News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

Stand-downs, suspensions, exclusions: just how far can schools really go is the theme of this week’s Law for Lunch, with Felicity McNeill, Community Lawyer at the Wellington Community Law Centre.

Felicity supervises the legal team who operate the Parents Legal Information Line – 0800 499 488. PLINFO is a national freephone helpline for parents, caregivers and students seeking information and assistance on issues about children and young people at school. Felicity is also responsible for the companion publication Schools and the Right to Discipline.

Felicity will talk about the following points:

• Truancy, uniforms, behaviour management and more: students’ and parents’ rights and responsibilities
• Legal and illegal punishments at school
• Problems at school? Where to next?

This mini-seminar will take place from 12noon to 1:00pm, on Wednesday, 2 March 2011 at the ground floor of the Central Library. All welcome.

Thank you to everyone who donated toiletries, bedding, and non-perishable food for the Christchurch Bus mission.
As you can see with from the clip below, we’ve been lucky to have some students from Wellington College as well as some of our library staff members and members of the public to help loading the bus.
We were not able to fit it all in the bus, so we will be adding the remainder to a container that is going down later this week.
 
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Here’s our latest selection of new science ficiton. It includes stories set in gritty steampunk worlds (as well as stories set in futuristic cities full of shining towers and glittering tech), an anthology of the best of Kim Stanley Robinson, and a new novel from Dan Abnett. Enjoy!

Prospero burns : the wolves unleashed / Dan Abnett.
“Abnett returns to the bestselling Horus Heresy series with this novel that finds Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves, charged with the apprehension of the emperor’s brother from the Thousand Sons’ home world of Prospero. Original.” (Syndetics summary)

The Iron Duke / Meljean Brook.
“Brook offers the first in an all-new series in which seductive danger and steampunk adventure abound in the gritty world of the Iron Seas.” (Syndetics summary)

The half-made world / Felix Gilman.
“The world is only half made. What exists has been carved out amidst a war between two rival factions: the Line, paving the world with industry and claiming its residents as slaves; and the Gun, a cult of terror and violence that cripples the population with fear.” (Syndetics summary)

Empress of eternity / L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
“The lives and fates of three civilizations separated in time become intertwined as the forces behind an indestructible and massive canal react to a plot to overthrow the world government, and three teams of scientists find their lives changed beyond belief.” (Syndetics summary)

The best of Kim Stanley Robinson / edited by Jonathan Strahan.
“Kim Stanley Robinson has been an ongoing force in the Science Fiction genre for over twenty years, with his novels (Year’s of Rice and Salt, Forty Signs of Rain) crossing over to the mainstream, and routinely appearing on the New York Times best sellers list. During the 80s and early nineties, his short fiction continued to push the boundaries of science fiction, defining the science-focused side of the science fiction genre. Award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan worked with Kim Stanley Robinson to select the stories that make up this landmark volume and include abrand-new short story, “The Timpanist of the Berlin Philharmonic, 1942.”" (Drawn from Syndetics summary)

The ultimate bad seed (think ruthless CEO trapped in a five-year-old’s body), Emperor Zombie and President Lincoln, Zippy, and colonial Africa – all in our latest selection of new graphic novels.

Heart of darkness : adapted from the original novel by Joseph Conrad / illustrated by Catherine Anyango ; text adapted by David Zane Mairowitz.
Colonial trader, Marlow, recounts his journey into the heart of Africa and his discovery of Kurtz, a company manager rumoured to have gone mad. As the details of Kurtz’s dealings with the natives and his state of mind unfold, the lines between perception and interpretation of madness begin to blur. (adapted form Amazon)

Zippy : connect the polka dots, December 2005-August 2006 / Bill Griffith.
“This Zippy collection contains only two-thirds of a year’s worth of Griffith’s great satirical strip. The extraordinarily meticulous renderings of classic diners, storefronts, houses and other icons of American design and architecture come in sharp contradistinction to the wild and wacky world Zippy inhabits when in (and out of) his head. (adapted from Amazon)

