I’ll Try Anything Once: New Biographies and Memoirs

Another month rolls around and we have a bumper crop of new biographies and memoirs for you.  Entertainment, art, literature, history and more, it’s all there in our latest acquisitions to the collection.

I’ll try anything once : my autobiography / Leith, Prue
“The memoir of restaurateur, food writer, business woman and novelist, Prue Leith, whose refreshing charm, humour, energy, and zest for life remind us of what is possible.” (Catalogue)

A mystery of mysteries : the death and life of Edgar Allan Poe / Dawidziak, Mark
“A Mystery of Mysteries is a brilliant biography of Edgar Allan Poe that examines the renowned author’s life through the prism of his mysterious death and its many possible causes.  By debunking the myths of how he lived, we come closer to understanding the real Poe and uncovering the truth behind his mysterious death, as a new theory emerges that could prove the cause of Poe’s death was haunting him all his life.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Did I Ever Tell You This / Neill, Sam
“In this unexpected memoir, written in a creative burst of just a few months in 2022, Sam Neill tells the story of how he became one of the world’s most celebrated actors, who has worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Isabel Adjani, from Jeff Goldblum to Sean Connery, from Steven Spielberg to Jane Campion.” (Catalogue)

The secret listener : an ingenue in Mao’s court / Chen, Yuan-tsung
“The history of China in the twentieth century is comprised of a long series of shocks: the 1911 revolution, the civil war between the communists and the nationalists, the Japanese invasion, the revolution, the various catastrophic campaigns initiated by Chairman Mao between 1949 and 1976, its great opening to the world under Deng, and the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Yuan-tsung Chen, who is now 90, lived through most of it, and at certain points in close proximity to the seat of communist power. A first-hand account of what life was like in the period before the revolution and in Mao’s China, The Secret Listener gives a unique perspective on the era, and Chen’s vantage point provides us with a new perspective on the Maoist regime.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

I don’t need therapy : (and other lies I’ve told myself) / Lodge, Toni
“When Toni Lodge sat down to write this memoir, she discovered that the lies she was telling herself were hiding some pretty important home truths-about her work, her identity and her mental health. Her dogged pursuit of these truths sent her on a brazen exploration of everything from gastro, fame and Twilight to funerals, the Dalai Lama and Brazilian waxes. In this hilarious warm hug of a book, Toni exposes the lies she has told herself about who she is and what she is capable of, inviting you on a riotous romp that will make you laugh, cringe, cry and utterly rethink the truth behind the stories we tell ourselves.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Toy fights : a boyhood / Paterson, Don
“This is a book about family, money and music but also about schizophrenia, hell, narcissists, debt and the working class, anger, swearing, drugs, books, football, love, origami, and the peculiar insanity of Dundee, sugar, religious mania, the sexual excesses of the Scottish club band scene and, more generally the lengths we to not be bored.” (Catalogue)

Vera Brittain : a life / Berry, Paul
“Writer, pacifist and feminist, she condemned her provincial background but remained acutely conscious of the conventional elements in her own character; she revealed a richly emotional life in her writing but was outwardly sober and reserved; she possessed a fierce desire for fame and recognition but was ready to sacrifice both on matters of principle. This biography – comprehensive, authoritative and immensely readable – confirms Vera Brittain’s stature as one of the most remarkable women of our time.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Love, Pamela / Anderson, Pamela
“Pamela Anderson’s blond bombshell image was ubiquitous in the 1990s.  Love, Pamela brings forth her true story, that of a small-town girl getting tangled up in her own dreams. Eventually overcoming her natural shyness, Pamela let her restless imagination propel her into a new life few can dream of, Hollywood and the Playboy Mansion. Now having returned to the island of her childhood, after a memorable run starring as Roxie in Chicago on Broadway, Pamela is telling her story, a story of an irrepressible free spirit coming home and discovering herself anew at every turn.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Soft lad : a collection of stories (about me) / Grimshaw, Nick
“Soft Lad is a collection of stories about me: stories on life, loves, death, fears, obsessions, nights out, growing up and making dreams come true. It isn’t chronological like a traditional memoir, starting at birth and ending with death – I’m still (at the point of writing) very much alive – but snapshots of the formative moments of my life up to now, with coming-of-age tales that capture a moment or a feeling. Some, I hope will make you laugh, and some, are emotional AF, so I’m afraid these might make you cry… They’re all honest, unfiltered and I’m proud to be sharing them with you.” (Catalogue)

