Julie & Julia, by Julie Powell (Penguin, RRP $28): Julie Powell wasn’t happy with her life. Living in a pokey New York apartment and simply getting on with the daily grind, the author felt like life was passing her by. Now, it’s probably safe to say many of us have felt like this at...
Let’s Cook: Tasty recipes from Wattie’s Project Cook (Penguin, RRP $30): This is the perfect book if you’ve got any budding cooks in your house. Let’s Cook features more than 70 recipes written for young cooks (or even grown-ups who are a bit cooking challenged). All the recipes have simple instructions and are well illustrated,...
Fast & Fun Family Food, by Alison Holst (Penguin, RRP $35): Alison Holst wrote her first best-selling cookbook the same year I was born so it’s safe to say I’ve grown up with her recipes. Her latest book is a collection of recipes that have been “family-tested” by her own family, with her children...
Witch & Wizard, by James Patterson with Gabrielle Charbonnet (Random House, RRP $36.99): James Patterson must be the most prolific writer out there, this time coming up with Witch & Wizard, a fantasy novel for younger readers. This, like so many books, is the story of a dystopian future. Not surprisingly, given the book’s...
1001 Best Things to See and Do in NZ, by Peter Janssen (Hodder Moa, RRP $39.99): Here’s a great book for Kiwis and non-Kiwis alike: if you’re planning a trip anywhere in New Zealand, this book is a must-have. Now in its second edition, 1001 Best Things to See and Do in New Zealand...
Plastic Spoons, by Steve Grounds (Life-Choice Publishing): Most of us dream about what we might do if we suddenly found ourselves wealthy: what we’d do with a big Lotto win or other unexpected windfall, how we’d live our lives if we had millions of dollars in the bank. For some Kiwis, that isn’t a dream,...
Out at Night, by Susan Arnout Smith (HarperCollins, RRP $34.99): This is the second book in the Grace Descanso series. Unlike so many other sequels, instead of taking place a comfortable month or two down the track, this one opens the very day after the last book (the compellingly nasty The Timer Game) finished....
Complicit, by Nicci French (Michael Joseph, RRP $37): Now here’s what I like to see: a psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat in anticipation. Nicci French is actually the pseudonym of Brit husband-and-wife thriller-writing team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French and I have to say, I suspect theirs is...
Smile, by Mark Lynch (Exisle Publishing, RRP $24.99): There’s always time in life for a bit of a giggle and cartoonist Mark Lynch has a knack for creating delightfully silly cartoons to tickle the funny bone. Lynch was the former editorial cartoonist for the Australian but his cartoon talents don’t end there. In fact,...
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