The coffin / writer, Phil Hester ; artist, Mike Huddleston ; letterer, Gary Peterson.
“The legendary cult classic returns to print in this deluxe hardcover Tenth Anniversary Edition! Dr. Ashar Ahmad is a brilliant but heartless scientist intent on proving the physical existence of the soul, going as far as to create an impenetrable cybernetic skin that will trap the human soul after the body within has died , a walking coffin. Only when a dying Ahmad is encased in one of his prototypes does he realize the value if the life he has wasted. (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The amazing screw-on head and other curious objects / by Mike Mignola and Katie Mignola.
 When Emperor Zombie threatens the safety of all life on earth, President Lincoln enlists the aid of a mechanical head. With the help of associates Mr. Groin (a faithful manservant) and Mr. Dog (a dog), Screw-On Head must brave ancient tombs, a Victorian flying apparatus, and demons from a dimension inside a turnip. (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The littlest bitch / written by David Quinn & Michael Davis ; illustrated by Devon Devereaux.
“Here comes Isabel, the ultimate bad seed, in this debut graphic novel in the Not-for-Children Children’s Book series. Little Isabel is not quite what she seems – think of a ruthless CEO trapped in a five-year-old’s body. (Syndetics summary)

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Central Library put on some red colour into its displays on the first floor. The Chinese Embassy was very obliging and lent us some wonderful decorations and posters which perfectly completed our display.

Whether you are looking for books in Chinese, or on Chinese astrology, architecture, art, history and much more, check out our online catalogue or come to our libraries and browse our wide collection.

Happy New year of the Rabbit!

The variety of craft books we have coming in at the moment is EPIC! “Design your own tees” more felting, wire and fabric projects and quick jewellery designs.

Design your own tees : techniques and inspiration to stitch, stamp, stencil, and silk-screen your very own t-shirts / Jennifer Cooke.
I love the look of this one! T-shirts form a basis of my wardrobe but sometimes they need a little something extra!

Fresh fashion knits : more than 20 must-have designs from Rowan’s Studio Collection / designs by Sarah Hatton ; edited by Kate Buller. I know another Rowan knitting book, but I love the detailing in the Rowan patterns even if they can be a challenge at times!

Felting fashion : creative and inspirational techniques for felt-makers / Lizzie Houghton.
“Crafters and fashionistas alike will go wild about this inspiration-packed book, which offers several ways to make felt and a wide range of patterns for stylish felt garments and accessories. The fashions include everything from hats to lavish full-length coats, and the instructions cover techniques for creating Nuno felt (a lightweight modern type that drapes) as well as traditional felts–plus methods for dyeing wool, ruching, and making cords, spikes, balls, and other embellishments.” (Syndetics summary)

Creative bloom : projects and inspiration with fabric and wire / Jennifer Swift.
“Cultivate Your Inner Artist! Prepare your own garden of self-expression with the creative fabric and wire projects inside “Creative Bloom.” The seeds of inspiration will be planted as you learn how to make a butterfly-adorned lamp, a sweet bird sculpture, an inspired canvas bag and a sparkling cloud cuff. Each project features innovative techniques that you can use again in your personal artwork. “Creative Bloom” features: – 21 pretty projects for your art studio, home and wardrobe – Vignettes and advice on gathering the right tools, forcing creative growth, finding inspiration in the seasons and staying motivated – Step-by-step techniques that show you how sculpt wire, stitch fabric to wire, make fabric pages and more! Grab some wire and rummage through your fabric stash. It’s time to unearth your creative potential!” (Syndetics summary)

