Anne - NEB

26/06/2026

Never Ending Books
Newsletter # 788
Dear Reader,
Reading list is pretty pathetic this week – thousand apologies!
THE DUCHESS by Wendy Holden – sold! Another thousand apologies!! But happen you see it anywhere else – grab it. That woman who enticed a king from his throne – from her perspective. Faction is the word for this one – but a very well told tale. Thank you to the lovely who recommended this one.
TINY SUNBIRDS FAR AWAY by Christie Watson – my word – Nigeria – a country being plundered for its oil while the population watched as the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Any financial benefits were not for the hoi polloi. The story covers one year in the life of a family whose life has been turned upside down by the father. The blurbs read: heart wrenching and consoling., Funny, tragic and moving in all the right places., Politically alert. Excellent read.
I see this is Newsletter # 788. Not bad for 17 and a half years. I started writing them when I moved into the shop next door. That was a bright idea suggested by another one of you lovelies. Sarfi Corbett, the new owner, tells me she is going to keep going with them. So, your Fridays will still be lightened and brightened by the drivel switch which I will give to her!
Puzzles and sheet music galore this week. I have only glanced at the spelling! You know the routine!!
So long! Farewell! Tuesday is my last day, so drinkies & nibbles will be available from 3.30pm for those of you who wish to make sure I am really going. BYO will go down a treat. For those of you who are wondering what I will be doing with my time – I will be hunting down another job. Three days a week though instead of six, happen you know of anything? - feel free to let me know. Meantime – know this – I feel like I know half of the Orewa population now and am certainly very grateful for the energy, ideas and donated stock you provided to keep me going. Naming names would keep me typing for another week, so – you know who you are and many many thanks. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I do hope you will all continue to patronise the store so that Sarfi can try to break my record and go for 18 years!

Happy reading
Annie P
Website:

To get started, click our search buttons through our available items.You can search by author, genre or have a look at our entire library of items.

19/06/2026

Never Ending Books
Newsletter # 787
Dear Reader,
Slim pickings this week – have been a tad distracted - see paragraph two!
BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate – based on the story of the children in the USA who were purportedly being placed in care while the parents got their act together, but was actually “children acquired for adoption to order”. This all went on in the early 20th century and finally got called to a halt in about 1950 when some of the children reached adulthood and searched for their parents. Not entirely the same as the EMPTY CRADLES story made public by the Australian Social Worker Margaret Humphreys, (Movie – Oranges and Sunshine), but too similar to be ignored. Heart rending.
WHITE NIGHTS & HIGH ISLAND BLUES by Anne Cleeves – goodness, this woman produces the most unexpected murderers. The first book is one of the Shetland collection and the latter is set in Texas with the husband and wife team; George and Molly Palmer-Jones. Great reads and not too scary or gory. Real twists to the plot.
Paragraph Two
I have sold the shop!
Just think – customer service will be available seven days a week instead of only on a Sunday, effective Wednesday 1 July. The new owner – Sarfi Corbett is a lovely young lass who loves books! I have mentioned that for this lurk loving people is probably the crux of the business plan. Anyway – am planning a BYO Knees-Up on Tuesday 30th from about 3.30pm. Feel free to come and celebrate and meet Sarfi!
Lots of 2025 COMMANDO Comics on the attached. A total of 25, but a couple of 2024 edtitions.
Happy reading
Annie P
Website:

To get started, click our search buttons through our available items.You can search by author, genre or have a look at our entire library of items.

12/06/2026

Never Ending Books
Newsletter # 786
Dear Reader,
More goodies on the fiction front this week:
STRANGERS by C L Taylor – well this was a turn-up for the books. Thoroughly enjoyable nail-biting thriller. Such detective skills as I have failed miserably.
THE OTHER YOU by J S Monroe – super facial recogniser Kate has lost her powers. Never mind, she has a lovely rich fella caring for her – or has she? Crikey – this was different.
MYSTERY & EVIDENCE by Jonathan Kellerman – in the latter Milo and Alex find their man, but quite by accident. They were well astonished. In the former – they were right on top of things early in the piece. Still had to hunt the perpetrator down though. Great twists in these books.
I’m running out of bags. Happen you are a NEW WORLD shopper, please remember your favourite little bookshop. Can’t be wasting money on flash bags when there are all these perfectly good label-free options out there!
Looks like the weather is on strike this weekend. Mainly cloudy, 16/17 degrees. No need to feel obliged to paint the house and trim the hedges – they’ll still be there in September. Be much better for your mental health to grab a book or a puzzle or both and put your feet up – you’ve earned a break, I’m sure.
Don’t forget to share the link below – happen you want to keep the shop going once I am gone.
https://www.barkerbusiness.co.nz/business-for-sale/3994/auk/retail/homeware-hardware

