Skip to main content
Donate

Sound and Touch

Sound and Touch June 2024

Library News

Library Recommendations

Winter is settling in so find a cosy warm spot, maybe even tucked up in bed and enjoy some of the many quality books that have recently been added to the Blind Low Vision New Zealand Library. Some to look out for include:

Winner of the Booker Prize 2023, Prophet Song by Irish author Paul Lynch, the bestselling book in Ireland, including fiction and nonfiction of 2023.  This dystopian novel depicts the struggles of the Stack family, particularly Eilish Stack, a mother of four who is trying to save her family as the Republic of Ireland slips into totalitarianism. Expertly narrated in our studios by Catriona MacLeod, book number 142353.

Boy swallow’s universe is a debut novel written by Australian author Trent Dalton. Published in 2018 and aired on Netflix as a limited series in 2024. It has won several Australian book awards and has been translated into many languages and has become the fastest selling debut novel in Australian history selling more than a million copies worldwide. This coming-of-age story is set in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1983. Eli Bell is a traumatised teenager with an absent father, a mute brother, an imprisoned mother, and a heroin dealer for a stepfather, book number 142584.

From a New Zealand author, The forgotten forest: in search of the lost plants and fungi of Aotearoa by Robert Vennell. The Forgotten Forest is a celebration of the little things that pass us by and will forever transform a simple walk in the bush, book number 142232. This was produced with the kind donations from Roger Kan in memory of his late wife Jessie.

New Zealand author Peter Hamilton has kindly donated his audio version of New Moons for Sam, he had narrated by one of our narrators Paul Barratt. It is a published memoir of a rare insider’s account of how New Zealand conducts its diplomacy, forges alliances and makes the most of its position as a small South Pacific country on a global stage. Peter believes this will appeal to older New Zealanders who might have migrated from the UK in the 50s and 60s and grown up in rural Waikato, along with those interested in international relations and diplomacy New Zealand style, book number 141479.

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.

Shifting grounds: deep histories of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland by Lucy Macintosh

Lucy Mackintosh’s stunning non-fiction book Shifting Grounds, a finalist in the 2022 Ockham Book Awards, provides a rare historical assessment of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s past, with stories and findings that deepen our understanding of New Zealand. The author dives deeply into three specific places, Pukekawa (Auckland Domain), Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) and the Otuataua Stonefields of Ihumato. With expert narration from Paul Barrett, plus te reo excerpts narrated by Kayne Peters, Shifting Grounds is a wonderful book that throws new light on histories, more than just the three sites, and encourages the reader to look differently at New Zealand landscapes. Book number 141587.

Story of two campaigns: official war history of the Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment, 1914-1919 by C.G. Nicol.

C.G. Nicol’s recounting of the First World War experiences of the Auckland Mounted Rifles during the First World War was first published in 1921, less than five years after the conclusion of the Great War. This account was therefore recent history at the time of publication. A great many young New Zealand men fought and perished, surnames familiar to many, and at the time of publication almost every family was affected by the huge loss of life and sacrifice made. Expert narration from John Leigh, this is the true story of the Auckland Mounted Rifles (A.M.R.). a wartime regiment formed in August 1914 from the three Territorial mounted rifle regiments in the Auckland Military District – 3rd Auckland, 4th Waikato, and the 11th North Auckland. They supplied the officers and most of the NCOs for the new regiment and the three squadrons were named after their Territorial parents. The Regiment sailed for Egypt in October 1914, arriving at Alexandria in December, and five months later it embarked for Gallipoli. For seven months the A.M.R. fought in that campaign, suffering some 530 casualties of whom just over 200 died. In December 1915 the Regiment was taken off and returned to Egypt from where, at the end of May 1916, it embarked on the second campaign, in the Sinai and then Palestine where it served to the end. There are Rolls of Honour and lists of wounded for each campaign and finally a list of Honours and Awards. Book number 142345.

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.

Over the last year we would like to thank the following funders for continuing to support the Alexa roll-out:

  • Pelorus Trust
  • One Foundation
  • Ray Watts Charitable Trust
  • Zelda Roberts Trust
  • E J Price Charitable Trust

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

  • Room-Simmonds Charitable Trust

Feedback for Studios

We are always interested to hear about the listening experiences of members using the books and magazines available through our Library service.  Any time you find a book that’s not working the way it should, please let us know so we can investigate it for you and fix it if necessary. This is not about stories with unsatisfactory endings or books with opinions you disagree with – we can’t fix that! This is about books in which the navigation doesn’t work, or chapters won’t play, which we can usually sort out. You are welcome to email us – library@blindlowvision.org.nz – or phone us through the Contact Centre: 0800 24 33 33.

Recent releases from our studios

The brightest night by Tui T. Sutherland

Sunny has always taken the Dragonet Prophecy very seriously, so Morrowseer’s devastating news changes everything now she must forge a new identity and find a way to stop the futile and destructive war between the dragon clans. Wings of fire series, book 5. Sequel to: The dark secret, book number 140718. Has sequel: Moon rising, book number 142485. Read by Wendy Karstens in 9 hours, 11 minutes. Book number 142484.

New DAISY audio

This issue contains DAISY audio books added to the collection since the last issue of Sound and Touch in March 2024.

Moon rising by Tui T. Sutherland

When Moonwatcher, a young Night Wing with secret powers, begins school at the academy started by the dragonets of destiny after the end of the war, she soon realizes that someone is attacking the students. Moon must choose whether to help or continue to hide her gifts. Wings of fire series, book 6. Sequel to: The brightest night, book number 142484. Has sequel: Winter turning, not yet in collection. Read by Wendy Karstens in 8 hours, 43 minutes. Book number 142485.

