Hedley's Books

30/07/2026

The Booker Prizes have announced the 'Booker Dozen' – the 13 books in the running for this year's most prestigious award for fiction!

‘Great books have never been written to a single formula,’ said Mary Beard, Chair of the Booker Prize 2026 judges. ‘We are confident that our longlist of books has something for everyone.

‘There’s the funny and the unsettling (and in some cases the funny and unsettling); there’s dystopian fantasy and domestic drama; there’s the gritty and the magically mysterious; there are some that will please and some that may shock.

Every writer on our longlist brilliantly musters the power of words on the page to take the reader to new places, to see old places from new angles, to change minds.’

The shortlist will be announced on 22nd September and the winner crowned on 9th November 🫅

18/07/2026

Who is reading this brilliant book?

17/07/2026

Join us in the bookshop 5.30pm Wednesday 22nd July to hear bring her remarkable memoir, Every Second Counts, to life in conversation with .

16/07/2026

"If you like politics, you'll love this book" – John Key

He's not wrong as Barry Soper's fascinating stories from the House of Parliament is the #1 bestselling book in the country for the fourth week in a row – and our #1 bestseller too!

15/07/2026

Another round of brilliant books reviewed by Read by Reid in the Wairarapa Times-Age!

July Book Club feature page - Wairarapa Times-Age
🌟 Heart The Lover by Lily King
🌟 Later, Only Love Remains by Leah Swann
🌟 The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

Allen & Unwin Aotearoa NZ
HarperCollins NZ
Penguin Books NZ
Lily King
Leah
Kathryn Stockett
Hedley's Books

15/07/2026

Now's a great time to top up your to be read pile! Get 3 books for the price of 2 on an excellent range of fiction in the bookshop now 🔴 👀

14/07/2026

If you have slightly reluctant young readers (or voracious ones for the matter!), ask us about our obsession with graphic novels!

Full of fun, colour and adventure, graphic novel series like Detective Beans by Li Chen and Miles & Jones by are perfect for building reading confidence and kids absolutely love them!

Warm and whimsical, the third book in Li Chen's series follows Detective Beans the cat on a hilarious crime solving adventure.

Comedian Sam Smith's third Miles & Jones story: The Curse of the Carnivorous Catcuses is as fun and whacky as the title suggests!

Find them, and lots more, in our Children's Graphic Novel section, next to the Children's Classics.

13/07/2026

It was a pleasure to welcome watercolour artist Jacky Pearson to the bookshop over the weekend! 🎨💙

Jacky dropped by with her beautiful new book, The Little Book of Watercolor Secrets – a pocket-sized book packed full of practical tips, techniques and inspiration for artists at every stage of their watercolour journey.

If you've ever wanted to pick up a paintbrush (or know someone who has), this little gem is well worth a look. Get it online here or pop into the bookshop.

https://booksonline.co.nz/product/the-little-book-of-watercolor-secrets-a-world-of-practical-art-in-your-pocket/

12/07/2026

Here's the perfect school holiday activity for the young readers in your family📝

Kiwi Christmas Books are holding a Student Writing Competition with big prizes and a free workshop with one of NZ's top creative writing teachers on 21st July!

The competition is open to different age groups from Years 5–13. The topic is to write true story about how a book made a difference in their life. It could be about...

👀 A book that changed the way they saw the world
⏳ A book that came along just at the right time
🚀 A book that took them on an adventure

Here’s the best bit: this competition includes a FREE online workshop with award-winning author and the Director of the Masters of Creative Writing programme at the University of Auckland, Dr Paula Morris – Tuesday 21st July @ 6.30pm.

This is an amazing opportunity for them to learn how to turn their personal experience into a great story in a live online workshop exploring what makes creative non-fiction powerful, personal and memorable – and maybe win some books for them and their school in the process!

Get all the details and book in for the workshop here: https://www.kiwichristmasbooks.org.nz/

10/07/2026

That midwinter matariki bookshop glow 🥰