“Have you heard the news?” Candy always had the news. “There’s a terrible, terrible storm coming. The winds will be 380 kilometres an hour.” “Should we be worried?” Billie asked. “Well, apparently, what you have to do is put your head inside a paper bag and hide under the bed.” “That can’t be right,” Ming said. “That’s absolutely stupid.” “It’s all over BFE. People in America have tried it and it seems to work. Apparently the bag equalises the pressure.” “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t do any harm, would it?” Billie said. The world is going crazy. In a not too distant future, climate change is slowly drowning coastal areas, Artificial Intelligence is running almost everything, and social media continues to rule people’s lives. In a South Pacific nation, an affluent family lose their beach-front home to storm and high seas. Waterfront insurance has long been unavailable and, with their prime asset now gone, Brian, Stella and their two teenage kids must move from the capital to Byte, a small, southern, rain-swept city in the grip of a computerised bureaucracy and a gang of religious vigilantes. When Brian falls foul of the authorities, Stella, Mandy and Luke must fend for themselves. Stella’s only option seems to be an offer of help from the least likely quarter – but with what consequences? Waterline explores the choices our own and future generations might have to make in our increasingly complex society. It is a dramatic tale, laced with dark humour, about responsibility, self-determination and the search for love.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 320

Dimensions: 153 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 31-10-2019

Michael Willis was ten years old, already keeping rabbits, guinea pigs, frogs, possums and birds in his parents’ garden and dreaming of running a zoo of his own. Then came a life-changing present: a copy of naturalist Gerald Durrell’s The Bafut Beagles. Suddenly the idea of working with animals became more than just a fantasy. A lot of hard work and ingenuity later, the dream came true in 1974, when Michael opened Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, on the outskirts of Christchurch. An immensely popular and prize-winning tourist attraction, Willowbank is home to a rich collection of exotic and native animals, from kiwi and kea to otters, camels and monkeys. But that has been only part of the story. Over the years Michael has been increasingly driven to save and conserve rare livestock breeds, many of them far more endangered than some of their familiar native counterparts. He has travelled New Zealand, and the world, in his quest to save these often forgotten animals from extinction. Whether it is rediscovering the tasselled and beguiling kune kune pig, saving the goats of remote Arapawa Island, capturing wild pigs on the forbidding Auckland Islands, bringing back to life the lost wild cattle of Enderby Island or travelling to the Galápagos in search of threatened wild donkeys, his has been a life full of adventure, and full of the animals he loves. And the search continues. Just as he did in his delightful, best-selling first book, Some of My Best Friends are Animals, Michael Willis recounts his sometimes perilous and always riveting experiences with warmth, passion and infectiously laconic humour. Rescue will make you laugh and gasp, and think. For, as he reminds us, in an uncertain world, the saving of these animals could be the saving of us all.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 304

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 31-10-2019

Passages is a personal, yet universal story of a life in harmony with nature. When Linda, her husband David, and their two small boys, Sam and William, bought a yacht called Hornpipe and set sail for tropical waters, they cast off from all security. So began a nomadic adventure when they had to depend on their own resources, navigating by the sun and stars. This beautifully illustrated book presents a thrillingly honest, yet poetic reflection on the challenges of fulfilling a dream, as seen from a mother's perspective. Those ocean passages were a non stop roller coaster ride: "There were times when they plunged into the deepest trough of the wave and there were times when they rode, in exhilaration, the highest crest". Linda's literal and metaphorical passages braid together both past and present to reveal how her family's extraordinary voyages inspired their future accomplishments. "This story is for all explorers. The passages we weave through our lives find their truth in those we touch along the way: - Linda Trubridge

Bind: paperback

Pages: 441

Dimensions: 155 x 230 mm

Publication Date: 02-11-2019

A light-hearted, fully-illustrated retro-style picture book with 50+ words and phrases you can use to practise your Maori with your best furry friend. Suitable as a first introduction to Maori for learners of all ages, for tourists who would like a fun way to pick up a few basic words when visiting New Zealand, and as a revision book for adults who haven't used their Maori for a while. Many of the words and phrases can also be used in non dog-related situations!

