Portfolio

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
Cover designed by Keely O'Shannessy
ISBN: 978-0-473-39497-4

At first glance, thirteen-year-old Rose Ann Dixon’s family life in 1960s Otara seems unremarkable. Her home, which she shares with her father, mother and five younger siblings, looks no different from those around it. But her close friend and neighbours know otherwise.

A gift from her teacher on her thirteenth birthday is a turning point in Rose’s life. After hearing Martin Luther King’s inspiring words, Rose realises that everyone can have dreams and, what’s more, they have a right to expect them to come true.

Rose begins a journey from Otara to Wellington and finally to India. Sustained by the love and wisdom of a recently deceased aunt and the kindness of her best friend’s family, Rose learns things that give her the strength she needs to save those she loves.

Karen Mills writes a gripping story about family violence with profound understanding – and delightful humorous touches.

“I fell in love with Rose Dixon the moment I met her, trying to hide the evidence of her little sister’s bedwetting from their violent unpredictable father… I wanted to cheer for her from the first page…” –Elizabeth Smither

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-39744-9

Earthquakes in New Zealand have always been a reminder of its Geological idiosyncrasies, and occasionally when the earth moved, so did our little house on Christchurch’s sandy suburban fringe.

My father – declared a near-genius by my mother – was a mechanical engineer, collector and inventor of such useful items as industrial tile cutters, lawnmower sharpeners, a hovering conveyance platform, a collapsible boat and an ingenious multi-chicken decapitator – to name but a few.

My mother, on the other hand, was a complicated woman with Jekyll and- Hyde tendencies, a creative bent and certain knowledge that civilisation was irrevocably doomed. There was much talk of ending up in the nut house.

Living on a shoestring required creative recycling and reimagining.

Disappointingly for my mother, her Ten Toothsome Ways with Gourmet Offal were not a success.

We didn’t appreciate how lucky we were, she said. Trying to lip-read Mr Ed through a shopfront window wasn’t my idea of lucky. Owning a television wasn’t hers, but she was prepared to reconsider when New Zealand got colour. Fortunately my father couldn’t wait for something that might never happen; instead, we became the proud owners of a black-and-white nineteen inch legless Idiot Box.

No more sing-songs around the piano, reading a book after dinner or lengthy debates on the merits of cod liver oil as a laxative. The world and one corner of our lounge had just become a brighter place.

“This is an impressive, amusing, intriguing and really well written story” – Norman Bilbrough, Author, Reviewer, Writing Award Judge and Manuscript Assessor

“Absolutely brilliant!” – Dr Marianne Tremaine, Reviewer Heritage New Zealand Magazine

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-39360-1

For Detective Matt Buchanan, the world is a pretty sick place. He has probably been in the job too long, for one thing. And then there’s 14-year-old Samantha Coates, and the other unsolved murder cases. Those innocent girls he just can’t get out of his head.

When Buchanan pursues some fresh leads, it soon becomes clear he’s on the trail of something big. As he pieces the horrific crimes together, Buchanan finds the very foundations of everything he once believed in start to crumble. He’s forced across that grey line that separates right and wrong – into places so dark, even he might not make it back . . .

This is an astonishing first novel by ex-detective Nathan Blackwell that is guaranteed to grip you.

It will reverberate in your head long after you’ve finished reading it.

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-38937-6

Will the Peace Way succeed?

East of the Black Sea, c.300 BC: Fifteen-year-old Melo is one of the most gifted Riders in the Wild Horse Tribe, destined to become a leader in her female warrior clan. Her old rival Mithrida, however, has cunning plans of her own. But when city slave traders cut a violent path through the Plains, all the Amazon Tribes are under threat.

Far, far away on the Holy Island, Sofia, a young priestess-intraining, wonders why these strangers have landed on their isolated shore. Can she find the answers from the Black Rock? When the worlds of traders, slaves and warriors collide, new alliances come from unexpected sources and new powers are harnessed. But is it enough for the Peace Way to succeed?

Written by Jenny Palmer
Illustrated by Evie Kemp

Published by Little Love (Imprint of Mary Egan Publishing)
ISBN: 978-0-473-38445-6

Animated rhymes and colourful illustrations helping children (and their grown ups!) talk about emotions. This is a book to come back to again and again, whether you feel a little nervous, happy, angry or just plain silly!

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-38895-9

“I know this sounds crazy but there was blue light coming out of his hands and I could feel all my pain flowing out of me.”

When Dean Bradley is brutally murdered for his new shoes, undertaker Ken Tamati does a lovely job on the corpse — but next morning, the body has vanished from the funeral parlour.

That day, a mysterious figure — witness give wildly conflicting descriptions — begins rescuing victims of assault all over Auckland and healing their horrific injuries with a dazzling light. They call him the Rainbow Man.

