Did you think that Aphrodite’s island was Cyprus? Well, think more in terms of South Pacific and more to the point, think about Tahiti as Anne Salmond explains how Europeans and Tahitians fared when they first discovered each other. Closer to home, you can read about fascinating characters in our NZ books’ selection, like the writer and activist Elsie Locke and the soccer player Ricki Herbert. If you want to discover what kind of childhood famed NZ writers had, read Way back then, before we were ten; and borrow Struggling to fly for an account of being a woman in 1970s New Zealand. I f you want to know more about other worthy items available to you, check out this month’s New Zealand Recent Picks.

Wellington City Libraries along with IP (Interactive Publications) invite you to the launch of Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand, on Monday 19^th October at 5.30 pm ground floor Central Library, Victoria Street. This amazing anthology is edited by poet, fiction writer, critic and publisher Mark Pirie and Tim Jones, poet and fiction writer, both Wellingtonians. There is an impressive number of New Zealand writers represented in this anthology. The readers for the evening include poets Janis Freegard, Nic Hill, Jack Perkins, Rachel McAlpine, Helen Rickerby, Robin Fry and the editors Mark Pirie and Tim Jones.

The seating will be available on a first come first served based.

So come along and join us for a wonderful evening of poetry.

October is the month for celebrating New Zealand writing and publishing. This is an annual event in which New Zealand books are highlighted,  and writers new and well-established are acclaimed and rediscovered. As part of the celebration we’ve created an online quiz - How well do you know New Zealand Fiction?  on our Popular Topics Fiction web page. Find out how your knowledge stacks up! You might know more than you think, and you may even come across an interesting fact or two that you didn’t know. Good luck – and we hope you discover a fantastic New Zealand book or two this month!

(P.S. The  book above  is the answer to one of the quiz questions…)

It is an eclectic selection of New Zealand publications that we offer you this month at Wellington City Libraries. First is a new opus in the Know Your New Zealand…series: Insects and spiders. Trust : a true story of women & gangs tells of the Aroha Trust and its members from the late 70s till today. Wine class and Your shout you’ll enjoy if indulging in alcoholic beverages is your thing. Helen Clark: a political life retraces the career of our former Prime Minister; and two volumes of poetry will keep you wondering in this month’s New Zealand Recent Picks.

Our New Zealand selection of books this month is worth a look. First is Toughen Up by Michael Hill. The author shares his thoughts about the current economic downturn and how it can make the success of your company. He also unveils his philosophy and how he conducts business with down-to-earth, commonsense principles. Leadership is a rare talent and Sir Peter Blake mastered it perfectly according to Mark Orams in Blake: Leader: Leadership lessons from a great New Zealander. A biography of Sir Keith Park, Air Chief Marshall during the Battle for Britain, poems by James K. Baxter and Before we say goodbye, a book dealing with the issue of euthanasia,  are also available in our selection. And if you are interested by Gareth Morgan’s take on the recession and Immigration in New Zealand, check out this month’s New Zealand Recent Picks.

We have the best of New Zealand literature for you this month! First you can experience what it is like to be a dad alongside Graham Lowe in Me and my little blokes. You can travel with Gareth Morgan from one pole to the other and follow his investigation as he looks into global warming. In a series of previously unpublished material, discover what Anna Kavan really thought about New Zealand. And if you are interested in early childhood, Ruth Jones and New Zealand short-stories, check out this month’s New Zealand Recent Picks.

It’s all about quality this month with our latest New Zealand books selection. You can get to Know your New Zealand native plants even if you are a neophyte, with author Lawrie Metcalf introducing you to the flora of the North and South Islands. Scientist Paul Callaghan reflects on a changing New Zealand in Wool to weta and supports its involvement in emerging technologies and innovative enterprises. New Zealand literature is also featured in our selection with Fast Talking PI, a selection of poems by Selina Tusitala Marsh. If you are a foodie, you will enjoy Afghans, Barbecues & Chocolate Fish: The ABC of Kiwi Food as it contains old favorites, new hit recipes, and stories about Kiwi brands and dishes. Finally, if you are interested in A short history of New Zealand and the memoir of Philip Temple: Chance is a fine thing, check out this month New Zealand/Aotearoa Recent Picks.

Will you have enough time to read our Māori selection over the next two months? We have many books you can choose from. Tāhuhu kōrero : the sayings of Taitokerau unveils the proverbs of the Far North and their historical background. The Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand’s law and constitution reflects on the legal status of the treaty, and The beating heart tells about the history of the Te Arawa tribes since the 1830s. Other items deal with Māori legislation, the Brown Pages directory, voices of Taranaki women, modern Māori food, Māori prayers and language. If a study of ’sacred references to the dead’ study, Māori tribes and New Zealand greenstone also interest you, check out this month’s Māori Recent Picks.

We have new literature books on Narnia, Margaret Atwood, Victorian literature and Maoriland (NZ literature 1872-1914). Edward Said’s ‘On late style’ examines the work late in the lives of great artists like Beckett, Beethoven, Gould and Visconti. In ‘Lost for words’, Hugh Lunn has collected mid-century Australian lingo such as Are you straight? – Who do you think you are, King Farouk? – He’s all mouth and trousers – I’d know his hide in a tannery – It’s snowing down south.

New NZ fiction on leftie Wellington students in the 1970s, a brush maker, colonials in London on their OE, a dour missionary uncle and a bird scientist. And isn’t this the best – “A missile has shot down Air Force One after it took off from Christchurch, New Zealand. A call was made to the Washington Post earlier that day from a group claiming responsibility for the assassination of President Cleveland. For Susan Hill, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, it’s a personal tragedy and a national one.” From the book jacket of Unseen element by Bill Rodger.