Radio programme December 2nd

Our radio programme on Access Radio 783AM, December 2nd 4.30pm, features Under the covers Vol. 1 by Matthew Sweet and Susannah Hoffs.

Walking on custard

Mouth watering photographs of food, why you can walk on custard, heroic adventures, Leonardo da Vinci's self propelled armoured tank and pompoms are among the topics covered in our latest children's non fiction. See how fun physics can be with prize-winning 'Can you feel the force?', by Top Gear's Richard Hammond.

Flashes from the Welsh Pulpit

This month our buyers recommend new books by Victoria Beckham and Joan Collins, and titles on Georgette Heyer's regency England and surviving children's parties. 'Fish who answer the telephone and other bizarre books' is full of gems such as 'Scouts in Bondage', 'Moles and their Meaning', and 'Premature Burial and How it May Be Prevented'.

Change of leadership

Our latest In the news feature is on the National Party's change of leadership. We link to some of the latest NZ and Australian newspaper articles, and some useful books.

Stalingrad, STDs

Stalingrad is the latest feature on our history page. Sexual health is the feature on our health page.

Bargains at library book sale

Our book sale starts 5 December at 9.30am. Bag a bargain, find a gem or complete a collection - items from only 50 cents!

Throughout beautiful New Zealand

Our latest New Zealand recent picks look at NZ in the nuclear age, Crown Lynn pottery, disasters, magnificent maps, bed and breakfasts, Polish NZers and the Foxton Windmill.

Humours and homunculi

Our new popular science books include gorgeous Te Papa Press publications 'Extinct birds of New Zealand' and 'Eagle's complete trees and shrubs of New Zealand'. 'Ghosts of Gondwana: the history of life in New Zealand' by Wellingtonian George Gibbs is a fascinating account of our natural history.

Petulant princesses and vengeful owls

We have many great new short stories, including collections by Margaret Atwood, Susanna Clarke (she of 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell'), Colm Toibin and Joyce Carol Oates. Visit the wacky world of womanless wedding fund-raisers, watch a pack of vindictive salesgirls give a haughty fashionista a deadly dressing-down, survive an Iowa blizzard and meet a a conceited Regency clergyman.

A cabal of sorceresses

Lurking among our new science fiction and fantasy novels, a female android with a conscience, plague, Never Dead Ned (commander of the Ogre Company) and Grafenwalder's bestiary. Lara, the Queen of Xy, Vlad Taltos, Adrilankha and Siyee continue the ever amusing naming conventions of these genres.

Fatal repercussions

New graphic novels, featuring a legendary chain-smoking, hard-drinking man of the occult, UFO-like fireballs sighted by World War II pilots, zombie servants, and girls (most frightening of all?)

Our customers recommend

This month's reader's choice includes marvellous books, books with slow beginnings, warm human dramas, universal themes, and wonderful reads. Submit a review online here

An unlikely seduction

Our librarian's choice novels this month involve a cantankerous spinster, relatives who engage in every imaginable sin and foible of modern existence, a brutal trail of murder and violence, and a talented young seamstress with a hunger for knowledge.

What we liked this year

Our staff fiction picks for 2006 include an allegoric crime novel, Margaret Atwood's take on Penelope and Odysseus, a poker-faced comic and surreal masterpiece, Rumpole and Philip Roth.

A duffel bag of hundred dollar bills

Crime films are the new featured genre on our movies page.

AweSoMe. Five Stars.

We have book reviews by kids, for kids on our book reviews page. Write a review for us - just fill in the online form. There are separate forms for teens and grownups.

Fundview and Breakout

Fundview and Breakout can now be accessed from computers outside of the library. Login to the databases with your library card number, and see what funding is available to you.

Agatha Heterodyne and the Clockwork Princess

A stack of new teens graphic novels has appeared overnight, as if by magic. Includes new X-men, Wonder woman, Tom Strong and Girl genius titles.
Also, where would you most like to live - Bro'Town, Hogwarts, Discworld, That place where the OC is set? Vote on our Hype page.

TV on DVD

TV buffs can now browse our television comedies and general programmes on DVD. Recent additions to our collection include Entourage (season 2), It ain't half hot mum (season 1), The Simpsons (season 6), Numb3rs (season 1), American dreamz and Jesus the complete story.
Or visit our movies page and browse the other genres such as Nostalgia, Science fiction and Animation.

New magazines

New magazines - Somerset studio: the art of paper and mixed-media, AARP bulletin: publication of the American Association of Retired Persons, Julie le Clerc, Simply knitting, New Zealand troutfisher and more. My Shaadi is the only local Indian bridal magazine, and Ampersand covers design and commercial art.

New blog address

We have a handy new address for our blog - http://blog.wcl.govt.nz. You're welcome to still type in http://wellington-city-libraries.blogspot.com/ if you wish!

Moll and Uriah, Humbert and Gatsby

Introducing our new classic novels page, for those books we intend to read, honestly we do, but there's always something with fewer pages and a great chase scene to read first. And then we read Dickens or Nabokov or whomever, and laugh and gasp and wonder why we took so long. What are your favourite classics?

Ecotourism

Is swimming with dolphins harmful to the animals? What's the impact of the aviation emissions generated by a holiday? For travelers with green concerns, our travel page has a new feature on ecotourism.

Music & movie news

Halo is in limbo, Bening runs with scissors, Casino Royale delivers - check out our movie news for more information.
Fat Freddys set new Amplifier record, Minogue returns, Joanna Newsom gets Pitchforked - check out our popular music news for more information.

(r)evolutionary visions

Our new art and design books discuss recent Indian art, video art, Dutch forger Han van Meegeren, Maya Lin, urban art activism, graphic design in France, and many other subjects.

Pub Quiz is the new freemasonry

Our latest Travel books look at pub crawls across Great Britain, the South Asian diaspora, green places to stay and the Kokoda trail in Papua New Guinea. Peta Mathias's newest is a treat for fans of her writing. 'Micronations' looks at nations that (sometimes odd) people have created in their backyards (visit for interesting passport stamps!)

Wibbly pig and Bully hippo

Our favourite new Children's picture books and Children's fiction books are now available in MyLibrary.

Why don't penguins' feet freeze?

Climate change, sky watching, science controversies and cloning are among the subjects discussed in our new science books. You may have heard the National Radio interview with scent researcher Luca Turin; his book 'The secret of scent : adventures in perfume and the science of smell' is a fascinating read.

Stumble upon happiness

Apply the wisdom of Aristotle to your life, let go of the fantasy mum and embrace the real woman with all her flaws, ask whether your child is a creative-sensitive dreamer - all this and more in our latest self-help recent picks. Marriage counselor Andrew Marshall discovered there was little research on couples falling out of love, so he wrote "I love you but I'm not in love with you", which argues that it is possible to fall back in love.

Morningstar falls in love

A girl warrior raised on mare's milk, the evil Lathenia and the Order of Chaos, a cursed street hidden from the world, repulsive prospective suitors, magnificant frescos, the dissection of cadavers and fabulous comedy routines are featured in our new teens books.

We have turned on comments!

You can now post comments on our blog. If you have opinions on that book, DVD or webpage, tell us! Click the comments button at the bottom of the post.
We reserve the right to moderate posted comments and may paraphrase individual entries.
If you have a personal enquiry, please email us directly at enquiries@wcl.govt.nz.

Plethora of new bestsellers

Our other new bestsellers include Judy Bailey's autobiography, Richard Dawkins on God and a funny novel by Ben Elton.