Tag: memoir

Rising to the Surface – New Biographies and Memoirs

Kath

A fabulous selection of new biographies and memoirs have arrived in our collection.  Comedy and cooking, whistle blowers and writers, dynasties and dry wit are all covered in this month’s selection.

Rising to the surface / Henry, Lenny
“Rising to the Surface traces Lenny Henry’s career through the 80s and 90s. The 16-year-old who won a talent competition, now has to navigate his way through the seas of professional comedy, learning his craft through sheer graft and hard work. We follow Lenny through a period of great creativity – prize-winning tv programs, summer seasons across Britain, the starring role in a Hollywood film, and stand-up gigs in New York.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Departure stories : Betty Crocker made matzoh balls (and other lies) / Bernick, Elisa
“Elisa Bernick grew up “different” (i.e., Jewish) in the white, Christian suburb of New Hope, Minnesota during the 1960s and early 1970s. Poignant and provocative, Departure Stories peers through the broader lens of Minnesota’s recent history to reveal an intergenerational journey through trauma that unraveled the Bernick family and many others.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

README.txt : a memoir / Manning, Chelsea
“While working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq for the United States Army in 2010, Chelsea Manning disclosed more than seven hundred thousand classified military and diplomatic records that she had smuggled out of the country on the memory card of her digital camera. In 2011 she was charged with twenty-two counts related to the unauthorized possession and distribution of classified military records, and in 2013 she was sentenced to thirty-five years in military prison. This powerful, observant memoir will stand as one of the definitive testaments of our digital, information-driven age.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Bryce Courtenay : Storyteller / Courtenay, Christine
“Bryce Courtenay was a born storyteller. The success of his extraordinary debut The Power of One made publishing history, and in the years that followed Bryce continued to entertain and inspire thousands of devoted readers around the world with his sweeping epics and larger-than-life characters who embody the strength and triumph of the human condition. When Christine Courtenay began penning her own memoir during lockdown, she found herself increasingly drawn to the remarkable story of her late husband’s life and reflecting upon his astonishing literary legacy.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Managing expectations : a memoir in essays / Driver, Minnie
“A charming, poignant, unfiltered, laugh-out-loud memoir in essays from beloved actor and natural-born storyteller Minnie Driver, chronicling the way life works out even when it doesn’t.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Growing up Getty : the story of America’s most unconventional dynasty / Reginato, James
“Oil magnate J. Paul Getty, once the richest man in the world, is the patriarch of an extraordinary cast of sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Through extensive research, including access to J. Paul Getty’s diaries and love letters, and fresh interviews with family members and friends, Growing Up Getty offers an inside look into the benefits and burdens of being part of today’s world of the ultra-wealthy.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Do let’s have another drink! : the dry wit and fizzy life of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother / Russell, Gareth
“This collection of one hundred and one anecdotes about Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, features amusing and fascinating vignettes from her long life, including her coming of age during World War I and the 1936 abdication of her brother-in-law.” (Catalogue)

 

Until further notice : a year in pandemic time / Kaler, Amy
“Until Further Notice is a real-time personal account of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic through the prism of one woman’s consciousness. An internal seismograph of living through a global emergency, Amy Kaler’s book documents a series of jolts to her thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and habits. Reflexive and relatable, Until Further Notice captures fine-grained, everyday experiences from an extraordinary year.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Insulin : the crooked timber : a history from thick brown muck to Wall Street gold / Hall, Kersten T
“Before the discovery of insulin, a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes was a death sentence.  This book is the result of the author’s own shocking diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes and its story reminds us all of what technology can – and cannot do – for us.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Local : a memoir / Machado, Jessica
“Born and raised in Hawai’i by a father whose ancestors are indigenous to the land and a mother from the American South, Jessica Machado wrestles with what it means to be “local.” Interwoven with a rich and nuanced exploration of Hawaiian history and traditions, Local is a personal and moving narrative about family, grief, and reconnecting to the land she tried to leave behind.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Too much / Allen, Tom
“‘Happily settled in a new relationship and with a dream house of his own, comedian Tom Allen had finally moved on from the arrested development of millennial life and could at last call himself an adult. But when his father died suddenly in late 2021, Tom’s newfound independence was rocked by a fresh set of challenges, and he began to find solace in the past (and his new vegetable patch). With moving honesty and wit, Tom writes beautifully about those days, weeks and months following his family’s loss, and about how bewildering the practicalities of life can be in the wake of an upheaval – those moments, really, when everything can start to feel a bit too much… ” (Adapted from Catalogue)

