News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

New non-fiction books on Politics

Shifting superpowers : the new and emerging relationship between the United States, China, and India / Martin Sieff.
“Declaring the US hegemonic moment in Asia to be over, Sieff (formerly chief news analyst for United Press International) argues that the time has come for US policy-makers to deal with the rising powers of China and India as equals (while also de-mythologizing common and oversimplified understandings of India as ally and China as threat). In order to do this, he notes, it is necessary to understand both countries in their individual historical contexts and in relationship to each other. He examines this history and provides recommendations as to the future directions of US policy. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)” (Syndetics summary)

Sideshow : dumbing down democracy / Lindsay Tanner.
“WHEN LINDSAY TANNER resigned in 2010 as the ALP’s federal minister for finance and member for Melbourne, having had an 18-year career as an MP, he notably managed to retire with his reputation for integrity intact. In Sideshow, he lays bare the relentless decline of political reporting and political behaviour that occurred during his career. Part memoir, part analysis, and part critique, Sideshow is a unique book that tackles the rot which has set in at the heart of Australian public life.” (Syndetics)

The progressive tradition : eighty years of The political quarterly / edited by Andrew Gamble and Tony Wright.
“This volume, marking the eightieth anniversary of the journal The Political Quarterly, contains a selection of articles from eight decades of progressive writing and provides both a fascinating window on the past and a stimulus to thought and action in the present. A free-thinking platform for the leading voices of the progressive tradition in British politics. Spans eight decades of progressive writing from voices which still have something to say to us now. Aims to bridge the divide between thought and action and to provide an intellectual foundation for practical reform and for progressive politics.” (Syndetics)

Eat, drink and be wary : a New Zealand diplomat looks back / Jim Weir.
“Jim Weir… joined the New Zealand Foreign Service in 1947 and over four decades was on overseas assignments in New York, Ottawa, Canberra and Washington, including periods as High Commissioner or Ambassador in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow and Rome, working concurrently in numerous other capitals. Eat, Drink and be Wary highlights some of the people, places and events in Jim Weir’s long and interesting career.” (Book jacket)

The irony of manifest destiny : the tragedy of America’s foreign policy / William Pfaff.
“For years,” William Pfaff writes, “there has been little or no critical reexamination of how and why the successful postwar American policy of ‘patient but firm containment of Soviet expansionist tendencies…has over decades turned into a vast project for ending tyranny in the world. We defend this position by making the claim that the United States possesses an exceptional status among nations that confers upon it special international responsibilities, and exceptional privileges in meeting those responsibilities. This is where the problem lies. It has become somewhat of a national heresy to suggest the U .S. does not have a unique moral status and role to play in the history of nations and therefore in the affairs of the contemporary world. In fact it does not.” Cogently, thoughtfully, powerfully, Pfaff lays out the historical roots behind the American exceptionalism that animates our politics and foreign relations—and makes clear why it is flawed and must ultimately fail.” (Syndetics)

New books on Climate Change

Economic choices in a warming world / Christian de Perthuis.
“Since the publication of the Stern Review, economists have started to ask more normative questions about climate change. Should we act now or tomorrow? What is the best theoretical carbon price to reach long-term abatement targets? How do we discount the long-term costs and benefits of climate change? This provocative book argues that these are the wrong sorts of questions to ask because they don’t take into account the policies that have already been implemented. Instead, it urges us to concentrate on existing policies and tools by showing how the development of carbon markets could dramatically reduce world greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, triggering policies to build a new low-carbon energy system while restructuring the way agriculture interacts with forests.” (Syndetics summary)

A world without ice / Henry Pollack ; [foreword by Al Gore].
“This is a book about ice and people – the impact of ice on Earth, its climate, and its human residents, as well as the reciprocal impact that people are now having on ice and the climate. With clarity and insight, geophysicist Henry Pollack paints a compelling portrait of the delicate geological balance between Earth and its ice, and shows why the current rapid loss of ice portends serious consequences in our not-so-distant future…. In accessible and engaging prose, A World Without Ice explains why ice matters, how we humans are dramatically changing this critical, sustaining component of our global environment…. answers the most urgent questions about this pending crisis, and lays out the actions we must take to avoid grave repercussions on the planet we call home. Book jacket.” (Syndetics summary)

