WCL has over 600,000 books, 450,000 magazines, and 85,000 cds, DVDs, videos and other items at our central library and 11 branches. We are located in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington.
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.
Wednesday, 8 November 2006
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.
Tuesday, 7 November 2006
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.
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If you have a personal enquiry, please email us directly at enquiries@wcl.govt.nz.
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.
Monday, 6 November 2006
Plethora of new bestsellers
Our other new bestsellers include Judy Bailey's autobiography, Richard Dawkins on God and a funny novel by Ben Elton.
Books to Babies
Congratulations to Isobel, a five-month-old library member from Karori, who won our Books to Babies competition. Wellington City Libraries have been running Books to Babies since 2001. Every new baby in the Wellington region receives a gift of a book and information about the library.
For parents
Friday, 3 November 2006
NZ company info
We have a new webpage on New Zealand company information. There is general information and weblinks, plus sections for jobseekers, philanthropists/fundraisers and investors.
Malicious reality
East Timor, ancient Greece and Rome, the meeting of the British First Fleet and aboriginal Australians in 1788, Stalingrad and Victorian London are among the topics of our latest history books. In 'Treason in Tudor England: politics and paranoia,' Lacey Baldwin Smith argues that the Tudor English had a mania for conspiracy.
Moral imperatives
Pin-up girls, globalisation, fast food, elite colleges, fundamentalism and global warming are among the topics of our latest popular non-fiction. 'Clarkson on cars' promises to be irreverent and funny. 'Ancient marks: the sacred origins of tattoos and body marking' is a gorgeous or disturbing coffee-table book, depending on your sensibilities.
New movie and TV books
New books about Firefly, Little Britain and legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow are featured on our movie page. We also recommend the novel 'Point blank' (made into the John Boorman thriller starring Lee Marvin) and graphic novel 'A history of violence' (made into the David Cronenberg film starring Viggo Mortensen).
Radio show Saturday 4th
"Music Ad Lib", hosted by our own library staff music enthusiasts, airs monthly on Access Radio at 4.30pm for 30 minutes. Our November 4th show features upbeat pop music.
Holiday publishing season is here
Debunk the jargon
Good childhood nutrition, hormones, food combining, ADHD, your miraculous back and yoga are among the subjects of our new health books. 'You don't have to be famous to have manic depression: an insider's guide to mental health' is an entertaining dialogue on depression by a sufferer and his doctor.
Sigurd and Brynhild's doomed love
Our latest literature recent picks include books on Greek literature, Norse-Icelandic mythological and heroic poetry, humour by Nora Ephron, and a treasury for book addicts. We also feature literature documentaries on DVD and CD.
Half-robot, half-cockroach
DVDs Cars, Over the hedge, Atlantis: Milo returns and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz are featured in our new kid's AV picks.
Selfish and devious Belle
The violent, vengeful world of rap music, a media frenzy, sordid back alleys, pious power brokers, Moroccan terrorists and a 1924 Guy Fawkes fete feature in our new mysteries. Murder is everywhere, even at a needlework show.
Knitting for the pampered baby
Cashmere, mohair, angora, sequin, eyelash fringe, and faux fur. Cute caterpillar finger puppets, delightful rag dolls, a cuddly toy penguin. A cheery pink throw pillow, an ocean-blue scarf, a zippered shoulder bag. Check out our craft recent picks for help with these and more.
Thursday, 2 November 2006
Wednesday, 1 November 2006
Which rug to choose
Our new home and garden books look at living in small spaces, permaculture, the country estates of Australia, the opulent world of the French Creole aristocracy on Martinique, Guadaloupe, Marie-Galante and Saint Martin, animal homeopathy, and Southern living. To help you prepare for Christmas we have a couple recent books on gift wrapping.
Want that book right now?
Tuesday, 31 October 2006
Waiting for the surf
This month's new New Zealand fiction includes books by Carl Shuker, Kirsty Gunn, Lloyd Jones and Ian Wedde. In one of Patricia Grace's new short stories, a man falls in love with a carving. In 'John Tomb's head' by Stephanie Johnson, the titular tattooed head wryly observes everyone who claims ownership.
