Looking for something new to read/watch/listen? Get inspired with our Team Picks!
Each month we choose just six of our many new arrivals to share with you all. We'll let you know what we think is hot across Fiction, Non-Fiction, DVDs and Kids.
Remember, if you can’t regularly make it into the library to take a look around, you can use your library card to reserve items to pick up across our 15 fifteen branches or you can take a look at our online eResources that enable you to read, watch or listen at your leisure. Find out more about our eResources under our Library Online section.
Non-Fiction Picks
Impossible: My Story by Stan Walker
This is the story of New Zealand singer / songwriter and actor Stan Walker, who has become one of the finest emerging artists from Australia and New Zealand since winning Australian Idol in 2009. He has played parts in a few New Zealand movies and stared with Sam Neill in the hit “Hunt for the Wilder People”. In his book he talks about poverty, and his terrible childhood surrounded by violence and sexual abuse. It is a very frank retelling of his life and especially his very public battle with stomach cancer, the disease which nearly killed him and from which he is now in remission. Walker covers family and the power of love and forgiveness. He tells us about his journey from nothing to fame, a real rag to riches story. It is an honest, deep and very inspirational memoir. It is also a great book to learn and appreciate Maori culture and heritage.
The Museum Of Whales You Will Never See: Travels Among the Collectors of Iceland by A. Kendra Greene
A poetic tribute to Iceland and anyone that finds pleasure in curious treasures, this charming story is an exploration of the eclectic assortment of unusual museums across the land. There are a total of 265 museums and public collections, a fascinating number for a country of 330,000 people. From the Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft to the Museum of Sea Monsters, the narrative is entwined with anecdotes of local folklore and tales of mythical creatures and paints an enchanted picture of the Icelandic landscape. The account opens with the Phallological Museum in Reykjavik which exhibits 212 penises from Icelandic animal species. In a slightly different tone Greene tells the tale of a visit to the Museum of Herring Fisheries and sharing oranges with locals in late November as they watch the sun set for several weeks. This book is a firm reminder that beauty and magic exists even in the harshest conditions.
Fiction Picks
This is the seventh in the Slow Horse series which launched Herron into the spy-fiction world. Readers new to the series are best to start with the first book, but for loyal Herron fans this instalment provides everything we’ve come to expect. We are reunited with the cantankerous Jackson Lamb and his misfit crew of disgraced MI5 ‘Slow Horses’ known for their mistakes and relegation to mundane tasks at their base Slough House. In this latest instalment fellow Slow Horses are going missing, a Russian operative is killed, and someone is framing them - coincidental accidents, or something more sinister? Set in post-Brexit UK, Herron deftly interweaves political commentary with charming satire and it is easy to fall back in step with our favourite underdogs.
The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel
Told from both Liya and Jay's perspective, fans of all things romantic will enjoy this read which covers topics such as family responsibilities and culture, friendship, love and opening your heart to something new.
Film Pick
Corpus Christi directed by Jan Komasa:
After his release from a Polish juvenile prison, Daniel, the very picture of emaciated and wasted youth, finds himself in a small, rural logging town. He has a job at a local sawmill but through a series of misunderstandings, lies and unexpected opportunities he suddenly finds himself as the town’s substitute priest.
The young man’s jaw-dropping deception is so effective he manages to expose the hypocrisy and harshness of the old parish members. He takes to the pulpit with a fervour and compassion his predecessors lacked.
Nominated as the Best International Film of 2020 as well as winner of the Best Actor award, this based on true events film is well worth your attention.
After all, who better than an ex-con to inspire forgiveness?
Kids Pick
Amazing Treasures by David Long & Muti
Amazing Treasures is a beautifully written and illustrated non-fiction children’s book exploring the world of treasures. What is a treasure? What makes a treasure valuable? Discover the answers to these questions and more. With a fold out map to show locations, this book will take you and your own little treasure on a beautiful journey.
