Defending Jacob

This book is going to be a cracker- I have had it on order for a few weeks and it has finally arrived. Check out this trailer and you will see what I mean. I think it looks like Grisham cross Picoult!!!!

Books for Ghana

So let me digress a little. Our school is running an inter house competition to donate books for three schools in Achiaman -Ghana. This area is a very poor area near the port town of Tema not far from the capital city of Accra. 4 Years ago I never knew the name of Ghana's capital city- but now I know its streets, its people and I know that many of the schools have no books for the kids to read. So we are doing something about that- we are setting up three libraries in three schools so the kids can have access to books- to knowledge, to language and that will lead to better education, higher dreams, better opportunities and a growing away from the poverty that entraps them. Is this airy fairy? No, not at all. Once the books arrive, over 13,000 of them, we will go- again- and set these libraries up, train the teachers how to use them, train librarians. This is grass roots New Zealander's making a difference for grassroots Ghanaians- no big NGO's, no glory- just us making a difference for them. But what I can tell you is in Ghana- there will be a song and a dance about it.

Cambridge High Students- get your old but good books into the library office now, kids books, story books, picture books- it really now is up to you!

We are Soldiers

By: Danny Danziger

Genre: War

Location: NF 920

This is the same guy that wrote SUB- but this one is to see if you have what it takes to be a soldier? Would you risk a hit from a snipers rifle to save your friend? Could you stand alone on the front line and engage the enemy with a rocket launcher? This book looks at the reality of being a soldier with todays technology and weaponry. Not to mention trying to negotiate with Afghan warlords, dealing with genocide in Rwanda or driving a tank over a desert for six days...

So before you sign up- you had better read this book.

Lone Wolf

By: Jodi Picoult
Location: FIC PIC
Genre: Family Drama

YES- ANOTHER Picoult book- but you love them so much- I just had to get this one in as well. This one is about terminating life, euthanasia, mercy killing- your Dad.
It is about family, love, hurt and somehow inter weaved- wolves, real ones- not Were ones!
I am sure Jodi Picoult picks a gritty topic- mulls on the theme and then devises a story - she always goes for the jugular of popular culture debate, hooking us into this family or circumstance that is battling with what we all think about. However she does it- it works and Im sure this book like her others will be forever on our overdue lists!

Top Gear Car Chase

Thanks to BBC and YouTube we can show you this fantastic little car chase that was on Top Gear a couple of weeks back...enjoy and then come and grab either Jeremy's, James or The Hamsters- Richard Hammond's- books out of the library.

Top Gear 100 Maddest Cars

By: Top Gear

Genre: Top Gear

Location: Probably always out on loan- but if you are lucky try NF 791.45 TOP

100% pure lunancy- that would be Jeremy Clarkson and maybe even this book. I am a fan of TopGear- come Sunday evening I am ready for a fix of cycnicism, brilliant film editing, some nice English countryside, some rev's and idiocy.

Top Gear's 100 Maddest Cars is a truly bonkers collection of the craziest cars we've ever encountered. From the amazing and ambitious to the downright rubbish, this book is packed with facts and stats on the strangest things on four (and sometimes more) wheels. Even the Stig looks normal in comparison...

Shatter Me

By: Tahereh Mafi

Location: FIC MAF

Genre: Fantasy

This review is from Amazon- it tells of how the protagonists touch- well - it is deathly....

"You can't touch me," I whisper.
I'm lying, is what I don't tell him.
He can touch me, is what I'll never tell him.
But things happen when people touch me.
Strange things.
Bad things.
No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans
for her. Plans to use her as a weapon.
But Juliette has plans of her own.
After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to
fight back for the very first time—and to find a future with the one boy she
thought she'd lost forever.

Far from home

By: Ma'ima B Robert
Location: FIC ROB

Genre: War and Cultural perspectives

Atmospheric, gripping and epic in scope, Far from Home brings the turbulent history of Zimbabwe to vivid, tangible life, challenging the reader to see it with new eyes.

I love Africa- I have now been to four countries, over a period of 7 years and visited over 12 times- I never tire of stories that come from this continent, because I can see it, smell it, taste it, hear it. But the thing that gets me the most is dealing with the human stories of disparity, hunger, hurt, laughter, human rights violations and racism.

Zimbabwe is no stranger to all of these things, it is a nation divided and hurt- this story brings it all to very real life.

Behind the beautiful forevers

So I found this YouTube to go with my review below... India is stunning and I so want to go back and be someone who makes a difference. If you want to see what I do go to www.rata.org.nz.
Until then.. watch this and then come and chat to me in the library office about India, about this book, about why we all need to be intentionally proactive- while we sup our flatwhites.

