NEW RELEASES (5.7.24)
Our solutions to your reading resolutions are below.
The Observable Universe by Heather McCalden $37
When she was a child, Heather McCalden lost her parents to AIDS. She was seven when her father died and ten when she lost her mother. Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1990s, her personal devastation was mirrored by a city that was ground zero for the virus and its destruction. Years later, after becoming a writer and an artist, she begins to research the mysterious parallels between the histories of AIDS and the internet. She questions what it means to 'go viral' in an era of explosive biological and virtual contagion and simultaneously finds her own past seeping into her investigation. While connecting her disparate strands of research — images, fragments of scientific thought, musings on Raymond Chandler and late-night Netflix binges — she makes an unexpected discovery about what happened to her family and who her parents might have been. Entwining an intensely personal search with a history of viral culture and an ode to Los Angeles, The Observable Universe is a prismatic account of loss calibrated precisely to our existence in a post-pandemic, post-internet life.
”McCalden's sequence of itemized yet interlocking chapters — many less than a page long — is so surprising that this debut book feels revelatory. She hires a private investigator to look into the life of her father, about whom she knows very little. This gives her story drive — rare in a collection of vignettes. But it becomes clear that for McCalden the facts of the past are not really important: what matters is grappling with how we live now, with contagion and loss in the digital age. —Ellen Peirson-Hagger, New Statesman
”A gifted writer's brilliantly innovative approach to autobiographical non-fiction, syncing a narrative of profoundly personal emotion with the invention and evolution of today's cyberspace.” —William Gibson, author of Neuromancer
”Part meditation on loss, AIDS, and viral transmission, part howl of grief and fury, The Observable Universe spells out better than anything else I've read the transformative power of the internet. It felt like Maggie Nelson's The Red Parts meets Jia Tolentino's Trick Mirror, and is easily the equal of both.” —Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being
”It isn't pain itself that inspires great art; it's the frenzied avoidance of pain that pushes an artist to do something, anything, other than feel pain. This book is what arises from that practice: the artifact of one writer's solitary, complicated grief. With every carefully, thoughtfully written page, one feels the unwritten grief thudding behind it, beautiful and monstrous. And in the end there's no true story, no solution to the mystery, no final coherence. But there is this marvelous book.” —Sarah Manguso, author of 300 Arguments
A Cage Went in Search of a Bird: Ten Kafkaesque stories by Ali Smith, Tommy Orange, Naomi Alderman, Helen Oyeyemi, Keith Ridgway, Yiyun Li, Charlie Kaufman, Elif Batuman, Leone Ross, and Joshua Cohen $38
What happens when some of the most original literary minds of today take an idea, a mood or a line from Kafka’s work and use it to spark something new? From a future society who ask their AI servants to construct a giant tower to reach God; to a flat hunt that descends into a comically absurd bureaucratic nightmare; to a population experiencing a wave of unbearable, contagious panic attacks, these ten specially commissioned stories are by turns mind-bending, funny, unsettling and haunting. Inspired by the visionary imagination of a writer working one hundred years ago, they speak powerfully to the strangeness of being alive today.
”This inspired anthology demonstrates the enduring influence of Franz Kafka's fatalistic worldview and mordant humour. These stories will do the trick for the Kafka-curious and diehard fans alike.” —Publishers Weekly
Urban Aotearoa: The future for our cities edited by David Batchelor and Bill McKay $18
A critical look at the evolution of New Zealand’s cities, at a crtitical time. Moving past the country’s rural image, the book addresses the realities of its urban majority, questioning suburban spread and exploring options for smarter living. A range of contributors provide insights that span housing trends, Māori urban development, Pacific design, climate action and more. This BWB Text is a straightforward look at how cities work and how they can change for every New Zealander interested in the future of our urban spaces. Contributors: Ben Schrader, Shamubeel Eaqub, Selena Eaqub, Anthony Hōete, Lama Tone, Jane Higgins, Paul Dalziel, John Tookey, Morten Gjerde.