Hot : living through the next fifty years on earth / Mark Hertsgaard.
“”Mark Hertsgaard is the master of a kind of travelogue reporting that lets you understand possibilities and problems in a deep way. But this time, one of the places he’s traveling to is the near future, and the news he brings back is equal parts scary, invigorating, and full of challenge. This is an important book.”–Bill McKibben.” (Syndetics summary)

High tide : the truth about our climate crisis / Mark Lynas.High Tide: The Truth about Our Climate Crisis
“A glacier disappears high in the Peruvian Andes. Floodwaters surge across the English countryside. Ten thousand Pacific Islanders begin to evacuate their homeland. A dust storm turns day into night across the Inner Mongolian plains. These events may seem unrelated, but they are not. Even as scientists and other experts debate the specifics, climate crisis is already affecting the lives of millions. In this ground-breaking book, Mark Lynas reveals the first evidence–collected during an epic three-year journey across five continents–about how global warming is hitting people’s lives all around the world.” (Syndetics summary)

Diet for a hot planet : the climate crisis at the end of your fork and what you can do about it / Anna Lappé ; with a foreword by Bill McKibben.
“A crucial piece of the conversation about climate change, “Diet for a Hot Planet” makes the disturbing connection between food production and global warming. Food can be a powerful starting point for solutions to global environmental problems.” (Syndetics summary)

The great disruption : how the climate crisis will transform the global economy / Paul Gilding.
“It’s time to stop just worrying about climate change, says Paul Gilding. Instead we need to brace for impact, because global crisis is no longer avoidable. The ‘Great Disruption’ started in 2008, with spiking food and oil prices and dramatic ecological change like the melting polar icecap. It is not simply about fossil fuels and carbon footprints. We have come to the end of Economic Growth, Version 1.0, a world economy based on consumption and waste, where we lived beyond the means of our planet’s ecosystems and resources…. Gilding tells us how to fight, and win, what he calls ‘the One Degree War’ to prevent catastrophic warming of the earth, and how to start today…. And, yes, there is life after shopping.” (Syndetics)

Cheer yourself up this cold August with these hot new art books!

Contemporary art in North America / [edited by Phoebe Adler and Duncan McCorquodale].
“… a unique and timely survey into art deriving from the United States and Canada today… an insightful examination into the styles, perceptions and cultures of this region and its art, articulating varied arguments and opinions that guide the reader to further discussion … “(Amazon.com)

50 British artists you should know / Linda Hawksley.
“Lucinda Hawksley’s engaging survey compares the skill of the Elizabethan miniaturists and the magnificence of the High Victorians with the grit of post-war British modernists and the best of the Young British Artists, whose fearless approach to controversial themes make them worthy inheritors of the great traditions of British art” (Amazon.com)

Unleashed : contemporary art from Turkey / editor, Hossein Amirsadeghi ; essays, Ali Akay … [et al.].
“A sumptuously illustrated A-Z of over ninety of the most exciting Turkish contemporary artists, it contains many exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in Turkish art, as well as such up-and-coming artists as Leyla Gediz, Emre Huner and Ali Kazmal …” (Amazon.com)

I heart design : remarkable graphic design selected by designers, illustrators, and critics / [edited by] Steven Heller.
“… designs as selected by 80 prominent graphic designers, typographers, teachers, scholars, writers … Design triggers something in all of us that may be solely aesthetic or decidedly content-driven, but in the final analysis, we are drawn to it through the heart…” (Syndetics summary)

Illustration now! Portraits / ed. Julius Wiedemann.
“The field of illustration has flourished over the last decade, with professionals working both by computer and by hand… The book gathers together the exclusive (and frequently unpublished) portrait work of over 80 illustrators from all over the world … including Aaron Jasinski, Alex Gross, André Carrilho, Andrea Wicklund, and Anita Kunz.” (Syndetics summary)

