News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

There’s a fresh batch of news links on our movies page – read about how Hollywood relies on test screenings, the growth of animated movies for grown-ups and the 5o greatest indie films.

Our fiction picks this month are debut novels, always a risky bet so our specialists have selected some of the best. The titles deal with Libya in the 1970s, violent historical re-enactment, an innocent teddy bear (Winkie) accused of terrorism, and more. There are also new librarian’s choice books including titles by Alison Lurie, David Baddiel and classic crime noir author Wade Miller. Customers recommend books by Ben Elton, Neil Gaiman, Fay Weldon and others.

Our travel page features articles on dune-boarding, Ayurveda, cycling through landscapes that Rembrandt painted and travel safety.

We have new art, architecture & graphics books on Cezanne, George Stubbs, the spiritual in art, Russian and Greek icons, Frank Lloyd Wright (a Ken Burns film), IM Pei, visual grammar and more. ‘Lord of Mess My Head is a Visual Township’ is about Jaybo who has influenced European street art. We also recommend websites.

Fascinating historical document Alpha Boys’ School 1910-2006 : music in education, Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu’s album Youth, women of reggae’s I shall sing!, tracks from 1968-9 on Dawning of a new era : the roots of skinhead reggae plus the obligatory Marley number, DVD I shot the sheriff.

The long list for the Man Booker Prize for fiction has been announced. From the 19 novels listed a short list will be chosen and announced on 14th September 2006 from this the winner of the £50,000 will be decided and announced on 10th October 2006.

Two of our quirkier new cooking and food books: food writers Jane and Michael Stern recall fried food wonders and the joys of Amish bloomers (necessary on their diet) in the hilarious Two for the road : our love affair with American food. Journalist Bill Buford experiences the frantic world of New York kitchens and the peculiar meats of Tuscany in Heat : an amateur’s adventures as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta maker, and apprentice to a Dante-quoting butcher in Tuscany.

Giddy goats, red lemons, silly billys, lamb-a-roos, witches with twitches, wondercats – it’s all on our Children’s picture books recent picks page.

Great new alt-country and Americana albums – Neko Case’s atmospheric Fox confessor brings the flood , Jolie Holland’s languid Springtime can kill you, Sarah Harmer’s rootsy I’m a mountain, the Wailin’ Jennys’ folksy Firecracker, Calexico’s highly-reserved Garden ruin, Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins’ Rabbit fur coat, plus Emmylou. You can check out our latest country and folk albums anytime with these links.

New classical music DVDs include the Glyndebourne production of Pique Dame by Tchaikovsky and a new opera based on Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s Little prince. New books and CDs are also featured on our classical music recent picks page.