The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber $35.00 "Michel Faber's second masterpiece, quite different from The Crimson Petal and The White, but every bit as luminescent and memorable. It is a portrait of a living, breathing relationship, frayed by distance. It is an enquiry into the mountains faith can move and the mountains faith can't move. It is maniacally gripping." - David Mitchell
"I can't remember being so continually and unfailingly surprised by any book for a long time, and part of the surprise is the tenderness and delicacy with which he shows an emotional relationship developing in one direction while withering in another. I found it completely compelling and believable, and admired it enormously." - Philip Pullman
The three previous Frank Bascombe novels, Independence Day, The Sports Writer and The Lay of the Land, cemented Ford as one of the most perceptive and evocative contemporary writers. In this book, Bascombe returns, aged 67, in a razor-sharp portrayal of contemporary America.
>> Ford speaks.
The Friedland brothers have nothing in common. Martin is a priest with no faith. Ivan is an artist with no integrity. Eric is a financier - now, with no money. Each, in their own way, a fake.
"Kehlmann's prose is sophisticated, his musings on religion, art and life are intellectually rigorous, and his plotting masterful in the linking of the story's separate narratives with overlaps that, when revealed, surprise and shock the reader. A hugely rewarding read." - NPR
>> "I could have been someone else."
"A major achievement and a hugely enjoyable and important study of one of the world’s great cities. A beautifully rendered account of the Muslim version of events, as told by a rational, likable, intelligent and mildly sceptical follower of the prophet. Sardar aims to make us understand why this great city has been the focus for the prayers of so many billions of human beings through time and across the globe." - William Dalrymple, The Guardian
A novel about old books, young love and Jane Austen, from the author of A Bookman's Tale.
Stunning polished images of the South Island's grandeur from the outstanding photographer.
The beautifully detailed illustrations capture the character and variety of New Zealand's wild birds.
Isolated by a disfiguring injury since the age of seventeen, Sean Phillips crafts imaginary worlds for strangers to play in. But when they take their play into the real world, disaster strikes, and Sean is called on to account for it.
"Strange and involving." - The New York Times
>> You may know Darnielle from The Mountain Goats.
>> Oh, no! Hidden messages in this book.
This well-illustrated book captures the unique New Zealand hunting experience and expresses the intimacy with wildlife and landscape felt by hunters of all sorts. Wide coverage.
This engrossing history of the domestic kitchen covers 10 decades that saw our culinary traditions accommodate extraordinary changes in technology, not to mention dramatic social change.
We are delighted to be able to offer a limited number of copies of this very desirable and sumptuous boxed limited edition collection of over 300 stunning images from the archives of the world’s most influential fashion magazine.
Contact us now to secure a copy.
A cache of excellent stories spanning the beloved fictional detective’s entire career, from young Detective Constable to his dramatic (if impermanent) retirement. DI John Rebus, brilliant, irascible, frustrating, has been the bane of Edinburgh’s criminal underworld for almost 30 years.
The idea that 'home' is a special place, a separate place, a place where we can be our true selves, is so obvious to us today that we barely pause to think about it. But, as Judith Flanders shows in her fascinating new book, 'home' is a relatively new idea.
We are surrounded by stationery: half-chewed Cristal Bics and bent paper clips, rubber bands to fiddle with or ping, blunt pencils, rubbers and Twink. They are integral parts of our everyday environment. So much so that we have no idea of the stories they have to tell. But James Ward is here to explain how important stationery is to us. After all, who remains unmoved by the sight of the first sheet of a brand new notepad?
>> Highlights from the author's collection.
If Plato came back to life, what would he make of ‘tiger mothers’, mass media, Freudian psychoanalysis, Google, religious fundamentalism, crowd-sourced knowledge? This enjoyable, original book makes the case for philosophy’s relevance today.
The dark energy and powerful theatrical originality of the Doors carved them an almost archetypal place in rock history. Mick Wall has written a compelling and penetrating account of the four band members and the beautiful monster they made together.
"Mo Yan deserves a place in world literature. His voice will find his way into the heart of the reader, just as Kundera and Garcia Marquez have." - Amy Tan
The story of the Weimar Republic's financial crisis has a clear resonance in the second decade of the twenty-first century, when the world is anxious once more about what money is, what it means and how we can judge if its value is true.
What makes you tick? Ask yourself these questions and learn a lot about yourself and how you interact with your world. From the authors of the equally pertinent The Change Book and The Decision Book.
Cognitive scientist and linguist Steven Pinker uses the latest scientific insights to bring us a style and usage guide for the 21st century.
Laurinda is an exclusive school for girls. At its hidden centre of power is The Cabinet, a triangle of girls who wield power over their classmates - and some of their teachers. A thoughtful book about young women making choices.
"Chicurel has perfect pitch for the characters’ patter. The book is blunt, cynical, often profane and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. The author’s masterful writing makes this short stay in Elephant Beach worthwhile." - Kirkus Review
"This table," said the man. "What about the table?" said the woman. "It's wearing me out," said the man. What to do? The man makes a decision. He finds a tablewood tree, cuts it down, saws it up and makes a new table. There's nothing like a new table. This one is strong enough for elephants to dance on! But..."Where would we get the elephants?" said the woman....
