A Natural Year by Wendyl Nissen

$45.00 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

Wendyl's story of living the simple life in the country: gardening, foraging, fishing and the freedom she has found in ageing. Beautifully illustrated and including 100 new and delicious recipes. 'An absolute cracker of a guide to feeling content by living more naturally.' - Lynda Hallinan 'When I rea d A Natural Year I swear I could breathe more deeply after about 10 pages.' - Catherine Woulfe, nzpoetryshelf.com A Natural Year follows writer Wendyl Nissen's life in the peaceful New Zealand countryside over one year. It's the story of what happens in her garden, her kitchen and her life over twelve months, and the thoughts inspired by each passing season. She writes about the freedom that she has found in ageing and the joy that comes along with it. She addresses her depression, anxiety and the mental well-being she's gained from her back-to-basics lifestyle and the practical things she does to live in a sustainable, natural way. With photographs taken at her home in Northland, Wendyl shares 100 new recipes, including how to make yeast from grapes, yoghurt using chilli stalks and many others she has discovered. In a world which can be full of stress and confusion, A Natural Year is a guide to a simpler, less complicated life. ...Show more

One Minute Crying Time by Barbara Ewing

$39.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

This vivid memoir by well-known New Zealand actor and novelist Barbara Ewing covers her tumultuous childhood, adolescence and young-adulthood in Wellington and Auckland in the 1950s and early 1960s - a very different time - and ends in 1962, when she boards a ship for London, to study at the Royal Acade my of Dramatic Art. It draws heavily on the diaries she kept from the age of twelve, which lead her to some surprising conclusions about memory and truth. Ewing struggled with what would now be diagnosed as anxiety; she had a difficult relationship with her brilliant but frustrated and angry mother; and her decision to somehow learn te reo Maori drew her into a world to which few Pakeha had access. A love affair with a young Maori man destined for greatness was complicated by society's unease about such relationships, and changed them both. Evocative, candid, brave, bright and darting, this entrancing book takes us to a long-ago New Zealand and to enduring truths about love. ...Show more

The Divorce Diaries by Sarah Quigley

$38.00 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs | Reading Level: near fine

Funny, honest, confronting, wise, this is a compelling and bitter-sweet true story of breaking up and breaking through. 'I hear you're divorced?' a friend greets me. 'Congratulations!' The Divorce Diaries outlines the difficult and often heart-breaking process of leaving a marriage and beginning again. Sarah Quigley has garnered numerous accolades, including Column of the Year in the MPA Awards, for her magazine articles on the subject. Now she revisits the tumultuous months leading up to exiting her marriage - and the equally confusing emotions that follow. Living in a tiny rooftop apartment, surrounded by glossy millionaire neighbours. Overcoming grief, guilt and regret, while learning to enjoy being alone again. Taking the first tentative steps into a changed world of dating. Quigley shares both her darkest and most hilarious moments as a divorcee, all played out against the colourful bohemian backdrop of her adopted city, Berlin. Ultimately, this book traces rediscovering a belief in love. ...Show more

Know Your Place by Golriz Ghahraman

$39.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs | Reading Level: near fine

The story of a child refugee who faced her fears, found her home and accidentally made history When she was just nine, Golriz Ghahraman and her parents were forced to flee their home in Iran. After a terrifying and uncertain journey, they landed in Auckland where they were able to seek asylum and - ult imately - create a new life. In this open and intimate account, Ghahraman talks about making a home in Aotearoa New Zealand, her work as a human rights lawyer, her United Nations missions, and how she became the first refugee to be elected to the New Zealand Parliament. Passionate and unflinching, Know Your Place is a story about breaking barriers, and the daily challenges of prejudice that shape the lives of women and minorities. At its heart, it's about overcoming fear, about family, and about finding a place to belong. ...Show more

Dead People I Have Known by Shayne Carter

$40.00 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs | Reading Level: good

