News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

Trucks, car and scooter workshop manuals and the VW Beetle Story are featured here.

Petrolheads in sheds : unique Kiwi car collections / Steve Holmes.
“From the author of the popular Kiwi Hot Rodder’s Guide to Life and The Kiwi Ute Driver’s Guide to Life comes a book about the hidden world of New Zealand car collectors. Steve Holmes has collected stories from accross New Zealand, from the weird to the wonderful, accompanied by amazing photographs of the sheds, the cars and the petrolheads who inhabit them…” (Book jacket)

Nissan Maxima automotive repair manual / by Bob Henderson and John H. Haynes.
“Haynes offers the best coverage for cars, trucks, vans, SUVs and motorcycles on the market today. Each manual contains easy to follow step-by-step instructions linked to hundreds of photographs and illustrations. Included in every manual: troubleshooting section to help identify specific problems; tips that give valuable short cuts to make the job easier and eliminate the need for special tools; notes, cautions and warnings for the home mechanic; color spark plug diagnosis and an easy to use index.” (Syndetics summary)

The great railroad revolution : the history of trains in America / Christian Wolmar.
“In a volume that will delight train buffs-and hopefully others-English historian and railway expert Wolmar (On the Wrong Line) examines the rise and fall of railroads in America, with a detailed look at how they influenced and directed the growth of the country for more than a century. He spares no punches as he looks at both the positive and negative aspects of the industry, from its chaotic, privatized, and state-run beginnings in the 1830s through its unprecedented spread to its near extinction in the mid-20th century. …Time and again, he concludes that America could not have grown or prospered without the spread of the railroad, from Chicago’s rise as a transportation hub to consolidation of the myriad smaller lines into several major firms. Finally, he explores the creation of Amtrak. Agent: Inkwell Management. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” (Publisher Weekly)” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Rock Island railroad : photo archive : travel on the Rockets / John Kelly.
“The popular Rock Island Railroad stretched from Chicago to Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas with passenger and freight service, and included the Peoria Rocket, Des Moines Rocket, Quad City Rocket, Texas Rocket, Kansas City Rocket, Twin Star Rocket, Zephyr-Rocket, Rocky Mountain Rocket, the flagship Golden State between Chicago and Los Angeles, and suburban commuter service in Chicago. Included are system map, timetables, travel brochures and full-color section of Rock Island depots and stations.” (Syndetics summary)

Sizing up the city : urban form and transport in New Zealand / edited by Philippa Howden-Chapman, Keriata Stuart & Ralph Chapman.
“Making New Zealand’s transport sustainable will be one of the challenges of the coming decades. This book collects papers presented at national symposia on sustainable transport and urban form, and other recent wrtitings on sustainability and out built environment.” (Book jacket)

Mondo Agnelli : Fiat, Chrysler, and the power of a dynasty / Jennifer Clark.
“The fascinating story of a century-old automobile dynasty Fiat is one of the world’s largest automakers, but when it made headlines by grabbing control of a bankrupt Chrysler in 2009 it was unknown in the U.S. Fiat’s against-all-odds swoop on Chrysler–masterminded by Sergio Marchionne, the Houdini-like manager who saved Fiat from its own near-collapse in 2005 – has made the automaker one of the most unlikely winners of the financial crisis. Mondo Agnelli is a new book that looks at the chain of unpredictable events triggered by the death of Gianni Agnelli in 2003. Gianni, the charismatic, silver-haired power broker and style icon, was the patriarch who had lead the company founded by his grandfather in 1899. But Gianni’s own son had committed suicide. Without a mature heir, the dynasty and Fiat were rudderless. Backed by Gianni’s closest advisors, his serious, shy, and determined grandson John plucked Marchionne from obscurity. Together, they saved the family company and, inadvertently, positioned Fiat as a global trailblazer when the global storm hit….”– Provided by publisher.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The official New Zealand truck loading code.
“The Truck loading code sets out a code of practice for the safety of loads on heavey vehicles.” (page 1 of book)

Chopper chatter : the adventures and misadventures of a New Zealand helicopter pilot / Ken Tustin.
“Ken Tustin shares his experiences as a chopper pilot. It includes time spent flying in New Zealand and overseas.” (Syndetics) “There are few books wrtten by pilots themselves about their own experiences. In this one, Ken shares his journey in some of New Zealand’s, and the world’s, most interesting places” (Book jacket)

Flying the Southern Cross : aviators Charles Ulm and Charles Kingsford Smith / Michael Molkentin.
Australian aviators Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm made the first trans-Pacific flight in 1928 in an aircraft constructed largely of timber and fabric, the Southern Cross.

The VW Beetle story / Giles Chapman.
“The KdF car, a German acronym for Strength Through Joy, was conceived by Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich as a true German “people’s car.” After World War II—and with a little help from the British—the Volks Wagen really did help put the average man on the road in a car, designed by the great Ferdinand Porsche, that was reliable and well-built. First it set benchmarks for customer satisfaction across Europe, and sales soared. Then it arrived in North America and the slope-backed, rear-engined economy car became a cult hit. By the time the very last original Beetle was built in 2003, more than 21 million had been built, making it the best-selling single car model of all time. Although its concept is dated by modern standards, the Beetle magic is undimmed, which is why Volkswagen introduced an all-new, modern Beetle in 1998. It has carved out a niche as a distinctive and eye-catching car in a world of automotive clones.” (Syndetics summary)