It’s a shame about Ray / Seidler, Jonathan
“It’s a Shame About Ray is an extraordinary and powerful memoir about family, love and the power of music. What tracks combine to make a family album? What do we carry from one generation to a next? What is the difference between leaning on and letting go? Blackly funny and frequently devastating, this memoir traverses death, hope, love, family, survival, compassion, and the deep relationship we can develop with music throughout our lives when all else is simply not enough.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

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

Getting Lost: New biographies and memoirs

Kath

It’s a new year and we have new biographies hitting the collection, including: a female politician from Afghanistan, a much-loved novelist, an actor and of course some royals, among others. There’s a little something for everyone in this collection.

To see what else is new in our collection, go to what’s new & popular (wcl.govt.nz)

Zarifa : a woman’s battle in a man’s world / Ghafari, Zarifa
“Zarifa Ghafari was three years old when the Taliban banned girls from schools, and she began her education in secret. She was six when American airstrikes began. She was twenty-four when she became mayor–one of the first female mayors in the country–and first of Wardak, one of the most conservative provinces in Afghanistan. Written with honesty, pain, and ultimately, hope, Zarifa describes the work she did, the women she still tries to help as they live under Taliban rule, and her vision for how grassroots activism can change their lives and the lives of women everywhere.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Comrade : Bill Andersen: a communist, working-class life / Locke, Cybèle
“Bill Andersen was one of the most significant figures of the twentieth-century trade union movement in New Zealand. In this biography, Cybèle Locke reveals the relationship between communism and working-class trade unionism during the Second World War and the following decades. Writing with insight and empathy, Cybèle Locke provides a highly readable account of a communist union leader navigating the social and political turmoil of the twentieth century.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Getting lost / Ernaux, Annie
“Getting Lost is the diary Annie Ernaux kept during the year and a half she had a secret love affair with a younger, married man, a Russian diplomat. Getting Lost is as strong a book as any that she has written, a haunting, desperate view of strong and successful woman who seduces a man only to lose herself in love and desire.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

The secret heart : John Le Carré : an intimate memoir / Dawson, Suleika
“The astonishing portrait of the master of spy fiction, by the woman he kept secret for all of his life. The Secret Heart is the account of Suleika Dawson’s enduring love affair with John Le Carre. A thoughtful, artfully written and intimate biography, the book aims to shed a new light on one of the greatest British writers of the 20th Century and offer an alternative measure of the man over the literary legend.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Camilla : from outcast to Queen Consort / Levin, Angela
“A compelling new biography of Camilla, Queen Consort, that reveals how she transformed her role and established herself as one of the key members of the royal family. Angela Levin uncovers Camilla’s rocky journey to be accepted by the royal family and how she coped with her brutal portrayal in Netflix’s The Crown. Most of all, Levin tells the story of how Camilla has changed from a fun-loving young woman to one of the senior royals’ hardest workers. She has retained her mischievous sense of humor, becoming a role model for older women and an inspiration for younger ones.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Cover Image for Illustrated Black HistoryIllustrated Black history : honoring the iconic and the unseen / McCalman, George
“A gorgeous collection of 145 original portraits that celebrates Black pioneers–famous and little-known–in politics, science, literature, music, and more–with biographical reflections, all created and curated by an award-winning graphic designer.  Beautifully designed with over 300 unique four-color artworks and accessible to readers of all ages, this eye-opening, educational, dynamic, and timely compendium pays homage to Black Americans and their achievements, and showcases the depth and breadth of Black genius.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Cover image for All Veils Are OffAll veils are off / Heding, Marguerette
“Qatar? It sounds like a bad lung condition! was Marguerette Heding’s first reaction to her husband about moving there.  ‘All Veils Are Off: The True Housewives of Qatar’ is Marguerette’s extraordinary, hilarious, though at times devastating account of her 8 years living in Qatar. Not only did she have to navigate the tricky expat community, but also the secret and fiercely protected world of the Qatari women – a world very few outsiders, particularly a wine-loving, dog owning Australian infidel are ever privy to.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Playing under the piano : from Downton to darkest Peru / Bonneville, Hugh
“A moving, laugh-out-loud memoir from one of today’s best-loved British actors, whose credits include Downton Abbey, Notting Hill, and Paddington.  Whether telling stories of his B&H-smoking, G&T-drinking, horse-race-addicted grandmother, or working with an invisible bear with a penchant for marmalade, this is a richly entertaining memoir.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Revenge : Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors / Bower, Tom
“Meghan Markle’s trajectory from unknown actress to world icon is remarkable. After a childhood spent on Hollywood film sets, she fought hard for stardom. But even when she landed her breakthrough role, her lifelong dream of celebrity remained elusive. In 2016 she created the ultimate fairy-tale ending: she captivated her very own prince. Yet, within one tumultuous year, the dream became a nightmare. In the aftermath of the infamous Megxit split and the Oprah Winfrey interview, the Royal Family’s fate seems persistently threatened.” (Catalogue)