Out of sight : urban art / abandoned spaces / [photography by RomanyWG ; words, David Stuart, Patrick Potter].
“Not all art craves attention, some of it hides in the secret places… A diverse range of artists find themselves attracted to these twilight zones and in recent years something of a movement has come to light …” (Amazon.com)

Here are some of the latest health books that have been added to our library collection:

The core balance diet : 4 weeks to boost your metabolism and lose weight for good / Marcelle Pick ; with Genevieve Morgan.
“At its most basic level, the Core Balance Diet shows you how to self-diagnose one of six major biochemical imbalances that may be preventing you from losing weight. These include digestive, hormonal, adrenal, neurotransmitter, inflammatory, and detoxification imbalances. From there, Pick guides you through easy lifestyle and diet changes customized to heal your specific imbalance. Throughout, you will learn how to begin living in a manner that encourages optimal health -without a lot of deprivation and stringent dieting rules – by achieving core balance from the inside out, and, of course, weight loss for life.” (Global Books in Print)

Vegan for life : everything you need to know to be healthy and fit on a plant-based diet / Jack Norris, Virginia Messina.
“…Registered dietitians and long-time vegans Jack Norris and Virginia Messina debunk some of the most persistent myths about vegan nutrition and provide essential information about getting enough calcium and protein, finding the best supplements, and understanding the “real deal” about soy. Covering everything from a six-step transition plan to meeting calorie and nutrient needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding, Vegan for Life is the guide for aspiring and veteran vegans alike, complete with an easy-to-use food chart, tasty substitutions, sample menus, and expansive resources.” (Global Books in Print)

Between a rock and a hot place : why fifty is not the new thirty / Tracey Jackson.
“…With a comedy writer’s training and a screenwriter’s eye for detail, Jackson skewers the myth in a hilarious, bare-knuckled, and ultimately practical appraisal of what middle age “really” means today. Turning fifty is a wake-up call – but one that can be greeted with a plan. “Between a Rock and a Hot Place” navigates, with unsparing honesty and unerring wit, the confusion and uncertainty of the most significant uncharted transition in our lives.” (Global Books in Print)

Why we get fat and what to do about it / Gary Taubes.
“Award-winning science journalist Taubes, author of the best-selling Good Calories, Bad Calories, once again challenges the conventional belief that weight gain is caused by overeating and a sedentary lifestyle. To disprove the idea that taking in more calories than one expends leads to weight gain, he scrupulously evaluates human metabolism and analyzes nutrition research dating back to the 19th century. Taubes is especially interested in separating the “ethical, moral, and sociological considerations” of why we get fat from the science of it. He shows how false conclusions have been drawn about the causes of obesity and related maladies as a result of poor science and biased research, and he carefully details why increased consumption of refined carbohydrates, not fats, is to blame…” (Library Journal)

Brave girl eating : a family’s struggle with anorexia / Harriet Brown.
” In BRAVE GIRL EATING Harriet Brown describes how her family, with the support of an open-minded paediatrician and a therapist, helped her daughter recover from anorexia using a family-based treatment developed at the Maudsley Hospital in London. Chronicling her daughter Kitty’s illness from the earliest warning signs, through its terrifying progression, and on toward recovery, Brown takes us on one family’s journey into the world of anorexia nervosa, where starvation threatened her daughter’s body and mind. BRAVE GIRL EATING is essential reading for families and professionals alike, a guiding light for anyone who’s coping with this devastating disease.” (Global Books in Print)

Stretching / Bob Anderson ; illustrated by Jean Anderson.
“This is the book that people tell their friends about, that trainers suggest for virtually every sport and activity, and that medical professionals recommend to people just starting to get back in shape… It features stretching routines specific to a variety of people, including sports enthusiasts, travellers, children, gardeners, and people in wheelchairs. There is also an abbreviated version of each routine for people in a hurry, new information on the stretching vs. warming up debate, and new and improved drawings. This 30th anniversary edition features two-colour inks to better define the muscle groups helped by each stretching exercise. A new section focuses on office fitness exercises, helpful for both home and office computer users.” (Global Books in Print)

New Travel Guides

Frommer’s Toronto 2011 / by Pamela Cuthbert.
“Describes the attractions and activities in Toronto, and offers information about where to stay, eat, and travel in the city.” (Syndetics summary)