Happy reading
Annie P
Website: www.neverendingbooks.co.nz

To get started, click our search buttons through our available items.You can search by author, genre or have a look at our entire library of items.

05/06/2026

Never Ending Books
Newsletter # 785
Dear Reader,
At last – a week of great reads one after the other. Thought I’d died and gone to Heaven.
THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides - sorry sold this one, but a very different thriller. Got to the last page and found out who dunnit – I was well and truly led down the garden path.
MERCY RIVER by Glen Erik Hamilton – this one is the third book in the series apparently. I will certainly be hunting others down. Great thriller.
MISS WINTER IN THE LIBRARY WITH A KNIFE by Martin Edwards – well the title had me thinking CLUEDO type mystery. Nope! Once again I was flummoxed as to who did what. At one point I was certainly on the right track, but then those wheels came off. I am not becoming a better detective as I get older, that’s for sure. Well worth the read.
DIRTY THIRTY by Janet Evanovich – yet another laugh out loud job. At the end of the book she has added favourite quotes sent in by her fans for each book. My favourite for this one did not make the cut but gotta share it: Lula’s apartment has been petrol bombed and as she has been “curating clothes all her life” says in horror: “I had two racks of Ho clothes from when I was doing erectile engineering. You can’t replace stuff like that!” That was me – had to put the book down and roar with laughter – only the big voluptuous Lula could put it so well. Love these reads.
ORDER TO KILL by Vince Flynn with Kyle Mills. Now Mr. Flynn shuffled off this mortal coil in 2013, so Kyle Mills ran with the series so well, it’s impossible to tell where one left off and the other picked up. Another thriller writer who really has figured it all out.
A customer said the weather is turning nasty for the weekend – so mowing the lawns will be off the agenda again. You’d better pop in here and get a good book! Some goodies on the attached – so don’t miss out.
Don’t forget to share the link below – happen you want to keep the shop going once I am gone.
https://www.barkerbusiness.co.nz/business-for-sale/3994/auk/retail/homeware-hardware
If you see anything on the attached that you would like, please
Happy reading
Annie P
Website: www.neverendingbooks.co.nz

To get started, click our search buttons through our available items.You can search by author, genre or have a look at our entire library of items.

22/05/2026

Never Ending Books
Newsletter # 783
Dear Reader,
A couple of different reads this week along with some dud starts - no reviews there!
REDEMPTION by W Jordan is just a perfectly good thriller – am thinking there might well be a sequel out there. The right folk get their’s, so justice that suited me prevailed.
YEAR ZERO – A HISTORY OF 1945 BY Ian Buruma – such a great read. Not having lived through that dreadful period and not being into deep thinking (shallow w***h that I am) this shone a real light on the year after the end of WWII. Seems they didn’t just stop fighting and get on with their lives, the whole world was a devastated hungry wasteland, and folk wanted food and shelter – NOW!! Let’s fight some more, why don’t we?
Ever needed to apologise for something and think a billet doux would do the trick nicely? Well I have some magic postcards in stock – eg:
“Sorry I was late. You know I’m always late. It’s kind of my signature thing. Charming, right?”
or
“Sorry I ate the last piece of cake. I love you – but when it comes to cake, cake does come first.”
Lots and lots of DVDs in this week – just a sample on the attached. Hopefully I’ll get to the other two boxes next week.
I have cast my eye over the attached – found six blues. Hopefully (yet again) you won’t pick up too many).
Don’t forget to share the link below – happen you want to keep the shop going once I am gone.
https://www.barkerbusiness.co.nz/business-for-sale/3994/auk/retail/homeware-hardware
Have a great weekend – stay safe.