Who is he? The police and media think the stories of apparent miracles can’t possibly be true. The public thinks this may be the Second Coming.

Meanwhile a brutal serial killer is about to strike again, young Tom Heke is on the run from both the police and a fearsome Maori gang, and Constable Mary Clark puzzles her colleagues by knowing more about the Rainbow Man than she should.

Gary Moore’s debut novel is a fast-paced thriller with cracking dialogue, sly humour and, underlying it all, a serious ecological message.

Double-edged Sword, The Simonne Butler Story

By Simonne Butler and Andra Jenkin. 
Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-36435-9

Double-edged Sword is a survival story like no other. In 2003 Simonne Butler’s violent partner, high on methamphetamine, cut off both her hands with a samurai sword. Her hands were reattached in a groundbreaking marathon surgery and she spent the next decade healing her mind, body and spirit.

The Student Body, Simon Wyatt

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN:  978-0-473-36243-0

In The Student Body, Simon Wyatt takes the reader on a thrilling journey to catch a killer through his eyes as a former police detective.

A popular fifteen-year-old girl is strangled to death at a school camp on Auckland’s west coast. The posing of the body suggests a sexual motive. Nick Knight, a week into his role as a newly promoted detective sergeant, is tasked with the critical job of leading the Suspects Team.

Nick – who turned his back on a lucrative career as a lawyer – is well-versed at dealing with the dark sides of human nature. With no shortage of suspects, he sets a cracking pace on the trail of the murderer, grappling his own personal demons along the way. But are things really as they seem?

Tu Meke Tūī, Malcolm Clarke and FLOX

Written by Malcolm Clarke, illustrated by FLOX
Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN:  978-0-473-34375-0

Tere the Tūī  and Taitū  the Takahē  are two very different sorts of birds: one loves to flit and twirl about in the sky, while the other prefers to rustle around in the undergrowth.

Tu Meke Tūī!  is a story of friendship, courage and discovering that sometimes it’s our differences which make us truly special.

Good Sons, Greg Hall

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-38378-7

In early 1914 Frank Wilson and his two close friends, Tom Davis and Robert Sutherland, are growing up in Oamaru in the South Island of New Zealand. The coming war in Europe arouses the hopes and dreams of a generation of young men. The pressure becomes irresistible and one by one the boys become soldiers. Frank delays his decision but in 1916 a strange encounter shocks him into enlisting.

After a rapid coming-of-age in the training camps of the North Island the novel moves to France. A reunion, the insanity of a love affair in the midst of a terrible war and a brutal event set Frank on course for the best and worst days of his young life. As he becomes a frontline soldier and experiences hard fighting, fate forces him to make an agonising decision. Good Sons is a poignant story of youth and war, love and loss, suffering and hope.

The Grand Electrification of the South, Gay Buckingham

Published by Power Company Limited
ISBN: 978-0-473-35350-6

The history of The Power Company Limited and its predecessors, The Southland Electric Power Board and The Southland Electric Power Supply (1914-2015)

Published by Shelagh Duckham Cox
ISBN: 978-0-473-36386-4

In 1940 at the age of five, Shelagh Duckham was evacuated with her family to North Wales where she spent the war years. They moved to Washington D.C. in 1945 when her father was offered the post of British Agricultural Attache to the U.S.A. The family was repatriated to England in 1950 and Shelagh’s teenage and university years were lived in a land of post-war austerity. In 1966, as ‘ten-pound Poms’, she emigrated with her husband and three small children from the city of Oxford to the small town of Levin, New Zealand. 

Her first thirty years were lived against a background of remarkable events. Describing the idiosyncratic characters of her parents and the many other interesting people in her life, Shelagh writes beautifully and insightfully about her childhood and early adulthood. She weaves historical events into her personal narrative and remembers the frequent loneliness and struggle in her own life, while observing the world around her with the eye of both a writer and a sociologist.

To the Ice and Beyond, Graeme Kendall

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN:  978-0-473-35326-1

Kiwi yachtsman Graeme Kendall was the first person to sail the Northwest Passage solo non-stop. Sailing east to west, he knocked off the “Everest of sailing” in just 12 days – the fastest recorded – as part of his extraordinary solo circumnavigation of the globe. This is a story of determination, meticulous planning and rugged courage.

