Letters of a secretary

Berlin in the 20s, the history of Africa, Churchill's cabinet war rooms, life as an aid worker in post-Taliban Afghanistan, and Fidel Castro and his generation of graduates from one of Cuba's most elite academies. All this and more in our June history recent picks.

Assyrian Display...

A special display of historical and contemporary photographs of the Assyrian community is currently circulating around our library branches. Also showing at some sites is 'Taste of Ninevah' - a documentary video on the Assyrian community in Wellington by staff member Helen Donnelly. For more information and the exhibition schedule, click here.

Bargains at the Central Library!

The booksale is in its final days - everything left is half price. The sale ends Thursday 24 May 2007.

A feast of crafts for the autumn months

Whether it's crochet, knitting or jewelry you're keen on - or maybe you just want to find a wonderful colour combination for your latest beading project - you'll enjoy the latest crafts recent picks.

Rub-a-dub-dub

Come and join us at Wadestown Library on Friday 25th May at 10.30am for a special bathtime-themed preschool storytime! Bring along your favourite bath towel and bath toy, and listen to stories with the Wadestown librarians. See you there!

We love magazines

Magazine creation and culture, the anatomy of design, architect Frank Gehry, the best pattern design from around the globe, advertising campaigns on the web, and DeKooning's bicycle are some of the subjects of our art and graphics recent picks this month. In 'Berlin Art Now' Mark Gisbourne puts Berlin under the microscope as the thriving centre of the German art world in the context of the huge upheavals the city has seen in the past fifteen years.

Britons, hippos and sabre tooth tigers

Homo Britannicus, working holidays, consumer capitalism, tycoons, luxury houses and more feature in our buyer's choice this month.

A post-petroleum cookbook

Caring for sick children, the unique attributes of human skin, autism awareness and education, and the biotech revolution are some of the topics of our latest health recent picks. In 'The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook' Albert Bates provides advice for preparing for the transition to a post-petroleum culture.

Booksale on now!

The sale at Central Library includes books, CDs, cassettes, magazines and journals on every topic imaginable. Stock is replenished at regular intervals during the sale ensuring there are always fresh bargains to be found - prices start from 50 cents for magazines, with most other items between $1 and $6.

If you love a bargain and love music or literature, you won't want to miss it.

May = New Zealand music month

Check out our popular music page for details of what's on at the library during May - New Zealand Music Month. (You can also view the official New Zealand Music Month page here.)

Post-apocalyptic New York

Our newest graphic novels feature a bloody battle in Time Square, an AI named Spartacus, Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's The tragical comedy or comical tragedy of Mr Punch, and Sam Swede - a PI stuck between the mob and dirty cops.

Best Mother Goose ever

Princesses in pigstys, Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever, Grill Pan Eddy (a family's resident rodent and the latest from Jeanne Willis and illustrator Tony Ross), and a troublesome cat named Gloria. All in our latest kid's picture books.

Chocolate madeleines

This month our cooking recent picks feature stunning chocolate madeleines from the author of the Chocolate Lovers' Cookbook for Dummies, your favourite recipes from Bon Appetit magazine, and The Waldorf=Astoria Cookbook (product of seven chefs, 100 sous-chefs, an executive chef...).