Recent necrology, January 2015

Some well-known people who have died recently

• Ian Athfield, 1940-2015
  Eminent New Zealand architect whose whimsical and eclectic designs both offended and inspired

• John Bayley, 1925-2015
  Oxford professor whose memoir of his marriage to Iris Murdoch was turned into a hit film

• Anita Ekberg, 1931-2015
  Former Miss Sweden, branded a sex goddess for her performance in Fellini’s movie, La Dolce Vita

• Colleen McCullough, 1937-2015
  Australian author whose novel The Thorn Birds became an award-winning TV series

• Geraldine McEwan, 1932-2015
  English actress, best known for playing Agatha Christie’s sleuth Miss Marple

• Rod McKuen, 1933-2015
  American singer-songwriter, musician and poet

• Elena Obraztsova, 1939-2015
  Russian mezzo who took New York by storm but was criticised for supporting the Soviet regime

• Ronnie Ronalde, 1923-2015
  Virtuoso whistler and bird song impersonator whose skills were admired by Frank Sinatra and John Peel

• Demis Roussos, 1946-2015
  Greek singer who sold 60 million albums and became an unlikely kaftan-wearing sex symbol

• Margaret Scott, 1928-2014
  New Zealand scholar who edited Katherine Mansfield’s letters

• Robert Stone, 1937-2015
  Novelist who wrote bold American morality plays and courted danger in Vietnam and Central America

• Rod Taylor, 1929-2015
  Actor who brought Australian machismo to Hollywood and starred in Hitchcock’s The Birds

How are you shaping up for the new year?

Some make New Year’s resolutions, some resolve never to make New Year’s resolutions, either way now’s a good time to take stock of your well-being.

Whether you are returning to work from holiday or worked through the holiday period, this time of year is a tricky period of readjustment to family and work expectations. If you are feeling in a rut or envying the work life balance of others it is time to make some gains on your own plans. So get some tools and set some targets to get you to there, whether that be health and fitness wise or making gains on that long-planned outdoor adventure.

A great place to start is our very own Zinio for libraries take a look at these beauties and you get to keep each and every one of them. So no more excuses! You can download these, with your library card and PIN.

Search the catalogue for more titles available on Zinio.