Too Much And Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump

$37.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs | Reading Level: very good

In this revelatory, authoritative portrait of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that made him, Mary L. Trump, a trained clinical psychologist and Donald's only niece, shines a bright light on the dark history of their family in order to explain how her uncle became the man who now threatens the world 's health, economic security and social fabric.   Mary Trump spent much of her childhood in her grandparents' large, imposing house in New York, where Donald and his four siblings grew up. She describes a nightmare of traumas, destructive relationships and a tragic combination of neglect and abuse. She explains how specific events and general family patterns created the damaged man who currently occupies the Oval Office, including the strange and harmful relationship between Fred Trump and his two oldest sons, Fred Jr. and Donald.   A first-hand witness, Mary brings an incisive wit and unexpected humour to sometimes grim, often confounding family events. She recounts in unsparing detail everything from her uncle Donald's place in the family spotlight and Ivana's penchant for regifting to her grandmother's frequent injuries and illnesses and the appalling way Donald, Fred Trump's favourite son, dismissed and derided him when he began to succumb to Alzheimer's.   Numerous pundits, armchair psychologists and journalists have sought to explain Donald Trump's lethal flaws. Mary Trump has the education, insight and intimate familiarity needed to reveal what makes Donald, and the rest of her clan, tick. She alone can recount this fascinating, unnerving saga, not just because of her insider's perspective but also because she is the only Trump willing to tell the truth about one of the world's most powerful and dysfunctional families.     ...Show more

Two Shakes of a Lamb's Tail: The Diary of a Country Vet by Danielle Hawkins

$37.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

Due April 2021 Two Shakes of a Lamb's Tail is the funny, illuminating diary of a year in the life of a New Zealand farm vet. With a husband and two children, 1200 sheep and 400 cattle, farm dogs and pet lambs, pigs bent on excavation and a goat bent on escape, country life is never dull. From calving cows to constipated dogs, weddings to weaning lambs, daffodils to ducklings to droughts, each season brings new challenges and delights. Sometimes it's exhausting but it's almost always a lot of fun - anyway, it's all part and parcel of the life of a Kiwi mother, farmer's wife and vet. ...Show more

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

$69.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs | Reading Level: Easy

In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of th e first term of his historic presidency - a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.  ...Show more

Kamala's Way by Dan Morain

$37.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

Synopsis coming soon.......

Like Father Like Son by Michael Parkinson

$34.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

A look at the life and times of the man Sir Michael most looked up to. It started in the shadow of the pithead in a South Yorkshire mining village and ended up in tears before an audience of millions. Michael Parkinson's relationship with his late father John William was, and remains, a family love stor y overflowing with tenderness and tall tales of sporting valour, usually involving Yorkshire cricket or Barnsley FC. However, it was the overwhelming grief which poured out of Michael when Piers Morgan pressed him about John William in a television interview - four decades after the death of the father he encapsulated as 'Yorkshireman, miner, humorist and fast bowler' - that convinced one of the outstanding broadcasters and journalists of our time to delve deeper into the dynamics of their lives together. Co-written with his son Mike, this affectionate and revealing memoir explores the influences which shaped John William, Michael and succeeding generations of Parkinsons. The journey leads them from the depths of a Yorkshire coal mine, via the chapel, pub and picture-house, to a spot behind the bowler's arm at Lord's and the sands at Scarborough. While Like Father, Like Son conveys a powerful sense of time and place, it is wit, insight and, above all, enduring love which shine through its pages.     ...Show more

