NEW RELEASES (5.4.24)
Move through autumn with a book in your hand!
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A Flat Place by Noreen Masud $40
Noreen Masud has always loved flat landscapes — their stark beauty, their formidable calm, their refusal to cooperate with the human gaze. They reflect her inner world- the 'flat place' she carries inside herself, emotional numbness and memory loss as symptoms of childhood trauma. But as much as the landscape provides solace for this suffering, Britain's flatlands are also uneasy places for a Scottish-Pakistani woman, representing both an inheritance and a dispossession. Pursuing this paradox across the wide open plains that she loves, Noreen weaves her impressions of the natural world with the poetry, folklore and history of the land, and with recollections of her own early life, rendering a startlingly strange, vivid and intimate account of a post-traumatic, post-colonial landscape — a seemingly flat and motionless place which is nevertheless defiantly alive.
”It would be easy to assume that A Flat Place, dealing as it does in the currency of trauma, racism and exile, is a bleak book. But this memoir is too interested in what it means and how feels to be alive in a landscape to be anything other than arresting and memorable. In the flatlands of Britain, and in the memories they evoke of the flat places of Pakistan, Masud both finds a way to comprehend her own story and establishes a strong voice that confirms her as a significant chronicler of personal and national experience. A Flat Place is a slim volume, but that belies its expansive scope.” —Financial Times
Te Waka Hourua Whītiki, Mātike, Whakatika! $30
Following the treaty redaction action at Te Papa by Te Waka Hourua in December 2023, this book authored by the artists themselves is a first-hand recollection and reflection of their experience, complemented with some memorabilia of the action, and its impact in the public discourse. Te Waka Hourua is a tangata whenua-led, direct action, climate and social justice rōpū. Their kaupapa is as described by their whakaaturanga: “Our waka hourua has set its course. We feel it is beyond time to shed light on the truth of our current and existential situation; endless destruction by an elite minority at the expense of the majority, and of hospitable life on planet earth.”
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Wellington street art by Jamie D. Baird $70
Art or vandalism, protest or social commentary — how you see street art depends on where you stand. Jamie Baird’s Here Today Gone Tomorrow documents his 40-year fascination with these ephemera as “a testament to human imagination, innovation and cultural diversity.” The fascinating book, with over 1200 photographs taken over four decades, really captures the variety and vitality that is Wellington's unofficial culture and true life.
Granta 165: Deutschland edited by Thomas Meeney $35
From Lower Saxony to Marienbad, the carwash to the planetarium, this issue of Granta reflects on Germany today. Featuring non-fiction by Alexander Kluge, Peter Handke, Fredric Jameson, Lauren Oyler, Michael Hofmann, Peter Kuras, Adrian Daub, Peter Richter, Lutz Seiler, Ryan Ruby, Jan Wilm and Jürgen Habermas. As well as a conversation between George Prochnik, Emily Dische-Becker and Eyal Weizman. The issue introduces two young novelists on the German scene – Leif Randt and Shida Bazyar – forthcoming work from Yoko Tawada, a short story from Clemens Meyer, and autofiction by Judith Hermann. Plus, poetry by Elfriede Czurda and Frederick Seidel. Photography by Martin Roemers (with an introduction by the poet Durs Grünbein); Ilyes Griyeb (with an introduction by Imogen West-Knights) and Elena Helfrecht (with an introduction by Hanna Engelmeier).
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar $38
Cyrus Shams is lost. The orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, Cyrus never knew his mother. Killed when her plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf in a senseless accident, Cyrus has spent his life grappling with the meaningless nature of his mother’s death. Now he is set to learn the truth of her life. When Cyrus’s obsession with the lives of the martyrs – Bobby Sands, Joan of Arc – leads him to a chance encounter with a dying artist, he finds himself drawn towards the mysteries of his past: an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the Angel of Death; and toward his mother, who may not have been who or what she seemed. As Cyrus searches for meaning in the scattered clues of his life, a final revelation transforms everything he thought he knew.
