Auckland Council Libraries: Biographies and memoirs new titles

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Biographies and memoirs

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Good time girl  by Heather Gay

Good time girl

Heather Gay

"In Bad Mormon, Heather Gay pulled back the veil on her orthodox adolescence and marriage in the Mormon Church, and the painful process of leaving it all behind. Becoming a successful business owner and reality TV star gave the single mom of three a second...

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Outrageous Fortunes  by Megan (Literary scholar) Brown

Outrageous Fortunes

Megan (Literary scholar) Brown

"The gripping story of Australia's first female crime writer and her career-criminal son"--Publisher's description.

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The house of my mother  by Shari Franke

The house of my mother

Shari Franke

"From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog and the hidden abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, and how, in the face of unimaginable pain, she found freedom and healing. Shari Franke's...

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Twenty-five women who shaped the Italian Renaissance  by Meredith K. Ray

Twenty-five women who shaped the Italian Renaissance

Meredith K. Ray

"Twenty-Five Women Who Shaped the Italian Renaissance takes readers on a journey through early modern Italy that places women at the heart of the artistic and cultural developments of this transformative era. Highlighted here are figures like Caterina Sforza,...

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Tremor  by Sonya Voumard

Tremor

Sonya Voumard

"I watch an online video of a man with shaking hands as he stands in a home kitchen trying to cut tomatoes to make a sandwich while is wife caringly looks on. And because I've only recently discovered I have an official disability that's 'bad enough' to...

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The memoirs of Catherine the Great  by Empress of Russia Catherine II

The memoirs of Catherine the Great

Empress of Russia Catherine II

"Empress Catherine II brought Europe to Russia, and Russia to Europe, during her long and eventful reign (1762-1796). She fostered the Enlightenment and greatly expanded the empire created by Tsar Ivan the Terrible, shifting the balance of power in Europe...

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Believe nothing until it is officially denied  by Patrick Cockburn

Believe nothing until it is officially denied

Patrick Cockburn

"Can a journalist be a revolutionary? Award-winning journalist Patrick Cockburn explores the life and work of his famous radical journalist father"--Publisher's description.

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Only you know & I know  by Dave Mason

Only you know & I know

Dave Mason

"Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason found early success with the band Traffic, establishing himself as a skilled guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter who penned the classic 'Feelin' Alright?'. Departing the band for a solo career, Mason earned three gold...

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Jackson Pollock, the early years, 1934-1947  by Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock, the early years, 1934-1947

Jackson Pollock

"Trace the genesis of Jackson Pollock's work in this intimate portrait of the radical twentieth-century artist-from his childhood in the American West through the diverse cultural influences that charted his artistic evolution. Jackson Pollock's "drip...

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The Times Churchill

The Times Churchill

"Drawing on a wealth of archive material from The Times and Imperial War Museums, this superbly illustrated edition offers a unique and nuanced perspective on the tireless statesman and victorious wartime leader. Widely considered to be one of the 20th...

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Winston's bandits  by Adrian (Historian) Phillips

Winston's bandits

Adrian (Historian) Phillips

"Though today he is hailed as one of Britain's greatest leaders, throughout his career, Winston Churchill was an outsider, accumulating a reputation for bad judgement and untrustworthiness. Only risk-takers and fellow outsiders would back him – but these...

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Billy  by Pamela Stephenson

Billy

Pamela Stephenson

"Whatever your opinion of Billy Connolly, his life has been an epic tale of controversy and hilarity, tragedy and comedy. From his working class roots in Glasgow he has worked his way to the top, and now enjoys huge worldwide acclaim and lives a dream...

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Marilyn Monroe style  by Terry (Fashion journalist) Newman

Marilyn Monroe style

Terry (Fashion journalist) Newman

"Marilyn Monroe's world was the stuff of fairy-tale - the orphan who conquered Hollywood and hailed as the most beautiful woman in the world before her untimely death in 1962. Marilyn Monroe Style celebrates Marilyn's impact on fashion by revealing the...

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Jane Austen's remarkable aunt Philadelphia Hancock  by Jan Merriman

Jane Austen's remarkable aunt Philadelphia Hancock

Jan Merriman

"The orphaned Philadelphia Austen was forced to seek for herself those objects of eighteenth-century womanhood: social esteem and financial independence. Her story is circumscribed by the limitations of women's lives of that time and opens up a wider...

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Leonardo da Vinci drawings  by Susan Grange

Leonardo da Vinci drawings

Susan Grange

"Leonardo da Vinci was the original Renaissance Man, an artist, mathematician, inventor and writer amongst his many talents. His skilful observations of the mechanics of the body informed both his work, and the generations that followed. But his drawings are...

