The Book Forest in Niagara Park | Shopping & retail

The Book Forest

Locality: Niagara Park

Phone: +61 477 225 384

Address: 16 Washington Avenue 2250 Niagara Park, NSW, Australia

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25.01.2022 Due to events beyond our control we are unable to open today. See you next week! Due to events beyond our control we are unable to open today. See you next week!

23.01.2022 From I CAN Founder/CEO Chris Varney: "Happy Autistic Pride Day! You are not difficult, you are unique. You are not a subject of pity, you are a subject of stren...gths. You have nothing to apologise for, you have so much to contribute. Every family, every community, every school, every workplace is better when it has US." #AutisticPrideDay #AutismRethink #ActuallyAutistic

23.01.2022 IT'S HERE!!!! After months of suspense... The 3rd instalment in the incredible, original, Nevermoor series... Hollowpox, The Hunt for Morrigan Crow. School holidays reading, sorted.... RRP $17.99

22.01.2022 New releases (some of them). Ghost Species is much talked about in the media - the reflex of our artists to speak to the truth of what's happening in the world through human stories. As we fall over the cliff of the sixth extinction, part of the science conversation has become: what if we bring some species back? And so Ghost species explores the moral intricacies posed by one researcher - what if we bring back a family of Neanderthals? Mammoth explores similar territory, loo...sely. The publisher is saying it is fiction, perhaps thinking that sells better. But it is equally creative non-fiction. In fact, we would say this is an excellent history semester, in one book, for high school students. Your lecturer for the history of the world since the ice age (with references to other times) is the ghost of a mammoth, brought to sentience by the unearthing of his bones. In conversation early on with a similar spirit of a t-rex type dinosaur (while waiting for their bones to be sold at an auction) it becomes very clear that our mammoth really really really doesn't like home sapiens. And the Rosie Project's next instalment. If you're a fan, you'll know. There's so many good books coming out! Fiction, non-fiction, youth, picture books, amazingly arted books. There's not enough reading time!!!

21.01.2022 Christmas from three tribes: human, red robin and fox. It's all about expanding our perspectives and heart. And the end of this crazy year, wherever you are on Earth, wishing you a cool and peaceful one.)

20.01.2022 It's too lovely a day to close 'on time'. So let's stay open til 1 today... And give our new felt slipper arrivals a well earned sun-filtered nap before they find new cosy homes. Wherever you are, make sure you enjoy the sunshine and a soft, warm chair. Maybe with a favourite book. Or maybe just quietly listen to the birds and their autumn stories.... Hand-made felt slippers from Nepal, fair trade, Australian wool, sizes toddlers to adult. $15 - $25. (That's a saving from the RRP of $31 for any size )

19.01.2022 This week. All our kids indigenous books will be 20 percent off for NAIDOC week. We're open 9-2 Wednesday - Saturday, plus into the evening on Friday for the twilight markets. Hope to see you!

19.01.2022 Dramas! With a bookshop full of faeries, elves and gnomes you generally expect mishaps and shenanigans. Today it was old father gnome again. We offered to get him little glasses but he won't wear them. So here he goes again, over a shelf edge. Luckily he has a very patient family.

18.01.2022 It's the launch of the Paperbark Pack! It's cool. You'll get your books even cheaper and you'll get presents! And here's why we put it together:... You may not realise that all those large bookstores and chains don't have to buy all the books on their shelves - they're on loan from the publishers until they are either sold or sent back. Small independent bookstores don't have that luxury, we have to buy them up front, which means every day there's a lot of serious consideration going on, and some gambling. In a way it gives us more freedom to go off the publishing main road, which we like. Very much. Choosing books with heart, with nature, with beauty, even odd stuff, we're committed to. But there are sooo many amazing books out there. To bookophiles like us, it's hard to not drag them in and set up new themed areas. So we brainstormed, and here's our idea: the Tree Packs. It's pretty simple. You pre-pay for an amount of books, like a gift card, then take that value off the total whenever you get a book. It's like pre-paying a farmer for vegies so she then has the cash to grow them. Things start to flow, and grow. In exchange for paying up front, we shower you with discounts and gifts. You probably know that we already discount books wherever we can, because we believe that books are a right, not a privilege. The Tree Packs, however, give you discounts on top of that. For example, the Paperbark Pack gives you a further 10% off. Plus you get freebies and bonuses, which we'll be continually adding to. Those gifts will be retroactive, too - if we think of a cool new thing for your pack, and you've already got it, we'll pass it on to you anyway. And it helps us with our main motivation: making a space for you and your family, for the community, to chill and chat. To read. To get your little dose of imagination and nature. Here they are (for you, your family, or even as a gift for someone): The Paperbark Pack: $55. Ten percent off all books, a paperbark mat or use as bookmark, and part proceeds going to wildlife caring. (When you get the pack you'll know why) The Willow Pack: $100 . Fifteen percent off all books. And you'll help fund our willow nursery. The Maple Pack: $200. Twenty percent off all books. You'll get a maple leaf as bookmark, a maple tree seedling and you'll help fund our maple nursery and support those affected by bushfire. Thanks so much for reading this far! Hugs, handshakes, high-fives. Let us know what you think. As always, look forward to catching up. (... The photo is a detail from a grand old elder of the Coastal Paperbark family from Lake Munmorah)