Happy reading
Annie P
Website: www.neverendingbooks.co.nz

To get started, click our search buttons through our available items.You can search by author, genre or have a look at our entire library of items.

15/05/2026

Never Ending Books
Newsletter # 782
Dear Reader,
Some great reads this week. Two more on the go – no point bothering you with the details today – but next week you’ll read all about it
From last week’s reviews: THE SECOND-LAST WOMAN IN ENGLAND by Maggie Joel. Mrs. Harriet Wallis the second-last woman in the UK to be hanged, had just hired a new nanny – and I wondered if the nanny was the problem! – Nope – the nanny was not the problem – Great read!!!!
Then there was: THE GERMAN WIFE by Kelly Rimmer. My word! German scientists surrendered to both the Russians and the Americans late in the war (you know the one: #2). In the case of those who chose America, it was another five or more years before their families were deemed acceptable immigrants by the powers that were. Said powers neglected to ask the citizenry what they thought. Very thought provoking. Quite a bit of popping back and forth from 1951 to 1945 and earlier, but it was necessary backfill for the story, so not too annoying.
Up popped a Kiwi author: Geoff Parkes with WHEN THE DEEP DARK BUSH SWALLOWS YOU WHOLE and its sequel - THE FIRST LAW OF THE BUSH. Such good reads. Enough suspense to make them one-sitting reads and endings leaving room for potential sequels.
MAD HONEY by Jennifer Finney Boylan – basically the fourth great read in a row. (followed by four absolute duds! Grrrr. I will not be wasting words on any of them.) Young love, ending in the lass at the bottom of the stairs. Did she trip and fall or was she pushed, and if so by who? . However, I had the wrong end of the stick. If you’re a Jodi Picoult fan, the lawyer in this – Jordan McAfee, is the accused’s uncle this time round.As with The German Wife, a fair bit of back and forth in the time line which always annoys me, and for the life of me I couldn’t see the point in this one.
More Kiwi authors popping up at the moment with an Author’s expo in Warkworth on Saturday 23 May. I’ll attach a flyer to this somehow. One S M Drought has dropped off three of his books for young teens. TALES YOU CAN’T UNREAD – HOWL HOUSE / WARD 13 / EIGHT LEGGED SHRIEKS. Perfect for those who are R L Stine fans but need the next level now that they’re 13/14 years old.
Don’t forget to share the link below – happen you want to keep the shop going once I am gone.
https://www.barkerbusiness.co.nz/business-for-sale/3994/auk/retail/homeware-hardware
Happy reading
Annie P
Website: www.neverendingbooks.co.nz

WARKWORTH
AUTHOR EXPO
RODNEY REGION 2026

SECURE YOUR SPOT!


Calling All Warkworth Authors!
Write-On Publishing invites you to be part of this new and unique literary event in Warkworth. This is your chance to step into the spotlight, connect with your local readers, and showcase your published works in a professional setting.
Join the Authors (above) who have already committed to showcase their work at this event.
Whether you are a seasoned novelist or have just released your first memoir, the Warkworth Author Expo provides the perfect platform to share your journey and sell your books directly to the community.

WHY PARTICIPATE?
• Network with peers from as far afield as Whanagaparaoa and Auckland
• Direct sales to local book lovers
• Expert publishing advice from Frank Nunan
• Promotional exposure in event materials
(See Mahurangi Matters, Monday 11th May - page 15)

To get started, click our search buttons through our available items.You can search by author, genre or have a look at our entire library of items.