Adult Non-Fiction

Australia and the Pacific

Tracker: stories of Tracker Tilmouth by Alexis Wright

Alexis Wright returns to non-fiction in her new book, a collective memoir of the charismatic Aboriginal leader, political thinker and entrepreneur Tracker Tilmouth, who died in Darwin in 2015 at the age of 62. Taken from his family as a child and brought up in a mission on Croker Island, Tracker Tilmouth worked tirelessly for Aboriginal self-determination, creating opportunities for land use and economic development in his many roles, including Director of the Central Land Council of the Northern Territory. Tracker was a visionary, a strategist and a projector of ideas, renowned for his irreverent humour and his determination to tell things the way he saw them. Having known him for many years, Alexis Wright interviewed Tracker, along with family, friends, colleagues, and the politicians he influenced, weaving his and their stories together in a book that is as much a testament to the powerful role played by storytelling in contemporary Aboriginal life as it is to the legacy of an extraordinary man. Read by Tony Thomas in 22 hours, 20 minutes. VisAbility. Book number 142620.

Bush bashers by Len Beadell

Len Beadell’s “Gunbarrel Road Construction Party” built a network of roads stretching 6500 kilometres across almost unknown wilderness in Central Australia. Beadell tells the story of his second road – 1600 kilometres from east to west, from South Australia to West Australia through the heart of the Great Victoria Desert. Construction took years, as the road was driven through the almost impenetrable territory which, until Beadell’s bulldozer came along, had stopped everything but camels. Read by Robert De Graauw in 5 hours, 6 minutes. VisAbility. Book number 141870.

Authors (Biography)

Katherine Mansfield’s Europe: Station to station by Redmer Yska

Katherine Mansfield’s Europe is part travelogue, part literary biography, part detective story and part ghost story. Guided by Mansfield’s journals and letters, author Redmer Yska pursues the traces of her restless journeying in Europe, seeking out the places where she lived, worked and – a century ago this year – died. Adult content advised. Read by Catriona MacLeod in 9 hours, 47 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142354.

A bloody good rant: my passions, memories, and demons by Thomas Keneally

Thomas Keneally has been observing, reflecting on and writing about Australia and the human condition for well over fifty years. In this deeply personal, passionately drawn and richly tuned collection he now turns inwards to reflect on what has been important to him, drawing on a lifetime of engagement with the great issues of our recent history and his own moments of discovery and understanding. He writes with unbounded joy of being a grandparent, and with intimacy and insight about the prospect of death and the meaning of faith. He is outraged about the treatment of Indigenous Australians and refugees, and argues fiercely against market economics and the cowardice of climate change deniers. And he introduces us to some of the people, both great and small, who have dappled his life. Read by Jim Daly in 14 hours, 51 minutes. WS. Book number 142562.

Crime and the Law

The Crewe murders: inside New Zealand’s most infamous cold case by Kirsty Johnston and James Hollings

The murder of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe in their Pukekawa farmhouse in 1970 remains New Zealand’s most infamous cold case. It spawned two trials, two appeals, several books, a film, and eventually a royal commission finding of police corruption. It also resulted in a free pardon, the only time the New Zealand government has bypassed the courts to set a convicted murderer free. And still, the Crewes’ killer has not been found. Combining gripping narrative, detailed research and striking new testimony from those who were there, this book tells the complete story of the case for the first time. Read by Owen Scott in 11 hours, 25 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142280.

The snakehead: an epic tale of the Chinatown underworld and the American dream by Patrick Radden Keefe

Recounts the rise of “Sister” Ping, a Chinese woman who immigrated to New York in 1981 and founded a multimillion-dollar underground banking and people-smuggling, or “snakehead,” enterprise. Details the inner workings of her global criminal empire and the law enforcement investigation that led to her arrest in 2000. Read by Mary Kane in 12 hours, 44 minutes. NLS. Book number 142080.

General Non-Fiction

The house of Morgan: An American banking dynasty and the rise of modern finance by Ron Chernow

A look at the most powerful family of banks in America, and the influence they have had on Western economy from the late eighteenth century through the late 1980s, with emphasis on the twentieth century. The author discusses the firms that comprise the House of Morgan, the bank’s dealings with governments and individuals, and prominent family members. Read by Lou Harpenau in 32 hours, 54 minutes. NLS. Book number 142299.

Health and Wellbeing

Braving the wilderness: The quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone by Brené Brown

Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives, experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. Now Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. Brown argues that we’re experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection, and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other, and that path cuts right through the wilderness. Read by Wendy Karstens in 5 hours, 24 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 141951.

The Untethered Soul: the journey beyond yourself by Michael A. Singer

Michael Singer a spiritual teacher explores the question of who we are. Uses the traditions of meditation and mindfulness to illustrate the development of consciousness. Discusses the notion of self and the experiences of energy, enlightenment, and unconditional happiness. Includes exercises. Read by Jack Fox in 6 hours, 8 minutes. NLS. Book number 142583.

Happiness is a serious problem: a human nature repair manual by Dennis Prager

The authors insist that anti-Semitism is not just another example of racial, social, or economic bigotry. They believe the ultimate reason for deep-seated hatred against Jews is to be found in the religious beliefs of Judaism. Read by Erik Sandvold in 5 hours, 33 minutes. NLS. Book number 141788.

Help for depression and anxiety: how to have a happy and healthy nervous system by Sandra Cabot

This book aims to give you practical help and understanding of the use of prescribed antidepressant drugs, natural hormones and natural dietary supplements that can strengthen the emotional system and indeed your whole brain. Read by multiple narrators in 3 hours, 50 minutes. NLS. Book number 140964.

I can see clearly now: understanding and managing blindness and low vision by Cameron Algie

This is a comprehensive, highly readable guide for the blind and vision impaired, their sighted families and friends, professionals, service providers and employers. It shows how someone can successfully adjust to vision impairment, and dispels fears, misinformation and prejudices. The book has 18 chapters divided into three parts. In the first part, I look at some of the main causes of vision loss, and discuss the complex psychological aspects of blindness and how to overcome grief, fear and anxiety. I also examine the disempowering nature of sighted people’s attitudes and explain how those with vision impairment can assert their own independence. In part two, I look at education, work, parenting, the teenage years and dating, gender and schooling to provide practical illustrations of how to manage sight loss. I use many insights gained from discussion groups to show the range and depth of experiences, insights and solutions in these important areas. Part three offers sensible advice on being independent in the home, keeping mobile, finding the latest technology, and working with hobbies. Practical tips cover cooking, cleaning, applying make-up, shaving, working in the shed, shopping, white canes, guide dogs, public transport, apps and software, the best gadgets, and many more aspects affecting day-to-day life. Read by Barry Leviny in 11 hours, 10 minutes. VA. Book number 142171.

Musicians (Biography)

Jenny McLeod: a life in music by Norman Meehan

Jenny McLeod was the sensation of New Zealand music. Born in 1941, at age five she discovered she could read music fluently. After a childhood in Timaru and Levin, she went on to study music with Douglas Lilburn and Frederick Page at Victoria University College, and in Europe with two imposing figures of mid-twentieth century modernism: Olivier Messiaen and Karlheinz Stockhausen. In 1967 she joined Victoria University’s music department and was soon appointed New Zealand’s youngest full professor. Two large public works for orchestra and children’s choirs – Earth and Sky (1968) and Under the Sun (1971) – were seen by thousands and made her famous. In 1976 her devotion to Maharaj Ji’s Divine Light Mission led to her early retirement from the university. However, her retirement from musical life was short-lived, and she was a prolific composer until her death in 2022. Drawing on his many conversations with Jenny McLeod, as well as her writings, letters and works, Norman Meehan brings the story of this remarkable composer to life. Read by Margaret Blay in 14 hours, 59 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142348.

My name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture. In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career, from growing up in Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to her breakout performance in Funny Girl (musical and film) to the long string of successes in every medium in the years that followed. Adult content advised. Read by Cheryl Lawton in 40 hours, 17 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142414.

Nature And Animals

The forgotten forest: in search of the lost plants and fungi of Aotearoa by Robert Vennell

Over looked and unsung, this is the forgotten forest: a world of glow-in-the-dark mushrooms and giant mosses, where slime moulds travel the forest in search of prey and ancient lichens live for thousands of years. Join bestselling author Robert Vennell on a walk through this fantastical forest, wandering through tales from history, science, and spirituality in search of these weird and wonderful species. Filled with beautiful historical artworks and illustrations, The Forgotten Forest is a celebration of the little things that pass us by and will forever transform a simple walk in the bush. Read by Bruce Hopkins in 5 hours, 49 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142232.

NZ and Pacific Non-Fiction

From dog collar to dog collar by Bruce Howat

New Zealander Bruce Howat spent many years as a Police Dog Handler until a tragic event ended this career. His recovery from a stabbing event and the effect it had on his life is told with stunning honesty and courage. He fought back to health and well being by sheer tenacity to complete a theological degree and become a Minister of the Church. He used a combination of his own moral strength and the life skills he learnt in his role with the police to overcome loss and adversity. Read by John Reynolds in 6 hours, 55 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 141602.

Grey’s folly by Alan La Roche

A new history of south-eastern Auckland from Maori, (written by Nathew Green, Ngaitai historian), the missionaries, European settlement of the Fencibles of Howick, settlers and immigrants. Read by Paul Barrett in 26 hours, 18 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142526.

Snorkelling the abyss: one woman, striving to survive, fighting for survivors by Jan Jordan

“Snorkelling the Abyss” explores the two worlds of one woman and the apparently unnavigable void between them. With searing honesty, Jan Jordan shows how she fought to free herself from an inner culture of self-loathing and the external culture of her childhood that repressed “feelings” and ignored psychic pain – including changing her name from Janet Robinson. Only then could she work towards transforming the rape culture of Aotearoa. Adult content advised. Read by Anne Speir in 9 hours, 52 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142411.

New moons for Sam: Becoming Kiwi, life of a New Zealand diplomat by Peter Hamilton

In 1961, Peter Hamilton embarked with his family on a six-week voyage from Somerset to New Zealand. He left behind an English village where generations of his family had lived, to make a new home in a remote country that was still closely tied to the one he’d left. Despite challenges adapting as new immigrants, these were good times to be growing up in rural New Zealand. But the country was about to embark on its own change as ties with Britain were loosening and a more outward-looking, confident and diverse nation was emerging. Peter Hamilton joined the diplomatic service as this change was getting underway and his four-decade career saw him leading diplomatic and free trade efforts with traditional and new partners at a time of unprecedented international change for his adopted country. This book is a rare insider’s account of how New Zealand conducts its diplomacy, forges alliances and makes the most of its position as a small South Pacific country on a global stage. Read by Paul Barrett in 14 hours, 2 minutes. Audiobooks NZ. Book number 141479.

