Born Vera Welch in 1917 in the East End of London she began singing in Working Men’s Clubs from just seven years old. In World War II she became the iconic figure that captured the imagination of the public and soldiers alike and was known as the ‘Forces’ sweetheart’. Some sunny day: my autobiography is her story of her life and her war. On 13th September 2009, Dame Vera became the oldest living artist to make No. 1 in the UK album chart, at the age of 92. Her collection, ‘We’ll meet again: the very best of Vera Lynn’ overtook the re-mastered Beatles’ album of songs.

Halfway to Hollywood: diaries 1980-1988 by Michael Palin covers the 1980s, a time when the Pythons began their separate careers. Writing and acting in films and television then took much of his time and energy, culminating in the smash hit A Fish Called Wanda. His own role, the hapless, Ken won him a BAFTA. Moving into television journeys for the BBC was yet another success for him.

One of the first celebrity chefs, Keith Floyd communicated his love of food to millions of viewers. Making a wonderful dish and having a good time was his mission! Along the way he inspired a generation of men to get into the kitchen. His personal life was colourful, making and losing fortunes and marrying four times. His book Stirred but not shaken: the autobiography was completed just before he died.

Read the lives of these people and others including Somerset Maugham, Alan Clark, James Lees-Milne, Evelyn Waugh, Elsie Locke and C.K Stead in this month’s Recent Biography Picks.

A free talk by Frank Andrews from Wellington Astronomical Society

Is it possible to give a scientific explanation for the biblical account of the appearance of a bright star at the time of the birth of Jesus?  By studying the few fragments of information that are available and combining them with known historical material it is possible to exclude some theories that have been put forward over the last four centuries. In putting together this complex jigsaw puzzle over a period of nearly five decades, Frank Andrews suggests a possible new scenario which fits well with biblical accounts and known, independent historical records.

Come and join us to hear more in what promises to be an entertaining talk with Frank as we near Christmas and celebrate the last event in our International Year of Astronomy series with Wellington City Libraries and Wellington Astronomical Society.

 Tuesday 1 December, 7-8pm at Central Library

History is rather contemporary this month at Wellington City Libraries. We have a few of books that highlight the Middle-East and its neighbouring countries: what kind of people its inhabitants are like, how Saddam Hussein came to be captured, and what America’s involvement in Afghanistan has evolved into. Asia is featured with a book on Burma, as well as Africa with South Africa’s brave new world. Empires are not forgotten with books about the emperor Hadrian and the Mongol empire. The bonfire sounds especially interesting if you are into the American Civil war and the fall of Atlanta. And if you want to know what other books we have in store for you, check out this month’s History Recent Picks.

Our travel selection this month is a bit different and unusual. First we have Gordon Hempton and John Grossmann who travel across America in a 1964 VW bus to record the sound of silence that is Nature. Over two hundred years of natural history is presented with its adventures and discoveries in Remarkable creatures. Eat my globe tells of Simon Majumdar’s culinary experiences across the world. Clarissa Dickson-Wright, the Two Fat Ladies’ co-presenter recounts stories and anecdotes from her travels around Britain and Stephen Fry cabs his way around the US states in a documentary on DVD entitled Stephen Fry in America. All these and more you can check out in this month ’s Travel Recent Picks.

Did you think that Aphrodite’s island was Cyprus? Well, think more in terms of South Pacific and more to the point, think about Tahiti as Anne Salmond explains how Europeans and Tahitians fared when they first discovered each other. Closer to home, you can read about fascinating characters in our NZ books’ selection, like the writer and activist Elsie Locke and the soccer player Ricki Herbert. If you want to discover what kind of childhood famed NZ writers had, read Way back then, before we were ten; and borrow Struggling to fly for an account of being a woman in 1970s New Zealand. I f you want to know more about other worthy items available to you, check out this month’s New Zealand Recent Picks.

Hello!

We are getting super excited about Wellington Zinefest 09 – and this year promises to be the most awesome one yet!

Zinefest will be held on the 21^st of November (that’s this Saturday) at Mighty Mighty (Level 1, 104 Cuba Street).

It will feature stalls by zine-makers from Wellington and around the country. And yes, we’ll be there again with our ever-growing collection of zines. Zinefest is a great opportunity to meet zine makers and peruse or buy a cheap-as-chips piece of photocopy art. There will also be talks, workshops and a Zine-of-the-Fest competition. Oh and Mighty Mighty does a lovely toasty pie!

Love to see you there!

With Hekenukumai (Hector) Busby, Jack Thatcher and Hoturoa Barclay Kerr

Celebrating celestial navigation, the event Mata Ora highlights and pays tribute to the courageous deep sea voyaging explorations of Maori using the sun, moon and stars as they sought new lands.

Today there is a revival of oceanic navigation by the stars underway throughout the Pacific ocean and you can join leading star navigators Hector Busby, Jack Thatcher and Hoturoa Barclay Kerr for a special evening sharing their knowledge and firsthand experience of Maori celestial navigation.  Hear their stories of blue sea navigation using the ancient waka hourua (twin hull sailing vessels) as they traverse the history of Maori seeking out new lands that resulted in the discovery of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Ngā kanohi o te rangi – the eyes of the sky.

Thursday 26 November, 7-8pm  -  Central Library (65 Victoria Street)

All welcome and free – just come along on the night.

To find out more about Mata Ora check out the four day event Mata Ora – The Living Knowledge from 25-28 November, organised by the Society of Maori Astronomy, Research and Tourism.  Mata Ora 2009 is proudly supported by UNESCO.

A handful of men have gone to the moon and back and are still alive to tell the tale. Buzz Aldrin is one of them and you can read the account of his life from then on in Magnificent desolation. A little closer to home, if you ever wondered what the big web companies (and others) are doing with your data, Numerati is a must-read. The story of Sandra Laing whose skin dictated her fate during the Apartheid is described in When she was white and is the subject of a movie entitled Skin. All these books are available for borrowing and more in this month’s Popular Non Fiction Recent Picks.

Have you ever wanted to brew your own beer? Well now you can with Froth! The science of beer, by Mark Denny. Our selection this month also includes recipes for people suffering from diabetes and heart problems. Ready steady party will help you organise fun cooking sessions with your kids, and Bourke street bakery will enable you to indulge in fine patisseries. If you are interested in the history of fruits, find out about Fruit hunter and if you want to know what other cook books we have available, check out this month’s Cooking Recent Picks.

Soul of the age: the life, mind and world of William Shakespeare by Jonathan Bate gives an insight of the extraordinary, colourful and often violent world that shaped Shakespeare’s thinking. Little known facts about his life add mystique to a writer who produced such a large volume of work. Why was he the only dramatist not to be imprisoned? How did Bottom’s dream rewrite the bible? How did his play lead to the death of an Earl? The answers are in this book.

Many people write a book but why do some become published authors and others don’t? Comprised of 20 letters, The Maeve Binchy writers’ club offers advice and tips with focus on what editors and publishers are looking for.

Simply memorizing or blindly accepting information has the potential to lead to the wrong answers and can impact on day-to-day decisions. Asking the right questions: a guide to critical thinking by M. Neil Browne and Stuart M. Keeley teaches how to think critically, how to spot fallacies and avoid being manipulated. If something seems to good to be true, it probably is!

Read these books and others about poetry, what would happen if Aristotle ran Hogwarts and free speech in this month’s Literature Recent Picks.