Auckland Council Libraries: Biographies and memoirs new titles

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Biographies and memoirs

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Fine woodturning  by Gael Montgomerie

Fine woodturning

Gael Montgomerie

"The catalogue of a creative life. I was quite young when in answer to my mothers query as to my ambition I announced I was going to be a writer. I clearly already knew I wouldnt fit the usual boxes expected of a female of my time. I imagined Id be a...

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Venus has no arms, God has no clothes  by Jenny Hunt

Venus has no arms, God has no clothes

Jenny Hunt

"Jenny Hunt grew up in Hawera, Taranaki, in the 1940s and '50s, with four siblings and parents from widely different social milieus. Her mother's family moved in the upper echelons of Auckland society until they lost their fortune in the Great Depression,...

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That farmer from Motatau  by Clendon Prime

That farmer from Motatau

Clendon Prime

'Kevin is a commissioner with the Environment Court, as well as being a beef farmer, forester, beekeeper and conservationist. Prior to his appointment to the Environment Court, Kevin worked with a variety of organisations in the profit and non-profit sector in...

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That farmer from Motatau  by Clendon Prime

That farmer from Motatau

Clendon Prime

'Kevin is a commissioner with the Environment Court, as well as being a beef farmer, forester, beekeeper and conservationist. Prior to his appointment to the Environment Court, Kevin worked with a variety of organisations in the profit and non-profit sector in...

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Love to the rescue  by Marina Kurban

Love to the rescue

Marina Kurban

"I was only seven years old when the Soviet Union collapsed, bringing severe economic hardship to my nation of Tajikistan. My mom was already working two jobs, but now even that wasn't enough. With nowhere to turn, my mom faced an impossible choice: sell her...

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Aweigh of life  by Patricia Morgan

Aweigh of life

Patricia Morgan

"Aweigh of Life is a sweeping memoir of the author's unique experiences of sailing and living in the South Pacific in the 1970s. From Hawai'i to the Marquesas to Fiji to New Zealand to Papua New Guinea and the rich tapestry of places in between, these sailing...

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I got you babe  by Annie Zaleski

I got you babe

Annie Zaleski

"In the sixty years since her first #1 hit, she's starred in three variety shows ; conquered Broadway ; won an Oscar, Grammy, and countless other awards ; fine-tuned her over-the-top tours in Vegas ; and even launched her own gelato company. In between, she's...

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The Mesopotamian riddle  by Joshua Hammer

The Mesopotamian riddle

Joshua Hammer

"It was one of history's great vanishing acts. As early as 3500 BCE, scribes in the mud-walled city-state of Sumer used a reed stylus to press tiny wedge-shaped symbols into clay. For three thousand years, the script chronicled the military conquests,...

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Dirty kitchen  by Jill Damatac

Dirty kitchen

Jill Damatac

"In the style of crying in H Mart and minor feelings, Jill Damatac blends memoir, food writing, and colonial history as she cooks her way through recipes from her native-born Philippines and shares stories of her undocumented family in America. Jill Damatac...

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Lady Pamela Berry  by Harriet Cullen

Lady Pamela Berry

Harriet Cullen

"This is a biography lightened with the intimate tone of a social memoir, about a woman who was both a bystander and protagonist through some fifty years of twentieth-century British history. Pamela Berry was the daughter of the famous and brilliant self-made...

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Lee Gordon presents...  by Jeff Apter

Lee Gordon presents...

Jeff Apter

"Post-war Australia didn't know what to make of promoter Lee Gordon. To some he was a typical Yank: crass, loud and outspoken, focused on just one thing - making money. But to others, such as rocker Johnny O'Keefe, Lee Gordon was a mentor, a guru and a...

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Love and fury  by Darryl W. Bullock

Love and fury

Darryl W. Bullock

"A major new biography of Joe Meek, the legendary maverick engineer, songwriter, artist manager and record producer. Meek pioneered independent production, established one of the earliest independent labels - the first to aim its output entirely at teenagers -...

