New Non-Fiction November
Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201- Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration. Sara Dykman
Outdoor educator and field researcher Sara Dykman was the first person to follow the migration route of monarch butterflies on a bicycle. She travelled more than 10,000 miles and crossed 3 countries. She tells her story in a vivid and passionate style.
The Border: a Journey around Russia: through North Korea, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Norway and the Northeast Passage. Erika Fatland
Social anthropologist Erika Fatland travels on a 20 thousand kilometre journey through countries sharing borders with the vast expanse of Russia. She offers vivid portraits of cultures and individuals living at the limits of this dominant land mass. Shortlisted for the 2020 Edward Stanford Debut Travel Writer of the Year Award.
Finding the Mother Tree: Uncovering the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Forest. Suzanne Simard
World-renowned scientist Suzanne Simard shares the secrets of a lifetime spent uncovering startling truths about trees: their cooperation, healing capacity, memory, wisdom and sentience.
Fish of the Day. Clarke Gayford and Mike Bhana
Fishing guru and television presenter Clarke Gayford shares his adventures in more than 25 fishing locations around New Zealand and the wider Pacific Ocean. A specific fish or mollusc species is searched for in each location, and a delicious recipe is provided for cooking the catch.
Guarded by Dragons: Encounters with Rare Books and Rare People. R. A. Gokoski
The author has been in the rare book trade for over 50 years. He tells his tales with humour and shrewdness, and the reader gets a fantastic glimpse into the almost mythical world of rare and precious books and the people that collect them.
Homegrown Happiness: A Kiwi Guide to Living off the Suburban Land. Elien Lewis
An advocate of the low-maintenance no-dig gardening method, Ms Lewis leads the reader through a year in the home garden with advice on all aspects of preparing the land and growing food.
Hope Is a Verb: Six Steps to Radical Optimism when the World Seems Broken. Emily Ehlers
Emily Ehlers is the creator of the cult favourite Instagram account @ecowithem. Her book is inspirational and empowering.
In My Past Life I was Cleopatra: A Skeptical Believer's Journey through the New Age. Amal Awad
The author, also a journalist and screenwriter, grew up in an Arab Muslim family. In this part memoir part self-help guide, she shares her personal journey to peace and empowerment via a wide array of psychics, healers and witches.
Led Zeppelin Vinyl: The Essential Collection. Ross Halfin
A celebration of the artwork of Led Zeppelin's vinyl album covers collected from around the world, and includes a comprehensive discography, from photographer, collector and avid Led Zep fan Ross Halfin.
Notes from Deep Time: A Journey through our Past and Future Worlds. Helen Gordon
This engaging and well-researched book is a look at the vastness of geological time. The author takes us to key places in the geological story of our planet and we learn so much about the insignificance of humans.
The Real Beatrix Potter. Nadia Cohen
This is a fascinating and revealing biography of the well-loved author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Although she lacked formal education, she educated herself in art and science, and developed a great love of the natural world. After the tragic death of her fiancé, she moved to the Lake District and reinvented herself as a successful farmer, a canny businesswoman and an early environmental pioneer.
The Red Prince: the Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster. Helen Carr
A new biography of John of Gaunt, who was the fourth son of Edward III, brother of the Black Prince, father of Henry IV, and speaker of 'this sceptred isle...this realm, this England' speech from Shakespeare's Richard II. He was a pivotal figure in medieval English history - he gained the dukedom of Lancaster through his first wife, the kingdom of Castile and Leon through his second, and through his third wife he was the ancestor of the Tudor dynasty.
Red Sands: Reportage and Recipes Through Central Asia, from Hinterland to Heartland. Caroline Eden
Author of award-winning Black Sea continues her journey through the cultures and cuisines of Central Asia. This volume combines a travelogue with recipes, using food as a way to enter lives, cities and landscapes of this fascinating region.