Ken Ring’s New Zealand Weather Almanac 2013, by Ken Ring (Random House NZ, RRP $50): The weather is one of those things we all talk about: we care if it’s good, we are even more interested if it’s bad. Anglers,…
Category: Advice, guides & self-help
Why we say what we say
Preposterous Proverbs: Why Fine Words Butter No Parsnips, by Max Cryer (Exisle Publishing, RRP $30): If you have a wordy person in your life, they will love this book. We all know a few proverbs and while some are fairly…
Helpful but not a hug-fest
The 1000 Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask Yourself, by Alyss Thomas (Exisle Publishing, RRP $30): I’m no great fan of self-help books and anyone who knows me will understand why it is my sister who is the social…
Kiwi lingo in one book
Oxford Dictionary of New Zealandisms, by Tony Deverson (Oxford University Press, RRP $39.99): If you’ve ever had to explain one of those special Kiwi terms to someone online, or to a visitor from overseas, this might be the perfect book…
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…
Useful stuff from another generation
Tips from your Grandad, by Robyn Paterson (Longacre, RRP $36.99): Have you ever noticed how that whole “older and wiser” is more often than not true? I was the youngest of a large family so by the time I arrived…
Practical guides in plain English
Make Your Database Your Goldmine and 101 Quick Tips: Effective Communication, both by Debbie Mayo-Smith (Penguin, RRP $40 and $25.95 respectively): Debbie Mayo-Smith has written a lot of books on a lot of topics but all of them are aimed…
A pleasant surprise
Rework, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (Random House, $34.99): I wasn’t quite sure was I was getting into when I picked up this book. It had a picture of a screwed up piece of paper on the cover,…
Questions You’re Not Supposed to Ask
Questions You’re Not Supposed to Ask, by Tony Williams (New Holland Publishers, RRP $24.99): Tony Williams is a bloke who likes to entertain, in person, on film or in print. He’s produced some excellent books in his literary career and…
Wordy help at hand
Your Joking, by Mary Mountier (Grantham House Publishing, RRP $19.99): Did you spot the error in the title? If not, the tagline beneath the heading on the book’s cover might give you a hint: “including how to know the difference…