30 minute necklaces : 60 quick & creative projects for jewelers / Martha Le Van.
“Lark does have its finger on the pulse of contemporary crafts; look no further for proof than in this second-of-a-series jewelry craft collection. This book is packed with 60 necklaces, to be fashioned in a half hour or less. (Assumed here is that readers will know their wire and soldering and tool techniques, not to mention having a good familiarity with photo editing and imaging software.) Even if fingers are less than practiced in sawing, filing, planishing, and riveting, a few of the projects don’t mandate metalworking know-how. As to be expected, all feature color photographs, a list of required techniques and materials, and good step-by-step instructions with occasional variations and designer notes. Now to the design choices, which truly range from sedate to boldly twenty-first century, all using materials as disparate as green-gold pearls and 14-karat gold to recycled plastic bags and white table-tennis balls. Mark this as intended for intermediate jewelers.–Jacobs, Barbara Copyright 2010 Booklist From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.” (Booklist)

Our Bestsellers collection is the ‘no-wait way to borrow’ latest popular books.

Simply check out the distinctive red shelves on the ground floor of the Central Library and at selected branch libraries. Bestsellers books cannot be reserved and are $5 for a one week loan (overdue charge is $1/day).

These titles will be available for free in the main collection. However, there may be a reserve queue.

The leopard / Jo Nesbø ; translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett.
” In the depths of winter, a killer stalks the city streets. His victims are two young women, both found with twenty-four inexplicable puncture wounds, both drowned in their own blood. The crime scenes offer no clues, the media is reaching fever pitch, and the police are running out of options. There is only one man who can help them, and he doesn’t want to be found….” (Syndetics summary)

Good as gold / Louise Patten.“Edie Quentance is the ugly duckling in a family of charming conformists. For generations, Quentance Bank has managed the wealth of its rich and aristocratic clients, and when Edie is pushed into joining the family bank, she finds the work very dull indeed. She passes the time trying to uncover the truth about her great-grandfather Kit, whose love of the sea she has inherited. Kit Quentance was rumoured to have carried a fortune into the Titanic lifeboat with him – money that has never been found. Edie’s excavations in the family archive unearth some shocking and far more recent secrets.” (Amazon.co.uk description)

Bury your dead / by Louise Penny.
“At the start of Agatha-winner Penny’s moving and powerful sixth Chief Insp. Armand Gamache mystery (after 2009’s The Brutal Telling), Gamache is recovering from a physical and emotional trauma, the exact nature of which isn’t immediately disclosed, in Quebec City. When the body of Augustin Renaud, an eccentric who’d spent his life searching for the burial site of Samuel de Champlain, Quebec’s founder, turns up in the basement of the Literary and Historical Society, Gamache reluctantly gets involved in the murder inquiry…. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly)

You belong to me / Karen Rose.“When forensic pathologist Lucy Trask stumbles across a mutilated body by the chess tables in her local Baltimore park, its face so badly damaged it is unrecognisable, her sole concern is that it might be her old school teacher Mr Pugh. When the corpse is identified, Lucy is shocked to discover that the victim is actually another man from her past. Who killed him and why his skin is burnt with the number ‘1′ is unclear but it’s evident that someone is demanding Lucy’s attention.” (Amazon.co.uk description)

13 Rue Thérèse : a novel / Elena Mauli Shapiro.
” American academic Trevor Stratton discovers a box full of artifacts from World War I as he settles into his new office in Paris. The pictures, letters, and objects in the box relate to the life of Louise Brunet, a feisty, charming Frenchwoman who lived through both World Wars. As Trevor examines and documents the relics the box offers up, he begins to imagine the story of Louise Brunet’s life: her love for a cousin who died in the war, her marriage to a man who works for her father, and her attraction to a neighbor in her building at 13 Rue Therese….” (Syndetics description)

The empty family : stories / Colm Tóibín.
“Toibin returns to his native shores from Brooklyn for the bulk of these nine pristine stories, all-save one-contemporary tales of lives haunted by loss, whether it’s the legacy of a sexually abusive priest in an already complicated love triangle in “The Pearl Fishers,” the long-absent gay son who returns to Dublin from New York to attend to his mother’s last moments in “One Minus One,” or the aching void that greets an academic’s return to a family home on the Irish coast in the wistful title story….. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly)

