Confessions of a Book Addict
A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict
by John Baxter
John Baxter is an Australian novelist, broadcaster and film critic. This book is his story of growing up in 1950s rural Australia when reading books was regarded with suspicion and owning or collecting them was an unheard of eccentricity.
His tales of scouring junk shops, market stalls and auctions will make you smile and his journey from the back of beyond to a penthouse in Paris kitted out with a book collection worth millions will impress you.
His mania for collecting took him all over the world and brought him (and therefore you) into contact with Graham Greene, Kingsley Amis and Ray Bradbury, to name but a few.
Get yourself a copy - it's amusing, well written, very readable and irresistible for anyone who likes books.
New arrivals
We also have a "Mark Two" new arrivals trolley in the science fiction room so it's a good place to start before you begin scouring the shelves. You may alight upon a real treasure before someone else spots it.
Because Warwick buys a book collection pretty much every week (sometimes more often), there is a constant supply of new arrivals for the trolley.
Warwick tends to sort through the books and either send them for us to cataologue to the online stock or he dumps them onto the new arrivals trolley for us to shelve (hopefuy in the appropriate section).
If you haven't visited the shop or the trolleys, come on in and have a look. There is nothing more satisfying than finding exactly what you've been looking for before anyone else has seen it - or indeed, finding something you had no idea you wanted but now you have to have it.
Celebrate Otago Harbour!
Clearly, those who know the harbour best are the many sailors and fishermen and the dedicated pilots who work on the harbour every day in every conceivable condition.
David Balderston wrote a book called Come Wind Come Weather: Tales of an Otago Harbour Pilot recounting his years of experience with the Otago Harbour Board. His story covers most aspects of piloting from handling the smallest squid boats to directing the gigantic container ships; from narrow escapes to smooth berthings; in weather calm, clear, foggy or windlashed. A relevant book for all locals and for anyone with an interest in New Zealand ports or pilots.
Isaac Asimov
Asimov on Numbers
Everyone knows Isaac Asimov as one of the world's best writers of science fiction but in this book we see another side to him, which (unsurprisingly given the title) is the perfect reading for anyone with an interest in numbers. For example:
- the importance of zero
- why computers & people cannot use the same numbers
- the Asimov series of fractions
- what infinity really means
- the story of pi
- why imaginary numbers are real
- squaring the circle
- how to make a trillion seem small
Now you can make any would-be mathematician happy with this entertaining and accessible collection of essays.
Tees
Just delivered to us today from Steve at QSP (Quality Screen Prints) are these lovely t-shirts sporting the Hard to Find logo on the front.
They were no sooner through the door than Athol laid claim to one and selfishly donned it for a photo opportunity (as you can see in these images). The rest of the staff jealously followed suit.
What more could you want than a good quality t-shirt to remind you of your favourite bookshop? They would also make great gifts.
Architects
This is a lovely two-volume boxed set which is packed with some really inspiring buildings from some of the world's best architects.
100 Contemporary Architects (Vol.1 A-I, Vol.2 J-Z)
with text in English, German and French
By Philip Jodidio
You cannot fail to be impressed by the selection of contemporary architecture in this set, whether you are an architect, a student or an enthusiast. The photography is great and perfectly complements each entry.
You get a short biopic of the architect followed by a description of the building without an excess of jargon or technical terms, and a clear sketch of the design along with the photographs.
If you haven't got a passionate interest in contemporary architecture now, you will have once you immerse yourself in these books. As an added bonus, you can practise or improve your English/French/German while you're at it.
The Darwin Awards: Countdown to Extinction
'Only two things in the world are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former'
There is fantastic and valuable research being done every day by brilliant people to expand our knowledge of the universe, cure disease, and make everyday life more enjoyable. This book isn't about them.
This book is about the other, not so brilliant people. The winners of the Darwin awards. It seems since humans first developed the ability to question and experiment there have been people who will touch the element to see if it's hot, stick a fork in the toaster to see what happens, or go kite surfing in a hurricane.
The Darwin Awards 'honour those who help natural selection by taking a swan dive into the shallow end of the gene pool'. Filled with amusing stories of experiments and inventions gone wrong, this is a great book to read if you're feeling down about not being exceptional - you may not have discovered the cure for the common cold but at least you haven't died from trying to turn a bar stool into a means of transport or playing Russian roulette with a semi-automatic weapon!
Cakes galore
The Cake Decorator's Motif Bible
by Sheila Lampkin
This is a collection of 150+ foolproof designs, from simple to chic, elegant and elaborate.
Each entry has a template which can be scaled up or down, clear instructions, a list of materials & tools, and a photo of the finished design. There are also instructions on the basic techniques you need and suggestions on colour schemes.
Get a copy of this book and start making fabulous, fun, tempting, special, memorable, unique cakes which are well worth a photo!