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Accessory  by Felicia Djamirze

Accessory

Felicia Djamirze

"Behind every criminal man is a young, glamorous woman profiting from his crimes. Or, at least, so the media suggests. Felicia Djamirze is a counsellor, an advocate for women's justice, a three-time Miss Australia winner and a convicted drug dealer. Growing up...

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Boogie wonderland  by Kate Halfpenny

Boogie wonderland

Kate Halfpenny

"When COVID lockdowns hit Melbourne, metropolitan midlife couple Kate and Chris decide to make a sea change. They move to a small coastal town to ease financial pressures and live out the beach lifestyle many of us dream of. But they haven't given much thought...

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Every body surf  by Carolina Amell

Every body surf

Carolina Amell

"Beauty standards play a significant role in most aspects of society - and the world of surfing is no exception. Every Body Surf pays tribute to women in the surfing community who are breaking down those barriers and living their best lives on and off the...

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Breasts  by Jean Hannah Edelstein

Breasts

Jean Hannah Edelstein

"In this short, striking memoir, Jean Hannah Edelstein charts the course of her unexpectedly brief relationship with breasts. As she comes of age, she learns that breasts are a source of both shame and power. In early motherhood, she sees her breasts transform...

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I am a part of infinity  by Kieran C. R. Fox

I am a part of infinity

Kieran C. R. Fox

"Nearly everyone is familiar with Einstein's scientific accomplishments-but few know the truth of how spiritual philosophies shaped his life and work. Scientists and biographers have treated Einstein's views on the eternal as vague and metaphorical. For...

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What's the story  by Malcolm Croft

What's the story

Malcolm Croft

"Emerging from the gritty streets of Manchester, Oasis ignited the Britpop movement and defined a generation with their raw energy and insightful lyrics. From their explosive debut album Definitely Maybe to the iconic (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, the...

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Inventing the Renaissance  by Ada Palmer

Inventing the Renaissance

Ada Palmer

"Spanning the end of the Middle Ages to the beginning of modernity, the Renaissance is so celebrated as a rebirth of knowledge, arts and culture that today's politicians and propagandists often invoke it as a golden age. In Inventing the Renaissance, acclaimed...

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The Italian way

The Italian way

"There are endless reasons to love Italy. This beautiful country has us hooked on morning espressos and afternoon spritzes, bowls of pasta and slices - oh, so many slices - of pizza. It has us wearing chic street style, admiring great art, driving gleaming...

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Leading under pressure  by Ian Foster

Leading under pressure

Ian Foster

The inside story of Ian Foster's four seasons as All Blacks coach. Ian Foster was the All Blacks coach the nation seemingly never wanted. Appointed in 2019, Foster led the All Blacks through one of the most tumultuous periods of the team's 120-year history....

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The many lives of Anne Frank  by Ruth Franklin

The many lives of Anne Frank

Ruth Franklin

"In this innovative biography, Ruth Franklin explores the transformation of Anne Frank (1929–1945) from ordinary teenager to icon, shedding new light on the young woman whose diary of her years in hiding, now translated into more than seventy languages, is the...

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Uneven  by Sam Mills

Uneven

Sam Mills

"Uneven tells the stories of nine pioneering bisexual artists, writers and musicians that will change our understanding of the world's largest sexual minority. Bisexuality is often seen as something temporary, in spite of increasing openness around it: a sign...

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Little book of Miu Miu  by Kristen Bateman

Little book of Miu Miu

Kristen Bateman

"Quirky, daring and unconventionally chic, Miu Miu is the fashion house for those that dare to be different. The cult little sister brand of Prada, the maison was launched as an 'anti-fashion' brand in 1993 and its pieces have been worn by celebrities...

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The unthinkable  by David Challen

The unthinkable

David Challen

"David Challen grew up in the perfect home with the model family. He also grew up inside a house which concealed his father's manipulation and control. One Saturday in 2010, David's mother struck more than twenty blows to the back of her husband's head with a...

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Tears of strangers  by Stan Grant

Tears of strangers

Stan Grant

"A family memoir charting the political and social changes of Aborigines over the past 40 years. Stan Grant was born in 1963 into the Wiradjuri people - a tribe of warriors who occupied the vast territory of central and southwestern New South Wales. For 100...