More than you can say / by Paul Torday.“”Tell you what, Leader, do you want to double your money?” “Double or quits?” “Of course double or quits. I’m having lunch at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford tomorrow with my uncle. If you can join us by one o’clock sharp tomorrow, I’ll tear up this cheque and write you another for six thousand pounds” It is a bet Richard Gaunt cannot resist – all he has to do is walk from London to Oxford in under twelve hours. As an ex-soldier he is up to the challenge. But what starts as a harmless bet turns into something altogether different when Richard is taken hostage by a mysterious stranger, Mr Khan, who makes him a highly unusual proposal.” (Amazon.co.uk description)

Midnight / Stephen Leather.“Jack Nightingale found it hard enough to save lives when he was a cop. Now he needs to save a soul – his sister’s. But to save her he has to find her and they’ve been separated since birth. When everyone Jack talks to about his sister dies horribly, he realises that someone, or something, is determined to keep them apart. If he’s going to save his sister, he’s going to have to do what he does best – negotiate. But any negotiation with the forces of darkness comes at a terrible price. And first Jack must ask himself the question: is every soul worth saving? ” (Amazon.co.uk description)

Empire of gold / Andy McDermott.“When archaeologist Nina Wilde and her husband, ex-SAS soldier Eddie Chase, are given the chance to work on an Interpol investigation into smuggled artefacts, they are stunned to realise that the artefacts hold clues to the location of a lost Inca settlement hidden somewhere in South America. As Nina and Eddie dig deeper, it soon becomes clear that finding the settlement may only be the start of their incredible quest. One which, astonishingly, may lead them to one of the greatest legends of all time: El Dorado – the mythical city of gold. Nina and Eddie are desperate to locate the fabled city. But they are not alone in their search. Deep in the jungles of Venezuela, they face corrupt soldiers, murderous revolutionaries and ruthless drug lords who will stop at nothing to obtain the city’s treasures. With so much at stake, what price will they pay for the greatest of fortunes?” (Amazon.co.uk description)

Our Bestsellers collection is the ‘no-wait way to borrow’ latest popular books.

Simply check out the distinctive red shelves on the ground floor of the Central Library and at selected branch libraries. Bestsellers books cannot be reserved and are $5 for a one week loan (overdue charge is $1/day).

These titles will be available for free in the main collection. However, there may be a reserve queue.

Oscar Wilde and the nest of vipers / Gyles Brandreth. “The fourth of Gyles Brandreth’s acclaimed series of Victorian murder mysteries, Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers opens in the spring of 1890 at a glamorous reception hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Albemarle. All London’s haut monde is there, including the Prince of Wales, who counts the Albemarles as close friends. Although it is the first time Oscar and Bertie have met, Oscar seems far more interested in Rex LaSalle, a young actor, who disarmingly claims to be a vampire…. “(Amazon.co.uk description)

Do no harm / Carol Topolski.“Everyone knows about Virginia: about her stellar reputation as a gynaecologist; about her commitment to her women patients. But does anyone know about the knives? [...] Just as she did in Monster Love, her brilliant debut about a horrible crime in a harmless setting, Carol Topolski goes behind the busy routine of a hospital to build a dark, compelling portrait of a good, upright life going horribly wrong…. ” (Amazon.co.uk description)

One day / David Nicholls.
” Dexter, the louche public school boy, and Emma, the brainy Yorkshire lass, meet the day they graduate from university in 1988 and run circles around one another for the next 20 years. Dex becomes a TV presenter whose life of sex, booze, and drugs spins out of control, while Em dully slogs her way through awful jobs before becoming the author of young adult books. They each take other lovers and spouses, but they cannot really live without each other. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved ” (Publisher Weekly)

