Howling at the moon

Tonight we experience a phenomenon that won't occur again until 2049. A full moon, on Friday the 13th. So watch out for black cats, ladders, werewolves and nudists dancing on the beach.

Autumn leaves....

This morning we came to work to find a path of autumn leaves leading to the bookshop.

Peter made quick work of clearing the way...

Four books about autism

These four books help provide a better understanding of autism:
 The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida. This invaluable book, written by a 13-year-old boy using a cardboard keyboard, provides astounding insight into a mind so acutely wired it is overwhelmed by every impulse and sensation.
The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin, one of the world's most accomplished and well-known adults with autism.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon features an autistic protagonist. 
The Panicosaurus by K.I. Al-Ghani is a book for children, parents and teachers about managing anxiety, with particular consideration of Asperger Syndrome.

(Click the titles to find out more.)

Temptations

Many boxes have arrived and Ann has started unpacking our special winter selection of craft and art books. Here's a quick snap to tempt you... come to our Crafty Afternoon Tea this weekend and you can browse with tea & chocolate.

A flying kakapo

A kakapo will be winging its way to the UK, not a real one but the fun read-aloud version. Lynn found this delightful book to send to her grand children in the UK. 'Wacko Kakapo', will be the perfect rhyming tale for them to learn about New Zealand's iconic birds.

How do you find time to read?

On a rainy Sunday afternoon the conversation in the shop turned to finding time to read. A customer earnestly asked for "time". No, he wasn't after one of our many books about Time, Thyme or even  "Once upon a time". He simply wanted to know how to find the time to read not only the books he was purchasing today but also the many books he already has waiting. A dilemma we all share!

Once upon a knit

Our winter crafting window is in now. Come and have a look, it's even more amazing up close. The winner will be announced at our Crafty Afternoon Tea next Saturday.

Slothful Stella

This is about the only time you will find our industrious manager Stella slothing about.

We are celebrating an impromptu International Sloth Day, with the release of The Lazy Friend by Badel Ronan, new from Gecko Press.

Rosie Belton & Wild Blackberries

A delightful evening with Rosie Belton. Rosie has been touring the country talking about her new book Wild Blackberries (pub. by Allen & Unwin). It was very lovely to have her at the bookshop tonight, with family and friends, talking about her love of cooking and the pleasures of food.

(Stella & Rosie take a quick break)

Poppy & Wombat

Poppy & Wombat visit the bookshop today. They are helping to buy birthday presents.

They both look happy to be here. 

NZ Music Month Winner

Congratulations to Peter (he promised to share the chocolate with his wife!)

Totally fair

The annual Founders Book Fair is a great way to find a stack of books you weren't particularly looking for (and, by donating, to make room on your shelves for more).

31 May - 8 June. 10am-4:30pm.

We'll probably see you there!

The Winner Takes It All

Congratulations to Peter who was the lucky winner of our New Zealand Music Month giveaway.

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!

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.

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.

 

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.

Bookmarked

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

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.

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.

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.

Book piracy hits Nelson

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

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?

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).



Anticipation

The crowd gathers to hear Michael Leunig!

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.

The varied roles of a bookseller....

Little Miss Reading Books in her favourite place.....a bookshop, of course.

Today it was all aboard for an afternoon of fun on the Great Red Double-Decker Reading Bus

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.

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. 

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.

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, Monday....

Monday morning and Susie and Marie are competing for the colourful shoe of the day competition

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A winner?

Could this book be a winner in the "Most Curious Title of 2014" catagory? 

Past winners include "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainan", "The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America : A Guide to Field Identification" and "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"

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!

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.

We loved this early morning autumnal view through the shop doors

 Can you spot the picturesquely framed autumn leaves?