Wild South, Hunting and Fishing the Southern Hemisphere, by Peter Ryan (Bateman, RRP $40) Written from the heart, this beautifully produced book is a must-have for hunting enthusiasts, both practising and armchair. He doesn’t exactly detail how he’s managed it,…
Month: April 2014
Lynch delivers a fresh approach to happiness
Screw You Dolores, by Sarah-Kate Lynch (Random House NZ, RRP $30): In the first book in her “Wicked Approach to” series, author Sarah-Kate Lynch tackles the tricky subject of happiness. Life can be a bit of a roller-coaster and while…
Maverick a curious mixture
Dead People, by Ewart Hutton (Blue Door, RRP $35): I missed the first book in this new series by Ewart Hutton but will be tracking it down while I await the next in the series. Detective Sergeant Glyn Capaldi is…
Bollard gives fascinating insight to financial crisis
Crisis: One Central Bank Governor and the Global Financial Crisis, by Alan Bollard with Sarah Gaitanos (Auckland University Press, RRP $35): There’s no denying the global economy is in pretty bad shape and the forecasts for where it’s heading go…
Engrossing, dark story of tragedy
A Treacherous Paradise, by Henning Mankell (Harvill Secker, RRP $38): Best known as author of the chilling Kurt Wallander crime novels, Henning Mankell has certainly opted for a change of pace with his latest novel. A Treacherous Paradise is a…
Cute, quirky and a lot of laughs
After Liff, by John Lloyd and Jon Canter (Faber and Faber, RRP $29): Subtitled “the new dictionary of things there should be words for”, this little hard-covered gem picks up where The Meaning of Liff left off back in 1983.…
Cracking thriller a hefty, compelling read
I Am Pilgrim, by Terry Hayes (Bantam Press, RRP $38): Award-winning screenwriter Terry Hayes has made an undoubtedly successful move from writing for the viewer to writing for the reader. Hayes has an impressive track record: he trained as a…
Remembering New Zealand’s ‘Big Norm’
The Mighty Totara: The Life and Times of Norman Kirk, by David Grant (Random House NZ, RRP $45): Norman Kirk was the first politician I was truly aware of as a kid. I remember as a tender wee seven-year-old, seeing…
Good laugh for Top Gear aficionados
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…