Separate beds / Elizabeth Buchan.
“The author of the “New York Times” bestseller “Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman” presents a story of economic breakdown and romantic recovery in a timely, warm, and funny novel that tracks the ebb and flow of family, fortune, and love.” (Syndetics summary)

The sentry / by Robert Crais. “Dru Rayne and her uncle are Louisiana refugees who relocated to Los Angeles after Hurricane Katrina. Now, five years after the storm, their struggling restaurant faces a different danger. When Joe Pike witnesses Dru’s uncle beaten by a neighbourhood gang intent on extorting protection money, he offers his own brand of protection. But neither Dru nor her uncle want his help – and neither do the federal agents mysteriously watching their store — agents who seem more than willing to let the gang have their way.” (Amazon.co.uk description)

We had it so good / by Linda Grant.
” Stephen, who lives in England with his British wife, is a hippie, a disappointed scientist who makes acid, and a successful, then obsolescent producer for the BBC. Told with a mixture of distance and intimacy, this novel assembles a sweeping history of both personal and cultural events: traumatic childhoods, late illnesses, Vietnam, 9/11….(Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly)

Lasting damage / Sophie Hannah.
” It’s 1.15 a.m. Connie Bowskill should be asleep. Instead, she’s logging on to a property website in search of a particular house: 11 Bentley Grove, Cambridge. She knows it’s for sale; she saw the estate agent’s board in the front garden less than six hours ago. Soon Connie is clicking on the ‘Virtual Tour’ button, keen to see the inside of 11 Bentley Grove and put her mind at rest once and for all. She finds herself looking at a scene from a nightmare: in the living room, in the middle of the carpet, there’s a woman lying face down in a huge pool of blood. In shock, Connie wakes her husband Kit. But when Kit sits down at the computer to take a look, he sees no dead body, only a pristine beige carpet in a perfectly ordinary room .” (Syndetics summary)

Secrets to the grave / by Tami Hoag.
“The follow-up to Deeper Than the Dead (2009) begins in November 1986. The See-No-Evil killer’s trial is nearing when a woman’s mutilated body is found. Detective Tony Mendez and FBI profiler Vince Leone, along with Vince’s wife, Anne (who in the first book was nearly done in by the accused See-No-Evil killer), race to find the perpetrator before he kills someone else. The book is set a couple of decades later than Colleen McCullough’s Carmine Delmonico novels, but it shares the same premise….–Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.” (Booklist)

Sister / Rosamund Lupton.“Nothing can break the bond between sisters …When Beatrice gets a frantic call in the middle of Sunday lunch to say that her younger sister, Tess, is missing, she boards the first flight home to London. But as she learns about the circumstances surrounding her sister’s disappearance, she is stunned to discover how little she actually knows of her sister’s life – and unprepared for the terrifying truths she must now face. The police, Beatrice’s fiance and even their mother accept they have lost Tess but Beatrice refuses to give up on her. So she embarks on a dangerous journey to discover the truth, no matter the cost. ” (Amazon.co.uk description)

Our Bestsellers collection is the ‘no-wait way to borrow’ latest popular books.

Simply check out the distinctive red shelves on the ground floor of the Central Library and at selected branch libraries. Bestsellers books cannot be reserved and are $5 for a one week loan (overdue charge is $1/day).

These titles will be available for free in the main collection. However, there may be a reserve queue.

