With a father more interested in money than family, a brother in prison, a sister with a secret, and a mother in denial, it's no wonder Jeff buries himself in the safe world of mathematics. When a storm hits Wellington, a strange old woman is blown into Jeff's life, challenging everything he things is true.
Another vital and thoughtful book from the author of Dunger.
"An extraordinary novel. Erudite, intriguing and compulsively readable, The Incarnations takes the reader on an intimate and mesmerising journey through Chinese history. Susan Barker, a born story-teller, has written one of the most remarkable novels of recent years." - John Boyne
"An utterly remarkable novel, important in its historical and cultural sweep." - Independent
For fans of David Mitchell (and other people, too).
"Edan Lepucki conjures a lush, intricate, deeply disturbing vision of the future, then masterfully exploits its dramatic possibilities.” – Jennifer Egan
“Breathtakingly original, fearless and inventive, pitch perfect in its portrayal of the intimacies and tiny betrayals of marriage, so utterly gripping it demands to be read in one sitting." - Joanna Rakoff
A gripping New Zealand YA novel about a 16-year-old who begins to question the values and practices of the strict religious cult she has grown up in near Motueka. A sequel to the excellent I Am Not Esther.
"I read this in one sitting. Compelling and reads well as a stand-alone. Incredibly well-written." - Stella
An interesting novel based on the life of Dr Ernst Dieffenbach: scientist, explorer, revolutionary, outcast. Dieffenbach arrived in New Zealand in 1839 as a naturalist and explorer, eager to understand the local people, the land and the unique flora and fauna. What he discovered was fascinating, but what his lively, prescient and detailed records didn't reveal was his own intriguing story and how it counterpointed so poignantly with the aspirations and experiences of the new settlers, as well as of the Maori he encountered.
A unique glimpse into our cultural history, and particularly women's history, through more than 80 historic samplers.
The true story of Johnny Wray's adventures after being fired from his day job in the Great Depression, building his own boat and spending the rest of his days sailing around the Pacific, living the life of his dreams, has become a classic and an inspiration to generations of readers, sailors and landlubbers alike.
First published in 1939. Back in print at last.
A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure and danger abound. Red marker pen in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon and a flying carpet which carry her on a spectacular journey...who knows where?
We love this book - and now it is here in paperback!
"A masterwork." - New York Times
A powerful collection of images from the archives of Wellington photographers Berry & Co, now held at Te Papa. The portraits are accompanied by stories which convey the impact of the war on ordinary New Zealand families.
In 1974 Petit walked a tightrope strung between New York's Twin Towers (and was immediately arrested, convicted and sentenced to entertain the public). What makes him tick?
"Anyone curious about Petit's life and art, or hoping to draw inspiration for their own creative coup, will find ideas and insights in Creativity: The Perfect Crime." - BookPage
After a mysterious Sickness wipes out the rest of the population of New York, the teen survivors assemble into tightly run tribes. How will life be lived?
You may not know his name, but you will know his work - especially through classic Crown Lynn designs, and many New Zealand stamps. This book also covers his work in architecture, packaging and graphic design, and his concept of 'designing in the third person'. Insights abound into the history of New Zealand design from the 1960s to the 1990s.
Nine-year-old Milo Moon has retinitis pigmentosa: his eyes are slowly failing and he will eventually go blind. But for now he sees the world through a pin hole and notices things other people don't. When Milo's beloved gran succumbs to dementia and moves into a nursing home, Milo soon realises there's something very wrong at the home...
If you enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and/or Wonder, you will be interested in this book.
In this unique investigation, Rose George joins the crew of a container ship to chart the murky waters of international shipping, with its powerful naval fleets, pirate gangs, and illegal floating factories, to reveal the hidden industry upon which our world turns and our future depends.
"Brilliant." - Simon Winchester
Lybia, South Sudan, Syria: the author embedded himself with various rebel groups and then wrote this book. "The hidden truth about war is how much fun it is." Worrying.
For centuries, scientists had only one way to study the brain: wait for misfortune to strike - strokes, seizures, infections, lobotomies, horrendous accidents, phantom limbs, Siamese twins - and see how the victims changed afterwards.
The sensitively written story of a ten-year-old boy in hiding after the round-up of Jews in Paris in July 1942.
"Spinelli adroitly balances emotional tension with introspective moments in this smart and funny story about a pair of twins growing apart." - Publisher's Weekly
"Double the feelings, double the fun." - Kirkus
Why would a man escape from prison the day before he's due to be released? A chilling new psychological thriller from a very aware writer.
In Detroit, the city that's become a symbol for the death of the American dream, a nightmare killer is unravelling reality. Detective Gabi Versado no longer believes in justice. She's seen too much stupidity, corruption and just plain badness.
From the author of The Shining Girls.
Make a silk purse from a sow's ear!
Juliana Witzke, the mother of Len Coley who features in Mud Beneath My Boots, is the heroine of this novel which gradually knits together the trauma of her early years with her last ones. In 1876, nine year old Juliana Witzke arrives in New Zealand from Poland on a German immigrant ship. She is quarantined on Somes Island before landing in Wellington. Seventy years later, she retains strong links to her Polish heritage and to events on the other side of the world.
As it says.
Yesterday, Sally was living in a rambling farmstead with her teenage daughter Gigi. Now Sally is dead, murdered, and Gigi is alone in the world. But Sally cannot die. She lingers unseen in her daughter's shadow. When Gigi moves in with her aunt's family, Sally comes too. When Gigi's trauma stirs up long-buried secrets, Sally watches helplessly as the family begins to unravel. Then Gigi's young cousin develops an obsession with African magic, and events take a darker turn. Now Sally must find a way to stop her daughter from making a mistake that will destroy the lives of all who are left behind.
George needs a place where his annoying brothers can't find him. At last he finds one: Nowhere.
A YA dystopian survival thriller: Ruby must get to London to find her father, but there's something wrong with the rain - just one drop will kill you (the same goes for the drinking water).
Gabriel Allon, art restorer and occasional spy, searches for a stolen masterpiece by Caravaggio.
Collected from the newspaper columns of one of New Zealand's most opinionated men.
The last word in their own words, and some pictures, too. Monty Python have recently reunited for some live performances, during which John Cleese apparently needed a little prompting from the audience.
And now for something completely different....
In September 2009, The New Yorker magazine ran a feature proclaiming the chicken as the new 'It Bird'. The article celebrated the return of the backyard chicken and found in it the perfect convergence of economic, gastronomic, and emotional matters of the twenty-first century. This book is a timely, encyclopaedic, well-illustrated study that offers a deeper understanding of the species, reclaiming it from its commercial status as a mere egg and meat provider.