15.01.2022 Hi Sore throat this morning, so considering everything I won't open until it gets checked out. Keep reading until then!Hi Sore throat this morning, so considering everything I won't open until it gets checked out. Keep reading until then!

14.01.2022 The Common Ground Set. This book is - oh my - lyrically well written. And original. And the message it brings is what's inspired us to make it a set - that of deep exploration of a place near where you live, where the letterboxes, traffic, sirens and smells of pizza consume your senses, but where the wild also thrives, quietly and astonishingly. For Rob Cowan, this is a - well, I was going to say where, but got lost, enticed, lost again in his writing, like this: "Maps trans...form us. They make birds of us all. They reveals the patterns of our existence and unlock our cages... From a circle of biro drawn around our new house I flew up and over the unfamiliar rooftops and roads, past shops, schools, hair salons and bookmakers, seeking the nearest open ground. Below me suburbia slunk down a shallow hill towards an endless patchwork of delineated farmland. Hemmed in between the two, I saw it: a tract of white paper, tree symbols and the varicose vein of a river. It lured me down, eyes to paper, body to freezing earth." And this: "I can't say what imperceptible force drew me there, only that I needed to reach it. The frontier called me. " It's the edgeland. In his case a "pylon-slung tangle of wood, hedge, field, meadow and river that lies unclaimed and overlooked on the outskirts of town." While reading Common Ground I would sometimes emerge, breathless from the writing - from the dazzling points of view and transformative desciptions, from the poetic and feral flights of imagination - to seek out similar places here. By the trainlines. At the little bridge crossing from Ourimbah Station to the back of the sportsfields. To let such places seep into you - the curl of mysterious fish tail, dragonflies, blue-helmeted wrens erupting like confetti and the deeper osmosis: that nature is holding on, growing back. The wild has never left, it's just ignoring us. And so we put a diary with it, one that we thought captured the vibe of the book, for you to record your own explorations and discoveries and thoughts. The book retails for $19.99, and the diary for $24.99, but we're doing them together for $39.99. Too exciting. (And feel free to share your ramblings with us - and your own wild edge discoveries and moments)

13.01.2022 It's our best selling non-fiction book, Great Tide Rising. Towards Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change. And it's back in The Book Forest in time for World Environment Day, which this year is celebrating biodiversity. Which is huge. Leave forests and oceans intact, leave them a chorus of voices and colours, and the big problems don't happen or are way smaller : climate change, pandemics. Kathleen reminds us how families and relationships are at the treasu...red heart of that and, to be healthy, are inseperable from a biodiverse world. And it's so so beautifully written and heartfelt. Great Tide Rising RRP $24.99 The Book Forest $22.50

13.01.2022 DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME Remember we can deliver, too! tbf

13.01.2022 Watch the official trailer and you'll see why we're keen to share the story. Its about so much - our planet, our families, aspergers, truth, courage, youth, being yourself, not giving up, community. Remember we've got a free family pass to I am Greta today. Otherwise we'll see you at Avoca theatre with a range of books from Greta to nature to kids.... We're open til 2 today. Sessions at Avoca Theatre: Thursday 4:30 Sunday 7pm Monday 1:30

12.01.2022 In these stay at home times, these get to know your family better times, these - "Hey! We can't rely on supermarkets and corporations, we need to grow food and enjoy it and share those times with our friends" times, here's a book that dove in, did just that, and shared the tale. Barbara Kingsolver is most well known for her bestselling fiction (never quite standing still for genre pigeonholes). Her books of essays in defence of people and places and nature are some of the bes...t there are. This one brings it all home. Written by her entire family, it shares a year of being neighbourly, appreciating food, being a family, along with difficulties and joys. And recipes. A classic. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Pre-loved copy, good condition, 10th anniversary edition with a new epilogue by the authors $14.99

