Sutherland Shire Libraries News

Ten books about ten different people from different walks of life.

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The untold story by Barbara Leaming

For almost six decades, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis has fascinated people worldwide. The subject of numerous books and thousands of articles, her life has probably been documented in millions of words. And yet, there has always remained something mysterious, something private about this very public woman.
With extraordinary skill and great sensitivity, Barbara Leaming explores the seemingly magical world of Jackie's youth, her fairy-tale marriage to a wealthy and handsome Senator and Presidential candidate and her astonishing transformation into a deft political wife and unique First Lady. This spirited young woman's rejection of the idea of a "safe marriage" as the wife of some socially prominent but utterly predictable man led her to JFK and international fame. But the trauma of her husband's murder, which left her literally soaked in blood and brains, would damage her far more than has been known. Until now.

Chase Your Shadow: The Trials of Oscar Pistorius by John Carlin
The murder trial of Oscar Pistorius captured world's attention in a way no other case has since OJ Simpson, was tried for the murder of his ex wife in 1994. John Carlin brings his own extensive knowledge of South Africa and unique access to Pistorius himself, to tell the story of the rise and fall of a classically tragic hero.
Before Valentine's Day of 2013, Pistorius was best known as an extraordinary athlete, the 'Blade Runner' who became the first amputee in history to compete in the Olympics. Everything changed after he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead in the early hours of 14 February. Overnight, the Olympian's status as a role model was replaced by tales of erratic behaviour and a violent dark side.
His seven-month trial was broadcast live around the globe, its twists and turns captivating millions. Carlin, who followed the drama inside the courtroom, provides a vivid first-hand account of Pistorius's wrenching emotional breakdowns, the merciless interrogation to which he was submitted by the prosecutor, and the highly controversial judgment.

Updike by Adam Begley
A candid, intimate, and richly detailed look at Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike's life and work.
Adam Begley offers an illuminating portrait of John Updike, the acclaimed novelist, poet, short-story writer, and critic who saw himself as a literary spy in small-town and suburban America, who dedicated himself to the task of transcribing “middleness with all its grits, bumps and anonymities.”
Updike explores the stages of the writer’s pilgrim’s progress: his beloved home turf of Berks County, Pennsylvania; his escape to Harvard; his brief, busy working life as the golden boy at The New Yorker; his family years in suburban Ipswich, Massachusetts; his extensive travel abroad; and his retreat to another Massachusetts town, Beverly Farms, where he remained until his death in 2009. Drawing from in-depth research as well as interviews with the writer’s colleagues, friends, and family, Begley explores how Updike’s fiction was shaped by his tumultuous personal life—including his enduring religious faith, his two marriages, and his first-hand experience of the “adulterous society” he was credited with exposing in the bestselling Couples.
With a sharp critical sensibility that lends depth and originality to his analysis, Begley probes Updike’s best-loved works—from Pigeon Feathers to The Witches of Eastwick to the Rabbit tetralogy—and reveals a surprising and deeply complex character fraught with contradictions: a kind man with a vicious wit, a gregarious charmer who was ruthlessly competitive, a private person compelled to spill his secrets on the printed page.

Beethoven : anguish and triumph: a biography by Jan Swafford
Jan Swafford'  a revered music historian, peels away layers of legend to get to Ludwig Beethoven, the living, breathing human being who composed some of the world's most iconic music. Swafford mines sources never before used in English- language biographies to reanimate the revolutionary ferment of Enlightenment-era Bonn, where Beethoven grew up and imbibed the ideas that would shape all of his future work. Swafford then tracks his subject to Vienna, capital of European music, where Beethoven built his career in the face of critical incomprehension, crippling ill health, romantic rejection, and 'fate's hammer', his ever-encroaching deafness. At the time of his death he was so widely celebrated that over ten thousand people attended his funeral.

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose your own biography by Neil Patrick Harris ; as unshredded and pasted back together by David Javerbaum
Sick of deeply personal accounts written in the first person?  Seeking an exciting, interactive read that puts the 'u' back in 'aUtobiography'?  Then look no further than Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography!  In this revolutionary, Joycean experiment in light celebrity narrative, actor/personality/carbon-based-life-form Neil Patrick Harris lets you, the reader, live his life.  You will be born in New Mexico.  You will get your big break at an acting camp.  You will get into a bizarre confrontation outside a nightclub with actor Scott Caan.  Even better, at each critical juncture of your life you will choose how to proceed.  You will decide whether to try out for Doogie Howser, M.D.  you will decide whether to spend years struggling with your sexuality.  You will decide what kind of caviar you want to eat on board Elton John's yacht.
Choose incorrectly and you'll find misery, heartbreak, and a hideous death by piranhas.  All this, plus magic tricks, cocktail recipes, embarrassing pictures from your time as a child actor, and even a closing song.

