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Sound and Touch

Library News

Welcome to the Winter 2025 Edition of Sound and Touch! We’re thrilled to bring you the latest issue, packed with literary treasures and essential updates to warm your season. Inside, you’ll discover New Zealand’s Top 50 Literature Picks–curated to inspire, entertain, and provoke thought during these cooler months.

But that’s not all! This edition also features:

  • An overview of the latest Alexa update, making your tech experience even better
  • Important library news and reminders to keep you informed and connected
  • Insightful book reviews and recommended reads tailored for all tastes
  • And a heartfelt thank you to our generous sponsors–we couldn’t do this without you!

So, grab a warm drink, settle in, and enjoy everything Sound and Touch has to offer. Happy Reading!

ABC Update to Blind Low Vision Skill on Alexa

Confused by the recent update to the Blind Low Vision Skill? Don’t worry, we’re here to help. The skill now offers access to two libraries:

  • Blind Low Vision Library
  • Accessible Book Consortium (ABC) with 99,500 additional titles available!

Here’s how to use the new feature:

  • Request a title as usual, then select option 2 for the Accessible Book Consortium.
  • Follow the spoken instructions: when you’re offered a book, it will either start playing or prompt you to download it.
  • To download, simply say “Download.”
  • Then say “Alexa, stop” and check back in a few minutes, your book should be ready when you hear a beep beep.
  • To access your downloaded books, open the Blind Low Vision Skill and ask for “Bookshelf.” Your ABC Library titles will be there.
  • Everything else works the same, including book selection and navigation.

Need help? Give us a call on 0800 24 33 33, we’re happy to assist!

For more information and resources visit our ABC page on the Blind Low Vision website. https://blindlowvision.org.nz/our-services/accessible-library/abc/.(https://tinyurl.com/accessible-Library-abc).

Alexa Commands–Popular Books

To hear a list of currently popular books, just say: “Alexa, popular books.”

Want the list to reflect your tastes better? Help shape it!

After finishing a book, say: “Alexa, cancel.”

This will return you to a menu where you’ll have the option to rate the book you just listened to. The more ratings members provide, the more frequently and accurately the Popular Books list will update. Your input makes a difference!

Update to End of Audio Books

To assist those who may not catch the author’s name or perhaps it has an unusual spelling we will now include the spelling of the author’s name in our closing announcement.

Braille Book Giveaway Wrap-Up–May 2025

We have just wrapped up our biggest Braille Book Giveaway yet! Held throughout May, this event offered more than eighty-five withdrawn Braille titles to our client members–completely free of charge. This was our latest in a series of successful giveaways, aimed at giving these well-read volumes a second life in the hands of Braille readers across Aotearoa. The response was fantastic, and we are thrilled so many books have found new homes. Thank you to everyone who took part–and if you missed out this time, keep an eye out for future giveaways in upcoming issues of Sound and Touch. To request to be on the giveaway mailing list, simply contact afslogistics@blindlowvision.org.nz or call 0800 24 33 33.

Help Us Recycle Your Old Devices

Got an old DAISY player or Perkins Brallier quietly gathering dust somewhere? Why not give it a fresh start? We are collecting any unused devices to share with others who need them, and we’d love your help! If you have one of these devices you no longer need, simply get in touch with us via phone 0800 24 33 33 or email afslogistics@blindlowvision.org.nz and we’ll make it easy for you to return these to us.

Did you know?

That you can now write a book review, request a book or search the library catalogue online. All these services can be found on the BLVNZ Library page (https://tinyurl.com/accessible-Library-online). Thank you again for helping us grow.

Email list for News and updates

Do you want to get the latest news and updates about the Blind Low Vision NZ library services? We have set up a new email list where you can receive updates, news and tips and tricks about our library services. We will also include any news about other accessible library services. The email list is open to all; anyone interested can join. Simply send an email to BLVLibrary+subscribe@groups.io to join.

Book reviews from audio producer Simon Lynch

The following book reviews have been written by book producer Simon Lynch and produced by Blind Low Vision NZ.

Born Wild by Tony Fitzjohn

This compelling and well-written non-fiction book by British author Tony Fitzjohn has been described as “a true African adventure of epic proportions”. Readers of a certain vintage will remember Born Free, the sensational book by Joy Adamson that spawned the 1960’s movie and the famous song. Born Free was the story of Joy Adamson and her husband George raising the lion cub Elsa and released her into the wild in Kenya. With a passion for lions and Africa, maverick Tony Fitzjohn traveled to the African continent and worked for eighteen years with George Adamson in Kenya’s Kora National Reserve. In addition to his forty years of working with wildlife, Fitzjohn built schools and education centres in Africa’s most remote areas and was subsequently awarded an OBE among other accolades. Brilliantly narrated by Paul Barrett, Born Wild is one engrossing real-life adventure, at times humorous and other times sad and sobering, a book that will appeal to a great many readers. Published 2010. Book number 143232.

Our Ancient Faith by Allen C. Guelzo

First published in 2024, our Ancient Faith (subtitled Lincoln, Democracy and The American Experiment) is an intimate study of Abraham Lincoln and his powerful vision of democracy, which guided him through the Civil War and is still relevant today. Best-selling historian Allen C. Guelzo is one of America’s foremost experts on Lincoln (a fascinating subject) and shows how his ideas are still sharp and relevant more than 150 years later. With expert narration from John Leigh, Our Ancient Faith is a contemporary appraisal of a U.S. presidency somewhat derailed but ultimately defined by the Civil War. For fans of American history, this excellent non-fiction book offers an informed perspective and satisfying reappraisal of a crucial U.S. presidency. Published 2024. Book number 142956.

Book Club suggestions

Are you part of a book club? Dive into these top picks to spark meaningful discussions!

For Fiction Fans

The Women by Kristin Hannah

“Women can be heroes, too”. When twenty-year-old nursing student, Frances “Frankie” McGrath, hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on California’s idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different path for her life. NZ Top 50. Published 2024. Book number 142964.

For Non-Fiction Fans

Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance

A memoir of a family and culture in crisis by JD Vance. A 2016 memoir by JD Vance about the Appalachian values of his family from Kentucky and the socioeconomic problems of his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, where his mother’s parents moved when they were young. Adult content advised. Published 2016. Book number 142727.

New Series Recently Added

New Zealand author and historian Deborah Challinor’s Convict Girls series is a compelling four-book saga that delves into the lives of four women transported from London’s Newgate Prison to the penal colony of New South Wales in the early 19th century. The series intricately weaves themes of friendship, survival, and redemption against the backdrop of Australia’s convict history.

Book 1–Behind the Sun

The journey begins with Friday Woolfe, a streetwise prostitute, who forms an unlikely bond with fellow convicts Sarah Morgan, a clever thief; Rachel Winter, a naive young woman; and Harriet Clarke, a skilled seamstress. Together, they navigate the perilous voyage to Sydney and the grim realities of the Parramatta Female Factory, where their resilience is tested. Published 2012. VisAbility. Book number 142578.

