A secret affair by Mary Balogh

This a Huxtable Family novel in large print. Hannah Reid is the beautiful, and widowed, Duchess of Dunbarton. Constantine should have been an Earl. When these two passionate and scandalous figures find each other, the fires of desire rage.

100 years on - the loss of the Titanic

The Titanic was considered unsinkable due to her design. Unfortunately her maiden voyage was her last. She sunk to the bottom on the North Atlantic ocean on April 15, 1912. 1517 passengers and crew were killed.

Immortalized in film and print, the loss of the Titanic is arguably the best known shipping disaster in the world.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The library has many books on the Titanic. Click here to view the list.

Murder in vein by Sue Ann Jaffarian

A fang-in-cheek mystery in large print. Blood, vampires, street-smart 20-somethings – oh, and a little bit of murder.

Last known address by Elizabeth Wrenn

Ever fancied escaping your normal life? Then join three friends as they take the road trip of a lifetime and pick up a few strays along the way… Thelma & Louise for the young at heart, this feelgood captivating tale will delight fans of Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly and Marley & Me.

Sleepwalker by Karen Robards

Are you afraid of the dark? If you’re not now, you will be by the time Robards has finished with you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

A Christmas homecoming by Anne Perry

In a snowy Whitby in 1897 dangerous secrets are about to emerge from the dark… This novella is Perry at her best; perfect, mysterious escapism. Enjoy!

Do you remember Scott Watson?

In 1997 Ben Smart and Olivia Hope disppeared in the Marlborough Sounds; eventually Scott Watson was charged with their murder. While in jail he married Coral Branch - in Partners & crime by Rochelle Jackson, Coral tells her story, along with seven other women.
I found the story of her life with Watson, if it can be called a life, puzzling and confusing - but then, I think Coral does too. I hope Coral and her children get the peace and freedom they deserve.
This isn't a nie book as such, but it's a fascinating insight into the lives of eight women who have been brutally honest about life with a dangerous man, a truly bad 'bad boy'.

Then you came by Jennifer Weiner

With startling tenderness and laugh-out-loud humour, Weiner once again takes readers into the heart of women’s lives in an unforgettable, timely tale that interweaves themes of class and entitlement, surrogacy and donorship, the rights of the parents and the measure of motherhood.

eBook survey

The libraries are undertaking a survey on eBook services. If you would like to participate in this survey please click on the following link.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWD763Y

Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell

Uhtred, the great warrior, is ordered, much against his will, to talk peace with the Vikings. He is sent into a trap. The men who control the king do not trust Uhtred, the Danes want him dead, and his only ally is Aethelflaed, Alfred’s daughter, who has been condemned to a nunnery. Uhtred himself has been banished to an impoverished estate in Mercia, and must now watch as the churchmen around the king urge a policy of peace and conversion while the enemies of Wessex grow ever stronger on the Border.

The Danes talk peace, but they want war. Hey want Wessex, the richest Saxon kingdom. Alfred the Great, who has ruled for almost thirty years, is rumoured to be dying, and there are bad omens – ‘seven kings will die’ the sorceress had said to Uhtred, ‘and the women you love’.
When Alfred dies the rivals for his crown try to destroy each other, leaving Wessex open to the Viking onslaught. The survival of Alfred’s kingdom – and indeed of the English nation – is at stake.

In the clash of heroes, the kingdom is born. Death of Kings is an outstanding novel of how England was made and very nearly lost.

eBook romances

Do you enjoy romances on your eReader? We've just purchased more than 30 new titles - everything from modern & sexy, to historical or medical. And yes, there are some gorgeous new Highlanders to enjoy.

Abandoned women: Scottish convicts exiled beyond the seas by Lucy frost

In the early nineteenth century, crofters and villagers streamed into the burgeoning cities of Scotland, and families splintered. Orphan girls, single mothers and women on their own all struggled to feed and clothe themselves. For some, petty theft became a part of life. Any woman deemed 'habite & repute a thief' might find herself before the High Court of Justiciary, tried for yet another minor theft and sentenced to transportation 'beyond Seas'.Lucy Frost memorably paints the portrait of a boatload of women and their children who arrived in Hobart in 1838. Instead of serving time in prison, the women were sent to work as unpaid servants in the houses of settlers. Feisty Scottish convicts, unaccustomed to bowing and scraping, often irritated their middle-class employers, who charged them with insolence, or refusing to work, or getting drunk. A stint in the female factory became their punishment.Many women survived the convict system and shaped their own lives once they were free. They married, had children and found a place in the community. Others, though, continued to be plagued by errors and disasters until death.