Dusty Allen Rediscovered, Neil Anderson

ISBN: 978-0-473-35580-7

THIS IS THE BIOGRAPHY OF DR I.M. ALLEN, better known as “Dusty” Allen to his colleagues. He was the first fully trained
neurologist to practise in New Zealand.
Allen was a controversial figure in the history of New Zealand  medicine. He was respected for his clinical acumen and formidable knowledge, but to many people he appeared reclusive and dour. His opposition to the way neurosurgery was being developed and his reluctance to refer patients for neurosurgery led to an acrimonious dispute with neurosurgeon Murray Falconer. Allen believed that patients with mental disorders were a neurologist’s responsibility and this attitude made him unpopular with psychiatrists. He tried to enhance the role of specialists, but this was vigorously opposed by general physicians. Allen was a researcher and a prolific writer. He showed it was possible to combine clinical work with research without academic appointment or financial assistance. The study of neurology was his all-consuming passion.

Misi Utu, Margaret Guthrie

ISBN: 978-0-473-35582-1

The life of visionary educator D W Hoodless and the development of the Fiji-based Central Medical School are joint themes in this fascinating history of how modern medicine and indigenous cultures met and evolved progressively inthe thirties and forties of the twentieth century.

The author, Margaret Guthrie, is the daughter of D W Hoodless. 

Striking Gold, Suzanne McFadden

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-34372-9

In the Montreal summer of 1976, a band of tenacious Kiwis triumphs
against all odds to be crowned Olympic champions.
Striking Gold weaves together each man’s story with the team’s epic quest, rising to a dramatic and heroic final that lives on today in New Zealand sporting folklore.
Striking Gold is as much about social history as sport, dramatically telling the inspiring tale of an unlikely bunch of blokes who pulled off New Zealand’s most improbable Olympic gold medal. 

What does the Sea Sound Like?, Evie Mahoney

ISBN: 978-0-473-36771-8

Evie Mahoney is a CODA, a Child Of Deaf Adults, raised in Auckland, New Zealand.  She is the eldest of six hearing children. Being first born her early life was mainly in a deaf environment and she was sensitive to how hearing people outside that environment reacted to her family.

Inside the Black Horse, Ray Berard

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN : 978-0-473-31515-3
Winner of the 2016 Ngaio Marsh Award for New Zealand Crime Writing

Inside the Black Horse is a fast-moving thriller, a story of fate, and unlikely love story for our time. Pio Morgan is waiting outside a pub on a cold winter night. There is a debt he must pay and no options left. What he does next drags a group of strangers into a web of confusion that over the course of a few days changes all their lives. The young Maori widow just trying to raise her children, the corporate executive hiding his mistake, the gang of criminals that will do what ever it takes to recover what they've lost - and the outsider sent to town to try and figure out who did what. Time is running out for all of them as events take an increasingly dark turn.

Hucking Cody, Aaron Topp

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-32668-5
Hucking Cody was a finalist in the New Zealand Book Awards For Children And Young Adults.

"Life has been pretty average for Cody Harrington lately. First, there's his job at the bike shop where he's being blamed for not locking the door and causing a burglary. Then there's his wild brother Zane who's promised his parents he's back on the rails, but is he? As for girls, they only exist in his fantasies, and if only he could get through the week without being egged by a carload of rugby heads. The only time that Cody feels truly free is when he's flying down bush-lined tracks and hitting stunts on his bike. But then he falls in love - with a bike and a girl. Does he have it in him to win either of them or are they out of reach? Can a huckster ever really change?"

The Gentlemen's Club, Jen Shieff

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-32742-2

A psychological thriller that will shock you to the core. Headstrong and independent, Rita Saunders is a successful hairdresser by day and a busy brothel madam by night. The only thing missing from her life is the love of a good woman. Istvan Ziegler is a Hungarian immigrant who has come to New Zealand to work on the brand new harbour bridge project. He is full of hope and dreams of a better life. Sixteen-year-old Judith Curran has come to Auckland for an abortion. With no money or family support, she finds herself at the mercy of strangers and simply has to hope they have her best interests at heart. Becoming bound into a desperate situation involving a group of orphan girls, Rita, Judith and Istvan find fortitude they never knew they possessed. But do they have enough of it to expose the menacing orphanage director and the slice of the heartless and seedy 1950s' underworld he inhabits? The Gentlemen's Club is an honest and gritty debut novel that will linger with you long after you have finished reading it.

Stories Men Tell, John Keir and Neville Aitchison

Published by The Atrium Club
ISBN: 978-0-473-33909-8

Extraordinary stories. And ordinary stories. Stories rarely told by men. Revealing. Insightful. Honest. For 50 years the Atrium Club has operated as a gym for men only. But the Atrium is like no other gym. It's a club – unashamedly a safe haven for an unlikely mix of gentlemen; a place for mind and body where the relationships and the camaraderie are as important as the exercise. The members include rich listers as well as those down on their luck; knights of the realm; sports stars; leaders in the fields of business, industry, medicine, law, academia, military and the media. Many have unique connections to the issues of our times. One man spent his childhood in a Japanese POW camp, another flew the first New Zealand troops into Vietnam, one was sued by David Lange for defamation, another played cricket for New Zealand, one helped save Sir Edmund Hillary on Mt Everest, another lost a child to terrorism in the 2005 London bombings, and one walked away from a horrific plane crash.