Yes please by Amy Poehler

 In her first book, popular comedian Amy Poehler offers a smart, pointed, and ultimately inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice. With chapters like "Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend," "Plain Girl Versus the Demon" and "The Robots Will Kill Us All" Yes Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest, personal, real, and righteous, Yes Please is full of words to live by.




Beyond Priscilla : one gay man, one gay truck, one big idea -- the Beyond 'that's so gay' national tour / Daniel Witthaus
266 days driving around rural, regional and urban Australia challenging homophobia. The Beyond 'That's So Gay' National Tour. In a 38 week road trip around Australia, Daniel Witthaus discovered what contemporary life is really like for LGBT people - life beyond the stereotypes, life 'beyond Priscilla'. Daniel's simple aim was to challenge and confront homophobia 'one cuppa at a time'. In doing so he met a wide range of individuals, all with harrowing or uplifting stories to tell of 'pride and prejudice'. Join Daniel as he encounters foul-mouthed police officers, transgender treasures, a billionaire's butler, gay jackaroos and straight lumberjacks looking to change.


So anyway... by John Cleese
John Cleese’s  huge comedic influence has stretched across generations; his sharp irreverent eye and the unique brand of physical comedy he perfected with Monty Python, on Fawlty Towers, and beyond now seem written into comedy’s DNA. In this rollicking memoir, So, Anyway…, Cleese takes readers on a Grand Tour of his ascent in the entertainment world, from his humble beginnings in a sleepy English town and his early comedic days at Cambridge University (with future Python partner Graham Chapman), to the founding of the landmark comedy troupe that would propel him to worldwide renown.
Twisting and turning through surprising stories and hilarious digressions—with some brief pauses along the way that comprise a fascinating primer on what’s funny and why—this story of a young man’s journey to the pinnacle of comedy is a masterly performance by a master performer.

True love by Jennifer lopez
This a story of love.  It started when love was lost and I felt as if my world had fallen apart.  What followed was a transformative journey, through the process of developing my first world tour, where I faced some of my greatest challenges, overcame some of my biggest fears, and, with the help of my incredible children, emerged a stronger person than I've ever been.
This is the story of how I discovered quite simply the truest love of all.





The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope by  Ivereigh, Austen
A biography of Pope Francis that describes how this revolutionary thinker will use the power of his position to challenge and redirect one of the world's most formidable religions
An expansive and deeply contextual work, at its heart The Great Reformer is about the intersection of faith and politics--the tension between the pope’s innovative vision for the Church and the obstacles he faces in an institution still strongly defined by its conservative past. Based on extensive interviews in Argentina and years of study of the Catholic Church, Ivereigh tells the story not only of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the remarkable man whose background and total commitment to the discernment of God’s will transformed him into Pope Francis--but the story of why the Catholic Church chose him as their leader.
With the Francis Revolution just beginning, this biography will provide never-before-explained context on how one man’s ambitious program began--and how it will likely end--through an investigation of Francis’s youth growing up in Buenos Aires and the dramatic events during the Perón era that shaped his beliefs; his ongoing conflicts and disillusionment with the ensuing doctrines of an authoritarian and militaristic government in the 1970s; how his Jesuit training in Argentina and Chile gave him a unique understanding and advocacy for a "Church of the Poor"; and his rise from Cardinal to the papacy.