Singapore / Jennifer Eveland & Susy Atkinson.
“Whatever you plan to do – whether you are traveling first class or on a limited budget – make sure you experience the very best the city of Singapore has to offer with this pocket-sized guidebook. From the Raffles Hotel to the city’s own beach resort at Sentosa, all the must sees are covered in Top 10 lists. There are accommodation reviews for every budget, as well as restaurants for all tastes and cuisines, from fusion restaurants to alfresco dining in Chinatown. There are dozens of Top 10 lists, including the Top 10 Chinese and Indian cultural experiences, the Top 10 museums and architectural highlights, and lists of the best nightspots, bars, and lounges in Singapore. There’s even a list of the Top 10 things to avoid!” (Syndetics)

Discover Canada / this edition written and researched by Karla Zimmerman … [et al.].
“Experience the Best of Canada. Vancouver, the Canadian Rockies, roaring Niagara Falls: we’ve selected the most iconic sights and incredible places so you can enjoy the real Canada with the minimum of fuss. Highlights reveal the must-see attractions and unbeatable experiences. Itineraries make planning your trip simpler than ever. Local Experts recommend what not to miss. Pull-Out Map puts the streets of Vancouver in your pocket. Our Promise: You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about, each and every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage, so you can rely on us to tell it like it is.” (Syndetics)

Cruise guide to Europe and the Mediterranean / [project editor, Felicity Crowe].
“Packed with photographs, illustrations, and maps– Expert advice on the best things to see and do in more than 70 ports of call– Cutaways and floor plans of all the major sights– Practical advice on all aspects of cruising, incluing choosing a cabin.” –Back cover.” (Syndetics)

Essential Crete / [original text by Susie Boulton].
“…. AA Essential Guides give you all the information you need to know for a memorable holiday. Pocket-size and packed full of information you really need, they are great value for money and an ideal choice to help you get the best out of the destination. Each guide contains helpful advice for planning your trip with information about when to go, getting there, being there and getting around…. The best things to see and do plus the unmissable ten best things to do and all other recommended sights are cross-referenced with grid locations so you can pinpoint them on the mapping.” (Syndetics)

Barcelona & Catalonia / main contributor, Roger Williams.
“This travel guide was very well written with short, detailed information on a number of sights. It included hotel and restaurant recommendations, a survival guide with practical information and it also included a pull out map.” (Amazon.com customer’s summary)

Provided with the latest selection of new contemporary fiction:

Last man in tower / Aravind Adiga.
“Every building tells a story, but in the jungles of Mumbai, one building, and one man, stand on the borderline between India’s past and its future. Ask any Bombaywallah about Vishram Society, Tower A of the Vishram Co-operative Housing Society, and you will be told that it has been pucca for some fifty years despite its location under the flight path and border of slums. But Bombay has changed in half a century, not least its name, and the world in which Tower A was first built is giving way to a new city.”(adapted from Syndedtics summary)

The Sisters brothers / Patrick deWitt.
” When a frontier baron known as the Commodore orders Charlie and Eli Sisters, his hired gunslingers, to track down and kill a prospector named Herman Kermit Warm, the brothers journey from Oregon to San Francisco, and eventually to Warm’s claim in the Sierra foothills, running into a witch, a bear, a dead Indian, a parlor of drunken floozies, and a gang of murderous fur trappers. Charlie and Eli explore the human implications of many of the clichés of the old west and come off looking less and less like killers and more like traumatized young men.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