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Yet here I am  by Jonathan Capehart

Yet here I am

Jonathan Capehart

"MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart is one of the most recognizable faces in cable news. But long before that success, Capehart spent his boyhood growing up without his father, shuttling back and forth between New Jersey and rural Severn, North Carolina,...

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We tell ourselves stories  by Alissa Wilkinson

We tell ourselves stories

Alissa Wilkinson

"In this cultural biography, New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson examines Joan Didion's influence through the lens of American mythmaking. As a young girl, Didion was infatuated with John Wayne and his on-screen bravado, and was fascinated by her...

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Waiting to be heard  by Amanda Knox

Waiting to be heard

Amanda Knox

"In March 2015, the Supreme Court of Italy exonerated Amanda Knox, author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Waiting To Be Heard. In an afterward to this newly issued paperback edition, Amanda updates readers on her life since 2011, introduces the...

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Class clown  by Dave Barry

Class clown

Dave Barry

"Class Clown is Dave Barry's hilarious memoir tracing his journey from mischievous minister's son to Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist. With wit and warmth, Barry recounts his rock-filled childhood, quirky journalism career, and offbeat adventures in writing,...

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Code name: Pale Horse  by Scott (FBI agent) Payne

Code name: Pale Horse

Scott (FBI agent) Payne

"For readers of The MAGA Diaries and Hate in the Homeland, an eye-opening and crucial true story of one man risking his life to infiltrate the most dangerous neo-Nazi group in the United States. When Scott Payne was growing up, he never envisioned a future...

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The girl from Montego Bay  by Rose Hudson-Wilkin

The girl from Montego Bay

Rose Hudson-Wilkin

"The Girl from Montego Bay is the autobiography of trailblazer Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Britain's first black woman bishop, who has been right at the heart of a changing nation for over forty years. As a student, Rose had a poster over her desk that read: 'Do not...

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The rest is history returns  by Tom Holland

The rest is history returns

Tom Holland

"From the podcast legends who brought you The Rest is History comes The Rest is History Returns! This time Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook bring you an alphabetical miscellany, taking on some of history's best and most bizarre moments. Charge forth against...

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The truth will set you free  by Tim Pocock

The truth will set you free

Tim Pocock

"When you are raised to believe that the person you are is unacceptable, you hide. And you stay hidden. If you are X-Men and Dance Academy star Tim Pocock, you become an expert at hiding - until you can't anymore. Tim Pocock was a born performer. At ten, he...

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The dry season  by Melissa Febos

The dry season

Melissa Febos

"A wise and transformative look at relationships and self-knowledge In the wake of a disastrous two-year relationship, Melissa Febos decided to take a break--for three months she would abstain from dating, from relationships, even from casual sex. Her friends...

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The death of Stalin  by Sheila Fitzpatrick

The death of Stalin

Sheila Fitzpatrick

"When Joseph Stalin died in 1953, he had been the unchallenged leader of the Soviet Union for over twenty years, having presided over the ruthless modernisation of the early 1930s, the Great Purges later in the decade, the near-catastrophe and ultimate victory...

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Three crooked kings  by Matthew (Matthew Steven) Condon

Three crooked kings

Matthew (Matthew Steven) Condon

"'It was the genius of the system ... from day to day you didn't know who was on the take or not. You didn't know who you could trust.' Three Crooked Kings is the shocking true story of Queensland and how a society was shaped by almost half a century of...

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Heartbreaker  by Mike Campbell

Heartbreaker

Mike Campbell

"A fast-paced, tender-hearted rock 'n' roll memoir for the ages, Mike Campbell's Heartbreaker is part rags-to-riches story and part raucous, seat-of-the-pants adventure, recounting Campbell's life and times as lead guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers....

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The shapeless unease  by Samantha Harvey

The shapeless unease

Samantha Harvey

"This genre-defying debut memoir by Betty Trask Prize winner, Samantha Harvey, weaves a tapestry of confessional anguish, flash fiction, cathartic poetry, and feverish observations on politics and psychology in a transcendent search for reality and truth. In...

