Immerse yourself in art and hobbies, with a wide range of books to fill your day with fun and mindfulness. From origami, photography skills, cooking, gardening, fishing, horse-riding and even beekeeping. There’s a book for every hobby.
Showing 1–20 of 28 results
Gardener’s Quiz and Puzzle Book
100 Brainteasers for Gardeners Who Know Their Onions
Test your botanical knowledge with over 100 puzzles and quizzes cultivated by garden expert Simon Arkeroyd and quiz-master Dr Gareth Moore. Show off by solving challenging anagrams of Latin species names and challenge yourself with stimulating activities aimed at improving your horticultural and botanical knowledge. Breathtaking botanical illustrations throughout and a wide range of quizzes and puzzles will ensnare and delight any gardener who thinks they know their onions
SPECIFICATIONS: 9781925820423| Paperback | 230 x 170mm | 224 Pages | Colour
Oink
A Book of Fun for Pig Lovers
“Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals” – Winston Churchill
Discover the delightful characteristics that make pigs so endearing. For pigs are smart, clean, and incredibly communicative, social animals.
Oink is celebration of these wonderful creatures and the perfect gift for anyone who has ever fallen under a pig’s spell! Featuring memorable quotes from people such as Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, John Howard, Shelley Duvall, George Clooney and A.A. Milne, each accompanied by a beautiful photograph, this is a book that’s guaranteed to make you smile.
As since in the 2019 Good Reading Magazine Christmas Gift Guide!
“The perfect a celebration of these wonderful creatures”
SPECIFICATIONS: 9781925820102 | Hardback | 225 x 203 mm / 8.75 x 8 inches | 160 Pages | Colour
The Secrets of Great Botanists
And What They Tell Us About Gardening
Welcome to the lives of 35 botanists from our past and present, driven by an insatiable desire to learn and discover, whose study of plants revolutionised the scientific world and increased our understanding of the importance plants have on our survival.
Illustrated with beautiful period botanical water-colours and vibrant photographs, this inspiring and practical guide delves into the qualities that brought them success and shows what ordinary gardeners can learn from their legacies.
As seen in these 2019 Christmas Gift Guides:
SPECIFICATIONS: 9781925820256 | Hardback | 230 x 170 mm | 224 Pages
The Journal Writer’s Companion
Achieve Your Goals • Express Your Creativity • Realize your Potential
Numerous studies show that effective journal writing can significantly impact your life. Designed to be a clear, practical guide to using journaling to help you succeed in any area of life, The Journal Writer’s Companion is also a comprehensive reference to all of the different types of journaling techniques, from gratitude journals to bullet journals, legacy journals to art journals. The result is the only guide you’ll ever need to achieving personal and professional success the journaling way!
SPECIFICATIONS: 9781925820041 | Hardback | 210 x 152 mm / 8.25 x 6 inches |272 Pages
The Eczema Detox
The low-chemical diet for eliminating skin inflammation
‘This diet is healing my eczema and changing my life’ – testimony from just one of thousands worldwide who have benefited from The Eczema Detox, and proof that it really does work.
Developed by nutritionist Karen Fischer, whose daughter suffered from severe eczema from infancy, this ground-breaking book has helped people everywhere finally end their struggles with many types of skin conditions, including eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis and rosacea; now, it’s your turn. Learn the science behind this low chemical diet and eat your way to beautiful skin as Karen shares her 15 years of professional experience. This book is the answer you’ve been longing for.
SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback | 235 x 191 mm / 9¼ x 7½ Inches | Colour | 240 Pages |
Feed Your Brain: The Cookbook
Did you know your brain is the most nutrient-demanding organ in your body? The human brain uses an enormous 20% of the total energy gained from food you consume, meaning what you eat is intrinsically linked with your brain’s health and functioning.
Drawing on 20 years of research, author Delia McCabe presents the bible of delicious, easy ideas to keep your brain in tip-top condition. She shares fascinating facts about the most nutritious ingredients and tips and tricks for preparing meals the whole family will love; this is the ultimate collection of recipes to nurture and benefit not just your body and soul, but also your brain.
SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 235 x 191 mm | Colour | 240 Pages |
Remote Britain
Landscape, people and books
Remote Britain relishes the ever-changing great landscapes of this fascinating island and the people who grow out of them. And the constant surprises. Who realises how sharp are the contrasts to be found within the Isles of Scilly or the Isle of Wight, how remote it is possible to feel in Essex, or how extraordinary is ‘Yorkshire’s teardrop’, Spurn Point, way out in the Humber estuary?
As in his acclaimed Journey Through Britain to which this is a worthy successor, Mr Thomas finds remains of railways and even active steam trains in the most unlikely of places, stays in hotels to fall in love with or to hate, and is never short of people to express their own views, as he does colourfully himself in chapters such as In the Footsteps of the Queen Mother.
Here is a book to dip into, savour and refer to many times.
SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback | 234 x 153 mm | 536 Pages + 16 Pages of Colour Photographs |
Mrs Cook’s Book of Recipes
For Mariners in Distant Seas
In this book John Dunmore has compiled the kind of exotic recipe book Elizabeth Cook herself might have written. It includes such delicacies as stewed albatross, turtle soup and roasted goat. Mrs Cook’s Book of Recipes is a beautiful gift book that will be enjoyed by anyone with imagination and a sense of history.
SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback | 165 x 125 mm | 96 Pages |
Lessons from Great Gardeners
Gardening is continually transformed and enhanced by great gardeners. This book profiles 40 of these remarkable figures — including Australia’s own Jeremy Francis and New Zealand’s Bev McConnell — and explores how their work can be used to inspire and instruct. Stories of their life and work are revealed together with practical hints and tips. Packed with botanical illustrations of their signature plants, the book also includes stunning photographs of twelve of the world’s most iconic gardens.
SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback | 227 x 170 mm | Colour | 224 Pages |
Food Shock
USD $6.99 – USD $9.79 Tax IncludedThe truth about what we put on our plate … and what we can do to change it
Everyone wants to eat fresh, clean, nutrient-rich food. The more sophisticated of us want our food ethically produced as well. But the vast majority of food in Australia is mass-produced in an industrialised system and the results are not as palatable as the everyday shopper might imagine.
Our fruit and vegetables are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, many of which have been banned overseas for years. Our beef is more often than not produced in feedlots, where thousands of cattle stand in their own faeces, regularly dosed with antibiotics to prevent the diseases that are an inevitable result of these conditions. Our chickens are ‘spin chilled’ in a dilute chlorine solution to help preserve them, and also to whiten the meat. The list goes on …
And if you combine all this with the as-yet-unknown effects of genetically modified crops, the growing water crisis, the continued sale of valuable farming land to foreign interests, and the constant struggle Australian farmers face to survive in a ‘free-market’ economy where ‘big business’ makes the profit and their overseas competitors are subsidised yet they are not, it soon becomes evident that food production in Australia faces a very uncertain future.
Food Shock investigates these issues and encourages us to ask some important questions: what are the alternatives to our current system? How do we get there? And what can we, the consumer, do to change things? The answers may surprise…
SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 234 mm x 153 mm | 288 Pages |
Art in Nature (Limited Edition)
Each year, photographers from around the world are invited to enter the Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition. (ANZANG refers to the Australia–New Zealand–Antarctica–New Guinea bioregion.)
Last year, 2013, David Rennie won it. His achievement was made all the more remarkable by the fact that David Rennie’s love affair with photography only began in 2007 at the age of 47.
In this magnificent book, David has included just a taste of the strikingly memorable images that now comprise his vast collection. Most are taken at the Mandurah Wetlands, south of Perth. Encompassing over 26,000 hectares, these wetlands are home to over 140 species of bird, with many migrating every year from as far away as Russia. The result is a book that will captivate not just bird lovers but all who appreciate the art we find in nature.