Book 2–Girl of Shadows

Settling into their new lives, the women face the haunting presence of Bella Jackson, a powerful criminal who blackmails them over a shared secret. As they struggle with guilt and fear, their bond deepens, and they must confront their past to secure their futures. Published 2013. RNZFB. Book number 142760.

Book 3–The Silk Thief

In this installment, Harriet Clarke becomes involved in the art of tattooing, while the threat from Bella Jackson looms larger. The women’s past actions continue to haunt them, and they must navigate new challenges that test their strength and unity. Published 2014. RNZFB. Book number 142761.

Book 4–A Tattooed Heart

The final book brings the women’s journey to a climax as they confront the consequences of their past and the secrets they’ve kept. When Harriet’s adopted child is abducted, the women risk everything to rescue her, leading to revelations that change their lives forever. Published 2015. RNZFB. Book number 142762.

Challinor’s series is praised for its rich historical detail and the depth of its characters, offering readers a vivid portrayal of life in early colonial Australia. The Convict Girls saga is a testament to the resilience of women in the face of adversity and the enduring power of friendship.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors

We would like to express our appreciation to the following funders. These funds have helped to make print material accessible to people who are blind or have low vision and without their support, it would not be possible to meet the reading needs of library users.

We would like to thank the following funders for continuing to support the Alexa roll-out:

  • One Foundation
  • Room-Simmonds Charitable Trust
  • Pelorus Trust

Also, we would like to thank the following funders for supporting the addition of talking books to the Blind Low Vision NZ Library:

  • Acorn Charitable Trust
  • Ray Watts Charitable Trust
  • Lake Memorial Charitable Trust
  • Grumitt Sisters Charitable Trust

New DAISY audio

This issue contains DAISY audio books added to the collection since the last issue of Sound and Touch in March 2025.

Adult Non-Fiction

Adventure

Nomads of the wind by Peter Crawford

Accompanying a BBC2 series, this book tells the story of the Polynesians, a tenacious, voyaging people who sailed across the Pacific Ocean and discovered the paradise islands of the South Seas. Using the power of the wind and navigating by the stars, they crossed thousands of miles of open ocean in search of new lands such as Tahiti, Samoa and New Zealand. Read by Paul Barrett in 8 hours, 59 minutes. Published 1993. RNZFB. Book number 143479.

The portal: an initiate’s journey into the secret of Rennes-le-Chateau by Patrice Chaplin

The true-life memoir of Patrice Chaplin began in “The City of Secrets” and continues here in the story of her spiritual initiation into the Kabbalistic tradition preserved since the Middle Ages by a secret society in the pre-Roman city of Girona, Spain. Salvador Dali was a member of that society, as was the renowned author Umberto Eco, the filmmaker Jean Cocteau, and Jancint Verdeguer, one of the most celebrated Catalan poets. Importantly, so was the mysterious Berenger Sauniere, the priest who in the late 1800s built Rennes-le-Chateau in southern France, with the Tour Magdala, a tower that is twin to the neo-gothic tower in Girona. In this gripping story that reads like the adventures of a female Castenada, Chaplin is led through a series of initiatory stages which correspond to the magical square of Venus, containing the constellation of the Great Bear. Read by unknown narrator in 12 hours, 46 minutes. Published 2010. RNIB. Book number 143216.

Authors (Biography)

This much is true by Miriam Margolyes

BAFTA-winning actor, voice of everything from Monkey to the Cadbury’s Caramel Rabbit, creator of a myriad of unforgettable characters from Lady Whiteadder to Professor Sprout, Miriam Margolyes, OBE, is the nation’s favourite (and naughtiest) treasure. Now, at the age of 80, she has finally decided to tell her extraordinary life story and it’s well worth the wait. Adult content advised. Read by Christina Cie in 14 hours, 16 minutes. Published 2021. RNZFB. Book number 143196.

Guerilla surgeon: the adventures of a New Zealand doctor in Yugoslavia by Lindsay Rogers

War brings strange fates to many men but to none more than Lindsay Rogers, a New Zealand surgeon who had been serving with the Eighth Army in the desert. He volunteered for special service in S.O.E. and then found himself set down on one dark night on the Isle of Vis, off the Dalmation coast. His job was to work as a surgeon among Yugoslav partisans; to fight with them, to tend the wounded and to act as an unofficial liaison officer between them and the Allied troops. For many months to come, in caves and deep in forests, up mountains, he brought all his skill as a surgeon, his staunchness and bravery as a serving soldier to his strange job. Read by Paul Barrett in 8 hours, 59 minutes. Published 2015. RNZFB. Book number 143091.

Cinema speculation by Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino provides an entertaining look at key American films of the 1970s, which he first saw as a young moviegoer. Written in his singluar voice, this book combines film criticism, film theory, reporting, and personal history. Read by the author and Edoardo Ballerini in 10 hours, 10 minutes. Published 2022. Blackstone. Book number 143313.

A Jensen Hoskin history: Niels Jensen’s memories by Niels Jensen, compiled by Richard Hoskin, excerpts from Cyril Hoskin

Niels’s memories are built on the arrival of Voldemar, his father, and Magdalene, his aunt, arriving in New Zealand from Denmark in 1910. Brought up in Northland in Rawene, he provides vivid descriptions of tough times and poverty, highlighting his high school days. Entering the New Zealand Air Force, he finds himself in Canada before entering the war in the Pacific. Niels endured hardship as a child, discrimination in the services and was torpedoed at sea. Niels shows himself to be a resourceful, diligent, and determined man. Home from the war, he describes the aftermath of war, and making a life for himself and his family. Without explanation, his writing ends abruptly. Read by Simon Lynch in 5 hours, 38 minutes. Published 2023. RNZFB. Book number 142747.

Blindness and Vision Impairment (Biography)

Vision: a memoir of blindness and justice by David S. Tatel

David Tatel has served nearly 30 years on America’s second highest court, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where many of our most crucial cases are resolved–or teed up for the Supreme Court. He has championed equal justice for his entire adult life; decided landmark environmental and voting cases; and embodied the ideal of what a great judge should be. Yet he has been blind for the past 50 of his 80-plus years. Read by John Leigh in 11 hours, 19 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143029.

Country Living

The road to Chatto Creek: Leaving the rat race for life in the country by Matt Chisholm

Matt Chisholm’s number-one bestselling book, Imposter, saw Matt and his family leaving Auckland to buy some land in Chatto Creek, Otago, with big dreams to build their own house and farm cattle and sheep. Fast forward a few years and it’s been a huge shift for Matt, his wife Ellen and their three kids–lots of highs and a few lows, too. Matt writes candidly and with his unique humour about the joys of being part of a farming community, new friendships, the realities of farm life and his work as an Ambassador for Rural Support Trust, where he gives talks on mental health to farmers around New Zealand. NZ Top 50. Read by Bruce Hopkins in 5 hours, 16 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 142858.