Twist and Go (automatic transmission) scooters : service and repair manual / by Phil Mather.
A service and repair manual with generic model coverage, suitable for 50 t0 250 cc scooters with carburettor engines. It was revised in 2011.”  (Syndetics summary)

With the passing of the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill last night making same-sex marriage soon legal in New Zealand, here are some books for LGBTI Wellingtonians planning the big day or pondering marriage to same-sex partners:

Here come the brides! : reflections on lesbian love and marriage / edited by Audrey Bilger & Michele Kort.
“Though there are countless books on LGBT marriage and on lesbian relationships, this is the first anthology that approaches same-sex marriage between women not as a political destination but as a complex cultural phenomenon. The authors bring together photographs of brides, comics, poetry, and, most of all, personal stories that illustrate the multifaceted world of lesbian marriage. There is real courage in these pages-honest, heartfelt accounts of friends who reject the institution of marriage and families that reject the brides, trans-women’s visions of their own walk down the aisle, the bittersweet regrets of lesbian divorcees, and the unabashed joy felt by many women when their right to marry is validated.” (adapted from the Syndetics summary)

A very pink wedding : a gay guide to planning your perfect day / Nicola Hill.
“Whether you are planning an intimate ceremony or a Vegas-inspired celebration, this is the ultimate step-by-step guide to walking down the aisle. Tailored exclusively for gay couples, this handbook covers ever aspect of wedding planning, including creating a timeline, choosing a gay-friendly venue and honeymoon location, finding the right cake, sending invitations, and making—and sticking with—a budget. Useful checklists and a useful resource section packed with suppliers, websites and organizations is also of included. Charming personal anecdotes and case studies of gay men and lesbians who have already tied to the knot round out this invaluable reference for creating your perfect day. (Syndetics summary)

Ghost wife : a memoir of love and defiance / Michelle Dicinoski.
Michelle Dicinoski has found the love of her life – and now she just wants to get married and live happily ever after. The only problem is, she’s in love with an American woman, Heather, and neither Australia nor America recognises same-sex marriage. What to do when pride and prejudice – love and the law – collide? For Michelle, the answer is clear: go to Canada and get hitched there. This is the deep, funny, heart warming and brave story of that trip. Along the way, Michelle reflects on why anyone would want to get married anyway, on the power of acceptance, and on the startling ghost stories in her family. She investigates the hidden worlds of people who make lives for themselves outside social norms, sometimes illegally. Michelle doesn’t want to disappear, not from her family and not from society. But living in Australia, will she always be a ghost wife? (Syndetics summary)

The commitment : love, sex, marriage, and my family / Dan Savage.The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family
“Are Savage and his partner commitment-phobic? An advice columnist (”Savage Love”), newspaper editor, and VH1 commentator, Savage grapples with the meaning of marriage, particularly gay marriage, and delivers a book that is part essay, part family memoir to explore the larger cultural issues as well as his own feelings: Though he may sacrifice some artfulness for earnestness and is at times a little heavy with the cute comments from his precocious six-year-old, Savage is fearless at taking on the politics of gay marriage and is also brave enough, as readers will discover, to commit himself eventually to a significant decision with his significant other” (adapted from a Library Journal review, courtesy of Syndetics)

For wedding planning, including music, etiquette, speeches and more, see our Weddings page
For other books about same-sex marriage in our collections, try this catalogue search

Here are our latest non-fiction eBooks for April, enjoy!

Pondlife: A Swimmer’s Journal/ by Al Alvarez
“Here’s the paradox: your body becomes steadily more troublesome just at that point when the world, which you are soon to leave, becomes sweeter, more poignant, more beautiful, more desirable…The ponds of Hampstead Heath are small oases; fragments of wild nature nestled in the heart of north-west London. For the best part of his life Al Alvarez – poet, critic, novelist, rock-climber and poker player – has swum in them almost daily. An athlete in his youth, Alvarez, now in his eighties, chronicles what it is to grow old with humour and fierce honesty – from his relentlessly nagging ankle which makes daily life a struggle, to infuriating bureaucratic battles with the council to keep his disabled person’s Blue Badge, the devastating effects of a stroke, and the salvation he finds in the three Ss – Swimming, Sex and Sleep. As Alvarez swims in the ponds he considers how it feels when you begin to miss that person you used to be – to miss yourself. Swimming is his own private form of protest against the onslaught of time; proof to others, and himself, that he’s not yet beaten. By turns funny, poetic and indignant, Pondlife is a meditation on love, the importance of life’s small pleasures and, above all, a lesson in not going gently in to that good night.” (Overdive summary)

When Gods collide/ by Kate James
“Still wrestling with her own experience of growing up in India as the child of Australian missionaries, Kate James is haunted by the story of murdered compatriot Graham Staines. Along with his two young sons, the manager of the mission at Baripada (who helped establish the Mayurbhanj Leprosy Home) was burned alive by Hindu fundamentalists in Orissa while asleep in his car. In search of the man behind the 1999 headlines – and the context behind the conflict in a country known for its religious tolerance – Kate returns to the subcontinent where she grew up. She travels from the hill station of Ooty to Darjeeling via the steamy Coramandel Coast, visiting Catholic shrines, an atheist ashram, a temple to Hindu missionaries and the Kolkata slums, as well as Staine’s Home and her own childhood school. Part detective story, part personal journey, Kate’s engrossing reportage explores India’s complex tapestry of religion and mysticism, assessing its Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and athiest heritage as she comes to terms with the faith she has rejected.” (Overdrive summary)