Winner - Ockham NZ Book Awards - General Non-Fiction Award 2020 In Dead People I Have Known, the legendary New Zealand musician Shayne Carter tells the story of a life in music, taking us deep behind the scenes and songs of his riotous teenage bands Bored Games and the Doublehappys and his best-known b ands Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer. He traces an intimate history of the Dunedin Sound that distinctive jangly indie sound that emerged in the seventies, heavily influenced by punk and the record label Flying Nun. As well as the pop culture of the seventies, eighties and nineties, Carter writes candidly of the bleak and violent aspects of Dunedin, the city where he grew up and would later return. His childhood was shaped by violence and addiction, as well as love and music. Alongside the fellow musicians, friends and family who appear so vividly here, this book is peopled by neighbours, kids at school, people on the street, and the other passing characters who have stayed on in his memory. We also learn of the other major force in Carter's life: sport. Harness racing, wrestling, basketball and football have provided him with a similar solace, even escape, as music. Dead People I Have Known is a frank, moving, often incredibly funny autobiography; the story of making a life as a musician over the last forty years in New Zealand, and a work of art in its own right. ...Show more

Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty

$37.00 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

Diary of a Young Naturalist chronicles the turning of 15-year-old Dara McAnulty's world. From spring and through a year in his home patch in Northern Ireland, Dara spent the seasons writing. These vivid, evocative and moving diary entries about his connection to wildlife and the way he sees the world a re raw in their telling. Diary of a Young Naturalist portrays Dara's intense connection to the natural world, and his perspective as a teenager juggling exams and friendships alongside a life of campaigning. 'In writing this book,' Dara explains, 'I have experienced challenges but also felt incredible joy, wonder, curiosity and excitement. In sharing this journey my hope is that people of all generations will not only understand autism a little more but also appreciate a child's eye view on our delicate and changing biosphere.'   Dara lives with his mum, dad, brother Lorcan, sister Bláthnaid and rescue greyhound Rosie in County Down, Northern Ireland. Dara's love for nature, his activism and his honesty about autism, has earned him a huge social media following from across the world and many accolades: in 2017 he was awarded BBC Springwatch 'Unsprung Hero' Award and Birdwatch magazine 'Local Hero'; in 2018 he was awarded 'Animal Hero' of the year by the Daily Mirrorand became ambassador for RSPCA and the iWill campaign; in 2019 he became a Young Ambassador for the Jane Goodall Institute and became the youngest ever recipient of the RSPB Medal for conservation. 'We share a mind, a fascination with nature and a forthright desire to make the world a better place for it. I can't wait to read Dara's book.' Chris Packham 'Dara's is an extraordinary voice and vision: brave, poetic, ethical, lyrical, strong enough to have made him heard and admired from a young age.' Robert Macfarlane 'Our planet and its wildlife are in a dire state, but if anyone can help save them, Dara can - and he's bringing our generation along with him.' Bella Lack ...Show more

Things I Learned from Falling by Claire Nelson

$29.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs | Reading Level: very good

An inspirational and gripping first-person account of determination, adversity and survival against the odds. Last year, Claire Nelson made international headlines. She was in her thirties and was beginning to burn out - her hectic London life of work and social activity and striving to do more and do b etter in the big city was frenetic and stressful. Although she was surrounded by people all of the time, she felt increasingly lonely. When the anxiety she felt finally brought her to breaking point, Claire decided to take some time off and travelled to Joshua Tree Park in California to hike and clear her head. What happened next was something she could never have anticipated. While hiking, Claire fell 30 feet, gravely injuring herself and she lay alone in the desert - mistakenly miles off any trail, without a cell phone signal, fighting for her life. She lay there for four days until she was miraculously rescued - the doctors saying she had only hours to live when she was eventually found. In THINGS I LEARNED FROM FALLING Claire tells her incredible story and what it taught her about loneliness, anxiety and transformation and how to survive it all. ...Show more

The Longest Day: Standing up to Depression and Tackling the Coast to Coast by Matt Calman

