Saturday 9 November, 3 pm

Jiffy, Cat Detective – Catherine Chidgey. Special guest: Jiffy the cat.

When Dad can't find his shoe the family is sent to find it, but Jiffy, the cat, knows how to solve this mystery. In fact he knew even before the loss was noticed … This is the first book for children from award-winning novelist Catherine Chidgey. Told in rhyme and rhythm, with delightful illustrations by Astrid Matijasevich, and with a very satisfying ending (for cats).

Monday 11 November, 1 pm

Women Mean Business – Catherine Bishop. 
University of Waikato, lecture theatre S.1.

In the nineteenth century, we are told, a woman’s place was in the home. But take a look beyond the public rhetoric and women can be found engaged in commercial activities. Moneymaking was essential in colonial New Zealand, both for the progress of the colonial project as a whole and for the survival and prosperity of individuals. Women in business dealt with strangers, both male and female, spoke in public, opened up their homes and ventured out onto the streets as they engaged in the muddy, murky world of trade, all in apparent contradiction with public rhetoric about female respectability. 

Books will be for sale after the talk.

Mid November – date to be confirmed

Worth a Detour North Island & Worth a Detour South Island – Peter Janssen

Travel writer Peter Janssen has travelled extensively around the North and South Island and here he shares special quirky experiences and sublime scenery that are known to locals but are most often bypassed by visitors heading to better-known attractions. Avoid the mass of tourists and stroll empty beaches, experience unusual sights and adventures and uncover the other side of New Zealand's history and landscape with these comprehensive guidebooks.

Thursday 12 December 5.30 pm

Josephine – Steph Parkyn. Guest speaker Rosetta Allan.

A captivating story of love, nature and identity in Napoleon's France
Stephanie Parkyn's first novel, Into the World, was published to wide acclaim in 2017. Stephanie always wanted to write fiction, growing up in a book-loving family in Christchurch, New Zealand. She had a rewarding career as an environmental scientist, but is now living her dream of writing stories and travelling to find them. She is fascinated by the human motivations behind the events of history and is particularly drawn to illuminating women's stories. After enjoying ten years living and exploring in Australia, Stephanie now writes from her home in a bush-clad valley in Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand.