New and Recently Released!
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Proud: the story of James Brown
by
Ronald D. Lankford
Proud: The Story of James Brown follows the artistic peaks and personal tragedies of one of the most important and influential musical voices of the contemporary era.
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Mister Owita's guide to gardening: how I learned the unexpected joy of a green...
by
Carol Wall
"I might never have been yard-proud, but I did not want to be yard-ashamed," declares author Carol Wall as she explains why she decided to engage a gardener to restore her ragged lawn. Giles Owita, a Kenyan immigrant with a Ph.D. in horticulture he couldn't use who did part-time gardening work, agreed to help empty-nesters Carol and her husband Dick with the tasks they dreaded. Soon, Giles and Carol became friends, and he induced her to join him in digging, trimming, and planting. Through the seasons, they also shared their personal stories, both of which were marked by frustrations, illness, and sadness. Not only Carol's yard, but also her heart, were renewed by her friendship with Giles Owita.
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Stillways
by Steve Bisley
From one of Australia's favourite actors comes a classic memoir of an Australian childhood in the sixties. Young Steve was a larrikin, happy-go-lucky, resilient kid, coming of age in a simpler time. Growing up on a farm cut from virgin scrub at the end of a lake, a farm called 'Stillways', Steve daydreamed about cars and escape.
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The eternal Nazi: from Mauthausen to Cairo, the relentless pursuit of ...
by
Nicholas Kulish and Souad Mekhennet
The Eternal Nazi provides a chilling, detailed account of Dr. Aribert Heim's war crimes and his post-World War II life. Though he later claimed that his involvement with the Nazi party was minimal, a significant number of eyewitnesses reported the atrocities he committed as camp physician at Mauthausen. After the war, he stayed several steps ahead of Nazi hunters and eventually settled in Cairo, where he lived for 30 years until his death in 1992. In this thoroughly researched account, journalists Nicholas Kulish and Souad Mekhennet also profile the efforts of German detective Alfred Aetner and others who hoped to bring Heim to justice. They never caught him, but this book offers some resolution to his case. [Only available as a downloadable audiobook].
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Michael Elphick: the great pretender
by
Kate Elphick
Michael Elphick was a young electrician working at the Chichester Theatre when he was discovered by Laurence Olivier, who arranged for him to join the Central School of Drama. It was here where he met Bruce Robinson, who would later cast him in one of the most popular British films of all time Withnail and I. Elphick's illustrious career also included major supporting roles in films such as Quadrophenia, The Elephant Man, Gorky Park and Dennis Potter's Blue Remembered Hills. On television, there was Private Schultz and Boon, which gave his acolyte and friend, Neil Morrissey, his first starring role. However, Elphick's private life was every bit as varied as his acting career. Racked by alcoholism and devastated by the early death of his partner, Julia, Elphick died at the age of 55. And yet, his friends and family will always remember his hugely humorous personality, and everyone he met was left with a 'Mike Elphick story'.
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My life with the Royal Ballet as a dancer and teacher
by Valerie Adams
In this book Valerie Adams describes her early days at the Wessex School of Dancing in Bournemouth and joining the Sadler's Wells Upper School in London. After she became a member of the Sadler's Wells Company at the Royal Opera House, Dame Ninette de Valois trained Valerie Adams to teach. She was then invited by the Dutch Government to form a Ballet School at The Hague, in order to produce dancers for the three Dutch Ballet Companies. After five and a half years, she returned to teach at The Royal Ballet School, as it is now known. And two years later, Dame Ninette invited her to be at her side when she formed a Teachers' Course. She became Course Director in 1971, and finally retired in 2000. This book is her story, and the story of the Course.
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The mad sculptor: the maniac, the model, and the murder that shook the nation
by
Harold Schechter
Sculptor Robert Irwin had a history of mental illness marked by fits of rage before he gruesomely murdered three women in 1937. The Mad Sculptor recounts details of his life and the events that followed the murders, incorporating fascinating information about the lurid journalism of the era. Accounts of the New York police detectives' work, Irwin's connections with the women he killed, his previous psychiatric treatments, and his sensational trial produce a chilling reading experience. Those who appreciated the bleakly atmospheric reportage of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood will find The Mad Sculptor similarly riveting.
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Branson: behind the mask
by Tom Bower
The image remains pristine: a charismatic high-school dropout turned billionaire, whose stratospheric rise and daring exploits have won him millions of enduring admirers and made him a model for aspiring entrepreneurs throughout the world. But is this story still credible? Over the last decade, has Branson matched the expectations perpetuated by Virgin's relentless publicity machine? Or have we all been seduced by a brilliant showman? In his most explosive book to date, Tom Bower, bestselling biographer of Simon Cowell, Bernie Ecclestone, Conrad Black and Robert Maxwell, dares to explore the reality of the Branson empire. In doing so, he unravels the gripping story of his recent activities from the astonishing success of mobile phones to his troubled airlines and his long delayed plan to send multimillionaires into space and asks whether he really remains Britain's heroic buccaneer.
