News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

Take a look at this month’s additions to our Community Languages collection.

More than 50 French fiction books have been added to our collection recently and we have expanded our range of Chinese books in cooking, history, social aspects and culture, as well as biographies, including a wonderful and inspirational biography of King George VI, based on the award winning film The King’s Speech. Great new books to enjoy!

French

Je l’aimais / Anna Gavalda.
“This book is the story of a jilted wife and her stepfather. Both have very interesting and human stories. Gavalda intertwines the two stories so that you feel the passions and sorrows of each character. The story is so good it will capture your imagination.” – (adapted from Book cover summary)

La vie devant soi / Romain Gary (Emile Ajar).
“This is a beautiful story of a little boy, nicknamed Momo, and Madame Rosa, a former prostitute who became, by necessity, his adoptive mother. They live on the sixth floor of a building, without a lift and Madame Rosa has difficulties climbing up those stairs and prefers to remain at home in her “Jewish hole”.
Momo, with the help of his friends around the Belleville area, will do everything to keep Madame Rosa alive, even though, he feels increasingly helpless witnessing her slow and pitiful downfall. This story told by a child in his own words, is a cocktail of humanity and solidarity between different ethnic groups.” – (adapted from Book cover summary)

L’homme aux cercles bleus / Fred Vargas.
“I like Fred Vargas and love all his novels to date. The recognizable style delights me and the plot is always original. The story created by Vargas is absolutely fabulous. A bunch of rich people displaced: a commissioner with an intuitive intelligence and his little emotional pain that never leaves him, an inspector with an intelligence, a blind man with great wisdom, but downright rude and, ultimately, a murderer or a riddle where Vargas excels. We would guess the murders if Vargas had not tossed a few red herrings.” – (adapted from Book cover summary)

Prédateurs / Maxime Chattam.
“The story is set during the Normandy landings of June 1944. The context, however, is more violent than the realistic descriptions of D Day and the descriptions of crime scenes are striking. This book is not suitable for delicate souls. The characters are endearing and there is a good deal of mystery and ambiguity, very visual descriptions and an atmosphere superbly rendered. One can be shocked by the famous crime scenes and descriptions, but the reality of life should shock us as much. The outcome is perhaps not as dramatic as for the mysteries of chaos, but still effective, the last key of the various little mysteries are revealed at the very end, of course.” – (adapted from Book cover summary)

Rien ne s’oppose à la nuit : roman / Delphine de Vigan.
“This novel would deeply touch the reader. It’s full of drama, fear, violence and tenderness and it tends to give an autobiographical dimension that can not be ignored. It all starts with the author’s childhood, his siblings and his parents, his adult life, his lapses and his despair. It’s a testimony of a child who has been confronted to life in its most harsh levels.
This book provokes a sense of voyeurism in the reader. The characters are changing, and the story reveals different facets of the day, family and people. It is a moving story and includes a full range of feelings that the reader will enjoy.” – (adapted from Book cover summary)

La consolante : roman / Anna Gavalda.
“Charles Balanda, 47 years old, architect living in Paris. He incidentally learns of the passing away of a lady he knew when kid. That woman incarnated a totally different universe of what he experienced within his family. The universe represented by this lady was passions, pains, sufferings, and being alive. Hearing this piece of news, the life of Balanda flips to anguish and sadness: he lost it in his family, work, and in his convictions… Until he meets Kate and his vision of the world is changed again.” – (adapted from Book cover summary)

Tomboy [videorecording] / a film by Céline Sciamma.
A 10-year-old girl, settling into her new neighborhood outside Paris, is mistaken for a boy and has to live up to this new identity since it’s too late for the mistake to be clarified.

Chinese

Fang wen : shi wu ge you xiang fai de shu ren / Liang Wendao zhu.
“Author Leung Man visited 15 academics, masters of language whose work offers the benefit in every field of knowledge, particularly on social aspects and culture. Read their thoughts and learn to be more open minded.” – (adapted from Book cover summary)

30 fen zhong gao ding feng sheng wan can / Gao Jie zhu bian.
“A book with more practical recipes and ideas for preparing breakfast, lunch or dinner. Also, the book offers the opportunity to find products that suit your needs and cooking interests.” – (adapted from Book cover summary)

Guo wang de yan jiang = The king’s speech / (Ying) Make Luoge (Mark Logue), Bide Kangladi (Peter Conradi) zhu ; Sha Lunti, Wu Guojin yi.
“This book is about ‘The King’s Speech’ a film that tells the true story of how Britain’s King George VI overcame a debilitating stutter to inspire his nation during World War II and his relationship with his speech therapist.” – (adapted from Book cover summary)

Yi kou qi du dong Ouzhou shi = A very short history of Europe / Li Ling bian yi.
“This book offers a brief version of European history. It’s no t concerned with small details, rather it summarises European history in a way that makes you remember every single piece of information. It covers every topic in appropriate depth, and makes everything truly easy to understand.” – (adapted from Book cover summary)