Dinosaur Mac's Discovery, Erin Feasey

ISBN: 978-0-473-30034-0

Mac loves dinosaurs so much that he wears a dinosaur tail all the time, at home, in the playground, even to all his medical appointments. Mac's muscles work differently to those of other kids, and he needs help with balance and strength. When Mac starts using a wheelchair, what will happen to his dinosaur tail?

Living in Paradox, Garth Falconer

ISBN: 978-0-473-30219-1

How can we develop better urban environments for New Zealanders? Is it a straightforward matter of better planning and applying more resources? Do we have to settle for second best? What of the lessons learned from those who have come before us? In this first book on the contradictions and paradoxes of the design of New Zealand's urban places, Garth Falconer suggests that these are exciting times to be thinking about such issues. With better understanding of our unique context, together with broad collaboration across all sectors and a commitment to creative, resourceful action, there are alternatives to accepting soaring house prices, congested traffic, a bland and illegible urban landscape, growing gaps between different peoples, and hopelessly complicated urban planning regulations. 

The Darlimurla Letters, Trish Macky

Joe and Mary Macky were both passengers on the ill-fated ocean liner, the Lusitania, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland in 1915. Mary was offered a place on one of the lifeboats but insisted on staying with her husband. The pair perished, along with about 1,200 others. They were both prolific letter writers - and early adopters of the camera - and a bundle of their letters and photos has been preserved, named the Darlimurla letters after their home in Devonport. Great grandaughter, Trish Macky, compiled this 27-chapter book based on the 500-thousand words worth of letters they wrote.

Super Power Baby Project, Rachel Callander

Published by Evie's Book Club Ltd
ISBN: 978-0-473-28575-3

Super Power Baby Project features striking photographic portraits of its 70 subjects, taken by award-winning photographer Rachel Callander. The personality of each child shines through, with text that explains the special qualities and life-changing powers each one brings. Rachel and Sam Callander have created this beautiful book not only as a record, but also as a means of changing the way we talk about children. They believe all children are born awesome - this book demonstrates it.

The Legend of Mt White Station, Gerald Sandrey

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-32397-4

Sold Out

The diverse and desolate country that makes up Mt White Station has held an irresistible allure for men for decades. Many have committed themselves to the extreme weather and isolation of the place only to finally admit defeat, while others have endured, raising families and forming bonds with their fellow station workers and the land itself. From the Riversdale flats to the Puketeraki and Dampier ranges on the Lochinvar estate in the Upper Waimakariri catchment, Mt White has been one of the most successful operating stations since the Long Depression of the 1880s. The Turnbull family, who live 200 kilometres away from the station, have owned Mt White for almost 100 years. The key to their success has no doubt been the careful appointment of skilled managers made of the right stuff to handle this volatile and isolated terrain. From the managers, musterers, shepherds, shearers, packmen, fencers, deer-cullers, cooks, cowboys and the wives and children who have worked and lived there, Mt White has certainly attracted its share of colourful characters and high country legends. This book pays homage to them and to the rugged and beautiful landscape of Mt White station.

The Invisible Millionaire, Jonathan Bidmead

Publishing by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-35409-1

Most millionaires in our midst are invisible. Many people would be surprised as to who the real millionaires are, as opposed to those who may drive prestige cars and live in the right suburbs. Invisible is how they make the intangible tangible. Invisible too are the thoughts, beliefs, axioms and actions of millionaires. Welcome to the journey. Invest two hours of your time to make visible what was invisible!

A History of Crime, Dinah Holman

Published by Ravensbourne Books Limited
ISBN: 978-0-473-27279-1

It is 1887. The young colony of New Zealand is in the grip of a deep depression. Insolvent speculators conspire with corrupt politicians while Maori land slips from the hands of its owners. Into this landscape of barely suppressed conflict steps a young Anglo-French-Maori soprano, visiting New Zealand for the first time. Frederique Bonnell - known to her family as Riki - meets another performer, the Italian tenor Francesco Bartellin. Unofficially, Bartellin has been persuaded to spy on lawyer Thomas Russell and his powerful associates, whose tentacles penetrate the political establishment. Riki is pitched into this treacherous underworld when she witnesses the attempted murder of Kaituhi, a young Maori man apprehended in Russell's shipboard cabin. Kaituhi and Riki are thrown overboard yet manage to save each other's lives. Mingling timeless themes of misunderstanding and betrayal, A History of Crime interweaves real and fictional crimes in 19th century New Zealand. It explores the seamy side of Victorian society, with echoes that resonate into the present day.

