good reading
We recommend the South African writer JM Coetzee. He was the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003 and he has also won the Booker Prize twice. He has actually become an Australian now so that shows a lot of good sense. His books are really very good.
You could try Disgrace or Elizabeth Costello or The Life and Times of Michael K or you could try one of his memoirs such as Boyhood or Youth. Whatever you choose, you cannot fail to be impressed by his writing. Come in and get yourself a few copies.
Forget diets
French Women Don't Get Fat
by Mireille Guiliano
They may not get fat but they do eat bread, pastry, chocolate and dessert, drink wine, and regularly partake of three-course meals, says Mireille Guiliano - and she should know, as you can see from the photo.
This is an interesting mixture of recipes, anecdotes, memoir, philosophy of eating, and French lifestyle. We can't guarantee you won't get fat but you'll enjoy reading the book, trying the recipes and attempting to change your approach to food and eating.
superstition
What's So Lucky about a Four-Leaf Clover? and 8414 Other Strange and Fascinating Superstitions from all over the World
By Claudia de Lys
There are legends about birds, bees, snakes, body parts, marriage, pregnancy, food, dreams, disease, numbers and much more. You name it, it's there. This book deals with the origins of superstitions presaging bad luck or misfortune still believed by many people today. It also covers those which bring good luck but there aren't so many of those.
Do you believe hair can turn white overnight from shock or that you should carry a St Christopher token whenever you travel or that what you eat influences your dreams? Get a copy of the book and find out why you believe what you do and whether there is any basis for it or not. It's an interesting resource of folklore and symbolic lore to dip into.
Roger Waters / Pink Floyd
Whether you're going or not, why not pop into the shop and get into the mood for a concert by browsing in our music room. You could buy a book about Pink Floyd, Roger Waters or some of their albums. Pink Floyd The Wall was written by Roger Waters and then someone called Hugh Fielder wrote the nattily named Pink Floyd Behind the Wall.
However, we have a large selection of music books both in the shop and in our catalogued on-line stock so you could forget Pink Floyd and choose something more to your liking.
Drake's Drum
Drake's Drum and Other Songs of the Sea
by Henry Newbolt with illustrations in colour by AD McCormick
This is a lovely quarto volume of light green cloth boards with gilt lettering to the spine & front board. There is a dark blue and gilt drum motif to the front board and a gilt nautical motif to the lower spine. An attractive decorative rule made up of cream & gilt sailing ships adorns the rest of the front board. The tipped-in colour plates are each protected by a tissue guard.
Gunner and guns may all be right,
Flags a-flying and armour tight,
But I am the fellow you've first to fight -
The giant that swings the seas.
PG Wodehouse
To make sure you are in the right mood for the show, you could try reading a few PG Wodehouse novels before you go along. We have a huge selection of Wodehouse books from hugely expensive first editions to cheap & cheerful paperbacks. You are bound to find something to amuse you and get you in the right frame of mind for hilarity.
Tarot
Nancy Garen's Tarot Made Easy
For those who have long been intrigued by the idea of reading tarot cards but have been confused about the how, this is the book for you. By following the very simple method presented in this book, you will immediately know how to predict events.
With this book, you can interpret the meaning of any card and apply it to particular circumstances in life. You don't have to memorise the meaning of cards or their significance. All you need is a pack of Tarot cards and a question. You choose one card and then consult one or more of the categories offered under each card.
Come in and get a copy and you'll soon be on the way to doing readings and discovering the cards' specific messages for you (or your clients). Travel, romance, work, finance, family, fortune, success, and disappointment are among the many different headings that are covered.
New Zealand Poetry
The Ballad of Fifty-One
by Bill Sewell
As the title suggests, these poems by Bill Sewell deal with the 1951 Waterfront Lockout, not as an account of the historical events but more in the way of a context and a wry commentary.
Here is the last verse of a poem called Pause:
Sometimes though
between the uniform and the placard,
the cologne and the calluses,
the credit and the debit:
sometimes though
decency breaks through.
When you come in to get a copy of this book, you could peruse our shelf of New Zealand poetry or ask to see some of the books from our huge on-line selection. It's good to read some of our great NZ poets.
