Bookmarks: A selection of NZ books

Finding the Path by Kelvin Cruickshank with Margie Thomson (Penguin, RRP $42):

Celebrity psychic medium Kelvin Cruickshank is well known through his work on the television programme Sensing Murder but he also writes books on psychic ability.

In this, his third book, Cruickshank says he wants to help everyone find “peacefulness and pure love of spirit” in their own lives, as he has.

Whether you believe he is a medium or not, the message in this book is one worth noting.

 

 

 

Maori Art: The Photography of Brian Brake, foreword by Witi Ihimaera, introduction by Ngahuia Te Awekotuku (Raupo Publishing, RRP $45):

This collection of photographs, first published in 2003, is quite simply stunning.

Maori artefacts and ornaments are sacred objects that are normally viewed in museums or not seen by the public at all.

However, Brian Brake has managed to capture the beauty of his subjects in perfectly simple but breathtaking snapshots of some amazing pieces of our heritage.

Swimming Upstream by Jennifer Haworth (Wily Publications, RRP $50):

The New Zealand salmon farming industry is a $70 million-a-year business and though it is a relatively new industry, that success took 30 years and a lot of hard work.

This book follows the struggle to take a game fish from our rivers and turn it into a big export earner.

While it might be a little too in-depth in covering the pitfalls, history, and successes of the salmon business for the average Joe Bloggs, it is likely to appeal to anyone involved in the industry.

 

 

Doing Well and Doing Good, by S R H Jones (Otago University Press, RRP $50):

This look at the story of John Ross and Robert Glendining is a fascinating read that is interesting but a little dry.

The two men, both born in Scotland, were among the many Scots to emigrate to seek their fortunes around the world.

They founded Ross and Glendining Ltd in Dunedin in 1862 during the gold rush and at one stage, that company was the country’s largest maker of many popular clothing and knitwear brands.

This book is the story of that success, then the decline and demise of the company.

Blue Water, by Lindsay Wright (HarperCollins, RRP $39):

This collection of true adventure stories has everything from a trip to the Arctic to derelict yachts.

The author completed a journalism cadetship with the Taranaki Herald but chucked it all in to go to sea, initially working as a deckhand on fishing boats before working his way through the ranks to skipper then taking up sailing.

The writing training shines through in this, as does his love of the ocean.

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