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Borrow or buy

There will be several copies of all 4 titles available to borrow.  "Rita Angus" can be taken out for 2 weeks, while the other 3 titles will be issued for 1 week.  The reduced issue period is to allow as many members of the community to read the books as possible.

You can reserve these books - no reserve fee will be charged on the Community Reads titles.

You can also purchase these books from Bruce McKenzie's bookshop for a discounted price - 10% off throughout the Community Reads programme.  If you purchase the book on the night, i.e. The Blue by Mary McCallum on the evening of 16 July, you will receive a 20% discount.

The Kindness of Strangers : Kitchen Memoirs

by Shonagh Koea

Koea’s new book, The Kindness of Strangers, is a Memoir with a unique and quirky take on life.

Cast in a range of roles, including daughter, wife, mother, journalist and novelist, the collection of warm reminiscences not only gives us vivid scenes from Koea’s life, but also provides a unique record of New Zealand life over the past fifty years and an insight into the realities of being a writer, as well as detailing the inspiration behind her seven novels and
various collections of short stories.

Peppered with comforting recipes (Pianist’s Kedgeree, Marmalade Loaf, Margery’s Gingernuts), photographs and some decorative drawings by the noted film-maker and writer Peter Wells, this is a book to be cherished.

Reviews

 The kindness of strangers

The Blue

by Mary McCallum

Lilian lives in an isolated island community at the mouth of Tory Channel trying to make the best of a life that has at its core a secret grief.

It is 1938 and for three months of every year the men take to the sea to hunt whales with fast boats and explosive harpoons. This year, the whales aren’t the only ones returning – Lilian’s troubled son Mickey has come home too. In this rugged, unsettled world, things are not always what they seem.

Other books on whaling

Reviews

Related Topics

 The Blue

Two Little Boys

by Duncan Sarkies

This book has got a lot of good bits. It's got bogans and penguins and toasted sandwiches and spotting knives. It's got a dead cat and an awesome climax. It's got a really little dolphin. It's got hundreds of hard-ons. It's got sea lions. It's got God. It's got a really cool lighthouse.

When Nige runs over a Norwegian backpacker while attempting to save petrol, his life really turns to shit. He chucks the body in a nearby road works and runs to his best mate of fifteen years, Deano. Trouble is, Deano's not really the guy you should turn to in a crisis.

This off-kilter tale of male camaraderie is a bizarre debacle from start to thrilling finish. A new and irreverent comedy by Duncan Sarkies, the writer of the movie Scarfies and the award-winning book Stray Thoughts and Nosebleeds.

Reviews

 Two little boys

Rita Angus : An Artist's Life

by Jill Trevelyan

Rita Angus (1908–70) was one of New Zealand’s most loved and respected artists. Landscapes and portraits such as Cass, Central Otago, and Rutu have become national icons. But until now, Angus’s life has remained a mystery.

 

In this fascinating book, Jill Trevelyan (editor of Toss Woollaston: A Life in Letters) paints a vivid picture of Rita Angus the person – curious and forthright, staunchly pacifist and feminist, and wholly dedicated to her art. Stunning artworks, personal photographs, and insightful letters help bring Angus’s colourful and complex story to life.

Jill Trevelyan is co-curator of the exhibition Rita Angus: Life & Vision, which opens at Te Papa in July 2008 before travelling to other main centres of New Zealand. 

Reviews

 Rita Angus : an artist's life