News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

Find an item by them in our Classic Catalogue and then click on one of the underlined subjects in blue to find many more authors who write in the same genre.  And for many more reading ideas visit our Fiction Connection database.

As a salute to the Murder They Wrote event this Thursday (it’s not too late to get tickets!), here are ten New Zealand crime novels, some newish, some nostalgic (for a list of New Zealand mystery writers, visit the New Zealand fiction page here).

1. Blood Men, Paul Cleave (2010) – Edward Hunter is the son of a serial killer, a fact he’s been trying to suppress, until his life spirals out of control after a tragedy.
2. Captured, Neil Cross (2010) – Kenny is 40-ish and dying of cancer, so he creates a list of people to make things right with, including a woman who, it turns out, disappeared years ago.
3. Containment, Vanda Symon (2009) – When shipping containers wash up on the beach at Aramoana, Detective Constable Sam Shephard must investigate the body that washes up with them.
4. The Shadow World, P.C. Laird (2007) – The fictionalised story of the killing of a young Japanese man in Auckland in 2003 by several of his fellow students.
5. Island of Fear, Freda Bream (1982) – Island of Fear is set on an island north east of Auckland, where Judy Marling is a recent arrival in fear of her life after a series of unexplained deaths. All things being fair in murder mysteries, the Rev Jabal Jarrett himself even becomes a suspect.
6. Miramar Morning, Denis Edwards (2005) - Two crimes years apart mingle in this story of “the dark underbelly of New Zealand society in what were supposedly innocent times.” (Google Books)
7. Murder and Chips, Laurie Mantell (1980) – Set in Wellington and featuring Detective Sergeant Steve Arrow. You’re thinking it’s chips as in fish and chips but no, the body is found in a pile of woodchips.
8. A Man Lay Dead, Ngaio Marsh (1934) – Guests at Sir Hubert Handesley’s estate are playing a whodunnit game, when an actual murder happens and Roderick Alleyn must, for the first time, find out whodunnit.
9. Deadlines, Gaelyn Gordon (1996) – The fifth novel featuring Detective Senior Sergeant Rangi Roberts and Detective Constable Ashley Pike finds Roberts puzzling over who killed the annoying writer of numerous letters to the university (who happens to be his neighbour), and in the throes of a relationship with Julia, a literary agent.
10. Golden Deeds, Catherine Chidgey (2000) – A bit different: not quite a murder mystery, although there is a mystery and there has been a murder, which very slowly reveals itself in amongst cleverly interwoven multi-generational stories, including that of Laura’s parents, still coming to terms with her disappearance, Colette, who’s just moved to the big city, and Patrick, an expert in illuminated manuscripts who’s unconscious in hospital.

There is often a piece on the news about compulsive hoarders but when it affects and upsets family, friends and neighbours it becomes an issue. The book Stuff: compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things, which is featured in this month’s Health Recent Picks, looks at why people become so obsessed. Case studies are included of real situations where the impulse to hoard over-rides logical thinking.

The medicine garden by Rachel Corby looks at the medicinal properties that can be found in lawns, flower and vegetable gardens and used on a daily basis. Treatment can be found for colds, sore throats and other minor illnesses just by stepping outside.

Is “it’s my hormones” a valid reason for behaviour? According to Vivienne Parry’s The truth about hormones the answer is yes. Hormones rule virtually every aspect of our “internal world” including growth, metabolism, fertility and much more even influencing who we fall in love with. Read about how the use of a nun’s urine collected daily from the Vatican was used for infertility treatment!

Find information on these topics and others on macular degeneration, multiple personality disorder, autism and the health effects of leaky homes – a timely subject – in this month’s Health Recent Picks.

Elizabeth Bard, an American journalist married to a Frenchman, has written a memoir about how she learnt to live and eat in France. Entitled Lunch in Paris: a love story with recipes, she chronicles her progress of learning how to prepare authentic Parisian recipes using the best produce available locally. Even tips from her mother-in-law are in the book – including how to stay slim: drink lots of water and don’t snack!