The Ministry of Time by Keliane Bradley $38
In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering 'expats' from across history to test the limits of time-travel. Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847' — Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he's a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as 'washing machine', 'Spotify' and 'the collapse of the British Empire'. With an appetite for discovery and a seven-a-day cigarette habit, he soon adjusts; and during a long, sultry summer he and his bridge move from awkwardness to genuine friendship, to something more. But as the true shape of the project that brought them together begins to emerge, Gore and the bridge are forced to confront their past choices and imagined futures. Can love triumph over the structures and histories that have shaped them? And how do you defy history when history is living in your house?
”Holy smokes, this novel is an absolute cut above! Exciting, surprising, intellectually provocative, weird, radical, tender and moving. I missed it when I was away from it. I will hurry to re-read it. Make room on your bookshelves for a new classic.” —Max Porter
”An outrageously brilliant debut. This is already the best new book I will have read next year>” —Eleanor Catton
”Kaliane Bradley writes with the maximalist confidence of P. G. Wodehouse, but also with the page-turning pining of Sally Rooney. It's thought-provoking and horribly clever — but it also made me laugh out loud.” —Alice Winn
”Conceptually brilliant, really funny, genuinely moving, written in the most exquisite language and with a wonderful articulation of the knotty complexities of a mixed-race heritage.” —Mark Haddon
”Sly and illusionless in its use of history, lovely in its sentences, warm — no, hotter than that — in its characterisation, devastating in its denouement. A weird, kind, clever, heartsick little time-bomb of a book> —Francis Spufford
Her Side of the Story by Alba de Céspedes (translated from Italian by Jill Foulston) $37
Looking back over her life, Alessandra Corteggiani recalls her youth during the rise of fascism in 1930s Rome. A sensitive child, she was always alert to the loneliness and dissatisfaction of her mother and the other women in their crowded apartment block. Observing how their lives were weighed down by housework and the longing for romance, she became determined to seek another future for herself. This conviction will lead her to rebel against the expectations of her family, rail against the unjust treatment of women and seek to build a life with an anti-fascist professor. As her independence grows, so too does resistance against it - even from those closest to her. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the partisan struggle in the Second World War, Her Side of the Story is a devastating story of one woman's determination to carve her own path.
”Reading Alba de Cespedes was, for me, like breaking into an unknown universe: social class, feelings, atmosphere.” —Annie Ernaux
”De Cespedes's novel anticipates the candid confessionals of writers such as Deborah Levy, Sheila Heti and Rachel Cusk. Formally precise, psychologically rich, and suffused in suspicion and suspense.” —Financial Times
”While I'm writing, I confine myself to occasionally reading books that keep me company not as entertainment but as solid companions. I call them books of encouragement, like those by Alba de Cespedes.” —Elena Ferrante
”Recently rediscovered, her work has lost none of its subversive force.” —New York Times
The Fight for Freshwater by Mike Joy $40
Mike Joy is recognised in New Zealand as a leading freshwater ecologist and a fervent advocate for the preservation of waterways. However, the journey that led him to these influential roles is as winding and unique as the rivers he strives to protect. His story is not just about academic success and public profile, but also personal discovery, challenge and resilience. Before setting foot in academia, Mike’s early life included a surprising range of occupations, including time on farms – the very industry that would later be a particular target of his academic activism. It wasn’t until his early thirties that he decided to pivot towards academia, enrolling at Massey University. This memoir provides a rare first-hand look at the pressures and challenges faced by those who dare to raise their voices, especially when debating issues as crucial as the health and future of New Zealand’s waterways. At a perilous time for our universities, it is also an inspirational account of staying true to academia’s function as ‘critic and conscience’ for our society. More urgent now than ever.