Food and Beverages

RecipeTin eats–dinner: 150 recipes from Australia’s most popular cook by Nagi Maehashi

150 dinner recipes. Fail-proof. Delicious. Addictive. The food you want to cook, eat and share, night after night. Through her phenomenally popular online food site, RecipeTin Eats, Nagi Maehashi talks to millions of people a year who tell her about the food they love. Now, in her first cookbook, Nagi brings us the ultimate curation of new and favourite RecipeTin Eats recipes–from comfort food (yes, cheese galore), to fast and easy food for weeknights, Mexican favourites, hearty dinner salads, Asian soups and noodles, and special treats for festive occasions. NZ Top 50. Read by Madeleine Lynch in 13 hours, 37 minutes. Publsihed 2022. RNZFB. Book number 143132.

Health and Wellbeing

Speak easy: the essential guide to speaking in public by Maggie Eyre

Maggie Eyre has over 30 years’ experience as a media trainer, communications consultant and performer. In Speak Easy, she takes the reader through the complete public speaking process, with chapters covering everything from body language and voice control to managing your audience and handling the media. Read by Anne Speir in 9 hours, 5 minutes. Published 2016. RNZFB. Book number 143222.

The art and science of connection by Kasley Killam, MPH

Just as we exercise our physical muscles, we can strengthen our social muscles. Weaving together cutting-edge science, mindset shifts, and practical wisdom, Kasley Killam offers the first methodology for how to be socially healthy. Read by Cindy Kay in 7 hours, 15 minutes. Published 2024. Blackstone. Book number 143325.

Maori Language and Literature

Matariki: te whetu tapu o te tau by Rangi Matamua

In midwinter, Matariki rises in the pre-dawn sky, and its observation is celebrated with incantations on hilltops at dawn, balls, exhibitions, dinners and a vast number of events. The Matariki tradition has been re-established, and its regeneration coincides with a growing interest in Māori astronomy. Still, there remain some unanswered questions about how Matariki was traditionally observed. What is Matariki? Why did Māori observe Matariki? How did Māori traditionally celebrate Matariki? When and how should Matariki be celebrated? This book seeks answers to these questions and explores what Matariki was in a traditional sense so it can be understood and celebrated in our modern society. Read by Kayne Ngatokowha Peters in 7 hours, 18 minutes. Published 2019. RNZFB. Book number 137303.

Middle East

100 myths about the Middle East by Fred Halliday

Much ink has been spilled in recent years about the Middle East. At the same time, no other region has been as misunderstood, nor framed in so many clichés and mistakenly held beliefs. In this much-needed and enlightening book, Fred Halliday debunks one hundred of the most commonly misconstrued “facts” concerning the Middle East–in the political, cultural, social, and historical spheres. Read by Bruce Hopkins in 3 hours, 15 minutes. Published 2005. RNZFB. Book number 143286.

Musicians (Biography)

Earth to Moon by Moon Unit Zappa

From daughter of musical visionary Frank Zappa, Moon Unit Zappa, comes a memoir of growing up in her unconventional household in 1970s Los Angeles, coming of age as part of the MTV generation in the 1980s as the “Valley Girl,” and finding herself after losing her father, then her mother, and the fracturing of her longest relationships. Read by the author in 10 hours, 38 minutes. Published 2024. Blackstone. Book number 143316.

North America

Birdmen: the Wright Brothers, Glenn Curtiss, and the battle to control the skies by Lawrence Goldstone

Profiles of early aviators, including “Cap’t Tom” Baldwin, John Moisant, and Harriet Quimby, and focusing on the Wright brothers and their feud with Glenn Curtiss. Discusses the development of the aviation industry through legal fights, patent filings and infringements, and air shows. Read by Patrick Downer in 16 hours, 45 minutes. Published 2014. NLS. Book number 143410.

NZ and Pacific Non-Fiction

Little trains of thought by Merv Smith and Ches Livingstone

Artist Merv Smith teams up with fellow enthusiast Ches Livingstone to produce a completely new kind of railway book. In alternating chapters, Merv presents the (generally) serious story of his life and fascination with what many insist is the greatest hobby in the world. Read by Paul Barrett in 3 hours, 55 minutes. Published 1977. RNZFB. Book number 143101.

The line that dared: a history of the Union Steam Ship Company, 1875-1975 by Gordon McLauchlan

This history of the Union Steam Ship Company (USSCo) was published to record the centennial of the line, which was founded in Dunedin 1875. The Union Company, as it was popularly known, grew to be a major shipping enterprise, with is ships trading mainly on the NZ and Australian coasts, trans-Tasman, with trans-Pacific liner services, trading to Asian and Indian ports, establishing a NZ internal airline just prior to WWII and known as Union Airways. Read by John Leigh in 10 hours, 7 minutes. Published 1987. RNZFB. Book number 143242.

Philosophy

Love in the Western World by Denis de Rougemont

Denis de Rougemont explores the psychology of love from the legend of Tristan and Isolde to Hollywood. At the heart of his ever-relevant inquiry is the inescapable conflict in the West between marriage and passion–the first associated with social and religious responsibility and the second with anarchic, unappeasable love as celebrated by the troubadours of medieval Provence. These early poets, according to de Rougemont, spoke the words of an Eros-centered theology, and it was through this “heresy” that a European vocabulary of mysticism flourished and that Western literature took on a new direction. Read by Paul Barrett in 15 hours, 49 minutes. Published 1983. RNZFB. Book number 143188.

Politics

Party politics in New Zealand by Raymond Miller

Concerned with the external and internal worlds of party politics in New Zealand, this work explores the reconfiguration of the two-party system into a multiparty one in which up to seven or eight parties regularly win parliamentary seats and coalitions are the standard form of government. Read by Paul Barrett in 13 hours, 4 minutes. Published 2011. RNZFB. Book number 142472.

Sportspeople (Biography)

Black and white by Ross Taylor with Paul Thomas

When an athlete with an exceptional record of achievement and longevity comes to the end of their career, the numbers can speak for themselves. Ross Taylor has scored the most runs, made the most centuries and taken the most catches by a New Zealander in international cricket. He’s the first New Zealand cricketer to play 450 international matches. He’s the first player from any country to make 100 international appearances in all three formats of the game: test cricket, one-day internationals and Twenty20. The numbers are extraordinary but they don’t tell the whole story. They don’t capture the unlikely, if not unique, aspects of Ross Taylor’s journey to becoming one of our true sporting greats. Adult content advised. Read by Dominic Lewis in 9 hours, 5 minutes. Published 2022. RNZFB. Book number 143172.

Adult Fiction

Adventure Stories

Blind switch by John McEvoy

In an attempt to put his life back together, Jack Doyle accepts an offer from a mob-connected acquaintance to fix a horse race, only to find himself working for the feds to stop a scheme to kill thoroughbred horses for their insurance value. Jack Doyle mystery series, book 1. Has sequel: Close call, 84674. Read by John Callen in 9 hours, 54 minutes. Published 2004. RNZFB. Book number 142862.

The rising sea by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown

An alarming rise in the world’s sea levels–much larger than could be accounted for by glacier melt–sends Kurt Austin, Joe Zavala, and the rest of the NUMA scientific team rocketing around the globe in search of answers. What they find at the bottom of the East China Sea, however, is even worse than they imagined. NUMA files series, book 15. Sequel to: Nighthawk; 142000. Has sequel: Sea of greed, 131684. Read by Jeff Harding in 11 hours, 34 minutes. Published 2019. Ulverscroft. Book number 142001.

