Author: Xinxin

Books from Te Pātaka: Stories of brave New Zealanders

Xinxin

Read the true stories about kiwis who courageously rescued others from dangerous situations.  There are rescuers who saved people from shark attack or from foreign political turmoil. And rescuers searched the mountain for people encountering trouble. Also, an interesting story of the adventurer who helped Ernest Shackleton. Read about their uneasy but worthwhile rescues!

Rescue pilot : the daring adventures of a New Zealand search and rescue pilot / Funnell, John
“Often referred to as a ‘search and rescue daredevil’, John Funnell is one of New Zealand’s longest serving and most respected search and rescue pilots, having clocked an incredible 19,000 hours of flying time. John is a hero transported thousands of victims to safety. He was also known for his unprecedented 1200-kilometre mission to save a MetService employee attacked by a shark on the remote subantarctic Campbell Island.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Purple hands : a Kiwi nurse-midwife’s response in times of crisis / Walker, Barbara
“What is it like for aid workers who serve refugees? Kiwi nurse-midwife, Barbara Walker shares her heart-rending, and inspiring stories and the people she helped. From the Sakeo One Refugee Camp in Thailand, where she cared for those fleeing Pol Pot’s regime in Cambodia in a bamboo-framed field hospital to Mozambique placement that ended due to a death threat, Barbara’s Christian faith gave her strength.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Frank Worsley : Shackleton’s fearless captain / Thomson, John
“Frank Worsley, without doubt one of New Zealand’s greatest, but largely unsung adventuring heroes. He was Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance, which was trapped in pack ice on the 1914-1916 Antarctic expedition and slowly crushed. The crew of 28 spent over a year camped on the Antarctic ice before Shackleton, Worsley and four others sailed a tiny lifeboat on a 17-day journey across the wild Southern Ocean to South Georgia to summon help for the rest of the men, who were all eventually rescued. (Adapted from the catalogue)

Continue reading “Books from Te Pātaka: Stories of brave New Zealanders” →

Rare species of New Zealand: Books from Te Pātaka

Xinxin

If the discovery of an ancient New Zealand dolphin species intrigues you, you might be interested in reading books about the unique and wonderful species of Aotearoa. Read stories about the fairy tern, Māui dolphin, yellow-eyed penguin, kakī, greater short-tailed bat, and tāiko; some of which are New Zealand’s most endangered species. These books come with beautiful photos, interesting stories, and scientific discoveries to take you on a journey, exploring the unique creatures of the wilderness.

Rare wildlife of New Zealand / Ballance, Alison
“This book contains 100 New Zealand endangered species of all kinds: plants, birds, insects, fungi, mammals. Organised by habitat forests, gardens, islands, wetlands, high country, and sea and shore, it gives an important snapshot of the critical state of the wildlife in our country. Beautifully photographed with accessible and informative text. At the same time, it contains many surprises: among our most endangered species are kiwi, tuatara, flax, grasshoppers, hebes, crabs, and dolphins.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Whio : saving New Zealand’s blue duck / Young, David
“The blue duck, or whio, is one of New Zealand’s ancient treasures, a beautiful torrent duck that once lived on clear, fast-flowing rivers throughout most of the country. Sadly the blue duck now belongs to the ‘second tier’ of endangered species (including kaka, kea, parakeets and North Island brown kiwi) whose numbers have dropped alarmingly in the last 15 years. A dedicated group of scientists, field workers and volunteers have set about saving the blue duck.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The handbook of New Zealand mammals
“This is the only definitive reference on all the land-breeding mammals recorded in the New Zealand region (including the New Zealand sector of Antarctica). It lists 65 species, including native and exotic, wild and feral, living and extinct, residents, vagrants and failed introductions. It describes their history, biology and ecology, and brings together comprehensive and detailed information gathered from widely scattered or previously unpublished sources.” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

Continue reading “Rare species of New Zealand: Books from Te Pātaka” →

World Philosophy Day 16 November

Xinxin

Celebrate World Philosophy Day with philosophy in New Zealand; from the famous argument of Sir Karl Popper to the traditions of Mātauranga Māori, plus some key thinkers such as Rom Harré and Peter Munze.