The Silver Gaucho, Jackie Ballantyne

Published by The Doby Press
ISBN: 978-0-473-27525-9

The Silver Gaucho is dead - and across Argentina an entire nation is in mourning. But for adventurer Lockie Steele, the death of the famous television idol is merely one part of a puzzling family mystery. Why does the wealthy and manipulative Mabon family wish to engage her services, and why are they prepared to go to such lengths to protect their secrets? Why has the Silver Gaucho's brother disappeared without trace into New Zealand - and what are the family conflicts that force him to remain hidden? Ranging from Argentina to the South Island of New Zealand and back again, Jackie Ballantyne's surprising new novel combines an infectious passion for Argentina's culture and people with a talented writer's confident ability to tell an engrossing, deeply satisfying story.

Conjurors Cardsharps and Conmen, Bernard Reid

A comprehensive history of one of the most popular theatrical entertainments of nineteenth-century New Zealanders.

My Darling Lemon Thyme, Emma Galloway

Published by HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand)
ISBN: 978-1-775-54021-2

Designed by Anna Egan-Reid

Enjoy wholesome, nourishing food without skimping on taste! Emma Galloway learned to love fresh, healthy food growing up in a family of creative cooks. She has carried that love over into her roles as a chef, mother and highly successful food writer. these recipes reflect Emma's philosophy that natural, whole food should also be flavoursome, fun and easy to prepare. this is food as it's supposed to be eaten - fresh from the earth to the kitchen, seasonal, nourishing and delicious. Perfect for anyone with food intolerances, My Darling Lemon thyme is also sure to please everyone who loves great food that is also great for you.

Resilience Adaptation Sustainability, Robert Riddell

Published by Robert Riddell
ISBN: 978-0-473-29245-4

Around 1970 the planet and our occupation of it was pretty much a situation of balance; the biospheric absorptive and recycling capacity coping with resource uptake and waste discard. Since then a doubled human mass and carbon gas overload has spawned the greenhouse effect that has activated ice field melt, savannah extension, rainforest depletion, waste accumulation and species extinction.

Resilience Adaptation Sustainability is a prevent-and-adapt advisory. It evokes limits for the growth-on-growth ideology and print money process. It provokes a births-deaths equilibrium, reduced fossil carbon consumption, rainforest restoration and waste recycling. It is about future proofing the next generation.

A Gallipoli Soldier’s Secret, Buket Uzuner

Published by Antares Publishing
ISBN: 9780473287894

Designed by Anna Egan-Reid

A Gallipoli Soldier’s Secret is the story of a New Zealand woman’s pilgrimage to Turkey to discover the truth about her great-grandfather’s fate - a Gallipoli soldier who never returned home. During her search she stumbles over dark secrets which have been hidden in a Turkish village for decades. They are so sensitive that disclosure threatens embarrassment for villagers and two old foes -New Zealand and Turkey. 

A Gallipoli Soldier’s Secret is unique in that it provides a glimpse of the war from a Turkish perspective. It also vividly reveals village life and a journey of inner conflict and self-discovery.

Suddenly it is goodbye, Stefanie Backhouse-Rudolph

ISBN: 978-0-473-30215-3

A story for everyone who has lost a sibling.

When a sibling dies many things change in a child’s life – family structure, daily routine, their friend’s behaviour, parents who are upset and not coping, a feeling of tremendous loss and sadness. Children will experience all sorts of feelings.

This book helps children to understand and talk about their grief and to understand that their feelings are normal and part of the healing process.

For ages 2 – 13, but can be helpful for everyone who has lost a sibling.

Guy Frederick Andrew: One Man's War, Ronald Pemberton

Published by Citadel Books
ISBN: 9780473316952

Cover designed by Anna Egan-Reid

Death and Forgiveness, Jindra Ticha

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-30671-7

Two worlds collide.
Anna has flown from New Zealand to her native Prague to nurse her dying mother. The night after the funeral she receives a phone call with the news that her husband Jan has committed suicide in faraway Dunedin.
Why has Jan decided to end his life? As Anna grapples with her grief in post-communist Prague, her story is interwoven with the tale of the family’s fortunes on the long voyage taking them to New Zealand 20 years previously.
Fleeing the violent takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1968, Anna and Jan found themselves in a strange new country with unfamiliar values. This had an unexpected consequence. Instead of terminating an unwanted pregnancy, Anna decided to give birth to Marie – a daughter who would go on to claim the lion’s share of Jan’s affection.
A subtle and affecting story of change and rebirth, Death and Forgiveness shows how exile alters the pattern of a life, with after effects that reverberate for decades.

