Magazines for the well-rounded man (and others)

New Magazines galore. For men's fashion and lifestyle, try 'Details' and 'Men's vogue'. The best of Harvard Business Review is featured in OnPoint (remember, HBR is available online in EBSCO). 'Fair lady' approaches the woman's mag format from a South African perspective. The academic Catholic theology journal 'Communio' was founded by Joseph Ratzinger among others.

Epilepsy Awareness Week

Our Health page is featuring books, websites and journal articles on epilepsy for Epilepsy Awareness Week 5th -12th September.

WCL members can use the Gale Health & Wellness database and EBSCO article database for health information anytime, anywhere with an internet connection.

Wondrous message of love

Our new religion books discuss Krishnamurti, Satanism, Gabriel, female shamanism, meditation, the philosophy of religion, and more. If you prefer tasty tidbits, 'The best American spiritual writing 2005' has essays from many perspectives.

Wearing propaganda

Our new craft books look at silk 'paper', gift wrapping, origami, hand-made journals, Victorian textiles, Mexican crafts and more. 'Wearing propaganda: textiles on the home front in Japan, Britain, and the United States, 1931-1945' features a kimono lined with images of U.S. planes blowing and a British scarf emblazoned with hopeful anti-rationing slogans.

A billion blistering bromeliads

New DIY and gardening books this month feature organic gardening, transforming T-shirts, home storage and pruning. Te Papa Press have published the sumptuous 'An illustrated guide to New Zealand hebes' by M. J. Bayly and A. V. Kellow. Hebes are NZ's largest plant genus.

In vegetable heaven

We have two new foodie books from Ramsey (is he stretching himself thin?) and essays from Bourdain. There's a fascinating biography of the non-existent Betty Crocker, Korean recipes, Italian family dinners, and help for the gluten free, diabetic and more.

New NZ music

There my dear by Dimmer, Into the dojo by locals The Black Seeds, Real life by talented youngsters Evermore, the charming Deja Voodoo's Back in brown and actress Lisa Chappell's When then is now.

Jazz, blues and soul

New Jazz CDs - jazz artists cover songs by alternative band Pavement on Gold sounds; 2006 sees the long-coming release of Diana Ross's Blue , originally recorded in 1972; The complete Pacific jazz sessions from Gil Evans. In the Blues section we've got the 4 disc Million years blues by Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. Compilation cds Super breaks 2 and 3 offer "essential funk, soul and jazz samples & break beats" from 1967-1978.

Death and pizza

This month in history - Freud and Princess Diana died, the first Pizza Hut opened in NZ and the Dominion newspaper was first published. Also check out our new history page feature for this month - the Black Death.

Dim Phoenix Pumpkins

For the latest music news, visit our popular music page. The Dudes are returning, the Pumpkins reuniting and a Bebop pianist has died.

Snakes and Spike Lee

There's a fresh batch of news links on our movies page - read about how Hollywood relies on test screenings, the growth of animated movies for grown-ups and the 5o greatest indie films.

A terrorist teddy bear

Our fiction picks this month are debut novels, always a risky bet so our specialists have selected some of the best. The titles deal with Libya in the 1970s, violent historical re-enactment, an innocent teddy bear (Winkie) accused of terrorism, and more. There are also new librarian's choice books including titles by Alison Lurie, David Baddiel and classic crime noir author Wade Miller. Customers recommend books by Ben Elton, Neil Gaiman, Fay Weldon and others.

Surfing sand dunes

Our travel page features articles on dune-boarding, Ayurveda, cycling through landscapes that Rembrandt painted and travel safety.

Icons and wild animals

We have new art, architecture & graphics books on Cezanne, George Stubbs, the spiritual in art, Russian and Greek icons, Frank Lloyd Wright (a Ken Burns film), IM Pei, visual grammar and more. 'Lord of Mess My Head is a Visual Township' is about Jaybo who has influenced European street art. We also recommend websites.

New in our reggae section

Fascinating historical document Alpha Boys' School 1910-2006 : music in education, Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu's album Youth, women of reggae's I shall sing!, tracks from 1968-9 on Dawning of a new era : the roots of skinhead reggae plus the obligatory Marley number, DVD I shot the sheriff.

Man Booker longlist announced

The long list for the Man Booker Prize for fiction has been announced. From the 19 novels listed a short list will be chosen and announced on 14th September 2006 from this the winner of the £50,000 will be decided and announced on 10th October 2006.

12 meals a day

Two of our quirkier new cooking and food books: food writers Jane and Michael Stern recall fried food wonders and the joys of Amish bloomers (necessary on their diet) in the hilarious Two for the road : our love affair with American food. Journalist Bill Buford experiences the frantic world of New York kitchens and the peculiar meats of Tuscany in Heat : an amateur's adventures as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta maker, and apprentice to a Dante-quoting butcher in Tuscany.

Lemons are not red

Giddy goats, red lemons, silly billys, lamb-a-roos, witches with twitches, wondercats - it's all on our Children's picture books recent picks page.