08/05/2026

Never Ending Books
Newsletter # 781
Dear Reader,
I really mixed it up this week on the reading front:
SILVERVIEW by John Le Carre. His books are always worth it. Very twisty little plot this one – the master interrogator got all the answers he needed without a waterboard in sight. (Perhaps he was saving that for his wife – the h***y!)
PACK UP THE MOON by Kristan Higgins – my word. I was quite unable to read this in one sitting. An absolute heartbreaking delight. Have a full box of tissues handy!
THE SECOND SON by Loraine Peck – good Aussie stuff – immigrants from the old world have found it hard settling in and have brought their old enmities and biases with them. So we have potential gang warfare between which groups? Italians? Chinese? Bikies? Serbs? Croatians? Are the younger generation getting over all this mafia and stuff their fathers are so obsessed with? Read all about it. Very different ending.
THE SECOND-LAST WOMAN IN ENGLAND by Maggie Joel. Mrs. Harriet Wallis is the second-last woman in the UK to be hanged (I haven’t fact checked that - it is fiction after all – I prefer to go with the flow, not bother Dr. Google with every little potential anomaly.) Thus far – can’t wait to get home, pour some wine and pick it up again. She has just hired a new nanny – wonder if the nanny is the problem!
Wondering what to get Mum for Mothers’ Day? How about a Gift voucher from here? Or just bring her in after you’ve taken her out to lunch – and let her loose on your dime!
Happen you’re a Tom & Jerry fan – check out the DVDs on the attached.
Don’t forget to share the link below – happen you want to keep the shop going once I am gone.
https://www.barkerbusiness.co.nz/business-for-sale/3994/auk/retail/homeware-hardware
Have a great weekend – stay safe.

Happy reading
Annie P
Website: www.neverendingbooks.co.nz

To get started, click our search buttons through our available items.You can search by author, genre or have a look at our entire library of items.

01/05/2026

Never Ending Books
Newsletter # 780
Dear Reader,
THE CAT & THE CHRISTMAS KIDNAPPER – L T Shearer
THE BONE TREE – Greg Iles
SHE’S NOT YOUR REHAB – Matt Brown
Some very different reads this week – the first is just delightful – not much more can be said. Oscar is the “cat” and Oscar has the power of speech and he and his mistress are quite the team of detectives.
The second is a real tome – no reading in bed with this one. The plot is based on the “Who killed JFK” theories. Plenty convoluted, but I stuck with it – wished I hadn’t when I finished it.
The third is another in the “I got past my lousy upbringing” series which have been pouring in here of late. This one is particularly good. The book is particularly well edited so makes for an easy read considering the topic makes for a hard read. Could quite easily be entitled “HE’S NOT YOUR REHAB”.
Have been battling to get to the shop this week – the sun hits my deck at about 8.45am and the wind is nowhere to be found and I have been parking off with whichever book is in favour that morning and soaking up the Vitamin D. Unfortunately having a responsible streak means I tear myself away from all that sunshine. I am most envious of those of you who can take advantage of any sunny days.
You may or may not be aware – I have put the shop on the market – I know times are hard and money is short, but I am selling because after 18 years I’m running out of steam. So happen you know anyone who has always dreamed of owning their own bookshop – feel free to send them in this direction or see the link below:
https://www.barkerbusiness.co.nz/business-for-sale/3994/auk/retail/homeware-hardware
Have a great weekend – stay safe.

Happy reading
Annie P
Website: www.neverendingbooks.co.nz

To get started, click our search buttons through our available items.You can search by author, genre or have a look at our entire library of items.

24/04/2026

Opening hours this ANZAC weekend. Today: 1pm - 4pm. Tomorrow (Sunday) 11.30am - 3.30pm. Monday - 11.30am - 3.30pm.

24/04/2026

The Balance of Light
By Glen Green MNZM 021810095 Auckland New Zealand

The Balance of Light is a transformational memoir that weaves personal storytelling, spiritual awakening, and community empowerment into one compelling narrative. Glen Green MNZM for his work with youth in New Zealand, also with a Commendation, Finalist for New Zealander of the Year, With 5 Council Community Awards shares his lived journey from chaos, violence, and generational darkness into a life anchored in forgiveness, kindness, purpose, and what he calls Light Shifting — a framework for redirecting one’s life from destructive patterns into life-giving ones.

This is more than a memoir.
It is a movement, a philosophy, and a call to action for individuals and communities who seek healing, breakthrough, and positive change in New Zealand.

With honesty, raw emotion, and deep spiritual insight, Glen reveals how light can be cultivated even in the darkest corners of a person’s life — and how that light, once activated, can ripple outward into families, neighbourhoods, and entire communities.