Christian Fiction

Decisions of the heart by J.L. Dawson.

Abigail’s heart has healed and she has found happiness and love again with Andrew. Holding onto each other and their growing family, they persevere through many obstacles in their path, facing their fears, new opportunities and a journey West. When a person from the past threatens to destroy everything they have built, can Andrew shepherd his family through it all? Journeys of the heart series, book 3. Sequel to: Shepherd of the heart, 142447. Has sequel: A home for the heart, 142449. Read by Synthetic speech in 9 hours, 44 minutes. Published 2021. RNZFB. Book number 142448.

Crime Fiction

Close your eyes by Iris Johansen with Roy Johansen

Blind for the first twenty years of her life, Kendra Michaels honed her other senses to almost superhuman perfection and unintentionally became a secret weapon for the FBI. Her uncanny ability to pick up the most subtle audio, olfactory, and tactile cues in the world around her made her a law-enforcement legend. Today, her expertise is called for once again. When Kendra is approached by a dubious source about a serial murder investigation, her instincts tell her to steer clear. This time, however, the case is personal. Kendra Michaels series, book 1. Has sequel: Sight unseen, 140940. Read by Synthetic speech in 9 hours, 33 minutes. Published 2012. RNZFB. Book number 142019.

Accused by Mark Gimenez

After years of silence, Texan lawyer Scott Fenney receives a devastating phone call from his ex-wife. She has been accused of murdering her boyfriend, Trey the man she left Scott for and is being held in a police cell. Now she is begging Scott to defend her. Scott is used to high-stakes cases, but this one is bigger than anything he has handled before. If Rebecca is found guilty, she will be sentenced to life imprisonment. Her future is in his hands. Scott Fenney series, book 2. Sequel to: The colour of law, 55060. Has sequel: The absence of guilt, 142343. Read by Synthetic speech in 12 hours, 52 minutes. Published 2010. RNZFB. Book number 142342.

Fantasy

Archangel’s war by Nalini Singh

The world is in chaos as the power surge of the Cascade rises to a devastating crescendo. In furiously resisting its attempts to turn Elena into a vessel for Raphael’s power, Elena and her archangel are irrevocably changed far beyond the prophecy of a cursed Ancient. At the same time, violent and eerie events around the world threaten to wipe out entire populations. And in the Archangel Lijuan’s former territory, an unnatural fog weaves through the land, leaving only a bone-chilling silence in its wake. Guild hunter series, book 12. Sequel to: Archangel’s prophecy, 142253. Has sequel: Archangel’s sun, 142255. Read by Wendy Karstens in 19 hours, 24 minutes. Published 2019. RNZFB. Book number 142254.

The Sunset warrior by Eric Van Lustbader

Ronin called no man master. He was the finest swordsman of the Freehold, as sharp and deadly as his blade. Yet as the ancient city faltered, Ronin alone refused to pledge himself to any of the powerful Saardin who ruled the crumbling underground world of levels. But now dark magic was loose in the world. As the ravings of the Magic Man foretold doom, Ronin and his lover, the sensual K’reen, were swept into a maelstrom of treachery, violence, and sudden death. Sunset Warrior series, book 1. Has sequel: Shallows of night, 133221. Read by Synthetic speech in 6 hours, 28 minutes. Published 2015. RNZFB. Book number 141964.

Historical Novels

Night watch by Jayne Anne Phillips

In 1874, in the wake of the war, trauma haunts civilians and veterans, renegades and wanderers, freedmen and runaways. Twelve-year-old ConaLee and her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken in more than a year, arrive at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, delivered to the hospital’s entrance by a war veteran who has forced himself into their lives. There, far from family, a beloved neighbour, and the mountain home they knew, they try to reclaim their lives. The twin horrors of war and race rise to the surface as we learn their history: their flight to the highest mountain ridges of western Virginia; the disappearance of ConaLee’s father, who left for the war and never returned. Meanwhile in the asylum, they begin to find a new path. The 2024 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Fiction. Read by Marguerite Vanderkolk in 9 hours, 4 minutes. Published 2023. RNZFB. Book number 142971.

Jerningham by Cristina Sanders

Edward Jerningham Wakefield was the wild-child of the Wakefield family that set up the New Zealand Company to bring the first settlers to this country. His story is told through the eyes of bookkeeper Arthur Lugg, who is tasked by Colonel William Wakefield to keep tabs on his brilliant but unstable nephew. As trouble brews between settlers, government, missionaries and Māori over land and souls and rights, Jerningham is at the heart of it, blurring the line between friendship and exploitation and spinning the hapless Lugg in his wake. Alive with historical detail, Jerningham tells a vivid story of Wellington’s colonial beginnings and of a charismatic young man’s rise and inevitable fall. Read by Wendy Karstens in 13 hours, 46 minutes. Published 2020. RNZFB. Book number 143193.

Daughters of war by Dinah Jefferies

Deep in the river valley of the Dordogne, in an old stone cottage on the edge of a beautiful village, three sisters long for the end of the war. Hélène, the eldest, is trying her hardest to steer her family to safety, even as the Nazi occupation becomes more threatening. Elise, the rebel, is determined to help the Resistance, whatever the cost. And Florence, the dreamer, just yearns for a world where France is free. Then, one dark night, the Allies come knocking for help. And Hélène knows that she cannot sit on the sidelines any longer. But secrets from their own mysterious past threaten to unravel everything they hold most dear. Daughters of War series, book 1. Has sequel: The hidden palace, 143237. Read by Synthetic speech in 12 hours, 10 minutes. Published 2021. RNZFB. Book number 143236.

Mystery And Detective Stories

None of this is true by Lisa Jewell

Alix and Josie are two very different women whose lives become entangled when Josie persuades Alix to make a podcast about her. Alix finds Josie a bit strange and unsettling, but the story she tells is compelling, and Alix can’t resist the temptation to keep recording it. She soon realises that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets. But by then it’s too late. Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life and into her home. Alix must ask herself: who is Josie Fair? And what has she done? NZ Top 50. The British Book Awards 2024 Winners, Crime & Thriller Book of the Year Winner 2024. Read by Cheryl Lawton in 9 hours, 45 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143004.

Jane and the unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron

On a visit to the estate of her friend, the young and beautiful Isobel Payne, Countess of Scargrave, Jane bears witness to a tragedy. Isobel’s husband—a gentleman of mature years—is felled by a mysterious and agonizing ailment. The Earl’s death seems a cruel blow of fate for the newly married Isobel. Yet the bereaved widow soon finds that it’s only the beginning of her misfortune as she receives a sinister message accusing her and the Earl’s nephew of adultery—and murder. Desperately afraid that the letter will expose her to the worst sort of scandal, Isobel begs Jane for help. And Jane finds herself embroiled in a perilous investigation. Jane Austen Mysteries series, book 1. Has sequel: Jane and the man of the cloth, 143082. Read by Romy Hooper in 12 hours, 32 minutes. Published 2008. RNZFB. Book number 143239.

