Popular Non-Fiction Recent Picks
November 2007
Some interesting new books
The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.
The ghost map : the story of London's most terrifying epidemic--and how it changed science, cities, and the modern world by Steven Johnson. (2006)
""The Ghost Map" takes place in the summer of 1854. A devastating cholera outbreak seizes London just as it is emerging as a modern city: more than 2 million people packed into a 10-mile circumference, a hub of travel and commerce, teeming with people from all over the world, continually pushing the limits of infrastructure that's outdated as soon as it's updated. Dr John Snow - whose ideas about contagion had been dismissed by the scientific community - is spurred to intense action when the people in his neighbourhood begin dying." (Synopsis, Amazon.uk)
In search of happiness : understanding an endangered state of mind by John F. Schumaker. (2006)
"This is a book about the thing that everyone wants. Ask people what they want more than anything else in life. and 'happiness' is by far the most common answer.... But what is happiness? Tracing the history of happiness from its prehistoric origins to its current super-commercialised form in an age of mass consumerism and epidemic depression, In Search of Happiness aims to answer that question." (Book jacket)
To hell with all that : loving and loathing our inner housewife by Caitlin Flanagan. (2006)
"Caitlin Flanagan has been stirring up passions, inciting arguments and testing accepted notions about family, motherhood, and home form the moment she published her first essays and articles. In To Hell with All That, she examines the central concerns of women's private lives - weddings, sex, nannies, housekeeping, marriage, children - in a blazingly fresh light that turns a familiar discourse on its head." (Book jacket)
Orange county choppers : the tale of the Teutuls by Paul Teutul, Sr., Paul M. Teutul and Michael Teutul with Keith and Kent Zimmerman.
"Each week, millions of viewers tune into The Discovery Channel to watch their favorite dysfunctional American family, the Teutuls. The hit TV show American Chopper features Paul Teutul, Sr., and his sons Paul, Jr.and Mikey, along with a supporting cast of mechanics and friends. Together, they create some of the most incredible and outrageous motorcycles in the world. Now, in ORANGE COUNTY CHOPPERS, the Teutuls combine family history with a behind-the-scenes tour of their renowned motorcycle shop--and their new lives as household names. Hilarious and heartwarming, fans of the show and newcomers alike will delight in this truly authentic America success story." (Book description, Amazon.com)
Gothic NZ : the darker side of kiwi culture edited by Misha Kavka, Jennifer Lawn, Mary Paul.. (2007)
"Contemporary creative writers, intellectuals, photographers, painters and other artists have all contributed to this volume exploring the idea of 'gothic' in New Zealand culture. From Martin Edmond's abandoned houses, to Ian Lochhead's Victorian corrugated iron structures, to Otis Frizzell's tattoos, from Peter Jackson's movie-making to ghost paintings - there's plenty of it. As the editors suggest, gothic is 'endemic to New Zealand's self-representation'." (Synopsis, Amazon.com)
New Zealand unleashed : the country, its future and the people who will get it there by Steven Carden ; with Campbell Murray. (2007)
"New Zealand unleashed is a fast-paced, irreverent look at how new Zealand can prepare itself for an uncertain, complex future." (Book jacket)
Packer's lunch : a rollicking tale of Swiss bank accounts and money-making adventurers in the roaring '90s, by Neil Chenoweth. (2007)
Future perfect : what next? and other impossible questions by Robyn Williams. (2007) "Witty and immensely entertaining...." (Book jacket)
KiwiSafer : how to keep your money safe in KiwiSaver, by Gareth Morgan. (2007)
Bad ground : inside the Beaconsfield Mine rescue, by Tony Wright with Brant Webb and Todd Russell.
Asia in the making of New Zealand, edited by Henry Johnson & Brian Moloughney.
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