Julie & Julia, by Julie Powell (Penguin, RRP $28): Julie Powell wasn’t happy with her life. Living in a pokey New York apartment and simply getting on with the daily grind, the author felt like life was passing her by.…
Month: January 2010
Good book for budding cooks
Let’s Cook: Tasty recipes from Wattie’s Project Cook (Penguin, RRP $30): This is the perfect book if you’ve got any budding cooks in your house. Let’s Cook features more than 70 recipes written for young cooks (or even grown-ups who are…
Another triumph from Alison Holst
Fast & Fun Family Food, by Alison Holst (Penguin, RRP $35): Alison Holst wrote her first best-selling cookbook the same year I was born so it’s safe to say I’ve grown up with her recipes. Her latest book is a…
Simplistic but still a good read
Witch & Wizard, by James Patterson with Gabrielle Charbonnet (Random House, RRP $36.99): James Patterson must be the most prolific writer out there, this time coming up with Witch & Wizard, a fantasy novel for younger readers. This, like so…
■ REVIEW
1001 Best Things to See and Do in NZ
Here’s a great book for Kiwis and non-Kiwis alike: if you’re planning a trip anywhere in New Zealand, this book is a must-have. Now in its second edition, 1001 Best Things to See and Do in New Zealand is packed…
High-achieving Kiwis tell how they did it
Plastic Spoons, by Steve Grounds (Life-Choice Publishing): Most of us dream about what we might do if we suddenly found ourselves wealthy: what we’d do with a big Lotto win or other unexpected windfall, how we’d live our lives if we…
Gripping sequel
Out at Night, by Susan Arnout Smith (HarperCollins, RRP $34.99): This is the second book in the Grace Descanso series. Unlike so many other sequels, instead of taking place a comfortable month or two down the track, this one opens…
Edge-of-the-seat stuff
Complicit, by Nicci French (Michael Joseph, RRP $37): Now here’s what I like to see: a psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat in anticipation. Nicci French is actually the pseudonym of Brit husband-and-wife thriller-writing team…
Smile lives up to its name
Smile, by Mark Lynch (Exisle Publishing, RRP $24.99): There’s always time in life for a bit of a giggle and cartoonist Mark Lynch has a knack for creating delightfully silly cartoons to tickle the funny bone. Lynch was the former…