SPECIFICATIONS: Leatherbound Limited Edition | 260 mm x 260 mm | 144 Pages | full colour photographs |
The Adriatic Kitchen
Recipes Inspired by the Abundance of Seasonal Ingredients Flourishing on the Croatian Island of Korčula
Over 70 simple yet delicious recipes are included, such as Croatian Sweet Easter Bread; Black Risotto; Fresh Fig Crumble; Roast Chicken with Pomegranate and Spinach; Dalmatian Shepherd’s Lamb with Potatoes and Broad Beans; Sugared Almonds; Croatian Pepper Biscuits; Carrot and Mint Salad.
Infused with the warmth and vibrancy of Barbara’s beloved island, The Adriatic Kitchen is a must-have cookbook for those wanting to experience traditional food at its best.
SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 230 x 185 mm / 9 x 7 ¼ Inches | Colour | 112 Pages |
Smart Gardening: Grow your own fruit and vegetables: save money and the environment
Smart Gardening is all you need for gardening success! You’ll soon find that this clear and encouraging book will become your ultimate one-stop reference to growing your own food.
Whether your home is in the hot tropics or the cool mountains, you’ll find everything you need to know to start gardening for the future: reducing your global footprint while also saving money.
The handy monthly reference guide takes the guesswork out of when to plant and when to harvest, ensuring that you receive a constant supply of fresh organic produce from your garden, no matter what its size.
In addition, Smart Gardening includes tips for preparing your soil, how to prune what when, water-conscious gardening and companion planting, effective yet environmentally friendly pest control, and much more. It’s all about getting your garden to work for you!
SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 260 x 210 mm / 10 ⅕ x 8 ⅓ Inches | 264 Pages |
50 5-Minute Fixes to Improve Your Riding: Simple Solutions for Better Position and Performance in No Time
Start or end your riding sessions with Wendy Murdoch’s 5-Minute Fixes, and you’ll be amazed how quickly you can replace old habits with new ones, get out of your “riding rut,” and transform what you can’t do to what you can do…naturally, capably, comfortably, and consistently alongside a happy riding partner—your horse.
5 minutes a day is all the time you need to achieve:
- Better balance in the saddle
- Improved body control from head to toe
- Flawless leg position and subtle aiding
- Less physical stiffness, tension, and riding-related pain
- Confidence in your ability to communicate with your horse
SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 210 x 200 mm / 8 ⅓ x 8 Inches | 199 Colour Photos + 41 Illustrations | 224 Pages |
Illuminating Wisdom: Words of Wisdom, Works of Art
Illuminating Wisdom brings art and wisdom together in a beautiful celebration of some of the world’s most inspiring philosophical, spiritual and literary quotes.
Approximately 80 quotes have been drawn from some of the great wisdom and literary traditions of both East and West, as well as from inspiring people throughout history noted for their practical wisdom. These quotes have been set to exquisite calligraphy by Deirdre Hassed, a leading professional calligrapher, in a range of styles — from the traditional to the contemporary, and making use of many and varied techniques such as gilding, collage, work on glass, letterpress and linoprinting.
Accompanying each artwork is text by Craig Hassed, an international expert in mindfulness, that provides background on the quote’s author, explores the wisdom tradition to which it belongs, and offers deep insight into the meaning of the quote. The result is a book that is both a work of art and a collection of wisdom that will educate and inspire.
SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback, Case with Jacket | 225 x 203 mm / 8 ¾ x 8 Inches | 160 Pages |
Fishing Season
Take a journey through a Fishing Season, a year full of challenges and victories, disappointments and frustrations, but most of all, quiet happiness. Philip’s prose is lucid, and his reflection on the sport he loves is engaging. Avid anglers will find plenty to love in Fishing Season, but this is a book that also appeals to a wider audience, opening the door to a world few of us experience.
Lively, entertaining anecdotes, whether lovingly remembered or wryly bemoaned, will have you itching to pick up a rod and undertake your own adventure. A professional flyfishing guide and writer, Philip’s years of experience and time on the water have been sorted through and summarised in Fishing Season. What results is the most exciting book on this topic in many years.
