News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

Most travel guides tell you about what to visit, food and drinks to try, and places to stay. What about one that warns you off  hotels, restaurants and sites you’d consider going? That’s exactly what Peter Greenberg does with Don’t go there! Jeffrey Tayler re-visits Central Asia and unveils a weird world where one aspires to the West while venerating the dictators of auld. You can also travel through the UK & Ireland in a historical manner, loose yourself in the Amazonian jungle and learn to survive, or try to amend past mistakes in communist China thanks to our selection. And if you are interested by Australia, New Zealand and Chile, check out this month’s Travel Recent Picks.

Every year thousands of avid readers and music lovers gather at Wellington Central Library for the Winter book sale. And judging by its past popularity, this sale should be no different. Past buyers have used the sale to find the best book deals, to complete their personal collections or just to rummage and find a gem. And the sale helps the library by making room for its ever increasing collection.

The sale includes books, CDs, magazines and journals on every topic imaginable. Stock is replenished at regular intervals during the sale ensuring there are always fresh bargains to be found. And they really are bargains – prices start from 50 cents for magazines, with most other items between $1 and $6 and some marked prices.

If you love a bargain and love music or literature, you won’t want to miss it.

The Book Sale starts Tuesday 12 May, 9.30am at Wellington Central Library, 65 Victoria Street.

Author of the rather popular Hoard zines (so far we have seen his collection of library cards, stamps, and sugar packets), we always thought Matt was a shy and retiring type- dropping off his zines without so much as a hello, but he is bit chattier on the old keyboard…to quote Matt’s email: ‘Thanks for the interview, I had a bit of fun putting a few words in your mouth. I hope you have fun, too!’ [read: everything Zine Librarian says below is fictional]

Zine Librarian: Hello!
Matt: Huh!? Hi! What? Oh, it’s you. I’ve seen you around. I know you a little bit. Zine Library, Zinefest, something else… How’s life?
(more…)

Some things cannot be explained scientifically but yet they exist and may have an effect on our daily lives. In Michael Brooks book 13 things that don’t make sense : the most baffling scientific mysteries of our time, he reviews aspects of science that just shouldn’t happen. Homeopathic remedies have biological effects that cannot be explained by chemistry, gas has been detected on Mars that could only have come from carbon-based life forms and there’s no good scientific explanation for why we should die. Michael Brooks is not fazed by this – as he states science starts to get interesting when things don’t make sense.

It can be frustrating when a new scientific or health study contradicts the previous one. What is now healthy, what is the best way to reduce our carbon footprint and who has the answers we need? In Lies, damned lies and science : how to sort through the noise about global warming, the latest health claims and other scientific controver, journalist, science educator and author Dr Sherry Seethaler uses her expertise to guide the reader through the confusion.

Peter Macinnis, a science writer with a love of speed, has written a book full of facts, statistics and funny stories. The speed of nearly everything : from tobogganing penguins to spinning neurtron stars gives you everything you have ever wanted to know about this subject.

Read more about these titles plus other new books on Darwin’s Island, the search for living planets and freaks of nature via this month’s Science Recent Picks.

Harvard minister and author of The scandalous gospel of Jesus : what’s so good about the good news? Peter J. Gomes believes that focussing on Jesus rather than his message is leading the Christian church astray. He feels that by going “beyond the bible” Jesus’ original message of hope will be rediscovered.

Religious tolerance in world religions is edited by Jacob Neusner and Bruce Chilton. In this situation the word tolerance means the “capacity to live with religious difference” where a majority religion can accommodate a minor one. Different scholars give their perspective on a wide range of religions including pre-Christian and Roman paganism to the modern religions of Judaism and Buddhism.

The author of Spiritual evolution : scientific defense of faith George E. Vaillant believes positive emotions are essential to our survival and that spirituality has a biological basis. This brings people together where the focus is on others rather than self. He also discusses what he sees as the differences between religion and spirituality.

Read more about these titles plus books covering views on the existence of God, why I became an atheist, Galileo Antichrist and the daily practice of Zen ritual on the Religion & Beliefs Recent Picks.

It’s all about quality this month with our latest New Zealand books selection. You can get to Know your New Zealand native plants even if you are a neophyte, with author Lawrie Metcalf introducing you to the flora of the North and South Islands. Scientist Paul Callaghan reflects on a changing New Zealand in Wool to weta and supports its involvement in emerging technologies and innovative enterprises. New Zealand literature is also featured in our selection with Fast Talking PI, a selection of poems by Selina Tusitala Marsh. If you are a foodie, you will enjoy Afghans, Barbecues & Chocolate Fish: The ABC of Kiwi Food as it contains old favorites, new hit recipes, and stories about Kiwi brands and dishes. Finally, if you are interested in A short history of New Zealand and the memoir of Philip Temple: Chance is a fine thing, check out this month New Zealand/Aotearoa Recent Picks.

Would you like to take photographs of the night sky? Not sure what to use or where to begin? Using his own experiences, John Field from the Wellington Astronomical Society will explore and explain how to use your Digital SLR camera and software to produce images that were previously  beyond the scope of amateur photographers. Topics include what you need, how DSLR cameras work, what settings to use, how to polar align your mount using a DSLR, taking unguided images using a tripod, piggy-back and prime focus imaging through using a telescope, and image processing using freely available software. John will also include both the good, the bad and the ugly images he has taken to show what can go wrong and what you get when it all goes right!

Wednesday 13 May, 7pm - Central Library (2nd Floor), 65 Victoria Street

Will you have enough time to read our Māori selection over the next two months? We have many books you can choose from. Tāhuhu kōrero : the sayings of Taitokerau unveils the proverbs of the Far North and their historical background. The Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand’s law and constitution reflects on the legal status of the treaty, and The beating heart tells about the history of the Te Arawa tribes since the 1830s. Other items deal with Māori legislation, the Brown Pages directory, voices of Taranaki women, modern Māori food, Māori prayers and language. If a study of ’sacred references to the dead’ study, Māori tribes and New Zealand greenstone also interest you, check out this month’s Māori Recent Picks.

More than just a game written by Chuck Korr & Marvin Close is a true story of hope against adversity in a harsh and unforgiving environment. For 20 years, inmates of the notorious Robben Island (”home” to Nelson Mandela) organised a football league which followed strict FIFA rules. Despite different backgrounds and reasons for being incarcerated football became a common goal. 

Now that daylight saving has come and gone think about learning a new board game.

Gary Lane’s Improve your chess in 7 days starts with the simpler principles of chess and moves through to what he describes as sophisticated swindles!!

Backgammon to win: Play like a pro both online and off. Chris Bray begins with the basics then moves on to the strategies that teach the finer points of backgammon.

Ian Taylor & Matthew Hilger’s book The Poker mindset looks at the psychological aspects of poker and aims to give players the edge over their opponents.

Read more about these titles plus new books on marathons, karate, cycling and boxing via this month’s Recent Health Picks.

Our business selection this month is focusing on leadership, web marketing and success. Pow! Right between the eyes! shows you how to make the most of the element of surprise to awe your prospective customers and make your brand and products memorable. Other items deal with bold and newly-found leadership, green economy, and the habits of highly effective managers. Barrack Inc. draws lessons from President Barrack Obama’s successful campaign, and eBoot camp shares marketing techniques to make it on the Web. If you want to gain customers for life, know how to deal with small glitches before they become big problems, ensure your business survives during recession or get the best advice to start a business, check out this month Management Recent Picks.