Intelligent Leadership: What You Need to Know to Unlock Your Full Potential/ by John Mattone
“In today’s business environment, leaders at all levels are facing enormous challenges when it comes to achieving and sustaining breakthrough operating results. Globalization, economic change, more stringent regulation, and tougher governance make realizing shareholder value increasingly difficult. Intelligent Leadership is written for leaders who want to become more effective, strategic, operationally focused, and balanced. It is for leaders who are striving to take control of their destiny and become the best they can be. In this groundbreaking book, leadership coach John Mattone—recently named to the “guru radar” by the prestigious Thinkers50—taps into his years of experience working with high-achieving professionals to give readers a roadmap for developing and mastering their executive maturity. Supplying three unique tools—the Wheel of Leadership Success, Map of Leadership Maturity, and the Leadership Enneagram—the book helps readers calibrate their abilities so they can simultaneously focus on their strengths and address their weaknesses. The goal is to improve key tactical competencies (such as critical and strategic thinking, decision-making, talent and team leadership, and communication) and integrate them with equally important inner traits like values, character, and beliefs in order to achieve their leadership potential. Featuring best practices, authoritative research, practical assessments, and enlightening examples of both good and bad leadership, this book equips readers with the knowledge, skills, and passion they need to become the leaders they were meant to be.” (Overdrive summary)

Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters/ by Jeff Burger
“Offering fans an extensive look at the artist’s own words throughout the past four decades, Springsteen on Springsteen brings together Q&A–formatted articles, speeches, and features that incorporate significant interview material. No one is better qualified to talk about Springsteen than the man himself, and he’s often as articulate and provocative in interviews and speeches as he is emotive onstage and in recordings. While many rock artists seem to suffer through interviews, Springsteen has welcomed them as an opportunity to speak openly, thoughtfully, and in great detail about his music and life. This volume starts with his humble beginnings in 1973 as a struggling artist and follows him up to the present, as Springsteen has achieved almost unimaginable wealth and worldwide fame. Included are feature interviews with well-known media figures, including Charlie Rose, Ted Koppel, Brian Williams, Nick Hornby, and Ed Norton. Fans will also discover hidden gems from small and international outlets, in addition to radio and TV interviews that have not previously appeared in print. This collection is a must-have for any Springsteen fan.” (Overdrive summary)

Magical Thinking/ by Augusten Burroughs
“Augusten Burroughs’s “Running with Scissors” was ‘funnier and more alarming than any memoir in recent history’ (”Independent on Sunday”). “Dry” proved that he could do it again. And now, with these true stories, his fans are in for a treat. “Magical Thinking” gives voice to thoughts we all have but dare not mention. What makes the collection so original is Augusten’s sharp-eyed observations about things that are unique to him, but somehow universal to us all.” (Overdrive summary)

The Age of Insight: The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind, and Brain, from Vienna 1900 to the Present/ by Eric Kandel
“Publisher’s Weekly “Engrossing … Nobel-winning neuroscientist Kandel excavates the hidden workings of the creative mind. Kandel writes perceptively about a range of topics, from art history–the book’s color reproductions alone make it a great browse–to dyslexia. … Kandel captures the reader’s imagination with intriguing historical syntheses and fascinating scientific insights into how we see–and feel–the world.”" (courtesy of Overdrive)

Here are our latest fiction eBooks for April, enjoy!

Canada/ by Richard Ford
“First, I’ll tell about the robbery our parents committed. Then the murders, which happened later.
In 1956, Dell Parsons’ family came to a stop in Great Falls, Montana, the way many military families did following the war. His father, Bev, was a talkative, plank-shouldered man, an airman from Alabama with an optimistic and easy-scheming nature. Dell and his twin sister, Berner, could easily see why their mother might have been attracted to him. But their mother Neeva – from an educated, immigrant, Jewish family – was shy, artistic and alienated from their father’s small-town world of money scrapes and living on-the-fly. It was more bad instincts and bad luck that Dell’s parents decided to rob the bank. They weren’t reckless people.
In the days following the arrest, Dell is saved by a family friend before the authorities think to arrive. Driving across the Montana border into Saskatchewan his life hurtles towards the unknown, towards a hotel in a deserted town, towards the violent and enigmatic American Arthur Remlinger, and towards Canada itself – a landscape of rescue and abandonment. But as Dell discovers, in this new world of secrets and upheaval, he is not the only one whose own past lies on the other side of a border.
In Canada, Richard Ford has created a masterpiece. A visionary novel of vast landscapes, complex identities and fragile humanity. It questions the fine line between the normal and the extraordinary, and the moments that haunt our settled view of the world.” (Overdrive summary)

Secret Star/ by Nora Roberts
“He was standing face-to-face with a dead woman and she was holding a gun. Lieutenant Seth Buchanan’s homicide investigation—and his heart—were thrown into turmoil when Grace Fontaine turned up very much alive—and in possession of one of the huge blue diamonds known as the Stars of Mithra. The cool, controlled cop never let his feelings get in the way of his job, and everything he knew about the notorious heiress told him she was poison. But in her irresistible presence, it was hard to remember there was any mystery more important to solve than that of Grace herself.” (Overdrive summary)