Our untold stories: extraordinary tales from New Zealand’s past by Tom Clarke

Our Untold Stories brings to light tales of human tragedies, bravery and daring endeavours, famous firsts and scandalous behaviour. Stories that reflect the enormous changes that have occurred in the opinions, beliefs and attitudes of New Zealanders over the years – stories that are hugely entertaining, enlightening and educational. Read by John Callen in  8 hours, 28 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142349.

Politics (Biography)

On the record by Steven Joyce

Steven Joyce was one of the most senior ministers in the Key National Government and the National Party’s campaign strategist from 2005. He entered Parliament in 2008 when National came back into power and led the party’s winning campaigns in 2011 and 2014. John Key, Bill English and Steven Joyce were the three key powerbrokers of the Key government, with Joyce being both strategist and enforcer of party discipline. Joyce was a senior minister for nearly all of his 10 years in Parliament. He gained a reputation as “minister for everything” when then-Prime Minister John Key took to sending him in to clean up messes like the Novopay debacle and chose him to run the new super-ministry, the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). He spent eight years as an effective apprentice to former Finance Minister Bill English, before becoming Finance Minister when English became Prime Minister. He has also held the heavyweight transport and infrastructure portfolios. Joyce reveals what it takes to win and keep office, and the secrets behind the strategy and campaigning that led to National being in power for almost a decade. Read by Wendy Karstens in 12 hours, 50 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142199.

My early life by Winston Churchill

The first twenty-five years of Churchill’s life were full of adventure: night marches, cavalry charges, skirmishes on the North West Frontier, escape from a Boer prison camp and a visit to the Cuban War. Acknowledged as his best book, his zest for life bursts right off the page of My Early Life. Yet this is more than just an adventure story. It is an elegiac portrayal of the halcyon period of Edwardian content before the First World War, and deeply revealing of one of the dominating personalities of the twentieth century. Read by John Leigh in 13 hours, 27 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142352.

Sport

The hundred years’ war: All Blacks vs Springboks by Jamie Wall

The All Blacks and the Springboks have the most fearsome and controversial rivalry in rugby. The Hundred Years’ War is the story of the intense competition between the All Blacks and the Springboks over the past 100 years, the games they’ve played and the battles that have raged from parliaments to the streets. It’s an examination of two cultures brought together by rugby, torn apart by racism, then brought back together to forge a new era of rivalry. There are heroes and villains on both sides, on and off the field. For every tale of battling the Boks on the highveld or in the mud of a New Zealand winter, there’s one of political intrigue, injustice, or cowardice. The events off the field have dramatically shaped those on it, as both the nations and the teams have undergone huge changes. Read by John Reynolds in 8 hours, 55 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142166.

Wars

The jungle is neutral by F. Spencer Chapman

When Singapore fell to the Japanese in December 1941, Captain Freddie Spencer Chapman chose to take the fight to the enemy. Trekking deep behind enemy lines into the jungle, this veteran explorer turned special forces operative unleashed a one-man commando campaign of such destructive power and lethal ferocity that the Japanese deployed a Regiment of four thousand men in a desperate effort to hunt him down. For three-and-a-half years he was cut off from Allied support. Read by Leighton Pugh in 16 hours, 40 minutes. WS. Book number 142571.

The brave women of the Gulf wars: Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom by Karen Zeinert

Traces the roots of the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and the subsequent United States military operations in Iraq. Discusses the roles of women in modern warfare – as soldiers, correspondents, medics, and prisoners of war – as well as their peace efforts on the home front. Read by Kerry Dukin in 3 hours, 16 minutes. NLS. Book number 141678.

War Memories (Biography)

Boldness be my friend by Richard Pape

Classic adventure tale of a British airman’s escape from German-occupied Europe in World War II. Describes the activities of the anti-Nazi underground in Eastern Europe, which provided Pape’s escape route. Adult content advised. Read by George Holmes in 14 hours, 47 minutes. NLS. Book number 142483.

World History and Travel

A history of the Middle East by Peter Mansfield

Over the centuries the Middle East has confounded the dreams of conquerors and peacemakers alike. This now-classic book, fully updated to 2009, follows the historic struggles of the region over the last two hundred years, from Napoleon’s assault on Egypt, through the slow decline and fall of the Ottoman Empire, to the painful emergence of modern nations, the Palestinian question and Islamic resurgence. Read by Richard Brown in 17 hours, 3 minutes. VisAbility. Book number 140965.

Adult Fiction

Australian Stories

Boy swallow’s universe by Trent Dalton

Brisbane, 1983: A lost father, a mute brother, a mum in jail, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crim for a babysitter. It’s not as if Eli’s life isn’t complicated enough already. He’s just trying to follow his heart, learning what it takes to be a good man, but life just keeps throwing obstacles in the way. But Eli’s life is about to get a whole lot more serious. He’s about to fall in love. And, oh yeah, he has to break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day, to save his mum. Adult content advised. Read by Stig Wemyss in 16 hours, 37 minutes. VisAbility. Book number 142584.

Crime Fiction

American assassin by Vince Flynn

CIA operations director Thomas Stansfield entrusts Irene Kennedy and Stan Hurley with forming a clandestine group to counter the threat of Islamic militants after the 1988 Lockerbie plane disaster. College athlete Mitch Rapp, whose girlfriend died flying home, is recruited and sent to Istanbul. Adult content advised. Mitch Rapp series, book 1. Has sequel: Kill shot, book number 141686. Read by Jack Fox in 11 hours, 22 minutes. NLS. Book number 141685.

