Your Custom Text Here
For the second consecutive Pride Month, we are inviting LGBTQIA+ folks and allies to share space and queer titles with each other at our beautiful bookstore after hours. Perfect for booklovers, introverts and/or neurodiverse folk, and anyone who might be seeking a more low-key way to finish off the euphoric frenzy that is Auckland Pride.
Dark comedy, chilling encounters and blazing hellfires. Come and enjoy some poetry and novel excerpts from five writers from the 2024–2025 cohort of the University of Auckland's Master of Creative Writing.
Real Journeys is a poetry reading (with music) to celebrate Mark Laurent's recently published anthology “Real Journeys”. As Mark is a professional musician there'll be a few songs as well, and Brenda Liddiard will be joining in with some nice mandolin.
It's almost clearance sale time - now with added coffee! We'll have a barista in-store for sale day only to make you delicious hot drinks while you're browsing for bargains! What a deal!
~1,500 clearance books - all $5 each or five for $15.
Plus 10,000 other second-hand books on the shelves at their normal reasonable prices.
So many cheap books! Plus snacks and sparkling counter repartée.
October 11th is also Bookshop Day, so make sure to collect a stamp from us on your Auckland Bookshop Tour map! You only need to visit two participating bookshops to be in to win one of the big prizes!
When: Saturday 11 October 2025 from 10am
Where: The Open Book, 201 Ponsonby Road, Tāmaki Makaurau
Visit the bookshops of Auckland between the 3rd and 11th of October for your chance to win $350 in bookshop tokens! (2 prizes to be won),
Visit at least two stores and collect a stamp with your purchase at each store (no minimum spend). Every additional stamp gives you another entry into our grand prize draw.
Leave your collected stamps with the last store you visit on Aotearoa NZ Bookshop Day.
Bookshop Day started in Aotearoa 10 years ago, in 2015, and is run by the Booksellers Association of New Zealand to encourage book lovers, like you, to celebrate your local bookshop.
Come and celebrate the milestone of Starling’s 10th birthday and twentieth issue!
Alongside readings from Starling authors past and present, join us for drinks and nibbles and the opportunity to chat with some of the incredible Starling contributors and editors ⭐️
Free entry!
When: Sunday 21 September, 3pm
Where: The Open Book, 201 Ponsonby Road, Tāmaki Makaurau
✨📚 Ain’t no party like a Reading Party!📚✨
Come along and get cosy at our beautiful bookstore after hours! We’ll provide endless tea, biscuits, comfy seating, and gentle atmospheric music so you can get into the reading groove. You’ll also have exclusive access to browse and buy from our shelves, as well as first dibs on our newest arrivals.
The bookstore will be open to ticket holders from 5.30pm to 8pm on Thursday 4th September. Come along any time during the reading party - late entrance is not a problem!
Where: The Open Book, 201 Ponsonby Road
When: Thursday 4th September, 5.30–8pm
Bookings are essential because spaces are limited!
Come along to hear author Lindsey Dawson talk about an old Auckland murder and its long aftermath – the true story that sparked her latest book, Poisoning on Parker Road. Enjoy a riveting tale and refreshments at 3pm, Sunday August 31.
Come and celebrate Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day in our cozy bookstore! Drop in and try your hand at creating black out poetry using old books any time between 10am and 5pm from Friday 22nd August through to Sunday 24th August. This year with the opportunity to be included in a zine!
Join us to celebrate the launch of ex-shopgirl Sophie van Waardenberg’s debut poetry collection, ‘NO GOOD’. All welcome! There will be snacks and drinks and lively chatter, with a line up of Zephyr Zhang and Amy Marguerite, and of course Sophie herself.
Who loves a book sale? You love a book sale, as do we! Get excited because our Winter book clearance sale is almost upon us! 📚📚📚
~1,500 clearance books - all $5 each or five for $15.
Plus 10,000 other second-hand books on the shelves at their normal reasonable prices.
So many cheap books! Plus snacks and sparkling counter repartée.
Come and hear the the Auckland Street Choir singing in our beautiful front room! The Auckland Street Choir is a community choir of people from diverse backgrounds. The choir has an open door policy, and particularly welcomes homeless and marginalised people who make up many of its members. Since 2015, the Choir has been having a lot of fun singing waiata, soul, reggae and pop songs.
Starts at 3pm, and as usual, there will be free drinks and nibbles! 🍷
Come along and get cosy at our beautiful bookstore after hours! We’ll provide endless tea, biscuits, comfy seating, and gentle atmospheric music so you can get into the reading groove. You’ll also have exclusive access to browse and buy from our shelves, as well as first dibs on our newest arrivals.
The bookstore will be open to ticket holders from 5pm to 8pm on Thursday 12th June. Come along any time during the reading party - late entrance is not a problem!
If you booked a ticket for the May reading party which was postponed, your ticket is valid for this event and you don’t need to book a new one.
Tickets are available from our website
This month in our ongoing literary cultural extravaganza, poetry and music with:
* Craig Foltz
* Alison Glenny
* Richard von Sturmer
* Robert Sly (piano)
Art, snacks, 10,000 secondhand books, and maybe even a glass of wine. What is not to love.
Sunday, May 11, 3pm
~1,500 clearance books - all $5 each or five for $15
Plus 10,000 other second-hand books on the shelves at their normal reasonable prices
So many cheap books! Plus snacks and sparkling counter repartée.
Saturday 26 April 2025 from 10am
Join us for an afternoon celebrating the release of Mahjong: House Rules from Across the Asian Diaspora by Nicole Wong on the 13th of April at 3pm! Nicole will read an excerpt of the book, followed by a Q&A and additional discussion. The book talk will be followed by mahjong open play, facilitated by Auckland’s Lucky Tiles Social, where you can sit down to play for yourselves!