The god of no good / Walker, Sita
“Sita Walker was raised by five strong matriarchs who taught her to believe in God and to be good. Her grandmother, mother and three aunts believed in unshakeable faith, in the power of prayer, in sacrifice, in magic, in the healing of turmeric and tea, and the wisdom of dreams. But as hard as she tries to be good, Sita always suspects that deep down, she isn’t very good at all. Traversing decades and continents — from Iran to India, Sri Lanka to the Czech Republic, Adelaide to the Torres Strait — The God of No Good is a beautifully lyrical and funny intergenerational memoir about six women and how their lives intertwine.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

For more new books, go to: What’s new & Popular / April 2023 (wcl.govt.nz)

Medical tales that are more intense than detective stories

Medical jobs are usually intense rather than entertaining – apart from what happens on Shortland Street, and in these books! This blog features unique books about the pain, the humour and the detective-work required in the medical profession, and the extraordinary lives of doctors and nurses.

Undoctored : the story of a medic who r an outof patients / Kay, Adam
“This is Going to Hurt was read by millions, translated into 37 languages, and adapted into a major BBC television series. Adam Kay again have you in stitches in his painfully funny and startlingly powerful follow-up. In his most honest and incisive book, battered and bruised from his time on the NHS frontline, Kay wrote hilarious, heart-breaking, horrifying, humbling, and astonishing portrait of a life.” (Adapted from catalogue)

The flying doctor / Baldwin, Dave
“Second book after ‘Healthy bastards’, this time with his misadventures, escapades and high jinks from a life of medicine, aviation and hunting. From his early years struggling with dyslexia to graduating from med school, from learning to fly and joining the New Zealand Air Force to becoming a cardiologist at Palmerston North Hospital and setting up a general practice in Bulls. Well known for his eccentric personalist and unmistakably Kiwi turn of phrase, author tells a story that’s as highly entertaining and unique. ” (Adapted from catalogue)

Every patient tells a story : medical mysteries and the art of diagnosis / Sanders, Lisa
“This work presents an unflinching look inside the detective story that marks nearly every illness – the diagnosis and dilemmas that reveals the combination of uncertainty and intrigue that doctors face when confronting patients who are sick or dying. A healthy young man suddenly loses his memory; a young woman lies dying in the ICU—bleeding, jaundiced, incoherent—and none of her doctors know what is killing her.” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

The deadly dinner party and other medical detective stories / Edlow, Jonathan A
“Real-life medical detective stories, practicing physician and award-winning author shows the doctor as detective in stories that are as gripping as the best thrillers. A notorious stomach bug turns a suburban dinner party into a disaster that almost claims its host; a diminutive woman eats more than her football-playing boyfriend but continually loses weight; an executive is diagnosed with lung cancer, yet the tumors seem gone. ” (Adapted from catalogue)

The unexpected patient / McInnes, Himali
“The Unexpected Patient tells the stories of patients who impacted health carers in unforgettable ways: patients who showed stubborn perseverance on the road to recovery, who clung to hope in the face of unexpected trauma, and who illuminated the indomitable depths of the human spirit. The Unexpected Patient is about human relationships and the bonds forged between two people: a medic and that one, unforgettable patient.” (Adapted from catalogue)

The medicine : a doctor’s notes / Hitchcock, Karen
“In The Medicine, Dr Karen Hitchcock takes us to the frontlines of everyday treatment, turning her acute gaze to everything from the flu season to dementia, plastic surgery to the humble sick day. In an overcrowded, underfunded medical system, she explores how more of us can be healthier, and how listening carefully to a patient’s experience can be as important as prescribing a pill. These dazzling essays show Hitchcock to be one of the most fearless and illuminating medical thinkers of our time – reasonable, insightful and deeply humane.” (Adapted from catalogue)

The courage to care : a call for compassion / Watson, Christie
“Nurses have never been more important. We benefit from their expertise in our hospitals and beyond: in our schools, on our streets, in prisons, hospices and care homes. When we feel most alone, nurses remind us that we are not alone at all. We are all deserving of compassion, and as we share in each other’s suffering, Christie Watson shows us how we can find courage too. The courage to care.” (Adapted from catalogue)

Readers Choice fiction selections

Reviews from library patrons are a great way to find out what people have loved reading from the new additions to the fiction collection. These selections are highlighted with Reader’s Choice stickers so that others can find great reading material.  You can find slips for Reader’s Choice reviews in new books, or ask staff for one if you have a review or recommendation to embellish the library collection.

