NEW RELEASES
The Inkberg Enigma by Jonathan King $30
Miro and Zia live in Aurora, a fishing town nestled in the shadow of an ancient castle. Miro lives in his books; Zia is never without her camera. The day they meet, they uncover a secret. The fishing works, the castle, and the town council are all linked to an ill-fated 1930s Antarctic expedition. But the diary of that journey has been hidden, and the sea is stirring up unusual creatures. Something has a powerful hold over the town. With Zia determined to find out more, Miro finds himself putting aside his books for a real adventure. A superb graphic novel for 8—12-year-olds.
>>Watch the trailer!
After Midnight by Irmgard Keun $24
"In 1937, German author Irmgard Keun had only recently fled Nazi Germany with her lover Joseph Roth when she wrote this slim, exquisite, and devastating book. It captures the unbearable tension, contradictions, and hysteria of pre-war Germany like no other novel. Yet even as it exposes human folly, the book exudes a hopeful humanism. It is full of humor and light, even as it describes the first moments of a nightmare. After Midnight is a masterpiece that deserves to be read and remembered anew." —Fantastic Fiction
Beyond these Shores: Aotearoa and the world edited by Nina Hall $15
In recent years, more people are calling for an independent, values-based foreign policy and parties of all political stripes are looking for new ideas to achieve that. This book brings together a diverse group of New Zealanders to outline their visions for New Zealand's role in the world. It sparks a conversation about how we can exercise leadership and influence in the international arena.
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See $23
A tale of friendship between two members of an all-female diving collective on a small Korean island, set in the decades covering the Japanese colonial period, World War 2, and the Korean War.
Across the Risen Sea by Bren MacDibble $19
Neoma and Jag and their small community are 'living gentle lives' on high ground surrounded by the risen sea that has caused widespread devastation. When strangers from the Valley of the Sun arrive unannounced, the friends find themselves drawn into a web of secrecy and lies that endangers the way of life of their entire community. Soon daring, loyal Neoma must set off on a solo mission across the risen sea, determined to rescue her best friend and find the truth that will save her village. New from the author of How to Bee and The Dog Runner.
Human Compatible: A.I. and the problem of control by Stuart Russell $26
Russell considers that if we do not prioritise the objectives of potential artificial intelligence, humans' crowning inventions may be their last.
All Adults Here by Emma Straub $37
One of Astrid's grandchildren becomes the catalyst for the revelation of secrets that she had successfully hidden from her children, and even from herself.
"Intimate, epic, beautifully observed." —Jennifer Egan
"Has all the pleasures of Anne Tyler's compelling family portraits, with a Lorrie Moore-like sense of the absurdities of contemporary life." —Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
>>The author's bookshop.
Shouting Zeros and Ones: Digital technology, ethics and policy in New Zealand edited by Andrew Chen $15
A diverse group of contributors reveal the hidden impacts of technology on society and on individuals, exploring policy change and personal action to keep the internet a force for good. Timely.
The Telling Time by P.J. McKay $35
Two young women, a generation apart, travel to opposite sides of the world on fraught journeys of self-discovery. 1958: Gabrijela yearns to escape the confines of bleak post-war Yugoslavia and her tiny fishing community, but never imagines she will be exiled to New Zealand- a new immigrant sent to housekeep for the mysterious and surly Roko, clutching a secret she dare not reveal. 1989: Luisa, Gabrijela's daughter, departs on her own covert quest, determined to unpick the family's past. But not all decisions are equal and amid Yugoslavia's brewing civil unrest, Luisa's journey confronts her with culture shocks and dark encounters of her own.
"A vivid, engrossing family story that crosses oceans and eras, exploring the price two women pay when new and old worlds collide." —Paula Morris
Brasswitch and Bot ('Rise of the Remarkables' #1) by Gareth Ward $23
Screams surge along York's narrow Victorian streets as a run-away crackle-tram races toward disaster. Fearing an accident like the one that killed her parents, Brasswitch Wrench is forced to reveal her powers - a decision that will change her life forever. Recruited to the sinister department of Regulators who hunt down others like her, Wrench teams up with their maverick mechanical leader, Bot as they are tasked with halting the rise of the aberration threat. Until today, being called Brasswitch would have got you killed. Now, it might save your life. The first book in an exciting new series from the author of 'The Traitor and the Thief'.
Overkill: W@hen modern medicine goes too far by Paul Offit $38
Dr Offit contends that many common medical procedures and treatments do rather more harm than good.
>>Is medicine the answer?
Beyond a Boundary by Cyril Lionel Robert James $26
In this classic summation of half a lifetime spent playing, watching and writing about the sport, James recounts the story of his overriding passion and tells us of the players whom he knew and loved, exploring the game's psychology and aesthetics, and the issues of class, race and politics that surround it. Part memoir of a West Indian boyhood, part passionate celebration and defence of cricket as an art form, part indictment of colonialism, Beyond a Boundary addresses not just a sport but a whole culture and asks the question, 'What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?'
"To say 'the best cricket book ever written' is piffingly inadequate praise." —Guardian
"Great claims have been made for Beyond a Boundary since its first appearance in 1963: that it is the greatest sports book ever written; that it brings the outsider a privileged insight into West Indian culture; that it is a severe examination of the colonial condition. All are true." —Sunday Times
How To Be Old: Poems by Rachel McAlpine $25
Always developing her own aging, McAlpine has written a selection of poems that capture often unnoticed aspects of this process.
>>Rachel's website.