Decision points / George W. Bush.
“President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions of his presidency and personal life. Shattering the conventions of political autobiography, he offers a strikingly candid journey through the defining decisions of his life.” (Syndetics summary)

Battle hymn of the tiger mother / Amy Chua.
“Chua and her Jewish husband (both are professors at Yale Law) raised two girls, and her account of their formative years achieving amazing success in school and music performance proves both a model and a cautionary tale.[...]Chua’s efforts “not to raise a soft, entitled child” will strike American readers as a little scary-removing her children from school for extra practice, public shaming and insults, equating Western parenting with failure-but the results, she claims somewhat glibly in this frank, unapologetic report card, “were hard to quarrel with.” (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.(c)” (Publisher Weekly)

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 / Gretchen Rubin.
“This relatable, inspiring project is the result of the author’s 12-month adventure in becoming a happier person. Written with a wicked sense of humor and sharp insight, her story will inspire readers to embrace the pleasure in their lives and remind them how to have fun.” (Syndetics summary)

When a billion Chinese jump : how China will save mankind – or destroy it / Jonathan Watts.
The story of China’s – and the world’s – biggest crisis. With foul air, filthy water, rising temperatures and encroaching deserts, China is already suffering an environmental disaster. Now it faces a stark choice: either accept catastrophe, or make radical changes. (Syndetics summary)

The King’s speech : how one man saved the British Monarchy / Mark Logue and Peter Conradi.
“Crisis rocked the British monarchy in 1936, when a shy, unexpected, and speech-impaired king was thrust forward to pull the country together and inspire confidence after his older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated. King George VI had already begun speech therapy when still Duke of York, with transplanted Australian Lionel Logue (coauthor Logue’s grandfather), an elocutionist and speech therapist with new techniques. The duke’s wife, the future Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), had read of Logue’s breathing and confidence-building techniques and brought her husband to him. Logue instilled self-assurance in the new king (father of Queen Elizabeth II), identified “trouble spots” in his prepared speeches, and provided moral support, all contributing to a rare friendship that was to last until George VI’s death in 1952. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.” (Library Journal)

Bird Cloud : a memoir / Annie Proulx.
“Bird Cloud” is the name the author gave to 640 acres of Wyoming wetlands and prairie and four hundred foot cliffs plunging down to the North Platte River. [...] The author here turns her lens on herself. We understand how she came to be living in a house surrounded by wilderness, with shelves for thousands of books and long worktables on which to heap manuscripts, research materials and maps, and how she came to be one of the great American writers of her time. (Syndetics summary)

127 hours : between a rock and a hard place / by Aron Ralston. “On Sunday April 27, 2003, 27-year old Aron Ralston set off for a day’s hiking in the Utah canyons. Dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, Ralston, a seasoned climber, figured he’d hike for a few hours and then head off to work. 40 miles from the nearest paved road, he found himself on top of an 800-pound boulder. As he slid down and off of the boulder it shifted, trapping his right hand against the canyon wall. No one knew where he was; he had little water; he wasn’t dressed correctly; and the boulder wasn’t going anywhere.” (Amazon.co.uk summary)

Mozambique mysteries / Lisa St Aubin de Terán.
“Lisa St. Aubin de Teran traveled to Mozambique and, for the first time in her much-traveled life, felt at home–in a place “so remote that few have visited it since the time of Vasco da Gama.” After three marriages and various affairs, she also fell in love. She set up a school and, together with her niece, the Teran Foundation, a non-profit organization to promote sustainable development in Southern Africa. A tale of new beginnings in a country of contrasts and challenges, this is her most inspiring story yet.” (Syndetics summary)

What’s IML? International Mother Language Day! Share your language at Newtown Library and be part of our interactive display. Have a look at our “learn a language” CDs, our foreign language collection and our bilingual picture books.

Raising a bilingual child : a step-by-step guide for parents / Barbara Zurer Pearson.Raising a Bilingual Child
“Raising a Bilingual Child is the perfect step-by-step guide for parents who want their young children to become bilingual. This friendly manual provides you with solid scientific arguments for raising your child bilingually and practical steps you can take to integrate two (or more) languages into your child’s daily routine.The book also includes many inspirational accounts from parents and childhood bilinguals. It dispels the myths about bilingualism and explains how learning multiple languages at a young age can enhance your child’s overall intellectual and emotional development. Book jacket.” (Syndetics summary)