The night fire by Michael Connelly

Back when Harry Bosch was just a rookie homicide detective, he had an inspiring mentor who taught him to take the work personally and fight for every case. Now that mentor, J.J. Thompson, is dead, but after his funeral his widow hands Bosch a murder book that Thompson took outlining the unsolved killing of a

troubled young man. Adult content advised. Harry Bosch series, book 22. Sequel to: Dark sacred night, book number, 134537. Has sequel: The dark hours, book number 140032. Read by Synthetic speech in 10 hours, 14 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 141971.

The murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley

The sudden death of a pupil in Fleat House at St Stephens, a small private boarding school in deepest Norfolk, is a shocking event that the headmaster is very keen to call a tragic accident. But the local police cannot rule out foul play and the case prompts the return of high-flying Detective Inspector Jazmine Jazz Hunter to the force. Read by Gemma Whelan in 11 hours, 39 minutes. VisAbility. Book number 142536.

Historical Novels

The tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Based on the incredible true story of the Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist and the woman he loved. Lale is put to work in the privileged position of Tätowierer – the tattooist – to mark his fellow prisoners, forever. He falls in love with a young woman prisoner and with a new purpose to his life, Lale does his best through the struggle and suffering to use his position for good. Adult content advised. Read by Robert De Graauw and Marilyn Barclay in 8 hours, 24 minutes. VisAbility. Book number 102563.

Where the light enters by Sara Donati

Dr. Sophie Savard, daughter of free people of colour, returns home to the achingly familiar rhythms of Manhattan in the early spring of 1884 to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. With the help of Dr. Anna Savard, her dearest friend, cousin, and fellow physician she plans to continue her work aiding the disadvantaged women society would rather forget. As Sophie sets out to construct a new life for herself, Anna’s husband, Detective-Sergeant Jack Mezzanotte calls on them both to consult on two new cases: the wife of a prominent banker has disappeared into thin air, and the corpse of a young woman is found with baffling wounds that suggest a killer is on the loose. In New York it seems that the advancement of women has brought out the worst in some men. Unable to ignore the plight of New York’s less fortunate, these intrepid cousins draw on all resources to protect their patients. Adult content advised. The Waverly Place series, book 2. Sequel to: The Gilded Hour, book number 87148. Read by Bronwyn Bradley and Donna Brookbanks in 23 hours, 20 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 140614.

Wandering souls by Cecile Pin

There are the goodbyes and then the fishing out of the bodies – everything in between is speculation. One night, not long after the last American troops leave Vietnam, siblings Anh, Thanh and Minh flee their village and embark on a perilous boat journey to Hong Kong. Their parents and four younger siblings make the crossing in another vessel but as weeks go by it becomes clear that only one party has survived the voyage. Anh, Thanh and Minh suddenly find themselves alone in the world, without family or home. They travel on, navigating refugee camps and resettlement centres until, by a twist of fate, they arrive in Thatcher’s Britain. Here they must somehow build new lives with only each other to turn to, but will that be enough in a place that doesn’t seem to want them? Read by Aoife Hinds, Ioanna Kimbook and Ainsleigh Barber in 5 hours, 13 minutes. VisAbility. Book number 142585.

Modern Women’s Fiction

The newcomer by Fern Britton

It’s springtime in the Cornish village of Pendruggan and as the community comes together to say a fond farewell to parish vicar, Simon, and his wife, Penny, a newcomer causes quite a stir. Reverend Angela Whitehorn came to Cornwall to make a difference. With her husband, Robert, by her side, she sets about making changes – but not everyone is happy for her to shake things up, and soon Angela starts to receive anonymous poison pen letters. Angela has always been one to fight back, and she has already brought a fresh wind into the village, supporting her female parishioners through good times and bad. But as the letters get increasingly more personal, Angela learns that the secrets are closer to home. With faith and friends by your side, even the most unlikely of new beginnings is possible. Read by Laura Kirman in 10 hours, 5 minutes. WS. Book number 142568.

The lying life of adults by Elena Ferrante

Giovanna’s pretty face is changing, turning ugly, at least so her father thinks. Giovanna, he says, looks more like her Aunt Vittoria every day. But can it be true? Is she really changing? Is she turning into her Aunt Vittoria, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father clearly despise? Surely there is a mirror somewhere in which she can see herself as she truly is. Giovanna is searching for her reflection in two kindred cities that fear and detest one another: Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and Naples of the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity. She moves from one to the other in search of the truth, but neither city seems to offer answers or escape. Read by Liz Barry in 10 hours, 23 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142453.

Mystery And Detective Stories

Cards on the table by Agatha Christie

Mr Shaitana was famous as a flamboyant party host. Nevertheless, he was a man of whom everybody was a little afraid. So, when he boasted to Poirot that he considered murder an art form, the detective had some reservations about accepting a party invitation to view Shaitana’s private collection. Indeed, what began as an absorbing evening of bridge was to turn into a more dangerous game altogether. Hercule Poirot series, book 15. Sequel to: Murder in Mesopotamia, book number 141811. Has sequel: Murder in the Mews, book number 142207. Read by Hugh Fraser in 6 hours, 1 minute. WS. Book number 142597.

