Behind our bookstores

Boasting 11 independent bookshops and the country’s only Booktown, the Wairarapa may just be New Zealand’s #1 region for readers. We sent our booksellers the same set of questions – they responded so enthusiastically, it’s easy to see why sharing the love of reading is alive and well in the Wairarapa.
Here’s a sampling of the curious and clever minds behind our bookstores. By Millie Blackwell.

Carterton

Steve Laurence, Almo Books
Carterton's friendly local bookstore offers titles in everything from Children and Young Adult Fiction to New Zealand and local authors. They are happy to receive special orders or to help you source a specific title.

You can take three books with you to a deserted island where you'll be spending the rest of your life. Which books are you taking?
Crossword dictionary, presuming there is a daily newspaper delivered.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. That should see me out
A guide to tropical diseases.
What was the last book that kept you up way past bedtime?
The last Jack Reacher.  Those short chapters with the cliff-hanger at the end always mean you need to read one more chapter until there are only a couple left and you may as well finish the book.
Has a book ever changed your life? How?
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. Helps you see how absurd most organisations are.
What is your favourite book you’ve read this year? All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton.

Featherston

Kate Mead, Loco Coffee and Books
Grab a cup of Havana coffee and explore Kate’s proudly eccentric collection of quality secondhand books. If you’re brave, ask to meet Theo, the inhouse book monster.

You can take three books with you to a deserted island where you'll be spending the rest of your life. Which books are you taking?
The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel so to explore the constellations.
The Forager's Treasury by Johanna Knox, for culinary assistance.
The Church Cat Abroad by Graham Oakley, for solace. 
What was the last book that kept you up way past bedtime?
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox , which we read for book club – a modern fairytale between here, there and elsewhere.
Has a book ever changed your life? How? Too many to choose just one!
What is your favourite book you’ve read this year?
How to Live by Helen Rickersby – history, fact, interpretation and entrances to rabbit-holes.

 Sue Ryan, Mr Feather’s Den
The 'Den' as it’s known to locals, reveals its delights before you even walk in the front door. As well as books you’ll find an abundance of ceramics and pottery, lamps, and taxidermy.

You can take three books with you to a deserted island where you'll be spending the rest of your life. Which books are you taking?
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
Bushcraft 101: Field guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival by Dave Canterbury.
What was the last book that kept you up way past bedtime?
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox.
Has a book ever changed your life? How?
The first book I ever got out of the library (on my own) Chicken Little. I remember walking from the bus stop to my house with my nose in the book and not actually looking where I was going. It was the experience of falling in love with a book.
What is your favourite book you’ve read this year? Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

Dave Adams, The Dickensian Bookshop 
Specialising in modern and classic literature Dave and Patsy Adams also stock an ever-changing selection of antiquarian books, collector's and reference books, antiques and curios.

 You can take three books with you to a deserted island where you'll be spending the rest of your life. Which books are you taking?
Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell. A permanent delight of a book!
A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines. Such an evocative book for me which takes me back to my Yorkshire roots.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. I'm told this is a cracker of a book and I haven't yet read it and I need a long story for those desert island nights! 
What was the last book that kept you up way past bedtime?
The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat. This account of naval experiences in the Second World War must stir the soul of anyone reading it. 
Has a book ever changed your life? How?
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. At eight-years-old this book set me on my own voyage of literature and discovery which has never ended. There are so many levels to C.S. Lewis' books which still enthral me after all these years.
What is your favourite book you’ve read this year?
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Why stop at reading it once!

Jennifer Grey, For the Love of Books
In the Wairarapa’s most spacious independent bookshop, Jennifer Grey offers a huge selection of secondhand books across all categories. Books are cleaned before they are categorised. 

You can take three books with you to a deserted island where you'll be spending the rest of your life. Which books are you taking?
I have really struggled with this question as it is FAR too difficult to narrow the wealth of valuable information down to just three books!  I think I need to invent a solar powered e-reader with huge storage capacity just in case I end up marooned on a deserted island...
I would want to take books on spirituality and morality, a record of my family, a record of human history, the natural world, science, music, the arts, language, architecture, engineering, gardening, outdoor survival (obviously!) inspirational literature and escapist fiction - mysteries, fantasy, classic fiction would be my choices.  Jane Eyre is my favourite of those.
What was the last book that kept you up way past bedtime?
I have a tendency to get very wrapped up in the things that I do so I have that problem with most books that I read!  One of my favourite authors is Terry Pratchett. I enjoy the way that he holds a mirror up to life - often a carnival mirror that makes us see things in a very different, amusing, yet also thought provoking, way.
Has a book ever changed your life? How?
To be completely honest, Christian Scripture has had the biggest impact on my life. It has helped me to find hope and purpose even in difficult times and taught me to respect and value all people and always try to make a positive contribution to my family and community.
What is your favourite book you’ve read this year?
Working in a bookshop you come across so MANY books that make you want to read them! One of those books was The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry about a woman, who was nearly 100 years old, who had lived in an asylum most of her life, but no-one knew anymore why she was there.  

