The absolutist

John Boyne

Two young English soldiers experience the horrors of life and death in the trenches of the Great War; and the reader knows early on that just one will survive. Not only do they have to deal with the terror of battle, they must wrestle with their consciences regarding their wartime actions, and deal with their confusing feelings about their own blossoming relationship. This is truly a harrowing read about the futility of war, the sad life of some homosexual men at that time in history, and the tragedy of the treatment of "feather men" who objected to fighting in the First World War, as well as the impact on their families. Written by the author of The boy in the striped pyjamas (but not suitable for younger readers), this painful novel is a great read, if difficult and very emotional.

(Reviewed by Angela.)

Come into the library and try an eReader!

Thinking of buying an eReader? Don’t know which one to buy? Come into the library and ask at the Help Desk to trial one of the eReader devices before you commit to buying one. We have a Kobo, a Sony eReader and a Kindle for you to try and if you need any help don’t be afraid to ask any of your friendly library staff for help.

Coming soon, we will be offering a free downloadable eBook and eAudio books for borrowing, via a service called OverDrive. eBooks borrowed via OverDrive are currently compatible with a wide range of dedicated eReaders and other devices, and can also be read or played through your computer.

Be aware that OverDrive is not currently compatible with all devices, so please bear this in mind if you are intending to purchase a device only to access free library eBooks.

Please visit the OverDrive website for a full list of all compatible and incompatible devices.

If you would like to know more about eReaders come into the library and ask one of our friendly librarians or visit some of the following links for more information.

• Sony website
• Kindle website
• Kobo website
  

Compare and read reviews of eReaders.

• Kindle ready.com camparison of eReaders
• eReader reviews.com
  
• my eReader reviews.com
  

Ereaders buying tips

• Laptopmag.com eReader buyers guide
• wired.com buying guide for eReader
  
• dearauthor.com know when to buy an eReader and when to wait

Put a hold on these new fiction books

Here is a list of our new fiction books that are available for you to reserve this week. If you would like to reserve any of these titles please contact the library or reserve on-line by clicking on the book’s title and select Place Hold underneath the book’s image.

There are also new non fiction titles availble to reserve, so come on in to view the selected titles this week.

New Fantasy Fiction

Melissa de la Cruz’s first adult novel “Witches of East End" Book Trailer

• Burn the night by Jocelynn Drake
• The particular sadness of lemon cake by Aimee Bender
• Red-headed stepchild by Jaye Wells
  

New General Fiction

• The breakers by Claudie Gallay
• The look of love by Judy Astley
• Marrying up by Wendy Holden
• North Star by Karly Lane
• The trouble with fire by Fiona Kidman
• Untold story by Monica Ali

New Historical Fiction

• The king’s witch by Cecelia Holland
• An unlikely suitor by Nancy Moser
• A young wife by Pam Lewis

New Romance Fiction

Hannah Howell’s third instalment of the Wherlocke series “If he's dangerous”

• Heartwishes : an Edilean novel by Jude Deveraux
• Mercy burns by Keri Arthur

New Suspense and Crime Fiction

Gerald Seymour's war thriller “A Deniable Death”

• Dominance by Will Lavender
• Flash and bones by Kathy Reichs
• Full Black by Brad Thor
• The hidden child by Camilla Lackberg
• The nightmare thief by Meg Gardiner
• Threat warning by John Gilstrap
• Trespasser by Paul Doiron
• You belong to me by Karen Rose

85 Magazine titles, and counting...

Magazines are a very popular part of our collection, but we do wonder how many of you know just how much we have on offer? A quick count of the Adult Services magazines alone showed at least 85 different magazines, and we have many more in the Teen, Childrens, Parents, and Information Services (research) collections .

If you are looking for inspiration around the home it can be difficult to keep up with the latest trends, and still have enough money left to spend on decorating supplies! We can offer you free access to magazines like Architectural digest, House and garden, Better homes and gardens, Ideal home and several others. Of course, if you really just want him out of the house for a while we can offer you The Shed, which might get him out of your hair and into his man cave. Better still, we have Motorhomes, which might see him out of your hair for weeks at a time! Imagine the interior decorating you could get done while he's gone?

If someone at your place has an interest in all things automotive we can support that passion, too. New Zealand classic car, Autocar, 4WD, Two wheels and Top gear are on the shelves, just waiting for a lift to your place. And while we're on the topic, have you seen the extent of our car manual collection in Information Services? There's a little piece of heaven for the mechanically minded amongst you.

For those interested in a different lifestyle, we have Lifestyle block, Lifestyle farmer, Country life, Good: sustainable living in New Zealand, and Grass roots - the Aussie's take on sustainable living. Organic New Zealand is topical and popular, too.

If artistic is a better word to describe you, we can help out there with a selection ranging from The Artist, Australian patchwork and quilting, UP2 scrap - scrapbooking and papercrafts.

Looking good and feeling better are topics of perennial interest, so the list of magazines that support this is too long to bother detailing. Suffice to say, Simply you, Men's health, New Zealand fitness and a variety of healthy food and cooking magazines will get you inspired and on your way to a new you. Who knows, if the results are spectacular enough, you might end up needing to borrow a copy of Bride and groom from us!

We are about to review the magazines we buy, andwould love to have your suggestions and recommendations. If they aretoo expensive for you to buy, but you'd love to read them, or theyare just so good that you think we should have them on the shelves,please tell us. We can't promise we'll have the funds to support allrequests, but we'll certainly throw them in the pot for argument and discussion.

Happy reading, magazine style.

Sh*t my dad says

Justin Halpern

Okay, you’ve probably seen the Twitter page on which this book was based, or the TV programme (with William Shatner). But, much as I love the ‘Shat’, I have to say the book is better. Author, Justin Halpern moved back home with his 73 year old father after his girlfriend dumped him and that’s when he started his Twitter page …just all the random, outrageous, hilarious, snort-out-loud things that his Dad came out with. If you are like me, and loathe all things politically correct, then you will love this. Halpern’s dad comes across as an angry red-neck with a heart of gold – I mean despite the swearing, and the harsh, and at times totally inappropriate comments, he does obviously love his family and means well. Actually the final chapter spoke volumes to me.
P.S. This is not for the easily offended and if you don’t like swearing…don’t go there – it’ll make your hair curl.

(Reviewed by Jill)