May: New Zealand Music Month Come along to your library in May to catch some live music.
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New and Recently Released! |
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Constant Lambert: beyond the Rio Grande
by Stephen Lloyd
This is an indispensable biography for anyone interested in Constant Lambert, ballet and British musical life in the first part of the twentieth century.
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America's pastor: Billy Graham and the shaping of a nation
by Grant Wacker
More than a conventional biography, Grant Wacker's interpretive study deepens our understanding of why Billy Graham has mattered so much to so many, and how his uncanny ability to appropriate trends in the wider culture allowed him to transform his born-again theology into a moral vocabulary capturing the aspirations and fears of average Americans.
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An Outback nurse: how a city girl became an Outback nurse, found love and had her life changed forever
by Thea Hayes
Thea Hayes trained as a nurse in Sydney in 1959. A year later she was catapulted out of the safety of her city life into the unknown world of the Outback. Thea knew nothing of the place she was soon to call home, Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory, the second largest property in the world under one management. It covered four million acres! With nervous excitement, Thea accepted the job and flew to the Northern Territory where her life was about to change dramatically. This is a story of growing up, falling up in love and finding your home.
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Leila's secret
by Kooshyar Karimi
In fundamentalist Iran, new life sometimes means certain death. When Leila comes to see Doctor Karimi, both are in danger. Born in a slum to a Muslim father and a Jewish mother, Kooshyar Karimi has transformed himself into a successful doctor, an award-winning writer, and an adoring father. His could be a comfortable life but his conscience won't permit it: he is incapable of turning away the unmarried women who beg him to save their lives by ending the pregnancies that, if discovered, would see them stoned to death. One of those women is 22-year-old Leila.
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Behind the scenes
by Judi Dench
Complemented by more than 230 photographs from the British Empire Dame's personal collection, a memoir traces her early theatrical and screen roles, family life and numerous award-winning performances.
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| The Barefoot Lawyer: a blind man's fight for justice and freedom in China by Guangcheng ChenIn a risky escape from house arrest in 2012, Guangcheng Chen made international headlines as he broke free of the Chinese government's efforts to suppress his voice. In The Barefoot Lawyer, Chen relates his life story, explaining how illness destroyed his sight in infancy, how he overcame his disability and obtained an education, and why he began to advocate for women's rights, land reform, and improved conditions for the poor. His escape culminated in his taking refuge in the American Embassy and emigrating to the U.S., where he now lives with his family. For another compelling memoir by a Chinese dissident, read Baiqiao Tang's My Two Chinas. |
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Robert Plant: the voice that sailed the Zeppelin
by Dave Thompson
Presents the life of the English rock musician and songwriter, describing his early work as the lead singer in the legendary band Led Zeppelin, his subsequent forty-year career as a solo artist, and his lifelong obssession with mythological themes.
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| A great and terrible king: Edward I and the forging of Britain by Marc MorrisEngland's King Edward I, known for defeating Sir William Wallace of Scotland, consolidated English power in the 13th century by conquering Wales, partially subduing Scotland, and quelling rebellious nobles. Using an "engaging narrative style" (Library Journal), historian Marc Morris creates a colourful and informative portrait of Edward's life and his era, offering an even-handed evaluation of his legacy. A Great and Terrible King also lays the groundwork for understanding the conquests - and disputes - of subsequent reigns. |
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Country cop 24/7: the life and times of a rural cop
by Gavin Benney
This book tells the story of Gavin Benney's life as a rural policeman in charge of the Hikurangi police district for over 20 years. It is also the story of the Hikurangi district, its people and how it has changed in that time. Police have unparalleled access to all levels of society, they see us in the raw and deal with the dark side of life, the side that those of us in safe, comfortable positions do not want to know about. Gavin dealt with crimes of murder, violence, drugs, thefts, petty vandalism and also with accidents from the horrific to the bizarre and the funny. This is a story of New Zealand rural life.