Lincoln Gould, Messines Bookshop
Singularly dedicated to books about military history, Lincoln sells a range of rare, secondhand, new, and children’s books as well as military models and war games.

You can take three books with you to a deserted island where you'll be spending the rest of your life. Which books are you taking? 
Men to Match My Mountains by Irving Stone.
New Zealanders at War by Michael King.
The New Zealand Wars by Vincent O’Malley.
What was the last book that kept you up way past bedtime? 
Barack Obama: A Promised Land .
 Has a book ever changed your life? How?
Men to Match My Mountains by Irving Stone.  As a teenager, I found this book inspiring as it explored the cultural, technical, of settling the west of the United States. 
What is your favourite book you’ve read this year?  
Champagne by Don and Petie Kladstrup

Joanna Ludbrook, Chicken & Frog Bookshop
Exclusively stocking books for children, the store was once a medical centre which Joanna has adapted into themed display areas sure to delight visitors of all ages.​

You can take three books with you to a deserted island where you'll be spending the rest of your life. Which books are you taking? 
The Road to Ratenburg by Joy Cowley
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
A dictionary

Featherston Ferret
A Wairarapa outpost of The Ferret Bookshop in Cuba Street, Wellington. The Fitzherbert Street shop has a wide selection of secondhand titles with a particular interest in Aotearoa-based stories.  For more info, click here.

Greytown

Millie Blackwell, Mrs Blackwell’s Village Bookshop
In a building that once housed the Greytown Library, Millie (that’s me!) aims to delight curious minds and romantic souls. Fine stationery, wood pencils and jigsaw puzzles accompany the books. 

You can take three books with you to a deserted island where you'll be spending the rest of your life. Which books are you taking? 
How to Build a Shed by Sally Coulthard. Probably just the beginning of the ‘How To’ guides I’ll be needing!
Bossypants by Tina Fey. Funny people are always my first choice for company.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck. No matter how many times I read this book I always see something new in it.
What was the last book that kept you up way past bedtime?
Ockham Awards finalist, This Pākehā Life - An Unsettled Memoir by Alison Jones. This isn’t a book I expected to enjoy but Alison’s poetic style made this hard to put down.
Has a book ever changed your life? How?
Shortest Way Home by Pete Buttigieg (former Mayor and 2020 US Presidential Candidate) gave me new ways of seeing how I can serve my community.
What is your favourite book you’ve read this year?
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. An eye-opening look at all the ways we waste our time online and the lengths that social media companies go to ensure that we do.

Martinborough

Brenda Channer, The Martinborough Bookshop
Located in the centre of Martinborough, the store’s motto is ‘Books You'll Want to Keep’. Owner Deborah Coddington’s long career in journalism, writing, and publishing shines through in the broad and interesting selection.

You can take three books with you to a deserted island where you'll be spending the rest of your life. Which books are you taking? Three books for the rest of my life?  That’s harsh! There had better be one on survival skills, one the great philosophers and their theories as I’ll clearly have time to get to grips with those and perhaps the collected works of The Brothers Grimm.
What was the last book that kept you up way past bedtime?
That is pretty much any book I read in bed. Most commonly asked question in our bedroom is, ‘Are you going to turn that light out sometime soon?’  However, looking back over recent times, My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent, The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr, and See What You Made Me Do; Power Control and Domestic Abuse by Jess Hill all compelled me to read “just one more chapter” until they were done!  
Has a book ever changed your life? How?
In fact a book has changed my life. Birthright: The Guide to Search and Reunion for Adoptees, Birthparents and Adoptive Parents.  This book provided the clue that unlocked my families of origin and set me on a path of self-discovery.
What is your favourite book you’ve read this year?
I really can’t choose a favourite I’ve read this year.  I’ve got four on the go right now and a stack waiting for my attention. So I’ll replace it with my ‘touchstone’ book; the one that finds a way to speak to me no matter what age I am or in what circumstances I find myself.  That would be The Wizard of Oz.  If you ask me why, we could be in for a long conversation!

Masterton

David Hedley, Hedley’s Books
Wairarapa’s most historic bookshop, David’s grandfather established the business in 1907. Alongside new titles are rare books and prints, vinyl, and magazines. David also spearheads ‘Yarns in Barns’ the Wairarapa’s Festival of Reading.

 You can take three books with you to a deserted island where you'll be spending the rest of your life. Which books are you taking?
Something structurally challenging such as The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. 
Derek Taylor’s book on his life in music, titled Fifty Years Adrift. He recounts, with humour, my favourite time in 20th century history.  The aptly named One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.
What was the last book that kept you up way past bedtime?
One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown
Has a book ever changed your life? How?
The Collins Book of Speed Reading bought for me by my father when I was 16 – a training manual to be a bookseller.
What is your favourite book you’ve read this year?
The Land : How the Hunger for Land Shaped the Modern World  by Simon Winchester