Literature Recent Picks

SEPTEMBER 2009

The underlined titles will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to a bookseller to enable you to read more information.

For crying out loud! : the world according to Clarkson, volume three , Jeremy Clarkson, 2009.
The publication of The World According to Clarkson in 2004 launched a multi-million-copy bestselling phenomenon. But to no avail. Jeremy's one-man war on crimes against common sense has not yet been won. And our hero's still scratching his head at the madness of it all. But it's not all bad. He's learned a little along the way, including: Why binge drinking is good for you The worst word in the English language The remarkable secret of eternal youth The pleasure and pain of middle-aged drumming The problem with America And how to dispose of a seal For anyone who's ever been driven to wonder just what is the matter with people these days, For Crying Out Loud is the perfect riposte. Surprising, fearless and always laugh-out-loud funny, Clarkson's back. And he's got a point. (Amazon.co.uk)

The end of the poem : Oxford lectures on poetry , by Paul Muldoon, 2006.
"The End of the Poem" contains the fifteen lectures delivered by Paul Muldoon as Oxford Professor of Poetry, from 1999 to 2004. Rather than individual and discrete performances, these lectures form a dazzling set of variations around the sustained theme of 'the end of the poem'. Each lecture explores a different sense of an ending: whether a poem can ever be a free-standing structure, read and written in isolation from other poems; whether a poem's line-endings are forms of closure (and where this might leave the poem in prose); whether the poem is completed only with the reader's act of understanding; whether revision brings a poem nearer to its ideal ending (when does a poet know when a poem has come to an end?); what is the right true end of poetry, and is the end of the poem the beginning of criticism, including an Arnoldian 'criticism of life'? (Amazon.co.uk)

Honeymoons : journeys from the altar ,edited by Roger Hudson and Rose Baring, (2009)
A sharp, acerbic and humorous look at the pain and pleasure of the honeymoon. The newlyweds first taste of married life can be as disappointing and condemning as it can be blissful, or simply downright shocking, to the unwary. Extracts from great and obscure literary accounts are brought together with tales of public marriages and the private lives they joined. From gentle bliss to besotted rapture, from honeymoon gothic to swindled brides and hellish journeys, all expose the newlyweds to themselves and their newly acquired partners. Complied by Roger Hudson, this provides the perfect cautionary gift for newly-weds, who are an endlessly self-filling pool of travellers. A beautifully produced hardback with tales of public marriages and the private lives they joined. Queen Victoria, Byron, Martha Gellhorn, King Charles I and many others reflect on their honeymoons. (Amazon.co.uk)

Dancing with words : storytelling as legacy, culture, and faith , Ray Buckley, 2007.
Dancing With Words provides help for all church leaders—both clergy and lay—to explore the history and importance of storytelling in faith development and to acquire basic storytelling skills. Through an understanding of the history of storytelling and of storytellers as keepers of beliefs, traditions, history, and values, you will find new meaning in the stories and storytellers of the Bible and of the Christian faith, learn what makes a good story, discover your own style as a storyteller, learn the techniques of effective storytelling, and practice creating stories from your own experience. Let the dance begin. (THENILE.co.nz website)

The Pulitzer Prize plays : the first fifty years, 1917-1967a dramatic reflection of American life,/ Paul A. Firestone.
Insightful and inspiring analysis of the plays that won the Pulitzer Prize during the first 50 years of its existence (1917-1967). In a series of accessible and straightforward essays, Paul Firestone provides insight into how these dramas reflect America's cultural values and mores, organizing them by their major themes: family life, social protest, political heroes, the spiritual condition of man, and morality in a materialistic society. (Amazon.com)

Novel and short story writer's market. 2009
Product Description (Amazon.co.uk)
For 28 years, "Novel & Short Story Writer's Market" has been the only resource of its kind exclusively for fiction writers. Anyone who is writing novels and/or stories - whether romance or literary, horror or graphic novel - needs this resource to help them prepare their submissions and sell their work.Readers will have access to listings for over 1,300 book publishers, magazines, literary agents, writing contests and conferences, each containing current contact information, editorial needs, schedules and guidelines that save writers time and take the guesswork out of the submission process."NSSWM" includes more than 100 pages of listings for literary journals alone and another 100 pages of book publishers (easily four times as many markets for fiction writers as "Writer's Market" offers). The book also features over a 100 pages of original content: interviews with working editors and writers, how-tos on the craft of fiction, and articles on the business of getting published. (Amazon.co.uk)

NOTE: 2008 and 2009 editions are reference only - if you want an edition you can take out of the library the previous years editions are available for loan.

Write right : business documents made easy, Craig Richards.
Preparing an effective document is a daunting task for anyone wishing to get ahead in the world of business. Craig Richards understands this and has produced Write Right to lend a hand. Containing clear and concise hints, proformas and examples, this title will enable you to prepare 12 essential business documents in minutes. The book is divided into three parts... Why and how - explains the reasons why the reader needs this book, and how it will help advance their career Making sure your document is read - contains the 10 golden rules to business writing, as well as 9 ways to avoid giving your boss a headache A simple guide to preparing 12 documents often required in the business setting - including the business plan, the brief, the contract, the speech, the resume, the marketing brochure and the sales letter. Even the most inexperienced of writers will soon be producing effective business documents that will get them noticed thanks to Write Right. (Booktopia review)

New Zealand

Just this, Brian Turner.
Brian Turner’s ongoing love affair with his Central Otago home lies at the heart of his rich and compelling new collection of poems.(Book jacket)

121 New Zealand poems, chosen by Bill Manhire, (2005).

New Zealand writer's handbook, 5th ed., fully rev. & updated. 2007.

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