New books on display at Hurunui District Library from 22 Dec – 29 Dec

 

 

 

 ”The haunting” by Alan Titchmarsh”

How can the mysterious disappearance of Anne Flint in 1816 and the drowning of a young girl in a chalk stream so long ago possibly affect the life of schoolteacher Harry Flint some two centuries later? Having left his job and with a failed marriage behind him, Harry begins to research his ancestors. The deeper he digs, the more he realises that the past is closer than he had ever imagined. The Haunting is a story of love and betrayal, intrigue and murder. Where people are not what they seem, and the past is no more predictable than the future…[Cover]

 

 

 

“All fall down : Christchurch’s lost chimneys” by Geoff Rice

A house without a chimney doesn’t really look like a home. Yet thousands of Christchurch houses no longer have a chimney after the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. The streets look strangely different without their familiar vertical accents. While this book was prompted by the Christchurch earthquake of September 2010, its author has long had a fascination with chimneys. He grew up in the smoggy Christchurch of the 1950s, not far from the Gasworks, and brick chimneys were all around him, both industrial and domestic, silhouetted against the red winter sunsets. He then noted the variety of British and European chimney pots seen on his travels, and realised that Christchurch had its own unique type, the Homebush pot. The book was first written over the summer of 2010, but then came the devastating February 2011 earthquake, with serious loss of life, and text and photographs alike had to be revisited. Many of the chimneys photographed after September were destroyed in February. This book is a visual history of Christchurch chimneys – domestic, commercial and industrial, most of which no longer exist. While noting the quirky and unusual, it also attempts to document the typical styles of successive periods, from late Victorian to Art Deco and the latest versions on new houses that serve as reminders of the diverse heritage of the European chimney. [Cover]

 

 

 

“11.22.63.” by Stephen King

What if you could go back in time and change the course of history?  What if the watershed moment you could change was the JFK assassination?  11/22/63, the date that Kennedy was shot – unless …King takes his protagonist Jake Epping, a high school English teacher from Lisbon Falls, Maine, 2011, on a fascinating journey back to 1958 – from a world of  mobile phones and iPods to a new world of Elvis and JFK, of Plymouth Fury cars and Lindy Hopping, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life – a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time. With extraordinary imaginative power, King weaves the social, political and popular culture of his baby-boom American generation into a devastating exercise in escalating suspense. [Cover]

 

 

 

 “Summits and shadows” by Graham Langton

Mountaineering in New Zealand has a long and proud history of discovery, endeavour and success. One of its most significant pioneers was Jack Clarke, who from 1893 to 1914 climbed, guided, explored and organised trips into the mountains. Just a youngster when he made the first ascent of New Zealand’s greatest peak, Aoraki Mt Cook, Clarke’s activity encompassed the full breadth of mountaineering. This humble, quietly spoken man was one of our foremost alpine guides before the First World War, and as the first Chief Guide at the Hermitage he set the pattern of guiding for many years to come. As a climber he made many first ascents, and while working on the Geological Survey and leading other expeditions he also explored uncharted valleys and ranges throughout the South Island. This mountain man played a major part in the development of New Zealanders’ knowledge of their own country, and of mountaineering as a magnificent pursuit. [Cover]

 

 

 

 “I am half-sick of shadows” by Alan Bradley

With the family finances in a parlous state, Colonel de Luce has, with deep misgivings, rented Buckshaw to a film company for a location shooting.  Naturally enough, director, crew and stars do nothing to endear themselves to  the household – especially the servants – until, when a heavy snowfall cuts off Bishop’s Lacey from the rest of the world, the actors are talked into staging a benefit performance in the parish hall.  But old jealousies surface, and the leading lady is murdered. Flavia, who has been enlisted to help out behind the scenes, finds herself up to her knees in snow – and murder! [Cover]

 Other titles on display this week :

“The broken book” by Fiona Farrell

“The NZ flower garden” by Rachel Vogan

“The house of silk” by Anthony Horowitz

“Letter from a stranger” by Barbara Taylor Bradford

“Christmas magic” by Cathy Kelly

“Awakening” by William Horwood

“Coming of the storm” by W. Michael Gear & kathleen O’Neal Gear

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

 Avril