Country Cop 24/7, Catherine Ballard

Published by Catherine Ballard
ISBN: 978-0-473-30024-1

This book tells the story of Gavin Benney's life as a rural policeman in charge of the Hikurangi police district for over 20 years. It is also the story of the Hikurangi district, its people and how it has changed in that time. Police have unparalleled access to all levels of society, they see us in the raw and deal with the dark side of life, the side that those of us in safe, comfortable positions do not want to know about. Gavin dealt with crimes of murder, violence, drugs, thefts, petty vandalism and also with accidents from the horrific to the bizarre and the funny. This is a story of New Zealand rural life.

Unleashing Greatness, David Galbraith

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-30932-9

Everyone is capable of greatness . . . sadly, not everybody finds it.

If you are sick and tired of settling for second best or want to achieve the greatness you know is just there in front of you, then this book is for you!
This book moves beyond most other personal development and sports psychology books by providing a clear, simple, practical structure to follow to achieve a deep Mental Toughness and Killer Instinct, and pure ‘mind/body/soul connection’.
The material in this book works! If followed fully it will help you achieve your ‘greatness’ in sport, and in life. Whether that is as a parent or spouse, or a business-person or athlete. It will help you succeed beyond your wildest dreams in finances, at school or university, and in sport. It will help you to secure the dream job and find your dream partner.
And perhaps most importantly, it will help you help others reach their dreams if you are a teacher, coach or mentor, or you are a friend just helping out a friend!

Living in Paradox, Garth Falconer

Published by Blue Acres Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-30219-1

This landmark book examines the contradictions that form the design of New Zealand’s urban landscape. It analyses many of the various trials and pitfalls of the past, and paints an exciting picture of the way things could be in New Zealand’s towns and cities.

Living in Paradox explores the dynamic and intriguing story of this young, vigorous and intriguingly complex country. It is an optimistic, far-reaching book which documents the rich history of earlier visions, analyses many of the various trials and pitfalls of the past, and paints an engaging picture of the way things could be in New Zealand’s towns and cities. As New Zealanders’ are a highly urbanised population this book provides a very relevant and much needed discussion.

Not Our Problem, Ian Cowan

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-32696-8

Steven Cassidy is burning out in his job as a surgical trainee at New Zealand’s Paxton Hospital. He is working far too hard, exams are looming and he has become so difficult to live with that his girlfriend Zoe has left him.

Cassidy decides to take a year off to regain his sanity and try to win Zoe back. He gets a job in hospital management, expecting to help the organisation run better before he goes home at 5 pm every evening. But his timing is unfortunate: it’s 1992 and New Zealand’s public hospitals are being turned into competitive businesses, driven by a government that believes that market forces are the solution to all problems.

Cassidy battles with the managers who are trying to force the ideology to overcome the realities of public health care, as he watches relentless funding cuts having their effects on staff and patients. His expert advice is rejected and Zoe leaves, perhaps for ever . . . it’s time for Cassidy to take matters into his own hands.

Minor Surgery, Dr Samantha Murton

This easy-to-read guide takes you from basic skills to expert, with 44 watercolour pictures clearly depicting the techniques discussed.

Not only does it give you tips and tricks for creating beautiful results, it puts the patient in the centre of the procedure and reminds you of the precision with which any surgery should be undertaken.

Unbreakable Spirit, Karen McMillan

Published by McKenzie Publishing

An invaluable collection of real life stories of cancer, representing a wide range of circumstances that will provide comfort and help for families facing cancer.

Unbreakable Spirit is a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of cancer. It tells the true stories of people who have survived cancer and of those who are terminally ill. It also shares the experiences of people who have had a loved one die from cancer and includes information from hospice workers, oncologists, GPs, a counsellor, surgeon and breast physician.

Unbreakable Spirit was first published in 2003, and it has helped numerous families facing cancer. In this revised edition, Karen finds out what has happened to many of the people featured in the book and updates their stories. She discusses the advances of medical science in the past decade and other changes. She also tells her own story of being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 – a positive story of the importance of early detection through screening, and she includes insightful new chapters from her medical team.

A Moment's Silence, Christopher Abbey

Published by Mary Egan Publishing
ISBN: 9780473361891

Set against a backdrop of actual events in 1995, Martyn Percival, a middle-aged New Zealander, seeks adventure on his first OE to the United Kingdom. A chance sighting, providing a possible link between an explosion and the whereabouts of a renegade IRA operative, has him reporting his suspicions to an attractive police sergeant in the Cotswolds. Scotland Yard becomes involved when the bomber is identified as a serial killer who has embarked on a mission seeking revenge on the tourist who "shopped him". Martyn's burgeoning feelings for the sergeant have him agreeing to participate in a planned trap for his nemesis. When this backfires, Martyn returns to New Zealand. Followed by his stalker. Faced with fear for his own survival, Martyn has no alternative but to turn the tables and stalk the stalker. Thus setting up a face-to-face finale in New Zealand's North Island wintry landscape.