Behind the beautiful forever's

By: Katherine Boo

Genre: Non Fiction Biography

Location 920 BOO

I have been to India twice and I get to go again in July. Sure it is becoming industrialised, it has the biggest English speaking population in the world, it is becoming IT savvy- yet behind this charade of progress there are still many children who go hungry, dalits who cant get jobs, girls who are murdered. India has come a long way- but it has a long way to go. This book looks at the underbelly of Mumbai- the under city. As the people have hope, they soon discover that hope and prosperity are a long way apart. I love India, the colours, the food, the people and I get to glimpse the hope of progress, yet when I enter the slum- I also get to see the power of hoplessness- it consumes and destroys. I hope Katherine Boo's book shouts aloud that all that seems good may not be. As a reviewer said 'This book blew me away . . . One of the most powerful indictments of economic inequality I've ever read.' Barabara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed

before i fall

By: Lauren Oliver
Genre: Drama
Loation: FIC OLI

OK - I die and then for the next seven days I relive the same day and die again each day. So you get to relive the last day of your life seven times over... how would you do that, how would you perfect the last day of your life, then would you manipulate events so that you did not die.... This is Samantha Kingston's story in this book "before i fall".

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
A reviewer in the Goodreads Blog says this about this book.
"Wow. If I could sum up Before I Fall in just one word, that would be it. Like many books that have been published recently, Before I Fall has gotten quite a few raving reviews, and (naturally), I was afraid that the book wouldn't live up to my expectations. Fortunately, I was wrong, and it did."

The fault in our stars

By: John Green
Location: FIC GRE
Genre: Drama

OK I have researched this book extensively, the reviews are so varied, it is a very intense book. Why- because it is about two teenagers with cancer, who fall in love knowing that life is for living and loving because it can be short. Some say this book disrespects those who suffer from cancer, it does not reveal the real journey, others say it has help tell a story that they can't tell. What is in common is the way the story is told- it is beautiful, gentle, funny, tragic and heartbreaking.
Hazel and Augusta's story will make you feel- what it is you feel, Id actually be keen to know!

Henderson boys: The prisoner

By: Muchamore
Location: FIC MUC

Genre: WW II

I know that the Cherub series is the hottest read since our little wizard friend, but to me this series by Muchamore is more powerful than Cherub. Why.. because it tells us a true story in a contemporary way. We all need to know about WWII, we need to hear the stories, see the images, listen to the pain of all those who were made to be combat soldiers- because if we do not read, see, listen- we run the risk of minimising the horrid despair of war. To listen, and to make ourselves informed of the past horror, maybe will give us in this generation the courage- to ensure they are never repeated. So good on you Muchamore for going to an old story and recreating it for the students in my school to read. I dont want any current students of CHS to end up on any honour board in the hall- so read away !!!

Seizure

By: Kathy Reichs
Genre: Dystopia
Location: FIC REI

I have to review this today as I have students all lined up desperate to get their hands on this copy. It is the second novel in the Virals series, Anthony Horowitz reckons anyone who loves Alex Rider will love this series. The author herself is a top forensic expert- so this stuff is for real. So too the plot.. To me it looks like pirates and treasure mixed with crazy new technology, but The Book Depository says this is a heart-stopping forensic action with a lethal twist. The Virals' home on Loggerhead Island is under threat, and only one thing can save it: a lot of money. A 300-year-old legend Rumour has it that notorious pirate Anne Bonny hid her treasure somewhere in Charleston in 1720. No-one knows where, but Tory Brennan - great-niece of famous forensic anthropologist Dr Tempe Brennan - is certain that the Virals can work out Bonny's cryptic clues. A deadly path, it isn't long before the Virals are on the right track. But they aren't the only ones searching for the treasure. Someone is following them, and will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. Dead bodies litter the trail. Time is running out before the island will be sold. Will the Virals' special powers be enough to save them?

Crossed

By: Ally Condie
Genre: Dystopia
Location: Fic Con

This is the sequel to MATCHED and it looks just as good!!!!
Check this out..

Life: An exploded diagram

By: Mal Peet
Genre:Youth fiction- Drama
Location: FIC PEE

Patrick Ness says this books is " brilliant, witty, super-smart, heartbreakingly generous, it's so good you almost want to keep it a secret.." I started to read it at my desk and realised I had just spent 30 minutes lost in this book- it hooks you.... so I had to read the last page!!!

This is a brilliant coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the Cold War and events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
World War. Cold war. Twin towers. Two kids in love- first love, forbidden love.

