New books on display at the Hurunui District Library from 14 Jan 2010 – 21 Jan 2010

  ‘A dead hand’ by Paul Theroux

“When Jerry Delfont, a travel writer with writer’s block, receives a letter from an American philantropist, Mrs Merrill Unger, with news of a scandal involving an Indian friend of her son’s, he is sufficiently intrigued to pursue the story. Who is the dead boy found on the floor of a cheap hotel room, how and why did he die – and will Delfont, whom Mrs Unger claimes to admire, find out what really happened? Jerry is swiftly captivated by the beautiful, mysterious Mrs Unger, and revived by her Tantric massages, but the circumstances surrounding the dead boy cause him increasingly to doubt the exact nature of her philantropy” [cover].

  ‘Nigella Express’ by Nigella Lawson

“The domestic goddess is back and this time it’s instant – here are fabulous fast foods, ingenious short cuts, terrific time-saving ideas, effortless entertaining and simple scrumptious meals” [cover].

  ‘Stones into schools’ by Greg Mortenson

“In this dramatic story, Greg Mortenson picks up where ‘Three cups of tea’ left off in 2003, recounting his ongoing efforts to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan; his extraordinary work in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan after a massive earthquake hit the region in 2005; and the unique ways he has built relationships with Islamic clerics, militia commanders and tribal leaders, even as he was dodging shoot-outs with feuding Afghan warlords and surviving an eight-day armed abduction by the Taliban. For the first time he shares his broader vision to promote peace through education and literacy – woven together with the many fascinating personal stories of the people who have been involved in this remarkable two-decade humanitarian effort” [cover].

  ‘The pagan stone’ by Nora Roberts

“Gage Turner has been running from his past for a long time. The son of an abusive drunk, his childhood in the small town of Hawkins Hollow had been rough. His only solace was his friendship with Fox O’Dell and Caleb Hawkins. But, when the trio turned ten years old, an innocent boyish ritual accidentally unleashed an ancient evil on their town. Every seven years murder and mayhem reign, events that seem to be escalating with each cycle. Now Gage has returned home to help his friends finally defeat the evil force. Helping them will be Layla Darnell, Quinn Black and Cybil Kinski. Gage finds himself drawn to the smart and savvy Cybil, but a lifetime as a loner has made him wary of emotional ties. And who can make plans for the future when their present is so uncertain? For unless they can find a way of using the Pagan Stone against the demonic force, everything they know and love will be destroyed…”[cover].

  ‘How we saw the war: 1939-45 through New Zealand eyes’ by Ron Palenski

“On the 70th anniversary of the declaration of war in September 1939, this book looks at the war through the eyes of the people who lived through it. In 1939, they thought it might be a short war; in 1940 Britain was threatened; in 1942 there were fears New Zealand might be invaded…New Zealanders now have knowledge and hindsight; people then had limited knowledge and they had fears for the future. War was not just about soldiers, sailors and airmen. It was also about the people at home, who had only the vaguest idea of where their loved ones might be and what danger they might be in, when next they would hear from them or if they would hear from them at all. Ever. This is about the war as people at home learned of it at the time through newspapers and broadcasts. The book provides a unique portrayal of extraordinary New Zealanders in extraordinary times” [cover].

  ‘Summertime’ by J.M. Coetzee

“A young English biographer is working on a book about the late writer John Coetzee. He plans to focus on the years 1972-1977 when Coetzee, in his thirties, was sharing a run-down cottage in the suburbs of Cape Town with his widowed father. This, the biographer senses, is the period when he was ‘finding his feet as a writer’. Never having met Coetzee, he embarks on a series of interviews with people who were important to him – a married woman with whom he had an affair, his favourite cousin Margot, a Brazilian dancer whose daughter had English lessons with him, former friends and colleagues. From their testimony emerges a portrait of the young Coetzee as an awkward, bookish individual with little talent for opening himself to others. Within the family he is regarded as an outsider, someone who tried to flee the tribe and has now returned, chastened. His insistence on doing manual work, his long hair and beard, rumours that he writes poetry evoke nothing but suspicion in the South Africa of the time. Sometimes heartbreaking, often very funny, the book shows us a great writer as he limbers up for his task. It completes the majestic trilogy of fictionalised memoir begun with ‘Boyhood’ and ‘Youth’ ” [cover].

Other new titles on this display:

‘Witch & wizard’ by James Patterson

‘Whose turn for the stairs’ by Robert Douglas

‘A change in altitude’ by Anita Shreve

‘We who are alive and remain’ by Marcus Brotherton

‘Success with wildlife photography’ by Steve Toon

‘My bread’ by Jim Lahey

If you would like to reserve any of these titles, please contact your local Hurunui library or send an email to info@hurunuilibrary.govt.nz

Sylvia and Susie

New books on display at the Hurunui District Library 17-24 January

        ‘Dreams from my father’ by Barack Obama

Before Barack Obama became a politician he was, among other things, a writer. In this book he traces his black African and white American roots starting in a small town in Kansas, retracing to his mother’s family in Hawaii, then to his childhood home in Indonesia and finally to confront the bitter truth of his father’s life in Kenya.

      ‘Daughter of the East’ by Benazir Bhutto

This riveting autobiography, first published twenty years ago has been updated in 2007 and shows how Pakistan has been thrust into international limelight since 9/11. Daughter of the East gives the reader an overall picture of the chaos and tyrannies that overshadowed Pakistan during the seventies and eighties and under the reign of Zia ul-Huq.

      ‘The divinity code’ by Ian Wishart

Investigative journalist Ian Wishart presents evidence that is turning both science and religion on their heads. With chapters on How did life arise? Did Jesus Christ even exist? this is written in a easy-to -read style.

     ‘Nathan Astle’ – autobiography

Speculation and rumour has been rampant ever since Nathan Astle retired from international cricket. Here is the truth from Astle himself, coach John Bracewell and captain Stephen Fleming.

    ‘New Zealand shipwrecks: over 200 years of disasters at sea’

This is the eight edition of this book and covers from 1795 to 2007. For those keen on history, diving, genealogy or who just enjoy a tale well told, New Zealand shipwrecks is an indispensable record of a fascinating aspect of new Zealand’s maritime history. 

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

Avril