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In the hands of strangers: a memoir
by Beverly Wardle-Jackson
The heart-wrenching story of Beverly Wardle-Jackson's stolen childhood. Separated from her brothers and sisters and taken into Child Welfare care at the age of 12, Beverly spends five harrowing years as a New Zealand state ward - being beaten, locked up, and eventually admitted to Porirua Hospital in Wellington for psychiatric treatment. Her trust is betrayed time and again, while she dreams of the day she will finally be reunited with her siblings. But will that day ever come? It's impossible not be moved by young Beverly's bravery and resilience as she withstands the harsh treatment meted out to her. Her story is one of courage, hope and a truly unbreakable spirit.
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Mitch : the real story
by John Mitchell
John Mitchell's rugby coaching career spans many years, several teams and various countries. He was assistant to Clive Woodward, England's World Cup-winning coach, as one of the pioneers of the professional era in rugby, he coached the All Blacks and the Chiefs in New Zealand, as well as the Western Force in Australia and the Lions in South Africa. For the first time, the rugby public will learn the truth behind the newspaper headlines: from his painful axing as All Black coach to his fall-out with the Lions, whom he had guided to their first Currie Cup trophy, Mitchell sets out the reasons for his successes as well as his failures, in a book that is not only entertaining, gripping and revealing, but, like the man himself, honest, forthright and controversial.
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At the margin of Empire: John Webster and Hokianga 1841-1900
by Jennifer Ashton
Born in Scotland in 1818, John Webster came in New Zealand via Australia in 1841 after narrowly escaping death in the Outback following a violent encounter with a group of Aboriginal men. He spent most of the rest of his life in the Hokianga region, carving out a fortune as the region's leading timber trader and cultivating connections with the leading political figures of the day. As he settled into this new home his life became intimately entwined with Māori. He fought alongside Tāmati Wāka Nene in the Northern War against Hōne Heke, married one of Nene's relatives and built up his kauri timber business through trade with local chiefs.
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Marilyn: the passion and the paradox
by Lois W. Banner
Published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Monroe's death, a revelatory portrait by a leading feminist historian analyses the paradoxes in her life while reinterpreting previously unexplored aspects of her character, from her foster-care childhood and her struggles with sexual abuse to her deeply spiritual side and her intellectual views.
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| Malcolm X: a life of reinvention by Manning MarableMay 19, 1925. In this thoroughly researched biography, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for History, historian Manning Marable compellingly depicts the controversial Black Power advocate Malcolm X, who was assassinated in 1965. Detailing influences on Malcolm's character, his complex thinking and brilliant oration, and his troubled personal life, Marable paints a vivid portrait of this Nation of Islam leader who died at age 39. |
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Tom Jones: the life
by Sean Smith
From bestselling biographer Sean Smith comes the fascinating and tumultuous true story behind Sir Tom Jones, the nation's treasure, sage of The Voice and living music legend. Now approaching his 75th birthday, Tom Jones' life has been an unforgettable rollercoaster ride. From starting out in a little Welsh mining town where he married his sweetheart at just 16, who could have known that seven years later he would go on to become a major musical hit that would propel him to Bel Air?
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| A widow's story: a memoir by Joyce Carol OatesJune 16, 1938. Award-winning author Joyce Carol Oates worked for decades side-by-side with her husband, Raymond Smith, co-editing the literary journal Ontario Review. His unexpected death in 2008 from complications of pneumonia was a devastating, heart-wrenching blow, and the process of dealing with funeral arrangements, estate matters, and the shutting down of their journal was equally difficult. |
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| That woman: the life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anne SebbaJune 19, 1896. Bessie Wallis Warfield, later the Duchess of Windsor, rose above her financially constrained childhood in Baltimore to become a popular socialite. She was married to her second husband when she met Edward, Prince of Wales, who soon became infatuated with her. Her second divorce, Edward's decision to marry her and abdicate the throne, and their life together, have become the stuff of legend. In That Woman, biographer and journalist Anne Sebba engagingly sorts out myth and misinformation about the Duchess, supplying facts from her comprehensive research and offering some well-founded speculation of her own. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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