The Stig: The Untold Story, by Simon du Beaumarche (Ebury Press, RRP $38): Some say he naturally faces magnetic north and has two sets of knees. He is, of course, The Stig. Forget that frilly wannabe Austin Powers, the true…
Category: People
Through the eyes of torment
Trafficked, by Sophie Hayes (Harper, RRP $25): British girl Sophie Hayes didn’t have a great relationship with her father, or with men in general, mistrusting most of them on sight. However, at the age of 18 she met Kas, just…
Drama, strife and a TV life
A Life in Three Acts, by Tina Grenville (HarperCollins, RRP $40): Apart from all the info telling me what a great book this is, the back cover also tells me that during her career Tina became one of the most…
All things collectable
Kiwi Collectors: Curious and Unusual Kiwi Hobbies, by Matt Elliott (HarperCollins, RRP $37): The things collected by Kiwis are as many and varied as the collectors themselves and this book offers a fascinating glimpse into just a tiny portion of…
Killer’s web of deceit ably described
The Black Widower, by Charles Lavery (Mainstream, RRP $35): It was a case that shocked everyone on both sides of the world: Malcolm Webster was convicted of murdering one wife in Scotland and trying to kill a second wife in…
Fresh insight into gifted Cohen
I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen By Sylvie Simmons (Johnathan Cape, RRP $38): Leonard Cohen is many things to many people: a poet, a prophet, singer, songwriter, author, peacemaker and all-round good bloke. Cohen has been touring the…
Man of Destiny: Bishop’s church-building prowess
Destiny: The Life and Times of a Self-Made Apostle, by Peter Lineham (Penguin, RRP $38): With his taste for sharp suits and powerful motorcycles, Bishop Brian Tamaki has an interestingly polarising effect on the average Kiwi. Let me make it…
A busy year for QEII
Our Queen, by Robert Hardman (Arrow, RRP $30): 2012 was a big year for the Queen. She celebrated her 86th birthday in April and at a time in her life when most of us would be looking forward to a cup…
Probing sensational murder
So Brilliantly Clever, by Peter Graham (AWA Press, RRP $42): For a small nation, New Zealand has had more than its fair share of headline-grabbing murders, but there are few that would rival the 1954 murder of Christchurch woman Honorah…
Inspiring high country battler
High Country Woman: My Life on Rees Valley Station, by Iris Scott with Geraldine O’Sullivan Beere (Random House, RRP $45): The description on the back cover of this book says “New Zealand’s high country farmers are a special breed” and…