Without measure by Scott Blade

Hitchhiking all night without sleep, Jack Widow stops in a diner in a California mountain town with only two industries left: a small arms manufacturer and a forgotten Marine base. Wanting to drink coffee in peace, Widow can’t ignore his cop senses warning him about a man seated at another booth. The man is Arabic, Islamic, and a decorated Marine, which is unusual in a small town. But there’s something else. Something off. Something troubling. Jack Widow series, book 4. Sequel to: A reason to kill, book number 141590. Has sequel: Once quiet, in production. Read by Synthetic speech in 6 hours, 59 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142524.

The husband’s secret by Liane Moriarty

While searching in the attic, Cecilia Fitzpatrick discovers a letter from her husband John-Paul with instructions that she open it in the event of his death. John-Paul is still very much alive – and the secret inside the letter is devastating. Adult content advised. Read by Martha Harmon Pardee in 12 hours, 13 minutes. NLS. Book number 141429.

Nature And Animal Stories

Flight behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Feathertown, Tennessee. Dellarobia Turnbow is on her way to an adulterous tryst when she sees what looks like a forest fire but is actually the migration of millions of monarch butterflies. Soon, Feathertown residents are caught up in a fight between faith and science. Read by Martha Harmon Pardee in 18 hours. NLS. Book number 141164.

NZ and Pacific Novels

Blood matters by Renée

Puti Derrell likes running at midnight. During lockdown it was safe but now lockdown is over and Porohiwi doesn’t feel safe anymore – especially when she discovers her estranged grandfather has been murdered. Puti’s already got a lot on her mind. She’s the new guardian of ten-year-old Bella Rose, who wants to be a private investigator when she grows up, and the new owner of Mainly Crime, a secondhand bookshop in a town she hates. Read by Christine Hewton in 8 hours, 38 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142410.

One of those mothers by Megan Nicol Reed

The residents of Point Heed keep nice houses and sign up as parent help at the local school. Occasionally they cheat on their taxes. Sometimes they fantasise about having sex with someone other than their partner. And every now and then they do drugs. But that doesn’t make them bad people, does it? When a local father is convicted of the possession and distribution of child pornography, the tight-knit, middle-class community is quick to unravel. Read by Anna-Mai Hoek in 9 hours, 6 minutes. WS. Book number 142560.

Addressed to Greta by Fiona Sussman

Greta Jellings blushes and bumbles her way through her carefully ordered existence, forever constrained by what her mother would have said and done. No Expectation, No Disappointment was one of her mother’s mantras, and it has served Greta well too. But it is the death of her dear friend Walter, and his unusual bequest, that finally force her to escape the shackles of her safe life. For Walter has set Greta a challenge that leads her across the world, so far outside her comfort zone that she has no choice but to confront who she really is. Read by Wendy Karstens in 13 hours, 57 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142372.

Kissing shadows by Renée

Do we ever really know or understand the motives of the ones we love? When Vivvie Caird is faced by the sight of her beautiful, strong-willed mother lying limp and speechless in a hospital bed, she feels empowered to begin unlocking the mystery that is her father’s legacy. Vivvie’s naïve undertaking soon finds a parallel in her mother’s own account of what happened when her husband left home one day, never to return. A family, and a court must confront a devastating event that occurred in the midst of the hard times of last century. Read by Marguerite Vanderkolk in 8 hours, 45 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142368.

Romance

The butterfly room by Lucinda Riley

Posy Montague is approaching her seventieth birthday. Still living in her beautiful family home, Admiral House, set in the glorious Suffolk countryside where she spent her own idyllic childhood catching butterflies with her beloved father, and raised her own children, Posy knows she must make an agonising decision. The house is crumbling around her, and Posy knows the time has come to sell it. Read by Nicolette McKenzie in 17 hours, 27 minutes. WS. Book number 142563.

The hypnotist’s love story by Agatha Christie

A novel about a hypnotherapist who falls in love with a man whose ex-girlfriend is stalking him. Read by Caroline Lee in 16 hours, 33 minutes. VisAbility. Book number 142228.

Science Fiction

Prophet song by Paul Lynch

On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find the GNSB on her doorstep. Two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police want to speak with her husband, Larry, a trade unionist for the Teachers’ Union of Ireland. Things are falling apart. Ireland is in the grip of a government that is taking a turn towards tyranny. And as the blood-dimmed tide is loosed, Eilish finds herself caught within the nightmare logic of a collapsing society – assailed by unpredictable forces beyond her control and forced to do whatever it takes to keep her family together. Winner of the Booker Prize 2023. Adult content advised. Read by Catriona MacLeod in 8 hours, 56 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142353.

Spy Stories

Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy by John le Carré

In London, at the highest level of the British secret intelligence organization known as the Circus, it has become evident that a double agent has been implanted, perhaps by Moscow Centre. The list of suspects has been narrowed down to five brilliant men. George Smiley is called out of retirement to unearth the “mole” among his former colleagues. Adult content advised. George Smiley series, book 5. Sequel to: The looking glass war, book number 142510. Has sequel: The honourable schoolboy, book number 49042. Read by Catriona MacLeod in 12 hours, 14 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 135939.

The Family

Tides of youth by Nelle M. Scanlan

The Pencarrows are now prosperous farmers, with Miles, the eldest son, becoming a lawyer in the newly developing township of Wellington. But there are turbulent emotions sweeping through the family as the grandchildren develop their own characters, not always to their parents’ liking. Only Bessie understands them, but Bessie is now growing old and fragile. Who will keep the family together when Bessie dies? Pencarrow Quartet series, book 2. Sequel to Pencarrow, book number 142224. Has sequel: Winds of heaven, book number 142226. Read by Catriona MacLeod in 10 hours, 43 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142225.