Everything That Moves Moves Through Another edited by Jennifer Cheuk $95
A landmark anthology that brings together the creative work of twenty-seven mixed-heritage creatives from across Aotearoa. Weaving together a range of artistic mediums and giving space to both emerging and experienced creatives, this anthology lays the groundwork for deeper and more empathetic conversations around the experience of mixed-heritage individuals. Through an open call for contributors in 2023, this publication was created in response to the lack of authentic representation for biracial, mixed-heritage and multi-ethnic individuals living in Aotearoa. Everything That Moves, Moves Through Another features photography, comics, essays, poetry and multimedia art from a range of creative practitioners (listed below). The publication also includes an original introduction written by mixed Malaysian-Chinese poet, Nina Mingya Powles. This project showcases the importance of independent publishing and collective creativity in platforming diverse stories and voices. Everything That Moves, Moves Through Another explores the book as an object wherein communities can converse with one another, and different artistic mediums can converge on the page. Contributions from: Nina Mingya Powles, Kim Anderson, Cadence Chung, Kàtia Miche, Damien Levi, Jefferson Chen, Ivy Lyden-Hancy, Jessica Miku 未久, Ruby Rae Lupe Ah, Ying Yue Pilbrow, Emma Ling Sidnam, Jimmy Varga, Jill and Lindsey de Roos, Daisy Remington, Chye-Ling Huang, Evelina Lolesi, Eamonn Tee, Emele Ugavule, Harry Matheson, kī anthony, Maraky Vowells, Dr Meri Haami and Dr Carole Fernandez, Kechil-kechil chili padi, Nkhaya Paulsen-More, Yani Widjaja, Chyna-Lily Tjauw Rawlinson, romesh dissanayake, Jake Tabata.
The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov (translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel) $28
Using the myth of the Minotaur as its organising image, the narrator of Gospodinov's novel constructs a labyrinth of stories about his family, jumping from era to era and viewpoint to viewpoint, exploring the mindset and trappings of Eastern Europeans. Both moving — such as with the story of his grandfather accidentally being left behind at a mill — and very funny — see the section on the awfulness of the question "how are you?" — The Physics of Sorrow is a book that you can inhabit, tracing connections, following the narrator down various ‘side passages’, getting pleasantly lost in the various stories and empathising with the sorrowful, misunderstood Minotaur at the center of it all.
Bethlehem: A celebration of Palestinian food by Fadi Kattan $65
Franco-Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan celebrates the hidden parts of Bethlehem, his home, conjuring the colours and smells of its market and spice shops and introducing readers to the local farmers and artisans with whom he works to find the perfect ingredients and shares his love of culinary experimentation. Fadi’s inspiration comes from these food artisans, who grow the grapes, mill the wheat, make the olive oil, and most importantly, pass down the generational food knowledge. His loving profiles of these people are accompanied by his own recipes, some passed down, some from his restaurants in Bethlehem and London. Learn to stuff grape leaves with Nabulsi cheese, slow roast lamb seasoned with fenugreek and cardamom, roll labaneh in nigella seeds, and make Mouhalabieh, a milky pudding scented with mastic and pistachios.
Space Rover (‘Object Lssons’ series) by Stewart Lawrence Sincliar $22
In 1971, the first lunar rover arrived on the moon. The design became an icon of American ingenuity and the adventurous spirit and vision many equated with the space race. Fifty years later, that vision feels like a nostalgic fantasy, but the lunar rover's legacy paved the way for Mars rovers like Sojourner, Curiosity, and Perseverance. Other rovers have made accessible the world's deepest caves and most remote tundra, extending our exploratory range without risking lives. Still others have been utilized for search and rescue missions or in clean up operations after disasters such as Chernobyl. For all these achievements, rovers embody not just our potential, but our limits. Examining rovers as they wander our terrestrial and celestial boundaries, we might better comprehend our place, and fate, in this universe.
Sarn Helen: A journey through Wales, past, present, and future by Tom Bullough, with illustrations by Jackie Morris $28
Sarn Helen — Helen's Causeway — is the old Roman Road that runs from the south of Wales to the north. As Bullough walks the route, sometimes alone, sometimes in company, he describes the changing landscape around him and explores the political, cultural and mythical history of this country that has been so divided, by language and by geography. Running alongside this journey is the story of Bullough's engagement with the issue of the climate crisis and its likely impact on the Welsh coastline. Sarn Helen is at once a vivid and immersive portrait of a nation, and a resonant meditation upon the way in which we are shaped by place and in turn shape the places — potentially irrevocably.
