My name is Kaidance Monroe, and I'm cursed with the gift of sight. I see death. Bloody, violent death. Before it even happens. I was taken in by a mysterious benefactor, who wants to use my abilities to vanquish his oldest enemy. But the dark secrets in my new home drove me away. I don't know where I belong any more - with the fallen angel who has become my protector, or with the immortal deities that are determined for me to join their cause. All I know is I'm being hunted by an army of Zeus's soldiers, tracked by monstrous beasts that want to eat me alive, and running from the one person I want to be with. But when I find the Golden Shears, and claim the power to vanquish gods, everything will change.

The Shearers is a colourful account of the men and women, past and present, who have committed their lives to shearing in New Zealand. Their voices – in their own words, often brutally honest reflections on what it is to be a shearer – are at the heart of this book: their training, their tools, their camaraderie, and the gruelling, itinerant nature of the job. Old hands like Brian ‘Snow’ Quinn, Tony Dobbs and Peter Casserly, and Peter and Elsie Lyon, as well as those newer to the scene, offer personal insights, often for the first time. The Shearers invites readers to the world of the New Zealand shearer – ‘the only job where you take a sweat towel to work’.

Describes the history and culture of New Zealand and offers tips on accommodations, restaurants, and sights.

In this “exhilarating yet poignant account of one boy taking flight” (Shelf Awareness, starred review), one of rock music's most entrancing figures transforms the vividness of his musical world into an unforgettable literary account of overcoming the odds and finding his true voice. Long before hitting the stage as the lead singer of the iconic glam rock band Scissor Sisters, Jake Shears was Jason Sellards, a teenage boy living a fraught life, resulting in a difficult time in high school as his classmates bullied him and few teachers showed sympathy. It wasn’t until years later, while living and studying in New York City, that Jason would find his voice as an artist and, with a group of friends and musicians who were also thirsting for stardom and freedom, form the band Scissor Sisters. First performing in the smoky gay nightclubs of New York, then finding massive success in the United Kingdom, Scissor Sisters would become revered by the LGBTQ community, sell out venues worldwide, and win multiple accolades with hits like “Take Your Mama” and “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’,” as well as their cult-favorite cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” “Brutally honest” (Elton John), candid, and courageous, Shears’s writing sings with the same powerful, spirited presence that he brings to his live performances. Boys Keep Swinging is “a wild, sexy, emotional ride through underground New York at the millennium. From the fringes to the top, it's a tale that speaks to the outsider in all of us” (Andy Cohen).

When angels fall like shooting stars, who can be certain of their fate? Thousands of years ago, Zeus created a legion of hunters to rid the world of magic. They're deadly, inescapable, and blindly loyal to their master. And now they're after me. My name is Kaidance Monroe, and sometimes when I touch people, I see how they die. I've always considered it a curse. After I saw my little brother's death but failed to stop it, my parents abandoned me to a juvenile detention facility. I don't let people touch me any more. Not my fingertips, not my skin, not my heart. Just before I turned 18, I got a visit from a guy with piercing eyes and a devastating smile, who tricked me into giving up my secrets. He said I was special, but he wasn't the only searching for me. I barely escaped with my life. Now I'm in a creepy mansion full of dark secrets, learning how to control abilities so powerful, even the gods are jealous. I didn't mean to make anyone fall for me. Certainly not my would-be killer. And I never imagined how far he would fall. He opened his heart to let me in, and I destroyed his universe. I'll do anything to make it right again, even if it means challenging my own fate. Luckily, I'm the only one who can. Broken promises. Shattered dreams. Bitter remorse. He's taken everything from me. I come to him bare, naked, revealed. Trembling in the darkness. But I can't ask for forgiveness, and I'm not looking for mercy. All I want is revenge - and when I see him again, face-to-face, I know, next time, I'll be strong enough to defeat him. The Scarlet Thread is a dark fantasy for fans of Greek mythology and Gothic romance. Fans of Fallen and Percy Jackson will be captivated by this mashup of fallen angels and forgotten gods.This is PART ONE of the first book in the Fated Destruction series.

Little known and often quirky places to visit in New Zealand