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Ferryman  by Katia Ariel

Ferryman

Katia Ariel

"Ferryman is a portrait of Ephraim Finch - deathworker, community builder and archivist. Based on Ephraim's journals and the testimonies of those in his care, this is a conversation - with grief, memory, lifecycles, faith and the sustaining force of ritual....

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Ninette's war  by John Jay

Ninette's war

John Jay

"Ninette Dreyfus was a cosseted scion of one of France's most prominent Jewish families - a cousin to Albert Einstein and family friend to Colette. But when the Second World War took hold and the Nazis occupied Paris, the fall from grace was dramatic....

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Stevie Smith  by Frances Spalding

Stevie Smith

Frances Spalding

"Spalding reveals and explores the intimate relationship between the course of Stevie Smith's life and the evolution of her art, into which she assimilated not simply the events and emotions of her private life, but the influences on her imagination of her...

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Mandela  by Makaziwe P. Mandela

Mandela

Makaziwe P. Mandela

"A tribute to her father, Makaziwe Mandela shares the most definitive portrait of Nelson Mandela to date, revealing the man behind the anti-apartheid movement that changed the world. One of Time magazine's Most Important People of the Twentieth Century, Nelson...

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Eliot after The waste land  by Robert Crawford

Eliot after The waste land

Robert Crawford

"After being kept from the public for more than fifty years, the letters between T.S. Eliot and his long-time love and muse Emily Hale were unsealed in 2020. Crawford uses them to tell the story of the mature Eliot during his years as a writer and...

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Brave hearted  by Katie Hickman

Brave hearted

Katie Hickman

"As the internationally bestselling historian Katie Hickman writes, 'Myth and misunderstanding spring from the American frontier as readily as rye grass from sod, and--like the wiry grass--seem as difficult to weed out and discard.' But the true-life story of...

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Beneath the sands of Egypt  by Donald P. Ryan

Beneath the sands of Egypt

Donald P. Ryan

"Recounts the author's adventures discovering the tomb of Egypt's famous female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, in the Valley of the Kings and discusses his experiences becoming an archaeologist and dealing with eccentric colleagues"--Publisher's description.

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The spy in the archive  by Gordon Corera

The spy in the archive

Gordon Corera

"How do you steal a library? Not just any library but the most secret, heavily guarded archive in the world. The answer is to be a librarian. To be so quiet, that no-one knows what you are up to as you toil undercover and deep amongst the files. The work goes...

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Ghost town living  by Brent Underwood

Ghost town living

Brent Underwood

"A radical vision for setting impossible goals and being brave enough to see them through-no matter the risk or the challenge-from the creator of hit YouTube channel Ghost Town Living"--

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Charles M. Schulz  by Benjamin L. Clark

Charles M. Schulz

Benjamin L. Clark

"Charles M. Schulz: The Life and Art of the Creator of Peanuts in 100 Objects explores the man behind one of America's most iconic comic strips and its beloved cast of characters--Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts Gang. Through 100 preserved...

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No way out of this  by Sue Fagalde Lick

No way out of this

Sue Fagalde Lick

"No Way Out of This is not the kind of Alzheimer's memoir where you read about a noble, self-sacrificing wife who gives up everything to take care of her husband. We see such spouses in books and movies -- but they're not telling the whole story. Nobody's that...

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My account  by Coleen McLoughlin

My account

Coleen McLoughlin

"Coleen Rooney has always been true to herself. In 'My Account', she tells us how her upbringing prepared her for a life in the full glare of public and media scrutiny"--Publisher's description.

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How to lose your mother  by Molly Jong-Fast

How to lose your mother

Molly Jong-Fast

"Molly Jong-Fast is the only child of Erica Jong, author of the feminist autobiographical novel Fear of Flying. A sensational exploration of female sexual desire, it catapulted Erica into the heady world of fame in the early 1970s. Molly grew up with her...

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Hell in boots  by Saraya-Jade Bevis

Hell in boots

Saraya-Jade Bevis

"An eye-opening memoir of family drama, stardom, despair, and resilience from the wildly popular wrestling superstar. Saraya-Jade Bevis, formerly WWE's Paige, is one of the biggest names in the wrestling world. She is the youngest two-time WWE Divas Champion...