Kumusta Kababayan!
We now have webpages in Tagalog (Filipino). Ang mga Aklatan ng Lungsod ng Wellington ay bukas sa lahat ng mga taong naninirahan sa Lungsod ng Wellington. Ang aklatan ay mayroong mahigit sa 400,000 mga libro o mga magasin, na maaaring hiramin, at karamihan nito ay walang bayad. Maaari kayong magbasa ng mga pahayagan o mag-aral sa loob ng mga aklatan.
Read about library services, resources for adults and children, careers information, joining the library and more. For information in other languages, visit our Migrant Communities Library Guide.
Read about library services, resources for adults and children, careers information, joining the library and more. For information in other languages, visit our Migrant Communities Library Guide.
A just-baked tart
Baked caramel pots with strawberries and honey madeleines. Cherry frangipane. Irresistible pizzas. Yum. Also in our new cook books, grrrrowlicious food for dogs, a guide to food additives and a textbook on food and beverage service.
Alzheimers, nudity and kindness
Our staff DVD picks for November include television shows Prison break, The good life, Reginald Perrin and The grid. Mark argues that Cronenberg's 'A history of violence' doesn't live up to its press (but is worth seeing anyway). Michael hugs his nearest during 'Harvie Krumpet'. Karen thinks that both Lolitas are worth watching, but Nabokov's book is better. Kini is pleased that 'Prime' doesn't have a "sappy happy ending."
New NZ books
Our new New Zealand books discuss the weather, curious place names, duelling, wearable art, cycling, music and many other subjects. 'An illustrated guide to New Zealand hebes' by M. J. Bayly and A. V. Kellow is gorgeous. 'Aramoana : twenty-two hours of terror' by Bill O'Brien tells the amazing story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Everyone's favourite immortal cyborg
If the Goddess rises from her tomb, the fate of the Ice Eaters will be sealed. A charismatic Christian cleric threatens the stability of the pagan kingdom of Fortriu. Everyone who reads cursed book 'The End of Mr. Y' disappears. It takes a lot to kill an immortal. All this and more in our new science fiction and fantasy books.
Monday, 30 October 2006
Self-regarding precocity
We have new biographies about the impressionists, Europe's most infamous rulers, Charles Dickens's artist daughter Katey and Victorian celebrity chef Alexis Soyer. Our new autobiographies include titles by Gloria Vanderbilt, Lloyd Geering, Jonathan Franzen and David Profumo.
Insane winter season
Our new sport and recreation books, DVDs and CDs look at kendo, ju-jitsu, the Lions tour of 2005 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. 'The personal trainer's handbook: manage your business, know your clients' by Rebecca Weissbort is designed for new trainers. Audio book 'The Vincibles: a suburban cricket season' by Gideon Haigh is an entertaining tale of playing for love, winning with grace, losing with humour, valuing your community, and other anachronistic notions.
Exercises, charts, lists, examples
Our latest management picks discuss communication for leaders, interviewing, how western managers can learn from Chinese entrepreneurs, improving employee performance and other useful topics. In the widely discussed 'The long tail : how endless choice is creating unlimited demand', Chris Anderson explores the implications to online retail of the high profit in sales of millions of items sold in small quantities.
Bankrupting dowries
Among our new contemporary fiction are books involving a wolf girl, a dark lean man, an orphaned love child, opium dens (in two of the books!), a brutal assassin with the heart of a poet, Romani harpists and a teenage eco-terrorist. An orphaned teenager's greatest dream is to own his own hot-dog stand. Fired police sub-inspector Swami's wife is obsessed with securing the Most Expensive Husbands in India.
The marriage of Elizabeth II
Brain-nibbling Neanderthals
Our new children's non-fiction books cover all-powerful commas, vicious villains, funky fashion, skunks and slugs, fiery rivers of lava and more. We have a book on the work of paleopathologists (mummies!). 'Fighting past each other: the New Zealand Wars 1845-1875' by Matthew Wright is an excellent resource that brings NZ history to life.
