We are not robots: Behind the scenes of a web order

Not only do we sell books from 9am - 9pm in store, we sell books online! This is what happens once you place your order via our website.

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We receive a digital notification of your web order.

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We pick your order from the shelf.

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We package your book up with your invoice, a bookmark and some ribbon...

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We pad out the package in recycled bubble wrap so it's nice and safe...

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...or if you have special instructions such as gift wrapping, handwritten notes or no receipt, you just need to let us know!

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We then package your purchase in recyclable, heavy weight brown paper.

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Our web orders wait for the next delivery cycle.

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AUCKLAND DELIVERY: Our friendly courier driver from Castle Parcels scans in the parcels. They are tracked & delivered in 1 -2 days.

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OUT OF AUCKLAND: We walk your parcel to the post office & your package will be tracked and will be delivered in 3 working days.

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MT EDEN DELIVERY: If it's convenient for staff, we are able to hand deliver items on the way home from work.

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You can also select 'pickup' and we will hold it aside for you for the next time you're in the village.

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You've shopped online AND supported your local bookstore. Warm fuzzies all round!

And there you have it, a convenient and easy way to order your Christmas presents. We are not robots, so get in touch if you need any special touches added.

Time Out's Gift Services: A customer's experience

Time Out Bookstore has recently started a gift service called ‘Year of Books’ and I was lucky enough to be the first person to try it out as my birthday present.

The particular arrangement for me was six books over six months so every month I have received an email to let me know that my book is ready. I could have the books delivered but I live close enough that I would just pop in to the bookstore to pick it up. The books have always been beautifully wrapped with the month, the book title and a little description written on the front.

Every book I have received has been incredibly enjoyable to read, spanning a wide variety but all fitting within my reading preference. It has been a wonderful six months as I have been introduced to some great authors, like Banana Yoshimoto and Toni Morrison, and I look forward to purchasing their other works.

It is a lovely and unique gift because it continues beyond the date you received it, such as your birthday, as you get to look forward to a gift every month or two months for the whole year following. I enjoyed it so much and I will miss it. I purchased the same service for my grandfather’s 90th birthday and I think it will make a great Christmas present for someone for sure.

Browse Time Out's range of gift services here.

Book Review: Nothing by Annie Barrows

A new review from our young reader on the ground, 12 year old Rata.

From the author of Ivy & Bean and the co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Nothing happens in this book, there are no love triangles, no one runs away or gets murdered, there are no superheroes or super villains. This book is about two average 15 year old girls living an average life. Charlotte and Frankie (best friends) think they have a boring life but when Charlotte decides to write it all down, Frankie and Charlotte realise their life may be more interesting than they think.

This book has a good mix of drama, comedy and romance. It’s perfect for any teenager who loves these genres.

This book is great for fans of Louise Rennison.

Nothing is in stock now.

NZ BOOKSHOP DAY: Contest winners & photo album

NZ Bookshop Day for 2017 is DONE & DUSTED. Thank you all for coming to support us during our Howl-O-Ween celebrations.

BOOK REVIEW CONTEST WINNERS:
Our first kids winner is 7 year old Olive Turley for her amazing review of the Hilda series by Luke Pearson. Olive has won a bespoke book subscription for 2018.

Next up is Jade Tupa'i for her beautiful review of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, which made us want to read this classic all over again. Jade has won a year's subscription to Toitoi: A Journal for Young Writers and Artists. Thank you for the donation, Toitoi!

Our adults winner is Kath O'Sullivan! 
Kath is "91, going for 100," and wrote a review of our beautiful, illustrated edition of The Hobbit. Kath has also won a bespoke subscription.

We couldn't look past Merinika Ryder's glorious review of Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. We've put together a special prize for you too, Merinika!

GECKO PRESS BEST DRESSED DOG WINNER:
Tom, from the Lamont family, dressed as a Gryffindor wizard and it fulfilled all of our dog costume dreams. He will receive a wonderful WOLFY pack from our friends at Gecko Press.
Thank you to all who bought their dogs in, we loved it, as we always do and we hope they enjoyed their Purina Dentalife treats.