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Live forever  by John Robb

Live forever

John Robb

"The finest book on Britain's most celebrated rock 'n' roll band - and why they were destined to reform. 'It felt like the London music business had set the stage for Blur to be the centre of Britpop, and then we turned up and they never forgave us.' Think...

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Operation Pimento  by Adam Hart

Operation Pimento

Adam Hart

"On 14 August 1943, Adam Hart's great-grandfather Frank Griffiths took off from RAF Tempsford, the SOE 'Special Duties' airbase in rural England. Frank and his crew were on a secret midnight mission codenamed Operation Pimento, but they were shot down near...

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Crumb  by Dan Nadel

Crumb

Dan Nadel

"A critical darling, Crumb is the first biography of Robert Crumb - one of the most profound and influential artists of the 20th century - whose frank, and meticulously rendered cartoons and comics inspired generations of readers and cartoonists, from Art...

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Sylvia Plath  by Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath

"Throughout her life, Plath cited art as her deepest source of inspiration, yet her own drawings are little known. This collection brings together drawings from 1955 to 1957, and sheds light on these key years in Plath's life"--Publisher's description.

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Magic realms  by Ian Livingstone

Magic realms

Ian Livingstone

"Magic Realms celebrates the incredible art of the brilliant and highly respected fantasy and science fiction artists who, over the years, worked with the Fighting Fantasy authors to bring their interactive adventures to vivid life. Each artist is profiled...

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Girl, interrupted  by Susanna Kaysen

Girl, interrupted

Susanna Kaysen

"In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital to be treated for depression. She spent most of the next two years on the ward for teenage girls in a...

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Columbine  by Dave Cullen

Columbine

Dave Cullen

"What really happened on April 20, 1999? The horror of the Columbine school shooting left an indelible stamp on the American psyche. In remembrance of the 25th anniversary comes a new edition of this journalistic masterpiece: the definitive account of the...

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Well, Holy God  by Patsy McGarry

Well, Holy God

Patsy McGarry

"As the Religious Affairs Correspondent of The Irish Times from 1997, Patsy McGarry reported on some of the most troubling scandals to have rocked both Catholic and Protestant Churches in the last few decades. In Well, Holy God, he looks back not only on his...

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Mountains of the pharaohs  by Zahi A. Hawass

Mountains of the pharaohs

Zahi A. Hawass

"Nearly five thousand years ago, the fourth dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom reigned over a highly advanced civilization. Believed to be gods, the royal family lived amid colossal palaces and temples built to honor them and their deified ancestors. In Mountains...

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Original sin  by Jake Tapper

Original sin

Jake Tapper

"An unflinching and explosive reckoning with one of the most fateful decisions in American political history: Joe Biden's run for reelection despite evidence of his serious decline -- amid desperate efforts to hide the extent of that deterioration. In Greek...

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The man who mapped consciousness  by Susan Hawkins

The man who mapped consciousness

Susan Hawkins

"From his discoveries as a science-based psychiatrist to the confirmed reality of his own unique spiritual experiences, Dr. David R. Hawkins has gifted us with a treasure trove of insights into the human psyche and consciousness itself that are as mind-blowing...

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Cult bride  by Liz Cameron

Cult bride

Liz Cameron

"How are people like you and me brainwashed into cults? In her gap year after high school, Liz is approached at a shopping centre by a woman who asks her survey questions about her Christian faith. Liz is slowly brought into her small, friendly church...

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Ian Baker-Finch  by Geoff Saunders

Ian Baker-Finch

Geoff Saunders

"When Australian golfer Ian Baker-Finch won the British Open in 1991, he became a household name. Yet his world collapsed after a dramatic and inexplicable loss of form just a few short years later. For more than 30 years the golfing world has wondered, 'What...

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Blythe spirit  by Ian (Art critic) Collins

Blythe spirit

Ian (Art critic) Collins

"'As a boy I dreamed of scholars and saints wandering around markets and cornfields, and of artists and poets sitting under the trees.' Ronald Blythe (1922-2023), author of the inimitable Akenfield, was a prolific and poetic chronicler of rural and spiritual...