Top 100 Non-Fiction books from 2022

Tess

Highlights of 2022

Our list of the top 100 non-fiction books for 2022 includes the best in memoirs and biographies, poetry, local history, science and technology, health, cooking, music, art and architecture. We’ve selected an eclectic mix of acclaimed local authors, New York Times Bestsellers, Pulitzer prize winners and breakthrough newcomers, meaning there’s plenty of choice for the deep-dive readers and coffee book lovers alike (and everyone in-between).

2022 Non-fiction Highlights — Browse the full list
Browse the full list with all our picks, or browse just the topic you enjoy!

I'm glad my mom died / Jeanette McCurdyMy fourth time, we drowned / Sally HaydenAs ever, the compelling human stories encompassing grief, love, personal trauma and strengths of character shine through, with a hearty selection of memoirs and biographies to choose from, including Sally Hayden’s critically acclaimed My fourth time, we drowned. Topping our most heavily reserved new non-fiction title of 2022 was Jennette McCurdy’s hit memoir I’m glad my mom died. A little further off the beaten path, was Hua Hsu’s ‘quietly wrenching’ coming-of-age memoir Stay True, and the visual delight of Kate Beaton’s graphic memoir Ducks: two years in the oil sands.

Contributions to the local poetry scene were beautifully espoused in Khadro Mohamed’s We’re all made of lightning and in the visual expressions of the poet/painter collaboration within Bordering on Miraculous. Shining locally likewise, the great architectural designs in Making Space and HomeGround, which highlight design as a conduits to push social boundaries in Aotearoa New Zealand communities.

Regenesis / by George MonbiotCalls for climate awareness were made riveting in The Alarmist, Nomad Century and Regenesis. Our oceans were also a focal point for many this year, and explored in great depth, with Jellyfish age backwards, Secrets of the Sea and in Adrift: the curious tale of Lego lost at sea, among others.

The collapse of historic empires, stories of divided nations and political parties in turmoil were explored in a multitude of ways in the vast array of global history titles featured on our list. Included are Legacy of Violence: A history of the British Empire by Pulitzer prize winning Historian Caroline Elkins, and Fragments of a contested past: Remembrance, denial and New Zealand history by Joanna Kidman.

Wawata: Moon Dreaming / by Hinemoa ElderWe let the world’s first astronomers take us on a star gazing tour, and found daily wisdom in Hinemoa Elder’s Wawata: Moon Dreaming. Cap off 2022 by allowing yourself to become enveloped in worlds both near and far, and understand our past, present and future within the Top 100 non-fiction books of 2022 list. Pair with our Top 100 fiction books list, and you’re all set for your Summer Reading Adventure.