The Catch, by Michael Field (Awa Press $40): The tagline on this book is “How fishing companies reinvented slavery and plunder the oceans”, and that’s exactly what it’s about. Michael Field has done an outstanding job outlining the disgraceful state…
Author: Mark Hotton
Recipes to set the tastebuds tingling
A Bit of What You Fancy, by Jo Seagar (Random House, RRP $55): Jo Seagar has done a good job of finding 130 recipes that help inspire tasty dishes. You do not have to flick far to find recipes –…
Gangland killings a shock
The Bassett Road Machine-Gun Murders, by Scott Bainbridge ($37 Allen & Unwin): This book was published to mark the 50th anniversary of a shocking crime that drew a line in New Zealand’s criminal history and heralded a more sinister era.…
Imagination fills gaps in story of James Cook
The Secret Life of James Cook, by Graeme Lay (HarperCollins, RRP $37): The premise for The Secret Life of James Cook sounds a bit naff. A fictionalised account of the famous navigator’s early life up to his first circumnavigation, based…
Stein’s life story worth a read
Under a Mackerel Sky, by Rick Stein (Random House, RRP$40): He is revered around the world for his love of food and those who produce it, for his passion for seafood and, of course, his late dog Chalkie. But Rick…
Author follows path laid out by Khan
On the Trail of Genghis Khan, by Tim Cope (Allen & Unwin, RRP $37): I’m done some travelling over the years but it’s fair to say that Mongolia wasn’t high on the list of destinations. Not for any particular reason,…
‘Bluebells’ takes the cake
Bluebells Cakery, by Karla Goodwin (Random House, RRP $50): You have probably looked at the covers of dozens of cookbooks and thought “I could never make that”. Looking at the cover of Bluebells Cakery, at a six-tier pastel-coloured cake, decorated…
Fascinating tale of underdog making good
The Crossroad – A story of life, death and the SAS By Mark Donaldson, VC (Pan Macmillan Australia, RRP $40) Winning the Victoria Cross requires actions beyond what most normal men or women would ever consider undertaking. There was nothing…
Ordinary Kiwis tell our country’s story
Changing Times: New Zealand Since 1945, by Jenny Carlyon and Diana Morrow (Auckland University Press $45): Much has been written about New Zealand’s attempts to find its place in the world as a fledgling nation and the role of rugby…
Perfect blend of classic and modern
The Kill List, by Frederick Forsyth (Random House, RRP $38): It’s hard to know exactly how much of The Kill List is based on fact. The worrying part is that it could all be based on actual events, because of…