$32.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

What do you do when you reach rock bottom? Matt Calman's most consistent tool for dealing with problems throughout his life was alcohol. But it got to the stage where he was no longer willing to put up with the dark side of his drinking. So he quit. But the problems that had been simmering away for most of his life merely came to a head. It led to a major depressive phase with panic attacks and thoughts of suicide. Finally Matt began the slow climb to rebuild himself. He was ready to find something. It just happened to be the Coast to Coast Multisport World Championships, the toughest endurance race in New Zealand. The Longest Day outlines Matt's path back from depression, his struggles to learn to run, cycle and kayak at an elite level and the culmination of all that training: his Coast to Coast race. Through his training he learns about process rather than outcome, and how true success and enjoyment is embedded in the journey not the destination. This is a riveting read for sports fans and a compelling account of courage and determination. ...Show more

Jog On - How Running Saved My Life by Bella Mackie

$22.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Bella's brilliant love letter to running turns into an extraordinarily brave and frank account of her battle with anxiety. A compassionate and important book' Joe Lycett 'Perfect for resetting a glum January mindset' Alexandra Heminsley 'My kind of role model' Ben Fogle Divorced and struggling with deep-rooted mental health problems, Bella Mackie ended her twenties in tears. She could barely find the strength to get off the sofa, let alone piece her life back together. Until one day she did something she had never done of her own free will - she pulled on a pair of trainers and went for a run. That first attempt didn't last very long. But to her surprise, she was back out there the next day. And the day after that. She began to set herself achievable goals - to run 5k in under 30 minutes, to walk to work every day for a week, to attempt 10 push-ups in a row. Before she knew it, her mood was lifting for the first time in years. In Jog On, Bella explains with hilarious and unfiltered honesty how she used running to battle crippling anxiety and depression, without having to sacrifice her main loves: booze, cigarettes and ice cream. With the help of a supporting cast of doctors, psychologists, sportspeople and friends, she shares a wealth of inspirational stories, research and tips that show how exercise often can be the best medicine. This funny, moving and motivational book will encourage you to say 'jog on' to your problems and get your life back on track - no matter how small those first steps may be. ...Show more

Bewildered by Laura Waters

$32.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs | Reading Level: near fine

What would move you to ditch your life and take off into the wild for six months? For Melbourne woman Laura Waters, it took the implosion of a toxic relationship and a crippling bout of anxiety. Armed with a compass, a paper map and as much food as she could carry, she set out to walk the untamed landsc apes of New Zealand’s Te Araroa track, 3000 kilometres of raw, wild, mountainous trail winding from the top of the North Island to the frosty tip of the South Island. But when her walking partner dropped out on the first day, she was faced with a choice: abandon the journey and retreat to the safety of home, or throw caution to the wind and continue on – alone. She chose to walk on. For six months, she battled not only treacherous mountain ridges and river crossings, but also the demons of self-doubt and anxiety, and the shadow of an emotionally abusive relationship. At the end of Te Araroa (‘the long pathway’, as it is translated from Maori) it was the hardearned insights into mental health, emotional wellbeing and fulfilling relationships – with others as well as with herself – that were Laura’s greatest accomplishments. She emerged ‘rewilded’, and it transformed her life. ...Show more

David Thorp as Metaphor by Jeshel Forrester

$9.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs

Confessions of a Bookseller (HB) by Shaun Bythell

$32.99 NZD

Category: Biographies & Memoirs | Reading Level: very good

"Do you have a list of your books, or do I just have to stare at them?" Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland. With more than a mile of shelving, real log fires in the shop and the sea lapping nearby, the shop should be an idyll for bookworms. Unfortunately, Shaun also has to c ontend with bizarre requests from people who don't understand what a shop is, home invasions during the Wigtown Book Festival and Granny, his neurotic Italian assistant who likes digging for river mud to make poultices. The Diary of a Bookseller (soon to be a major TV series) introduced us to the joys and frustrations of life lived in books. Sardonic and sympathetic in equal measure, Confessions of a Bookseller will reunite readers with the characters they've come to know and love. ...Show more