Festival of Fear/ by Graham Masterton
“A gala of gore from the “master of modern horror” (Library Journal)
Award-winning horror writer and master of the macabre, Graham Masterton presents a blood-curdling array of treats: twelve stories of terror celebrating the bizarre and grotesque, guaranteed to quicken the pulse. Marvel at the mirror dug up in secret and better off buried…
Thrill at a pair of lovers, whose promise to each other lead them down a disturbing path. Observe the haunted house…
Come closer, dear reder – the hour of the festival is upon us…” (Overdrive summary)

In falling snow/ by Mary-Rose MacColl
“A vivid and compelling story of love, war and secrets, set against the backdrop of WWI France
In the beginning, it was the summers I remembered – long warm days under the palest blue skies, the cornflowers and forget-me-nots lining the road through the Lys forest, the buzz of insects going about their work, Violet telling me lies.’
Iris is getting old. A widow, her days are spent living quietly and worrying about her granddaughter, Grace, a headstrong young doctor. It’s a small sort of life. But one day an invitation comes for Iris through the post to a reunion in France, where she served in a hospital during WWI.
Determined to go, Iris is overcome by the memories of the past, when as a shy, naive young woman she followed her fifteen-year-old brother, Tom, to France in 1914 intending to bring him home.
On her way to find Tom, Iris comes across the charismatic Miss Ivens, who is setting up a field hospital in the old abbey of Royaumont, north of Paris. Putting her fears aside, Iris decides to stay at Royaumont, and it is there that she truly comes of age, finding her capability and her strength, discovering her passion for medicine, making friends with the vivacious Violet and falling in love.
But war is a brutal thing, and when the ultimate tragedy happens, there is a terrible price that Iris has to pay, a price that will echo down the generations.
A moving and uplifting novel about the small, unsung acts of heroism of which love makes us capable.” (Overdrive summary)

True detectives/ by Jonathan Kellerman
“Bound by blood but divided by troubles as old as Cain and Abel, Moses Reed and Aaron Fox were first introduced in Kellerman’s bestselling Bones. They are sons of the same strong-willed mother, and their respective fathers were cops, partners, and friends. Their turbulent family history has set them at odds, despite their shared calling. Moses–part Boy Scout, part bulldog, man of few words–is a no-frills LAPD detective. Aaron, sharp dresser and smooth operator, is an ex-cop turned high-end private eye. Usually they go their separate ways. But the disappearance of Caitlin Frostig isn’t usual. For Moses, it’s an ice-cold mystery he just can’t outrun, even with the help of psychologist Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis. For Aaron, it’s a billable-hours bonanza from his most lucrative client. Like it or not, Moses and Aaron are in this one together–and the rivalry that rules them won’t let either man quit till the case is cracked.” (excerpt from Overdrive summary)

Earlier this month, we asked our colleagues what their favourite New Zealand book was – here are the results:

Dreamhunter / Elizabeth Knox.Dreamhunter
“I think I would have to say it’s Elizabeth Knox’s Dreamhunter, I read it when I was 17 and still remember parts of it vividly, and keep wanting to read it again!” (Ottilie)

Reach / Hugh Brown.
“It is such a wonderful story about growing up in NZ” (Dani)

Potiki / Patricia Grace.
“For me, it would probably have to be Potiki by Patricia Grace. It opened a window into a different world for me, one I have been learning about ever since. It is beautifully written and I’ve reread it 4 times, which is very unusual for me!” (Pippa)

The kindness of strangers : (kitchen memoirs) / Shonagh Koea ; with illustrations by Peter Wells.
“I’ve read embarrassingly little New Zealand literature but my favourite so far would be In the Kindness of Strangers: Kitchen Memoirs by Shonagh Koea.” (Beth)

Work in progress / by Paul Thomas.
“I really like Paul Thomas’ “Work in Progress”. Its an old one though. What I like about it is the way he writes about day to day things with wit and humour and ravishing honesty.” (Kim)

Dear sweet Harry / Lynn Jenner.
“Fantastically diverse collection of poetry from a super-naturally talented writer.” (Monty)

It’s love, isn’t it? : the love poems / Alistair Te Ariki Campbell and Meg Campbell ; with an introduction by Joy MacKenzie.
“Poetic tit for tat as Alistair and Meg, often on opposing pages, write poetry on the same events in their life but from, of course, differing and often completely opposite points of view. Affirming and heartbreaking.” (Monty)

Mr. Allbones’ ferrets : an historical pastoral satirical scientifical romance, with mustelids / Fiona Farrell.
”Currently mine is Mr Allbone’s Ferrets by Fiona Farrell. Wonderfully written, quirky and fun.” (Sara)

Soundtrack : 118 great New Zealand albums / Grant Smithies.
“Why? Because the author’s choice of records highlights the eclectic range of music that NZ is famous for……and because he writes about each album in an engaging and highly entertaining style.” (John)

Faces in the water
“I think Faces in the Water by Janet Frame needs to be on the list if it’s not already!” (Emily)

Memé : the three worlds of an Italian-Chinese New Zealander / Memé Churton.
“A NZ book that I enjoyed reading and was really touched by its narrative is the biography titled, ‘Memé: the three worlds of an Italian-Chinese New Zealander’ by Memé Churton.  Memé married a New Zealander after the 2nd WW and ended up settling in Auckland in the 1950’s. Her life story is set against a dramatic backdrop of history and was shaped by her dynamic personality and the lives of the people who crossed her path. The story has impressed me as I can so very much relate to Memé’s insights into the European lifestyle and family upbringing, and , I can also share her thoughts related to the culture shock that she experienced, when she first arrived in New Zealand. I would recommend this biography to those who love history, politics and intercultural relations.” (Celia)