Fishing Season is a gorgeous production and would make an excellent gift.
SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback, Cased with Jacket | 195 x 135 mm / 7 ½ x 5 ¼ Inches | 196 Pages |
Fishing Sense
Philip Weigall is considered to be probably the best writer on flyfishing in Australia and has a large following. Flyfishing, and fishing in general, is one of Australia’s – and the world’s – most popular outdoor activities. It’s a sad fact of flyfishing that there is no prescriptive manual for ensuring success.
It is an activity that defies simple evaluation, with enough variables to leave even the ‘experts’ scratching their heads from time to time. For example, why is it that a trout will respond to a certain fly one day, but ignore it entirely in identical conditions on another day? Acclaimed flyfishing author Philip Weigall attempts to answer this question and many more in this engaging book.
In his words, it is a book of ‘flyfishing truths’, a collection of techniques, ideas, concepts, knowledge and equipment that, to the best of his objective observations over many decades spent with a rod in hand, honestly seem to matter when it comes to catching trout.
SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback, Cased with Jacket | 195 x 135 mm / 7 ½ x 5 ¼ Inches | 196 Pages |
How to Fake Your Way Through a Wine List: Tips and Tricks to Sound Like an Expert
From the beginner to the person who may already have one wine book.
The bulk of How to Fake Your Way Through a Wine List is an attractive, breezy entertaining look at the world’s seventy five most prominent wine regions and styles, packed with mnemonic devices and colourful photos that help retain information. Get to know the key things in the area and you are more likely to know understand and remember the wines.
Other sections include “Learn the Lingo”, “Just get to know this short selection of terms related to wine and its appreciation and you’ll be talking like a pro”. The “Embrace the Unknown” chapter takes you ‘to meet the unsung regions and unknown grape varieties that will be tomorrow’s superstars’. There is a section on Choosing Your Own wine adventure –who said wine education must begin with Marlborough or the Barossa or even Bordeaux?
Most of all this energetic, fun book will be appreciated by all who love wine and there will be very few people indeed who cannot learn a few enjoyable things from this fact packed book.
SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 198 x 140 mm / 7 ⅘ x 5 ½ Inches | Colour |
Stop the Train! I Want to Get On: Rediscovering New Zealand Railway Journeys
Stop the Train! I Want To Get On describes journeys throughout both islands of New Zealand, on regular passenger trains, railcars, freight trains and work trains. The routes covered include the Central Otago line, the Gisborne Railcar, the Southerner to Invercargill, a mixed train through rural Taranaki, a worker’s train from Greymouth on the Rewanui Incline, the Endeavour to Hawke’s Bay and the Silver Fern Railcar. Many services have now been axed, but Graham Hutchins vividly recalls their delights, from the scenery outside to the often primitive conditions inside, along with memories of the people he met along the way. Sometimes alone, on other occasions with his mate Russell or his wife Jenny, he conveys the unique experience and sheer pleasure of rail travel in every corner of New Zealand, from the 1950s to the present day.
Specifications: Hardback | 210 x 280 mm / 8 ⅓ x 11 Inches | 176 Pages | Colour Photographs
The Art of Mindful Origami: Soothe the mind with 15 beautiful origami projects and accompanying mindfulness exercises
The Art of Mindful Origami extends the concept of mindful, art-therapy colouring using 15 origami projects, ranging in difficulty from basic to complex, as tools to develop mindfulness. In recent years, interest in mindfulness has exploded and it is now a part of popular culture.
Increasingly, creative pursuits such as colouring are being used as a way for people to focus and enter a mindful state. Each project starts with a brief description and background to the model. Subsequent pages give instructions for folding the particular model.
High-quality patterned origami paper and colouring sheets, which can easily be torn from the book, are included to make this the ultimate gift for anyone wanting a calmer, more stress-free life.
SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 250 x 260 mm / 9 ¾ x 10 ¼ Inches | Approx. 45 colour photographs and illustrations; Approx. 100 step-by-step illustrations | 120 Pages | High-quality patterned origami and colouring tear out sheets throughout |