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Lady Jane Grey  by Hester W. Chapman

Lady Jane Grey

Hester W. Chapman

"Lady Jane Grey, also known as Lady Jane Dudley after her marriage and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who was proclaimed Queen of England and Ireland on 10 July 1553 and reigned until she was deposed by her cousin, Mary I, on 19 July...

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Lady Jane Grey  by Hester W. Chapman

Lady Jane Grey

Hester W. Chapman

"Lady Jane Grey, also known as Lady Jane Dudley after her marriage and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who was proclaimed Queen of England and Ireland on 10 July 1553 and reigned until she was deposed by her cousin, Mary I, on 19 July...

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The great exodus from China  by Dominic Meng-Hsuan Yang

The great exodus from China

Dominic Meng-Hsuan Yang

"Dominic Meng-Hsuan Yang examines one of the least understood migrations in modern Chinese history-the human exodus from China to Taiwan when Chiang Kaishek's regime collapsed in 1949. Peeling back layers of Cold War ideological constructs, Yang tells a very...

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Lady Dorothie Feilding at war  by Christine M. Cluley

Lady Dorothie Feilding at war

Christine M. Cluley

"Lady Dorothie Mary Evelyn Feilding-Moore, MM was a British heiress who ignored her aristocratic background to become a highly decorated volunteer nurse and ambulance driver on the Western Front during the First World War. She was the first woman to be awarded...

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Run Britain  by Nicholas Butter

Run Britain

Nicholas Butter

"In the spring of 2021, as the UK's latest pandemic lockdowns were lifted, Nick Butter set out from the Eden Project to become the fastest person to cover ever mile of Britain's mainland coastline on foot. Battling the most extreme winds Britain had seen in...

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Our Jackie  by Karen M. Dunak

Our Jackie

Karen M. Dunak

"Our Jackie: Public Claims on a Private Life chronicles the evolving media coverage of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, tracing interpretations of her public persona, from campaign wife, first lady, and revered widow to a jet setter, career woman, and, ultimately,...

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Marx  by Jaime (Professor of philosophy) Edwards

Marx

Jaime (Professor of philosophy) Edw...

"The writings of Karl Marx (1818-1883) have left an indelible mark not only on the understanding of economics and political thought but the very lives of millions of people, for better or worse, in the twentieth century and beyond. Trained as a philosopher and...

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Descartes  by David Cunning

Descartes

David Cunning

"René Descartes (1596-1650) is well-known for his introspective turn away from sensible bodies and toward non-sensory ideas of mind, body, and God. Such a turn is appropriate, Descartes supposes, but only once in the course of life, and only to arrive at a...

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There is no wall  by Allie Bailey

There is no wall

Allie Bailey

"There Is No Wall is ultrarunner Allie Bailey's brutally honest and sometimes shocking account of alcoholism, depression and severe mental breakdowns which almost cost her her life. Told with disarming vulnerability, heartbreaking depth of feeling and dark...

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Churchill Cold War warrior  by Anthony Tucker-Jones

Churchill Cold War warrior

Anthony Tucker-Jones

"In Churchill Cold War Warrior, renowned military historian Anthony Tucker-Jones reassesses Winston Churchill’s neglected postwar career. He explains how in an unguarded moment Winston inadvertently sowed the seeds for the Cold War by granting Stalin control...

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Personal writings  by of Loyola Ignatius

Personal writings

of Loyola Ignatius

"St. Ignatius of Loyola (c. 1491-1556), founder of the revolutionary Jesuit Order, is one of the key figures in Christian history. These Personal Writings reveal the intense inwardness and devotional depths of the private man." "His Reminiscences give a vivid...

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Andy Warhol's mother  by Elaine Rusinko

Andy Warhol's mother

Elaine Rusinko

"The First Comprehensive Biography of Julia Warhola. While biographers of Andy Warhol have long recognized his mother as a significant influence on his life and art, Julia Warhola's story has not yet been told. As an American immigrant who was born in a small...

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The impossible man  by Patchen Barss

The impossible man

Patchen Barss

"As a little boy, Roger Penrose and his father discovered a sundial in a clearing behind their home. In that machine made of light, shadow, and time, six-year-old Roger discovered a "world behind the world" of transcendently beautiful geometry, beginning a...

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Behind the Wall  by Ines Geipel

Behind the Wall

Ines Geipel

"Germany, like many countries, has witnessed the rise of extremist far-right groups and parties in recent years, and no more so than in the eastern regions. Why have those parts of Germany that used to be part of the old GDR turned out to be so supportive of...

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Gaza medic  by Richard N. Villar

Gaza medic

Richard N. Villar

"No stranger to operating in conflict-torn countries, Richard Villar, a former SAS Medical Officer and current war surgeon, volunteered to provide medical support in Central Gaza during the 2024 invasion. In Gaza Medic, he offers a gripping and harrowing...

