NEW BOOKS April/May - FICTION
DEATH BRINGER - The sixth instalment in the historic, hysterical and horrific SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT series. Think you've seen anything yet? You haven't. Because the Death Bringer is about to rise! The Necromancers no longer need Valkyrie to be their Death Bringer, and that's a Good Thing. There's just one catch. There's a reson the Necromancers don't need her any more. And that's because they've found their Death Bringer already, the person wo will dissolve the doors between life and death. And that's a very very BAD THING!
SHELTER - Harlan Coben: Mickey Bolitar's year can't get much worse. After witnessing his father's death and sending his mum to rehab, he's forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron and switch schools. A new school comes with new friends and new enemies, and lucky for Mickey, it also comes with a great new girlfriend, Ashley. For a while, it seems like Mickey's train-wreck of life is finally improving - until Ashley vanishes. Unwilling to let another person walk out of his life, Mickey follows Ashelys trail into a seedy underworld that reveals that this seemingly sweet, shy girl isn't who she claimed to be. And neither was Mickey's father. An intense, action-packed mystery, that you will find hard to put down . The deeper you get into the mystery the more questions you have.
DEATH CLOUD (A Young Sherlock Holmes) - Andrew Lane: Two dead bodies. One unforgetable hero. The beginning of a legend. When fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes discovers a pustule-covered body, it's the start of a new life. Sherlock's fearless mind and thirst for adventure lead him on a heart-stopping journey - from the quiet countryside to London's dockland underworld, through fire, kidnap and espionage, to the heart of a terrifying plot that holds Britain's furture in its grasp. Young Holmes will need every ounce of courage, determination and strength to defeat an enemy of exquisitely evil intent.
THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS - Vanessa Diffenbaugh: Victoria is a hurt and traumatized young woman after spending most of her life in foster care. After finally being released on her eighteenth birthday she begins a new life working with a florist and begins to bloom a little herself. A story of loss, redemption, coming of age and the power of love. Mesmerizing and moving as it weaves past and present.
FATEFUL - Claudia Gray: Eighteen-year-ole maid Tess is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It's 1912 and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. but now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they're sailing on - the RMS Titanic - reaches it's destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself. Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He's in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it's because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec's past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him - and now her too.
SHOOTING KABUL - N.H Senzai: In the summer of 2001, twelve year old Fadi's parents make the difficult decision to illegally leave Afghanistan and move the family to the United States. When their underground transport arrives at the rendezvous point, chaos ensues, and Fadi is left dragging his younger sister Mariam through the crush of people. But Mariam accidentally lets go his hand and becomes lost in the crowd, just as Fadi is smatched up into the truck. With taliban soldiers closing in, the truck speeds away, leaving Mariam behind. Adjusting to life in the United States isn't easy for Fadi's family and as the events of September 11 unfold the prospects of locating Mariam in war torn Afghanistan seem slim. This book is based in part on the author's husband's story of fleeing war torn Afganistan during the Soviet occupation in the 1070's. The book effectively potrays the challenges of dealing with bullies, the struggle of being an outsider, adjusting to a new life and the importance of family ties.
WONDER STRUCK - Brian Selznick: This story is the story of two lives, told through text and illustration. Ben's story is told in text form, he lives in 1977 and his mother has just died. He wishes more than anything that she were still alive - he doesn't fit in with his relatives who have taken him in, and now one understands him. Rose's story is told in illusration form, she lives in 1927, and no one understands her either. She's deaf, but that doesn't mean she doesn't long for adventure - something that her family denies her. When Ben finds a secret in his mother's old room, and when Rose reads a headline in a newspaper, both set off on journeys that they hope give them an adventure, and help them find someplace they can truly be themselves. This is a story of two two lives, but Ben and Rose's lives will intertwine, in ways that will leave them, and you -the reader, Wonderstruck.
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIRS
NANCY WAKE - Peter Fitzsimons: As a naive, young, journalist, Nancy Wake (The White Mouse) witnessed a horrific scene of Nazi violence in a Viennese street. From that moment, she declared that she would do everything in her power to rid Europe of the Nazi pressence. What began as a courier job here and there, became a highly successful escape network for Allied soliders, perfectly camouflaged by Nancy's high-society life in Marseille -nothing seemed to difficult in her fight against the Nazis. Nancy was born on the 30 August 1912 in Wellington and died 7 August 2001, she was one of the Allies most decorated servicewoman of the war.
A GOOD DAUGHTER - Jasmin Darznik: A sweeping, poignant and beautifully written memoir by a daughter who, as an adult, learned of her Iranian mother's secret past: Jasmin skilfully weaves the stories of three generations of Iranian women into a unique tale of one family's struggle for freedom. The result is an enchanting and unforgettable story of secrets, betrayal, and the unbreakable mother - daughter bond.
NON -FICTION
ALL HELL LET LOOSE - Max Hastings: The world at War 1939 - 1945.This is the story of the war as experienced by ordinary men and women. Hastings draws on eye-witness accounts and anecdotes from soldiers of all armies to show graphically what the war was like for the ordinary people who fought it and, overwhelmingly, how terrible it was for the combatants. The valour, heroism and, above all, the extraordinary stoicism of troops amid scarcely imaginable pain, suffering and losses are repeatedly highlighted. Hastings also looks into episodes that are mainly remembered in the cultures they affected - the siege of Leningrad is familiar ground, but the Bengal famine less so. This is 'everyman's story'.
THE TERRITORIALS - Peter Cooke & John Crawford: The history of the territorial and volunteer forces of New Zealand: Citizen soldiering has been part of our history since the first years of colonial settlement. From the early militias set up in the 1830's, primarily for internal security, right up to the current day, everyday men and women have been trained and ready to seve in the Boer War, the Great War, the Second World War, and many other military engagements. The shape and purpose of the volunteer and territorial armies has changed over the years, but is marked throughout by bravery, adventure and initiative.
NEW ZEALAND'S NATIVE TREES - John Dawson & Rob Lucas: New Zealand is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots,and its unique native forests are a major reason for this status. Not only do they look, smell and feel like no other forest on earth, the majority of plants occur nowhere else. A 576 page book packed with authoritative text for over 320 species. More than 2300 photgraghs, with up close detail. 54 boxed features focusing on the interesting stories associated with native trees