Instant stardom – does it ever happen? In the case of Susan Boyle it did. Biographer Alice Montgomery has written about the phenomenal rise of this unlikely star in the book Susan Boyle: dreams can come true. Her success has inspired many and given them hope to achieve their own dreams.

Burying the bones: Pearl Buck in China looks at the life of a blonde and blue eyed child being raised in China by American parents. Her father was a Presbyterian missionary bent on converting the locals and was oblivious to the effect his zeal had on the family. Now a bestselling author whose work has been selected for Oprah’s Book Club, Pearl Buck allows Hilary Spurling to record her unique story.

Read about these diverse people and others including Harold Pinter, Victoria and Albert, “the girl on the wall” Jean Baggott, Nancy Cunard and Mark Twain in this month’s Biography Recent Picks.

With the recent popularity of books like Twilight, The Book Thief, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, young adult literature is being increasingly noticed by readers who wouldn’t necessarily call themselves young adults any more. But young is a state of mind, and here are a few young adult titles that less young adults might enjoy, and find relevant.

1. The Piper’s Son, Melina Marchetta. We can’t say enough good things about Melina Marchetta. The Piper’s Son examines grief, family, forgiveness, and love, following an almost-year in the life of 22 year old Tom McKee and his 42 year old aunt Georgie in the wake of some significant family disasters.
2. The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner. Again, there aren’t enough good things. The King of Attolia is the third book in a series that contains more spoilers and plot twists than you can poke a stick at, making it rather difficult to describe. There are political subtleties and intrigues that are more than suitable for an adult reader. The first in the series is The Thief, but there’s a time paradox thing going on, in that Megan Whalen Turner says that The King spoils The Thief, but also The Thief spoils The King. Tis true, so where to start? I suppose it doesn’t really matter.
3. The 10 pm Question, Kate De Goldi. If you haven’t already read it, then make sure you do! Although be warned, this book is most likely to make you think you may require therapy (and if you don’t think this while reading it then you’re certainly okay). Frankie’s worries about life and his family are so real it’s scary, but the story’s so good it doesn’t get bogged down in a pit of anxious depression. Loved the bird game.
4. Dreamhunter, Elizabeth Knox. Again, if you haven’t you must. It took a while to get my bearings in this alternate world, but once there it’s like the inside of a dream and at the same time completely real (as dreams are). I like how practical and intelligent Elizabeth Knox’s female characters are especially, and have to admire fantasy that is exactly that, not derived from someone else’s imagined world, or Norse legend (it’s nice for variety). The story concludes with Dreamquake, and the two volumes have been published together as the wrist-breaking The Invisible Road.
5. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, M T Anderson. The first volume is The Pox Party and the second The Kingdom on the Waves. Set in 18th century Boston, The Astonishing Life tells the story of Octavian, son of an African princess , who is the subject of an experiment into the learning capacity of different races, survives and flees the titular pox party to fight in the second volume for Lord Dunmore, the British governor of Virginia, in the hope of being freed. M T Anderson’s book Feed is also popular with book clubs.
6. The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness. The first book in the much praised Chaos Walking trilogy. The story is set in a dystopian future when good Christians have settled the planet New World, and where 12 year old Todd lives in the male-only settlement of Prentisstown. The inhabitants’ thoughts can all be heard – called the Noise – and things kick off when Todd and his dog hear a silence in the Noise. Fast paced and gritty.
7. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, Peter Cameron. Often mentioned in connection with The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. James Sveck is in the in between between high school and college, which would be an interesting time, except if you’re a jaded, brilliant pessimist who confesses to not liking people and who doesn’t know how to relate to the one person he does actually like. James’ narration is the star of the show in this often bleak, sometimes funny story.
8. Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones. Another must read if you haven’t already. Especially if you’ve seen and liked the film by Hayao Miyazaki, although the film and the book are quite different in their fantasy-ness (one is very Hayao Miyazaki and the other is very Diana Wynne Jones). Howl is a talented yet flawed wizard and lives in a moving castle, courtesy of a fire demon named Calcifer; Sophie is a plucky teenager who is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up an old lady who then ends up as Howl’s cleaning lady and conscience, and all the while there is the Witch of the Waste and much complex, dastardly magic. Trivia: both The King of Attolia and The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (see #2) contain a quote from HMC (being “What a lie that was”).
9. Bog Child, Siobhan Dowd. Set in Ireland at the time of Bobby Sands’ hunger strike (see the movie Hunger, directed by Steve McQueen, R-16), Bog Child tells the story of Fergus (whose brother has joined the hunger strike) who travels across the Northern Irish border (south) to steal peat and digs up the body of a child who appears to be murdered. His story and that of Mel, the bog child, are interwoven in this excellent story by the late Siobhan Dowd.
10. Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan. A revisioning of the Grimm ‘Snow White and Rose Red’ fairytale, lyrically written but with a dark underbelly. The book has simultaneously caused swirling controversy and won acclaim (see this Guardian article, for example ). Lanagan was recently in Wellington for the Readers and Writers week, and wrote favourably about Wellington in her blog (even with the bad weather).