Duchess, Countess Elizabeth Chudleigh by Catherine Ostler

$37.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

'Outrageously scandalous, soaked in sex and money, aristocracy, adventure and grandeur... Catherine Ostler, accomplished storyteller, is the perfect writer to restore the Duchess Countess to life.' Simon Sebag Montefiore 'Fascinating. Magnificient. Sensitively told.' Hallie Rubenfold  When the glamorous  Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston, Countess of Bristol, went on trial at Westminster Hall for bigamy in April 1776, the story drew more attention in society than the American War of Independence. A clandestine, candlelit wedding to the young heir to an earldom, a second marriage to a Duke, a lust for diamonds and an electrifying appearance at a masquerade ball in a diaphanous dress: no wonder the trial was a sensation. However, Elizabeth refused to submit to public humiliation and retire quietly. Rather than backing gracefully out of the limelight, she embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe, being welcomed by the Pope and Catherine the Great among others. As maid of honour to Augusta, Princess of Wales, Elizabeth led her life in the inner circle of the Hanoverian court and her exploits delighted and scandalised the press and the people. She made headlines, illustrations and gossip columns. Writers were intrigued by her ­- Thackeray drew on Elizabeth as inspiration for his calculating, alluring Becky Sharp. But her behaviour, often depicted as attention-seeking and manipulative, hid a more complex tale as Elizabeth fought to overcome personal tragedy and loss. Now, in this brilliantly told and evocative biography, Catherine Ostler takes a fresh look at Elizabeth's story and seeks to understand and reappraise a woman who refused to be defined by society's expectations of her. A woman who was by turns, brave, loving and generous but also reckless, greedy and insecure; a woman totally unwilling to accept the female status of underdog or to hand over all the power, the glory and the adventures of life to men.               ...Show more

HRH - So Many Thoughts on Royal Style by Elizabeth Holmes

$80.00 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

Veteran style journalist Elizabeth Holmes expands her popular Instagram series,So Many Thoughts, into a nuanced look at the fashion and branding of the four most influential members of the British Royal Family: Queen Elizabeth II; Diana, Princess of Wales; Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge; and Meghan , The Duchess of Sussex. Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are global style icons, their every fashion choice chronicled and celebrated. With all eyes on them, the duchesses select clothes that send a message about their values, interests, and priorities. Their thoughtful sartorial strategies follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales, two towering figures known for using their personal style to great acclaim. With one section devoted to each woman,HRH is a celebration of their stories and their style, pairing hundreds of gorgeous photographs with extensive research. A picture emerges of the British monarchy's evolution and the power of royal fashion, showing there's always more than what meets the eye. ...Show more

Sir Bob Charles - The Biography by Geoff Saunders

$55.00 NZD

$59.90 (8% off)

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

Sir Bob Charles - The Biography is the first comprehensive biography of Sir Bob Charles. This book begins in working-class rural New Zealand. In 1960 he embarked upon a career that no New Zealander had chosen before - that of a full-time touring professional.  As told in Sir Bob Charles -The Biograph y The pressure was on the young Kiwi golfer as he took off around the world, with £350 in travellers' cheques to fund his new career. If he did not play well enough from 19 October 1960, his cash would run out and he would be back behind the counter in Christchurch as a teller for the National Bank in New Zealand. That prospect alone spurred his success.  The book about Bob Charles life is an account of his 50 years touring the world with his golf clubs. The reader will encounter the key characters in the story who supported the young golfer on his way to the very top of his sport. You will meet Ivor and Phyl Charles, his wife Verity, mentor Ian Cromb and his agent Mark McCormack. Bob Charles competed in the 'golden age' of professional golf in the 1960s and 1970s. He played with, and at times defeated, each member of the "Big Three'. The televising of golf from the early 1960s created an explosion in enthusiasm for the game. During this period, he acquired the title of the 'best putter in the world' in the eyes of both journalists and fellow competitors.  His senior career delivered another 20 years of success in the game he loved. For the first 10 years on the Senior PGA Tour, from 1986, Bob Charles became the man to beat. Sir Bob Charles - The Biography chronicles the stunning success of Bob Charles as a golfer - but there is more to the man than that. With his 1999 knighthood and his elevation to the Order of New Zealand in 2011 he has been honoured not only for his success as a golfer but also for the way he has lived his life.  His enduring and happy marriage to Verity and the closeness of his relationship to his children and grandchildren form an important part of the story. Verity's contribution in her support of his career was enormous as Bob was able to travel the world, focusing solely on competing and succeeding at the highest level in his sport.  Sir Bob Charles - The Biography is an in-depth study of the life and times of this great New Zealand sportsman. ...Show more