River of smoke / Amitav Ghosh.
“The Ibis, loaded to its gunwales with a cargo of indentured servants, is in the grip of a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal; among the dozens flailing for survival are Neel, the pampered raja who has been convicted of embezzlement; Paulette, the French orphan masquerading as a deck hand; and Deeti, the widowed poppy grower fleeing her homeland with her love, Kalua. The storm also threatens the clipper ship Anahita, groaning with the largest consignment of opium ever to leave India for Canton and the Redruth, a nursery ship, that carries “Fitcher’ Penrose, a horticulturist determined to track down the priceless treasures of China that are hidden in plain sight: plants that have the power to heal, or beautify, or intoxicate. All will converge in Canton’s Fanqui-Town, or Foreign Enclave: a tumultuous world unto itself where civilizations clash and sometime fuse”. (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The stray sod country / Patrick McCabe.
“Cullymore in 1958 is a backwater on the border between the north and south of Ireland. This complex literary novel focuses on the daily lives of its Catholic residents and their interactions with each other and Protestant fellow citizens. Central to the story is the outrageous Father Hand whose plans to bring Cullymore to national attention include resurrecting an ancient Easter rite while his parishioners act out the Crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Today / David Miller.
“Today follows the numb implications of sudden death : the surprise, the shock, the deep fissures in a family slowly exposed by grief. There is also a theft, the beginnings of fraud and curiously, laughter.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The girl in the garden / Kamala Nair.
“When Rakhee Singh is ten years old, her mother takes her from their Minnesota home to visit relatives in India. There she discovers a family secret that will haunt her for many years. Only as a woman on the verge of marriage does Rakhee find strength to confront the events of that summer and face the price of secrets.” (adapted from Book cover)

Emily, alone / Stewart O’Nan.
“Emily Maxwell, a widow whose grown children have long moved away, dreams of visits by her grandchildren while mourning the turnover of her quiet Pittsburgh neighbourhood. When her sole companion and sister-in-law Arlene faints at their favourite breakfast buffet, Emily’s days change. As she grapples with her new independence, she discovers a hidden strength and realizes that life always offers new possibilities.” (adapted from Amazon.com)

My new American life / Francine Prose.
“Desperate to stay in America, she’s in New York on a tourist visa that’s close to giving out, 26-year-old Albanian Lula accepts a job in suburban New Jersey as caretaker to woebegone teenager Zach, whose crazy mother upped and left on Christmas Eve. He and his father have since lived in mutually befuddled silence, though Mister Stanley, as Lula calls Zach’s dad, is doing his best. The kindly Mister Stanley even arranges for a lawyer friend to assure Lula’s legal status. Then, the day after she’s got her papers, a black SUV pulls up in front of the house, and the three young men who pile out lay claim to Lula’s attention because they’re Albanian, too. Lula goes along with their request to hide a gun, then goes along for a ride and falls for the ringleader, Alvo. Soon she’s doing what’s she’s done all along to survive, fabricating at will to explain her relationship to Alvo while trying to steer Zach away from the abyss.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Rip tide / Stella Rimington.
” When pirates attack a cargo ship off the Somalian coast and one of them is found to be a British-born Pakistani, alarm bells start ringing at London’s Thames House. MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle is brought in to establish how and why a young British Muslim could go missing from his well-to-do family in Birmingham and end up onboard a pirate skiff in the Indian Ocean, armed with a Kalashnikov. After an undercover operative connected to the case turns up dead in the shipping office of an NGO in Athens it looks like piracy may be the least of the Service’s problems.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Doc : a novel / Mary Doria Russell.
” After a tense childhood in Civil War-torn Georgia and the loss of his beloved mother, young John Henry “Doc” Holliday moves west in hopes of ameliorating the tuberculosis that would eventually kill him, relocating in the late 1870s to Kansas, where he divides his time among his poorly paying vocation of dentistry, lucrative gambling, and his fractious relationship with Kate Harony, a cultured, Hungarian-born prostitute. Part-time policeman, Wyatt Earp enlists the help of Doc after the burned body of a mixed-blood boy named Johnnie Sanders is discovered in Dodge City.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

…with our selection of new Science Fiction and Fantasy novels

Magic slays / Ilona Andrews.
“Kate Daniels has quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but starting her own business isn’t easy when the Order starts disparaging her good name, and being the mate of the Beast Lord doesn’t bring in the customers, either. So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead asks for help with a vampire, Kate jumps at the chance. Unfortunately, this is one case where Kate should have looked before she leapt.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Halo : cryptum / Greg Bear.
“Book 1 of the Forerunner saga.100,000 years ago, the galaxy was populated by a great variety of beings. But one species, eons beyond all others in both technology and knowledge achieved dominance, they ruled in peace but met opposition with quick and brutal effectiveness. They were the Forerunners, the keepers of the Mantle, the next stage of life in the Universe’s Living Time. Then they vanished. This is their story.’ (adapted from Amazon.com)