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Four mothers  by Abigail (Journalist) Leonard

Four mothers

Abigail (Journalist) Leonard

"Tsukasa in Japan grapples with memories of a difficult childhood as she tries to chart a new, healthier path for her own daughter while balancing onerous cultural expectations. Chelsea in Kenya endures a devastating loss just before she gives birth and finds...

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The women writers' revolution  by Stephen Wade

The women writers' revolution

Stephen Wade

"In The Women Writers' Revolution, embark on a captivating journey through the dynamic social fabric of Britain from the aftermath of the First World War through to the burgeoning regional writing movement of the 1950s. This illuminating account not only...

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Unbroken  by Katarina Johnson-Thompson

Unbroken

Katarina Johnson-Thompson

"This tale is more than just a journey through the exhilarating highs and heartbreaking lows of professional athletics; it's a testament to the unyielding spirit of a true champion. Katarina Johnson-Thompson has never had it easy. Born a child of two worlds -...

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The illustrated letters of Oscar Wilde  by Juliet Gardiner

The illustrated letters of Oscar Wilde

Juliet Gardiner

"This book details Wilde's ruin after his infamous trial for indecency and its outcome. The profundity of his writing from prison and exile form and epitaph, not only to his own life, but also for the era that carelessly delighted in it"--Publisher's...

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Twilight of the shadow government  by Kevin Shipp

Twilight of the shadow government

Kevin Shipp

"In this groundbreaking book, Kevin Shipp, a veteran CIA agent who worked with all four Directorates of the agency, including protecting the head of the CIA, provides his perspective on how the agency has strayed so far from its original mission to provide...

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In order to live  by Yeonmi Park

In order to live

Yeonmi Park

"'I am most grateful for two things: that I was born in North Korea, and that I escaped from North Korea.' Yeonmi Park was not dreaming of freedom when she escaped from North Korea. She didn't even know what it meant to be free. All she knew was that she was...

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The hollow half  by Sarah Aziza

The hollow half

Sarah Aziza

""You were dead, Sarah, you were dead." In October 2019, Sarah Aziza, daughter and granddaughter of Gazan refugees, is narrowly saved after being hospitalized for an eating disorder. The doctors revive her body, but it is no simple thing to return to the land...

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Baddest man  by Mark Kriegel

Baddest man

Mark Kriegel

"From the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author whose coverage of Mike Tyson and his inner circle dates back to the 1980s, a magnificent noir epic about fame, race, greed, criminality, trauma, and the creation of the most feared and mesmerizing fighter...

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My heroes  by Ranulph Fiennes

My heroes

Ranulph Fiennes

" Wherever in the world Ranulph gives one of his lectures or motivational speeches, someone always asks: 'Who inspired you to do all the crazy things you've done?' For the first time he explores this idea by revealing his own personal heroes and what lessons...

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Taylor made  by Alison (Royal historian) James

Taylor made

Alison (Royal historian) James

"This is Taylor Swift, as a bona-fide fashion goddess. Dive into 'Taylor Made: The Iconic Looks of Taylor Swift' and discover, through an array of stunning images, the depths of her style evolution and fashion journey. From the country-girl gingham and cowboy...

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Cheng Lei  by Cheng Lei

Cheng Lei

Cheng Lei

"In August 2020, Cheng Lei was the precise and polished anchor of China's government-run, English-language Global Business TV show, familiar to millions of viewers. A veteran business journalist, the Chinese-born Australian mother of two young children was at...

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Vanessa Bell  by Wendy Hitchmough

Vanessa Bell

Wendy Hitchmough

"At the heart of the influential Bloomsbury Group, Vanessa Bell, was one of the most radical artists working in Britain in the first decades of the 20th century. For the first time, this book locates her, centre frame, focusing on her importance as a painter,...

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Lula  by Fernando Morais

Lula

Fernando Morais

"One of seven children raised in abject poverty by a single parent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva acquired his politics on the hard road of personal suffering, inspired by the selfless example of his mother. He started work at the age of eight and didn’t learn to...