This is a well researched and moving account of the lives of women at the bottom of society two hundred years ago. I’d no idea there had been such large scale human trafficking in the West, from the West. What an eye opener!

Alone by Pip Granger

In 1950s London, a brave little girl is busy being alive.

Set in the world when sheets and blankets were washed by hand, bananas were a luxury, and separation and divorce were shameful events.

The only daughter of alcoholic parents, Pip Granger spent much of her childhood on margins of society; on the outside of life , looking in.

Bullied at school, neglected by her parents, and cared for, at times by complete strangers, Pip realizes that there was only one way to turn her life around. One day she would cut loose from her family, and have the courage to build her own life – alone.

--Elsie

Heroes come in all shapes

My heroes: extraordinary courage, exceptional people by Ranulph Fiennes.

In My Heroes the ‘world’s greatest explorer’ (Guinness Book of Records), Ranulph Fiennes writes about the people who have inspired him – from explorers to policemen, families to freedom fighters.

This book describes the extraordinary and often horrific events that led to these ordinary individuals becoming Ranulph’s great heroes. From polar survivor to knifed-and-beaten policeman, from a woman missionary to a special forces soldier, these wonderful people will make you proud to be part of the human race.

New from bestselling author

Longing by Karen Kingsbury is the latest in the Bailey Flanigan series.

Book 3 in the series picks up where Learning ends. Join the Baxter family as they struggle with family life and their relationships with God

Thrilling and passionate WWI saga

The Lancashire Evening Post said “This is a delightful and heady mix of romance ingredients – spies, high-kicking dancers, forbidden love and friendship in the face of death. Who could ask for anything more?”

Daughters of War by Hilary Green is book one of the Leonora Trilogy.

Cooking on the coast

Kick back and enjoy great food and a laid-back coastal lifestyle with Fins chef Steven Snow.

Cooking on the Coast showcases Steven’s favourite recipes from stylish restaurant food to simple home-style dishes. Whether he’s relaxing with friends at Possum Creek on the North Coast of NSW, or having a casual beachside picnic, Steven draws on his extensive travels in Europe, Asia and Australia to create meals that are fresh, nutritious and inspired by the best local ingredients.

Along the way he shares his passion for local seafood and organic produce, offers insights into the challenges or funning an award-winning restaurant and celebrates the beauty of living, working and cooking on the coast.

Warm, woolly and funny

A life in stitches by Rachael Herron is a memoir about how passion for knitting has marked the milestones of a woman’s life.

From creating her very first sweater, an electric blue disaster that led to an unlikely bonding between father and daughter, to the yellow afghan that caused a breakup (and, ultimately, a breakthrough), and discovering that her love of knitting pales next to actual, true love, Rachael Herron’s ability to spin wonderful yarns full of love, loss and laughter is addictive.

Whether she’s huddled wither cat Digit after a shocking close encounter in a treehouse or reminiscing about her mother’s idyllic New Zealand childhood while keeping vigil at her bedside, Herron shows that when life unravels there’s always a way to knit it back together again, often into something even better.

How do you break the ice in the UAE?

Kiss, bow, or shake hands: sales and marketing by Terri Morrison and Wayne Conaway is an informative, entertaining guide that shows you what to do – and what to avoid – in any given sales or marketing situation, from Argentina to South Africa.

It provides the expert knowledge you need yo gather data in diverse cultures, properly present your products, and close deals around the world.

Fancy Italian tonight?

Two greedy Italians by Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo has great photography, easy and tasty recipes, and ingredients that are available in New Zealand. From garlic soup to sea bream and ricotta and lemon tart, there’s sure to be something in here you’d enjoy cooking tonight.