My impression of Sir Laurence Olivier is a sort of vague one of him playing Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, or declaiming Shakespeare effortlessly. Either that or I associate him with Vivien Leigh, to whom he was married for several years.…
Category: People
Painful breakups all round after infidelities
Out of the Rough, by Steve Williams (Penguin, RRP $40): Steve Williams has something of an unusual claim to fame, being famous both here in New Zealand and abroad for being the man behind the champ. Sort of the power…
Dawkins opens up on fascinating life
An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist, by Richard Dawkins (Bantam Press, RRP $40): I’m no science geek, in fact I happily admit to still being quite impressed by the magical ability of my fridge to spit out…
Fairy-tale life that turned sad
Empty Mansions, by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr (Atlantic Books, RRP $40): It’s human nature that we have a fascination with the lives of the rich and famous, but sometimes the lives of the incredibly wealthy are also…
Laver a tennis great
Rod Laver: A Memoir, by Larry Writer with Rod Laver (Pan Macmillan Australia): Who would dare question tennis icon Roger Federer’s assessment of the greatest players of the sport in his time? Federer’s plumping for Laver as “the greatest champion our…
Inspiration top of ill teacher’s list
The Priority List, by David Menasche (Allen & Unwin, RRP $35): The word “inspirational” is often bandied about when it comes to biographies of the famous and wealthy, but this story of a teacher who simply wanted to carry on…
There’s so much to like about Billy
Still Foolin ‘Em, by Billy Crystal (Macmillan, RRP $40): Billy Crystal is one of those actors that everyone knows of. His career is wide-ranging and various, and it feels like he’s done a little bit of everything. Still Foolin ‘Em…
Compelling case for the defence
Who Killed Scott Guy? The case that gripped a nation, by Mike White (Allen & Unwin, RRP $37): It’s an interesting title because while journalist Mike White doesn’t offer any facts or opinions about who did kill Scott Guy, he presents…
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…
Astronaut’s exploits are out of this world
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, by Chris Hadfield (Macmillan, RRP $37): Chris Hadfield is without doubt the world’s most well- known astronaut since the hey-day of the Moon landings and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. He is the…