10.01.2022 Don't forget that we are open until 12:00 today.

09.01.2022 How Harry Potter does his laundry... ( Kurt Schneider)

09.01.2022 Our pick for the 2020 Wainwright Nature and Outdoor Writing Prize. There's some other good ones in this year's longlist (Bird Therapy is another standout), but this one is like a confluence of important rivers: the voice of youth, the weight of the sixth extinction plus climate change, a passion for wildlife away from commercial media (in other words, a love for the actual world), the neurodiverse perspectives of an autistic teenage boy, and how families try to navigate it al...l. It's a lot. It is deeply of this time, but also deeper still, of this world, and a cry for the wonder that binds all of it (and us) together, and makes life worth living. You are supposed to keep fb posts short, apparently. Can't. Because you have to have a quote. Otherwise, how can you know? Here's the first paragraph: "This diary chronicles the turning of my world, from spring to winter, at home, in the wild, in my head. It travels from the west of Northern Ireland in Country Fermanagh to the east in County Down. It records the uprooting of a home, a change of country and landscape, and at times the de-rooting of my senses and my mind. I'm Dara, a boy, an acorn. Mum used to call me Lon Dubh (which is Irish for blackbird) when I was a baby, and sometimes still does. I have the heart of a naturalist, the head of a would-be scientist, and bones of someone who is already wearied by the apathy and destruction wielded against the natural world. The outpourings on these pages express my connection to wildlife, try to explain the way I see the world, and describe how we weather the storms as a family." It's a diary, straight up, but all the more present for it. Read it out loud together. Read it to the teenagers in your life. Then keep the conversation going. And go exploring together. Diary of a Young Naturalist, by Dara McAnulty RRP $29.99 At The Book Forest $27.99

09.01.2022 Bluey fan, chilling out.

09.01.2022 For the new reading-alone early book - a funny, inventive story with dragons. Really, I shouldn't have to say any more. It has dragons in it! But there's also a boy (who's important, cause he's in the title), his grandad, and some gardening. Then the mayhem. This is a creative alternative to other early readers. We spent a bit of time chatting to the publishers in the UK, then winged them in to The Book Forest.

09.01.2022 CHRISTMAS SHOPPING HOURS! Monday to Thursday (Christmas Eve) 10-2. If you want to pop in but can't make those times let us know! We like to help out.

09.01.2022 Remember, pop in tomorrow for your nature/climate change/inspiration book and we'll pick one Book Forester from the day for a *family pass to see the new documentary "I am Greta" at Avoca Beach Theatre. Nature. Wonder. *family pass provided by Avoca Beach Theatre

09.01.2022 This looks like an awesome journey. Kerrie's an experienced facilitator with a deep connection to the natural world, and a lot of knowledge. We've known her for a number of years and recommend her work. In this time, especially, it's great to connect with others and feed that spirit that is way 'beyond a new normal'.

07.01.2022 Saturday, the old picking up of orders, of browsing, of saying hi. It's an old tradition, in the short long-term of these covidean times. But it's a good one. We get to turn on the lights. We get to put up actual new displays. We get to say hi. Actual, non-virtual hi. And we get to talk books and life. Ah, forest days.... 10-1 this Saturday.

07.01.2022 There is a hand holding my heart. Beat on, beat on. Today I learn of the death of one of my favourite nature writers. That is, an honoured guide into connection. Barry Lopez was defined by grace, by deep respect and, in more recent times, by righteous anger. It is a warm day, yet my body shakes. Vale Barry Lopez. You have been a light to the world.... As I write this, a chorus of Kookaburra erupts In the henhouse, a chick has just hatched, black, white and cream. Jurnee https://www.oregonlive.com//barry-lopez-award-winning-and- See more

07.01.2022 MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Thankyou so much to everyone who've made The Book Forest part of their world this year - from reading to each other, playing music, typing, chatting, choosing books and supporting women in Nepal with every felt faery, animal and faery home. Thanks, too, for the support through the fires and for all the donations we took down to the Quaama emergency and recovery shelter. ... The wombats have now dug new tunnels and are getting on with curious wombat business. The Wombat Protection Society are raising money through their book Fire Wombat if you want to help out that way. We have new workshops and creative plans for 2021 so keep an eye out! We're closing at 2 today to go and prepare reindeer landing areas and all the occupational health and magical safety that goes with it. Cheers and a happy new year. tbf

07.01.2022 EVENT! The folk at Orion Magazine have organised their new book of essays. These are seriously worth celebrating. The launch of The Most Radical Thing You Can Do is a live online event, 2pm Thursday our time. Two of literature's most grounded and passionate thinkers will be discussing the political essays in the book in the light of the US election. Rebecca Solnit currently writes for the Guardian, but her deeper essays can be found at Orion. She's wise. She's been campaigni...ng for land and communities for decades, and sees the long picture. Terry Tempest Williams is a fierce protector of the Utah Wilderness, and like other nature writers, fights for an ethical and ecological stance toward life. Ask us sometime about her essay, Redemption. So this is a book launch of political essays with an ecological and social moral compass. It won't be available in Australia, so this online event will be a magic way to jump into the heart of the collection and experience it. (We'll see if we can get together links to all the essays for those who are interested) It will be live from Point Reyes Bookshop in California - a bookshop that shares our vision of community, nature, and creativity. Here's the link to the event (to get yourself a virtual chair in the audience) https://www.ptreyesbooks.com//orion-magazine-presents-rebe tbf

