How I Love Gib

Guys, you will never believe what happened! I got gib in my lounge. Do you know what it took? Spending five hours at Afterhours on Matariki with my son.

In true fashion for my eldest son, he got sick (and super sick) over the long weekend. Last Easter, he got Scarlet Fever. What child in the 2020s gets Scarlet Fever?! This Matariki weekend, the doctors are still not entirely sure what happened, but the good news is the antibiotics are doing their thing!

So when I got back from Afterhours on Friday after being there all day, my husband had started putting the gib up. It is glorious, and we had forgotten what it was like to not have frames and to have a fully enclosed room. He tells me he is going to plaster it soon, and I am hopeful it will be done.

In the meantime, I have been busy choosing paint colours. I’m currently leaning towards a dark burgundy/red wine colour. Is he sceptical? Yes. But will he go with it? Also yes. Ah, the joy of having a golden retriever husband.

Booksellers Conference 2026

Late last week, I travelled up to Auckland to attend the Booksellers Conference, where booksellers from all over the country come together to rub elbows, talk about the industry, share successes, and work together on challenges. It is always a great time to get together with your peers and get inspired about your own business.

There are very few times as a business owner when you actually get to work on your business instead of in your business. I love coming together to discuss business because you can always learn something new, share in each other’s successes, and walk away inspired to try new things.

At the end of the second day of conference, we had the annual Booksellers Awards night, where everyone comes together to celebrate the success of those in the industry (with an open bar, naturally).

Last year, my husband couldn’t come with me as he was on Dad duty, so my own Dad came along to the awards instead. This year, when he learnt that Mr George would be joining me, he went ahead and purchased his own ticket so he could come too.

And well, a good thing he did, because I ended up winning an award.

Sitting there like a deer in headlights when my name was announced and my photo appeared on the big screen, I was very gently nudged to get my ass up there. Shaking like a leaf, I had to work my way from the back of the room while trying not to stumble, because I had heels on for what felt like the first time in forever.

In true Anastasia fashion, my acceptance speech started with the words: “Well, shit.”

I definitely blacked out a bit, but I recall mentioning my bird feeders and being much too young to start a bird-watching hobby, dropping a few “shit”s and then a “fuck” because I said the word shit.

I was assured by my husband, who recorded the whole thing, that I thanked all the right people and even made my Dad cry when I thanked him for all his support.

Most importantly though, I have all of you to thank.

All of you who have purchased books from us, those who have been here from the start, and those who are just finding us now. It is because of all of you, your continued support, your kind words, and your love of books that I get to experience moments like this.

So, getting a little mushy – thank you all so much.

I couldn’t be doing my dream job without all of you: living and breathing books, making an utter fool of myself on camera, and generally teaching this industry just how much we all love beautiful books.

I am so excited to share this with you, from the bottom of this black cat’s heart, who doesn’t quite know what to do when nice things are said about her...

🏆 She Bloody Did It! | Newsletter Highjack

We’re hijacking the newsletter for a minute because there is absolutely no chance Anastasia would write this herself.

While Anastasia has shared her side of the story, we wanted to take a moment to say what she probably won’t – just how special it is to see her recognised as the Titlepage Bookselling Trailblazer at the Book Industry Awards.

If you’ve been around The Grimoire for a while, you’ll know this has never just been about selling books. From day dot, Anastasia has wanted to bring the magic of special and limited editions to New Zealand readers – creating a place where people can find beautiful editions of the books, authors, and worlds they love.

She wanted to bring to life a space where readers could celebrate the stories they escape into, collect special editions of the books they love, and connect with the authors and worlds behind those stories. A space that celebrates the genres so many women love and recognises that these stories deserve to be celebrated.

She has poured everything into building this community. The ideas, the late nights, the publisher conversations, the events, the endless behind-the-scenes work... all because she believes these books and the people who love them deserve to be celebrated.

Seeing that recognised was pretty bloody special.

And to our incredible community – thank you. You are the reason this exists. You’ve backed the dream, shared the excitement, and helped turn The Grimoire into something far bigger than just a bookstore.

Congratulations, Anastasia. We know you’re going to squirm a little reading this, but we couldn’t let the moment pass without saying it.

You can read about the award here and here!

Your Creative A Team, Matthew and Sarah ♥

The Secret is Out | Threshing Day

Threshing Day will bring us 13 new stories featuring our favourite characters and their dragons, giving us even more time in the Empyrean world while we wait for Book 4. The title has already sent the fandom into full theory mode, with many wondering if we’ll be getting 13 different threshing POV stories or threshing stories and more… but we’ll have to wait and see what Rebecca has in store for us.

If you're adding Threshing Day to your shelves, we've got both the US Wing & Claw Edition and the ANZ Deluxe First Edition available for pre-order. Even better, both editions include 16 stunning full-colour illustrations by Joe Requeza, making these editions even more special for Empyrean collectors.

Behind the Pages | Bookish Updates

ACOTAR 6
ACOTAR 6 is coming 27 October and yes, we’re counting down. To celebrate, anyone who pre-orders the paperback or hardback edition through The Grimoire will go into the draw to win an exclusive prize pack — with a separate prize pack for each format. More details coming soon (and trust us, you’ll want to keep an eye out).

Come See us at Armageddon, Auckland!
We’re also ridiculously excited to be heading to Armageddon Auckland, 24–26 October! We’ve been working behind the scenes on what might be our best stall yet, packed with special editions, surprises, and plenty of bookish goodness. Plus, we’ll be hosting authors throughout the expo for meet-and-greets and signings, with an epic NZ author panel happening across the weekend too. 

Releases Coming in Hot This August!

Thank You Grim Fam!

Thank you for spending a little time with us in our corner of the book world.

Whether you've discovered your next favourite read, added a special edition to your shelves, or simply enjoyed keeping up with all things Grimoire, we're so glad you're here.

Until next month - read widely, treasure your books, and never lose the excitement of turning the first page.

Anastasia
Book Nerd & Founder of The Grimoire