THE GROOVE BOOK REPORT

Lamplight Books, a recently established bookstore in the Auckland suburb of Parnell, has been named  Bookshop of the Year  at the Aotearoa Book Trade Industry Awards, held this evening in Rotorua. Organised jointly by Booksellers Aotearoa NZ and the Publishers Association of NZ Te Rau o T ā kapu, the awards celebrate the outstanding booksellers and publishers in Aotearoa’s vibrant book industry. This includes naming the hotly contested  Nielsen BookData New Zealand Publisher of the Year .   The judges described Lamplight Books as a “beautiful, browsable space filled to the ceiling with books”. The store  opened in June 2021 amid pandemic restrictions, but has flourished despite the difficult trading conditions.   “We think Lamplight Books adds to the bookshop fabric of Auckland with clear buying parameters, carefully assessed and informed by their neighbourhood. Co-owners Courtney and Melanie have left no stone unturned in pursuit of...

[Press Release: 24 July] The world is turning increasingly virtual, but when it comes to book design Aotearoa’s creatives prefer to celebrate the physical form in all its glory. The finalists for the   2023 PANZ Book Design Awards , announced today, perfectly encapsulate this with the shortlist packed to the brim with beautifully designed books that beg to be picked up and explored. The Publishers Association of New Zealand Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ) established the awards to promote excellence in, and provide recognition for, the best book design in Aotearoa New Zealand. “Aotearoa’s book designers have certainly celebrated ink on paper and the innate physical qualities of books as tactile experiences, perhaps espousing that a book in the hand is worth two on the screen?” says convenor of judges David Coventon, a graphic designer and design educator. The huge task of picking the finalists was even more challenging for the judges this year with entries up 20% on 2022. This m...

Te Rerehua and Sam know that nothing in nature is identical; not the eels, not the stones on the beach ... not even the twin stars of Matariki, Waiti and Waita: one looks after fresh water and lakes, the other salt water - the ocean.  When they notice Waiti is looking dim one night, Grandma and Poua enlist the children's help with planting around the edges of the lake to help keep it healthy. But at night, those sneaky Patupaiarehe come and pull up the plants! Grandma devises a plan to scare those naughty fairies away ...  Miriama Kamo is a well known TV presenter, and children's author.  This the second book in her Matariki series  the first being 'The Stolen Stars Of Matariki', which came out a little over a year ago.   Her new korero is the perfect read for our tamariki at this time, Matariki, and both celebrates and takes advantage of this wonderful time.  When I think back on Christmas stories, most come from the Northern Hemisphere.  But th...

Today, The Janet Frame Trust is launching their fundraising campaign to transform the humble garage of Janet Frame’s childhood home into a visitor centre.  They've set up a a Givealittle campaign and are auctioning a jar of quince paste signed by Helen Clark and Shane Carter on TradeMe.   Frame grew up in a modest cottage at 56 Eden St, Ōamaru. The house is now a Janet Frame museum. We want to turn the property’s garage into a stunning contemporary visitor centre that will celebrate Frame’s work and tell her incredible story. ‘New Zealand does not honour many of its writers in this fashion: preserving a house that had special significance while that writer was alive. To visit such a place inevitably takes on something of the nature of a pilgrimage. The writer’s power is acknowledged and their memory kept alive…’ ~ Fiona Farrell, writer. Janet Frame lived at 56 Eden Street from the age of six until she left Ōamaru after secondary school.  She documented her tim...

Gatherings are a time for whānau to get together and eat.  Matariki is a special time and worth of a table of good kai.  Whether it’s in the making, the gathering, or the taste of something truly delicious, this collection of recipes from is an invitation to savour and indulge.   'Gaines has produced a number of these books already, and this is the third.  Its, and New York Times bestselling author—brings us her third cookbook filled with timeless and nostalgic recipes—now re-imagined—for today’s home cook.' Gaines is probably best known as a celebrity on US Cable Channel HGTV’s 'Fixer Upper', a home improvement show, with her husband Chip Gaines.  She's also co- founder of Magnolia Table, in Waco, Texas which is billed on the internet as a "hip setting for breakfast & lunch with nearby garden & farm ingredients plus prepared food to-go"  And she has a number of cooking shows and, inevitably a social media empire as well.  She's a bit of a...