Clem Ackroyd lives with his parents and grandmother in a claustrophobic home too
small to accommodate their larger-than-life characters in the bleak Norfolk
countryside. Clem's life changes irrevocably when he meets Frankie, the daughter
of a wealthy farmer, and experiences first love, in all its pain and glory. The
story is told in flashback by Clem when he is living and working in New York
City as a designer, and moves from the past of his parents and grandmother to
his own teenage years.

YES!!! Fairy Stories in Graphic Novel Format.

Location: Graphic Novels

Genre: Fairy Stories.

These are so cool- we have Snow White, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin all in graphic novel versions. They are colourful, scary, not for four year old kids, Shrek cross the "Mirror Mirror" movie in a book. These are the perfect graphic novels to peruse when you are in the library, but the coolest thing is the stuff at the back, the history of the story, the author and some Internet sites to go and play with. I think this has inspired me to do a big display in 2013 on "Funky Fairy Fantasies". Watch this space...

The Scorpio Races

By: Maggie Stiefvater
Location: FIC STI
Genre: Fantasy

By the writer of the "Shiver, Linger and Forever" books.

Stiefvater calls this a book "about killer horses"-terrifying faerie creatures that eat meat and seek to drown humans-and, in virtually the same breath, says that it "isn't really about water horses." Fishpond reviews the book...
Every November, the Scorpio Races are run beneath the chalk cliffs of Skarmouth. Thousands gather to watch the horses and the sea that washes the blood from the sand. The mounts are capaill uisce: savage water horses. There are no horses more beautiful, more fearless, more deadly. To race them can be suicide but the danger is irresistible. Sean Kendrick knows the dangers of the capaill uisce. With one foot in the ocean and one on land, he is the only man on the island capable of taming the beasts. He races to prove something both to himself and to the horses. Puck Connolly enters the races to save her family. But the horse she rides is an ordinary little mare, just as Puck is an ordinary girl. When Sean sees Puck on the beach he doesn't think she belongs. He doesn't realize his fate will become entwined in hers. They both enter the Races hoping to change their lives. But first they'll have to survive.

Henderson Boys

The Henderson Boys is Muchamores take on WWII and the latest version "The Prisioner" has just arrived in the Library. This YouTube will give you a taster of what Henderson Boys is all about...

We have all of them in the library- and in my view they are better then the Cherub Series, so why dont you read them - there are 5 of them- the first one is The Escape.

Act of treason

By:Jack Coughlin
Genre: War
Location: FIC COU

" Stunning action, excellent tradecraft... just about perfect" Lee Childs

Marine sniper Kyle Swanson and his beautiful girlfriend, CIA agent Lauren Carson, are on a mission in Pakistan when their world is turned inside out. Kyle is captured and thrown in prison. Lauren is accused of being a double agent. The one person they can trust to help is the man who sent them on the black operation Jim Hall, a legendary CIA agent, Kyle's sniper mentor, and Lauren's boss and former lover. But Hall has gone rogue. He is selling America's innermost secrets to a ruthless Pakistani warlord who wants to mould al- Qaeda into a legitimate political party, and secure a nuclear arsenal.Swanson must prevent a global disaster from the streets of Washington to the Bavarian Alps, the two snipers stalk each other in a deadly hunt that has only one possible outcome.

Techno Cozies

By: Sue Culligan

Genre: Handicraft

Location: 746.43 CUL

If you put a gun to my head and said "knit" I would be a dead librarian- in fact I hate craft. Cooking - big YES- especially if it is Indian, but knitting , crochet, sewing- would rather go to the dentist than do that stuff. But this book is so cute, and funky and one of you might be able to make me a crocheted holder with pretty flowers on for my smart phone, or make a nice felt pouch for my notebook, or knit a cute pocket for my iPhone.. Go On- please- and maybe I will bring you in a curry for lunch the next day if you do.

Walking the Amazon

By: Ed Stafford
Genre: Travel and Adventure
Location: 920

860 Days. The Impossible Task. The Incredible Journey.

Why- why would you spend two and a half years walking down the worlds most famous river, avoiding alligators, jaguars- and not the car ones, pit vipers and electrical eels? Why would you risk being murdered, drowned, injured, arrested?
The answer- to tell the story of the Amazon and to make the world aware of the impact of deforestation, of lost tribes and lost habitats. And also because- you can!

Iron Knight - IRON FEY series

We have the Iron King, and the Iron Queen and even the Iron Daughter- but next week we get in the next in the series... The Iron Knight!!!!!
It looks good... So if you want to read it- come and reserve it from us now so you are not disappointed OR if you have not read the first three- then get to it- so you are up to date when we get this one in.