Blood ties by Richard Pitman and Joe McNally

Troubled jockey Eddie Malloy invests everything he has to become a partner in a small thoroughbred stud. One morning a blackmailer calls threatening to make public that Malloy’s stud has an infertile stallion and is cheating breeders. Malloy discovers that his partner in the stud, Martin Corish, has disappeared, leaving behind a pregnant young groom and a vengeful wife. Eddie Malloy series, book 3. Sequel to: Hunted, 62409. Has sequel: Running scared, 142006. Read by Synthetic speech in 7 hours, 26 minutes. Published 2018. RNZFB. Book number 142005.

The dark vineyard by Martin Walker

Just before dawn one late-summer morning, Bruno is pulled from sleep by the wail of the town siren atop the Mairie, summoning the volunteer firemen of St Denis. A large barn and the fields surrounding it are ablaze. When Bruno arrives at the scene, the smell of petrol leaves no doubt—it was arson. Soon after, a wine mogul from California visits the town, with plans to buy up half the valley to create an industrial-scale wine-producing operation. Such a business would bring a healthy injection of dollars to St Denis, plus the creation of at least fifty jobs. Bruno’s boss, the Mayor, supports the scheme but Bruno is less convinced. He’s not against progress, but he fears his little town will never be the same once the Californians have a foothold. Then a second, similar outrage follows the crop burning. It appears that someone is determined to stop the scheme and is prepared to go to any lengths–including murder–to do so. Bruno, Chief of Police series, book 2. Sequel to: Bruno, chief of police, 143100. Has sequel: Black diamond, in production. Read by Synthetic speech in 8 hours, 55 minutes. Published 2010. RNZFB. Book number 143018.

Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford

In a city that never was, in an America that never was, on a snowy night at the end of winter, two detectives find a body on the roof of a skyscraper. It’s 1922, and Americans are drinking in speakeasies, dancing to jazz, stepping quickly to the tempo of modern times. Beside the Mississippi, the ancient city of Cahokia lives on a teeming industrial metropolis, containing every race and creed. Among them, peace holds. Just about. But that body on the roof is about to spark off a week that will spill the city’s secrets, and bring it, against a soundtrack of wailing clarinets and gunfire, either to destruction or rebirth. Adult content advised. Read by Synthetic speech in 14 hours, 4 minutes. Published 2023. RNZFB. Book number 143287.

Ritual of fire by D.V. Bishop.

Florence Summer, 1538. A night patrol finds a wealthy merchant hanged and set ablaze in the city’s main square. More than mere murder, this killing is intended to put the fear of God into Florence. Forty years earlier, puritanical monk Girolamo Savonarola was executed the same way. Does this new killing mean his fanatical disciples are reviving the monk’s regime of holy terror? Cesare Aldo is busy hunting thieves in the Tuscan countryside, leaving Constable Carlo Strocchi to investigate the killing. When another merchant is burned alive in public, the rich start fleeing to their country estates. But the Tuscan hills can also be dangerous. Winner of 2024 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel in Crime, Mystery, Thriller writing. Cesare Aldo series, book 3. Sequel to, The darkest sin, not in collection. Has sequel: A divine fury, not in collection. Read by John Leigh in 12 hours, 54 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143016.

Remarkably bright creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Staying busy has helped Tova cope ever since her son disappeared decades ago. So when her husband dies, she takes a job at the aquarium, where she meets Marcellus, an octopus that deduces what happened to her son. Read by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie in 11 hours, 20 minutes. Published 2022. Blackstone. Book number 143309.

NZ and Pacific Novels

Kataraina by Becky Manawatu

In Auē, eight-year-old Ārama was taken by his brother, Taukiri, to live with Kat and Stu at the farm in Kaikōura, setting in train the tragedy that unfolded. Ārama’s aunty Kat was at the centre of events, but silenced by abuse her voice was absent from the story. In Kataraina, Kat and her whānau take over the telling. As one, they return to her childhood and the time when she first began to feel the greenness of the swamp in her veins–the swamp that holds her tears and the tears of her tīpuna, the swamp on the land owned by Stu that has been growing since the girl shot the man. Becky Manawatu’s new novel is the much-awaited sequel to award-winning bestseller Auē and is unflinching in its portrayal of the destructive ways people love one another and the ancestral whenua on which they stand. Adult content advised. NZ Top 50. Auē series, book 2. Sequel to: Auē, 133383. Read by Anne Speir in 8 hours, 43 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143364.

All that we know by Shilo Kino

All That We Know follows Mareikura as she navigates her friendships, sexuality, relationships, and most importantly, her reclaiming of her culture and her language, all while grappling with the traumas of colonisation. “You can’t tell our stories if you can’t speak our reo. Te taea e koe, te taea e koe.” When Mareikura arrives at the marae to photograph the events of Waitangi Day, she is greeted by an elder at the gate. The woman’s question–how will you speak our truths if you can’t speak our language? –shakes Mareikura to the core. She already feels ashamed that she can’t speak te reo, even though she has tried to learn. But where does she belong if not on her own whenua? NZ Top 50. Read by Cheryl Lawton in 9 hours, 18 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143071.

Leave the girls behind by Jacqueline Bublitz

You can run from your past, but not from the girls left behind. Nineteen years ago, Ruth-Ann Baker’s childhood friend was murdered by convicted killer Ethan Oswald. Haunted by what happened, Ruth has long been convinced Oswald had other victims. But no one has ever believed her. After dropping out of college and failing to prove her serial killer theory, Ruth is bartending when she hears that another young girl has gone missing from her home town. With Oswald now deceased, she begins to suspect he had an accomplice. A partner in crime who is still active today. Adult content advised. Read by Anne Speir in 10 hours, 14 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143007.

A house built on sand by Tina Shaw

Maxine has been losing things lately. Her car in the shopping centre carpark. Important work files–and her job as a result. Her marbles? “Mild cognitive impairment”, according to the doctor. Time for a nursing home, according to her daughter, Rose. Rose has her own troubles with memory, a recurring vision of a locked cupboard, claustrophobic panic. Something in the shadows. Something to do with the old family house in Kutarere. Adult content advised. Read by Marguerite Vanderkolk in 7 hours, 44 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143109.

Corkscrew you by Catherine Robertson

Could the guy she loves to hate turn out to be her perfect pairing? If Shelby Armstrong wants to keep her late father’s beloved Flora Valley Wines in business, she’ll have to listen to Nathan Durant’s advice. But given the fact that Shelby is all heart and Nate is nothing but tough love, bringing the winery back to life quickly becomes a battle of wills. Adult content advised. Flora Valley series, book 1. Has sequel: You’re so vine, 142753. Read by Christina Cie in 9 hours, 12 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 142752.

Romance

Twisted love by Ana Huang

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape. Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart. But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest: A crack. A melt. A fire that could end his world as he knew it. Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember. But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want. Her brother’s best friend. Her neighbour. Her saviour and her downfall. NZ Top 50. Twisted series, book 1. Has sequel: Twisted games, 142939. Read by Romy Hooper in 11 hours, 42 minutes. Published 2021. RNZFB. Book number 142938.