Thrillers

Poor people with money by Dominic Hoey

Monday Woolridge is a fighter with a face covered in scars and life full of debt. Her Avondale flat has no furniture, her father’s dead, her catatonic mother’s in an expensive nursing home and her kickboxing gym is going to Thailand. Monday’s bartending job pays fifty cents over minimum wage, and she desperately needs another way to generate income. Dealing drugs off the dark web with her flat mate JJ looks like it’s working – until it really doesn’t, and the pair have to flee Tāmaki Makaurau. Adult content advised. Read by Romy Hooper in 7 hours, 30 minutes. RNZFB. Book number 142236.

Spellbound by Catherine Robertson

Big trouble is brewing, secrets are coming out, threatening reputations and even lives. Outsiders are in town with questionable motives. Power and privilege are casting a seductive but ominous spell. And the Love Bus is completely munted. It’s crunch time for Gabriel’s Bay, and nothing less than magic might be needed to protect this close-knit community and its future. Gabriel’s Bay series, book 3. Sequel to: What you wish for, book number 120348. Read by Janice Finn in 11 hours. RNZFB. Book number 142373.

The woman in cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

After a nightmarish break-in, British journalist Lo Blacklock is exhausted but happy to board the exclusive cruise ship the Aurora on assignment. But when she awakens to the sounds of a woman being thrown overboard, Lo’s nightmare begins in earnest. Adult content advised. Read by Theresa Conkin in 11 hours, 2 minutes. NLS. Book number 141741.

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

Disabilities (Biography)

The four walls of my freedom by Donna Thomson

Donna Thomson’s life was forever changed when her son Nicholas was born with cerebral palsy. A former actor, director, and teacher, Donna became his primary caregiver and embarked on a second career as a disability activist, author, and consultant. Thomson vividly describes her experience in treading delicately through daily care, emergencies, and medical bureaucracy as she and her family cope with her son’s condition while maintaining value and dignity (for Nicholas, too). She demonstrates the vital contribution that people with disabilities make to our society and addresses the ethics and economics of giving and receiving care. Contracted, 3f UEB. CNIB. EBraille 124736.

General (Biography)

Mad, bad and dangerous to know by Ranulph Fiennes

Ranulph Fiennes has traveled to the most dangerous and inaccessible places on earth. In the process he almost died on several occasions, lost nearly half his fingers to frostbite, and raised millions of pounds for charity. He was the first man to reach both poles by surface travel, and the first to cross the Antarctic Continent unsupported. An elite soldier, an athlete, a mountaineer, and a renowned explorer, Fiennes describes in his own words his incredible journey through life. Contracted, 6f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 124739.

Poetry

Blind ambitions by Randy Bear Lacey

This book of poems deals with the trials of losing your vision as an adult and having to learn how to live a new lifestyle. It also illustrates how the writer’s faith in God keeps him grounded and gives him hope to carry on. Contracted, 1f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 124746.

Sport

A great game: the forgotten Leafs and the rise of professional hockey by Stephen J. Harper

In the tumultuous beginnings of hockey, the fights were as much off the ice as on it. Harper describes the hockey heroes and hard-boiled businessmen who built the game, and the rise and fall of legendary teams pursuing the Stanley Cup. With a historian’s perspective and fan’s passion, he presents a riveting and often-surprising portrait, capturing everything from the physical contests on the rinks to the battles behind the scenes and the changing social conventions of the twentieth century. Contracted, 5f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 124737.

Politics (Biography)

My journey by Olivia Chow

Olivia Chow – Member of Parliament, seasoned politician and widow of former New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton – tells her story in this candid memoir. Contracted, 4f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 124738.

Braille Adult Fiction

General Fiction

Sit! Stay! Speak! a novel by Annie England Noblin

Tragedy sent Addie Andrews fleeing from Chicago to the shelter of an unexpected inheritance, her beloved aunt’s somewhat dilapidated home in Eunice, Arkansas, population very tiny. People say nothing happens in small towns, but Addie quickly learns better. She’s got an elderly next-door neighbour who perplexingly dances outside in his underwear, a house needing more work than she has money, a best friend whose son uncannily predicts the weather, and a local drug dealer holding a massive grudge against her. Most surprising of all, she’s got a dog. Not just any dog, but a bedraggled puppy she discovered abandoned, lost, and in desperate need of love. Kind of like Addie herself. Contracted, 4f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 125421.

Historical Novels

China Dolls by Lisa See

1938. Ruby, Helen and Grace, three girls from very different backgrounds, find themselves competing at the same audition for showgirl roles at San Francisco’s exclusive “Oriental” nightclub, the Forbidden City. Grace, an American-born Chinese girl, has fled the Midwest and an abusive father. Helen is from a Chinese family who have deep roots in San Francisco’s Chinatown. And, as both her friends know, Ruby is Japanese passing as Chinese. At times their differences are pronounced, but the girls grow to depend on one another in order to fulfill their individual dreams. Then, everything changes in a heartbeat with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Suddenly the government is sending innocent Japanese to internment camps under suspicion, and Ruby is one of them. But which of her friends betrayed her? Contracted, 5f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 124969.

Mystery and Detective Stories

Far from true by Linwood Barclay

After the screen of a run-down drive-in movie theater collapses and kills four people, the daughter of one of the victims asks private investigator Cal Weaver to look into a recent break-in at her father’s house. Cal discovers a hidden basement room where it’s clear that salacious activities have taken place. Meanwhile, Detective Barry Duckworth is still trying to solve two murders, one of which is three years old, that he believes are connected. As the lies begin to unravel, Cal is headed straight into the heart of a dark secret as his search uncovers more startling truths about Promise Falls. And when yet another murder happens, Cal and Barry are both driven to pursue their investigations, no matter where they lead. Promise Falls trilogy, book 2. Contracted, 5f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 125431.