Toe-tappin' good

Great new alt-country and Americana albums - Neko Case's atmospheric Fox confessor brings the flood , Jolie Holland's languid Springtime can kill you, Sarah Harmer's rootsy I'm a mountain, the Wailin' Jennys' folksy Firecracker, Calexico's highly-reserved Garden ruin, Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins' Rabbit fur coat, plus Emmylou. You can check out our latest country and folk albums anytime with these links.

Unexpected songs

New classical music DVDs include the Glyndebourne production of Pique Dame by Tchaikovsky and a new opera based on Antoine de Saint-Exupery's Little prince. New books and CDs are also featured on our classical music recent picks page.

1001 catalogue links

Our fiction librarian has created catalogue links for every NZ author we have listed on our NZ fiction by genre and surname webpages. Now it justtakes one click to see what we've got and if it's available. If you find any errors among the links (when you click on Janet Frame, does it bring up a list of window framing books?), we'd just love to tell her!

Subtext - double points this week

There's still time to join subtxt. Everyone with over 350 points can go in the draw for an iPod Nano, PSP, or pxt phone. Reviews this week earn double points. 'hot_chic_with_brains' already has 400 points, so if you're aged between 13 and 17 and are a member of WCL, get in quick.

Brain-bending bestsellers

New bestsellers include Kathy Reichs' latest Dr Temperance Brennan title, some odd short stories by Haruki Murakami and a novel about an undercover CIA agent who may have gone over to al Qaeda. Sergei Lukyanenko's 'Night watch' is about the Others (magicians capable of entering the shadowy Twilight world) who walk Moscow's streets.

Lost songs

What are we listening to this month? Gnarls Barkley (not that one could avoid them if one wanted to, really), Talib Kweli, Jackie DeShannon, Cyndi Lauper singing standards, St. Germain, lost songs of Lennon and McCartney, and more.

1037 All Blacks

There have been 1037 All Blacks. We have a feature on the history of rugby on our history page. Also, this month in history has been updated for August.

Body piercing saved my life

New popular music books this month explore the lives of Peggy Lee, Johnny Cash and Bob Marley. Well-known British music journo Simon Reynolds has released 'Rip it up and start again : postpunk 1978-1984'. Andrew Beaujon investigates American Christian rock in 'Body piercing saved my life', a genre in which fundamentalist evangelical Christianity is set to folky ballads and wrenching metal.

Exuding affection and goodwill

According to Amazon.com, "a sad, melancholy ache pervades Brokeback Mountain", "Syriana is an oil-based soap opera set against the world of global oil cartels", 'Lord of war' features "black-as-coal humor", Steve Martin's 'Shopgirl' "glowingly captures the bittersweet tones of a May-September romance" and 'The world's fastest Indian' exudes "affection and goodwill". These DVDs and more are featured on our DVD recent picks page.

The book of senior moments

Was Pride & Prejudice the first chick-list masterpiece? What role does a Nietzschean "master morality" play among Narnia's villains? What do madwomen get up to in the attic? What role did language play in Nazi Germany? All this and more (including The book of senior moments) in our latest literature picks.

Children's DVDs

From 1 August there is a limit of 3 children's DVDs per library card. Children's DVDs are free to take out on a child's library card, and this policy ensures there will be a greater selection of the best DVD titles each time you visit the library.

For the latest Children's DVDs, click here. You can also search DVDs by branch and genre on our Quicksearch and Movies pages.

There are no limits on any other AV items, such as YA and adult DVDs or children's videos.

Encyclopedia Britannica online

Encyclopedia Britannica is now available for use at home or in our libraries online. Login here with your library card number. Select from the full Britannica, Britannica Student or Britannica Junior for the right level of information.

10 hours of Beckett

What's popular this month with WCL borrowers? A DVD with 10 hours of filmed Beckett plays, a book on FIFA scandals, Donny Osmond's autobiography and the letters of early NZ poet Ursula Bethell. Check out our Booklists page for more heavily reserved items. We also list all our latest general fiction, other genres, large print and DVDs.

This month you can beat memory loss, live with asthma, understand eating disorders and practice Kripalu yoga with our new health books. Peter Singer's latest title 'The way we eat : why our food choices matter' explores the ethics and impact of our food choices.

The natural nature of persons

Hurried and hassled? Overstretched and overbooked? Check out our new personal development books for some ideas. They claim to help you reclaim your life, heal the wounds of your heart and nurture intergenerational discernment.

How many glasses of rye whisky can Robert Stack, millionaire alcoholic, drink in eighty minutes? asks one of our movie reviewers. Which nuclear holocaust docu-drama had a lead article in the Evening Post? "Not for the squeamish", another reviewer helpfully warns. What films are they talking about? Check out our movie picks for August.

Tintin's ultimate 'secret'

Reggae album covers, Tintin, the Eames lounge chair and Arabian geometric patterns are among the subjects of our new design books. E.C. Comics (Tales from the crypt, Weird science...) is profiled in 'Foul play', and former Marvel Comics' Ben Caldwell gives great advice to new comic artists in 'Action! cartooning'. 'Factory records : the complete graphic album' is a complete record of the label's graphic output - Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays, the Hacienda and more.

