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From Here to the Great Unknown

Summary:

Born to an American myth and raised in the wilds of Graceland, Lisa Marie Presley tells her whole story for the first time in this raw, riveting, one-of-a-kind memoir faithfully completed by her daughter, Riley Keough.

In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked her daughter to help finally finish her long-gestating memoir. 

A month later, Lisa Marie was dead, and the world would never know her story in her own words, never know the passionate, joyful, caring, and complicated woman that Riley loved and grieved.

Riley got the tapes that her mother had recorded for the book, laid in her bed, and listened as Lisa Marie told story after story about smashing golf carts together in the yards of Graceland, about the unconditional love she felt from her father, about being upstairs, just the two of them. About getting dragged screaming out of the bathroom as she ran towards his body on the floor. About living in Los Angeles with her mother, getting sent to school after school, always kicked out, always in trouble. About her singular, lifelong relationship with Danny Keough, about being married to Michael Jackson, what they shared in common. About motherhood. About deep addiction. About ever-present grief. Riley knew she had to fulfill her mother's wish to reveal these memories, incandescent and painful, to the world. 

To make her mother known.

This extraordinary book is composed of both Lisa Marie's and Riley's voice, a mother and daughter communicating across the transom of death as they try to heal each other. Profoundly moving and deeply revealing, From Here to the Great Unknown is a book like no other-the last words of the only child of a true legend.

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Dusk

Summary:

In the distant highlands, a puma named Dusk is killing shepherds. Down in the lowlands, twins Iris and Floyd are out of work, money and friends. When they hear that a bounty has been placed on Dusk, they reluctantly decide to join the hunt. As they journey up into this wild, haunted country, they discover there's far more to the land and people of the highlands than they imagined. And as they close in on their prey, they're forced to reckon with conflicts both ancient and deeply personal.

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River Song

Summary:

The arrival of a hotshot New York composer brings a rare touch of glamour and excitement to the peaceful country town of Fig Tree River. For Leonie, Madison, Sarita and Chrissie, four women involved in the local musical theatre, it’s a welcome distraction from the pressures of daily life.

Then a lottery ticket, bought together on impulse, changes everything. The winnings, shared between the four friends, are all they ever hoped for … and all they ever feared, bringing dreams, dilemmas and disaster.

When their new lives start to fall apart, will the women have the strength to find the song inside their hearts once more?

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Dropping the Mask

Summary:

A 4th-generation performer, Noni Hazlehurst has storytelling in her blood. She has graced our screens, stages and airwaves for fifty years – and won our hearts and respect in the process. From presenting Play School for more than two decades, acting in films such as June Again, Ladies in Black, Candy, Little Fish and Monkey Grip, and ten years hosting and writing for Better Homes and Gardens to playing lead roles in series like A Place to Call Home, Nancy Wake and The Shiralee, recently presenting the SBS documentary series Every Family Has a Secret, and of course her numerous theatre roles, including her award-winning one-woman play Mother.

Brave, open and unafraid to be vulnerable, Noni is in many ways an ordinary woman – a single mother of two boys, and a freelance worker, she knows about the challenges of constant juggling and being stretched to the limit. Yet she is also an extraordinary woman and a trailblazer. This is no ordinary memoir. Funny, fierce, thoughtful and clear-eyed about the world, her story is full, rich, lively, opinionated – and a testament to her grit, willpower and talent.

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Head for the Hills

Summary:

Margot and her sister Roslyn have lived side by side in a little town in the Adelaide Hills most of their lives, supporting each other through thick and thin.

Then their neighbour Gunter dies. Surprisingly, his will asks that his house and vineyard be sold and that Roslyn donate the money to a charity of her choice. When a developer wants to buy the land and create a hotel just over Margot's fence, Margot is outraged and decides to stand for Mayor and fight the development. But Roslyn feels differently. Her awareness of family violence and homelessness is sparked by the arrival in town of a young pregnant woman, who is escaping abuse and sleeping in her car. Determined to do some good, Roslyn supports the sale.

Suddenly the sisters are on opposite sides of the fence, literally and figuratively. As the row heats up, their local community is divided between those pro-development and those against, and battle lines are drawn. As vandalism erupts, bitter words are hurled, and pots are stirred. Will the town – and the sisters – ever recover their community spirit?

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A Periodic Tale

Summary:

The only child of Holocaust survivors who fled to Australia in 1950, Karl has always forged his own destiny in an idiosyncratic way. Before he became one of the world’s favourite scientific storytellers, he ambled through a convoluted cacophony of a career.

In the 1960s, he got his start as a physicist at the Port Kembla Steelworks and promptly joined the Steel Industries Auto Club, racing modified rally cars on Wollongong’s deserted back roads. In the 1970s, he entered his self-described ‘drug-crazed hippie years’, making a living as a taxi driver. After he applied to be a NASA astronaut in the 1980s and ‘failed’, he ended up live broadcasting the first space shuttle launch on Triple J. Unexpectedly, that blasted off his media career, and from there it was a stratospheric rise from radio to TV, books, newspapers, speaking, podcasts and the internet.