Dirty Politics: How attack politics is poisoning New Zealand's political environment by Nicky Hager $35
Recent political developments have made elements of this book relevant again, and it has been reprinted.
A Book of Surrealist Games compiled by Alastair Brotchie $30
Game playing was a primary creative method of the Surrealists. This book provides language games, alternative card games, "Dream Lotto", automatic techniques for making poems, stories, collages and photo-montages to re-enact Surrealist creativity. The games may also be used to delve into the collective unconscious in much the same ways as the original surrealists did at the start of the movement.
>>Exquisite corpses.
Miro and Zia live in Aurora, a fishing town nestled in the shadow of an ancient castle. Miro lives in his books; Zia is never without her camera. The day they meet, they uncover a secret. The fishing works, the castle, and the town council are all linked to an ill-fated 1930s Antarctic expedition. But the diary of that journey has been hidden, and the sea is stirring up unusual creatures. Something has a powerful hold over the town. With Zia determined to find out more, Miro finds himself putting aside his books for a real adventure. A superb graphic novel for 8—12-year-olds.
>>Watch the trailer!
"In 1937, German author Irmgard Keun had only recently fled Nazi Germany with her lover Joseph Roth when she wrote this slim, exquisite, and devastating book. It captures the unbearable tension, contradictions, and hysteria of pre-war Germany like no other novel. Yet even as it exposes human folly, the book exudes a hopeful humanism. It is full of humor and light, even as it describes the first moments of a nightmare. After Midnight is a masterpiece that deserves to be read and remembered anew." —Fantastic Fiction
In recent years, more people are calling for an independent, values-based foreign policy and parties of all political stripes are looking for new ideas to achieve that. This book brings together a diverse group of New Zealanders to outline their visions for New Zealand's role in the world. It sparks a conversation about how we can exercise leadership and influence in the international arena.
A tale of friendship between two members of an all-female diving collective on a small Korean island, set in the decades covering the Japanese colonial period, World War 2, and the Korean War.
Neoma and Jag and their small community are 'living gentle lives' on high ground surrounded by the risen sea that has caused widespread devastation. When strangers from the Valley of the Sun arrive unannounced, the friends find themselves drawn into a web of secrecy and lies that endangers the way of life of their entire community. Soon daring, loyal Neoma must set off on a solo mission across the risen sea, determined to rescue her best friend and find the truth that will save her village. New from the author of How to Bee and The Dog Runner.
Russell considers that if we do not prioritise the objectives of potential artificial intelligence, humans' crowning inventions may be their last.
One of Astrid's grandchildren becomes the catalyst for the revelation of secrets that she had successfully hidden from her children, and even from herself.
"Intimate, epic, beautifully observed." —Jennifer Egan
"Has all the pleasures of Anne Tyler's compelling family portraits, with a Lorrie Moore-like sense of the absurdities of contemporary life." —Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
>>The author's bookshop.
A diverse group of contributors reveal the hidden impacts of technology on society and on individuals, exploring policy change and personal action to keep the internet a force for good. Timely.
Two young women, a generation apart, travel to opposite sides of the world on fraught journeys of self-discovery. 1958: Gabrijela yearns to escape the confines of bleak post-war Yugoslavia and her tiny fishing community, but never imagines she will be exiled to New Zealand- a new immigrant sent to housekeep for the mysterious and surly Roko, clutching a secret she dare not reveal. 1989: Luisa, Gabrijela's daughter, departs on her own covert quest, determined to unpick the family's past. But not all decisions are equal and amid Yugoslavia's brewing civil unrest, Luisa's journey confronts her with culture shocks and dark encounters of her own.
"A vivid, engrossing family story that crosses oceans and eras, exploring the price two women pay when new and old worlds collide." —Paula Morris
Screams surge along York's narrow Victorian streets as a run-away crackle-tram races toward disaster. Fearing an accident like the one that killed her parents, Brasswitch Wrench is forced to reveal her powers - a decision that will change her life forever. Recruited to the sinister department of Regulators who hunt down others like her, Wrench teams up with their maverick mechanical leader, Bot as they are tasked with halting the rise of the aberration threat. Until today, being called Brasswitch would have got you killed. Now, it might save your life. The first book in an exciting new series from the author of 'The Traitor and the Thief'.
Dr Offit contends that many common medical procedures and treatments do rather more harm than good.
>>Is medicine the answer?
In this classic summation of half a lifetime spent playing, watching and writing about the sport, James recounts the story of his overriding passion and tells us of the players whom he knew and loved, exploring the game's psychology and aesthetics, and the issues of class, race and politics that surround it. Part memoir of a West Indian boyhood, part passionate celebration and defence of cricket as an art form, part indictment of colonialism, Beyond a Boundary addresses not just a sport but a whole culture and asks the question, 'What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?'
"To say 'the best cricket book ever written' is piffingly inadequate praise." —Guardian
"Great claims have been made for Beyond a Boundary since its first appearance in 1963: that it is the greatest sports book ever written; that it brings the outsider a privileged insight into West Indian culture; that it is a severe examination of the colonial condition. All are true." —Sunday Times
Always developing her own aging, McAlpine has written a selection of poems that capture often unnoticed aspects of this process.
>>Rachel's website.
Recent political developments have made elements of this book relevant again, and it has been reprinted.
Game playing was a primary creative method of the Surrealists. This book provides language games, alternative card games, "Dream Lotto", automatic techniques for making poems, stories, collages and photo-montages to re-enact Surrealist creativity. The games may also be used to delve into the collective unconscious in much the same ways as the original surrealists did at the start of the movement.
>>Exquisite corpses.