Short stories
I have started with a volume of Phillip Wilson's short stories called South Pacific Street. I chose it for three reasons. Firstly, the book contains twelve stories, each with diverse writing style and distinct flavour and content. Secondly, one of Phillip Wilson's daughters is giving a paper on his short stories so reading these should serve as a bit of preparation. And furthermore, Phillip Wilson's other daughter is one of the keynote speakers.
However, you could choose from any number of other talented NZ short story writers: try Elizabeth Smither, Fiona Kidman, Patricia Grace, Catherine Chidgee, Bill Manhire to name but a few. Pop into the shop or look at the online stock.
Dan Davin Short Story Conference
The New Zealand Short Story 'its traditions & departures'
An opportunity to celebrate Southland-born author Dan Davin as one of the fathers of the modern New Zealand short story, and the development of the New Zealand short story to today.
Some of New Zealand’s foremost writers including Owen Marshall, Fiona Kidman and Tracey Slaughter will attend. Janet Wilson will be a keynote speaker. It will be the first conference for many years devoted entirely to the short story and its place in New Zealand literature.
Follow this link for more information, programme, registration etc http://www.dandavin.org.nz/dan-davin-conference-2017.html
Walk around Dunedin
Buildings of Dunedin: An Illustrated Architectural Guide to New Zealand's Victorian City
by Hardwicke Knight & Niel Wales
You can't possibly be thinking of walking around Dunedin today BUT when the weather improves you could get hold of a copy of this fantastic little book and wander around the city looking at all the buildings (not just the Victorian ones either).
Dunedin hasn't lost quite as many of its heritage buildings as some other cities in New Zealand (although it has still allowed far too many to go) so it is considered by some to be of national architectural importance.
You couldn't fail to enjoy dipping into this book for information and the pleasure can only be enhanced if you combine it with actually wandering the streets and looking at the actual houses themselves. Come in and get a copy.
Lovely old pubs
Pubs o' the South: A Collection of Paintings and Drawings of the Public Houses of Otago, Dunedin, Central Otago, Southland & Invercargill
by John Husband
I'm quite partial to pubs, particularly old ones. I not only like sitting in them with a drink but I also like looking at them. This book contains lovely pencil drawings of many of the famous old pubs around the South.
Among the extant, you'll find the Carey's Bay Hotel, the Cardrona Hotel, The Albion at Luggate, The Vulcan, Oturehua Tavern and many more. Among the sadly-no-more are Chicks Hotel, Lumsden's Royal Mail Hotel, The Railway Hotel at Ida Valley, The Empire and, again, many many more.
This is a lovely book to flick through and, as well as the drawings, there is a one-page history of each pub, and often the story of its sad demise. Apart from that, you could easily use it as a guide to the South of the South Island and plan your travel route to see as many of these as you can.
New arrival in our shop
This is what has just arrived in our shop today. A present for one of our staff from her lovely mum but viewing is generously to be shared with customers and staff who loiter around the counter. Come in and have a look at it.
It's called "Bibliophile with Cats" It was originally a jigsaw and has been tastefully framed to make it a joy to display. It is by Edward St John Gorey, an American artist, who was born in 1925 and died in 2000.
Do come and have a look!
Embarrassment
Walking in on Mum and Dad: Adventures in Embarrassment
by Brian King
Humiliation, shame, mortification, ignominy, chagrin or whatever you want to call it can be caused by a painfully wide array of circumstances. It lurks around every corner to catch you unawares. You can find embarrasment everywhere: in failure, in success, in stupidity, in carelessness, in mistakes, in slips of the tongue, in forgetfulness, in distraction and in snoring, farting, over-hasty emails, nudity, injury, accidents and so much more.
It can be extremely funny if you're not the committer of the faux pas but otherwise it can make you want to die. This book looks at embarrassment from both a scientific and psychological point of view and at the same time it recounts a hilarious line-up of Brian King's own and other people's mortifying misadventures.
This one isn't in the book, but to finish on a local note of embarrassment, who else remembers the butcher's shop on a corner in Princes Street, Dunedin with the bright flashing sign "You can't beat Tom's meat"?
The Backyard Bestiary
You don't need to battle into the jungle or clamber up the sides of great mountains or head off into the wilderness to find strange and beguiling little beasts, birds, and insects. Your garden is crammed with such creatures so just wander outside and get to know your closest neighbours. All you need for inspiration is a copy of this lovely book:
The Backyard Bestiary
by Ton de Joode & Anthoine Stolk and illustrated by Kees de Kiefte
This is a really appealing look at the world of nature which is all around us, in our backyards and in the nearby countryside. You will learn to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the habits and abilities of many of the common residents that we often know very little about. There is a great deal of interest and charm to be found in a closer look at the spiders, worms, slaters, ladybirds, wasps, snails, butterflies, bees and birds just outside the back door.
The beautiful paintings add to the pleasure of reading this book and as you dip into it, you'll be wanting winter over so you can get outside and marvel at the natural world on your doorstep.
Te Tohunga
Orally Collected and Pictured by Wilhelm Dittmer
This lovely volume is a 1970 facsimile reprint of the 1907 edition, which was published by George Routledge & Sons. It is a large quarto volume with 'puffed' green cloth boards. There is gilt lettering and a gilt woodcarving motif to the spine. It is beautifully illustrated and includes 28 full-page black&white illustrations. There is a matching slipcase.
You can find the legends of Hupene, Matapo, Tane, Maui, Hinemoa and many others along with the creation of Hawaiki, the creation of the stars and the creation of nature.
"Far up in the misty mountains dwell the Patu-paiarehe, the fairies of Maori Land. They are seldom seen; and, indeed, most mortals who have no gift of imagination and no mana-tapu cannot expect to behold the good people; and many who know no better deny their existence."