The Halfmen of O / Maurice Gee.
“I really like the Halfmen Of O series by Maurice Gee. I remember listening to them on the radio when my children were small and they were just great stories.” (Sylvia) (Raewyn & Tamadea’s picks too)

The scarecrow / by Ronald Hugh Morrieson.
“My pick for fiction would have to be “The Scarecrow” by Ronald Hugh Morieson. It’s a savagely comic look at murder, sex, adolescence and family in a small New Zealand town during the Depression. Unlike a lot of New Zealand literature, it’s not dour or po-faced. The characters are brilliantly written, despite some of them being quite grotesque. It is also has probably the best opening line of any NZ novel: “The same week our fowls were stolen, Daphne Moran had her throat cut. ” It really sets up the wonderful mixture of murder and the mundane that run through the entire novel.” (Nicola)

The Godwits Fly by Robin Hyde
“A wonderful work of New Zealand literature which evocates a vivid image of early 20th Century Wellington with all its sights, smells and characters.” (Gabor)

Daylight / Elizabeth Knox.
“Randomly, probably something by Elizabeth Knox, probably Daylight (everyone else would say The Vintner’s Luck maybe – I even prefered The Angel’s Cut to TVL).” (Bridget)

Sons for the return home / by Albert Wendt.
“My new favourite is already a classic – Sons for the Return Home, by Albert Wendt, which despite having two degrees in English I read for the first time only this year.  I like it for its vivid and bittersweet romance (I’m a sucker) and also the specificity of the largely Wellington / Victoria University setting. Although named locations are kept to a minimum in keeping with the book’s light touch, it’s easy to follow the characters as they move from Rankine Brown quad to the Mount Street Ceremony, drive out to Newtown and catch the cable car to Upland Road – the very same streets we tread!

Unlike Australia and Canada, New Zealand as a post-colonial country doesn’t have much city-specific literature, but Sons for the Return Home does something to address that. It never makes the city ‘home’, however, and a large part of the story is addressing the issue of where, with whom, immigrant communities and the Pasifica protagonist can be at home. I loved it. ” (Frith)

Six little New Zealanders / by Esther Glen ; illustrated by Els Noordhof.
“If I’m allowed to mention two – I also recommend the mostly-forgotten Black Boots and Button-hooks series and Six Little New Zealanders – childrens’ books written in the first half of the 20th Century and set in pioneer and colonial times. Black Boots and Buttonhooks is much like a New Zealand version of Little House on the prairie – based on the real childhood of the authors mother in the un-colonised King Country. It’s well worth a read!” (Frith)

Plumb / Maurice Gee.
“Changed my life” (Neil)

Further picks:

Lonely margins of the sea / Shonagh Koea. (Joy)
Purple heart / by Andrew Fiu. (Magalie)
The foreign woman / Fiona Kidman. (Ada)
No left turn / Chris Trotter. (Tamadea)
The changeover : a supernatural romance / Margaret Mahy. (Tamadea)

The TV series “Once Upon a Time” is back for its second season in New Zealand. Watching the start of the first episode of Season 2 I had to double-check that I was on the right channel as it didn’t look like the right series at all. Only when the mysterious man got the postcard from StoyBrook did I know that the programme was the right one. What an intriguing mix of fairytale characters we have there: Sleeping Beauty and Mulan! mmmh… Don’t know quite what to make of it. Let’s see how it unfolds, I say!

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode and can successfully avoid looking for spoilers online (like me), we have a selection of books you might enjoy. They feature or are inspired by these two well-loved fairytale characters: Sleeping Beauty and Mulan.

This is a list of the newest fiction audiobooks we received in February. Enjoy!

The Good Children: A Novel of Suspense/ by Kate Wilhelm; read by Carrington MacDuffie
“It started with a promise, a pact. It became a secret that no one must tell: that their parents were dead and gone, including the one they’d buried in the backyard.
Now the McNair children are growing older, discovering love, college, and careers. But their lie haunts them. Their home holds them captive. Only the horrifying truth of their mother’s death can set the children free. And only the truth can destroy them all.” (Overdrive summary)

The Adventures of Sally/ by P. G. Wodehouse; read by Frederick Davidson
“Pretty, impecunious Sally Nicholas never dreamed a fortune could prove a disadvantage, until she becomes an heiress and watches in bewilderment as her orderly existence goes haywire. Coping first with her brother’s wild theatrical ambitions, then with the defection of her fiancé and his immediate replacement by a much more appropriate but strangely unattractive suitor, Sally finds that life in New York is becoming altogether too complicated and a trip to England only makes the whole situation worse.
But just as Sally was concluding that she has disastrously misplaced her bets, it looks as if a piece of speculation on an outsider might just give her adventures a happy ending…
P.G. Wodehouse is in sparkling form, in a story set on both sides of the Atlantic in the Roaring Twenties.” (Overdrive summary)

Ægypt: Ægypt Series, Book 1/ by John Crowley
“Is there more than one history of the world? This is the question Pierce Moffett is seeking to answer when, jilted and newly jobless, he gets off a bus by chance in the Faraway Hills and steps unawares into a story that has been awaiting him there. His search will bring him into contact with Rosie Rasmussen, another seeker marked by loss. And it will lead them both on a path toward the longed-for country of our oldest dreams and most unanswerable desires, toward a magnificent discovery. From the award-winning author of Little, Big comes this daring and great-hearted novel, which when first published was named a New York Times Notable Book of the year.” (Overdrive summary)