Born of shadows / Sherrilyn Kenyon. “For Caillen Dagan, a defiant soldier of fortune, survival isn’t a right, it’s a brutal daily battle. Moving through the Ichidaian universe like a wraith, his brushes with the law and death are legendary. But when an act of rare heroism reveals his hidden birthright, he’s forced into a world much more dangerous and cold-hearted than the bloody streets where he was raised, one of obscene wealth and lethal politics.” (adapted from Amazon.com)

The ragged man / Tom Lloyd.
“The furious and costly battle for the Land progresses in the ongoing Twilight Reign series. King Emin continues to chip away at the massive forces Kastan Syrax throws at him, even as he puzzles at how to defeat the Land’s nearly indestructible champion. Count Vesna, who has been imbued with the Aspect of the God of War, finds himself fighting Lord Isak’s war without the backing of his Duke, his followers, or even his beloved Tila. Meanwhile, the shadowy presence of the Azaer continues to grow.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

A local habitation / Seanan McGuire.
“Toby Daye, a half-human, half-fae changeling, has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the fae world, retreating to a “normal” life. Unfortunately for her, the fae world has other ideas.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

A dance with dragons / George R.R. Martin.A Dance with Dragons
“In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again, beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has three times three thousand enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind. To the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone, a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge yet, for he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.” (adapted from Amazon.com)

The ale boy’s feast : a novel / Jeffrey Overstreet.
“ Hopes are failing across The Expanse. The forests, once beautiful, are now haunted and bloodthirsty. House Abascar’s persecuted people risk their lives to journey through those predatory trees. They seek a mythic city, Abascar’s last, best hope for refuge, where they might find the source of Auralia’s colors. They journey without their king. During a calamitous attempt to rescue some of his subjects from slavery, Cal-raven vanished. But his helper, the ale boy, falling through a crack in the earth, has discovered a slender thread of hope in the dark.” (Adapted from Syndetics summary)

Watch / Robert J. Sawyer.
“Born blind, 16-year-old Caitlin Decter is able to see thanks to a computerized retinal implant that also makes her able to “see” the data streams that flow along the Internet. Her gift enables her to awaken a conscious entity that calls itself Webmind. Even as her bond with her new friend strengthens, government agencies seek to eliminate what they perceive as a security threat. “ (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Rule 34 / Charles Stross.
“In the mid-2020s, the police monitor the Internet full-time to prevent crime. In Edinburgh, this job falls to DI Liz Kavanaugh’s Rule 34 Squad (whose name refers to the Internet truism that “if it exists, there’s porn about it”). Kavanaugh views the position as a demotion, but she has a chance to get her once-promising career back on track when she is called to supervise the inquiry into the death of drug dealer Michael Blair, who was found dead on his bathroom floor, decked out in s & m garb.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Son of heaven / David Wingrove.”The year is 2085, two decades after the great economic collapse that destroyed Western civilization. With its power broken and its cities ruined, life in the West continues in scattered communities. In rural Dorset Jake Reed lives with his 14-year-old son and memories of the great collapse. For 22 years he has lived in fear of the future, and finally it is coming, quite literally, across the plain towards him. Chinese airships are in the skies and a strange, glacial structure has begun to dominate the horizon. Jake finds himself forcibly incorporated into the ever-expanding ‘World of Levels’ a global city of some 34 billion souls, where social status is reflected by how far above the ground you live. Here, under the rule of the mighty Tsao Ch’un, a resurgent China is seeking to abolish the past and bring about world peace through rigidly enforced order. But a civil war looms, and Jake will find himself at the heart of the struggle for the future.”(adapted from Amazon.com)

Food, food and more food. Yum. Need something warming this Winter? Or just a new recipe to get you started in the kitchen? Here are some of our newest cookbooks to whet your appetite.

