"If a man can beat you, walk him." ~ Leroy "Satchel" Paige (1906-1982), American baseball player
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We came, we saw, we blogged - find good reading, what's on and lots more. Check out some of our latest posts:
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| How I shed my skin: unlearning racist lessons of a Southern childhood by Jim GrimsleyAuthor Jim Grimsley was 11 years old in 1966 when his school district was forced to end segregation. Until that time, he had never associated with black people. He describes his own outsider status and how this tumultuous political period gave him opportunities to develop his sense of identity. |
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Universal man: the seven lives of John Maynard Keynes
by Richard Davenport-Hines
John Maynard Keynes is the man who saved Britain from financial crisis not once but twice over the course of two World Wars. He remains a highly influential figure, nearly 70 years after his death. But who was he? In this entertaining biography, Richard Davenport-Hines gives us the man behind the economics.
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| Goebbels: a biography by Peter LongerichIn this detailed biography of the second most powerful man in Nazi Germany, historian Peter Longerich examines Goebbels' psychological profile, mines his diaries for descriptions of those around him, and explores his generally unsuccessful efforts to influence Hitler. |
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Blair Inc.: the man behind the mask
by Francis Beckett
This book takes a close look at the complex financial structures in Blair's world. From the many layers of tax liability to the multiple conflicts of interest produced by his increasing web of relationships, this book exposes the private dealings of this very public figure.
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The Imam's daughter: my desperate flight to freedom
by Hannah Shah
Hannah lived the life of a Muslim but, for many years, her father abused her in the cellar of their home. At 16, she discovered a plan to send her to Pakistan for an arranged marriage, and she ran away.
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Life among the savages
by Shirley Jackson
A witty and warm memoir of her family's life in rural Vermont. With a novelist's gift for character, an unfailing maternal instinct, and her signature humour, Jackson turns everyday family experiences into brilliant adventures.
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| Daughters of the Samurai: a journey from East to West and back by Janice P. NimuraIn the years after 1853, when Japan opened its harbours to trade with the U.S., the Japanese government realised that its citizens would need to understand Western culture as it pursued commerce with the rest of the world. Since they viewed women as essential to the preparation of future leaders, they decided to send some girls to the U.S. so they could learn American ways and return to Japan as educators. |
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The serpent rising: a journey of spiritual seduction
by Mary Garden
n 1973, Mary Garden abandoned a promising academic career to spend seven years in India at the feet of such gurus as Rajneesh, Sathya Sai Baba and an enigmatic yogi in the Himalayan jungle Swami Balyogi Premvarni. The Serpent Rising is her own story of the heaven and hell she experienced as she fell under the spell of self-appointed 'god-men'.
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Daughter of the Territory
by Jacqueline Hammar
An epic story of love, adventure and survival in the wilds of the Northern territory.
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Drinking and tweeting: and other Brandi blunders
by Brandi Glanville
She's the brutally honest breath of fresh air on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, known for her dramatic divorce, her barely-there clothing, and her inability to keep her mouth shut. So why should she change now? Brandi Glanville tells all in this hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir.
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Open looks: my life in basketball
by John Saker
John Saker tells of his lifetime love affair with one of the world's most popular sports, how it changed his life, and the head-spinning moments when this "minor" sport became the talk of New Zealand. From his early teens, when shooting hoops was a way of dealing with family tragedy, through his scholarship to a US university, career in France as New Zealand's first professional basketball player, and selection to the Tall Blacks,
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A wild life
by Martin Hughes-Game
Martin's personal account of his astonishing adventures around the world, both as a presenter for the BBC and a producer of nature documentaries.
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Our zoo
by June Mottershead
When George Mottershead moved to the village of Upton-by-Chester in 1930 to realise his dream of opening a zoo without bars, his four-year-old daughter June had no idea how extraordinary her life would become.
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Forged from silver dollar
by Li Feng
Li Feng grew up in Mao's communist China with her mother's motto burning in her ears success demands two things: unconditional sacrifice and absolute mental focus. Finally breaking free of her mother's overbearing clutches and fleeing to Sydney as an adult, Li struggled to make sense of her own lost childhood by piecing together her family's history.
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Booker T.: my rise to wrestling royalty
by Booker T. Huffman
Booker T. Huffman, 2013 WWE Hall of Famer and winner of thirty-five championship titles within WWE, WCW, and TNA, has once again paired up with best-selling writer Andrew William Wright to uncover Booker T's story from his humble pro wrestling beginnings to becoming a global superstar and icon.
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Call me Sasha: secret confessions of an Australian callgirl
by Geena Leigh
An account of one woman's journey from sexual abuse through prostitution to eventual salvation. It is raw with honesty, compelling and even laugh-out-loud funny as Geena recounts the highs and lows of her fascinating life in the sex industry.
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Nice work if you can get it: notes from a musician's diary
by Don Franks
Tales from a NZ musician. Don has played at restaurants, dances, pubs, festivals, weddings and funerals. He's taught music in schools, night classes, prisons, and to private students. He's performed at protests and picket lines and recorded two albums of his protest songs. Don produces a weekly Access Radio programme of music and social commentary.
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The farm in the Black Hills: farming alone in the hills of North Canterbury
by Beverley Forrester
An engaging woman-against-the-odds story about an entrepreneurial South Island sheep farmer. When occupational therapist Beverley Forrester's husband died suddenly she was left to run a farm she had barely worked. It's also the story of North Canterbury's beautiful Hurunui district, and the pioneers who built it.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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