Christchurch Photo Hunt 2015
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‘Arrivals and Departures — The Journeys that Have Shaped Us’. Take ownership of your city’s heritage: send in some of your old photos to help grow a photographic archive. You could win a tablet or eReader. Copies of photograph entries may be displayed in libraries and uploaded to Kete Christchurch.
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| House of thieves: A novel by Charles BelfoureWith his eldest son deeply in debt to a notorious gang leader, architect John Cross attempts to save his family from financial and social ruin by joining the crime syndicate known as "Kent's Gents" and using his insider knowledge of Manhattan's buildings to plan and execute daring robberies. Initially motivated by necessity, Cross soon discovers he's got a talent for theft. Depicting both the high society and the criminal underworld of 1886 New York City, this fast-paced, suspenseful story by the author of The Paris Architect should appeal to fans of historical caper novels. |
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| The gilded hour: A novel by Sara DonatiCousins Anna and Sophie Savard, both physicians, provide medical care to the poor in 1883 New York City. Between hospital drama, murder investigations, and star-crossed love affairs, the Savards' personal lives prove to be as dramatic as their professional ones. However, the tipping point occurs when the women become the targets of outspoken anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock's latest morality campaign. Fans of author Sarah Donati's Wilderness saga will be pleased to learn that this novel's heroines are the direct descendants of that series' protagonists. |
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| Sophie and the Sibyl: A Victorian romance by Patricia DunckerSophie is a countess: beautiful, brilliant, and extremely wealthy; the Sibyl is Mary Ann Evans, better known as novelist George Eliot. Determined to secure the German-language rights to her latest work, Berlin-based publisher Wolfgang Duncker sends his brother and business partner Maximilian to negotiate with the famous author. On the way, Max renews his acquaintance with Sophie, his childhood sweetheart. Profit-minded Wolfgang and pleasure-seeking Max have different goals, but then, so do the women involved in their plans. Don't miss this witty, irreverent neo-Victorian novel of love and literature. |
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| Under the Udala trees: A novel by Chinelo OkparantaDisplaced by Nigeria's civil war, 11-year-old Ijeoma goes to live with relatives in the city of Aba, where she befriends and subsequently falls in love with fellow refugee Amina. But same-sex relationships are strictly forbidden for religious and cultural reasons. Ethnicity creates further obstacles, for Ijeoma is Igbo and Amina is Hausa. Separated by disapproving guardians, their paths diverge and heartbroken Ijeoma wonders if love is even a possibility in a world that will never accept who she truly is. Although set in the 1960s, this moving coming-of-age story is timeless. |
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"Death erases all traces, all memories of lives that once existed, completely and forever." ~ from Tash Aw's The Harmony Silk Factory
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| The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash AwIn 1940, 20-year-old Malaysian-born entrepreneur Lim Seng Chin takes the name "Johnny Lim" and opens the Harmony Silk Factory. The son of impoverished and illiterate Chinese laborers, Johnny is determined to make his mark on the world and succeeds beyond everyone's expectations. But who exactly is Johnny Lim? This taut and elegant psychological novel offers answers from three different, often conflicting, perspectives: Johnny's estranged son, Jasper; his deceased wife, Snow (recounted through her diary); and his friend, expatriate Englishman Peter Wormwood. |
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| The King's last song: A novel by Geoff RymanWhile on a 2004 expedition in Cambodia, French archaeologist Luc Andrade discovers an 800-year-old manuscript. Shortly thereafter, he's kidnapped by followers of the deceased Pol Pot, genocidal leader of the Khmer Rouge. To pass the time and provide his captors with a reason to keep him alive, Luc translates and relays the contents of the manuscript, which turns out to be the memoir of 12th-century Cambodian King Jayavarman VII, the beleaguered Buddhist ruler of a predominantly Hindu nation whose reign ushered in a golden age. The history of Cambodia, past and present, comes to life in this descriptive and intricately plotted novel. |
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| The gift of rain by Tan Twan EngThe son of a wealthy British merchant and a Chinese woman, Philip Arminius Khoo-Hutton grows up on the Malaysian island of Penang. As an alienated 16-year-old, tolerated but unloved by his father and older step-siblings, Philip befriends Japanese diplomat Hayato Endo, who teaches him aikido. But the advent of World War II will transform Philip's life beyond recognition, robbing him of his family, friends, and homeland. As the island's unique Anglo-Chinese culture falls victim to the Japanese occupation, a heartbreaking story of love and betrayal unfolds, with repercussions lasting decades. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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