Here are some recent reviews featuring an interesting mix of subjects and genres: mysteries, historical novels, science fiction, humour, psychological fiction, thrillers and New Zealand environmental activism.

The changeling : a novel / LaValle, Victor D.Book Jacket for: The changeling : a novel
“This captivating retelling of a classic fairy tale imaginatively explores parental obsession, spousal love, and the secrets that make strangers out of the people we love the most. It’s a thrilling and emotionally devastating journey through the gruesome legacies that threaten to devour us and the homely, messy magic that saves us, if we’re lucky.” (Catalogue)

Reader’s review: “Excellent. An unusual voice, but marvellous blend of modernity and fairy-tale, with powerful themes and insight.  Very Satisfying.” (5/5 stars)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Jacket for: Stranded

Stranded / MacLeod, Bracken
“Badly battered by an apocalyptic storm, the crew of the Arctic Promise find themselves in increasingly dire circumstances as they sail blindly into unfamiliar waters and an ominously thickening fog.” (Catalogue)

Reader’s review: “I thought this book was suspenseful, gripping and well researched. Doesn’t lean on the numerous clichés of the horror genre which makes it so engaging.  A great read!” (4/5 stars)
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Jacket for: Hanna who fell from the skyHanna who fell from the sky / Meades, Christopher
“With lush, evocative prose, award-winning author Christopher Meades takes readers on an emotional journey into a fascinating, unknown world–and, along the way, brilliantly illuminates complexities of faith, identity and how our origins shape who we are.” (Catalogue)

Reader’s review: “What a well written novel, thoroughly enjoyed it, well worth reading. Never read any of Meades novels before would love to read more of his material.” (5/5 stars)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Jacket for: The last hoursThe last hours / Walters, Minette
“When the Black Death enters England through the port of Melcombe in Dorseteshire in June 1348, no one knows what manner of sickness it is or how it spreads and kills so quickly.” (Catalogue)

Reader’s review: “Well written, engaging, couldn’t put down – read all night. Can’t wait for the sequel this year.” (5/5 stars)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Jacket for: EurekaEureka / Quinn, Anthony
“Summer, 1967. As London shimmers in a heat haze and swoons to the sound of Sergeant Pepper, a mystery film – Eureka – is being shot by German wunderkind Reiner Kloss. The screenwriter, Nat Fane, would do anything for a hit but can’t see straight for all the acid he’s dropping.” (Catalogue)

Reader’s review: “Was an enjoyable read, especially in it’s evocation of London in the ‘swinging sixties’.” (4/5 stars)
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Jacket for: KrusoKruso / Seiler, Lutz
“It is 1989, and a young literature student named Ed, fleeing unspeakable tragedy, travels to the Baltic island of Hiddensee. Long shrouded in myth, the island is a notorious destination for hippies, idealists, and those at odds with the East German state.” (Catalogue)

Reader’s review: “I thought this book was compelling.  Via fantasy and fact Seiler deftly weaves a story about East German idealists, refugees and escapists told through the perspective of a challenged young man” (5/5 stars)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Eye of the songbird / Munro, Michael
“What happens when a New Zealand team of scientists find one of the world’s largest flawless diamonds on the last piece of sovereign-less land, Antarctica?” (Catalogue)

Reader’s review: “A highly relevant New Zealand thriller with it’s plot centred on one of the big issues of the day; climate change.  Highly recommended” (4/5 stars)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The miranda : a novel / Nicholson, G. J.
“The Miranda is at turns a biting satire about the secrets we keep from our neighbors, and about the invisible and unceasing state of war in which most Westerners unconsciously live.” (Catalogue)

Reader’s review: “I thought this book was like a Coen Brothers movie: darkly satirical. The detachment of the protagonist is key to this novel – he was a psychologist turned government agent training operatives to withstand torture. He is not disaffected, quite the reverse, but he is clinical , perceptive and interesting. A good dark read.” (4/5 stars)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