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Legally red  by Maurice Watkins

Legally red

Maurice Watkins

"At Old Trafford, in the corridors of power, Maurice Watkins was the guiding force. As the club solicitor, and later a director, for thirty-six years he was the man to whom Manchester United turned to negotiate the legal minefields. In his autobiography,...

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Wildfire  by Leeroy Thornhill

Wildfire

Leeroy Thornhill

"'Wildfire' tells the story of the first decade of The Prodigy from the perspective of original member Leeroy Thornhill, fully illustrated with entirely unseen photography from the earliest raves, to Japan and the United States in the late '90s, by which point...

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Birds in art  by Tim Batchelor

Birds in art

Tim Batchelor

"The natural beauty and diversity of birds have fascinated us for centuries. Since their first appearance in art in medieval manuscripts, birds have proved to be a popular and enduring subject for artists who have sought to capture the delicacy and majesty of...

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Well-intentioned advice  by Jon Tucker

Well-intentioned advice

Jon Tucker

"During the five decades since teenage students Jon and Babs Tucker bought the plans for the traditional ketch (New Zealand Maid) that was to become their home, their life has been punctuated with extraordinary experiences. Babs was the redhaired horse-riding...

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Undefeatable  by Julian Evans

Undefeatable

Julian Evans

"In 1994, Julian Evans discovered the city of Odesa by accident at the end of a ten-day boat journey down the Dnipro river from Kyiv to Crimea. He fell in love with the crumbling, romantic, piecrust-baroque boom town whose port had been a gateway for...

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Erwin Blumenfeld  by Erwin Blumenfeld

Erwin Blumenfeld

Erwin Blumenfeld

"An experimenter and innovator, Erwin Blumenfeld (1897-1969) produced an extensive body of work including portraits and nudes, celebrity portraiture and advertising campaigns, but it is his fashion photography for which he is best known. Having fled Paris...

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Blood, guts and gore  by John Gordon Smith

Blood, guts and gore

John Gordon Smith

"A classic memoir of the Napoleonic Wars. John Gordon Smith wrote one of the most vivid, honest and readable personal accounts of the Battle of Waterloo and the ensuing campaign, where he served as a surgeon in the12th Light Dragoons, but his classic narrative...

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Esther Mahlangu  by Thomas Girst

Esther Mahlangu

Thomas Girst

"Esther Mahlangu is globally acclaimed for her bright and bold abstract paintings with vivid, geometric patterns that are rooted in South Africa's Ndebele artistic tradition. She was a disruptor from an early age, becoming the first person to reimagine Ndebele...

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Robert Capa  by Robert Capa

Robert Capa

Robert Capa

"Iconic and rarely seen images retrace the story of Robert Capa's extraordinary life and work. Photographer and war reporter Robert Capa (1913-54) is a legend of photojournalism, and his work, widely recognized and sometimes controversial, shaped the history...

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The magic hours  by John (Film critic) Bleasdale

The magic hours

John (Film critic) Bleasdale

"Terrence Malick is the most enigmatic film director currently working. Since the early seventies, his work has won top prizes at film festivals worldwide and brought him wide recognition as the cinematic equivalent of a poet. His life is shrouded in mystery,...

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Audacious optimism  by Shanna Adamic

Audacious optimism

Shanna Adamic

"Audacious Optimism delivers a riveting account of Shanna Adamic's journey from a highly successful career as a corporate philanthropist and former professional cheerleader, to surviving a rare and life-threatening brain tumor, to limited mobility and a 4%...

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Dedicated to the soul  by Emma Jung

Dedicated to the soul

Emma Jung

"A richly illustrated collection of never-before-seen writings and drawings from the notebooks, portfolios, and personal papers of C. G. Jung's wife and collaborator Emma Jung (1882-1955) was the life and work partner of one of the great intellectual figures...

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I loved him from the day he died  by Michael P. Harding

I loved him from the day he died

Michael P. Harding

"'I wanted him to be someone he wasn't. I wanted me to be someone I wasn't.' To mark his 70th birthday Michael Harding travelled to Spain and walked the Camino de Santiago. Yet, as he set off on his pilgrimage, he found he wasn't alone. Accompanying him on his...

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Paris lost and found  by Scott Dominic Carpenter

Paris lost and found

Scott Dominic Carpenter

"Following his hilarious introduction to Paris in French Like Moi, Midwesterner Scott Dominic Carpenter returns to the scene of the crime with more tales of intrigue. This time, though, the story starts with sorrow as Carpenter's wife struggles with dementia....