06.01.2022 Doubles! A horsey picture book from Alison Lester - Running with the Horses - a timeless historic story of escaping war and danger in a journey to safety and family. This is not a young child's picture book, there is a lot of story in here - simply told, though, with eloquence and, of course, Alison Lester's distinctive art carries the story. And Horse Crazy! We used to read a lot of horse chapter books, noticeably Pony Pals. (thumbs up). But then came the Horse Crazy serie...s by a writer and illustrator with a distinctive eye on Australia and our young horse culture. Suddenly, nothing else came close. We had to buy them one at a time then, hanging out for the next one - but here they are all together! ) And it's where I learnt the cool Aussie term, double dinking - two friends on one horse. It's a great read-to share book, or an early solo reader. The recommended retail for the combo would be $34. But we've double dinked it for $30. Just because. Warning: may develop a love of horses, or make an existing one more vocal

03.01.2022 A Kim Gamble collection. Big hearted, amazing artist Kim Gamble who left us in 2016. Who knows where he is now? In a Himalayan village visiting Tashi's family? Playing with dragons? Wherever it is, it's bound to be colourful and full of joy, which is exactly the legacy he left us and generations with. So here's three, from picture book to chapter book. ... The Last Circus is one big showcase of his art, with a beautiful story by Colin Thompson. When the old circus slowly closes down around them, and finally ends, aging and lonely Oscar the Clown goes in search of his best friend Rosie the elephant. Then it's Tashi. Famous, reliable, clever Tashi, by Anne and Barbara Feinberg. This edition is the first seven Tashi books. What's particularly awesome is that they do so well as a read-aloud story. The magic just carries right off the pages. But they are also simple enough, with Kim's evocative drawings, to practice reading alone. Cat Whittle's Trouble at Home is a chapter book proper, where they might have the confidence to sit and read alone. "Ages and ages ago - about two weeks since next Thursday - a giant green dragon stole my baby brother, Godrey. Well, okay, the giant green dragon actually stole the whole house... I saw it all happen." The only clues are potato chips and sarsaparilla drink. Can Georgia sole the mystery of the missing family home? There you go. Reading programme sorted.

03.01.2022 It's the TWILIGHT MARKETS!! We're closed from 1:15 - 3:45, but rhen we're open all the way to 8pm. Wishing you a very faery (and literary) Christmas.... Hope to see you! tbf

02.01.2022 Our prediction was right! Dana McNulty wins the 2020 Wainwright Nature Writing Prize with Diary of a Young Naturalist. And on RUOK day, it's worth mentioning something from this 16 year old's acceptance speech: "... when young autistic people are nurtured and accepted, miraculous things can happen..."... People on the autistic spectrum are 9-10 times as likely to commit suicide as the general population. In these simple words of his, Dana is telling us that to simply listen to people, without prejudice, is a first step away from such statistics. Acceptance is the next step and, importantly, not just away from mental health problems, but towards miracles. That's worth repeating: people need to be listened to, and accepted, to have the chance to walk toward miracles. And one of the best paths (and destinations) is nature. So, sure, ask if someone is okay. But also ask: "Have you been for a walk in nature today?" Dana McNulty has. And he's done the next thing that miracles inspire: he's shared the joy.

02.01.2022 Awwww,. Reading books together is a wonderful way to share the love.

02.01.2022 Today's reading! Dr Suess like you've never read it before. (It's too good not to play it - at least twice.)

01.01.2022 To celebrate Wednesday for a Wild Planet we're giving away a family pass to the new documentary "I am Greta" showing this week and weekend at the Avoca Beach Picture Theatre. So, this Wednesday, everyone who buys a book from our Caring for Planet section - which is big, like our world, like our stories - goes in for the prize drawn at the end of the day. You might choose Greta's "No One is Too Small to make a difference", or the memoir of her family. You might dive into the N...ature Writing section where another Aspergers teenager won the Wainwright Prize for Diary of a Young Naturalist. His is a similar journey. You might be oohed by the seriously amazing artwork of our large format nature books for kids and big-kid-I-still-love-nature-so-I'm-getting-it-okay-I'll-share-it. Or the astonishing and real solution for the world of regenerative agriculture with Call of the Reed Warbler (you might have seen it on Australian Story). Maybe eco-fiction? Or something from our new section, Hope? Do we like nature, wonder, creativity? Yes, we do. (If you can't make it in but want to see the movie, Avoca Beach - what an amazing cinema! - are showing the film on Thursday at 4:30, Sunday at 7pm, and Monday at 1:30. We might see you there!) tbf