Starling are thrilled to be launching their latest collection of young poets’ work at The Open Book! We'll be celebrating the new issue with readings from several of its authors – come along and join us in hearing new work from young Aotearoa authors, and have a browse of the Open Book shelves while you're at it.
Come along and get cosy at our beautiful bookstore after hours! We’ll provide endless tea, biscuits, comfy seating, and gentle atmospheric music so you can get into the reading groove. You’ll also have exclusive access to browse and buy from our shelves, as well as first dibs on our newest arrivals.
The Open Book welcomes you to get cozy in our second-hand bookshop after hours for Auckland Pride 2025! Meet some new people, find some new queer book titles, and enjoy sharing the space where the book community and the rainbow community intersect! 🌈
~1,500 clearance books - all $5 each or five for $15
Plus 10,000 other second-hand books on the shelves at their normal reasonable prices
So many cheap books! Plus snacks and sparkling counter repartée.
Saturday 25 January 2025 from 10am
Mingle with the cool kids at the 2024 edition of The Open Book Christmas Party. BBQ, readings by artists who have graced our stage this year, happiness, conversation, sunshine. Maybe a singalong. Maybe Santa. Maybe not Santa.
Come join us at The Open Book, where Lois Cox and Hilary Lapsley, writing as Jennifer Palgrave, will read from their latest crime novel, 'Where the River Goes'. Free entry, with drinks and snacks provided. Sunday 24 November, 3pm.
~1,500 clearance books - all $5 each or five for $15
Plus 10,000 other second-hand books on the shelves at their normal reasonable prices
So many cheap books! Plus snacks and sparkling counter repartée.
Saturday 2 November 2024 from 10am
Come along and get cosy at our beautiful bookstore after hours! We’ll provide endless tea, biscuits, comfy seating, and gentle atmospheric music so you can get into the reading groove. You’ll also have exclusive access to browse and buy from our shelves, as well as first dibs on our newest arrivals.
The bookstore will be open to ticket holders from 5pm to 8pm on Thursday 17th October. Come along any time during the reading party - late entrance is not a problem!
Where: The Open Book, 201 Ponsonby Road
When: Thursday 17 October 5–8pm
Tickets available from our website
Bookings are essential because spaces are limited!
26 Words respond to 26 Words from Page 26
26 Words New Zealand is a group of writers who write and respond to prompts using a tight format of, but not restricted to, 26 words, 260 words, or a Centana (100 word poem) - in this case 26 words from page 26 of a book selected by The Open Book.
This event will be a reading of the work resulting from this 26;26;26 exercise, and is a part of The Open Book’s on-going Ears Wide Open series, bringing poetry, music and local voices to the Ponsonby community, at no cost to you!
All are welcome! And, as usual, wine and snacks will be provided.
To learn more about 26 Words New Zealand, visit their UK’s counterpart website here: https://www.26.org.uk/
This October celebrate NZ Bookshop Day with us in the best way possible, by bookshop hopping! We've teamed up with 10 other bookstores in Auckland to create this fun Bookshop Tour for all you wonderful readers to explore.
You have 9 days - from Friday 4th October to Sunday 13th October - to visit as many of the participating bookshops as you can. Visit at least two participating bookshops (listed below) and collect a stamp on the map from each store to enter - no minimum spend necessary. Every additional stamp is an additional entry into the grand prize draw where 2 prizes of $300 book tokens are up for grabs!
Pick up and drop off your map at any of the stores below from Oct 4th:
- The Open Book - that's us! (Ponsonby)
- The Women's Bookshop (Ponsonby)
- Dorothy Butler Children's Bookshop (Ponsonby)
- Dear Reader (Grey Lynn)
- Unity Books Auckland (CBD)
- Time Out Bookstore (Mt Eden)
- Lamplight Books (Parnell)
- Onehunga Books & Stationery (Onehunga)
- Poppies (Howick)
- Paradox Books (Devonport)
- The Booklover Bookshop (Milford)
The Open Book is thrilled to welcome back Starling for the Issue 18 Tāmaki launch party at 3pm on Sunday 1 September!
We'll be celebrating the new issue with readings from several of its authors – come along and join us in hearing new work from young Aotearoa authors, and have a browse of the Open Book shelves while you're at it. We look forward to seeing you there!
Celebrate Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day at The Open Book! Come and try your hand at blackout poetry - we’ll provide the materials and instructions, all you need to bring is enthusiasm and creativity!
Quarterly clearance sale number 26, coming right up!
~1,500 clearance books - all $5 each or five for $15
Plus 10,000 other second-hand books at their normal reasonable prices
So many cheap books! Plus snacks and sparkling counter repartée.
Wander the rooms and worlds of The Open Book to the sweet sounds of Baroquers. Fiddling sisters Dr Kirsten Locke and Rachel Dasler, along with our regular Christmas carols host 'harpsichordist' Amy Mansfield and cellist Kate Saunders, accompany you by means of baroque sonatas and suites by Albinoni. Your music-filled browsing will be followed by readings and some mid-winter conviviality.
👂 This event is a part of our on-going Ears Wide Open series, bringing poetry, music and local voices to the Ponsonby community.
Well-known poetry maverick David Merritt is back in town this May! He'll be installed in our garage for three days creating poetry and making books out of reclaimed material for the masses and for you. The experience will wrap up on Sunday with a poetry reading at 3pm. Pop by to say hello and grab a unique book for yourself.