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84, Charing Cross Road  by Helene Hanff

84, Charing Cross Road

Helene Hanff

"The true story of the 20-year correspondence between Helene Hanff, an American writer living in New York, and Frank Doel, the Manager of Messrs Marks and Co., a bookshop in London's Charing Cross Road. The story is told in the couple's letters"--Publisher's...

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The promise  by Arnold Dix

The promise

Arnold Dix

"Arnold Dix became an unlikely hero when he promised to save forty-one men trapped after a tunnel collapse in the Himalayas. This is his unforgettable story. In rural Victoria, Arnold Dix is known to locals as a farmer and a part-time truck driver. But his...

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Prisoner of the state  by Lily Arthur

Prisoner of the state

Lily Arthur

"At sixteen years old, Lily Arthur was caught between the women's liberation movement of the 'swinging sixties and the draconian ideology that young women should be punished for deviating from society's 'moral codes'. For the 'crime' of being pregnant, Lily...

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Poet, mystic, widow, wife  by Hetta Howes

Poet, mystic, widow, wife

Hetta Howes

"What was life really like for women in the medieval period? What did they think about sex, death and God? Could they live independent lives? And how can we hear their stories? During the Middle Ages, few women had the luxury of writing down their thoughts and...

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Out of my shell  by Natasha Daniels

Out of my shell

Natasha Daniels

"Join anxiety expert and bestselling author Natasha Daniels as she re-frames her story through a therapist's eyes, growing from a socially anxious child to a - well, a socially anxious adult, but one who's learned to tackle it head-on and reclaim her...

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One free woman  by Jane Smith

One free woman

Jane Smith

"Hannah Rigby, a poor Liverpool seamstress, prisoner, and serial thief, was exiled from her homeland and oppressed by poverty and rigid social mores. Used and discarded by a series of men, she became an "exemplary" servant with a love for life and a single...

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Emperor of the seas  by Jack Weatherford

Emperor of the seas

Jack Weatherford

"Genghis Khan conquered the largest empire in history, but he never crossed the sea. Yet by the time his grandson Kublai Khan united China and established the Yuan dynasty in 1279, the Mongols controlled the most powerful navy in the world. Emperor of the Seas...

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Dreaming Japanese  by Marty Friedman

Dreaming Japanese

Marty Friedman

"Marty Friedman's upbringing was as atypical as his career. Growing up in a Jewish household in Maryland, the son of an NSA executive, he lacked motivation until he accidentally discovered the guitar and immediately found his calling. Enjoying a hazy...

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Murder in the Gulag  by John Sweeney

Murder in the Gulag

John Sweeney

"2:19pm, Moscow time, 16 February 2024. The Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District announces that Alexei Navalny is dead. The news sends shockwaves around the world. In Murder in the Gulag, award-winning journalist John Sweeney...

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How Sondheim can change your life  by Richard W. Schoch

How Sondheim can change your life

Richard W. Schoch

"Discover the powerful and universal lessons from the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, the genius behind such musical theater masterworks as Company, West Side Story, and Into the Woods. Stephen Sondheim died on November 26, 2021, but for countless fans...

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Tamara de Lempicka  by Tamara de Lempicka

Tamara de Lempicka

Tamara de Lempicka

"Tamara de Lempicka (1894-1980), the "Baroness with a Brush," is often cast as one of Art Deco's most celebrated artists, though her work transcends categorization, incorporating elements of Cubism and Neoclassicism in a distinctive, sensuous blend of form and...

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Great American wartime survival stories

Great American wartime survival stories

"Great American Wartime Survival Stories is a magnificent collection of gripping accounts of survival during the wars America has fought both large and small, from the American Revolution to the Civil War and from the Great War to WWII"--Publisher's...

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Poet warrior  by Joy Harjo

Poet warrior

Joy Harjo

"Poet Laureate Joy Harjo offers a vivid, lyrical, and inspiring call for love and justice in this contemplation of her trailblazing life. In the second memoir from the first Native American to serve as US poet laureate, Joy Harjo invites us to travel along the...

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Unfortunately, she was a nymphomaniac  by Joan Smith

Unfortunately, she was a nymphomaniac

Joan Smith

"A superb and illuminating history of Imperial Rome's most important women – dispelling the myths and misogyny that have distorted their reputations for over 2000 years. Writer, activist and journalist Joan Smith has worked for years to raise awareness of...

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Joan Lindsay  by Brenda Niall

Joan Lindsay

Brenda Niall

"One of Australia's foremost biographers examines the life of Joan Lindsay, the author of one of Australia's most enduring novels Picnic at Hanging Rock. Joan Lindsay's Picnic at Hanging Rock has captivated and perplexed generations. But the woman behind the...

