Archive for September, 2011

Honouring our soldiers in verse

September 30, 2011
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Honouring our soldiers in verse

Cassino: City of Martyrs/Citta Martire, by Robert Sullivan (Huia, RRP $30): Poet Robert Sullivan has produced a collection of poetry that pays tribute to those who fought and died in Italy during World War II. The pages of this book relay his thoughts as he travels through the cities in Italy that his grandfather...

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Chilling narrative of tragic family dysfunction

September 25, 2011
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Chilling narrative of tragic family dysfunction

Breaking Silence: Macsyna King and the Kahui Twins, by Ian Wishart (Howling at the Moon, RRP $40): It is an astonishing fact of modern media that a Facebook site set up by a guy opposing Double Down burgers one month could, the next, persuade 50,000 Kiwis to urge the banning, unread, of a soon-to-be-published...

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Something for everyone

September 23, 2011
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Something for everyone

Worst Case, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (Century, RRP $38.99): I’m always a little stunned by just how prolific author James Patterson is. Sure, he collaborates on a lot of his books but he still churns out an impressive number of novels that are impressively well- written. This one is the third in...

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A fun guide to the Kiwi bloke

September 19, 2011
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A fun guide to the Kiwi bloke

Marc Ellis’ Good Fullas, by Marc Ellis (Headline, RRP $44.99): Love him or hate him, Marc Ellis is the perfect choice to pen a guide to Kiwi blokes, being such a good Kiwi bloke himself. This book is 248 pages of silliness that takes the reader on a guided tour of the Kiwi bloke...

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A ripper of a series

September 15, 2011
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A ripper of a series

Bound, by Vanda Symon (Penguin, RRP $30): This is the fourth book in the Detective Sam Shepherd murder mystery series and I’m pleased to report that they just get better and better. I have read two of the other three (Overkill, the very first book, is still on my “must-track-down-and-read” list) and each time...

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Build your own cooking journal

September 12, 2011
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Build your own cooking journal

Allyson Gofton’s Recipe Journal, by Allyson Gofton (Penguin, RRP $35): We all have our favourite recipes and have collected favourite recipes from family and friends over the years so this book is something I’m sure every home cook would find useful: it’s a collection of more than 40 recipes from the author herself, compiled...

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Good first effort

September 11, 2011
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Good first effort

Soul Murder, by Daniel Blake (HarperCollins, RRP $37): Homicide cops Franco Patrese and Mark Beradino are called to a double murder in a rough neighbourhood and while it initially seems they’ve got the killer things aren’t always as simple as they seem. In a much more wealthy part of town, another body lies charred,...

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Bush’s story, warts and all

September 7, 2011
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Bush’s story, warts and all

Decision Points, by George W Bush (Virgin, RRP $75): I tried to go into reading the autobiography of America’s 43rd president with an open mind. Sure, George W Bush is no rocket scientist but he did serve two terms as the leader of the biggest, baddest nation in the free world and much to...

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