woa bookshelf
Beat
Till Stiff: A Woman’s Recipe for Living
Peta Mathias
Razor-witted, wise and just a touch
scandalous, Beat Till Stiff: A Woman’s Recipe for Living is about the universal
themes that affect all women, with an emphasis on transformation. Once a
counsellor, nurse and cook and now a writer, television presenter and all-round
fabulous woman, Peta Mathias is the queen of transformation. ‘I have always been
fascinated by events in life where something changes into something else
following the simple introduction of a transforming element. With egg whites, it
was the introduction of a whisk, with Edith Piaf, it was the day she met her
first impresario; with tattooing, it was the discovery that if you make a hole
in the skin and rub ash into it, the blue colour will stay there forever.’ With
this theme in mind, Peta explores the transformation of herself, people,
objects, elements, moments, colours and anything she considers important,
naughty or personal. Peta Mathias gets personal in Beat Till Stiff with many of
the essays being autobiographical. Peta shares lessons learnt in her pilgrimage
through life, such as how she stopped strangling her mother, why redheads have
more fun, how to buy hope and whether having an orgasm really makes a difference
to sex, procreation or world peace. Some of the essays in Beat Till Stiff are
scurrilous, many are funny and others autobiographical, but all are thoroughly
entertaining..
MY
INNOCENT ABSENCE
MIRIAM FRANK
My Innocent Absence is Miriam’s compelling account of her escape as a young
child from, first, the oppression of the Spanish Civil War and then the Nazi
round-ups of Jews in France. She spent a colourful childhood in Mexico before
emigrating to Christchurch where she attended Christchurch Girls High School
before studying at the University of Otago.
After qualifying in medicine and specialising in anaesthesia, Miriam forged a
successful career in Europe and married the illustrious Austrian painter
Kortokraks, with whom she later established a successful art school in Italy.
Since retiring, Miriam has become a writer and translator. She returns to New
Zealand to revisit the places of her teenage years and promote her book.
SPOOKED
JO DAVY & JAMES GILBERD
Are the dead really all around us, treading the boards
of theatres, pacing the corridors of prisons, or terrifying the occupants of
scary old houses? Or are ghosts just in the mind of those who think they’ve seen
them? What is ectoplasm? And can you really photograph a ghost? In Spooked, we
join New Zealand paranormal investigators Strange Occurrences as they search for
the truth behind the dark stories of some of the country’s most infamous haunted
sites – including Wellington’s Town Hall, the Hawkes Bay Opera House and The
Vulcan Hotel – as well as some of its lesser known ones, such as the Dunedin YHA
Backpackers.
In their quest for clues about the nature of ghosts, the team has travelled the
length and breadth of New Zealand to meet mediums, psychics, fellow paranormal
investigators, a skeptic or two, a real live parapsychologist, a ‘hair raiser’,
the long-time usher of a haunted theatre, the owners of NZ’s most haunted pub,
and perhaps even a ghost or two. As well as giving an inside look at what
paranormal investigators really do, they’ll also tell you about the history of
paranormal research, from its origins in the séance rooms of Victorian England
to the TV shows of today, and show you how to unravel the mysteries of orbs and
other photographic oddities.
Through emotionally compelling tales, combined with factual information
providing supporting evidence to the stories (on everything from sleep paralysis
to tools of the paranormal investigator’s trade), New Zealand’s very own
paranormal investigators give readers clarity on the often little understood
spiritual side of our world.
In Spooked, you’ll encounter a range of beliefs, theories, a bit of history,
accounts of actual paranormal investigations, creepy stories of ghostly
encounters, and some pretty heavy science stuff that might just make the hinges
of your brain creak apart.
As for the truth about spooks? Well that’s for you to decide.
BREAST
SUPPORT
GWENDOLINE SMITH
When Gwendoline Smith chanced to have a breast
examination at a mobile unit in 2009, little did she know where it might lead.
Sure, she lived with the knowledge of her mother's breast cancer years before,
but could it really happen to her too? The realisation dawned only when the
medical evidence could not be questioned, and so began one of the most testing
years of her life. In Breast Support, Gwendoline describes not just the physical
and medical experience of breast cancer, through diagnosis, surgery, recovery
and rehabilitation, but the emotional and psychological experience too. In a
book memorable for its wit and self-deprecating humour, she answers some of the
questions women frequently ask: what to wear to a breast examination; how to
tell friends and family that you have the disease; how to be positive and
maintain a cheerful outlook. She also offers insightful advice on esteem and
self-confidence when facing the loss of an essential part of what it means to be
feminine. Her book does not forget partners either: there are many messages in
this book for husbands and boyfriends. There is also a separate chapter for
women in lesbian relationships. Supporting Gwendoline's superbly written text
are contributions from her surgeon and other medical specialists who tell the
story from their point of view. The text is therefore a unique combination of
personal story and insider information, offered with both a light touch and
professional expertise.