Macbeth

By: William Shakespeare AND Classical Comics

Genre: Graphic Novel- Shakespeare

Location: GRA SHA

I loved Macbeth, once my ear was tuned to the language, I grew to love the story and the rhythm of the lyrics. But this version is all about Graphic Novelisation- it is a quick text version, with graphic comic illustrations and if I was wanting to get an overview and precise of Macbeth- this would be a perfect place to start.The witches though are down right scary!!!

BZRK

By: Michael Grant

Genre: Technology/war

Location: FRI GRA

Cool cover, creepy warning. " WARNING- Contains scenes of cruelty and violence". maybe this is not good for my nieces bedtime reading, but maybe this story of global war. of a microscopic matrix and invisible armies is more your style. It starts with a opener from King Lear

" Oh that way madness lies; let me shun that".

Just wonder how it ends....

Cold Hands, Warm Heart.

By: Jill Wolfson
Genre: Drama- medical- Teenage Fiction
Location FIC WOL

When I was 14 a close friend of mine died in a horse riding accident- as you can imagine it was traumatic- but one thing came good of this terrible bad. I went back to my school a week later, and another friend told me her cousin had just received a kidney from a 14 year old who had been killed in a horse riding accident. It was in a maths class- and I bolted for the door and hid for the rest of the morning. This girl could live- because my friend Sonia Early had died. This story is like a rewrite of my own- except it involves a heart transplant and a gymnast- which Sonia also was. Don't think I will read this book- to close, but if you do, please come and tell me- that it has a happy ending!

Game of Thrones Trailer

Ok - I will put the trailer up for the second series on TV- but if you watch this- then you have to promise to come into the library and GET THE BOOK OUT!!!

A Game of Thrones

By: George R.R. Martin

Genre: Gaming turned into book! Fantasy

Location: Not on a TV but found in FIC MAR

YOU'VE SEEN IT--NOW READ IT! This book is a master piece, and was nominated for the Nebula award - come on people- turn the TV off and read the book. It is mythical, historical, and intensely personal- the Sun Times from Chicago reckons so as well. Plots- counter plots, tragedy, betrayal, assassins, bastards, lords and ladies- it has it all!

Hidden

By: Cathy Glass

Genre: Misery memior

Location 920 GLA

A poignant and shocking memoir of a foster carer's relationship with a young boy whose good behaviour and polite manners hid a terrible past. Betrayed, exploited and forgotten- this book is about one boy who overcame the odds.

These books although they sicken me- they give hope as well. They show the power of foster parents, they show what love can heal and since my parents were foster parents, I can relate to the commitment it took- but the life it changed.

The Red Coffin

By: Sam Eastland

Genre: History/War

Location: FIC EAS

1939: Russia faces the threat of Nazi Germany. Stalin is developing his secret weapon the T-34- a thirty ton steel monster nicknamed the Red Coffin. But the architect of the tank is found murdered- and then there is also the "enemy within". The Tsar supporters that want to see Stalin dethroned - they are called "The White Guild"- did they have anything to do with the T-34 espionage...

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I went to this movie last night- I confess I have not read the book and my daughter ( who is training to be an English teacher) made me promise I would- but the movie is enough to make me want to discover the missing details, the stories behind the story- I want to wallow in this a bit longer. What I do know and have learnt is the power of silence , of listening without needing to talk- to bring hope and courage- I wonder if the book portrays this as well as the movie. Only one way to find out I guess. Location FIC FOE

Ticket to love

By: Marilyn Kaye

Genre: Romance and Friendship with a dash of travel.

Location: FIC KAY

"Naughty, funny and honest. I loved it" Dawn Porter.

Four girlfriends escape England for a fun holiday in the Big Apple- Megan wants to shop and use her parents credit card to hit the high fashions, Erica wants to met her "online' boyfriend, Jen wants to stalk a few celebs and cultured Serena wants to check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Lincoln centre- but actually she is the one who finds a man!!

I reckon this has the making of a chic flick. You read it here first!

The Night Angel trilogy

By: Brent Weeks

Genre: Fantasy

Location: Wee

www.brentweeks.com

THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER..

Terry Brooks said " I was mesmerized from start to finish. Unforgettable characters , a plot that kept me guessing and non stop action"

Three books in the series

The Way of the Shadows - The perfect killer has no friends

Shadows Edge - The perfect killer has no conscience and

Beyond the Shadows - The perfect killer has no identity.

I know if my son was home from Uni- he would demand I bring these home so he could lie on the sofa and devour them.

Cinder

By: Marissa Meyer

Genre: Cyborg Fairytale

Location: FIC MEY

A forbidden romance

A deadly plague

Earth's fate hinges on one girl.