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No filters  by Christie Watson

No filters

Christie Watson

"How can we communicate when things are so painful? How can we connect when generational differences are extreme? How do parents and teenagers - and all of us - have real conversations? When Rowan was sixteen, she only tolerated communication from her mother...

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So tell me what you want  by Nicki Chapman

So tell me what you want

Nicki Chapman

"In 1987, 20-year-old Nicki Chapman wasn't meant to be walking through the seedy but sublime Soho streets towards MCA records; she was supposed to be living it up in the much sunnier climes of Australia. But fate, as it turned out, had much louder plans for...

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Walking disaster  by Deryck Whibley

Walking disaster

Deryck Whibley

"This candid memoir of punk rock, fame, and endurance from Deryck Whibley, lead singer of Sum 41, follows Whibley's rise from a punk kid in Canada to an international star. From his earliest days as a kid in Canada, Deryck Whibley was a punk who loved music...

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The Child Catcher  by Andrew Bridge

The Child Catcher

Andrew Bridge

"Andrew Bridge's bestselling memoir, Hope's Boy, told the story of his survival after he was taken from his mother, who struggled with schizophrenia, and was left to foster care. Bridge was first confined at one of our country's most notorious children's...

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A continual farewell  by Lindsay Reade

A continual farewell

Lindsay Reade

"A full-colour account of Lindsay Reade and Tony Wilson's working life and relationship told through scans of their letters, pictures and Lindsay's diary entries accompanied by commentary and reflections from Lindsay. A Continual Farewell tells the story of...

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9 Troop in the Falklands  by Chris Pretty

9 Troop in the Falklands

Chris Pretty

"This is an adventure story about Royal Marine Commandos going to war during the Falklands War of 1982. Myth and legend. War is an odd thing. It brings out the very best in a person and probably the converse, too. It is also the story of Argentinian Marines...

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Holy fools  by Oswin Craton

Holy fools

Oswin Craton

"The existence of "fools for Christ" in the Orthodox tradition mystifies many people, even some within the Orthodox Church itself. People often wonder what purpose these sometimes comical and oftentimes tragically misunderstood saints serve in the life of the...

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In Gad we trust  by Josh Gad

In Gad we trust

Josh Gad

"A heartfelt and hilarious collection of essays from the comedian and entertainer known for voicing Olaf in the ... Disney franchise of Frozen, and for his award-winning turn as Elder Cunningham in [Broadway's] The Book of Mormon"--Publisher's description.

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Sisters in science  by Olivia (Journalist) Campbell

Sisters in science

Olivia (Journalist) Campbell

"In the 1930s, Germany was a hotbed of scientific thought. But after the Nazis took power, Jewish and female citizens were forced outof their academic positions. Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard Stücklen were eminent in their fields, but...

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Fernando Pessoa  by Bartholomew (College teacher) Ryan

Fernando Pessoa

Bartholomew (College teacher) Ryan

"As a young man Fernando Pessoa wrote 'be plural like the universe'. Staying true to this, he went on to invent over 100 fictional alter-egos, which he called heteronyms. This philosophical biography navigates Pessoa's early days in Lisbon and South Africa,...

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The living years  by Mike Rutherford

The living years

Mike Rutherford

""Now Michael, you're the son of a naval officer, you must behave like a naval officer at all times..." What Captain William Rutherford told his seven-year-old son Michael was to stay with him all his life. Born in 1950, Michael was truly his father's son,...

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Groomed  by Sonia Orchard

Groomed

Sonia Orchard

"'The first thing I need to know,' I said to the detective, 'is has a crime been committed?' Sonia Orchard was in her forties when she told a therapist about the boyfriend she had when she was fifteen. Sure, he had been a decade older than her, but it was...

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The use of photography  by Annie Ernaux

The use of photography

Annie Ernaux

"Memoir of a love affair between the authors, during which they photographed the scenes of their encounters. 14 of the photographs are reproduced, with texts inspired by or related to them"--Publisher's description.

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Transformer  by Neil Atkinson

Transformer

Neil Atkinson

"Jürgen Klopp's announcement in January 2024 that he was to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season would see an unprecedented outpouring of grief from his adopted city. The Anfield Wrap has followed Liverpool through nine remarkable years, ten...

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Iron hope  by James Lawrence

Iron hope

James Lawrence

"The ultimate guide to mental toughness by James 'Iron Cowboy' Lawrence-the greatest endurance athlete in human history. Lawrence's accomplishments are nearly impossible to comprehend. In 2015, he set a Guinness World Record record by completing 50...

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Gentlemen of the shade  by Vincent Burke

Gentlemen of the shade

Vincent Burke

""From the skies over war-torn Europe to the opulent halls of English nobility, Edward Bagot's journey is a riveting testament to courage, heritage, and unwavering faith." Edward Bagot's memoir offers a unique personal perspective on World War II, combining...