Christchurch
22.2 – Beyond the Cordon
With unique photographs, most of which have never been seen before, Christchurch
22.2 – Beyond the Cordon is a distinctive record of the Christchurch February
quake. The Christchurch earthquake of 22 February 2011 was one of the worst
natural disasters in New Zealand’s history. The quake devastated New Zealand’s
second biggest city, led to the loss of 181 lives and caused significant damage
to infrastructure both within Christchurch itself and its immediate surrounds.
Hachette New Zealand was approached by the Canterbury District Police to produce
a high-quality book of colour photography taken by Police forensic
photographers, documenting the response to the earthquake. The 208-page book has
256 evocative photographs shot by police photographers throughout the massive
rescue and recovery operation. The police photographers were the only
photographers allowed to work for extended periods inside the cordoned area of
the CBD known as the ‘Red Zone’. They had long-term access to all the major
rescue sites and have hundreds of stunning images documenting the rescue effort,
the work of emergency services personnel from both New Zealand and around the
world, as well as the devastating upheaval of the cityscape. The photos will be
accompanied by captions and an introduction from the photographers, documenting
their personal responses to ‘Operation Earthquake’. As well there will be a
foreword by high-profile Canterbury Police District Commander Superintendent
Dave Cliff and two poems by Gary McCormick.
Christchurch 22.2: Beyond The Cordon; Through the Eyes of New
Zealand Police Photographers Published by Hachette New Zealand and available
from all good bookstores from 22 September. RRP $49.99
All royalties from the book
are being donated to Christchurch’s Family Help Trust.
LEARN
TO SPIN
ANNE FIELD
Internationally renowned spinner and weaver,
Anne Field had a lucky escape when her Christchurch Arts’ Centre studio and
precious loom were destroyed in the February earthquake. It hasn’t stopped her
from continuing her work, setting up a temporary studio from home with a new
loom and also writing for her growing world-wide audience. Her published works
to date have sold more than 75,000 copies.
Anne Field’s latest book - Learn to Spin - teaches the craft’s basics. With
easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions, Anne guides the novice spinner through
all they need to know to get started. She explains the spinning process and
techniques, including preparation of fleeces, worsted and woollen spinning
methods, plying, adjusting tension, treadling, skeining, drafting and blending,
as well as helpful advice about spinning wheels and how they work. A wide range
of fibres suitable for spinning are featured — wool, alpaca, silk, mohair,
cotton, angora, synthetic and blended fibres — with details on the
characteristics of each fibre and best spinning methods to use. Also included
are many inspiring projects with full instructions on how to use your newly spun
yarn. Fully illustrated with colour photographs throughout.
GOODBYE
SARAJEVO
Atka Reid and Hana Schofield
May, 1992. Hana is twelve years old when she is put on one of the last UN
evacuation buses fleeing the besieged city of Sarajevo. Her twenty-one-year-old
sister, Atka staying behind to look after their five younger siblings, is there
to say goodbye. Thinking that they will be apart for only a few weeks, they make
a promise to each other to be brave.
But as the Bosnian war escalates and months go by without contact; their promise
to each other becomes deeply significant. Hana is forced to cope as a refugee in
Croatia, far away from home and family, while Atka battles for survival in a
city where snipers, mortar attacks and desperate food shortages are a part of
everyday life. Their mother, working for a humanitarian organization, is unable
to reach them and their father retreats inside himself, desperately shocked by
what is happening to his city. In Sarajevo, death lurks in every corner and
shakes the foundation of their existence. One day their beloved uncle is killed
while queuing up for bread in the market square, in a massacre similar to the
one three months earlier which prompted a cellist to make a lone protest in the
deserted street. But when Atka finds work as a translator in an old smoky radio
station, and then with Andrew, a photojournalist from New Zealand, life takes an
unexpected turn, and the remarkable events that follow change her life, and
those of her family forever. Set in the middle of the bloodiest European
conflict since the Second World War, Goodbye Sarajevo is a moving and compelling
true story of courage, hope and extraordinary human kindness.
The
Lost Wife
Alyson Richman
Separated by war and each believing the other dead, a couple
meet again decades later...
There on her forearm, next to a small brown birthmark, were six tattooed
numbers. 'Do you remember me now ' he asked, trembling. She looked at him again,
as if giving weight and bone to a ghost. 'Lenka, it's me,' he said. 'Josef. Your
husband.' During the last moments of calm in pre‐war Prague, Lenka, a young art
student, falls in love with Josef. They marry – but soon, like so many others,
they are torn apart by the currents of war.
In America Josef becomes a successful obstetrician and raises a family, though
he never forgets the wife he thinks died in the camps. But in the Nazi ghetto of
Terezín – and later in Auschwitz – Lenka has survived, relying on her skills as
an artist and the memories of a husband she believes she will never see again.
Now, decades later, an unexpected encounter in New York brings Lenka and Josef
back together. From the comfort of life in Prague before the occupation to the
horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost Wife explores the endurance of first love, the
resilience of the human spirit and our capacity to remember.
The
Silence Beyond
Michael King
The late Michael King was one of New Zealand’s most
respected and popular historians. Author of numerous award-winning and
bestselling works, King helped our culture and history become a focus for
mainstream New Zealand. The Silence Beyond is an exquisite collection of
short works, many in print for the first time – including essays, talks and
eulogies, and experiences Michael had with friends such as Janet Frame and Frank
Sargeson. It is accessible, showcases Michael’s humour and is a highly readable
introduction to his vast body of work.