Jaguars ripped my flesh

Join award-winning journalist Claire Scobie in her search for a rare Tibetan red lily and her friendship with an unusual nun. Walk up through the Americas, across the Bering Straits and through Russia and Asia to Britain with Karl Bushby (phew!). Discover Rebus's Scotland with crime author Ian Rankin. Witness the Rigor Mortis Procession in Galicia with JR Daeschner. Our new travel books are many and splendored.

1000 films to change your life

Sure, it's not exactly what you want during the film festival, but when movie withdrawal hits, investigate Time Out's '1000 films to change your life' and the other new books on our Movies page. If you enjoyed Richard E. Grant's personal film Wah Wah during the festival, you will find his film diaries a fascinating read.

RISE Youth Seminar

We are hosting the 2006 RISE Youth Seminar, a professional development seminar for staff working with children and youth in New Zealand libraries, including library students and teachers.

A fondness for tea

New New Zealand books for August cover tea as a murder weapon, Irish immigration, electricity reform and the remote Antipodes Islands. 'Are angels OK? : the parallel universes of New Zealand writers and scientists' and Hugh Price's 'The plot to subvert wartime New Zealand : a true story of an impudent hoax that convulsed New Zealand in the darkest days of World War II, and that the Commissioner of Police declared 'beyond comprehension' : a hoax, moreover, that expanded to challenge the rule of law in the Dominion' are particularly recommended.

Born in Macbeth's castle

We have new biographies of Antarctic explorer Scott, writer John Mortimer, journalist Fergal Keane, Freud's wife Martha, actress Anna Massey and more. 'Title deeds : a work of friction' is the story of Liza Campbell's life as the last child born at Cawdor Castle, the family seat of Macbeth. 'Scorpion on the ceiling: a Scottish colonial family's adventures in South East Asia' is a fascinating tale of dangerous jungles, war and the infamous Changi Jail. In 'Someone like me', Miles Kington explores his eccentric childhood which involved dog training, borrowed lawnmowers, badminton, figs and unlikely brushes with the Catholic Church.

Mental toughness and surfing misadventures

In our new sports books - card games, judo, WWE, swimming, Babe Ruth, tennis, mountain biking, surfing, Mark Waugh, Phar Lap and more (over 20 titles listed!)

270,000 pounds of gold annually

Our new history books for August include Niall Ferguson on the violent 20th century, John Man on Attila the Hun and Adrian Vickers on the history of modern Indonesia. In 'Miracle in the Andes', Nando Parrado writes about his experience as one of the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes in 1972.

Diabolical machinations of the Chinese dragon Lien

In our new SF and fantasy novels - the quantum bomb of 2015, a ravening, barbaric horde led by an evil fundamentalist priesthood, deranged war criminals, a gutter-rat brother, and a dark and violent town overrun with spell-casters, demons, and thieves. In 'Keeping it real', magic is real and Elves are really bored with the constant Lord of the Rings references. 'The ancient legacy' by Mitchell Graham has cool fantasy names like Zargoth and Coribar.

Aliens - why are they here?

Our new science books discuss clouds, insects, floods in NZ, meteors and more. 'The richness of life : the essential Stephen Jay Gould' is a good introduction to the scientist's work. In 'Aliens : why they are here', Bryan Appleyard explores the replacement of belief in angels, demons and goblins with the modern fascination with extraterrestrials.

New mysteries

A tragic house fire, an unseen marksman, a forlorn shoe salesman, and crimes modelled on Brothers Grimm stories are the subjects of our new mysteries.

Does this book exist?

Our popular non-fiction recent picks page features a fascinating collection of new books on yob culture in Britain, big drug companies, the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, looted antiquities and more. There are new books from John Pilger and Noam Chomsky, and Jim Baggott looks at reality.

Hallucinatory comics

Infinite sadness, dragonslippers, a chopper down in flames, the UK under fascism, a hibernating vampire and mutant terrorists - graphic novels are rarely dull. You will recognise some titles from the movies such as Alan Moore's 'V for vendetta' and Masamune Shirow's 'Ghost in the shell'. Jill Thompson's 'Death : at death's door' is a manga version of one of Gaiman's most loved characters.

Bad bosses and irrefutable laws

Our new management books include 'A survival guide for working with bad bosses : dealing with bullies, idiots, back-stabbers, and other managers from hell', 'High-impact interview questions', 'Speak like a CEO' and 'The streetsmart negotiator'.

Cross stitch Wallace and Gromit

'Cross stitch antique style samplers', 'Window gardens in bloom : 25 hand-embroidered flowers in easy-to-create settings', 'The complete book of glass beadmaking' and 'Celtic: inspirations for machine embroiderers' are among the featured new craft books for August. With 'Adele Welsby's cross stitch characters', learn to create Wallace and Gromit and the self sufficient community of mice who inhabit Brambly Hedge.