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Jane Austen's bookshelf  by Rebecca Romney

Jane Austen's bookshelf

Rebecca Romney

"Long before she was a rare book dealer, Rebecca Romney was a devoted reader of Jane Austen. She loved that Austen's books took the lives of women seriously, explored relationships with wit and confidence, and always, allowed for the possibility of a happy...

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Big mouth  by Vogue Williams

Big mouth

Vogue Williams

"Everything good, bad and downright mad that has shaped Vogue's life and career is laid bare in Big Mouth. So get ready for sharply observed, hilarious and very personal insights into divorce, anxiety, family life, and showbiz, alongside important life...

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Docile  by Hyeseung Song

Docile

Hyeseung Song

"A daughter of Korean immigrants, Hyeseung Song spends her earliest years in the cane fields of Texas where her loyalties are divided between a restless father in search of Big Money, and a beautiful yet domineering mother whose resentments about her own life...

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The Koran and the flesh  by Ludovic Lofti Mohamed Zahed

The Koran and the flesh

Ludovic Lofti Mohamed Zahed

"Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed is an Imam and Koranic scholar. He is also gay. In this memoir, he explains the journey he has taken to be both the founder of a mosque in Paris and to be openly gay, after a troubled childhood in Algeria in poverty and living with an...

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Inside the wire  by Rhonda Hāpi-Smith

Inside the wire

Rhonda Hāpi-Smith

"Rhonda Hāpi-Smith has walked among some of New Zealand's most dangerous criminals. As a female prison officer and member of the Riot Squad, she met and worked with thieves, addicts, gangsters, murderers and sex offenders for nearly twenty years in men's...

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A woman of no importance  by Sonia Purnell

A woman of no importance

Sonia Purnell

"Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold. Just as she did in Clementine, Sonia Purnell uncovers the captivating story of a powerful, influential, yet shockingly overlooked heroine of the Second World War....

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The world of Nancy Kwan  by Nancy Kwan

The world of Nancy Kwan

Nancy Kwan

"A Hollywood icon and Asian superstar shares the inspiring story of her groundbreaking career. When Nancy Kwan burst onto the scene in the early 1960s, Asian characters in film were portrayed by white actors in makeup playing "yellowface," and those minor...

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When the light finds us  by Judy A. Henderson

When the light finds us

Judy A. Henderson

"When the Light Finds Us is a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the power of a mother's love. Judy Henderson was a single mother with a successful small business of her own when she was arrested then convicted of a crime she did not commit....

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The motherload  by Sarah (Art historian) Hoover

The motherload

Sarah (Art historian) Hoover

"The Motherload, offers a candid and sobering exploration of the journey women undergo as expectant mothers and wives. Hoover, who grew up imagining a life for herself, experienced a series of challenges when she became pregnant. She felt like an imposter,...

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Things in nature merely grow  by Yiyun Li

Things in nature merely grow

Yiyun Li

""There is no good way to say this," Yiyun Li writes at the beginning of this book. "There is no good way to state these facts, which must be acknowledged. My husband and I had two children and lost them Vincent in 2017, at sixteen, James in 2024, at nineteen....

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Maybe this will save me  by Tommy Dorfman

Maybe this will save me

Tommy Dorfman

"Maybe This Will Save Me is structured through the cards of that tarot pull. The youngest of five children, she grappled with her own identity from an early age and spent her teenage years numbed by drugs and alcohol. At the same time, she harbored dreams of...

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Capitalism and its critics  by John Cassidy

Capitalism and its critics

John Cassidy

"A sweeping, dramatic history of capitalism as seen through the eyes of its fiercest critics. At a time when artificial intelligence, climate change, inequality, trade wars, and a right-wing populist backlash to globalization are raising fundamental questions...

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Original sin  by Jake Tapper

Original sin

Jake Tapper

"An unflinching and explosive reckoning with one of the most fateful decisions in American political history: Joe Biden's run for reelection despite evidence of his serious decline -- amid desperate efforts to hide the extent of that deterioration. In Greek...