Until next year, whānau!

NZ BOOKSHOP DAY: Ten reasons you should visit Time Out this Saturday

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#1. It's Howl-O-Ween!

You may see some dogs, you may see some dogs IN COSTUMES! (This is what we're hoping for anyway.) You may also see some dressed up staff...!

 

#2. PURINA DOG TREATS

If you bring your dog to visit, they will receive a packet of Purina Dentalife treats.

 

#3. A GECKO PRESS WOLFY PACK IS TO BE WON!

To celebrate the NZ release of Grégoire Solotareff's Wolfy, we will give the best dressed dog this wonderful book prize from our friends Gecko Press. 

 

#4. Giselle Draws Tote Bags

We have a very limited number of Bookshop Day Tote Bags to give away with your book purchases. Get in early for these.

 

#5. Free 2 for 1 Movie Tickets!

Thanks to Trigger Marketing, we have a bunch of movie tickets to give away. Choose from one of these 3 films:

 

#6. COOKIES

Our magical Katie, will be whipping up some of her famous ginger cookies. (Here's a peek at what she created last year.)

 

 

#7. BOOK REVIEW WINNERS!

We will announce the winners of our book review competition at 5pm. YOU CAN STILL ENTER! 

 

#8. LONELY PLANET SPOT PRIZES

Once the NZ Bookshop Day totes are gone, we've got Lonely Planet totes to give away with your book purchases. These ones might have an extra book or two in them(!)

 

#9. ALL THE BOOKS

There are so many new books in stock, we can barely fit them in. You can get signed copies of Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor, check our Lucinda in The New Zealand Cat,  put your name down for the incoming Man Booker Winner Lincoln in the Bardo and perhaps start on on Christmas shopping?

 

#10. SAY GOODBYE TO SURI

This isn't actually very good news, but Saturday will be our wonderful Suri's last day before she travels to distant shores. Come in and say farewell.

School Holiday Picks: Week Two

1) Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (Illustrated Edition) by J.K. Rowling

Wendy's Grandson Jacob has been spending the holidays with us and his top pick is the new illustrated edition of Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban.

If you haven't yet read one of the illustrated editions of Harry Potter, you're missing out! It's a wonderful way to experience the series.

2) Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

John Green's first novel in six years is here. With a beautiful cover and incredible reviews from The Guardian and the New York Times, Turtles All the Way Down is a must read for 2018.

3) Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

Nevermoor is here! Does it live up to the hype? We had 12 year old Rata write a special review for us.

Come in and check out our special Hachette NZ Nevermoor window, it will be up until next week.

4) Competition time for National Bookshop Day

In celebration of our Howl-O-Ween NZ Bookshop Day, we are giving away TWO bespoke bi monthly book bundles for 2018. All you need to do is create a review for us! See details below...
Another GREAT competition to check out is the Booksellers NZ 'Love Letter to your Bookshop' here: 

5) The Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane & Jackie Morris

All we have to say is that this is one of the most beautiful books in the kid's room right now. From the author of Landmarks and The Wild Places with tender and rich illustrations, The Lost Words is a book for every age.

Book Review: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend

The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) is one of those books that we know is going to be big. As you might expect a bookseller to tell you this, we have a trusted review for you from one of our young customers, 13 year old Rata Lomax.

When you open this book an explosion of magic, weirdness, friendship and excitement spills out. The Trials of Morrigan Crow is packed with craziness, fascination and a bit of darkness to balance things out. Fans of Harry Potter, Roald Dahl and Narnia would absolutely LOVE this book.

Morrigan Crown is star-crossed, unlucky, cursed and everyone knows it. Most people tend to keep away from her and Morrigan knows when she dies there will most likely be celebrations, for the curse dooms her to die when she reaches the age of twelve. But as Morrigan waits for her cruel fate an unexpected twist takes place, a peculiar, intriguing and slightly crazy man comes to her rescue and he takes her to a place called nevermoor. Nevermoor is a magical city full of incredible wonders, but if Morrigan wants to stay there she must take place in a series of four risky but magical trials.

