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Taylor Swift

Summary:

Covering eleven albums, more than 250 songs, hidden gems, cover versions, vault tracks and more besides, this is the definitive guide to Taylor Swift's incredible songbook and a celebration of one of music's greatest ever talents - from her self-titled debut to The Tortured Poets Department.Award-winning music writer Annie Zaleski (Rolling StoneBillboard, the Guardian) leaves no stone unturned as she explores the inspiration, production and legacy of pop's greatest back catalogue, delving into every era to tell the story of Taylor Swift's entire career through her music.A journey through country, pop, indie and folk, this is the ultimate guide to the musical and storytelling genius of Taylor Swift.

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Air Fryer Queen

Summary:

So you've just bought an air fryer, now what? The Air Fryer Queen is here to help, sharing great foodie inspo and loads of helpful tips on getting the best out of your magic machine. Steph's recipes are super easy to make and packed full of flavour - the whole family will want in on the fun. You'll find plenty of new breakfast favourites to start your day, as well as quick dinner deliciousness (you have to try the roast chicken!). Of course let's not forget the sweet stuff, with irresistible dirty desserts! And you can make them all with your new best friend in the kitchen.

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The Secret History of Sharks

Summary:

From ancient megalodons to fearsome Great Whites, this book tells the complete, untold story of how sharks emerged as Earth's ultimate survivors, by world-leading paleontologist John Long.

Sharks have been fighting for their lives for 500 million years and today are under dire threat. They are the longest-surviving vertebrate on Earth, outlasting multiple mass extinction events that decimated life on the planet. But how did they thrive for so long? By developing superpower-like abilities that allowed them to ascend to the top of the oceanic food chain.

John Long, who for decades has been on the cutting edge of shark research, weaves a thrilling story of sharks' unparalleled reign. The Secret History of Sharks showcases the global search to discover sharks' largely unknown evolution, led by Long and dozens of other extraordinary scientists.

As the tale unfolds, Long introduces an enormous range of astonishing organisms: a thirty-foot-long shark with a deadly saw blade of jagged teeth protruding from its lower jaws and bizarre sharks fossilized while in their mating ritual. With insights into the threats to sharks today, how they contribute to medical advances, and the lessons they can teach us about our own survival, The Secret History of Sharks is a riveting look at scientific discovery with ramifications far beyond the ocean.

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Keep It Smooth

Summary:

Multi-talented Cameron Daddo has been a part of the Australian entertainment scene since the late '80s. But you might be surprised to learn that, despite appearances, he grew up lacking confidence. He was a stutterer as a kid, then a restless student and uni dropout, before going on to build a life in showbiz.In this memoir, Cameron shares the valuable lessons he's learnt along the way, some very publicly: the rejections, the victories and everything in between. Through a series of intimate conversations, he also explores public and private crises in the lives of extraordinary Australians, including Keith Urban and Marcia Hines, Michael O'Loughlin and Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald, Indira Naidoo and Alyssa Healy.Inspiring and empowering, Keep It Smooth shows us how to rally when we feel we have nothing left to give, and how we can learn to find confidence within

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Australia’s Greatest Stories

Summary:

Some of the world's oldest stories are told beneath Australian skies. Master storyteller Graham Seal takes us on a journey through time, from ancient narratives recounted across generations to the symbols and myths that resonate with Australians today.

He uncovers tales of ancient floods and volcanic eruptions, and shows us Australia's own silk road. He locates the real Crocodile Dundee and explores the truth behind the legend of the Pilliga Princess. He retells old favourites such as the great flood at Gundagai, the boundary rider's wife and the Australian who invented the first military tank, and presents little known figures like mailman Jimmy, who carried the post barefoot across the Nullarbor Plain, architect Edith Emery and Paddy the Poet, as well as the unusual sporting techniques of the Gumboot Tortoise. 

These yarns of ratbags, rebels, heroes and villains, unsettling legends and clever creations reveal that it's the small, human stories that, together, make up the greater story of Australia and its people. 

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Nexus

Summary:

For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI - a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. If we are so wise, why are we so self-destructive?

NEXUS considers how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age through the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence.

Information is not the raw material of truth; neither is it a mere weapon. NEXUS explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, and of rediscovering our shared humanity.

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The Whole Truth

Summary:

I've always strived to be honest in my public life; however, there's a lot I've kept private. Now, it's time to tell the whole truth.

Jackie Henderson, known to most as 'Jackie O', has graced Australia's airwaves since 1993. Through hard work and openness with her listeners, she rose from minor on-air roles to form one half of the country's biggest radio programs alongside controversial co-hosts Kyle Sandilands and 'Ugly Phil' O'Neil.