”As a poet, Akbar is a master of economy of language, and that mastery remains untouched in this 350-page novel. The writing in Martyr! dances on the page, effortlessly going from funny and witty to deep and philosophical to dialogue that showcases the power of language as well as its inability to discuss certain things. It brilliantly explores addiction, grief, guilt, sexuality, racism, martyrdom, biculturalism, the compulsion to create something that matters, and our endless quest for purpose in a world that can often be cruel and uncaring. Akbar was already known as a great poet, but now he must also be called a great, fearless novelist.” —NPR
Service by Sarah Gilmartin $37
When Hannah learns that famed chef Daniel Costello is facing accusations of sexual assault, she's thrust back to the summer she spent as a waitress at his high-end Dublin restaurant. Drawn in by the plush splendour of the dining rooms, the elegance of the food, the wild parties after service, Hannah also remembers the sizzling tension of the kitchens. And how the attention from Daniel morphed from kindness into something darker... His restaurant shuttered, his lawyers breathing down his neck, Daniel is in a state of disbelief. Decades of hard graft, of fighting to earn recognition for his talent - is it all to fall apart because of something he can barely remember? Hiding behind the bedroom curtains from the paparazzi's lenses, Julie is raking through more than two decades spent acting the supportive wife, the good mother, and asking herself what it's all been for. Their three different voices reveal a story of power and abuse, victimhood and complicity. This is a novel about the facades that we maintain, the lies that we tell and the courage it takes to face the truth.
A Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of the World by González Macías (translated from Spanish by Daniel Hahn) $50
From a blind lighthouse keeper tending a light in the Arctic Circle, to an intrepid young girl saving ships from wreck at the foot of her father's lighthouse, and the plight of the lighthouse crew cut off from society for forty days, this is a book full of illuminating stories that transport us to the world's most isolated and interesting lighthouses. Over thirty tales, each accompanied by beautiful illustrations, nautical charts, maps, architectural plans and curious facts. Includes the Stephens Island lighthouse in the Marlborough Sounds.
We Need to Talk About Death: An important book about grief, celebrations, and love by Sarah Chavez, illustrated by Annika Le Large $25
A beautifully illustrated, frank and affirming book about death though history and around the world, and also in our own lives. Death is an important part of life, and yet it is one of the hardest things to talk about — for adults as well as children. Reading this book, children will marvel at the flowers different cultures use to represent death. They will find out about eco-friendly burials, learn how to wrap a mummy, and go beneath the streets of Paris to witness skull-lined catacombs! Readers will also ride a buffalo alongside Yama, the Hindu god of death, come face-to-face with the terracotta army a Chinese emperor built to escort him to the afterlife, and party in the streets to celebrate the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Through these examples the book showcases the amazing ways humans have always revered those who have died. Full of practical tips, this book won't stop the pain of losing a loved one or a pet, but it may give young readers ideas for different ways they can celebrate those who have passed away, and help begin the healing process.
The One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka (translated from Japanese by Larry Korn) $30
Call it "Zen and the Art of Farming" or a "Little Green Book," Masanobu Fukuoka's manifesto about farming, eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his preface, the book "is valuable to us because it is at once practical and philosophical. It is an inspiring, necessary book about agriculture because it is not just about agriculture. "Trained as a scientist, Fukuoka rejected both modern agribusiness and centuries of agricultural practice, deciding instead that the best forms of cultivation mirror nature's own laws. Over the next three decades he perfected his so-called "do-nothing" technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and perhaps most significantly, wasteful effort. Whether you're a guerrilla gardener or a kitchen gardener, dedicated to slow food or simply looking to live a healthier life, you will find something here.
Erasing Palestine: Free speech and Palestinian freedom by Rebecca Ruth Gould $37
Having been accused of antisemitism for writing an account of the injustices she witnessed in Palestine, Rebecca Ruth Gould embarks on a journey to understand how the fight against antisemitism has been weaponised not to defend civil rights, but to deny them. In this exploration, she comes to a broader understanding of how censorship threatens the intersectional movements against racism and prejudice in all its forms, including antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism. Gould warns of the consequences if academic freedom is not protected and highlights the importance of free speech for the politics of liberation.
