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Summer 2010 - 2011
| Twelve Days of Christmas Special deals in store in December!
Check our shop windows, facebook page or website for details of our daily offers. | Summer Closure vicbooks will be closing at 5pm on Tuesday 21 December and reopening on Thursday 6 January. No web-orders will be processed during this time. | | New Non-Fiction |  The Interrogative Mood by Padgett Powell $29.99 HB Profile Books
"Are you very happy with your hands, or could they be other hands and suit you better? ... Have you ever built or operated a trebuchet? ... If you could get ahold of some dynamite for recreational purposes, would you be hesitant, indifferent or eager?" These and other seemingly random questions encompassing both the specific and the abstract set the reader up for some light-hearted contemplation. Keep your mind active over the summer break with this original and fascinating book. Buy now |  Decade pictures edited by Eamonn McCabe, text by Terence McNamee $67.00 HB Phaidon
A photographic overview of the past ten years, this book is the successor to the well-loved Century, and because of the shorter timespan, it manages to cover historical and cultural movements in more extensive detail. Buy now | | New New Zealand Books |  New Zealand As It Might Have Been #2 edited by Stephen Levine rrp $35.00 vicbooks price $32.00 VUP
How different would New Zealand have been if Sir Edmund Hillary or Katherine Mansfield had made different choices at significant moments in their lives? What would the consequences have been if the government had chosen not to send New Zealand soldiers to fight alongside the US in the Vietnam War? This further selection of "what-if" scenarios offers seventeen alternative visions of the country's past, leading to seventeen unique versions of New Zealand as it might have been today. Buy now
 The Torchlight List by Jim Flynn $33.00 Awa Press Over forty years as a professor, Flynn realised fewer and fewer of his students read for pleasure - but he also found that if he gave them lists, they would embrace reading. This book extends that idea, offering recommendations for books which make learning about other times and places enjoyable and effortless. Buy now |  Group Architects by Julia Gatley $75.00 HB Auckland University Press
Beginning with their 1946 manifesto for an architecture responsive to the New Zealand climate and way of life (written when they were second-year students) the Group Architects emerged to become hugely influential in the design of homes, commercial premises and industrial and institutional buildings. Written by the author of Long Live the Modern, this is another beautiful tome about our built heritage. Buy now
 Dress Circle by Douglas Lloyd-Jenkins, Claire Regnault & Lucy Hammonds $75.00 HB Godwit
Tells the story of New Zealand fashion's entrepreneurs and visionaries, showcasing some of the more interesting or innovative examples of clothing design from early history up to the 1990s London show often touted as the moment New Zealand fashion came of age. While it might have been a significant achievement internationally, this book shows it was far from being an isolated moment of brilliance. Buy now | | Outstanding Non-fiction |  The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins $29.99 Black Swan
Dawkins was in Wellington for the Readers & Writers festival earlier this year, and even two sold-out sessions barely sated people's appetite for his message. This is a great book for anyone who was there, or - worse luck - wanted to be there, but missed out.  Buy now
Waltz with Bashir by Ari Folman & David Polonsky $32.99 Atlantic
A truly amazing graphic novel, it is adapted from a film and maintains the stunning, moving, and unnerving power of its animated counterpart. Buy now |  The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow $39.99 Bantam
How far can we go in our search for understanding and knowledge? The authors convincingly argue that scientific obsession with formulating a single new model may be misplaced, and the answer to finally understanding the universe's deepest mysteries may lie in synthesising existing theories.  Buy now
At Home by Bill Bryson $66.99 HB Doubleday Bryson was struck by how much history writing is concerned with things which make up so little of actual historical time: battles, kings, dates and mass movements do of course affect us, but most people's lives are more wrapped up in the everyday objects which surround us. Bryson takes us on a guided tour of the history of items from his house, and the histories surrounding their invention and the forms they came to take. His investigations came to encompass the development and refinement of architecture, the spice trade, medicine, electricity, fashion, plumbing and a myriad other fields of human ingenuity. Social history at its most engaging. Buy now | | A Bevy of Biographies | A number of notable people have released memoirs or had new books written about them this year. Some of the standout examples are: Navigation: A Memoir by Joy Cowley $45.00 Penguin Buy now The Fry Chronicles by Stephen Fry $46.00 HB Michael Joseph Buy now Conversations with Myself by Nelson Mandela $69.99 HB Macmillan Buy now Storyteller: Roald Dahl by Donald Sturrock $39.99 Fourth Estate Buy now Frank Sargeson's Stories edited by Janet Wilson $39.99 Cape Catley Buy now Man for all Seasons: The Life & Times of Ken Douglas by David Grant $45.00 Random House (signed copies available). Buy now Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson & Her Familys Feuds by Lyndall Gordon $39.99 Virago Buy now Life by Keith Richards $59.99 HB Weidenfeld & Nicholson Buy now | | A FEW OF OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS | | Take-the-phone-off-the-hook stories |  Freedom by Jonathan Franzen $38.99 Fourth Estate