Dead Men Running, Gavin Manning

ISBN: 978-0-473-33607-3

Imagine the most tenacious and skilled soldiers in the business fighting in the most brutal of bush wars. Gavin Manning was there, from 1982–88, on the border of northern Namibia and southern Angola – right in the thick of it.

The ultra-covert South African special forces unit known as Koevoet (or Special OPS-K) has been shrouded in mystery for three decades. This book will blow the lid off the box and set all the mis-conceptions straight.

Manning gives a gripping account of tracking the Soviet-backed terrorists, often right on their heels, using elite skills and technology. The finely honed instincts and supreme ability of the Koevoet operators earned them the reputation of the best counter-insurgency and tracking unit that Africa and the world had ever seen.

Dead Men Running is a vital book about the Angolan bush war that finally tells the truth. But it is also Manning’s own story – how he realized his dream of becoming part of Koevoet, the brotherhood he inherited, and the friends he made who lost their lives.

Manning is a skillful writer who will sweep you up into the action with the precision of accurate gunfire. 

Wahine, Kerry Harrison

ISBN : 978-0-473-24514-6

In 2009, a mysterious figure in an Auckland resthome, where an old woman is dying, triggers memories of the Wahine storm of 1968 and its aftermath. After the disapearance of her father Snow in the storm, fifteen-year old, Jude Farley is deposited in a Taranaki boarding school so her mother Kit can escape the memories and get on with her life. But Jude is determined to discover through prayer, pure willpower and recovred memory, the truth behind her father's disapperance. Helping her is a new friend, Huia, her headmistress, the formidable Miss Wallace, and the beauty of Mount Taranaki and its surroundings. Meanwhile, in Auckland Kitty Farley faces her own demons and embarks on her final journey.

Corrupted on the Cote D'Azur, Richard Donald

Published by Collingwood Press
ISBN: 978-0-473-33195-5

Corrupted on the Cote d'Azur continues Richard Donald's involvement with France as illustrated in his previous books, French Leave and Travels With a Donkey. The style is still light hearted but the subject is serious - corruption. How does it start? Is it only the small flies that get caught up in the cobweb of the law?

A Second Life, Alan Poletti

ISBN: 978-0-473-19438-3

This book tells the story of more than 200 foreign Jews who had been in interned in the small Italian town of Aprica who fled successfully over the Italian-Swiss border.

Ka Mau Te Wehi, Bradford Haami

Published by Ngapo and Pimia Wehi Whanau Trust

ISBN: 978-0-473-23371-6

Ka Mau Te Wehi provides a unique insight through the biography of Bub and Nen into the development and promotion of kapa haka throughout NZ and in particular primary and secondary schools.

Caught Between Sunshine and Shadow, Compiled by Georgie Tutt

Caught Between Sunshine and Shadow is a collection of stories and poems written by people who have bipolar disorder and are managing their condition and are able live fulfilled lives despite their diagnosis. The book includes the stories and poems of more than thirty New Zealanders – from teenagers to octogenarians, males and females from all walks of life, who have found the courage to speak out about their experiences in the hope that their stories will be a source of inspiration for others. 

Bipolar Affective Disorder or Manic Depression as it used to be called is a serious mental illness which occurs in around 1% of the population. It is a recurring disorder which affects a person’s mood. Everybody has changes in moods, good days and bad days but a person who has bipolar disorder will experience excessive mood swings from extreme elation (the mania) to profound depression. Although there has been a lot of research into bipolar the actual cause is not really fully understood.

Built for Justice, Terry Carson

ISBN: 978-0-473-23082-1

Built for Justice - Visits to old North Island Courthouses takes the reader on a nostalgic journey back to a time when almost every small town had its own small 'palace of justice'. A courthouse, with its distinctive architecture, was a symbol that a small colonial town had passed the 'frontier' mode and had acquired status and was thriving. Not only were these buildings used for court hearings but they often fulfilled many other government administrative functions as well, sometimes being used as the 'de facto' town hall or as a temporary place of religious worship, before churches were built.
Through a combination of photographs, historical research, local and legal anecdotes, and sometimes sensational newspaper accounts, Built For Justice tells the human story behind the courthouse facades and gives these unique and often architecturally attractive buildings their proper place in New Zealand's small town social history.

Sainsbury Logan & Williams, Stuart Webster

Published by Sainsbury Logan & Williams
ISBN 978-0-473-19241-9

This book, published in hardback and launched in November 2011 chronicles the story of Sainsbury Logan & Williams from its origins in 1875 through to the present.

