Saturday 31 May 2014

Busker Saturday

Saturday always brings an orchestra of buskers to the streets of Nelson.
This morning we had the pleasure of Violet on her cornet!

Friday 30 May 2014

Geeky Popularity

These two books have just arrived in the shop. We couldn't resist Maya Van Wagenen's Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek. Maya was inspired by Betty Cornell's classic Teenage Popularity Guide.

Thursday 29 May 2014

Grasshopper's Week

It was our great pleasure to launch Grasshopper's Week tonight. Published by Craig Potton Publishing, written by lovely (local) Tania Norfolk & illustrated by her brother Chris Norfolk.
Wonderful to have their families and friends celebrating and supporting Tania's debut children's book.






Wednesday 28 May 2014

Our own in-store minstrel...



For a time today the normal classical music played in the shop was replaced by the gorgeous tones of Jacquie Walters.

Tuesday 27 May 2014

Bookmarked

Here are some of the bookmarks Thomas is using at the moment. Now he has lost his place in four books.

Monday 26 May 2014

On this day in 1897...

“There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.”
 Bram Stoker's Dracula was published for the first time. As you can see, he keeps good company with Frankenstein on our Popular Penguin shelves.

Sunday 25 May 2014

Grasshopper's Week


We are very privileged to be launching a new children's book by local author Tania Norfolk, published by Craig Potton Publishing. This Thursday May 29th, 5pm at the shop. All ages welcome.

Saturday 24 May 2014

A visit from an old friend

Our wandering bookseller Maclean popped in for a cuppa and a gingerbread man (thanks for supplying!) this afternoon on her way from Dunedin to the Coromandel. If you can't quite make them out, her earings are wee books.

Friday 23 May 2014

Book piracy hits Nelson

Jan's new gloves are de rigeur on the high seas of the modern business environment.

Thursday 22 May 2014

Once Upon a Knit...no peeping


Our very first entry for our 'Once Upon a Knit' competition has arrived. We peeked...it looks delightful. Entry forms can be downloaded here.Which knitted, crocheted, stitched or felted creation will arrive next?

Wednesday 21 May 2014

Very popular

 
We've got some new shelves (thanks to Susi's persuasive hammer), and we've got a special shipment of Popular Penguins to fill them. Come and have a look! Remarkably good literature and timeless design at a remarkably affordable price (all true to the ideals of Penguin founder Allen Lane).



Monday 19 May 2014

Sold Out!

We are very much looking forward to Michael Leunig's talk tomorrow evening. Unfortunately if you do not yet have tickets, we are now completely sold out. If you do have tickets, we look forward to seeing you there.

Friday 16 May 2014

What has Dobbin been up to?


 
Clearly it was quite an interesting Thursday on Trafalgar St. Perhaps the Independent Nursing Practice had been out and about.

Thursday 15 May 2014

A wobble of ostriches and a secret zoo...

Two lovely new children's books arrived this morning which tickled our fancy. Both whimsical and about animals. The Way to the Zoo is John Busrningham's latest book about Sylvie who notices a door in her bedroom wall and discovers there is a zoo hidden behind it. The Odd One Out is a delightful book by Britta Teckentrup, which contains elegant penguins, a sleuth of pandas and a cauldron of bats, but on each page there's an odd one out. 

Wednesday 14 May 2014

Memory is a fickle thing

This afternoon I was telling my husband about a picture book I loved as a child, about Alfred Noble blowing up the Swiss Alps while testing dynamite. But do you think I could find it on Google?

I got links to Ben and Jerry's Icecream (no idea what that's about), a Swiss 60's beat garage punk band (they had garage music in the 60's?) cycling and running websites and even something on Noble himself, but not the book I was looking for.


Perhaps I am misremembering, because Google can't be wrong. Surely.

Tuesday 13 May 2014

Mothers Day gift basket winner

We were delighted to present the winner of our Mothers Day competition, Mr Tooti Muriwai, with this lovely gift basket today. 

Monday 12 May 2014

Monday, Monday....

Monday morning and Susie and Marie are competing for the colourful shoe of the day competition
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Saturday 10 May 2014

Chaos


Today chaos has reigned supreme in the shop on this lovely sunny pre-Mother's Day Saturday. We're all looking forward to breakfast in bed tomorrow, with a good book for company!

Friday 9 May 2014

Book connection: Jan's introduction to her life in Mangakino was through Frances Keinzley's book Tangahano and ...

In 1961 Jan lived in Mangakino when resident Frances Keinzley published her first novel, Tangahano. According to the Oxford Companion to NZ Literature Tangahano 'survives as a vivid social document of a 1950's construction town.'  Chatting about books as we do, customer Clancy Hunt mentioned that she was Frances Keinzley's daughter, and supplied us with this photo of some of her other books, which have been translated into several languages.  Keinzley seems to have been more critically acclaimed overseas than in her own country.

Wednesday 7 May 2014

Leunig Antics

Why, oh why is there so much stock?



Leunig is coming to Town! He deserves a window display....



Tuesday 6 May 2014

Something we don't do (customer service has its limits)

Ring! Ring!
- Hello. Page & Blackmore Booksellers.
- Hello. Is Peter Rigg there?
- Just a moment.
...
- Hello. Peter here.
- Oh, hello. My name is [...]. I'm moving house, and I need someone to shift all my furniture and belongings. Would you be able to do it one day soon?
- ?

[Weird things people say in bookshops #22304]

Monday 5 May 2014

A duet of winners

 
More copies of the Pulitzer Prize winning The Goldfinch have flown into the shop this morning.
I think the citation sums up this amazing novel so well:

"Awarded to "The Goldfinch," by Donna Tartt (Little, Brown), a beautifully written coming-of-age novel with exquisitely drawn characters that follows a grieving boy’s entanglement with a small famous painting that has eluded destruction, a book that stimulates the mind and touches the heart."

And Donna Tartt is in good company, next to Booker Prize Winner, Eleanor Catton.

Sunday 4 May 2014

Vote vote vote!

Voting for The New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults is now open. Collect a voting form from our front counter, vote, and go in the draw to win $500 worth of Bookseller's vouchers for yourself and the same for your school. At the same time, pick up a programme for the festival, which is running from May 17th-25th.

Saturday 3 May 2014

Life imitates art

Maclean saw this picture on our Facebook page and thought she'd recreate it! We like this a lot.


Friday 2 May 2014

Visitors from the Netherlands and their gorgeous Maps book

Kristel and Wouter were very pleased with their copy of Maps by Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinski, especially the up to date map of the Netherlands which included the new King's holiday.

Thursday 1 May 2014

May equals music.

It's May, so it's NZ Music Month!  We're celebrating with a display of NZ music books at great prices. And a music prize pack (for any music book bought during May) that will make the winner hum. (or hungry - the prize includes chocolate!).