Al Brown

Christmas trading figures were flat, and for retail about one per cent down, according to Statistics NZ figures released this week. However, bookstores fall in the consumables and durable section of retail which did see a small rise, according to the report.

Nielsen Bookscan reported that sales for the last four weeks of 2011 were  2.3% down on sales for the last four weeks of 2010 (excluding Whitcoulls).

And that "up and down" scene was pretty much the picture book that retailers painted when  The Read  did the “How was your Christmas?” phone around.

Random House is thrilled to announce that six of its books have won awards in the New Zealand division of the strongly contested Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

The Award winners are:

At the time on this Thursday afternoon, July 29, when the send button is pressed to dispatch The Read, National Poetry Day will be being celebrated in Taupo with coffee, cake and a poetry reading by Chris Price – at Price’s Bookshop.

It is an initiative by Price’s Bookshop’s owners of two years, Tracey Lidington and Anthony Byett. As Taupo’s proudly independent book store, they like to take on events that link them to the community. Their first Poetry Day event was an evening with Apirana Taylor in 2009, such a success that a follow on event this year was a must. While ‘Chris Price at Price’s Bookshop’ has a ring to it, as far as Lidington knows, the poet is no relation to the store’s name-giving owners.

ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION FINALIST

Go Fish: Recipes and stories from the New Zealand Coast
Al Brown
Random House NZ
ISBN 978-1-86979-176-6
RRP $65.00

Stunningly photographed by Kieran Scott, Go Fish is the must-have cookbook for every New Zealand household. It takes us back to the simple days when a great meal could be had simply by casting your line from the dinghy. It’s about getting back to the fundamentals of life — of enjoying the environment around us and making the most of what we have.

One of the appealing features of Borders in south Auckland mega mall Sylvia Park is that the store has a lot of natural daylight. Jade Windle, the store manager, explains that is because the store has its own courtyard frontage and with a walkway down one side, there are plenty of windows to the side as well as the front of the upper floor. Add to that an enthusiastic manager and staff and you have a store that’s positively humming with energy.

Cook the Books - Member Profile

Felicity and Michael O’Driscoll bought Cook the Books early this year with the intention of taking the business to the next stage. They have wasted no time doing just that, moving premises to a new location in Ponsonby Road in May.