This is the true story of life on the road for two young people back in the day when travel was one big adventure. In 1969 Steve Lowndes and Lisa Potts met by chance at a dusty bus stop in Bolivia and spent the next ten years travelling around the world together. Pakistan, Russia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, America, Canada, Indonesia, Australia… all these countries and more attracted our intrepid travellers in their quest to explore, to experience the unfamiliar, in the new decade of the 1970s. These are the days before credit cards, mobile phones or internet cafés, when the journey itself is the point of the experience, destinations are vaguely on the other side of the planet and getting there simply takes as long as it takes. Full of colour, beauty, romance and the pleasures of the open road, these tales of two travellers in the days before mass tourism, full airliners and clogged cities lovingly recalled here by Steve and Lisa really are journeys to write home about. No plans, just you, your passport, a change of clothes and the appeal of the unknown, the thrill of taking on whatever tomorrow brings. Whether you made a similar journey, or wanted to, or would like to, or are yet to be seduced by the lure of the road less travelled, Travelling Light is the book for you.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 320

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 28-10-2022

This book is about the information that is needed to catch fish but more importantly it is about adopting the right mind set to help us be more successful fly fishers. There are many factors to be considered when trying to catch trout on a fly, weather, state of the water, what the trout are feeding on - the list is endless. But having all this information does not ensure success as the final, but rarely recognised factor, how we use this information is paramount. How we use the information is determined by how we think and no two anglers think exactly the same. All the information is freely available yet some anglers consistently catch more fish than others and it is how they think that makes the difference.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 91

Dimensions: 215 x 280 mm

Publication Date: 01-08-2022

A practical guide to a happier life from a New Zealand doctor, neuropsychologist and counsellor. Cracking the Happiness Code is written in easy-to-read, jargon-free language to teach you the ins and outs of how your mind works and to help you achieve the happiness that may be eluding you. Structured in two parts, the ‘WHY’ of the book details things in your life that may be contributing to your unhappiness, based on scientific studies. These include disorganisation, comparison and victimisation. The ‘HOW’ of the book gives you practical steps to change your thoughts and routines to create a mind that is in your control – and a controlled mind is ultimately a happy mind. Insightful and practical, Cracking the Happiness Code explains why happiness can be so hard to achieve and what can be done to overcome the struggle and find the contentment you have been missing. About the author: Dr Pamela Stoodley is a medically trained doctor, neuropsychologist and counsellor, who uses her broad scientific knowledge and experience to explain the science behind how our mind works and how to achieve lasting happiness.

Bind: paperback

Publication Date: 03-10-2022

Recent media reports have highlighted a long-standing issue: literacy rates in New Zealand are falling. But modern demand for literacy skills is increasing. Employers, schools and tertiary institutes all agree on the importance of communication and writing skills. We have a genuine and widespread need for a simple and user-friendly guide to grammar and writing that is written in New Zealand for New Zealanders. Don’t Hate Grammar helps students and professionals write clearly and correctly. It covers the most important aspects of grammar, construction, style and referencing, using simple definitions and clear examples. It explains New Zealand English with local words and grammatical rules in a simple and friendly style. The book design enables people to quickly find the information they need while they are writing on paper or computer.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 94

Dimensions: 150 x 210 mm

Publication Date: 19-08-2022

Wellington, 1939. A hot summer’s day at a church picnic. Adelaide watches as a girl is rescued from the river and resolves to meet the unassuming hero of the moment. After a claustrophobic, strict childhood, John Brunner is Adelaide’s chance for a new beginning. But trouble in Europe is brewing and Adelaide’s delight in her new married life is overshadowed by the declaration of war. John’s sense of duty sees him enlist and he sails for Egypt. When John’s first letter arrives, a foreign, exotic world is brought to life. His letters become Adelaide’s obsession, his words carrying her through the days, turning her house from marital home to a literary shrine of love and longing. Until the letters stop coming. Barefoot is a moving, evocative story of two people in love: one stranded in the new reality of the local war effort, the other in the stifling deserts and desolate battlegrounds of far-off lands; lands where danger is always just around the corner and death can snatch you in the blink of an eye.

Bind: paperback

Publication Date: 03-10-2022

What defi nes a place like Tītahi Bay? The rolling waves, the turning tide, the crescent-cleft coast? It is the people. It is the stories handed down through generations. It is this rugged beauty that links us to each other. These are not your usual beach poems. An African refugee staggers from the ocean; Van Gogh is painting boatsheds; a violinist plays in a dinghy to an audience of gulls. Roll & Break is a collection full of surprises, and a celebration of the beaches at the heart of our Aotearoa life.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 58

Dimensions: 129 x 198 mm

Publication Date: 03-10-2022

• A dark lake with darker secrets. • The bizarre delivery of a mysterious crate. • A fortune-teller unnerved by what she reads in a palm. • Why is the past reaching for the present with such bony fingers? For the four teenagers staying near a West Coast lake, what begins as an intriguing puzzle ends with the most terrifying night of their lives, a night that will change them forever… Award-winning author James Norcliffe’s compelling supernatural tale will delight and thrill all young readers with its bittersweet ending as unexpected as it is satisfying. “James Norcliffe is a national treasure.” – Sarah Forster, The Sapling

Bind: paperback

Pages: 160

Dimensions: 153 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 25-10-2022

A ‘mostly true’ story ripped from the pages of New Zealand’s dark history Based on the notorious Maungatapu Murders of 1866, this action-packed historical novel is a gripping tale of murder and greed. Fifteen-year-old Henry Appleton lives on an isolated farm in Nelson, New Zealand. He devours dime novels about American cowboys and dreams of having his own rifle and becoming a gunslinger like Wild Bill Hickok. But his daydreaming becomes a terrifying reality when two strangers ride into town: the physician Zephaniah Smith, who is hunting down his wife’s killer ... and the ruthless highwayman Richard Burgess who plans to rob a bank with his gang. Over the next three days, Henry is threatened, kidnapped, shot and left for dead in a riverbed. When the gang murders a group of travellers from the goldfields, the injured Henry is determined to bring them to justice. • A rip-roaring New Zealand adventure story for readers 11+ • Inspired by the infamous Maungatapu Murders in Nelson, 1866 • More than 40 illustrations and historical photographs. • Includes resources for pupils studying the new NZ history curriculum • Story originated in author’s award-winning historical re-enactment series Epitaph

Bind: paperback

Pages: 320

Dimensions: 133 x 203 mm

Publication Date: 26-10-2022

"Excuse me little bird, I'm trying to find, The noise that a sparrow makes From his behind..." Up at sparrow fart means waking very early in the morning, when it's so quiet you can hear the sparrows farting gently in their nests. But what does a sparrow's fart sound like, exactly? Join Tom on his early morning adventure to find out!

Bind: paperback

Pages: 28

Dimensions: 210 x 270 mm

Publication Date: 01-10-2022

It's fun to count and jump - especially when you're small and bouncy! Pre-schoolers will love meeting new friends and adding numbers 1-5 with Boingo as he bounces up the forest to recover his golden balloon.

Bind: paperback

Publication Date: 31-08-2022