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Let's make things better  by Gidon Lev

Let's make things better

Gidon Lev

"Gidon Lev is eighty-eight years old. He's been a dance teacher and a farmer. He loves soccer, his kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, his beloved wife of forty years, Susan, who died at age sixty-nine, and his unexpected late-in-life partner, Julie, who he...

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Rig medic  by Mark. author. Garner

Rig medic

Mark. author. Garner

"Mark is a qualified Critical Care and Care Paramedic who for 30 years worked as a metropolitan, offshore and remote paramedic in both New Zealand and Australia. Follow the adventures of this seasoned Paramedic as he works aboard ships, rigs and remote...

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Images of Freyberg  by A. W. Beasley

Images of Freyberg

A. W. Beasley

A brief illustrated history of the life of General Freyberg.

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Hope  by Pope Francis

Hope

Pope Francis

"Hope is the first autobiography in history ever to be published by a Pope. Written over six years, this complete autobiography starts in the early years of the twentieth century, with Pope Francis's Italian roots and his ancestors' courageous migration to...

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Birdmen  by Lawrence Goldstone

Birdmen

Lawrence Goldstone

"The feud between this nation's great air pioneers, the Wright brothers and Glenn Curtiss, was a collision of unyielding and profoundly American personalities. On one side, a pair of tenacious siblings who together had solved the centuries-old riddle of...

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Where I was from  by Joan Didion

Where I was from

Joan Didion

"A memoir of land, family and perseverance from one of the most influential writers in America. In this moving and surprising book, Joan Didion reassesses parts of her life, her work, her history-- and America's. Where I Was From, in Didion's words,...

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I'm not your muse  by Lori Zimmer

I'm not your muse

Lori Zimmer

"An illuminating exploration of 31 incredible women-across art, architecture, dance, literature, and more-whose culture-defining contributions have, until now, been overshadowed by their role as "muses" to history's better-known men. What does it mean to be...

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Ask me how it works  by Deepa Paul

Ask me how it works

Deepa Paul

"A beautiful, vibrant and surprising memoir about love, desire and marriage . . . one question at a time. In the early hours of dawn in Amsterdam, Deepa Paul rises from her boyfriend's bed. She gets dressed, slips away with a kiss and cycles home, where she is...

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I don't do disability and other lies I've told myself  by Adelle Purdham

I don't do disability and other lies I've told myself

Adelle Purdham

"With the arrival of her daughter with Down syndrome, Adelle Purdham began unpacking a lifetime of her own ableism. In a society where people with disabilities remain largely invisible, what does it mean to parent such a child? And simultaneously, what does it...

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Zendaya is life  by Kathleen Perricone

Zendaya is life

Kathleen Perricone

"Zendaya Is Life is a beautifully illustrated, all-encompassing guide on all things Zendaya. Including a full timeline of acting projects, some tips on Zendayology, keepsake section, and more, this guide has everything a superfan could need. From her first...

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Surreal  by Michèle Gerber Klein

Surreal

Michèle Gerber Klein

"Using previously undiscovered material, Surreal tells the riveting story of Gala Dali (1894-1982) who broke away from the her cultured but penurious background in pre-Revolutionary Russia to live in Paris with both France's most famous poet, Paul Eluard, and...

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Calling my deadname home  by Avi Ben-Zeev

Calling my deadname home

Avi Ben-Zeev

"In this extraordinarily compelling trans memoir, Avi, a bearish trans man and Psychology Professor, navigates sex and dating in a phallic-centric universe of men who love men. But something is missing. To become the man he aspires to be, he needs to reconnect...

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Saints and liars  by Deborah Dwork

Saints and liars

Deborah Dwork

"Long before their country officially joined the war, American aid workers were active in rescue efforts across Europe. Two such Americans were Martha and Waitstill Sharp, who were originally sent to Prague as part of a relief effort but turned immediately to...

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Defectors from the Reich  by David Tremain

Defectors from the Reich

David Tremain

"Two German defectors who were to serve British Intelligence from 1942 to 1945 were, in many ways, two of a kind. One was a Nazi, having served in the Waffen-SS and given the code name COLUMBINE as a double agent under the Double-Cross System, while the other...

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