IQ Tests
Whether you're in a panic about an upcoming IQ test, want to improve your IQ rating, enjoy pitting your wits against the quiz writers or just like showing off your scores, this book will provide you with hours of entertainment and self-improvement.
The Times Book of IQ Tests
by Ken Russell and Philip Carter
ALLEGED ARTIFICE is an anagram of which two words that are similar in meaning?
Find two five-letter boats out of these 10 letters: A A E F K K R R Y Y
What number comes next? 3412, 4223, 2334, 3442, ?
Which is the odd one out? warble, splutter, babble, prate, drawl
Mary has a third as many again as Mike who has a third again as Molly. In total they have 148. HOw many has each?
I can't show you any of the picture puzzles here so you'll just have to pop into the shop and peruse our many books on puzzles and games of all kinds. You'll find chess, crosswords, IQ tests, sudoku, mathematical and logic puzzles, word games, cryptic clues, trivia quizzes, riddles, patterns and more. You can check out our selection and check your answers to the above questions at the same time.
Every Kind of Weather
Given the weather forecast for tonight and the next couple of days, you could be forgiven for thinking this is about snow, gales, rain and miserable conditions. It is not.
This book is a collection of Bruce Mason's essays, letters and criticism selected from his almost thirty years of comment on New Zealand's cultural life. There is everything from literary criticism to comment on the Beatles' visit, musical appreciation to linguistic observation on the kiwi accent, and letters to many famous New Zealanders (and foreigners too) such as Witi Ihimaera, Charles Brasch, Sylvia Ashton Warner and Roger Hall.
This may be The End of the Golden Weather for us (pun intended) but this collection of writings by Bruce Mason will keep you entertained for hours as you snuggle down in front of the fire and keep out of the cold.
Physics
Fear of Physics: A Guide for the Perplexed
by Lawrence M Krauss
This is a "lively, irreverent, and informative look at everything from the physics of boiling water to cutting-edge research at the observable limits of the universe. Rich with anecdotes and accessible examples, Fear of Physics takes readers on a joy ride from Galileo to Stephen Hawking, from Plato to Marshall McLuhan, through new presentations of original classics and into today's physics quandaries.
This is a must read for anyone who has ever wanted to understand where modern phyiscs is coming from and where it is going."
Philip Pullman
The Scarecrow and his Servant
Philip Pullman
Most people know Philip Pullman's name because of his fantasy and science fiction novels, many of which have been bestsellers. Possibly the most famous is the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials.
Not so well known is the above children's book The Scarecrow and his Servant. It's about a scarecrow who comes to life and goes on a journey of excitement with his servant/companion, a young boy called Jack. It is a dramatic tale full of twists and turns, surprises and silliness, and battles and brigands.
You'll love it and so will your kids.
Mah Jong
If you are one of those people who have a beautiful set of mah jong tiles languishing on the shelf in your wardrobe or lying forgotten at the back of a drawer, now is the time to dust it off and learn to play.
Mah jong is a table game for four people which has been played in China since the time of the Qing dynasty. It is easy to learn (apparently) and playing is meant to be very good for your brain.
The best way to learn the strategies is to buy a book. The book will teach you to play and it will also ensure that you then have a clear set of rules to avoid confusion and arguments when playing with competitive types! Pop in and buy a copy and get started.
Essie Summers
We had a signed first edition of an Essie Summers novel here in the shop for several years. Then Bruce Munro of the Otago Daily Times wrote a feature article about Essie Summers and he mentioned our copy in his article and included a photograph. Our copy sold immediately - and it would have sold three times over! We were very grateful to Bruce for the mention.
We now have another inscribed and signed by Essie Summers. It is a copy of her final book Design for Life which, interestingly, was published 40 years after her first novel.
And, also interestingly, there is still a connection to the Otago Daily Times. She has warmly inscribed it on the fep to "Civis", the ODT columnist, with thanks for his tributes to her writing.
Nursery Rhymes
Most of us can no doubt finish off the nursery rhymes below with very little effort:
1. Hickory, dickory, dock...
2. Mary, Mary, quite contrary.....
3. Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep.....
4. Twinkle twinkle little star.....
But The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes contains much much more than the very well known rhymes, limericks and riddles. In this book, you will not only come across verses that you've never seen or heard before but you will also learn a lot of interesting information about the ones that you already know.
Here's a very well known but seasonally appropriate one
Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!
If your daughters do not like them
Give them to your sons.
Dunedin Public Library
Freedom to Read
A Centennial History of Dunedin Public Library
by Mary Ronnie
I know we are a second-hand bookshop - but all readers love libraries and second-hand booksellers are no exception. Mary Ronnie's book traces over 100 years of the Dunedin Public Library's history from its inception in 1908.
The book is more than a dry historical document (although of course it has some of that as well), it also brings alive the buildings, the personalities, the collections and the controversies. Included is a story about Mary Ronnie's own run-in with the famous AH Reed. He had generously donated a superb collection of mediaeval illuminated manuscripts & bibles to the library. HOwever, according to Ronnie, he still more or less considered it his own and wanted to rip one of the illustrations out to have it framed and hung elsewhere. The ensuing fracas makes for interesting reading and, as I said, brings history alive.