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California, Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team. Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins. Nate’s focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team—including Anastasia, who clearly can’t stand him. But when Anastasia’s skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot. Sparks fly, but Anastasia isn’t worried because she could never like a hockey player, right? NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Maple Hills series, book 1. Has sequel: Wildfire, not in collection. Read by Cheryl Lawton in 13 hours, 20 minutes. Published 2022. RNZFB. Book number 142970.

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get started. Lowen uncovers an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended anyone to read, with pages of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of the night their family was forever altered. Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate him. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit, if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her. Adult content advised. Read by Janice Finn in 8 hours, 40 minutes. Published 2021. RNZFB. Book number 142917.

How to end a love story by Yulin Kuang

Helen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard once in the thirteen years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever. Now she’s in Los Angeles, where the two have to work together. The result is messy, and electrifying. Read by Katharine Chin and Andrew Eiden in 11 hours, 6 minutes. Published 2024. Blackstone. Book number 143319.

The hidden girl by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker

Born and raised in a small village on the Yorkshire moors, Leah Thompson grows more beautiful with each passing day. When she catches the attention of the influential, troubled Delancey family, she knows her life will never be the same again. Years later, Leah takes the modelling world by storm, travelling from Milan to London and New York and living life in the lap of luxury. But her past follows her like a dark shadow, mysteriously intertwined with the tragic tale of two young siblings in Poland during the Second World War. As two generations of secrets threaten to explode, Leah is haunted by a fatal, forgotten prophecy from her past, and must fight to challenge the destiny that has been mapped out for her in the stars. Read by Wendy Karstens in 18 hours, 19 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143366.

Short Stories and Essays

Pretty ugly by Kristy Gunn

Contradictions, misunderstandings, oppositions, enigmas, provocations, challenges–these messy troubles are the stuff of life. In Pretty Ugly, Gunn reminds us of her unparalleled acumen in handling ambiguity and complication, which are essential grist to the storyteller’s mill. These 13 stories, set in New Zealand and in the UK, are a testament to Gunn’s unrivalled ability to look directly into the troubled human heart and draw out what dwells there. Gunn’s is a steady, unflinching gaze. In this collection, Gunn practises “reading and writing ugly” to pursue the deeper (and frequently uncomfortable) truths that lie under the surface, at the core of both human imagination and human rationality. Each story is an exquisite, thorn-sharp bouquet. Read by Janice Finn in 6 hours, 8 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143094.

New stories by Owen Marshall

So much is chance, don’t you think? Accidental meetings, unexpected turns in the road, job offers that take you into new territories: our lives seem arbitrary and unpredictable, as if at the whim of the god of fortune. In this latest, stunning collection of short stories by acclaimed writer Owen Marshall, people teeter on the brink of experience. From murder to an affair, to a promotion or a breakdown, the array of vivid characters aren’t always aware of what they encounter, not sure whether they are being given an opportunity, a challenge, a temptation, a lesson, or just another day to get through. Meanwhile, feelings of fear, lust, curiosity and frustration simmer beneath the surface. Adult content advised. Read by Margaret Blay in 9 hours, 57 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143221.

Spy Stories

The other woman by Daniel Silva

In an isolated village in the mountains of Andalusia, a mysterious Frenchwoman begins work on a dangerous memoir. It is the story of a man she once loved in the Beirut of old, and a child taken from her in treason’s name. The woman is the keeper of the Kremlin’s most closely guarded secret. Long ago, the KGB inserted a mole into the heart of the West a mole who stands on the doorstep of ultimate power. Only one man can unravel the conspiracy: Gabriel Allon, the legendary art restorer and assassin who serves as the chief of Israel’s vaunted secret intelligence service. Gabriel has battled the dark forces of the new Russia before, at great personal cost. Now he and the Russians will engage in a final epic showdown, with the fate of the postwar global order hanging in the balance. Adult content advised. Gabriel Allon series, book 18. Sequel to: House of spies, 141183. Has sequel: The new girl, in production. Read by Catriona MacLeod in 11 hours, 33 minutes. Published 2018. RNZFB. Book number 143068.

The Family

Behind you is the sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj

Three Palestinian immigrant families–the Baladis, the Salamehs, and the Ammars–have all found a different welcome in America. The wealthy Ammar family employs young Maysoon Baladi, whose own family struggles financially, to clean up after their spoiled teenagers. Meanwhile, Marcus Salameh confronts his father in an effort to protect his younger sister for “dishonouring” their name. Only a trip to Palestine, where Marcus experiences an unexpected and dramatic transformation, can bridge this seemingly unbridgeable divide between the two generations. Read by Rasha Zamamiri and Ali Nasser in 6 hours, 31 minutes. Published 2024. Blackstone. Book number 143321.

Thrillers

In too deep by Lee Child

Reacher had no idea where he was. No idea how he had got there. But someone must have brought him. And shackled him. And whoever had done those things was going to rue the day. That was for damn sure. Jack Reacher wakes up, alone, in the dark, handcuffed to a makeshift bed. His right arm has suffered some major damage. His few possessions are gone. He has no memory of getting there. The last thing Reacher can recall is the car he hitched a ride in getting run off the road. The driver was killed. His captors assume Reacher was the driver’s accomplice and patch up his wounds as they plan to make him talk. A plan that will backfire spectacularly. NZ Top 50. Jack Reacher series, book 29. Sequel to: The secret, 142235. Has sequel: Exit strategy, not yet in collection. Read by Owen Scott in 9 hours, 21 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143175.

17 years later by J.P. Pomare

The violent slaughter of the Primrose family while they slept shocked the nation. The family’s young live-in chef, Bill Kareama, was swiftly charged with murder and brought to justice. But the brutal crime scarred the idyllic town of Cambridge forever. Seventeen years later, true-crime podcaster Sloane Abbott tracks down prison psychologist TK Phillips. Once a fierce campaigner for an appeal, TK now lives a quiet life with Bill’s case firmly in his past. As Sloane lures a reluctant TK back into the fight, evidence emerges that casts new light on the Primroses–and who might have wanted them dead. Read by John Callen in 11 hours. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 142757.

Cross down by James Patterson & Brendan DuBois

Alex Cross makes his own rules; John Sampson enforces them. But when Alex is gravely injured, only his partner and friend Sampson can keep him safe. Alex Cross series, book 31. Sequel to: Triple Cross, 143312. Has sequel: Alex Cross must die,143320. Read by William Stephens, Kiff VandenHeuvel, Mela Lee, Inger Tudor, Zeno Robinson, Wayne Carr, & Peter Giles in 9 hours, 45 minutes. Published 2023. Blackstone. Book number 143318.

Remember me? by Amanda Rigby

Paul Henderson leads a normal life. A deputy headteacher at a good school, a loving relationship with girlfriend Jenna, and a baby on the way. Everything seems perfect. Until Paul receives a message from his ex-fiance Nicole. Beautiful, ambitious and fierce, Nicole is everything Jenna is not. And now it seems Nicole is back, and she has a score to settle with Paul. But Paul can’t understand how Nicole is back. Because he’s pretty sure he killed her with his own bare hands. Which means, someone else knows the truth about what happened that night. And they’ll stop at nothing to make Paul pay. Read by Thomas Judd in 8 hours, 53 minutes. Published 2021. Ulverscroft. Book number 143208.