100 Family Meals / Annabel Karmel.
“Annabel Karmel is the authority on children’s food and her books include the classic ‘New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner’. Here Annabel has chosen 100 simple, nutritious meals for the family.” (Book Jacket)

100 Quick Stir-fry Recipes / Ken Hom.
“Ken Hom is the authority on Chinese food and here he has collected 100 healthy, but very tasty recipes. From the light veggie meals to spicy beef sizzlers you’ll find soomethingfor every occasion.” (Book Jacket)

From Kai to Kiwi Kitchen : New Zealand Culinary Traditions and Cookbooks / edited by Helen M. Leach.
“The inspiration for this collection exploring the history of New Zealand cooking and cookbooks from its Maori roots to today, comes from a series of lectures held at several New Zealand universities. The first half of the text consists of a reproduction of the university lectures while the second contains essays on cookbooks and culinary history in New Zealand. The text includes vintage pictures of cookbook covers, several charts and photographs.” (Syndetics summary)

Back Yard Farmer. Volume Six / [editor, Fiona Tunnicliff ; publisher, Alan Gray].
“Whether you have acres of alpacas and artichokes or if you’ve filled a few tubs with leafy greens or spend your weekends talking to earthworms and rehousing snails – you’ll find something in this book to tickle your farming fancy” – - Back cover.

Raw Food for Everyone : essential techniques and 300 simple-to-sophisticated recipes / Alissa Cohen with Leah J. Dubois.
“One of the nation’s top raw restaurateurs presents a lavish array of 300 unique recipes, a primer of preparation methods, and a comprehensive ingredient guide in “Raw Food for Everyone.”" (Syndetics summary)

100 Pasta Recipes / Antonio Carluccio.
“Antonio Carluccio is the leading authority on Italian food and it’s greatest champion. Here, he celebrates this staple of Italian cuisine with recipes ranging from the classic to the everyday as well as modern.” (Book Jacket)

Marco Made Easy : a three-star chef makes it simple / Marco Pierre White.
“In more than 100 recipes Marco takes simple, fresh ingredients and cooks them in different ways, quickly and easily. He shows how all you need is one or two ingredients, combined with the packets, jars, bottles and tins found in the average store cupboard.” (Book Jacket)

The Extraordinary Cookbook : how to make meals your friends will never forget / Stefan Gates ; photographs by Georgia Glynn Smith.
“An exhilarating and practical cookbook for food with extra sparkle, full of bold, delectable-and sometimes surprising-recipes to create unforgettable meals. Stefan combines unusual-sounding dishes that he has invented or discovered on his culinary travels with simple classics that offer something magical.” (Global Books)

Feasting / Karen Martini ; photography by Earl Carter.
Karen Martini welcomes us to her table. Here are 130 new recipes, organised into twenty menus, all easy to prepare and full of flavour. Karen invites us to choose just one delicious dish, put together an entire menu, or create our own unique feasts using recipes from different menus….Inspiring, instructive and beautifully photographed, Feasting reminds us that cooking is not just about producing good food, it is about creating a reason to connect and celebrate with family and friends.” (Library Catalogue)

The Secret Ingredient : delicious and easy recipes, heart-healthy recipes that might just save your life / Sally Bee.
“Sally Bee’s story of survival and recovery from three heart attacks in a week at the age of 36 is nothing short of a miracle. Sally attributes much of her remarkable survival to her delicious and achievable healthy eating plan, which she and her whole family enjoy. Now, in this beautifully illustrated cookbook, she shares her secret with you, and it might just save your life.” (Global Books)

Ripe recipes / Angela Redfern ; illustrations by Michelle Ineson ; photography by Sally Greer.
“Ripe Deli in Ponsonby, Auckland, has established a reputation among food lovers for preparing some of the most healthy and flavoursome dishes in town. Now they have put together a collection of their most popular recipes, arranged in seasonal sections, for you to cook at home.” (Global Books)

Fantastic news! Based on the latest Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management survey results it’s obvious that Wellingtonians are well prepared for a major disaster. But what about Wellington City and its infrastructure, the water reservoirs, the thousands of water pipes, wastewater and drainage? How well would Wellington’s infrastructure services manage during and after an earthquake and how long would it take before the water is back on? Is the Council prepared for this?