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Her Secret Service  by Claire Hubbard-Hall

Her Secret Service

Claire Hubbard-Hall

"Since the inception of the Secret Service Bureau back in 1909, women have worked at the very heart of British secret intelligence, yet their contributions have been all but written out of history. Now, drawing on private and previously classified documents,...

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Building material  by Stephen (New York City doorman) Bruno

Building material

Stephen (New York City doorman) Bru...

"For fans of books like Oscar Wars, London's Number One Dog Walking Agency, and Waiter Rant, and all those who have always wondered what the driver for Sex and the City's Mr. Big has to say, comes this heartfelt, laugh-out-loud memoir from a New York City...

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Armed with good intentions  by Wallace Peeples

Armed with good intentions

Wallace Peeples

"Wallace "Wallo267" Peeples spent twenty years in and out of the prison system before restarting his life and catapulting himself to unforeseen levels of social impact, cultural influence, and success. Now he shares his story with the trademark honesty that's...

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Revolt against theocracy  by Farhad Khosrokhavar

Revolt against theocracy

Farhad Khosrokhavar

"This book is the first in-depth account of the uprising in Iran that began on 16 September 2022, when a young woman, Mahsa Amini, was killed by the morality police. In the months that followed, protests and demonstrations erupted across Iran, representing the...

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Why I became an X Troop commando  by Helen Fry

Why I became an X Troop commando

Helen Fry

"A fascinating and moving biography of Colin Anson, the German refugee who became an elite British commando"--Publisher's description.

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Lightning can strike twice  by Tommy Fury

Lightning can strike twice

Tommy Fury

"When Tommy Fury realised as a young boy that he wanted to become a boxer, the odds were stacked against him. His father was sent to prison when Tommy was only nine, casting his family life into chaos. He couldn't afford a bus ticket to the gym to train, so...

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Secrets of Great Botanists  by Matthew Biggs

Secrets of Great Botanists

Matthew Biggs

"Welcome to the lives of 35 botanists from our past and present, driven by an insatiable desire to learn and discover, whose study of plants revolutionised the scientific world and increased our understanding of the importance plants have on our survival....

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Becoming a botanist  by Carrick Chambers

Becoming a botanist

Carrick Chambers

"In Becoming a Botanist, Emeritus Professor Carrick Chambers AM tells his story of growing up during the depression in Auckland and the start of his interest in botany, horticulture and conservation. He followed his passion and travelled miles from home as a...

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All about darts  by Russ Bray

All about darts

Russ Bray

"Throughout his career as a referee Russ Bray scrupulously maintained professional neutrality, but now, for the first time, he can reveal his own assessment of the current contenders. Who's spraying and praying and who's hitting the target? And his guide to...

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A space in the heart  by Larry Carlat

A space in the heart

Larry Carlat

"A Space in the Heart: A Survival Guide for Grieving Parents expresses the anguish of the death of a child and offers hope for how to survive and thrive in its aftermath. Part memoir, part self-help, zero bullshit, and 100 percent from the heart, it confronts...

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The past is myself  by Christabel Bielenberg

The past is myself

Christabel Bielenberg

"On 29 September 1934, at the German Embassy office in London, Christabel Bielenberg officially became a German citizen. Having met her German husband Peter two years prior, Christabel decided to renounce her British citizenship, planning to start married life...

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Aldus Manutius  by Oren J. (Oren Jason) Margolis

Aldus Manutius

Oren J. (Oren Jason) Margolis

"Aldus Manutius is perhaps the greatest figure in the history of the printed book: in Venice, Europe's capital of printing, he invented the italic type and issued more first editions of the classics than anyone before or since, as well as Hypnerotomachia...

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A cheese-monger's Tour de France  by Ned (Writes about cheese) Palmer

A cheese-monger's Tour de France

Ned (Writes about cheese) Palmer

"A cheesemonger's guide to the world of French cheese, complete with tasting notes and serving suggestions. Charles de Gaulle famously said it was impossible to govern a country with 246 different cheeses. And perhaps he was right. Every French cheese carries...

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Submit  by author Sonnet

Submit

author Sonnet

"The shocking and illuminating memoir of an anonymous submissive immersed in the BDSM community, reckoning with the divide between our desires and the expectations and strictures that keep us from pursuing them. Sonnet is a writer. She is a professional with a...

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How was it for you?  by Eve Smith

How was it for you?

Eve Smith

"The author of How Was It for You? has worked across the sex industry for twenty years: in a brothel, as an escort, in a strip club, online and as a dominatrix. In this candid memoir she reveals all: the good stuff, the bad, and the downright ugly. We lie with...

