HAWERA PUBLIC LIBRARY

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 2 September 1932, Page 8

HAWERA PUBLIC LIBRARY

NEW BOOKS. Fiction, travel and biography are all represented among the new (books at the Hawera Public Library. They include the following: NOVELS. “The Black Swan/’ by Rafael Sabatini. Piracy on the Spanish main in the days of William 111. gives Sabatini ample material for the adventurous romance in which ho excels. There is a thrilling duel and some particTilarly juicy murders. Be Bernis, an ex-pirate, is the right kind of hero, while Priscilla Harradinc, is well worth wining. Sir Henry Morgan also comes into the story. This is one of the 'best of the Sab at ini books.

“Parson’s Nine,” by Noel Streatfield. When David married he decided to name his children after the boobs of the Apocrypha, as a constant reI minder to other people of this part of 1 the Bible. Barusch and Susanna were * twins and bad a special affection for lone another. War broke the family fup, and Barusch, deeply affected by the death of two brothers, committed suicide rather than _ enlist. For a while Susanna was inconsolable, but at last found solace in rewriting and publishing Rarusch’s stories and poems. In this way 'she felt she was once more' near Barusch, and her interest in life revived. “Fidelis,” by Emmeline Morrison, is the story of love frustrated by parental authority, hut strong enough to survive after 20 years of waiting. The story begins in 1905 and is brought up to the present day. “Curtain Up, Curtain Down,” by Sheila Macdonald, is another pioneer story of Rhodesia. Drama, comedy and romance are woven into the tale. “The Return of. Bulldog Drummond,” by “Sapper.”’'" While .staying at a friencl’s house on Dartmoor, Captain Drummond was suddenly confronted by a panic-stricken youth who cried that “they” were after him. “They” proved to he wardens from the gaol, "who had mistaken the hoy for an escaped convict. But that he had real cause for fear was proved when he was neatly kidnapped in the few minutes Drummond left him alone. Later he was discovered dead in a sinister house. After that events move quickly, especially when Drummond’s old enemy Irma appears on the scene. “Bred in the Bone,”: by Eden Phillpotts. The storv opens with a murder, but it is with the development of the characters rather than the tracking down of the criminals that the author is concerned. The scene is set in Devon, which Phillpotts knows so well. This is the first volume of a trilogy. Other novels are “The Top Step,” by Nellie Scanlon; “The Island of Desire.” by Peter Ivyne; and “The Island of Avilion,” by Cecil Adair.

GENERAL.

“In Searph of Wales,” by H. V. Morton. It is said that Morton’s books have done more to popularise England, Ireland and Scotland than any other books. To these he lias now added a fourth, “In Search of Wales.” It is a cheerful, entertaining study. His curiosity is always alive, and besides he always seems to meet the most entertaining people. Ho is interested by things ancient and modern, and the beautiful North Wales in his hands is no more interesting than The industrial South, “Adventure” and “Fear and Be Slain,” by Major-General J. E. Seely, are two volumes of the most exciting reminiscences. His motto is “Fear, and he slain; believe, and live.” He has had a most varied and adventurous career, which he describes modestly and with a cheery optimism ._ Certain parts' of his life, such as his connection with the War Office and his services at the war, are described in detail. A cheerful philosophy is the outstanding feature of both hooks. “Candid Reminiscences,” by Upton Sinclair. No greater contrast to Seely’s hooks could be found than Sinc’lair’s autobiography. Into 30 years of life he has packed enough experiences for 70 years, but they have made him a fighter against most conventions and no respecter of the upper classes. From childhood he had a great love of reading, teaching himself by the age of five. At the age of 18 literature had become a frenzy. His childhood was ai continual ■OindereUa kind of existence; one night they would sleep “on a vermin ridden sofa in a lodginghouse, the next night under silken coverlets in a fashionable' home. It was always a question whether my father had enough money for that week’s hoard.” His knowledge of class distinctions, his favourite theme, was gained from these experiences. He challenges all "kinds of conventions in the manner of Wells and Shaw, whom ho greatly admires.