Here, for the first time, Jackie speaks candidly about her life in and out of the spotlight. She takes us behind the scenes of the spectacles and scandals of The Kyle and Jackie O Show and shares stories from thirty years spent working with huge celebrities, big egos and legions of both fans and detractors.

Her body. Her relationships. Her parenting. Her salary. Her health. All have been discussed across gossip pages and on social media, but there are parts of her life Jackie has kept private.

In this brave, no-holds-barred memoir, she is finally telling all. Forget everything you think you know about Jackie O. This is the whole truth.

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Highways and Byways

Summary:

From larger-than-life adventures to vivid and poignant tales of the imagination, Highways and Byways is a collection of stories taking readers on an enthralling tour (complete with the odd detour) through the raucous, well-lived life of one of this country's most successful and beloved artists.

Told with Jimmy's signature verve and flair, and richly coloured by his distinctive voice and wit, Highways and Byways sees him sharing a 1970s Texas stage with a dream line-up of US musicians; flirting with disaster in a Hawaiian high-rise; discovering a life-changing cassette tape; unearthing shattering family secrets in Glasgow; encountering charismatic and not-so-endearing superstars, ghosts of the recent and distant past, superfan traffic cops and shady salesmen; and confronting his own mortality - while pondering the more amusing effects of hospital medication.

Charming, personal and poignant, Highways and Byways is a collection that celebrates Jimmy's Scottish heritage, family, friends, music and the adventure of a grand life.

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The Legend of Albert Jacka

Summary:

Our heroes can come from the most ordinary of places. As a shy lad growing up in country Victoria, no one in the district had any idea the man Albert Jacka would become.

Albert 'Bert' Jacka was 21 when Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914. Bert soon enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and the young private was assigned to 14th Battalion D Company. By the time they shipped out to Egypt he'd been made a Lance Corporal.

On 26 April 1915, 14th Battalion landed at Gallipoli under the command of Brigadier General Monash's 4th Infantry Brigade. It was here, on 20 May, that Lance Corporal Albert Jacka proved he was 'the bravest of the brave'. The Turks were gaining ground with a full-scale frontal attack and as his comrades lay dead or dying in the trenches around him, Jacka single-handedly held off the enemy onslaught. The Turks retreated.

Jacka's extraordinary efforts saw him awarded the Victoria Cross, the first for an Australian soldier in World War I. He was a national hero, but Jacka's wartime exploits had only just begun: moving on to France, he battled the Germans at Pozieres, earning a Military Cross for what historian Charles Bean called 'the most dramatic and effective act of individual audacity in the history of the AIF'. Then at Bullecourt, his efforts would again turn the tide against the enemy. There would be more accolades and adventures before a sniper's bullet and then gassing at Villers-Bretonneux sent Bert home.

The Legend of Albert Jacka is an unforgettable story of the bravery and sacrifice of one extraordinary soldier that takes us from the shores of Gallipoli to the battlefields of France, all brought to vivid life by Australia's greatest storyteller, Peter FitzSimons.

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Out of the Blue

Summary:

Music is brain food and emotional sustenance for little ones. It's audible beauty. Want to give something special to your kids? Surround them with beauty and inspiration.

Out of the Blue is an utterly compelling memoir that begins with Anthony's childhood and delves into the creation of his first band, the Cockroaches, with two of his brothers while still a teenager. Anthony's university studies in early-childhood education led him to form the extraordinary children's music outfit the Wiggles with fellow students and a former bandmate. Over the years, the Wiggles have experienced incredible successes, unexpected failures and exciting reinventions.

Anthony speaks honestly of his struggles with chronic pain and depression, which have at times almost forced him out of his beloved role as the Blue Wiggle. His thoughts on shaping a safe and imaginative place for our children, nurturing the creativity of others in the band, and on music, originality, entrepreneurship and much more make fascinating reading.

In a rollicking account of more than 40 years on the road, he discusses the glory and challenges of his unique fame, and the occasions when he has come perilously close to personal and business disaster. Sports enthusiast, father of three and inspiration to millions, Anthony Field is truly a remarkable Australian.

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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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Brainstorm

Summary:

A dedicated doctor. A devastating diagnosis. A chance for a medical revolution.

Skin cancer is this country's most common cancer, and melanoma the deadliest form of it. Richard, together with his colleagues at Melanoma Institute Australia, has dedicated years to groundbreaking research and succeeded in transforming even the most advanced forms of melanoma into a largely curable disease, bringing hope and healing to many.

Then in 2023, at the peak of his life, Richard was diagnosed with brain cancer.

As an internationally respected clinician and researcher, Richard was never going to accept the status quo — a medical approach unchanged in nearly two decades and an expectation of little more than a year to live. He instead chose to undertake world-first experimental treatment based on melanoma science.

His brave decision could shorten his life or save it — the only certainty is that it will advance scientific understanding and ultimately help save the lives of others.

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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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.