Personally I loved this book I would definitely recommend it to readers of all ages (8+), this book is amazing and wunderous.

You can buy a copy of Nevermoor from our online store. Jessica Townsend is visiting Auckland for a few days at the end of October and will be popping into Time Out. Keep an eye on our facebook page for updated information.

School Holiday Picks: Week One

Here is a round up of our picks for week one of the school holidays.

1) The Traitor and the Thief by Gareth Ward.
Listen to our youngest bookseller Eli speak with Mikey Havoc on 95bFM's Loose Reads about what he's reading at the moment, plus a review of Gareth Ward's steampunk novel.

2) Aotearoa by Gavin Bishop
This incredible book follows suit of popular, sophisticated non fiction titles such as Timeline & Maps. Check out this interview on RNZ's Standing Room Only.

3) The Dragon Defenders by James Russell
We had a visit from James and the real life Dragon Defenders, Flynn & Paddy. This book is great chapter book for those 7+ readers who love the Treehouse series, Wimpy Kid and Tom Gates..

4) Annual 2 edited by Kate De Goldi and Susan Paris
Annual is BACK and it is just amazing as ever. A collection of stories, games, poetry, comics & illustrations from some of New Zealand's most talented creatives. 

5) The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell
Did you know Cressida Cowell, author of How to Train your Dragon, has released the first book of a new series? The Wizards of Once is a GREAT read for fans of magic, adventure and friendship. We would recommend this for young readers 8+.

bFM Loose Reads: The Traitor and the Theif by Gareth Ward

It's school holiday time! To celebrate, we had Eli review The Traitor and the Thief by Gareth Ward on 95bFM's Loose Reads. Listen to Eli and Mikey chat books by clicking on the image.

National Poetry Day: All Tomorrow's Poets

This year, we held smaller All Tomorrow's Poets than usual, highlighting five female poets that we love. 

Makanaka Tuwe read three pieces from her new book, Questionable Intimacy. An exploration of self discovery, self love and Black Girl Magic, her reading was deeply personal and intimate. Questionable Intimacy went home with many of our guests, and is available to order through our website.

Divyaa Kumar lead us through a workshop in writing our own poetry. We transformed the word 'Joy' into a prismatic sensory experience-- recalling freshly shaved legs, whispered giggles and an effervescent glass of Pimm's.

Carrie Rudzinski and Olivia Hall joined us through the atmospheric power of the 'iPhone in a Glass' sound system. Their piece Love Like a Girl celebrated fierce sisterly love and garnered hearty recognition from the crowd. 

Evangeline Riddiford-Graham shared poems from her series Planet Cleopatra. Born from an obsession with Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, she presented a deft weaving of tabloid romance, Millionaire's Salad and the symmetry of Ngāuruahoe into a moving and relatable depiction of an enduring, if poisonous, on-again/off-again. 

The Booker Dozen

It's a year of literary blockbusters on the Man Booker radar. The judges have assembled an undeniably juicy selection, and we were pleased to see so many team favourites on the list— but we're always hoping to glean some undiscovered treasures. 

Elmet by Fiona Mozley is the intriguing pick of the bunch, and we're more than a little biased. Mozley is a 29 year old debut novelist and part-time bookseller from York. 

Elmet is due for November release. All other titles available now!

Welcome to our new website!

This is Time Out's new online home. There are lots of great things to see.

Book reviews and community news can be found on our new blog.

Check out Bestsellers & Staff Picks to see what the Time Out team are reading right now.

We've got some very exciting new Gift Services!

Bespoke book subscriptions, gorgeous gift bundles and even a Magic Gift Service. You'll never be short of gift ideas again.

Most importantly, we've curated our favourite books for you. Shop Categories to see what's new and notable in your favourite genre, or jump straight to our Full Catalogue if you know what you're after. Our Guide to Online Shopping is a handy tool.

Now you and your loved ones can get the best of Time Out's service, from anywhere in the world. We hope you're as excited as we are!