New Zealand Poetry
Were you feeling a bit out of touch with New Zealand poetry yesterday?
This book contains poems from ten modern New Zealand poets - Ruth Dallas, Hone Tuwhare, Alistair Campbell, James K. Baxter, Janet Frame, Kevin Ireland, Fleur Adcock, Albert Wendt, Bill Manhire, and Sam Hunt.
Here's one from Janet Frame to keep you going until you can get your hands on a copy:
Graduate
She lives in letters. She knows
the quote, the plot that suits,
the words that fit the moment
as fox gloves fit the fleeing fox
with golden brush and speckled poison
described by him and him and her. Squalid borrower
who dreams another's life, who lives
not under the sun but flat between
another's pages as the useful bookmark, the fringed
self-centre
Still she waits for the surprising pool
where nothing grows, no fish have swum before,
no reed or weed has stirred - a hopeless dream
for already
-'the sedge is withered from the lake and
no birds sing.'
National Poetry Day
"Poetry is just the evidence of your life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash."
Leonard Cohen
I know it's a shame to open with a quote from a non-New Zealand poet today of all days but Leonard Cohen is one of my all time favourites. I am sitting here surrounded by all these wonderful books of poetry and I am ashamed to admit that the only poets I can quote off by heart are not New Zealanders. I will definitely have to make an effort.
So to celebrate National Poetry Day, here's another little quote from Leonard Cohen:
“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."
And to get into the swing of National Poetry Day, why don't I, and you, read some James K Baxter or Hera Lindsay Bird or Dave Eggers or Vincent O'Sullivan or Lauris Edmond or Cilla McQueen or Brian Turner or Sam Hunt or any one of our many talented and successful poets.
Not learning Maori?
For example, a guide to the customs and protocols of the marae might come in handy if you are lucky enough to be going on a visit. Maori agriculture and the cultivation of edible plants could be an interesting field to research. Maori medicine and plant remedies is not only fascinating in itself but goes hand in hand with today's concern for protecting the natural environment and for trying cures equally efficacious but less harmful than some modern drugs. Maori clothing and textiles is yet another absorbing field and will lead you on to weaving and much more.
The traditions, superstitions, myths, legends and tales of the Maori is such a rich vein of study that any reader will be spoiled for choice. Whether you know nothing at all, already know a little, or could be described as an expert, there will be a book to grab your interest and keep you reading and learning.
All the above and we haven't even mentioned Maori art and carving and related fields! That deserves an entry of its own another day. Meanwhile, have a browse on line or in the shop and see what a huge choice you have.
The (Maori) world is your oyster - as they didn't say!
Te Reo Maori
Learn the basics, widen your vocabulary, hone your existing skills, improve your fluency, reach an advanced level or teach the class, whatever it is you want to do, books can help you achieve that goal.
We have a selection of useful books including bilingual and monolingual dictionaries, vocabulary expansion exercises, songs, basic & advanced grammars, textbooks, beginner and more advanced readers, parallel texts, and novels in Maori for the very fluent or bilingual amongst us. We even have a copy of the Bible in Maori.
Whether you are starting out, studying alone, attending classes, or giving speeches, you will probably find that a book is the most important learning aid you can have. Not only will it last forever if treated well but it will continue to be a useful resource and reference far beyond the end of your course,
Get on line or come into the shop and have a look at what is available that you might need.
What every good secondhand bookshop needs
Answer: Somewhere to sit and read.
Have a look at this selection of places to sit in our shop - we've got something to suit every type of reader and every posterior. Whether you want to sit or perch or lounge or just take the weight off your feet while you read or browse or peruse our books, there will be something that is right foryou. From stools to sofas to chairs to armchairs to ladders and rocking chairs, here is where you will find them and here's where you'll find a good book to go with them.
Come on in and have a sit-fest!
Sir Edmund Hillary
A new six-part documentary on Sir Edmund Hillary started last night on New Zealand television (TV1). It promises to be a superb production about the life of a really special New Zealander.
He is famous, of course, for climbing Mount Everest along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay but that was only the start of the rest of what was to be a remarkable life, one which makes him a true New Zealand hero. He has left a lasting legacy to New Zealand and to Nepal and has touched the hearts of many.
His work will live on long after him. If you are watching the series and would also like to read more about the truly special Sir Ed, then have a look at the great selection of books we have, including signed copies and first editions.
Advice to a Young Lady in the Colonies
This great little book is the transcript of a letter written to a young woman living in New South Wales in 1812.
It contains menus, recipes, household hints and other advice, including when it is and isn't acceptable to serve certain meals, proper dining table etiquette, and how to keep the servants in line.
It gives a fascinating insight into home life and social expectations in the early 1800s. Most sounds dated now but there is some great advice as well, such as this snippet on how to serve a proper breakfast:
"Breakfasts of company are not usually given before 1 o’clock, and it is customary to put wine in small decanters on the table … so that the breakfast is turned into a tolerable dinner"
Accompanying this is a sketch of how the breakfast table should be laid out - a lavish spread of meat and seafood, bread and butter, fruit and nuts, eggs, chocolate, and of course, wine!
Attention all science fiction fans
This science fiction novel is inspired by the Ridley Scott 1982 film Blade Runner and by Philip K Dick's 1962 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? on which the film was based. This has been called "a worthy sequel to a brilliant novel" so if you are a sci fi fan and haven't read it yet, it might be worth a go.
Sadly the world will hear no more from Philip K Dick but, on the plus side, it will take you years to read everything he wrote. He was a prolific writer and not just of science fiction.
This particular edition is beautiful. It's a signed first edition bound in full dark blue leather with gilt lettering & gilt decorative rule to the spine & boards, The end pages are textured turquoise silk and all page edges are gilt. It has a turquoise 'bookmark ribbon' incorporated. It would make a lovely present for the science fiction fan in your life.