Loved this for all the reasons everyone else did, could have kept reading about Patty forever, I still wonder how she's doing. - Juliet
Patty, and the extended Berglund family, is testament to the moments of perfect horror and beauty that make a life; moments emblazoned on personalities so deeply they can be passed through generations and societies like DNA. - Marcus Buy now
 Room by Emma Donoghue $40.99 Picador
As far as five-year-old Jack knows, the Room he and his mother live in is the entire world. Old Nick, who only visits at night when Jack is supposed to be safely asleep in Wardrobe, is the only connection to "outside" and he is the only one who can open Door. His mother's love for Jack is all that keeps her alive, but sustaining the illusion that the life they live is happy and normal is exhausting her and making her go slowly insane - and one day she decides it's time to act. - Karen Buy now
 American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld $29.99 Black Swan
I loved this rollicking good read and learnt more about American Politics and George and Laura Bush than I ever have before (which isn't saying much). Jane Stafford recommended it to me and I have since recommended it to several friends all of whom have loved it. - Juliet Buy now
| | Another time, another place |  The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell $39.99 Sceptre
The long - and longingly - awaited latest novel from David Mitchell is a bit of a treat for fans of Mitchell's Japan-centric work! Set in Nagasaki at a time when Japan wished to isolate itself from the rest of the world, the lives of the Dutch traders and Japanese locals slowly intertwine, unravelling the miniature world of (a very much artificial) island life. Full of well-drawn imagery, quirky, intelligent wordplay and a little bit of mysticism this is a fantastic read whether you are on holiday or not! - Lauren Buy now
 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel $30.99 Fourth Estate
A slightly sympathetic but mostly historically accurate take on the life of Thomas Cromwell, a man feared and reviled in equal measure. A gripping story of a great English reformer, it has already been lauded as one of the Great English Novels. - Chris Buy now
 The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver $28.99 Faber & Faber
Harrison William Shepherd, a highly observant writer, is working for Mexican Communists Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and the doomed Leon Trotsky before being swept into the US and the vehement patriotism of WWII. Shepherd is caught in the interstices of those worlds, the lacuna, as a story of identity and the power of words unfolds. Buy now
 The Children's Book by A S Byatt $30.99 Vintage
Olive Wellwood, a fêted author loosely based on E Nesbit, writes individual books for her many children. Theirs is a privileged life, though visitors such as a working-class boy, a mysterious German puppeteer and their mother's passionately argumentative political friends, all provide glimpses of other kinds of life. The visitors also provide the first clue that the children are being kept in the dark about something vital. - Karen Buy now
 Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe $21.99 Anchor Books
In his most famous book Achebe shows his readers a vivid and fascinating snapshot of everyday life in a Nigerian tribe. The book, which has inspired authors such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is known for being the first portrayal of Africans by an African. True to its reputation, Things Fall Apart is at once entertaining and heartbreaking, and definitely worth reading. - Zsofia Buy now
| | More speculative, also brilliant |  The City & the City by China Mieville $28.99 Tor
The premise of this novel hinges on the relationship of two cities; like Belfast or post-war Berlin, Beszel and Ul-Qoma share the same geography yet are severed by history and culture. In a profound extreme of this, the citizenry actively divorce their perceptions of the other City, unseeing and unsensing the Other. Mieville explores the metaphorical power of this relationship while delivering a book of searing plot and staggering originality. - Marcus Buy now  The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood $29.99 Virago
A semi-sequel, The Year of the Flood examines the world Atwood created in Oryx & Crake from another set of perspectives. You don't have to have read that for this novel to work - but reading them both does highlight how prescient the first book actually was. It begins slightly earlier too, so you get to witness society's slide towards totalitarian capitalism and environmental collapse, as well as the hellish aftermath endured by her handful of interconnected characters. - Karen Buy now
Also worth investigating:
Surface Detail by Iain M Banks $39.99 Orbit Buy now Zero History by William Gibson $40.00 Viking Buy now Warm Bodies by Marion Isaac $29.99 Vintage Buy now | | Children's Books | One of the highlights of the Readers & Writers festival this year was getting to hear Neil Gaiman telling stories. All of his backlist books (children's books, dark fantasy, graphic novels) are worth checking out. One book which encapsulates a lot of the things he tends to write about is:
 Instructions a wonderful wee book, and beautifully illustrated (by Charles Vess). Captures a real spirit of adventure and is quite heart warming, references numerous fairy and fantasy tales. Lovely. - Robbie. ($30.99 HB Bloomsbury) Buy now
Or you could start with his latest book and work backwards:
 Odd & the Frost Giants $28.99 HB Bloomsbury
Odd has lost his father on a Viking expedition and things are not looking good for him. In the winter woods, he encounters and helps a bear, an eagle and a fox - who reveal that they are actually Norse gods trapped in animal form by the evil Frost Giants. Odd must reclaim Thor's hammer and restore them to their place, or the Frost Giants will reign forever. Buy now |  Wheels on the Bus by Donovan Bixley $19.99 Hachette New Zealand
Everyone knows the song, and in this version, the passengers riding the bus on a journey around New Zealand are local species - kiwi, penguin, tuatara and fantail. There is lots of detail in the pictures, delivering a light dose of environmental education along the way. Buy now
 Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde $29.99 Hodder & Stoughton
Fifteen year old Jennifer Strange runs an employment agency for sorcerors and seers - but spends most of her time filing paperwork. It's not like the old days, when magic was used for more than speeding up pizza deliveries. So when she learns of a prediction involving the Last Dragon, she is at first surprised, then intrigued and then unavoidably and possibly perilously involved... Buy now
And don't forget the classics like Pukeko in a Ponga Tree by Kingi Ihaka or Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers and the rest of Lynley Dodd's great books for children. | | Books about Food |  Masterchef New Zealand: The Cookbook $49.99 Random House
This book contains all of the top twenty-four recipes from contestants from all over the country, a range of recipes from the top twelve contestants, the winning recipes from each episode and contributions by the chefs who judged on the show.  Buy now
The Cook & The Baker by Dean Brettschneider & Mark McDonough $45.00 Random House
McDonough, the owner of Zarbo Deli & Café, teams up with professional baker and patissier Brettschneider to bring you a delicious selection of creations from breads and entrees through to cakes and desserts. Their emphasis is on using aromatic spices and herbs and the freshest ingredients possible to achieve maximum flavour.  Buy now Coasters by Al Brown $49.99 Random House
Not strictly speaking a cookbook, nor a traditional travel book, the author of Go Fish and part-owner of Logan Brown restaurant has written a hybrid of the two. He travels to coastal areas, meets the people who live there, examines the history and geography and weather of the place and creates a simple fish or seafood dish using local specialties. Informative and enjoyable, Coasters fleshes out the television series of the same name.  Buy now Dining Out: A History of the Restaurant in New Zealand by Perrin Rowland $59.99 HB AUP
Rowland examines the culture of eating out in New Zealand from the first formal restaurants in the 1860s to today's explosion of eateries of every description. Looking at the influence of food trends from overseas - from hamburgers to nouvelle cuisine - and domestic factors like licensing issues and the contribution of immigrant populations, this is a gastronomical exploration to be treasured. Buy now |  Tender II: A Cooks Guide to the Fruit Garden by Nigel Slater $59.99 HB Fourth Estate
We just know we're going to love Nigel's Tender II - honest, literate writing about his love of growing and eating and cooking with fruit. I just worry it will incur the same garden-envy as his previous book about vegetables, and there just isn't space on my balcony! Buy now
 Jamie's 30 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver $65.00 HB Michael Joseph
Oliver shows how, with a bit of organisation and the right equipment, you can easily prepare a range of delicious and impressive menus in thirty minutes or less. He shows how to use your time smartly, so that you can assemble a complete meal in the same amount of time you could otherwise spend on a single dish. Buy now
Penguin Cookery Collection:
A Book of Mediterranean Food, Summer Cooking and Italian Food by Elizabeth David; A Celebration of Soup by Lindsay Bareham; Real Fast Food & Real Fast Puddings by Nigel Slater; English Seafood Cookery by Rick Stein and English Food by Jane Grigson.
$56.99 for the set of eight. (Not available individually).
A fantastic collection of classic cookbooks, many otherwise out of print, and at a great price too. This would make an excellent present as a whole, or you could divide the pack up amongst interested family or friends. Buy now We wish you lots of reading time over the holidays & an easy start to the New Year!
From everyone at vicbooks. |
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