Every year thousands of avid readers and music lovers gather at Wellington Central Library for the Autumn 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 our libraries by making room for an ever increasing collection.

The sale includes books, CDs, cassettes, DVD, 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, you won’t want to miss it. The book sale is on now and ends on May 24th.

Everyone has days where they feel jaded, lacklustre and just “not quite right” but when the feeling continues it can become a concern. Gary Bertwistle’s book Who stole my mojo?: how to get it back and live, work and play better looks at a practical and commonsense approach to this issue. Advice is given on aspects of diet, lifestyle, work, play and relationships as well as tips and tools from those who have successfully got through this. All this will help lead to getting your Mojo back.

In all aspects of life there can be personal or professional setbacks often not of a person’s choice. Some see it as a challenge but for others it can overwhelm and finding the solution is difficult. The flipside: finding the hidden opportunities in life by Adam J. Jackson looks at a different method of turning a negative situation to a positive one and this advice aligns with personal stories that will resonate with readers.

The happiness project: or why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read Aristotle and generally have more fun by Gretchen Rubin is a personal adventure inspired by an epiphany on a bus one wet day. She records her search for happiness looking at past wisdom, present science and popular culture. Is she happier? Read and find out.

Look into these books and others including advice and thoughts on difficult personalities, the philosophical baby, how to decide and the age of absurdity in this month’s Personal Development Recent Picks.

New Zealand authors are prolific and this month we present to you a diverse selection of books. First is the biography of Ethel Benjamin, the NZ first woman lawyer. Then is the fantastic story of the NZ ship General Grant, including shipwreck, castaways and a bounty that’s been hunted for years. Fiona Kidman presents her latest poem collection, and we learn the history of Nova Scotian Scots migration to New Zealand. And if you are interested by native birds, geoscience, jewelry and more, check out this month New Zealand Recent Picks.

The recent composting seminars held at Newtown and Central libraries were a big hit with many of our customers! The seminars looked at the micro-organism style of composting known as Bokashi in New Zealand. The speakers gave a great presentation on the science behind Bokashi, and how to use it at home for getting rid of unwanted food scraps.

For more information, click the images below to  check out the slides from the seminars! Please note these files are quite big, at over 2MB each.

Murder They Wrote is an event for crime fiction fans to meet three of New Zealand’s most prominent crime fiction writers.  They are

Paul Cleave, author of four crime novels – the latest being Blood Men,
Neil Cross, television writer and author of eight novels, Captured being the most recently published and;
Vanda Symon whose third crime novel is titled Containment.

This event will be held at Café L’Affare, College Street, Wellington at 6 p.m. on Thursday 27^th May.

Tickets are $16 ($14 for NZ Book Council members) and can be purchased at the Information Desk, Central Library. Be in quick – attendance is limited.

More information is available at the Book Council website