The secret by Lee and Andrew Child

Chicago. 1992. A hospital patient wakes to find two strangers by his bed. They show him a list of names and ask a simple but impossible question. Minutes later he falls to his death from his twelfth-floor window–a fall which generates some unexpected attention. That attention comes from the Secretary of Defense, who calls for an inter-agency task force to investigate. Jack Reacher, recently demoted from Major, is assigned as the Army’s representative. If he gets a result, great. If not, he’s a convenient fall guy. Adult content advised. Jack Reacher series, book 28. Sequel to: No plan B, 141109. Has sequel: In too deep, 143175. Read by Synthetic speech in 8 hours, 19 minutes. Published 2023. RNZFB. Book number 142235.

The roots of evil by Quintin Jardine

When struggling ex-copper Terry Coats was discovered in bed with an air hostess, his excuse that he was “going undercover” cut no ice with the force, or his wife. But now he’s been brutally killed on Hogmanay night, it seems there may have been more to his plea … Bob Skinner series, book 32. Sequel to: The bad fire, 142015. Has sequel: Deadlock, 142017. Read by James Bryce in 11 hours, 25 minutes. Published 2020. Ulverscroft. Book number 142016.

War Stories

Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

The thunder of the guns could be heard in Rome, 170 miles away … Having survived the horrors of the Eastern Front, the 27th Penal Regiment are posted to Italy. Hitler has ordered that every position must be held to the last, and every lost position recaptured by counter-attack. Monte Cassino–a major look-out post on the German defensive line–is under attack. Legion of the Damned series, book 6. Sequel to: Assignment Gestapo, 142632. Has sequel: Liquidate Paris, 143140. Read by Kevin Keys in 8 hours, 16 minutes. Published 2010. RNZFB. Book number 142633.

eBraille and Braille Books

This issue contains eBraille and Braille books added to the collection. Adult braille books have an EBraille number as they are embossed upon request. Titles with more than five volumes will only be provided as eBraille. Please contact us to enquire as to whether a particular title is available for embossing.

Abbreviations:

  • UEB: Unified English Braille Code
  • EBraille: Electronic braille books
  • CNIB: (Formerly known as) Canadian National Institute for the Blind
  • f.: Computer file available for embossing

The following braille books are contracted, single-spaced and double sided.

Braille Adult Non-Fiction

Authors (Biography)

The life of Dai by Dai Henwood

Dai Henwood wanted to be a comedian even before he knew what a comedian was. He always knew there was something special in being able to make people laugh. Over a 25-year career, the much-loved Kiwi entertainer and TV host has won every major comedy award in New Zealand. But in January 2023, Dai shared publicly that three years earlier he had been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer. Perhaps the ultimate teacher for what really matters, Dai’s incurable cancer has shown him a new way of living that embraces small moments of perfection and cherishes things we often overlook. Contracted, 9 files. Published 2024. RNZFB. EBraille 142933.

Musical History

Musical History Into the groove: the story of sound from tin foil to vinyl by Jonathan Scott

In Into the Groove, vinyl collector and music buff Jonathan Scott dissects a mind-blowing feat that we all take for granted today–the domestication of sound. Thomas Edison’s phonograph, the first device that could both record and reproduce sound, represented an important turning point in the story of recorded sound, but it was only the tip of the iceberg, and came after decades of invention, tinkering and experimentation. Scott traces the birth of sound back to the earliest serious attempts in the 1850s, celebrating the ingenuity, rivalries and science of the modulated groove. He examines the first attempts to record and reproduce sounds, the origins of the phonograph, and the development of commercial shellac discs. Then he divulges the fascinating story of the LP record, from the rise of electric recording to the fall of 7-inch vinyl, the competing speed and format wars, and an epilogue that takes the story up to the present-day return of vinyl to vogue. Into the Groove uncovers tales of intrigue and betrayal, court battles and lesser-known names who are often left out of most histories. Discover a new appreciation of the not-so-simple black disc that holds a special place in the history of music and sound. Contracted, 6 files. Published 2023. NLS. EBraille 143063.

NZ and Pacific Non-Fiction

Evolving: finding health and happiness as we age by Judy Bailey

When beloved broadcaster Judy Bailey signed off her final news bulletin in 2005, she had no idea that the next years would be some of the most fulfilling of her life. In Evolving, Judy shares new science and personal stories that have shaped her own path into older age. She tackles subjects like taking care of your body and mind through to organising finances, navigating health scares, grieving loved ones, and enjoying the finer things. Age is no picnic but we shouldn’t feel afraid of a path so many have walked before us. Contracted, 9 files. Published, 2024. RNZFB. EBraille 142930.

Sportspeople (Biography)

View from the second row by Samuel Whitelock

The most capped All Black in history speaks for the record about his storied career, spanning four World Cups, nine Super Rugby finals and 153 appearances in the black jersey. After making his debut for New Zealand in 2010 at the age of 21, Samuel Whitelock was selected for the 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign. He played in all seven matches and emerged victorious with the nation’s first trophy since 1987. Four years later he played in all seven matches of the 2015 tournament, becoming one of an elite group of players to win back-to-back World Cups. Whitelock was instrumental in the most successful period of All Blacks rugby in the modern era, and in his retirement year he topped off his domestic career with a performance for the ages, and a record run of championships for the Crusaders. Contracted, 15 computer files. Published 2024. RNZFB. EBraille 142935.

Travel Writing

The ride of her life: the true story of a woman, her horse, and their last-chance journey across America by Elizabeth Letts

The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean. The author recounts her adventure, which included crushing storms, celebrity encounters, and harrowing stretches of highways. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. Annie had little idea what to expect beyond her rural crossroads; she didn’t even have a map. But she did have her ex-racehorse, her faithful mutt, and her own unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness. Annie, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, rode straight into a world transformed by the rapid construction of modern highways. Between 1954 and 1956, they pushed through blizzards, forded rivers, climbed mountains, and clung to the narrow shoulder as cars whipped by them at terrifying speeds. Annie rode more than four thousand miles, through America’s big cities and small towns. Along the way, she met ordinary people and celebrities–from Andrew Wyeth (who sketched Tarzan) to Art Linkletter and Groucho Marx. She received many offers–a permanent home at a riding stable in New Jersey, a job at a gas station in rural Kentucky, even a marriage proposal from a Wyoming rancher. In a decade when car ownership nearly tripled, when television’s influence was expanding fast, when homeowners began locking their doors, Annie and her four-footed companions inspired an outpouring of neighbourliness in a rapidly changing world. Contracted, 7 files. Published 2021. NLS. EBraille 143064.