New DVDs (lots)
From Mel Gibson's 'Hamlet' to Tom Stoppard's 'Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are dead', from the suffragists of 'Iron jawed angels' to kitsch icon Bettie Page's 'Teaserama', our new DVDs are a diverse bunch. Highlights include docos 'Grizzly man', 'The future of food', 'Who laughs last? a documentary about Roger Hall' and recordings of Hunter Lovin's sustainable development seminars in NZ. TV on DVD includes Entourage (season 2), Scrubs (season 4), Carnivale (season 2), Battlestar Galactica (season 2), Gilmore girls (season 5), and Six feet under (season 5). Movies include 'Good night, and good luck', 'Pale rider' and 'Kitchen stories'. There's also lots of new opera and dance.
Picasa, After Effects, Visual C#
Our new computer books cover Java, Google, CSS, home internet security, Linux, Photoshop CS2, Photoshop Elements 4 and more. We link to the latest PC Magazine cover story in EBSCO - The most amazing websites of 2006.
Graphic identity
The principles of fashion design, cute plastic creations, guerrilla advertising, business cards with personality, visits with contemporary cartoonists, Dutch designers, product design... all this and more among our new design books.
Friday, 27 October 2006
Home repair is homicide
System outage tonight
Our catalogue and mygateway.info databases will be unavailable Friday 27th between 9.00pm and midnight due to annual maintenance. Apologies for the inconvenience.
Ex-civil engineer and superhero
A robotic vigilante, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound and James Joyce as cartoonists, lonely mechanic Josephine and her scrap metal man, Shahrazad as a boy - our new graphic novels are a wild and wonderful bunch. There are new books by Harvey Pekar and Will Eisner, and more.
Our buyers recommend
This month our buyers recommend newly ordered books on shoes, the female brain and the best global festivals. In 'The Wal-Mart effect', Charles Fishman investigates the repercussions of the secretive company's never-ending quest for lower prices. 'Manspace: a primal guide to marking your territory' by Sam Martin looks at the design of smoking rooms, garage workshops, basement pool rooms etc.
Thursday, 26 October 2006
Two most popular DVDs?
The two DVDs with the longest reserve queues at WCL are High school musical and Over the hedge. In 'Over the hedge', "a ragtag group of forest critters awaken from hibernation to find that their forest has been turned into a suburban housing development" according to Amazon UK. Sounds cute. In 'High school musical', a nerdy shy girl and The Popular Boy are forced to sing karaoke together. Will their love of music and deepening relationship survive the social pressures of high school? I suspect so.
Tuesday, 24 October 2006
Hungarian Revolution - display
This month marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, the revolt of the Hungarian people against the might of Russia and the Warsaw Pact countries, which was brutally crushed.
Wellington Central Library has joined with National Library and the Parliamentary Library in mounting displays to commemorate the event, on the 1st and 2nd floors.
A free concert featuring Hungarian performers and composers will be held on 25th October at St Andrews on the Terrace. Information about other events is available on the Hungarian Consulate website.
Wellington Central Library has joined with National Library and the Parliamentary Library in mounting displays to commemorate the event, on the 1st and 2nd floors.
A free concert featuring Hungarian performers and composers will be held on 25th October at St Andrews on the Terrace. Information about other events is available on the Hungarian Consulate website.
Revolting Rhymes
Check out the winners of our Roald Dahl Revolting Rhyme Competition. The competition resulted in 184 entries and the judges commented that "snot was the predominent theme".
Catalogue unavailable Friday night
Our catalogue and mygateway.info will be unavailable Friday night (27th Oct) from 9pm for 1-3 hours due to annual maintenance. Apologies for the inconvenience.
Moomintroll or Slytherin?
Vote in our latest Hype teens poll - do you want to join the Von Trapp family, become a member of the X-men, be one of the Incredibles, or ...?
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