This book is unashamedly a compendium of information about the evolution of a provincial law firm with its roots embedded in colonial New Zealand. It is not intended to be read as a novel from the beginning chapter through to the end. It is hoped that those who pick up the book and browse its pages will find an image or two that will resonate with them and in turn draw them to the text in and around those images.

A Long Commute Home, Art Nahill

Through language and imagery that is clear and engaging, these poems explore the metaphorical state of "commuting", of traveling from one place to another- from home to work, from childhood to young adulthood to middle age, from health to sickness, from one hemisphere to another- and the many lives that intersect with one's chosen trajectory along the way. These poems traverse the diverse landscapes of family and suburban life as they invite the reader on a journey that is warm, often humorous, and passionately human.

The Paris of the East, Karen McMillan

ISBN: 978-0-473-27007-0

Warsaw, 1939. Four friends picnic on a brilliant summer's day and celebrate an engagement, aware of the rumbles of war, but hopeful that in any conflict Poland will have the upper hand. But only months later, Poland has surrendered and dare-devil pilot Rafael is ordered to flee the country, eventually flying for the RAF in Britain. The other three remain in Nazi-occupied Warsaw - Rafael's spirited wife, Celina; his shy and brooding brother Marek - who wishes he was the one Celina had married - and their plucky friend Anna. Danger lurks on every corner of occupied Warsaw, even more so when the three friends become active members in the Polish Resistance...A page-turning story that spans the period of the Second World War, this is a dramatic historical adventure that goes from Warsaw to Lublin, from Bucharest to Paris, from London to the Concentration Camp at Ravensbruck - but always at the heart of this novel is the mesmerising city of Warsaw - 'The Paris of the East.'

If Only They'd Told Me, Jacqui Lockington and Natalie Cutler-Welsh

IF ONLY THEY’D TOLD ME is The ‘real deal’ on all the things you wish you’d been told about pregnancy, parenting and relationships in the early years!
Nat (hectic but happy, at home mother of three) and Jacqui (neat-freak, working mother of two) give you hilarious anecdotes, tear-jerking moments, helpful tips and interviews with parents around the world as well as experts including clinical psychologist Nigel Latta, baby whisperer Dorothy Waide and parenting expert Diane Levy.

Stolen Lives, Netta England

ISBN: 978-0-473-27115-2

Netta and her older brother Ray hardly knew their Mother. She was a strange woman who made occasional visits, and they did not even know they had a Father. Instead from a very early age they lived with foster parents and at school were treated as different. Growing up, Netta became increasingly aware that her foster mother disliked her. Though never starved, Netta suffered neglect, as well as mental, physical and sexual abuse. After her brother’s death in 1976, Netta, by then married with a grown up family, began her long journey to learn about and understand what had happened in the past. She wanted to find out if somewhere out there was a family, her own family that she could belong to. How would she find them, and would they want to know her? She needed to find her roots. Stolen Lives is the record of Netta’s journey from a neglected and abused state ward, to a woman who discovers her heritage and creates a positive life regardless of her upbringing.

Roskill, Neil Coleman

Published by Neil Coleman

Roskill is a story that is at once disturbing and hopeful. It shows how the scourge of ‘P’ (Methamphetamine) damages lives and draws innocent families into its web. It’s a story that we can see in every city and town in New Zealand and beyond.
 

Madness Made Me, Mary O'Hagan

Cover design by George Connor
ISBN: 978-1-927-21346-9

After her journey through madness, Mary O’Hagan realised the mental health system and society did more harm than good. Madness Made Me is a myth-busting account of madness and our customary responses to it through the lens of lived experience. O’Hagan’s journey took her from the psychiatric hospital to the United Nations and many places in between as a leader in the international mad movement. Her fundamental message is that madness is a profoundly disruptive but full human experience. The trouble is most people don’t see it that way, from the experts who make up clever theories about brain disease to the people down the road who have irrational fears about the mentally ill.

Madness Made Me is a compelling and beautifully written book that uncovers widespread injustice. It ends with vision for a world that holds hope for people with mental distress and treats them with respect and humanity.

The History & Arts of the Dominatrix, Anne O Nomis

ISBN: 978-0-9927010-0-0

"This book is the illustrated treatise on the Dominatrix throughout history, and her practices as arts.

No book previously existed on the subject. Anne O Nomis set to work meticulously researching the most discreet and mysterious occupation of the Dominatrix. This book reveals the ancient roots of the Dominatrix lie within sacred rituals to a Goddess Inanna who ruled one of the most important cities of the ancient world, the city of Uruk (or Warka). With a Masters degree in archaeology and art history, Nomis has included exerts of a hymn to the Goddess with rites of gender transformation, punishment, pain and ecstasy, linked to the high en-priestess named Enheduanna, and images of the Goddess.