In this long-awaited memoir, you will learn that it’s okay to not take a linear path through life, and that by following our curiosities and our passions, we can bend the universe to our liking.

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Juice

Summary:

Two fugitives, a man and a child, drive all night across a stony desert. As dawn breaks, they roll into an abandoned mine site. From the vehicle they survey a forsaken place - middens of twisted iron, rusty wire, piles of sun-baked trash. They're exhausted, traumatised, desperate now. But as a refuge, this is the most promising place they've seen. The child peers at the field of desolation. The man thinks to himself, this could work.

Problem is, they're not alone.

So begins a searing, propulsive journey through a life whose central challenge is not simply a matter of survival, but of how to maintain human decency as everyone around you falls ever further into barbarism.

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The House of Cross

Summary:

A serial killer is taking out America’s finest legals minds, and Alex Cross is called to investigate their brutal murders. But during a dangerous mission to track down the killer, his wife, Bree, and best friend, John Sampson, go missing.

To save the people he loves most, Cross has only three goals:

Number one: Find Bree and John.

Number two: Escape.

Number three: Survive.

If he fails, there will be no one left in the House of Cross.

City Library

Connecting the Dots

Monday, 2 December 2024 | 11:00AM

Price: FREE

City Library

How to Survive a Shark Attack - Brett Connellan

Tuesday, 3 December | 6:00pm

Price: FREE

Warilla Library

Author Talk - Lyn Behan

Thursday, 12 December 2024 | 10:30am

Price: FREE

Latest news

Have your say on The Waterfront Centre!

This is your opportunity to have your say on The Waterfront Centre including Shellharbour Village Library

Explore our digital programs

Did you know your library has a range of online programs, tutorials and resources ready for you to explore any time, day or night? There’s something for everyone in our Digital Programs Hub. Browse the range and learn something new today.

The Book Eaters

Dress in the Age of Jane Austen

Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms

Recommended by
Michael 
Team Leader Library Resources

A supernatural tale! An intriguing concept with a human-like species that consumes books and absorbs the information from the books they’ve eaten… a librarian’s dream!

Recommended by
Imma
Branch Supervisor – Albion Park Library

This lively book reveals the clothing and fashion of the world depicted in Jane Austen’s beloved books, focusing on the long Regency between the years 1795 and 1825. Illustrated with paintings, drawings, historic garments, and fashion plates. I found this book fascinating as no matter what page you looked at there was a story attached to the subject.

Recommended by
Clair
Library Assistant – Albion Park Library

This is the bittersweet love story of two unlikely characters who meet during World War II, when over one thousand Japanese soldiers broke out of the No. 12 Prisoner of War compound on the outskirts of Cowra. It is a heartbreaking, yet heartwarming read, especially enjoyable for those familiar with this peaceful country town and this turbulent part of its history.

Must reads

Galah by Annabelle Hickson

Recommended by
Sienna
Library Programs Officer

Galah is a fantastic anthology celebrating life, art and creatives in rural and regional Australia. I love it because the images and stories are so beautifully written and woven together in this collection. The original concept of Galah magazine was to shine a light on the full, creative lives of rural Australians after the devastation of the bushfires. Editors Annabel Hickson wanted to remind the country that there are thriving communities who support each other even in the darkest of times, and come back stronger after the damage of natural disaster. After ten issues of Galah Magazine, this amazing book was bound and distributed.

974

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44,323

Items borrowed

$1,019,429

Community money saved by borrowing from the library

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Richard Osman

We Solve Murders

John Farnham

The Voice Inside

Shellharbour City Libraries partnered with Warrigal Care to deliver Bee Connected, an intergenerational program aimed at forming meaningful connections between young people and seniors in the community through songs, games, reading, and crafts. 

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with UOW on a range of Paint Shellharbour REaD initiatives. Paint Shellharbour REaD is part of the Paint the Town REaD network, dedicated to promoting early childhood literacy. 

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with The Man Walk to deliver the Tall Tales program. This program aims to make connections with local, social, hobby and information organisations who appeal to male audiences and bring them into our library programs space. 

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Smith Family to promote early childhood literacy through the Paint Shellharbour REaD initiative. Paint Shellharbour REaD organises reading days and kids events throughout the year dedicated to fostering a love of reading. 

QBD

Shellharbour City Libraries have worked with QBD Shellharbour as the preferred bookseller at all of our Author Talk events. 

Shellharbour City Libraries sponsors Project Bucephalus in their facilitation of the Shellharbour Robo Club. The club teaches youth to form robotics teams and particulate in the FIRST LEGO League tournament. 

Shellharbour City Libraries collaborates with Paint the Gong REaD in conjunction with the Paint the Town REaD network. This partnership promotes early childhood literacy across the Illawarra through multiple reading events and activities. 