You can have all your questions answered during the free lunchtime seminars on Earthquakes held at the Wellington Central Library during August. Here is your chance to listen to the experts and be informed about what’s likely to happen to water services in Wellington if there is a BIG SHAKE.

Come to the Ground floor of the Wellington Central Library, on Thursday, 18 August, at 12 noon to find out what the Council is doing to prepare and what you should do.

And should you wish to find out more about emergency management check out some of the library’s latest books on survival and disaster preparedness! Here’s a good book to start off any reading list:

Handbook to practical disaster preparedness for the family / Arthur T. Bradley ; foreword by Curtis A. Bradley.

Are you ready for the Rugby World Cup? Whether you’re excited and gearing up or just want to cover all bases with some background reading on the subject, our selection of new sports and fitness books this month includes a few titles for you (as well as our regular content!).

IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 : The Official Guide / Chris Hawkes ; foreword by Bernard Lapasset.
“The Official IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 Guide provides excellent background information about the host nation, New Zealand, key details of the venues along with tourist highlights. It includes a must-have tournament fill-in chart, to keep fans in-tune and involved with the matches.” (Global Books)

How to watch the Rugby World Cup 2011 / Spiro Zavos.
“Since the Rugby World Cup tournament began in 1987, its powerful players, speed-harged runs, soaring kicks, brutal scrums and controversial refereeing decisions have gripped billions of people around the world. In 2011, the tournament returns to its birthplace, New Zealand, where teams from 20 qualifying nations will battle to win rugby’s mo’st coveted prize. For players and coaches, this is the ultimate test. [...] Zavos also unveils the inside stories and controversies surrounding all six Rugby World Cup tournaments to date. This is a book that thrills from start to finish.” (Drawn from Fishpond)

Rugby World Cup 2011 : Official Tournament Guide / [editor, Mark Cashman].
This guide analyses all 20 teams and profiles key players.

From Last to First : A long-distance runner’s journey from failure to success / Charlie Spedding.
“An inspirational tale brilliantly told – of how a lad who finished last in his first race on school sports day reached the heights of the Olympic rostrum.” – Independent (Book Cover)

Mile Markers : The 26.2 most important reasons why women run / Kristin Armstrong.
“Built on the success of her popular blog on RunnersWorld.com, Kristin Armstrong’s new book is an intensely personal look at how running creates a special sense of community for the women who participate, and how it has helped her and many others mark the milestones of their lives.”(Syndetics summary)

The Sweetest Thing : A boxer’s memoir / Mischa Merz.
“Mischa Merz takes a wild and unpredictable journey through the fascinating world of womens boxing in America”– Provided by publisher.

I’m Here to Win : A world champion’s advice for peak peformance / by Chris McCormack with Tim Vandehey.
“Details the motivational and practical fitness secrets of a world-class athlete. Macca shares his secrets on what it takes to be a champion – his strategies for success, training and motivation tips and his diet and exercise programs. Whether you are a weekend enthusiast, a fitness professional or a seasoned veteran who needs that extra push, Macca’s book is a unique fitness guide to inspire you to achieve your own peak performance and give you the heart to win your own race.” (Library Catalogue)

The Art of the Swing : Short game swing-sequencing secrets that will improve your total game in 30 days / Stan Utley with Matthew Rudy.
“In the first golf book to link to smartphone video lessons, “the hottest instructor in golf” (Sports Illustrated) delivers a thirty-day greenside clinic for revolutionizing your full swing….” Provided by publisher.

The Complete Fishing Manual / Henry Gilbey.
“Explains the basics of fishing, including equipment, types of lure to use in freshwater or saltwater, different varieties of fish, and places to fish around the world.” (Library Catalogue)

Caught Out : Shocking revelations for corruption in international cricket / Brian Radford ; foreword by Darrel Hair.
“International cricket is being contaminated by crooked players, ruthless gamblers and bent officials. This staggering catalogue of revelations exposes appalling scandals involving the biggest names in the sport.” (Library Catalogue)