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All that matters  by Chris Hoy

All that matters

Chris Hoy

"Sir Chris Hoy knows better than most how life can change in the blink of an eye. In elite sport, the margin between victory and defeat is miniscule, and the pressure is immense. Chris has built a glittering sporting career on understanding these moments: how...

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ButGod...  by Paul De Jong

ButGod...

Paul De Jong

""Our greatest challenge - even our worst prognosis - can end up becoming a life-giving platform for God to use." Paul de Jong. What do you do when you run into what others would see as a dead end? When you're told there is no hope? When everything feels...

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Beyond the call of duty  by Stephen L. Moore

Beyond the call of duty

Stephen L. Moore

"As a child, Robert Howard was taught by his Granny Callie to always face his threats head-on. Some thirty years later, he emerged from the Vietnam War as America's most decorated Green Beret. For the first time, Robert Howard's story is being told in full....

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I will scream to the world  by Jaha Dukureh

I will scream to the world

Jaha Dukureh

"This extraordinary memoir details the monumental journey of one young Gambian woman from survivor of FGM and forced child marriage, to global activist and political leader who became UN Women's first Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, one of Time Magazine's 100...

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Beyond the mountains  by Deja Vu Prem

Beyond the mountains

Deja Vu Prem

"The powerful story of how an immigrant from the Philippines overcame childhood trauma and an emotionally abusive marriage to find her voice and thrive. As a child in a small barrio in the Philippines, Deja Vu Prem faced neglect and physical abuse. At age...

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Something wicked  by Carol Ann Lee

Something wicked

Carol Ann Lee

"Before Salem, there was Pendle. The autumn must read: Something Wicked this way comes... Accused. Condemned. Redefined. On 20 August 1612, ten people from Pendle were executed before a vast crowd at Lancaster's Gallows Hill. The condemned and their associates...

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The lies of the artists  by Ingrid D. (Ingrid Drake) Rowland

The lies of the artists

Ingrid D. (Ingrid Drake) Rowland

"Luminous essays on artists of the Italian Renaissance by one of our most inspired writers on the history and making of art. In the three centuries from 1450 to 1750 painters, sculptors, and architects emerged from the medieval craft guilds of Italy to claim a...

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Our Nazi  by Michael Soffer

Our Nazi

Michael Soffer

"After World War II, a surprising number of Nazis made their way to the United States, where they sought to slip into obscurity. Many did not succeed. In 1982, the government sought to deport Reinhold Kulle, a custodian at a high school in Chicago's most...

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The Coen brothers  by Dan Jolin

The Coen brothers

Dan Jolin

"The complete guide to cult movie directors Ethan and Joel Coen. Gangster movie, Western, film noir, rom com, screwball, musical, even the Biblical epic... There are few genres left untouched and untwisted by sibling visionaries Joel and Ethan Coen. Since...

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Quentin Tarantino  by Dan Jolin

Quentin Tarantino

Dan Jolin

"A complete guide to cult movie director Quentin Tarantino. Quentin Tarantino is one of the most iconic and best loved movie directors of the last two decades. Whether he's shooting up the Deep South, slicing through the Japanese underworld, blasting...

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Scam goddess  by Laci Mosley

Scam goddess

Laci Mosley

"From an early age, comedian and actress Laci Mosley knew her path would be riddled with scams, cons, robberies, and frauds. Little ones. Ones that didn't hurt people or get her in trouble. But ones that would get her where she needed to be. "You see," she...

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What the bears know  by Steve Searles

What the bears know

Steve Searles

"In this wondrous and eye-opening exploration, Steve Searles, the renown and respected "Bear Whisperer" of Mammoth Lakes, takes the reader on a journey into the lives of these remarkable creatures and the world we share. In the late 1990s, the town of Mammoth...

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Ingenious  by Richard Munson

Ingenious

Richard Munson

"Benjamin Franklin was one of the preeminent scientists of his time. Driven by curiosity, he conducted cutting-edge research on electricity, heat, ocean currents, weather patterns, chemical bonds, and plants. But today, Franklin is remembered more for his...

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Raised by a serial killer  by April Balascio

Raised by a serial killer

April Balascio

""One evening in 2009, April Balascio was searching online, as she had been every night, for unsolved murders in the towns her family had lived growing up, when she stumbled across the latest investigations into the "Sweetheart Murders" cold case. All at once,...

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John Willie  by Jane (Archivist) Garrett

John Willie

Jane (Archivist) Garrett

"With his iconic art and the groundbreaking content of his Bizarre magazine, John Willie is perhaps the person most responsible for introducing fetish style to the mainstream. Illustrated with examples of John's work, this in-depth exploration shines the...

