Teddy One-Eye: The Autobiography of a Teddy Bear, by Gavin Bishop (Random House NZ Children’s, RRP $35): Award-winning writer and illustrator Gavin Bishop has produced what is likely to become a well-loved classic in the adorable Teddy One-Eye, The Autobiography of a Teddy Bear. Our hero, Teddy One-Eye has had a rough life, being dragged...
Alex, by Pierre Lamaitre (MacLehose, RRP $38): If you are in any way squeamish, you might just struggle to get past the first few pages of this gruesome but compelling thriller by French author Pierre Lamaitre. However, it’s worth the effort and if you make it past those first awful moments, you’ll be rewarded...
How to go Boating and Where: The Complete Kiwi Guide, by Mike Rendle (Bateman, RRP $30): This chunky little hardback represents real value for money and is perfect for everyone who wants to begin their own boating career or who wants to add to their knowledge. Written in the same style as his previous...
Unearthed, by Steve Hodgkinson (Orb Publishing, RRP $33): This is a New Zealand environmental thriller with a message or two. Set in the Waikato, Sam Miro is a young, highly regarded researcher working on environment monitoring. When some of his study farms start to show odd results, further investigation uncovers sinister forces at work. Someone has...
Gallipoli, by Peter FitzSimons (Random House, RRP $57) Sydney Morning Herald journalist Peter FitzSimons takes readers into the heart of the chaotic and devastating Gallipoli campaign in this insightful and comprehensive book. On 25 April 1915, Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in present-day Turkey to secure the sea route between Britain and...
Our New Zealand, by Sarah Ell and Nicola Legat (Random House NZ, RRP $50): It’s getting to that time of the year when you are perhaps thinking about Christmas gifts for family and friends overseas, and you’d be hard pressed to find something that represents better value that this book. Published last year but...
Anyone attending Anzac Day services will be left in no doubt that there is growing interest among younger Kiwis in our military history. Each year, it seems there are more and more families at these services and there is a new-found appreciation for the sacrifices made by so many all those years ago. Two...
Sell, by Hazel Phillips (Penguin, RRP $45): Advertising plays a big role in our memories of growing up and this book looks at how New Zealand’s advertising industry has grown up with us. Subtitled “tall tales from the legends of New Zealand advertising”, this is a look back at the history of advertising in...
A Short History of New Zealand, by Gordon McLauchlan (Bateman, RRP $30): Being a relatively young nation, our history is naturally a tad shorter that that of some of the other countries on this planet but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a story worth telling. In this new edition of the best-selling Short History...
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