Beyond Wittgenstein’s poker : new light on Popper and Wittgenstein / Munz, Peter
“World renowned philosopher Sir Karl Popper worked in New Zealand in 1930-40s. In 1946, Ludwig Wittgenstein, the chair of Cambridge University Moral Science Club invited Popper to present a paper. The discussion turned into an argument, and Wittgenstein used a fireplace poker to emphasize his points. Then Popper replied that an example of a moral rule is `Not to threaten visiting lecturers with pokers′.” (Librarian’s review)

Key thinkers in psychology / Harré, Rom
“Book is written by New Zealand British philosopher Rom Harré. As recommended by The Psychologist `For anyone that has spent years rowing off into convoluted estuaries, and would like an entertaining and useful chart to remind them of River Psychology as a whole, I thoroughly recommend this book′ . This is a highly enjoyable, erudite and beautifully written manuscript. It conveys a rare depth of understanding and ability to strike at the core debates. ‘ – Dr Steve Brown, Loughborough University” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

Exploring Māori values / Patterson, John
“This book, first published in 1992, offers Pakeha New Zealanders an insight into Maori thought and values and the basis for the sort of understanding and partnership that should exist between Pakeha and Maori. It also presents a new perspective from which long-held Pakeha values can be reassessed. He demonstrates a high degree of empathy with and respect for Maori and the book offers a practical model for engagement with this culture and for greater mutual understanding. “(Adapted from the Catalogue)

The certainty of doubt : tributes to Peter Munz
“These essays are written by Peter Munz’s friends and colleagues to celebrate his 75th birthday. They write on broad themes, the philosophy of history and science and the problems of knowledge and in doing so they reflect the growth and breadth of Munz’s intellectual interests and achievements. These essays are major contributions to their fields, which range from 5th century monastic life to claims before the Waitangi Tribunal to the importance of evolutionary theory for history and philosophy.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

 

 

The life of New Zealand’s extraordinary scientists

Xinxin

Read stories of New Zealand’s own prominent scientists who changed our lives, from diet to DNA, and from environment patriot to expert witness. Some of their contributions we have taken for granted today, but were revolutionary at the time.

The unconventional career of Dr Muriel Bell / Brown, Diana
“Appointed New Zealand’s first state nutritionist in 1940, Muriel Bell was behind ground-breaking public health schemes such as milk in schools, iodised salt, and water fluoridation. The first woman in New Zealand to be awarded the research degree of Doctor of Medicine, in 1926, her pioneer research on vitamins and minerals helped to prevent deficiency diseases. Her early research into fats and cholesterol tackled the complexity of nutrition-related aspects of coronary heart disease. (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Peter Snell : from Olympian to scientist / Snell, Peter
“Peter Snell has won three gold medals and was named New Zealand Sportsman of the year in 1960 and 1964, and New Zealand Order of Merit in 2002, and became Sir Peter Snell in 2009. He then moved to US and pursued a successful career in exercise physiology. This biography is the full account of Peter Snell’s life as sensational athlete and respected scientist and academic. It picks up the story from Peter’s first biography No Bugles, No Drums, which was published in 1965.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Continue reading “The life of New Zealand’s extraordinary scientists” →

Nobel Prizes 2023: Science and behind the scenes stories

Xinxin

Winners of the 2023 Nobel Prizes have been announced! Here are a few related books that may interest you, whether you’re interested in the technical stuff, the behind-the-scenes science or medical stories.  Read on!

Losing the Nobel Prize : a story of cosmology, ambition, and the perils of science’s highest honor / Keating, Brian
“In 2014, astronomers wielding BICEP2(Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization), the most powerful cosmology telescope ever made, thought they’d glimpsed the spark that ignited the Big Bang. Millions around the world tuned in to the announcement, and Nobel whispers began to spread. But had these cosmologists truly read the cosmic prologue or had they been deceived by a galactic mirage? Cosmologist Brian Keating tells the inside story and the ensuing scientific drama.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The incidental tourist : on the road with a globetrotting Nobel Prize winner / Doherty, P. C.
“Join Nobel Prize winner Peter Doherty on his extraordinary adventures around the globe. Doherty has kept a journal about the far-flung destinations his work has taken him to for more than thirty years. His observations and discoveries in The Incidental Tourist make for perfect armchair travel. Peter Doherty shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for discovering the nature of the cellular immune defence. He wrote 6 books for general readers, one being The Beginner’s Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize. (Adapted from the Catalogue)