One of the greatest feats in Patrick Leigh Fermor's remarkable life was the kidnapping of General Kreipe, the German commander in Crete, on 26 April 1944. He and Captain Billy Moss hatched a daring plan to abduct the general, while ensuring that no reprisals were taken against the Cretan population. Dressed as German military police, they stopped and took control of Kreipe's car, drove through twenty-two German checkpoints, then succeeded in hiding from the German army before finally being picked up on a beach in the south of the island and transported to safety in Egypt on 14 May.
Fox has lived a long and happy life in the forest. One day, he lies down in his favourite clearing, takes a deep breath, and falls asleep for ever. Before long, Fox's friends begin to gather in the clearing. One by one, they tell stories of the special moments that they shared with Fox. And, as they share their memories, a tree begins to grow, becoming bigger and stronger, sheltering and protecting all the animals in the forest, just as Fox did when he was alive.
This collection opens with an essay about how writing has helped Andrea Levy to explore and understand her heritage.
During his life, Sand has come to question his Jewish identity, even that as a 'secular Jew.' With this meditative and thoughtful mixture of essay and personal recollection, he articulates the problems at the centre of modern Jewish identity. How I Stopped Being a Jew also discusses the negative effects of the Israeli exploitation of the 'chosen people' myth and its 'holocaust industry'.
Marsden first novel for adults concerns the vicissitudes of Barnaby Fletch, a child convict transported to Botany Bay in the late 1700s.
An incendiary collection of stories from the author of The Slap.
A lively visual guide to possible phobias.
[For me, it's coulrophobia - all the rest are amusing.]
A well-written ghost story set beyond the reaches of medical ethics.
A graphic cookbook!
Rudger is Amanda's best friend. He doesn't exist, but nobody's perfect. Only Amanda can see her imaginary friend - until the sinister Mr Bunting arrives at Amanda's door. Mr Bunting hunts imaginaries. Rumour says that he eats them. And he's sniffed out Rudger. Soon Rudger is alone, and running for his imaginary life. But can a boy who isn't there survive without a friend to dream him up?
Two girls divided by time, united by their love for some very special horses - an epic Caribbean adventure based on a real-life mystery.
Includes contributions by Anjan Sundaram, Andrea Stuart, Fatima Bhutto, Sam Coll, Joanna Kavenna, Joseph Roth, Michael Cunningham, and Will Self.
Bizarre Klein Bottles, unimaginably small pizza slices, knots no one can untie and computers built from dominoes reveal some of the most exotic and fascinating ideas in mathematics. Fun!
"We have maintained a silence closely resembling stupidity." In 1982, after painting these words, 22-year-old Neil Roberts blew himself up outside the Wanganui Police Computer Centre, protesting state surveillance. In this work of poetry, Beautrais examines the reverberations from this act.
15 featured contemporary artists, 15 art activities.
'The Age of Magic has begun. Unveil your eyes.' Eight weary film-makers, travelling from Paris to Basel, arrive at a small Swiss hotel on the shores of a luminous lake. Above them, strewn with lights that twinkle in the darkness, looms the towering Rigi mountain. Over the course of three days and two nights, the travellers will find themselves drawn in to the mystery of the mountain reflected in the lake. One by one, they will be disturbed, enlightened, and transformed, each in a different way.
Though the concept of "the universe" suggests the containment of everything, the latest ideas in cosmology hint that our universe may be just one of a multitude of others - a single slice of an infinity of parallel realities.
"A powerful novel, an unflinching examination of two centuries of American yearning and desire." - Colum McCann, The New York Times
A visual encyclopedia of symbols and icons associated with New Zealand identity.
Connected focuses on Johnson's key passions, including integrated sustainable water management and the creation of natural, chemical-free pools; recreation of thriving habitats for indigenous plants and animals; and the thoughtful connection of the landscape to the home.
Many of the words and usages we embrace as standard and correct today were at first considered slang, impolite, or just plain wrong.
"One of the few truly essential literary magazines of the twentieth century - and now of the twenty-first. Frequently weird, always wonderful." - Margaret Atwood
Where Emmeline lives, you cannot love and you cannot leave...The Council's rules are strict, but they're for the good of the settlement in which Emmeline lives. Everyone knows there is nothing but danger the other side of the Wall, and the community must prepare for the freezing winterkill that comes every year. But Emmeline struggles to be obedient under the Council's suffocating embrace - especially when she discovers that a Council leader intends to snatch her hand in marriage. Then Emmeline begins to hear the call of the trees beyond the Wall...
Quiet, contemplative Izzy has always adored her charismatic, confident older sister, Alex. But when Alex starts going out with a new boyfriend, everything changes. Izzy isn't sure she can still trust her sister - but she will never stop loving her. Letters from Alex, written in her distinctive purple pen, keep their relationship alive...
Picks up where the solar system leaves off.
Fresh from university, Emma Woodhouse triumphantly arrives home in Norfolk ready to embark on adult life with a splash...
McCall-Smith's intriguing modern reworking of Austen's classic.