”Vital, and urgent with concern. You cannot leave this book without its message thundering in your head. It is not enough to walk old routes. This was. Now what?” —Cynan Jones
”A profound and beautiful portrait of Wales. With great charm and learning, Tom Bullough walks us through the country's leafy backways, its deep pasts, the sparkling shards of its identity, its vanishing rural traditions and its fragile ecology.” —Philip Marsden
Heartsease by Kate Kruimink $38
“I saw my mother for a long time after she died. I would see her out windows, or in the corner of my eye. Always in the periphery, always a dim blur, but unmistakably my mother, the herness skating through every line and flicker.” Charlotte ('Lot') and Ellen ('Nelly') are sisters who were once so close a Venn diagram of the two would have formed a circle. But a great deal has changed since their mother's death, years before. Clever, beautiful, gentle Lot has been unfailingly dutiful — basically a disaster of an older sister for much younger Nelly, still haunted by their mother in her early thirties. When the pair meet at a silent retreat in a strange old house in the Tasmanian countryside, the spectres of memory are unleashed. Heartsease is a sad, sly and darkly comic story about the weight of grief and the ways in which family cleave to us, for better and for worse.
”Sharp, gorgeous and unforgettable.” —Robbie Arnott
Clive and His Babies by Jessica Spanyol $18
Meet Clive — and his imagination! Clive loves his dolls. He enjoys playing with them, and sharing them with his friends. A gentle, affectionate book, celebrating diversity and challenging gender stereotypes.
Big Ideas from Literature: How books can change your life $50
This book is an exploration of the ideas found in books, that teach children through the stories they tell. Books can be powerful, helping us through tricky times, offering us wisdom we haven't learnt yet, showing us that there are people like us, or showing us the opposite, that other people live very different lives. Books can be a friend when you need one the most and you can use them to help and inspire others too. Big Ideas from Literature helps children discover key ideas that lots of different books are trying to teach through the stories they tell - and helps a growing child develop empathy and resilience. This book teaches children (and adults!) about the history of literature, from the first ever story that was written down to the invention of books just for children. The best children's books become our dearest friends and companions. Children discover characters from a diverse range of books — including Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan and The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams — and learn how these stories can help them better understand the world around them.
In the same series: Big Ideas for Curious Minds.
Goodbye Eastern Europe: An intimate history of a divided land by Jacob Mikanowski $25
An epic history of the 'other' Europe, a place of conflict and coexistence, of faith and folklore. Eastern Europe is more than the sum total of its annexations, invasions and independence declarations. From the Baltics to the Balkans, from Prague to Kiev, the area exuded a tragicomic character like no other. This is a paean for a disappearing world of movable borders, sacred groves and syncretism. And an invitation to not forget.
”Do not rush to bid farewell to eastern Europe until reading this book. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this very personal story of the place that one can't find on the map pays tribute to the origins of the experiences, cultures and ideas that continue to shape political and ideological battles of the modern world.” —Serhii Plokhy
”This wonderful book is a firework display: an unforgettable flash of forgotten past. Mikanowski shows that the vast regions between Germany and Russia are not just a zone of blood and tragedy, but of marvellous human vigour and resilience.” —Neal Ascherson
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal $25
On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it-and she can't do the job alone. Calling on some of the city's most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.
”A Tempest of Tea is a masterpiece, filled with phenomenal prose, impeccable world building, and a mesmerizing found-family cast embarking on the heist of their lives! Hafsah Faizal has written the kind of book you can't stop thinking about. If you like vampires, romance, and kick-ass characters with magic weapons, unique talents, and dangerous secrets, look no further and you'll be delighted! —Ali Hazelwood
Wisdom from the Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben $30
A beautifully illustrated hardback collection of insights from The Hidden Life of Trees. Discover the operations of the forest ecosystem where themes of communication, resilience, beauty, age, family, society and survival tie into our human world. With rich yet easy-to-understand language and evocative artwork from all over the world, this book highlights the interconnectedness of our world — and celebrates trees!