”A detailed, in-depth study that gets to the heart of one of the contemporary world's most contentious issues. A bold and expert expose of the real reasons behind the West's current antisemitism industry: the silencing of Palestinians and their erasure from history.” —Ghada Karmi,
”Never have we been more in need of hearing the heroic voices of Palestinian activists and their supporters, still unwaveringly resisting the ongoing Israeli seizure of their land and daily control over their lives and movement. In this meticulously researched, moving and persuasive book, Rebecca Ruth Gould surveys the ever-mounting silencing of any support for justice for Palestinians with specious accusations of anti-Semitism against any and all of those joining the struggle to end Israel's brutal occupation, including against the author herself. “ —Lynne Segal
Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish kitchen by Leah Koenig $62
Over 100 recipes, and photographs of Rome's Jewish community, the oldest in Europe. The city's Jewish residents have endured many hardships, including 300 years of persecution inside the Roman Jewish Ghetto. Out of this strife grew resilience, a deeply knit community, and a uniquely beguiling cuisine. Today, the community thrives on Via del Portico d'Ottavia (the main road in Rome's Ghetto neighborhood) — and beyond. Leah Koenig's recipes showcase the cuisine's elegantly understated vegetables, saucy braised meats and stews, rustic pastas, resplendent olive oil-fried foods, and never-too-sweet desserts. Home cooks can explore classics of the Roman Jewish repertoire with Stracotto di Manzo (a wine-braised beef stew), Pizza Ebraica (fruit-and-nut-studded bar cookies), and, of course, Carciofi alla Giudia, the quintessential Jewish-style fried artichokes. A standout chapter on fritters — showcasing the unique gift Roman Jews have for delicate frying — includes sweet honey-soaked matzo fritters, fried salt cod, and savory potato pastries (burik) introduced by the thousands of Libyan Jews who immigrated to Rome in the 1960s and '70s. Every recipe is tailored to the home cook, while maintaining the flavor and integrity of tradition. Suggested menus for holiday planning round out the usability and flexibility of these dishes. A cookbook for anyone who wants to dive more deeply into Jewish foodways, or gain new insight into Rome
Electric Life by Rachel Delahaye $22
Estrella is the ‘perfect’ society: an immaculate, sanitised, hyper-connected environment where everything is channelled through the digital medium. There is no dirt, no pain, no disease and no natural world. Feelings like boredom are frowned upon and discouraged. Alara is dropped down to London Under and into a new-old world that bewilders and disorientates her. How will she survive in a society where noise, dirt and sometimes pain are everyday experiences, and where food is not synthetic and tastes real? Will she accomplish her mission? Who can she trust? How will she get back to her family and her worry-free life in Estrella? This fast-paced and thrilling story set in a fictional yet believable future explores important themes and asks some big questions about where our society could be heading.
The Spectacular Science of Art: From the Renaissance to the Digital Age by Rob Colson, illustrated by Moreno Chiacchiera $25
What is colour theory? How do artists use maths in their paintings? How do scientists spot forgeries in a laboratory? And many, many more!The bright, busy artworks will encourage science-hungry children to pore over every detail and truly get to grips with the science that underpins everything around us. Clear information is delivered on multiple levels, allowing readers to dip in and out at speed, or take a deep dive into their favourite subjects.
Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge, illustrated by Emily Gravett $38
On the misty island of Merlank, the lingering dead can cause unspeakable harm if they're not safely carried to the Island of the Broken Tower, where they can move on. Milo's father always told him that he wasn't suited for dealing with the dead and could never become the Ferryman — but one day, he's unexpectedly thrust into the role. And his father is his first passenger . . . Milo's father was killed by the Lord of Merlank, in pursuit of his dead daughter who he's unwilling to give up. It's a race to the island as Milo must face swarms of sinister moths, strange headless birds, and dangerous storms to carry his ghostly passengers across the secret seas.