To mark Remembrance Day 2014 the selection that I have chosen are drawn from different conflicts.
This particular genre is one where many of the fictionalised accounts are based on real life experiences.
Letters from Iwo Jima  by Kumiko Kakehashi
Many of us interested in photography of war history may be familiar with Joe Rosenthal's 1945 Pulitzer Prize winning photo Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. If you are, maybe you would like to read about the events preceding this historic moment.
This book is the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima told largely from the Japanese point of view. Much of the story is told through letters written home by Japanese soldiers defending the small Pacific Island towards the end of World War II. This island was strategically important to both the Japanese and the US. The main character, General Tadamichi Kuriyabashi was a great commander whose strategy was both brilliant in one way and deadly to his men in another. In civilian life the General had visited the US and would not have been their enemy had the war not occurred. He also understood that the men he commanded had little chance of successfully defending Iwo Jima in the long term.  Out of about 23,000 Japanese soldiers only 216 were taken prisoner. This book jumps between the letters and real events. This book was made also made into a movie.
Gone with the Wind  by Margaret Mitchell
This book won a Pulitzer Prize in 1937. This historically accurate and vivid book is set in Georgia before, during and after the American Civil War. Gone with the Wind tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara, the privileged daughter of a plantation owner. Scarlett is a strong, determined woman prepared to survive the war and to protect her family and their plantation Tara. Scarlett is infatuated by her married neighbour Ashley Wilkes then she meets Rhett Bulter a rich, charming man who challenges Scarlett in many ways. The dialogue between Scarlett and Rhett is well written. Sadly Scarlett does not realise that she and Rhett are the perfect match until it is too late. This book explores issues that dominated society at the time - culture, class, slavery,  racism in language that would be deemed politically incorrect today. This book however remains one of the great classics of all times.  And who can forget the ending scene of the movie?
All Quiet on the Western Front by Enrich Maria Remarque
This is a book that I hadn't read previously. I don't know why it took me so long to get to it.  This book is a well written book about the permanent damage done to those who fight in wars. This book was banned by the Nazis. All Quiet on the Western Front gives a realistic account of the horrors of trench warfare during World War 1 from the perspective of a German infantryman Paul Baumer, an idealistic teacher. All the aspects of trench warfare are there - excitement, terror, boredom, pain, fear, hunger, dirt, disease, loss, alienation, the awareness that you could die at any minute and the futility of it all.  Sutherland Library also have the audiobook and movie versions.
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
In the 1970s reading Catch 22 was as essential as attending a Bob Dylan concert. Set during World War 11 this book is infuriating.  The plot is crazy, the characters are crazy but then war is crazy. This satirical novel is written in the third person and is annoyingly non chronological. It descibes events from the different points of view of different characters. Every argument is carried on to an extreme absurd conclusion and the ongoing banter between characters is full of paradoxes as impossible as Catch 22 itself. Tiring. Still one of a kind today and the source of the phrase 'it is a catch 22'. If it gets too much let someone else do the reading and borrow the audiobook or movie.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flannigan
This book recently won the Man Booker Prize.  The author was the only Australian on the shortlist. It is the story of Dorrigo Evans a surgeon in the prisoner of war camp on the Thai-Burma railway during World War 11. Dorrigo struggles to save his men from starvation, disease and beatings then he receives a letter that changes his life forever.  Dorrigo Evans is not always likable because of aspects of his personal life before and after the war but the strength in the story lies in Dorrigo's heroic efforts to make a difference to the men in the camps.

Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
This book is not about the Vietnam War as such but a book of short interrelated and interwoven stories about people caught in the war. Each short story is about the objects that the characters are carrying. The 'things' are seemingly ordinary but as the stories develop they take on meaning. The author was a soldier in the Vietnam War and wrote this book 20 years later.  Interesting in many ways because his perspective on this time in his life must have changed from when he was a young soldier to a man all those years later.  Multiple prize winning book and often cited as one of the best in this genre.

The Quiet American by Graham Greene
The Quiet American is about Thomas Fowler an ageing, cynical English journalist living in Vietnam during the war.  He lives with a young, beautiful Vietnamese woman named Phuong. His life changes with the arrival of Alden Pyle a young, idealistic CIA agent.  Pyle meets Fowler, falls in love with Phuong and wins her from the journalist.  Fowler is left to deal with this loss. The book focuses strongly on the relationship between Fowler and Pyle as well as Fowler's psychological journey as an ageing man with little to believe in.  There is also a lot of commentary about the Vietnam War and war and life at that time generally. The authors psychological portrayal of Fowler is one of the best features of the book along with his description of the Vietnamese countryside and the life of a journalist in war times.Some may find Greene's view of Americans is pretty obvious.  Sutherland Library also has the movie.
The Eagle had Landed by Jack Higgins
Considered one of Jack Higgin's best books. On 6 November 1943, Berlin gets the coded message 'The Eagle had landed'. The adventure begins.  German commandos are sent to England In 1943 to kidnap or kill Winston Churchill.  A cultured, intelligent  IRA agent Liam Devlin goes ahead to prepare for the mission. Add in a beautiful widow and a twist at the end.  Things of course don't go to plan. If you don't over think the plot and want a more fictional war read this could be just the book for you. Sutherland Library also has the audiobook and DVD.
The Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle
This French author wrote Planet of the Apes, a book in a vey different genre to Bridge over the River Kwai. Both books were made into very successful films. Bridge over the River Kwai is the story of the British POWs who were forced to build the Burma Railway. It is a story based on Boulle's own experiences as a POW during World War II. Boulle's depiction of the Japanese as culturally inferior barbarians is somewhat understandable given the personal and historical context in which he was writing. The 2 central characters are Colonel Nicholson -  the even tempered British leader and Colonel Saito - the Japanese leader given to violence and fits of rage. The books follows the human cost of the building of the railway but focuses strongly on the war of wills and ideologies between the 2 leaders. One man would rather die that ignor the international rules of war and the other would rather die that lose face. A classic war read.
Sophie's Choice by William Styron
Confessional monologues serving as narrative, flashbacks from a New York boarding house, a tumultuous love triangle, secrets, lies, sex and swear words. This story, set in post-war New York has all these elements and more.  The narrator is a young Southerner named Stingo. While staying at a New York boarding house Stingo meets Nathan, a young Jewish man with many issues and Sophie, a Polish woman who survived Auschwitz. Stingo becomes increasingly drawn into Nathan's and Stingo's passionate and destructive relationship. And Sophie's choice?  Is it the most obvious and memorable choice? What do you think?  The library also have an audiobook version.

