It’s that time again, a bumper crop of new biographies and memoirs are hitting our shelves and we’d love to share them with you. Whether your interest is stars of the screen, literary giants, world history or stories close to home, we’ve got something for everyone.

Making a scene / Wu, Constance
“Through raw and relatable essays, Constance shares private memories of childhood, young love and heartbreak, sexual assault and harassment, and how she “made it” in Hollywood. Her stories offer a behind-the-scenes look at being Asian American in the entertainment industry and the continuing evolution of her identity and influence in the public eye.” (Catalogue)

Terry Pratchett : a life with footnotes / Wilkins, Rob
“At the time of his death in 2015, he was working on his finest story yet – his own. Tragically, Terry ran out of time to complete the memoir he so desperately wanted to write. But now, in the only authorised biography of one of our best known and best loved writers, his manager and friend Rob Wilkins picks up where Terry left off, and with the help of friends, family and Terry’s own unpublished work, tells the full story of an extraordinary life.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Remainders of the day : a bookshop diary / Bythell, Shaun
“The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland is a book lover’s paradise, with thousands of books across nearly a mile of shelves, a real log fire, and Captain, the portly bookshop cat. You’d think that after twenty years, owner Shaun Bythell would be used to his quirky customers by now. Filled with the pernickety warmth and humor that has touched readers around the world, stuffed with literary treasures, hidden gems, and incunabula, Remainders of the Day is a warm and welcome memoir of a life in books.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Surviving Marmite : a memoir of growing up Iranian in New Zealand / MacLean, Anisa
“In 2000, when I was just seven years old, my family immigrated from Iran to New Zealand. Surviving Marmite chronicles our wild Kiwi journey; brimming with serious culture shock to hilarious misunderstandings and everything in between. It features my unconventional family: my overly optimistic taxi-driver father, my overly pessimistic eyebrow-threading mother, and my sister and I, frizzy-haired, confused and clearly incongruous third-culture kids.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

No filter : the good, the bad, and the beautiful / Porizkova, Paulina
“Writer and former model Paulina Porizkova pens a series of intimate, introspective, and enlightening essays about the complexities of womanhood at every age, pulling back the glossy magazine cover and writing from the heart”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

A heart that works / Delaney, Rob
“In 2016, Rob Delaney’s one-year-old son, Henry, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The family had moved from Los Angeles to London with their two young boys when Rob’s wife was pregnant with Henry, their third.  Amid the hospital routine, surgeries, and brutal treatments, they found a newfound community of nurses, aides, caregivers, and fellow parents contending with the unthinkable. Two years later, Henry died, and his family watched their world fall away to reveal the things that matter most.” (Catalogue)

Mussolini’s daughter : the most dangerous woman in Europe / Moorehead, Caroline
“Edda Mussolini was the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s oldest and favorite child. Drawing on a wealth of archival material, some newly released, along with memoirs and personal papers, Mussolini’s Daughter paints a portrait of a woman in her twenties whose sheer force of character and ruthless narcissism helped impose a brutal and vulgar movement on a pliable and complicit society. Yet as Moorehead shows, not even Edda’s colossal willpower, her scheming, nor her father’s avowed love could save her husband from Mussolini’s brutal vengeance.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Lives of the wives : five literary marriages / Ciuraru, Carmela
“The history of wives is largely one of silence, resilience, and forbearance. Toss in celebrity, male privilege, ruthless ambition, narcissism, and a few more factors, and it’s easy to understand why the marriages of many famous writers have been stormy, short-lived, and mutually destructive. looks at the complex and fascinating but tumultuous marriages of five well-known figures in the literary world,and exposes the misery behind closed doors. The wives were often demonized and misrepresented, and paid a price when they achieved recognition and freedom.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

We danced on our desks : brilliance and backstabbing at the sixties’ most influential magazine / Norman, Philip
“At the age of 22, Philip Norman lands a dream job as a staff writer on the Sunday Time’s hugely wealthy and prestigious colour magazine at the epicentre of newly-dubbed Swinging London. Under its indulgent editor, Godfrey Smith, he’s allowed to travel the world on munificent expenses, interviewing the famous and infamous from Stevie Wonder to Libya’s combustible Colonel Gaddafi. And between assignments, he’s caught up in office politics and partying that makes the Borgias seem almost civilized by comparison.” (Catalogue)

Boldly go : reflections on a life of awe and wonder / Shatner, William
“The beloved star of Star Trek, recent space traveler, and living legend William Shatner reflects on the interconnectivity of all things, our fragile bond with nature, and the joy that comes from exploration in this inspiring, revelatory, and exhilarating collection of essays.” (Catalogue)

The light we carry : overcoming in uncertain times / Obama, Michelle
“Mrs. Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

For more new items in the collection, go to: What’s new & Popular / March 2023 (wcl.govt.nz)