This month's must read:
A Ladder to the Sky
John Boyne $37
A psychological drama of cat and mouse, A Ladder to the Sky shows how easy it is to pursue and achieve fame in the world if you are prepared to sacrifice your soul. If you look hard enough, you can find stories pretty much anywhere. They don’t even have to be your own… or so would-be writer Maurice Swift decides very early on in his career. A chance encounter in a Berlin hotel with the celebrated novelist Erich Ackermann gives him an opportunity to ingratiate himself with someone more powerful than him. For Erich is lonely, and he has a story to tell. Whether or not he should do so is another matter entirely. Once Maurice has made his name, he sets off in pursuit of other people’s stories. He doesn’t care where he finds them – or to whom they belong – as long as they help him rise to the top. Stories will make him famous but they will also make him beg, borrow and steal. They may even make him do worse. From the much-loved, award-winning author of recent bestsellers A History of Loneliness and The Heart’s Invisible Furies, this is a meticulously crafted bittersweet story that compels the reader onward to its denouement.
The Jersey: The Secrets Behind the World’s Most Successful Team
Peter Bills $45
New Zealand rugby is a dynasty that transcends all national barriers. As a culture and a model of humility and consistent success, which have led them to three Rugby World Cups, the world of rugby continues to look to the New Zealand model for guidance. Traditionally, the renowned All Blacks and those charged with guiding them have kept their rules of engagement close to their chests. However now, New Zealand Rugby has agreed to open their doors to an internationally acclaimed rugby writer to consider the reasons behind their dominance of the world game in the
build-up towards the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. Through this book, Peter Bills draws on case studies and interviews of officials, coaches and players, as well as people involved in all elements of rugby right across New Zealand. The Jersey tells an extraordinary story with unprecedented access and insight, and explores the basic requirements and immense challenges required not only to become number one in the world, but remain consistently at the top.
Prague Spring
Simon Mawer $38
From the acclaimed author of The Glass Room and The Girl Who Fell From the Sky. It’s the summer of 1968, the year of love and hate, of Prague Spring and Cold War winter. Two English students, Ellie and James, set off to hitch-hike across Europe with no particular aim in mind but a continent, and themselves, to discover. Somewhere in southern Germany they decide, on a whim, to visit Czechoslovakia where Alexander Dubcek’s “socialism with a human face” is smiling on the world. Meanwhile Sam Wareham, a first secretary at the British embassy in Prague, is observing developments in the country with a mixture of diplomatic cynicism and a young man’s passion. In the company of Czech student, Lenka Koneckova, he finds a way into the world of Czechoslovak youth, its hopes and its ideas. It seems that, for the first time, nothing is off limits behind the Iron Curtain. Yet the wheels of politics are grinding in the background. The Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, is making demands of Dubcek and the Red Army is massed on the borders. How will the looming disaster affect those fragile lives caught up in the invasion? If you enjoyed The Glass Room, this suspenseful story of sex, politics and betrayal is perfect for you.
The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man
Jonas Jonasson $32
The sequel to the international bestseller The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. It all begins with a hot air balloon trip and three bottles of champagne. Allan and Julius are ready for some spectacular views, but they’re not expecting to land in the sea and be rescued by a North Korean ship, and they could never have imagined that the captain of the ship would be harbouring a suitcase full of contraband uranium, on a nuclear weapons mission for Kim Jong Un... Soon Allan and Julius are at the centre of a complex diplomatic crisis involving world figures from the Swedish foreign minister to Angela Merkel and President Trump. Things are about to get very complicated... Another incredibly charming, warm and funny celebration of the twilight of life.
The Big Questions: What is New Zealand’s Future?
Various Authors $38
New Zealand is at a crossroads. People are increasingly concerned about where we are headed. Can we improve our appalling statistics on poverty and violence? What about work – will we all be replaced by robots? Will our children (let alone our grandchildren) be able to afford to buy a house? Can we clean up our rivers? This book looks at many aspects of our lives and our nation. Experts in their fields write about the challenges that face us and the opportunities to make positive changes. A fascinating set of perspectives and ideas on our way of life and our future as a nation are presented by these reputable New Zealanders: Anne Salmond, Andrew Becroft, Rod Oram, Jacinta Ruru, Felicity Goodyear-Smith, Tim Watkin, Patrick Reynolds, Jarrod Gilbert, Stuart McNaughton, David Brougham, Jarrod Haar, Yumiko Olliver-Gray, Golriz Ghahraman, Theresa Gattung, Peter O’Connor and Leonie Freeman.