A dystopian Cinderella cyborg fairytale, with the must have "stepmother" and a few nasty "step sisters" set in China. Fascinating!

THIS IS NOT THE FAIRY TALE YOU REMEMBER.

BUT IT IS THE ONE YOU WONT FORGET.

The Hobbit

Ooohhhhh I cannot wait, but while I HAVE too , I am going to re-read The Hobbit. I read it first when my fiance 28 years ago said he would not marry me until I read The Hobbit- so I did, and loved it. Bring on the movie...

Jordan Stryker: Cyber Terror

By: Malcolm Rose

Genre: Cyber Terrorism

Location: FIC ROS

I have purchased these two books on a students recommendation, it is the best way to get books as you know what you like to read far better than I do. This series looks great and it will compliment Muchamore and Alex Rider well.

Alan Smith no longer exists - he was severely injured in a huge bomb explosion which wreaked havoc in the South of England. But, just like The Six Million Dollar Man (or Astroboy for those too young to recall Steve Austin) "we can rebuild him".

A top secret agency, Unit Red, even more secret than MI5, has the technology to repair and replace Alan's injured limbs and he is reborn as Jordan Stryker, a cybernetically enhanced teenager complete with bionic arm, supersonic hearing, enhanced vision and the ability to remotely access computers - This is James Bond Cyber style!

Jodi Picoult

So how come I never have any Jodi Picoult books in the library- they are always out! So I have decided to do something about it and purchased six more of her titles! This should keep you all in Jodi books for the year I hope. We now have "Picture Perfect" ' House Rules", " Plain Truth", 'Songs of the Humpback Whale" and of course another copy of "My Sister's Keeper".

Movies that really are books..

There have been lots of amazing movies on at the moment that really are books. AND we have them.
Tin Tin, Hugo, War Horse, Red Dog, The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,The Vow, We Bought a Zoo... if you loved the movie come and get the books out! And if you are into gaming- then try the book "Assassins Creed"

Destiny's Path- series

By: Allan Frewin Jones
Genre: Historical Romance with a twist of ancient magic.
Location: FIC JON

As enemy Saxons swarm her homeland, Branwen is declared the only saviour. But Branwen doubts destiny's path: could she really be the chosen one?

ONE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE.

ONE HEROIC JOURNEY.

ONE PATH TOWARDS DESTINY.

And we have the first two books in the series awaiting your discovery!

Clockwork Prince

Mortal Instruments- City of Bones, City of Glass, so popular in the library last year. Then came the new series Clockwork Angel and now we have in the library the sequel- Clockwork Prince.
Check out this book trailer- it looks awesome!!

Muse

By: Rebecca Lim
Genre: Angel Fiction
Location: Fic Lim

Angels, super models, fame, love. mysterious pasts and a grand scale war for the battle of Mercy's soul.
The Age calls this book "A sinister and rather fabulous world"
If you have read Mercy and Exile, then this is the next in the series, as for me, I will keep believing in Angels doing their bidding for me- good vs evil, yep it is a sure thing. The author starts this book with a poem from William Blake (1794)
When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did He smile His work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
I wonder why he started with this? I think I need to read it to find out somehow!!

Species on the edge of survival

By: Redlist

Genre- Non Fiction - Animals

Location: NF 578.68 SPE

I love animals, they are amazing. I mean - trunks- aren't they the weirdest things to grovel in mid air you have ever seen. Then there is the good old Mantis- I hate this wee creature cause one of them sucked our kids pet frogs to death, which I suppose is better than eating their partner which they do anyway. Have you ever seen a Hispaniolan Solenodon? What weird little creatures they are. Then you have the majesty of the Blue Whale and the grace of the meandering Giraffe. Most of these animals or a species of them is struggling to survive, and this book is dedicated to tell you all them- has great photo's and good information.

Erobos

By: Ursula Poznanski
Genre: Thriller- On-line Gaming Drama
Location: FIC POZ

"An International best selling thriller'
Are you playing the game - or is the game playing you? A highly addictive thriller about power, manipulation and revenge.

'Enter. Or turn back. This is Erebos.'
Nick is given a sinister but brilliant computer game called Erebos. The game is highly addictive but asks its players to carry out actions in the real world in order to keep playing online, actions which become more and more terrifyingly manipulative. As Nick loses friends and all sense of right and wrong in the real world, he gains power and advances further towards his online goal - to become one of the Inner Circle of Erebos. But what is virtual and what is reality? How far will Nick go to achieve his goal? And what does Erebos really want? Enter Erebos at your own risk. Exciting, suspenseful and totally unputdownable.