The Barbara Jefferis Award is offered for 'the best novel written by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society'.


 The short list: 

 Sufficient Grace by Amy Espeseth

The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt by Tracy Farr

Pilgrimage by Jacinta Halloran 

 Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan

The Night Guest  by Fiona McFarlane

 The First Week  by Margaret Merrilees

 The Mountain by Drusilla Modjeska

Have you ever found yourself wishing for a good read at the last minute? Something to take on a weekend away, plane flight, doctor's surgery wait or for the spare 1/2 hour you've found in your day? With a little pre-planning your wish can be fulfilled.

Choose from the 100's of magazines Sutherland Libraries have available for you, supplied online via Zinio, or the 1000's of ebooks and audiobooks supplied online via Overdrive.

Register and set up these two services today, for effortless borrowing in times of desperation! 

Follow the step by step demonstration in the Getting started with Zinio video, and take note of the Before you start with Overdrive information, to ensure a smooth registration experience.


Overdrive titles can be found in Encore or in Overdrive itself, with a great range of Fiction and Non-fiction titles to choose from there is something for everyone.

Overdrive allows you to borrow titles for a 3 week period, (shorter if you wish), renew them and place a hold on them, if they are out on loan. One can have a maximum of 10 titles out at a time, whether that is a mix of eBook or eAudio.

TIP: Overdrive titles do not appear on your regular library online account. A separate Overdrive account is created for each member and loans, returns and holds etc. are managed from there. If you are using a mobile device use an app.

Click here to see what's available in the the following categories right now!


















The headphone icon on the top right of a cover denotes an eAudio title, also available from Overdrive, with the titles coming from over 2,000 publishers, (including HarperCollins, Random House & MacMillan) and new ones being added all the time, there is something for everyone.

In a recent update to our Overdrive audiobooks and ebooks service 2 new features were added that users of this service will want to know about. Read the blog post which details these additions to the service..













Zinio is a digital magazine service available at Sutherland Shire Libraries as part of its range of online collections.
Browse this list of popular magazine titles that can be downloaded onto many devices including PC, Mac, iPad or Android tablet.  Zinio enables you to move seamlessly between text, graphics, animated illustrations and videos; making reading your favourite titles an interactive experience.

The current issue and back issues (from the start date of the library subscribing to that title) are available for download. Once downloaded to your device they remain yours until you delete them!

Titles cover a wide range of interests and age groups including Elle, Gardening Australia, Harper’s Bazaar,  MacUser, PC & Tech Authority, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Donna Hay, Taste, Star, OK, Vogue Australia, Weight Watchers, Gourmet Traveller, Australian Womans Weekly, New Idea and many more.

You can use Zinio from home on a PC, laptop or mobile device, or on the go using a smart phone or tablet. Get the app that works on your device.























If you wish to know more come in and ask our staff.

Only the animals by Ceridwen Dovey
 Insightful and poignant, this is a collection of short stories, narrated by ten different animal souls.   Each story is both innovative and memorable, with animals showing humans at their best and worst in well known recognisable situations of human conflict.   Starting with the story of an Afghan camel in the Australian gold rush, this is followed by a cat on the Western front, a Russian tortoise who ends up in a space during the Cold war  and a humorous tale of a mussel at Pearl Harbour - just to name a few. The story of the dolphin betrayed by humans in Iraq particularly stood out for me. Each story pays homage to a different author, often quoting them or using literary allusions to their work.  If interested,  you can find a complete list of resources on the authors website. A fascinating, imaginative and original concept, this book is well worth reading.

~Reviewed by Monique

Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko

Jo Breen a Goorie, orphaned at 10 and 'grown up'' by her Auntie, a wise woman, finds animals especially horses, are easier to love than people. Her daughter Ellen is the one person in her life she would do anything to protect. Having always struggled for a living, she finally realises her dream, when her divorce settlement enables her to buy a small acreage and she sets about restoring it to it's native beauty. Life gets more complicated when a new man appears in town who is there to research for his Native Title claim over the valley. Mutually attracted, Jo and Twoboy link up and Jo struggles to remain outside his passion for his claim, whilst she is being drawn into the ancient life of the land which she cares for. Friction with her adjoining land owner, is ongoing from the minute Ellen was caught riding his thoroughbreds in their first week, and events and chance meetings at odd places only confirm Jo's distrust of him. This novel is about family, obligations, and the desire for a place that is 'home'. The description of landscape and the life within it, is invigorating and brings one into the setting with Jo as she struggles with the demands of a teenage daughter, work, land restoration, ancient ancestors, and her driven lover.

~Reviewed by Jacinta