Other Kingdoms/ by Richard Matheson; read by Bronson Pinchot
“For over half a century, Richard Matheson has enthralled and terrified readers with such timeless classics as I Am Legend, Somewhere in Time, and What Dreams May Come. Now the grand master returns with a bewitching tale of erotic suspense and enchantment.
The year is 1918. Alex White, a young American soldier recently wounded in the Great War, comes to Gatford to escape his troubled past. The pastoral English village seems the perfect spot to heal his wounded body and soul, but the neighboring woods are said to be haunted by capricious, even malevolent, spirits. He is warned to steer clear of the woods, and the perilous faerie kingdom it borders, but Alex cannot help himself. Drawn to its verdant mysteries, he finds love, danger, and wonders that will forever change his view of the world. Other Kingdoms casts a magical spell, as conjured by a truly legendary storyteller.” (Overdrive summary)

The Pursuit of Lucy Banning: A Novel/ by Olivia Newport; read by Eleni Pappageorge
“She has a secret to keep. But will she give her heart away?
Lucy Banning may live on the exclusive Prairie Avenue among Chicago’s rich and famous, but her heart lies elsewhere. Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker from a respected family, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon her charity work and squeeze herself into the mold of the well-dressed wife who spends most of her time and money redecorating.
When she meets Will, an unconventional young architect who is working on plans for the upcoming 1893 World’s Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms. Can she break away from her family’s expectations? And will she ever be loved for who she truly is?
Get swept away into the lavish world of Chicago’s high society as Olivia Newport brings to life an age of glitz and grandeur, stark social contrasts, and one woman who dares to cross class lines for what she believes.” (Overdrive summary)

Willy and Alvirah/ by Mary Higgins Clark; read by Carol Higgins Clark
“Death at the Cape
Cynthia Lathern has come back to Cape Cod from prison to find out who really killed her stepfather, but neither she nor the real murderer counted on help from her lottery-winning neighbor Alvirah Meehan.
Plumbing for Willy
After a lottery win makes them famous, Willy and Alvirah Meehan are targeted by ex-cons, but the bad new for the bad guys is Alvirah’s quick changes into a cleaning woman and Willy’s love of plumbing.
The Body in the Closet
When state lottery winner Alvirah Meehan and her husband Willy return from London, she discovers the body of actress Fiona Winters in their New York apartment and begins a search for clues that may be too much for her own good.
SPECIAL BONUS RECORDING: Stowaway and Milk Run.” (Overdrive summary)

Here are our latest non-fiction eBooks for February, enjoy!

The Body Ecology Guide to Growing Younger: Anti-Aging Wisdom for Every Generation/ by Donna Gates, Lyndi Schrecengost
“Regardless of our age, we all want to look and feel younger, healthier, and more alive. That’s the goal of The Body Ecology Guide to Growing Younger: a holistic program that will redesign your relationship to your body and your life.Expanding on the principles in the landmark bestseller The Body Ecology Diet, this long-awaited book provides a blueprint for restoring a vital friendship with our bodies as the years pass and, in turn, creating beauty, longevity, and well-being in ourselves and our world. Through diet and unique anti-aging therapies, Donna Gates 1; the originator of Body Ecology, a world-renowned system of healing 1; shows us how we can live fuller, healthier, more meaningful lives.A fascinating blend of cutting-edge medical information, practical health advice, and spiritual wisdom, The Body Ecology Guide to Growing Younger is relevant for people of any age. This groundbreaking book suggests that we don’t simply have to age gracefully, we can age with panache.” (Overdrive summary)

A Kiss Before You Go: an Illustrated Memoir of Love and Loss/ by Danny Gregory
“After the loss of his wife in a tragic accident, beloved artist Danny Gregory chronicled his grief in the medium he knows best—the pages of his illustrated journals. This intimate reproduction of his journal is a stirring visual memoir of Gregory’s journey towards recovery. Uniquely sincere, and by turns tender, raw, and hopeful, Gregory’s idiosyncratic text and illustrations capture the darkest and lightest moments of his “year of magical drawing.” Gregory’s process reminds us that creative expression offers its own therapy, and that living each day to its fullest may be as simple as putting pen to paper. Anyone who has experienced loss will take solace in this refreshingly candid look at grieving, while art lovers will marvel at the artist’s beautiful celebration of the power of creation.” (Overdrive summary)

On a Farther Shore: the Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson, Author of Silent Spring/ by William Souder
“She loved the ocean and wrote three books about its mysteries, including the international bestseller The Sea Around Us. But it was with her fourth book, Silent Spring, that this unassuming biologist transformed our relationship with the natural world.
Rachel Carson began work on Silent Spring in the late 1950s, when a dizzying array of synthetic pesticides had come into use. Leading this chemical onslaught was the insecticide DDT, whose inventor had won a Nobel Prize for its discovery. Effective against crop pests as well as insects that transmitted human diseases such as typhus and malaria, DDT had at first appeared safe. But as its use expanded, alarming reports surfaced of collateral damage to fish, birds, and other wildlife. Silent Spring was a chilling indictment of DDT and its effects, which were lasting, widespread, and lethal.
Published in 1962, Silent Spring shocked the public and forced the government to take action-despite a withering attack on Carson from the chemicals industry. The book awakened the world to the heedless contamination of the environment and eventually led to the establishment of the EPA and to the banning of DDT and a host of related pesticides. By drawing frightening parallels between dangerous chemicals and the then-pervasive fallout from nuclear testing, Carson opened a fault line between the gentle ideal of conservation and the more urgent new concept of environmentalism.
Elegantly written and meticulously researched, On a Farther Shore reveals a shy yet passionate woman more at home in the natural world than in the literary one that embraced her. William Souder also writes sensitively of Carson’s romantic friendship with Dorothy Freeman, and of her death from cancer in 1964. This extraordinary new biography captures the essence of one of the great reformers of the twentieth century.” (Overdrive summary)