War Memories (Biography)

The last secret agent: the untold story of my life as a spy behind enemy lines by Pippa Latour with Jude Dobson

This is the astounding true story of one of the last female special operation agents in France to get out alive after its liberation in WWII. Born in 1921, Pippa Latour was a covert special operations agent who parachuted into a field in Nazi-occupied Normandy. Trained by the British as a Special Operations Executive, Pippa was lauded for her fluency with languages and her coding ability–both attributes she put to remarkable use as she posed as a teenage soap seller, often selling soap to the German soldiers, and sending back information via code to the UK. Pippa continued her mission until France’s liberation in August 1944. For decades, Pippa told no one–not even her family–of her incredible feats during WWII. Now, for the first time, her story can be told in full. Contracted, 12 files, UEB. Published 2024. RNZFB. EBraille 143510.

Braille Adult Fiction

Fantasy

The two towers: being the second part of The lord of the rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

In this second volume of The Lord of the Rings, the now-separated companions of the Ring meet Saruman the wizard, cross the Dead Marshes, and prepare for the Great War in which the power of the Ring will be undone. Lord Of The Rings series, book 2. Sequel to: The fellowship of the ring, 143096. Has sequel: The return of the king, 143098. Contracted, 5 files. Published 1976. NLS. EBraille 143097.

Mystery And Detective Stories

The resistance man by Martin Walker

Chief Bruno must balance the demands on his time and expertise, including the complex affections of two powerful women, his irrepressible puppy, and a mounting crime wave whose seemingly unrelated events Bruno begins to suspect are linked. Meanwhile, a Resistance veteran is linked after his death to a notorious train robbery. Adult content advised. Bruno, Chief of Police series, book 6. Sequel to: The devil’s cave, 142999. Has sequel: The children return,143001. Contracted, 5 files. Published 2013. NLS. EBraille 143000.

The children return by Martin Walker

When police chief Bruno is invited to the lavish birthday celebration of World War II flying ace Marco “the Patriarch” Desaix, it’s the fulfillment of a boyhood dream. But when the party ends with the death of Marco’s friend Gilbert, Bruno is back on the job. Adult content advised. Bruno, Chief of Police series, book 7. Sequel to: The resistance man, 143000. Has sequel: The patriarch, 143002. Contracted 5 files. Published 2016. NLS. EBraille 143001.

The patriarch by Martin Walker

An undercover French Muslim cop is found dead after calling Chief Bruno for help only hours earlier. Meanwhile, one of Bruno’s old army comrades helps smuggle Muslim youth Sami from a French army base in Afghanistan. But then an American woman appears in St. Denis to extradite him. Adult content advised. Bruno, Chief of Police series, book 8. Sequel to: The children return, 143001. Has sequel: Fatal pursuit, not yet in collection. Contracted 5 files. Published 2016. NLS. EBraille 143002.

Science Fiction

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

In the near future, a lone human amidst genetically engineered creatures torments himself with memories of the devastation of the natural world. Calling himself “Snowman,” he recalls the role of his best friend Crake and mourns the loss of their mutually beloved Oryx. Adult content advised. Contracted 3 files. Published 2003. NLS. EBraille 143283.

The left hand of darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

On an alien world in the middle of an Ice Age, one man prepares for the biggest mission of his life. Alone and unarmed, Genly Ai has been sent from Earth to persuade the people of Gethen to join the Ekumen, a union of planets. But it’s a task fraught with danger. Genly is shocking to the natives, for Gethen is a world in which humans are ambigendered—everyone can be a mother, and everyone can be a father. First Minister Estraven is the only person who champions Genly’s cause, but their relationship is deeply incomprehensible and troubling. As the duo embark on a journey that will take them to the edge of their physical and emotional endurance, the stakes are high—to save a world from war, and save their own lives. Ursula Le Guin’s award-winning masterpiece was one of the first feminist SF novels, and this compelling dramatisation is both a subtle exploration of gender and a thrilling tale of love, betrayal and survival in a landscape of endless snow and ice. Contracted 3 files. Published 1969. NLS. EBraille 143284.

Thrillers

8 months left by James Patterson

Jane Smith is running out of time. Her repeat client, Rob Jacobson, is the unluckiest of the unlucky. No sooner is he accused of killing a family of three in the Hamptons than a second family is gunned down. He says he’s being set up again. Despite the odds, Jane believes him. Now she must mount the most complex investigation of her career. But she’s facing her own battle too. A terminal medical condition. The defence may never rest. Contracted 12 files. Published 2024. RNZFB. EBraille 143489.

Youth Collection

Adventure Stories

Kitty at St Clare’s by Pamela Cox

Kitty Flaherty is joining the third form, along with her pet goat McGinty! The girls know this term is going to be full of fun, but it’s also full of upset when Pat misses the first few weeks, thanks to a broken arm, and another new girl, Amanda, seizes the opportunity to become Isabel’s best friend. Read by Margaret Blay in 3 hours, 47 minutes. St Clare’s series, book 9. Sequel to: The sixth form at St Clare’s, 142370. Published 2016. BLVNZ. Book number 142371.

Fantasy

Wrath Of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson has saved the world multiple times–battling monsters, Titans, even death himself–so graduating high school should be a breeze, right? Wrong. Percy needs three recommendation letters from the gods before his final year in high school comes to an end. And one thing Percy knows, the gods on Mount Olympus don’t do anything for free. NZ Top 50. Read by Christina Cie in 8 hours, 28 minutes. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: book 7. Sequel to: The Chalice of the Gods, 143233. Published 2024. BLVNZ. Book number 143234.

Mystery And Detective Stories

Super Sleuth by David Walliams, illustrated by Adam Stower

Dilly loved a good murder. Not a real murder. A made-up murder. One you would find in a murder mystery novel. Sherlock Holmes was her favourite detective, so much so that she had named her dog Watson after his faithful companion. Dilly had trained her Watson to sniff out clues and follow scent trails. Something he would happily do for a dog biscuit. Or two. So far, Dilly and Watson hadn’t had much luck cracking cases, beyond lost cats, or missing biscuits that turned out to have been eaten all along. But now the detective duo found themselves on a luxury ocean liner bound for London. A thousand passengers. A thousand nautical miles of ocean around them. It was the perfect place for a murder. NZ Top 50. Read by Christina Cie in 4 hours, 27 minutes. Published 2024. BLVNZ. Book number 143194.

Science Fiction

The ballad of songbirds and snakes by Suzanne Collins

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined–every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favour or failure, triumph or ruin. NZ Top 50. Hunger games series, book 0. Has sequel: The Hunger Games, 71431. Read by Wendy Karstens in 18 hours, 53 minutes. Published 2020. RNZFB. Book number 143148.

War Stories

As long as the lemon trees grow by Zoulfa Katouh

Salama struggles to live a normal life in Syria amid the revolution, but she longs to escape. But she must contend with bullets and bombs and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. Read by Rasha Zamamiri in 12 hours, 16 minutes. Published 2022. Blackstone. Book number 143310.

Abbreviations

  • BA: Blackstone Audio Inc.
  • BN: DAISY audio Book Number
  • CNIB: (formerly known as) Canadian National Institute for the Blind
  • NLS: National Library Service
  • RNIB: Royal National Institute of Blind People
  • RNZFB/BLVNZ: Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind/Blind Low Vision NZ
  • Ulv: Ulverscroft
  • VAILS: Vision Australia Information and Library Service