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. Now, it’s probably safe to say many of us have felt like this at some stage in our lives. However, Powell’s solution was certainly […]
■ REVIEW: Julie & Julia
Cooking up a change Read Post »
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 a bit cooking challenged). All the recipes have simple instructions and are well illustrated, which is a must if you want to inspire the inexperienced
■ REVIEW: Let's Cook
Good book for budding cooks Read Post »
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 collection of recipes that have been “family-tested” by her own family, with her children and grandchildren trying them out and giving them the thumbs up. The
■ REVIEW: Fast & Fun Family Food
Another triumph from Alison Holst Read Post »
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 many books, is the story of a dystopian future. Not surprisingly, given the book’s title, the book is also about witches and wizards, with the main characters, Whit
■ REVIEW: Witch & Wizard
Simplistic but still a good read Read Post »
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 to the rafters with interesting things you can do from one end of our little
■ REVIEW: 1001 Best Things to See and Do in NZ
National treasures, both big and small Read Post »
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 had millions of dollars in the bank. For some Kiwis, that isn’t a dream, it’s a reality, and that reality is
■ REVIEW: Plastic Spoons
High-achieving Kiwis tell how they did it Read Post »
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 the very day after the last book (the compellingly nasty The Timer Game) finished. After coming to terms with the return of her daughter’s father,
■ REVIEW: Out At Night
Gripping sequel Read Post »
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 Nicci Gerrard and Sean French and I have to say, I suspect theirs is an interesting relationship, with them both having such dark
■ REVIEW: Complicit
Edge-of-the-seat stuff Read Post »
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 editorial cartoonist for the Australian but his cartoon talents don’t end there. In fact, his first love is the cartoon genre known as
■ REVIEW: Smile
Smile lives up to its name Read Post »