The gangster by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott

1906, New York City. The Italian crime group known as the Black Hand is on a spree: kidnapping, extortion, arson. Detective Isaac Bell of the Van Dorn Agency is hired to form a special “Black hand squad,” but the gangsters appear to be everywhere so much so that Bell begins to wonder if there are imitators, criminals using the name for the terror effect. And then the murders begin, each one of a man more powerful than the last, and as Bell discovers, to his dismay, the ultimate target may be the most powerful man of all. An Isaac Bell adventure. Contracted, 4f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 125426.

Romance

Anything for you by Kristan Higgins

When Connor O’Rourke proposes to his long-time on-again, off-again secret girlfriend, Jessica Dunn, and she says no, he gives her an ultimatum marry him or their relationship is over. A blue heron novel. Contracted, 5f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 125430.

Thrillers

She’s not there by Joy Fielding

A lifetime ago, every year Carole Shipley looked forward to her wedding anniversary. But then a celebratory trip to Mexico for the occasion with her husband and friends ended in the unsolved kidnapping of her infant daughter, Samantha. Now, fifteen years after that horrific time, divorced and isolated, Carole is forced to relive the kidnapping by reporters who call every year on the anniversary of Samantha’s disappearance. However, this year when the phone rings, Carole hears the sweet voice of a girl claiming to be her long-lost daughter. Contracted, 4f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 125425.

The place of shining light by Nazneen Sheikh

Three men race against time to take possession of a sacred 5,000-year-old Buddhist sculpture: Khalid, a leading Pakistani antiquities dealer, arranges for the illegal importation of the statue from neighbouring Afghanistan. Ghalib, a wealthy art collector with political aspirations, has purchased the statue for his private collection. Adeel, a highly recommended ex-military officer, is hired by Khalid to transport the sculpture to its final destination. When Adeel first views the statue in a cave, he has a profound spiritual reaction and decides to steal the sculpture for himself. When Khalid and Ghalib realize their prized possession is missing, they conspire to do whatever it takes to have it returned before it’s lost forever. Contracted, 3f, UEB.  CNIB. EBraille 125422.

War Stories

All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr

When Paris is invaded by the Nazis, Marie-Laure LeBlanc’s father evacuates her to St. Malo to stay with her great-uncle. Blind since the age of six, Marie-Laure must learn the town by the scale model her father has left. Then, the Germans arrive. A German orphan, Werner, becomes an expert at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. Increasingly aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and that of Marie-Laure’s converge. Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Contracted, 5f, UEB. CNIB. EBraille 124960

Junior Collection

Boogie bear by David Walliams

Up at the North Pole, a big furry polar bear is swimming, fishing and eating. But when she nods off and finds herself far from home, she thinks things can’t get any worse. But they can, much worse! Read by Christina Cie in 32 minutes. Book number 139251.

Footsteps through the fog by Margaret Mahy

When Anthea and her brothers and sisters walk down to the sea, a thick fog rolls in. It’s up to Anthea, who is blind, to lead her family to safety. Read by Antonia Prebble in 18 minutes. Book number 69083.

Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck by Kyle Mewburn: illustrated by Ali Teo & John O’Reilly

Every time Aunty Elsie comes to visit, Andy tries to hide. He hates her sloppy kisses. Then one day Aunty Elsie doesn’t arrive. Andy is surprised by how he feels about her not coming to visit. Read by Kevin Keys in 6 minutes. Book number 80997.

Whale Pot Bay by Des Hunt

Jake lives with his father in a remote part of the Wairarapa, where he can surf and watch the whales. But when a whale and her calf get into trouble on the treacherous coast, the history of Whale Pot Bay seems doomed to repeat itself. Read by Francis Mountjoy in 5 hours, 7 minutes. Book number 136169.

The word witch: the magical verse of Margaret Mahy by Margaret Mahy

The Word Witch can cast her spell over you. She can lasso with a limerick, haunt with a haiku and wrap you tight in a rhyme, quick as lightning. Her cauldron is a dictionary, her wand a mighty pen and she stirs her words at midnight, making tempting treats for children, to please and tease and tantalise them. Read by Zee Monsalve in 1 hour, 27 minutes. Book number 59164.

Young Adult collection

See ya, Simon by David Hill

Nathan and Simon are close school friends who share interests ranging from computers to girls, but Simon also has Muscular Dystrophy, and will not have long to live. Both boys have learned to come to terms with Simon’s illness and disability. Read by Barrie Crichton in 4 hours, 2 minutes. Book number 55597.

Alex by Tessa Duder

Fifteen-year-old Alex struggles to overcome personal trauma and hardship as she competes with her archrival for a place in the New Zealand swimming team to go to the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Alex series, book 1. Has sequel: Alex in winter, book number 52398. Read by Faye Flegg in 6 hours, 13 minutes. Book number 50266.

The whale rider by Witi Ihimaera

As her beloved grandfather, chief of the Maori tribe of Whangara, struggles to lead in difficult times and to find a male successor, young Kahu is developing a mysterious relationship with whales, particularly the ancient bull whale whose legendary rider was their ancestor. Read by George Henare in 3 hours, 45 minutes. Book number 51023.

 

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