BorrowBox - Listen while you drive |
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Stuck in traffic and want to listen to something interesting? BorrowBox has downloadable MP3 fiction and nonfiction eAudiobooks for all ages - including plenty of New Zealand and Australian titles.
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How UFOs conquered the world: The history of a modern myth
by David Clarke
This book describes David's strange journey to the heart of the UFO phenomenon. He has close encounters with abductees, hoaxers and conspiracy theorists. He meets people who think aliens are angels (or demons). And he tracks down the boffins who ran the British government's now defunct "UFO desk" to find out what their investigations really uncovered. Along the way he reveals how the human will to believe turned the stuff of science fiction into the most enduring myth of modern times.
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| The white road: Journey into an obsession by Edmund de WaalAward-winning author and ceramic artist Edmund de Waal chronicles his longstanding obsession with porcelain and traces its history in this absorbing book -- part memoir, part history, and part travelogue. Through vivid descriptions of his discoveries, accessible explanations of the chemistry of porcelain ceramics, and compelling accounts of porcelain's history, this book paints an absorbing word portrait of the substance, the locales that produce it, and de Waal himself. Anyone curious about the subject of ceramics or interested in travel memoirs will find this book enthralling. |
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| Science of the magical: From the Holy Grail to love potions to superpowers by Matt KaplanThe history of science surprisingly reveals a close relationship with magical beliefs, according to science journalist Matt Kaplan. Kaplan discusses how phenomena such as the parting of the Red Sea described in the Book of Genesis may have natural explanations, and the birth of the X-Men comic book heroes could have been inspired by concerns about the effects of nuclear fallout. Kaplan isn't out to debunk either science or religious and spiritual beliefs -- he's respectful of both and doesn't unreasonably stretch his theories. His fascinating catalogue of unusual events demonstrates an "ever-present human concern with control over life, death, and the elements" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Tabloid secrets: The stories behind the headlines at the world's most famous newspaper
by Neville Thurlbeck
Thurlbeck's journalism led him into encounters with Cabinet ministers, rent boys, sports stars, serial killers, drug lords and on one occasion a devil-worshipping police officer. Thurlbeck's undercover, investigative work is revealed in great detail, with the methods and subterfuge explained. It also describes how the reporter was recruited to MI5, the characters he met and the type of work he carried out there. Ultimately, Tabloid Secrets is a journey through a world which has vanished for good, by the best-known reporter of recent times. It is a vivid, surprising and wildly entertaining insider account of a Fleet Street which is suddenly no more.
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Abel: The true story of the spy they traded for Gary Powers
by Vin Arthey
The true story behind the events depicted in Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Bridge of Spies. On 10 February 1962, Gary Powers, the American pilot whose U2 spy plane was shot down in Soviet airspace, was released by his captors in exchange for one Colonel Rudolf Abel, aka Vilyam Fisher - one of the most extraordinary characters in the history of the Cold War. Tracing his tale from the most unlikely of beginnings in Newcastle, to Moscow, the streets of New York and back again, this is a singular and absorbing true story of Cold War espionage to rival anything in fiction. An extraordinary, true life tale of the Cold War that could have come straight from the pages of a John le Carre novel.
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This gulf of fire: The destruction of Lisbon, or apocalypse in the age of science and reason
by Mark Molesky
On All Saints Day of 1755, the tremors from a magnitude 8.5 earthquake swept furiously from its epicenter in the Atlantic Ocean toward the Iberian Peninsula. Nowhere was it felt more than in Lisbon, then the thriving capital of a great global empire. In a few minutes most of Lisbon was destroyed--but that was only the beginning. A tsunami swept away most of the ruined coast along the Tagus River and carried untold souls out to sea. When fire broke out across the city, the surviving Lisboetas were subject to a firestorm reaching temperatures over 1,832 degrees F. Drawing on a wealth of new sources, on modern science (geology did not exist then), and on a sophisticated grasp of Portuguese history, Molesky gives us the definitive account of the destruction, of history's first international relief effort, and of the dampening effects these events had on the optimistic spirit of the Enlightenment
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"It started with mud, and manure, and Carl Graham Fisher." ~ from Earl Swift's The Big Roads
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| Beyond the blue horizon: How the earliest mariners unlocked the secrets of the oceans by Brian FaganAn esteemed historical anthropologist with decades of sailing experience looks at when, where, and how humanity first travelled the seas. Fagan describes the watercraft and navigational methods "primitive" peoples developed around the world, from the Polynesians and prehistoric Americans to the 8th-century Vikings. Along the way, this delightfully "salty work of historical imagination" (Publishers Weekly) probes an even more fascinating central mystery: why ever did they first go beyond sight of land, given the obvious risks? The author's in-depth research into archaeology and maritime history -- plus compelling personal insights into long-distance navigation -- provide tantalising clues. |
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| Engines of change: A history of the American dream in fifteen cars by Paul IngrassiaThe annals of the motorcar from the Model T to the Prius reflect the modern history of America, as portrayed in Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Ingrassia's Engines of Change. Ingrassia engagingly discusses the significance of 15 automobiles, tracing their development and profiling key figures in automotive history. Covering the impact of foreign-made cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle, he also explains the importance of the 1959 Cadillac's exaggerated tail fins. Superb photographic illustrations round out this engrossing combination of social and industrial history. |
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New Zealand rail trails: A guide to 42 ghost lines
by Barbara Mulligan
This book takes you on a journey of discovery around New Zealand exploring long forgotten railway branch lines dating back to the 1870s. The authors have researched the history of each back country railway line in detail. It is a book full of fascinating stories and facts, making for an interesting insight into the past and an essential guide for taking a journey to these intriguing parts of the country by using this book as your guide.
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| Italian ways: On and off the rails from Milan to Palermo by Tim ParksIs travelling in Italy via its trains wonderful, terrible, or both? Find out in this humorous, eye-opening travelogue by English expatriate and novelist Tim Parks. Riding all over the country, he uses Italy's trains as a lens into Italian life, past and present. Describing the memorable people he encounters (many of whom hate the train system), he offers a historical look at the railroads (he rides in pre-World War II cars and modern high-speed ones) and thoughtfully yet entertainingly ponders Italian society at large. Having worked and raised a family in Italy since 1981, Parks is a well-informed and wryly insightful guide to his adopted country. |
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| The big roads: The untold story of the engineers, visionaries, and trailblazers who created the American superhighways by Earl SwiftWhile most Americans take the Interstate Highway system for granted, either praising its convenience or cursing its congestion, few know the full history of its creation. While President Dwight Eisenhower gets credit for the technologically advanced Interstate roads, their origins go back to the early 20th century, when unsung visionaries conceived of hard-surfaced road networks to speed travellers and move goods. Leading politicians as early as President Herbert Hoover ensured the early U.S. Highway system's development; engineers, financiers, and laborers built it. Journalist Earl Swift brings these obscure and famous people and the history of their work to life, offering enrichment to your next road trip. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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