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Herzl
by Shlomo Avineri
The first biography in almost a generation of the founder of modern political Zionism and in effect the State of Israel. Drawing extensively on his diaries as well as his published works, this intellectual biographical follows Herzl's transformation from a private person into the founder and leader of a political movement which made the quest for a Jewish state into a player in international politics.
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Harry: a biography
by Marcia Moody
Prince Harry is arguably one of the most recognised faces in the world today, and is never far from the media spotlight - sometimes to the dismay of the Royal Family. This book tells the story behind the popular, if sometimes controversial, prince. It is suitable for those fascinated by the coolest member of the Royal Family.
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Creeks and kitchens: a childhood memoir
by Maurice Gee
Gee describes in fascinating detail his boyhood and family life in West Auckland and offers illuminating insights into some of the creative forces which have driven some of his fiction: the creek with its dangers - where, he writes, he glimpsed 'sex and death' - the kitchen with his mother preparing dinner in the gathering dark, and his elderly uncle, later the model for the magnificent Plumb
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Beauty, dis-rupted
by Carre Otis
In this candid memoir, supermodel and actress Carre Otis discusses the life-threatening circumstances and self-destructive behaviours that led her on a deep and private spiritual journey where she discovered the kind of beauty that can only be found within.
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Fitz: the colonial adventures of James Edward FitzGerald
by Jenifer Roberts
The story of James Edward FitzGerald, whose energy and enthusiasm contributed so much to the early history of Christchurch. Orator, writer, politician and journalist, he was the first Canterbury Pilgrim to set foot in New Zealand, first superintendent of the province of Canterbury, first leader of the general government, and founder of the Press newspaper. From his early years in the Anglo-Irish gentry of England to his old age as auditor-general of the colony, Fitz is a gripping biography that reads like a novel, breathing new life into the extraordinary man who played a major role in public life through fifty years of New Zealand history.
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Focus on: Fathers and Mothers
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Drunk mum
by
Jowita Bydlowska
Three years after giving up alcohol, Jowita Bydlowska found herself throwing back a glass of champagne like it was lemonade. 'It's a special occasion,' she said to her boyfriend. And indeed it was. It was a party celebrating the birth of their first child. It also marked Jowita's immediate, full-blown return to alcoholism and all that entails for a new mother who is at first determined to keep her problem a secret. She know she's become a villain: a mother who drinks; a mother who endangers her child. She drinks to forget this. And then the trouble really starts. Jowita Bydlowska's memoir of her relapse into addiction is an extraordinary achievement. The writing is raw and immediate. With brutal honesty, Drunk mum takes us through the binges and blackouts, the self-deception and less successful attempts to deceive others, the humiliations and extraordinary risk-taking. She shines a light on the endless hunger of wanting just one more drink, and one more again, while dealing with motherhood, anxiety, depression and rehab.
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Now I see the moon: a mother, a son, a miracle
by
Elaine Hall with Elizabeth Kaye
After she found she was unable to conceive, children's acting coach Elaine Hall and her husband adopted a two-year-old boy from Russia and named him Neal. When he showed symptoms of autism, a doctor advised her to try to engage with Neal on his own terms. From her acting work with children, Elaine knew how to enter into playful imitation of Neal's erratic-seeming motions; she began to understand the challenges within his sensory world. Neal made great progress, though he never achieved a "normal" way of life. In
Now I See the Moon, Elaine offers an unflinching, poignant, and informative account of parenting an autistic person.
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Marmee & Louisa: the untold story of Louisa May Alcott and her mother
by
Eve LaPlante
While looking through her mother's attic, biographer Eve LaPlante, distantly related to novelist Louisa May Alcott, found previously unknown Alcott family papers. Drawing on that trove of information and other archival materials, LaPlante paints a detailed portrait of 19th-century feminist and writer Abigail Alcott and her daughter, Louisa May. LaPlante's account in Marmee & Louisa provides a fresh perspective on Louisa May's life and work and on Abigail's significant accomplishments -- as well as the challenges that she and her family faced as a result of her husband Bronson's neglect.
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The reading promise: my father and the books we shared
by
Alice Ozma
When Alice Ozma was nine years old, she and her father made a deal that he would read to her at bedtime for 100 nights in a row -- no exceptions. Once they made that goal, they found they didn't want to stop, even after 1,000 nights. Alice's father, an elementary school librarian, was dedicated to the promotion of reading, but "The Streak," as they called their reading practice, was valuable for much more than the reading itself. It became the anchor of the father-daughter relationship, helping to sustain Alice through her mother's abandonment, her sister's sojourn abroad, and other wrenching experiences. Ozma's memoir is an inspiring testament to the power of books and reading for life -- not just for education.
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Along the way: the journey of a father and son
by
Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez with Hope Edelman
Well-known actors Martin Sheen and his son Emilio Estevez have a strong father-son relationship, which is enhanced but not overshadowed by their work together and separately on award-winning film productions and television shows. In Along the Way, they jointly recount events and anecdotes from their lives and explore the deeper significance of family relationships. Many of their reminiscences also focus on their acting work, and their insights into what they've learned from each other shine through. Fans of Hollywood biographies and those who enjoy reading about parents and their adult children will "revel in the exploits of this dynamic and charming duo" (Publishers Weekly).
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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