Bind: paperback

Pages: 112

Publication Date: 05-10-2019

What do you get if you cross a Pug with a Yorkie - or a Whippet with a Foxy? You'll laugh out loud at these unlikely canine couples ... and their owners!

Bind: paperback

Pages: 32

Dimensions: 210 x 270 mm

Publication Date: 31-10-2019

Key Sales Points: * This would be the most extensive body of ecological poetry published in New Zealand * The writing very much confirms the unique positioning of this country as a Pacific nation, its arts now a critical factor in building our environmental awareness * Suitable for readers in senior school and tertiary education as well as general readers Denys Trussell: Denys has worked as a poet, biographer, essayist, editor and environmentalist. He has published in France, Germany, the UK, India, Australia and the USA. In New Zealand he won the PEN Best First Book of Prose Award (1985) and was short-listed in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 1999 for the poetry book, Walking Into The Millennium.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 794

Dimensions: 140 x 225 mm

Publication Date: 19-10-2019

Ian Austin is being compared to Ian Rankin with his Dan Calder trilogy of crime novels. Frozen Summer completes this thrilling trilogy! The Dan Calder series is a trilogy of crime novels featuring the uniquely talented but also uniquely flawed ex-detective. His struggles with depression and a cupboard bursting with skeletons vie for attention as he reluctantly travels from England to the other side of the world and back again, attempting to prevent or solve some of the darkest crimes imaginable and trying to maintain his loose grip on sanity all at the same time. Causing trouble or falling headlong into it is more than a habit for Dan Calder and it’s only the depth which ever seems to vary. Frozen Summer is the nickname Dan Calder’s girlfriend Tara gives to a cold case, the coldest one of all. Who else but Calder would contemplate investigating the unsolved killing where he’s the only suspect? The time’s come to revisit the scene of his blackest experience in order to try and move on once and for all. At stake are the relationships with Tara, their new son Bradley and possibly his very liberty. One way or another it ends here. Right here, right now.

Bind: paperback

Publication Date: 02-12-2019

Queer lives give rise to a vast array of objects: the things we fill our houses with, the gifts we share with our friends, the commodities we consume at work and at play, the clothes and accessories we wear, various reminders of state power, as well as the analogue and digital technologies we use to communicate with one another. But what makes an object queer? The 63 chapters in Queer Objects consider this question in relation to lesbian, gay and trans­gender communities across time, cultures and space. In this unique international collaboration, well­known and newer writers traverse world history to write about items ranging from ancient Egyptian tomb paintings and Roman artefacts to political placards, snapshots, sex toys and the smartphone. Fabulous, captivating, transgressive.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 400

Dimensions: 210 x 250 mm

Publication Date: 11-10-2019

Do your worries get in the way of life? Does your troubled mind stop you from sleeping? Are you ready for change? It’s time to say ‘f*ck worry’ and transform yourself into a new, more confident you. This no-nonsense guide will help you stave off unwanted thoughts as you explore what is actually causing you to worry. Packed with useful advice, easy-to-follow tips and powerful statements, this essential self-help toolkit will help you improve your self-esteem and confidently give worry the middle finger.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 160

Dimensions: 101 x 136 mm

Publication Date: 12-08-2019

Do you feel stressed? Does your anxiety get in the way of life? Are you ready for change? It’s time to say ‘f*ck stress’ and transform yourself from a worrier to a warrior! This no-nonsense guide will show you how to banish irrational worries and negative thoughts, as you explore what is actually causing you stress, and how you can re-programme your brain to cope with what life throws at you, both positively and rationally. Packed with easy-to-follow advice, useful tips and empowering statements, this essential stress-busting toolkit will help you master your own thoughts and confidently give stress the middle finger.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 160

Dimensions: 101 x 136 mm

Publication Date: 12-08-2019