SpielbergThe Man, the Movies, the Mythology/ by Frank Sanello
“Based on more than a half dozen interviews with the director himself, this unauthorized biography recounts Spielberg’s childhood, education, career, philanthropic and charitable endeavors, and his extremely private personal life. This updated edition explores Spielberg’s latest filmmaking efforts, from Schindler’s List to Men in Black 2.” (Overdrive summary)

The Grand TourLetters and photographs from the British Empire Expedition 1922/ by Agatha Christie
“Unpublished for 90 years, Agatha Christie’s extensive and evocative letters and photographs from her year-long round-the-world trip to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and America as part of the British trade mission for the famous 1924 Empire Exhibition.
In 1922 Agatha Christie set sail on a 10-month voyage around the British Empire with her husband as part of a trade mission to promote the forthcoming British Empire Exhibition. Leaving her two-year-old daughter behind with her sister, Agatha set sail at the end of January and did not return until December, but she kept up a detailed weekly correspondence with her mother, describing in detail the exotic places and people she encountered as the mission travelled through South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Canada.
The extensive and previously unpublished letters are accompanied by hundreds of photos taken on her portable camera as well as some of the original letters, postcards, newspaper cuttings and memorabilia collected by Agatha on her trip.
Edited and introduced by Agatha Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard, this unique travelogue reveals a new side to Agatha Christie, demonstrating how her appetite for exotic plots and locations for her books began with this eye-opening trip, which took place just after only her second novel had been published (the first leg of the tour to South Africa is very clearly the inspiration for the book she wrote immediately afterwards, The Man in the Brown Suit). The letters are full of tales of seasickness and sunburn, motor trips and surf boarding, and encounters with welcoming locals and overbearing Colonials.
The Grand Tour is a book steeped in history, sure to fascinate anyone interested in the lost world of the 1920s. Coming from the pen of Britain’s biggest literary export and the world’s most widely translated author, it is also a fitting tribute to Agatha Christie and is sure to fascinate her legions of worldwide fans.” (Overdrive summary)

DearieThe Remarkable Life of Julia Child/ by Bob Spitz
“It’s rare for someone to emerge in America who can change our attitudes, our beliefs, and our very culture. It’s even rarer when that someone is a middle-aged, six-foot three-inch woman whose first exposure to an unsuspecting public is cooking an omelet on a hot plate on a local TV station. And yet, that’s exactly what Julia Child did. The warble-voiced doyenne of television cookery became an iconic cult figure and joyous rule-breaker as she touched off the food revolution that has gripped America for more than fifty years.
Now, in Bob Spitz’s definitive, wonderfully affectionate biography, the Julia we know and love comes vividly — and surprisingly — to life. In Dearie, Spitz employs the same skill he brought to his best-selling, critically acclaimed book The Beatles, providing a clear-eyed portrait of one of the most fascinating and influential Americans of our time — a woman known to all, yet known by only a few.
At its heart, Dearie is a story about a woman’s search for her own unique expression. Julia Child was a directionless, gawky young woman who ran off halfway around the world to join a spy agency during World War II. She eventually settled in Paris, where she learned to cook and collaborated on the writing of what would become Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a book that changed the food culture of America. She was already fifty when The French Chef went on the air — at a time in our history when women weren’t making those leaps. Julia became the first educational TV star, virtually launching PBS as we know it today; her marriage to Paul Child formed a decades-long love story that was romantic, touching, and quite extraordinary.
A fearless, ambitious, supremely confident woman, Julia took on all the pretensions that embellished tony French cuisine and fricasseed them to a fare-thee-well, paving the way for everything that has happened since in American cooking, from TV dinners and Big Macs to sea urchin foam and the Food Channel. Julia Child’s story, however, is more than the tale of a talented woman and her sumptuous craft. It is also a saga of America’s coming of age and growing sophistication, from the Depression Era to the turbulent sixties and the excesses of the eighties to the greening of the American kitchen. Julia had an effect on and was equally affected by the baby boom, the sexual revolution, and the start of the women’s liberation movement.
On the centenary of her birth, Julia finally gets the biography she richly deserves. An in-depth, intimate narrative, full of fresh information and insights, Dearie is an entertaining, all-out adventure story of one of our most fascinating and beloved figures.” (Overdrive summary)

Here are our newest Fiction eBooks for February. Enjoy!

