with style and wit by expert gemmologist Eric Bruton. Amid legends and intrigue are hard facts about gems – classification, valuation and engraving. Prospecting and mining details, plus the inside (and sometimes sordid) stories of how enormous stones were cut and dispersed in great secrecy, make this book a ‘must’ read for the gemmologist and jeweller. [Cover]

 ”Twisting throttle America” by Mike Hyde

Mike Hyde’s goal was a motorcycle trip – 50 states in America in 60 days, and Twisting Throttle America is the result. This is a classic roadside tale of an ordinary Kiwi bloke doing it alone, on the smell of an oily rag and cholesterol pills.
At Buffalo Bill’s there was all manner of grilled and fried food, and this motorcycling connoisseur had a hard job choosing his burger. I decided to make the meal educational. Many will be wondering about the difference between buffalo and bison. Are they the same animal? The answer is a resounding no! Bison comes with a pickle, lettuce, melted cheese and shoestring fries. With buffalo, you get red onion, no cheese and curly fries. It’s good to be able to clear that up. No sooner had the ointment started to work after Mike Hyde’s 17,000-kilometre motorcycle circumnavigation of Australia than his mid-life itch returned. This time his goal was 50 states in America in 60 days, and Twisting Throttle America is the result – classic roadside tales of an ordinary Kiwi bloke doing it alone, on the smell of an oily rag and cholesterol pills. The Land of the Free is also the Land of the Bizarre Roadside Attraction, and, if Bill Bryson was a middle-aged Kiwi biker on a budget, he might have written this book. Come on a road trip with Twisting Throttle – he’s funny, irreverent and definitely not taking himself seriously. Thrill to close encounters with American wildlife, join his fantasy ride around Washington with Motorcycle One, share the excitement and wet underwear of out-running Hurricane Ike, and enjoy his unforgettable attempts to understand diner waitresses. [Cover]

 “Into the light” by David Eggleton

Into the Light is a serious, but readable history of photography in New Zealand. It provides a comprehensive survey of New Zealand’s most significant photographers and is aimed at a general audience. The photographers featured include early colonial professionals such as the Burton Brothers, George Valentine, and William and Fred Tyree, along with those documenting New Zealand’s burgeoning identity in the Twentieth Century, such as John Pascoe during World War II and the gritty, authentic photography of Les Cleveland. Current senior practioners, such as Marti Friedlander, Peter Peryer, Ans Westra, Anne Noble and Laurence Aberhart all are represented, along with more contemporary practitioners such as Fiona Pardington, Gavin Hipkins and Yvonne Todd. [Cover]

 ”Wildlife of Australia” by Louise Egerton

A magnificently illustrated, authoritative and entertaining compendium of the abundant and unique animals that live on the Australian continent today. There is nothing to beat the extraordinary wildlife of Australia. Its colourful parrots, its venomous snakes, its abundance of hopping marsupials and the strange, egg-laying Platypus – these are just a few of the players in a story that began hundreds of millions of year ago. Many members of Australia’s wildlife live nowhere else on Earth. They are unique, the result of evolution on a continent that has been geographically isolated from the rest of the world for 38 million years. Wildlife of Australia is an account of how these animals have developed in response to changing climates and habitats. It describes their day-to-day habits, where they live, how they find partners and care for their young, and how they protect themselves and find food and shelter. Superbly illustrated with over 550 colour photographs by renowned wildlife photographer Jiri Lochman, the book also contains a list of scientific names, good zoos and wildlife parks, useful websites and books, and a comprehensive glossary. Wildlife of Australia reveals the fascinating worlds of the animals that live all around us on this ancient land but remain largely unnoticed. [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 8 Oct – 15 Oct

 “Practical smallfarming in New Zealand”

This book is an indispensable reference tool for all smallfarmers in New Zealand. It is filled with practical advice on everything smallfarmers need to know – whether living on 10 acres or 100. Enjoying a relaxed rural lifestyle on a small farm is the dream of many New Zealanders. But running a few sheep and goats on even a modest block can be anything but relaxing if you don’t have the farming know-how or experience, and don’t recognise the many problems that can occur with livestock and plants. This book has all the answers. Specifically written for New Zealand conditions, it is filled with practical advice on everything smallfarmers need to know to make their dream a successful reality: How to manage and care for livestock, from sheep and horses to chooks and bees – How to manage pasture and trees – How to integrate the vegetable plot – How to site and build fences, drains, tracks and yards…and so much more! Clear, easily understood diagrams and photographs complement the informed, no-nonsense text, making this book an indispensable reference tool for all smallfarmers. [Cover]

 “The man in the shed : stories” by Lloyd Jones 

A boy watches his mother hooked and reeled ashore by a fisherman. A man builds a swing in the backyard to sit between his wife and her lover. A couple gives up their seat on a bus for lovers soon to be parted. A boy sees his mother come to life gliding on roller skates. Lloyd Jones’s The Man in the Shed is a haunting collection of stories about family and longing. Jones’s extraordinary tales take conventional family situations and tilts them sideways, delivering a memorable, beautiful blend of the suburban and the surreal. [Cover]

 “Divas and dictators” by Charlie Taylor

Supermarket tantrums? Insufferable car journeys? Sibling in-fighting? Bedtimes that last hours? Sound familiar? Behavioural expert Charlie Taylor has the answers in this practical handbook which is full of simple, effective techniques for improving your child’s behaviour. Focusing predominately on the under-fives, Charlie Taylor’s straight-talking, no-nonsense approach guides you away from knee-jerk parenting towards a more proactive and positive relationship with your child. With particular emphasis on the power of praise – the basis of his acclaimed 6:1 strategy – and planning in advance for behaviour hotspots, every parent can break the miserable pattern of constant confrontation and repetitive nagging. With the insights and methods of “Divas and Dictators”, including a handy Troubleshooter’s Guide, every household with young children can quickly transform from havoc to harmony. [Cover]

 ”Noah’s compass” by Anne Tyler 

A year in the life of Liam Pennywell who goes to bed one night and wakes in a hospital unable to remember how he got there and determined to fill in his memory gap. [Cover]

 “The Lassa ward” by Ross Donaldson

Ross Donaldson is one of just a few who have ventured into dark territory of a country ravaged by war to study one of the world’s most deadly diseases. As an untried medical student studying the intersection of global health and communicable disease, Donaldson soon found himself in dangerous Sierra Leone, on the border of war-struck Liberia, where he struggled to control the spread of Lassa Fever. The words, “you know Lassa can kill you, don’t you?” haunted him each day. With the country in complete upheaval and working conditions suffering, he is forced to make life-and-death decisions alone as a never-ending onslaught of contagious patients flood the hospital. Soon however, he is not only fighting for others but himself when he becomes afflicted with a life threatening disease. The Lassa Ward is more than just an adventure story about the making of a physician; it is a portrait of the Sierra Leone people and the human struggle of those risking their daily comforts and lives to aid them. [Cover]

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

 Avril