A Del of a Life - Lessons I've Learned by David Jason

$38.00 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs | Reading Level: near fine

A third volume of memoirs from the national treasure David Jason, following on from the success of his previous much-loved books My Life and Only Fools and Stories. In celebration of Sir David Jason's 80th year, A Del of a Life: Lessons I've Learned relives Jason's extraordinary life and career from ove r 50 years in entertainment. From a trainee electrician to one of Britain's most revered and loved actors, Jason shares heartfelt and hilarious wisdom with readers on subjects ranging from family to work, resilience to ebullience. Told with his characteristic warmth and wit, Jason shines a wonderful new light on the characters and shows that fans have come to love him for, from Del Boy to Granville, Larkin to Frost. 'In my first two books, I enjoyed sharing my life with the great British public, and I was overwhelmed by their support and kindness. In my new book, A Del of a Life, I am delighted to share with readers some of the hard-won lessons I've learned along the way - how to dream big, how to work hard, and how not to fall through the gap in the pub bar... ...Show more

Facing Fear: One woman's solo voyage around Antarctica by Lisa Blair

$39.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

Facing Fear is the inspiring true story of Lisa Blair, who on 25 July 2017 became the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica. She very nearly didn’t live to tell the tale. Facing Fear is the inspiring true story of Lisa Blair who sailed into the history books on 25 July 2017 by becoming the first wo man to sail solo around Antarctica. Seventy-two days into her circumnavigation, when Lisa was more than 1000 nautical miles from land, the mast of Climate Action Now came crashing down in a ferocious storm. In freezing conditions, Lisa battled massive waves and gale-force winds, fighting through the night to save her life and her boat. Following her ordeal, Lisa relied on her unbreakable spirit to beat the odds and complete her world record. With unwavering focus and determination, she sailed home, completing her journey after 183 days. This is the story of her remarkable voyage. ...Show more

Promises to Keep by Joe Biden

$40.00 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

President-elect Joe Biden tells the story of his extraordinary life and career prior to his emergence as Barack Obama's beloved, influential vice president. 'I remain captivated by the possibilities of politics and public service. In fact, I believe that my chosen profession is a noble calling.' - Joe B iden Joe Biden has both witnessed and participated in a momentous epoch of American history. In Promises to Keep, he reveals what these experiences taught him about himself, his colleagues, and the institutions of government. With his customary honesty and wit, Biden movingly and eloquently recounts growing up in a staunchly Catholic multigenerational household in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware; overcoming personal tragedy, life-threatening illness, and career setbacks; his relationships with presidents, world leaders, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle; and his leadership of powerful Senate committees. Through these and other recollections, Biden shows us how the guiding principles he learned early in life - to work to make people's lives better; to honour family and faith; to value persistence, candour, and honesty - are the foundation on which he has based his life's work as husband, father, and public servant. Promises to Keep is an intimate series of reflections from a politician who surmounted numerous challenges to become one of America's most effective leaders and who refuses to be cynical about politics. It is also a stirring testament to the promise of the United States. ...Show more

Hitler and Stalin: The Tyrants and the Second World War by Laurence Rees

$40.00 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs | Reading Level: near fine

An award-winning historian plumbs the depths of Hitler and Stalin's vicious regimes, and shows the extent to which they brutalized the world around them. Two 20th century tyrants stand apart from all the rest in terms of their ruthlessness and the degree to which they changed the world around them. Brie fly allies during World War II, Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin then tried to exterminate each other in sweeping campaigns unlike anything the modern world had ever seen, affecting soldiers and civilians alike. Millions of miles of Eastern Europe were ruined in their fight to the death, millions of lives sacrificed. Laurence Rees has met more people who had direct experience of working for Hitler and Stalin than any other historian. Using their evidence he has pieced together a compelling comparative portrait of evil, in which idealism is polluted by bloody pragmatism, and human suffering is used casually as a political tool. It's a jaw-dropping description of two regimes stripped of moral anchors and doomed to destroy each other, and those caught up in the vicious magnetism of their leadership. ...Show more