A beautiful mind : the life of mathematical genius and Nobel laureate John Nash / Nasar, Sylvia
“”In this biography, Sylvia Nasar re-creates the life of a mathematical genius whose brilliant career was cut short by schizophrenia and who, after three decades of devastating mental illness, miraculously recovered and was honored with a Nobel Prize. At twenty-one, the handsome, ambitious, eccentric graduate student invented what would become the most influential theory of rational human behavior in modern social science, was offered a dream job in MIT. (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Continue reading “Nobel Prizes 2023: Science and behind the scenes stories” →

Home ownership in NZ: Helpful books

Xinxin

Below is a list of books about buying property, organising your finances, interior organisation and more. You can also find NZ Property Investor on OverDrive.

From renter to owner : practical, innovative ways to buy your first home today / Edmunds, Susan
“Respected property and business journalist Susan Edmunds has done the hard work to show you how buy first home in New Zealand. Most of us don’t have a big inheritance or limitless funds from the bank of Mum and Dad, so need help getting into a first home and navigating the many options. Book discussed how to apply for and structure your loan; the different properties worth considering, and different buying options, such as buying with friends. ” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

Home : the way we live now / Watson-Smyth, Kate
“Interiors expert Kate Watson-Smyth looks beyond the floorplan and shows how to evolutionally use the space you own or rent. By choosing from over 250 practical solutions, you can make your rooms multi-purpose even at a small space. Author provides a unique and innovative split-format page design for mixing and matching ideas and plans, whether working from home, using small spaces, or buying furniture. Also featured from hoteliers, interior designers and bloggers. (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The sophisticated property investor : for new and seasoned commercial property investors / Brill, Jeff
“Do you want to work towards financial freedom and create a legacy to leave a secure money machine behind your children? Herein you will learn the tools needed to invest in the commercial property sector, be it a building or part of one. No longer is this investment vehicle an exclusive domain for the rich, you can make substantial gains to secure your future. Contains an interview with Sir Robert Jones and other specialists in their field.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Buyer beware : a New Zealand home buyer’s guide / Slade, Maria
“Written by a news journalist who has covered many of the horror stories, this book takes a no-holds-barred look at the challenges facing home buyers and offers savvy advice on how to navigate that minefield. It will appeal to all home buyers, with chapters on the search, mortgages and legal aspects, types of title, buying at auction, buying off plans, checks and warning signs, bodies corporate and the special problems to be found in Christchurch, there is plenty of information for everyone.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Kiwi prefab : cottage to cutting edge : prefabricated housing in New Zealand / Bell, Pamela
“Unlike the previous impression of cheap and temporary, today’s prefab home is design rich, high-quality, and readily customised to individual sites and needs. It is likely to be state of the art, an innovative blend of architecture, design, manufacturing and construction. For example, the story of IBS, (Industrialised Building Systems) is a story of a NZ project that came close to revolution.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Smashed avocado : how I cracked the property market and you can too / Haddow, Nicole
“‘Buying a property isn’t easy. It’s not meant to be. It’s one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll make in your life. But it is worth it . . . it’s hard, there will be shit bits, but it’s not impossible.’ At thirty, journalist Nicole Haddow had unstable income, no financial plan and only credit-card debt to her name. But less than two years’ later she was a home-owner. In Smashed Avocado, Nicole explains the steps she took to purchase her own home, alongside detailed case studies of other people who have found ways to enter the property market.” (Adapted from catalogue)

First home buyers guide : how to buy a home in New Zealand / Hampton, Wendy
“A guide to first home buyers written in plain English that explains the purchasing journey in simple terms. It includes amongst other matters simple explanations of the roles of the professionals, types of legal agreements, legal titles, types of ownership as well as a chapter on finance. The guide walks you through the decision making process and includes useful checklists and diagrams.” (Catalogue)