The Nanny/ by Melissa Nathan
“When Jo Green takes a nannying job in London to escape her small-town routine, complicated family, and perfect-on-paper boyfriend Shaun, culture shock doesn’t even begin to describe it. Dick and Vanessa Fitzgerald are the most incompatible pair since Tom and Jerry, and their children – glittery warrior pixie Cassandra, bloodthirsty Zak and shy little Tallulah – are downright mystifying. Suddenly village life seems terribly appealing. Then, just as Jo’s getting the hang of their designer lifestyle, the Fitzgeralds acquire a new lodger and suddenly she’s sharing her nanny flat with the distractingly good-looking but inexplicably moody Josh. So when Shaun turns up, things get even trickier…” (Overdrive summary)

Alif the Unseen/ by G. Willow Wilson
“Alif is a 23-year-old Arab/Indian hacker working in the Arab Emirates. His job is to provide security to enemies of the Arab states, ranging from pornographers to militant Islamists. Alif has fallen in love with the beguiling Intisar, an aristocratic woman he meets online. But their budding love affair is cruelly ended when her father arranges a marriage for her with a man of her class… a man who turns out to be the state’s leading censor, a shadowy and powerful figure known only as ‘the Hand’. The state security forces come after Alif with guns drawn, and he must go underground, trying all the while to fight back against a piece of code he wrote to protect his lover but which the Hand is using to create the most sophisticated state surveillance the world has ever known.
As their final communication, Intisar sends the heartbroken Alif a mysterious old book. Bound in what looks like human skin, and titled The Thousand and One Days, Alif soon realizes that this token of affection is actually a dangerous source of old world magic. And as the keeper of this amulet – the secret book of the jinn – Alif is about to become a wanted fugitive from both the corporeal and the celestial worlds…A life and death struggle ensues as the might of heaven and earth is unleashed.” (Overdrive summary)

Animal People/ by Charlotte Wood
“‘Animal People is not a long novel. It follows one man as he makes his way through a single day. But even so, within these pages Wood examines some of the loudest issues of our time — terrorism, materialism, social inequality, social welfare, animal cruelty, isolation-and the quietest — love, despair, commitment, loneliness, honesty. In brief, her little novel stalks the greatest of subjects, the human condition. How we live, how we love and how we communicate. And she does so with prose that is spare, considered, beautiful and graceful … Who can I recommend Animal People to? The answer is — You.
‘So, let me end by saying — I really recommend that you read Animal People.’
John Purcell, Booktopia” (Overdrive summary)

Beatrice and Virgil/ by Yann Martel
“In a brilliant new novel that is as original and luminous as his Booker Prize-winning Life of Pi, Yann Martel takes the reader on a haunting odyssey.
When Henry, a writer, receives an envelope containing a play and a note asking for his help, he is intrigued. The author of the play turns out to be a skilled taxidermist, with a shop unlike any Henry has ever seen, bursting with the palpable life of a lost, vibrant world. And when the mysterious, elderly taxidermist introduces Henry to Beatrice and Virgil, his life is changed forever.
In Beatrice and Virgil, Martel asks profound questions about life and art, truth and deception, responsibility and complicity.
‘This is a brilliantly worked, eerily confident performance. There has been nothing like it since his last. And as for writing of animals, no one has been as good as Henry/Martel since D.H. Lawrence and Ted Hughes.’ Sydney Morning Herald” (Overdrive summary)

The Book Club/ by Mary Alice Monroe
“On the surface, it’s a monthly book club. But for five women, it is so much more.
For Eve, whose husband’s sudden death cheats her of every security she had planned on, the club is a place of sanctuary. For Annie, a brilliant attorney intent on starting a family late in life, it is the chance to finally let down her guard and dream of other possibilities. For Doris, it is her support group as she acknowledges her dying marriage and finds the ultimate freedom in her husband’s betrayal. For Gabriella, the ‘perfect’ wife, mother and friend who offers support to everyone but is afraid to ask for it herself, it is a sense of community. And for Midge, an artist who has always lived her life against the grain, it is a haven of acceptance.
They are five women from different walks of life, embracing the challenge of change. As they share their hopes and fears and triumphs, they will hold fast to the true magic of the book club – friendship.” (Overdrive summary)

Dead Famous/ by Ben Elton
“One house. Ten contestants. Thirty cameras. Forty microphones.
Yet again the public gorges its voyeuristic appetite as another group of unknown and unremarkable people submit themselves to the brutal exposure of the televised real-life soap opera, House Arrest.
Everybody knows the rules: total strangers are forced to live together while the rest of the country watches them do it. Who will crack first? Who will have sex with whom? Who will the public love and who will they hate? All the usual questions. And then, suddenly, there are some new ones.
Who is the murderer? How did he or she manage to kill under the constant gaze of the thirty television cameras? Why did they do it? And who will be next?” (Overdrive summary)

…of Downton Abbey, please.
As a committed fan, I had to take a peek at the Christmas Special spoilers on the internet before the episode aired to try and find out what would happen. And of course, once it was announced that one of the main characters would definitely NOT come back, I watched the whole episode on TV wondering aloud about how this character would get the chop (my other half wasn’t too happy). Would he get accidentally shot while hunting? Nope. Would he have the mishap to drown while fishing? Nope. Would he get a brain haemorrhage from listening to the bagpipes? Nope. It was not until the end of the show that we learnt of his fate, and what an end he made!

And now I am back to the Web to try and read as much as I can about Season 4 (expected to air in Autumn in the UK)!
In fact I miss Downton so much I had to look on our online catalogue for anything I could sink my teeth into until the blessed day when the series will air again. And, being the librarian that I am, I made a list of interesting titles that would shed more light into the world of Downton Abbey and 1920s England.
So here you go, happy reading!

And if you’re like me and this is still not enough, have a look at Linda’s selection of Downton Abbey’s related fiction. One book in particular caught my attention. The story of an American heiress called Cora (no kidding) who marries a Duke. Sounds familiar?