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Lives of Caravaggio  by Giulio Mancini

Lives of Caravaggio

Giulio Mancini

"In the course of a short and violent life, Michelangelo Merisl da Caravaggio (1571-1610) revolutionised painting, producing a style of shockingly immediate realism that swept through Europe. The impact of his art and personality continue to resonate to this...

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Hotel Lux  by Maurice J. Casey

Hotel Lux

Maurice J. Casey

"The extraordinary story of a group of forgotten radicals who found themselves drawn to communist Moscow's hotbed of international revolutionary activity: the Hotel Lux. Hotel Lux follows Irish radical May O'Callaghan and her friends, three revolutionary...

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Vanishing act  by Dan Hampton

Vanishing act

Dan Hampton

"From New York Times bestselling author Dan Hampton comes the gripping, untold story of a vital secret mission set during the darkest days of the Second World War. In the dark days after the devastating Pearl Harbor attacks during the spring of 1942, the...

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SAS  by Tony Rushmer

SAS

Tony Rushmer

"The biography of remarkable SAS Original Reg Seekings, from his humble beginnings in the Cambridgeshire Fens to his instrumental role in the success of the SAS during the Second World War. Starting at the very bottom of the ranks, Seekings was a farm...

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Japanese swords and armor  by Paul (Expert in Japanese swords) Martin

Japanese swords and armor

Paul (Expert in Japanese swords) Ma...

"Japanese Swords and Armor covers the entire development of the samurai class, from the 10th to the 19th centuries, and offers a compelling journey into the minds and aesthetic sensibilities of the legendary warriors through a wealth of iconography with art...

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So this happened to you too!  by Christine (Author of So this happened to you too!) Matthews

So this happened to you too!

Christine (Author of So this happened...

I dedicate my book to helping those of us who finally made the break from a life peppered with incidences of domestic violence. They removed themselves and maybe young children too and began the long and painful process of recovery. I haven't run away from...

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They don't need to understand  by Andy Black

They don't need to understand

Andy Black

"Before he was the charismatic singer of Black Veil Brides and an accomplished solo artist under the Andy Black moniker, he was Andrew Dennis Biersack, an imaginative and creative kid in Cincinnati, Ohio, struggling with anxiety, fear, loneliness, and the...

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I am an island  by Tamsin Calidas

I am an island

Tamsin Calidas

"When Tamsin Calidas first arrives on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides, it feels like coming home. Disenchanted by London, she and her husband left the city and high-flying careers to move the 500 miles north, despite having absolutely no experience of...

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A rebel in Gaza  by Asmaa Alghoul

A rebel in Gaza

Asmaa Alghoul

"Born in Rafah, raised in Gaza, subjected both to Israeli bombs and to Islamist tyranny, and in the face of prison, death threats, abuse, misogyny, violence, and repression, Asmaa Alghoul has continued to speak her truth. She has continued to live and to love,...

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You don't need a dick to DJ  by author Smokin Jo

You don't need a dick to DJ

author Smokin Jo

"Before she became Smokin Jo - the most famous and visible of the first generation of 'superstar DJs' - Joanne Joseph was a young girl growing up in a children's home with her sister. Until her mother returned and whisked the siblings away just before...

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Street-level superstar  by Will Hodgkinson

Street-level superstar

Will Hodgkinson

"A year in the life of Lawrence, Britain's most singular musical genius who never hit the big time. Lawrence is the greatest pop star who never made it, his dreams of glory thwarted over the past five decades by bad luck and self-sabotage. At sixty-one, he set...

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Artisans by design  by Judy Frater

Artisans by design

Judy Frater

"A firsthand account of the development of Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya - the first design school for traditional artisans in India - and its evolution to present-day Somaiya Kala Vidya, with personal stories of its students, their work and the school's effect on...

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The island  by Nicholas (Nicholas Richard) Jenkins

The island

Nicholas (Nicholas Richard) Jenkins

"The Island presents a new picture of Auden, the poet and the man, as he explored a genteel, lyrical form of nationalism during these years. His poems reflect on a world in ruins, while cultivating visions of England as a beautiful--if morally...

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Fine line tattoos  by Sven. author Rayen

Fine line tattoos

Sven. author Rayen

"As a comprehensive sequel to Micro Tattoos, this new book delves deeper into the ever-evolving realm of fine line tattooing, whether big or small. Fine line tattooing uses small needles (often a single needle) to create a thin, delicate, intricate tattoo...

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The unlikely war hero  by Marc Leepson

The unlikely war hero

Marc Leepson

"This is the incredible tale of the youngest and lowest-ranking American POW captured in North Vietnam. Doug Hegdahl convinced his captors he was stupid, then spent the next two years memorizing the names of 254 fellow prisoners and other details of POW life....

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