The title The Silence Beyond comes from an unpublished 5000-word essay that
Rachael King found after her father’s death. A compelling first chapter, it is a
poignant, personal journey through Michael King’s own family history. Introduced
by his daughter, Rachael King, and at times disarmingly personal, The Silence
Beyond is a timely and fitting tribute to one of New Zealand’s greatest modern
thinkers.
The release of The Silence Beyond coincides with the fast approaching milestone
of Michael’s bestselling book The Penguin History of New Zealand selling 250,000
copies in New Zealand. This is a phenomenal achievement and a testament to the
ongoing relevance of his writing.
The
Commonplace Book
Elizabeth Smither
I read this on a sandwich board outside a coffee shop. I stopped, pulled out my
notebook, and leaned against a shopfront. 'You’re nothing but a piece of
crockery and a bit of blood.' - Epictetus
How sharp and bloodtinglingly lovely on a clear early autumn day. The sun sharp
on the shop panes, clear shadows on the footpaths, faces outlined in a way they
are not in summer. Necks with knotted scarves, half-coats. Last year’s shoes
dusted and polished. I was impervious to the glances I got as I wrote down the
words - perhaps I was mistaken for a reporter.
Heaven forbid it should be a poet. But that harshness in Epictetus, the Stoic,
how lovely. A bit of railway cup a train has run over. A bit of blood that has
gone brown, perhaps from a nosebleed during a high fever. I put the notebook
back in my purse and walked on, rejoicing.
Elizabeth Smither has always kept her own collection of other people’s words:
quotations, extracts, poems and pensées, the found and overheard. In The
Commonplace Book she shares these witty and wise quotations with us,
interspersed with incidents and memories from her own writing and life. Leaping
from her garden to a favourite café, the library to a dinner party, Paris to
Melbourne, racing through first drafts and plodding through proofs, Smither
offers a sparkling glimpse into the influences and inspirations of a
far-from-commonplace writer.
HOKITIKA
TOWN
Charlotte Randall
'I always been a coin boy . . .'
Hokitika, 1865, at the height of the Gold Rush. In a town with a hundred pubs,
young Halfie – aka Harvey, Thumbsucker, Bedwetter, Cocoa and Pipsqueak – gets by
as best he can.
Most of the time he hangs around the Bathsheba pub, washing dishes, running
errands and making the odd coin – and observing from close quarters the parade
of miners, dancing girls, petty crims and plain drunks that passes through the
doors. When you're a coin boy you see a lot of life, and from low down. But how
much do you really understand? What's going on in young Halfie's world? In this
beguiling new novel by the author of The Curative, a rattling good yarn reveals
that life is rarely what it seems.
'Among our contemporary writers of adult fiction, only Elizabeth Knox can match
Charlotte Randall for the sheer scope of her imagination.'—New Zealand
Listener
The
Hill of Wool
Jenny Bornholt
The Hill of Wool is a book about memories. Some memories live and grow in
families. Some are inspired by rediscovered children's songs and stories. Others
are triggered by chance encounters with old boyfriends. Sometimes personal and
lyrical, sometimes jagged and strange like untamed children's rhymes, these new
poems will delight Jenny Bornholdt's many readers.
Jenny Bornholdt is a poet and anthologist. Born in Lower Hutt in 1960, she holds
a BA in English Literature and a Diploma in Journalism. She attended Bill
Manhire's original composition course at Victoria University of Wellington in
1984. She is the author of a number of collections of poetry including Summer
(April 2003) and These Days (2000) and Miss New Zealand: Selected Poems which
was published in 1997. Jenny Bornholdt spent six months of 2003 in Menton,
France as the 2002 Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Fellow. She was named as
New Zealand's Poet Laureate in March 2005.
La
Rochelle’s Road
Tanya Moir
In 1866, Daniel Peterson and his family give up their comfortable life in London
for an unseen farm on Banks Peninsula. Daniel plans to make a fortune growing
grass-seed; until he does so, there can be no going back. But the realities of a
remote hill country block are very different to the cosy imaginings of a clerk.
The Petersons find themselves at the mercy of the land, the weather and their
few neighbours - a motley, suspicious assortment of old whalers, escaped
convicts, wary French settlers and true-blue Tory squatters. Even their own
house has a secret to hide - that of its first inhabitant, the scandalous
Etienne La Rochelle and his Maori lover. When Daniel's daughter Hester discovers
La Rochelle's journal, it leads her on a journey of discovery - a path into a
world of beauty, darkness and illicit love, which she may follow if she dares.
Purple
Dandelion
Farida Sultana
Two
Wings of a Nightingale
Jill Worrall
Hettie
and Me
Heather Smyth
THE
PRICE OF BACON
Jeanette Aplin
Gwenda
Turner's Chirstchurch
Gwenda Turner
Bird
Cloud
Annie Proulx
Belle
Lesley Pearse
The
Hut Builder
Laurence Fearney
The
Moment of Change
Jennifer Manson