Shellharbour City Libraries has partnered with NSW Health to facilitate Independent Living Skills sessions aimed at teaching foster children health and wellbeing skills, in collaboration with the William Campbell Foundation.

The Multicultural Communities Council Illawarra attends Warilla library to utilise the 2528 community room. This is used for exercise and light physio sessions with senior community members.

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Living Connected to offer drop-in Tech Help sessions to our customers at Warilla, Albion Park and City Libraries. These short one-on-one sessions are designed to assist customers in their digital skills development. 

Shellharbour City Libraries partnered with Legal Aid NSW to bring free community talks across our branches discussing a range of legal topics and how people can access help and resources as a part of the Libraries Law Week celebration.

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Kiama Community College to deliver Tech Savvy Seniors sessions at our libraries. Tech Savvy Seniors is a NSW Government and Telstra partnership coordinated by the State Library of NSW. The program aims to teach seniors digital skills and knowledge.

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Junior Einsteins to deliver Bee Connected, an intergenerational program aimed at forming meaningful connections between young people and seniors in the community through songs, games, reading, and crafts. 

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Judi Sandilands-Cincotta to bring Ollie and Shiko the therapy dogs to a range of children’s and youth programs. These programs aim to promote positive mental health and social connection.

Shellharbour City Libraries partnered with Illawarra Legal Centre to bring free community talks across our branches discussing a range of legal topics and how people can access help and resources as a part of the Libraries Law Week celebration.

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with HARS to deliver the Tall Tales program. This program aims to make connections with local social, hobby and information organisations who appeal to male audiences and bring them into our library program space. 

Shellharbour City Libraries organises Sensory Experiences with Greenacres Disability Services at Warilla Library.

Shellharbour City Libraries and the Youth Services team partnered with Fitness Cartel Albion Park to deliver a Youth Fitness program at Warilla Library. This program engaged local youth and taught them about health, personal fitness, and respect.

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Ed U Play to facilitate programs and activities that bring young people together. These programs support social and emotional wellbeing amongst youth. The libraries support the Girls Only Project which aims to provide young women with knowledge of and access to positive activities in their own communities. Ed U Play are funded by the Communities for Children Program.

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Bunnings to deliver free monthly Craft Workshops at City Library. In these sessions, experts from Bunnings teach our customers a range of crafting skills. These workshops include, Kokedama Balls, Painting Art Canvas and much more!

For Library Lovers Day, Shellharbour City Libraries partnered with Belladonna Book Club to produce a series of Book Review videos. 

These reviews were released on the Libraries’ Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as on the Belladonna Book Club’s social media channels.

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Barnardos to promote early childhood literacy through the Paint Shellharbour REaD initiative. Paint Shellharbour REaD organises reading days and kids events throughout the year dedicated to fostering a love of reading.

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Aruma Disability Services to deliver Library Links. Library Links is a program that aims to invite disability services groups into their local branches to utilise craft and puzzle kits as well as getting to know our collections. Aruma is the first group at the Warilla branch and comes monthly to utilise space, kits and collections with their joined organisation library card.

Shellharbour City Libraries partnered with Warrigal Care to deliver Bee Connected, an intergenerational program aimed at forming meaningful connections between young people and seniors in the community through songs, games, reading and crafts. 

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with the William Campbell Foundation to deliver the Independent Living Skills Program. This program involves teaching foster children integral health and wellbeing skills and knowledge. Additionally, the City Library hosts WCF’s fortnightly Homework Club.

Sydney Writers Festival

Every year, Shellharbour City Libraries partners with the Sydney Writers Festival to deliver author panel livestreams and local events as part of the festival’s Live and Local programming. 

Paint the town read

Shellharbour City Libraries leads Paint Shellharbour REaD, which is part of the Paint the Town REaD network. This initiative aims to promote early childhood literacy by connecting local early childhood education stakeholders and providers and collaborating with them to deliver reading events and activities. 

Little Zaks Bee connected

Shellharbour City Libraries partnered with Little Zaks Academy to deliver Bee Connected, an intergenerational program aimed at forming meaningful connections between young people and seniors in the community through songs, games, reading and crafts. 

Frasers Property

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Frasers Property Australia to deliver Toddler Tales, a weekly childhood reading program, at The Waterfront Shell Cove. The libraries have also partnered with Frasers Property Australia to deliver a term of Tech Savvy Seniors at Shell Cove.

Frasers Property

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Frasers Property Australia to deliver Toddler Tales, a weekly childhood reading program, at The Waterfront Shell Cove. The libraries have also partnered with Frasers Property Australia to deliver a term of Tech Savvy Seniors at Shell Cove.

Paint Shellharbour REaD

Shellharbour City Libraries partners with Big Fat Smile to deliver Transition to School programs to prepare pre-schoolers for their move into primary school. Big Fat Smile is also a part of the Paint Shellharbour REaD initiative, which organises events that promote early childhood literacy.