February 2015

■ REVIEW: The Night The Rat Stepped Out
Southern connection in highly recommended poetry collection

Christchurch based poet Gary Elford taught at three different schools on the Regent Street site now occupied by Aurora College, Invercargill, for 16 years, so many of you will know him. I thoroughly enjoyed this, his second poetry collection. The poems are evocative of the south. Several days since reading, these are the ones I remember […]

■ REVIEW: The Night The Rat Stepped Out
Southern connection in highly recommended poetry collection Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Chocolate Cake For Breakfast
Bridget Joes with a Kiwi feel … and chocolate

NZ books, Romance

Set in rural New Zealand, Chocolate Cake For Breakfast is an easy read that has a Bridget Jones feel about it. It’s about Helen McNeil, a vet from small-town New Zealand who has a love of cows. While escaping from a dull girl at a party who she did not want to talk to, she

■ REVIEW: Chocolate Cake For Breakfast
Bridget Joes with a Kiwi feel … and chocolate Read Post »

■ REVIEW: The Chronicles of Narmo
Columnist’s early life a fun read

Younger readers

First published by Corgi in 1992 and republished in January 2014, this delightful home-school romp was written by 16-year-old Caitlin Moran who is now an award-winning The Times critic, interviewer and columnist. She has authored two other novels in the intervening years. My favourite part of the book is Moran’s introduction in which she details

■ REVIEW: The Chronicles of Narmo
Columnist’s early life a fun read Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Broken
Excellent teen fiction from NZ author

NZ books, Younger readers

Zara is in a coma, immersed in a subconscious world where she has to come to terms both with the terrible accident that took her brother’s life and a traumatic event from her childhood. The first-person narrative is always Zara’s voice but the varying styles add interest to the story – we go deep inside

■ REVIEW: Broken
Excellent teen fiction from NZ author Read Post »

■ REVIEW: The Winter Sea
Predictable and by the numbers

Romance

I wouldn’t say Di Morrissey is a lazy author but The Winter Sea has a real paint-by-numbers feel to it. An everlasting love, a new love and a family secret roll around together in this plot as the lead character Cassie Holloway, fresh from a divorce, heads to Whitby Point in New South Wales. A

■ REVIEW: The Winter Sea
Predictable and by the numbers Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Explore New Zealand
Must-do list a surefire holiday boredom-buster

NZ books, Places

The school holidays are now all but over, with the young ‘uns heading back to class on Monday, so maybe it’s time to start some pro-active planning for the next break. And with that next break being the biggie for the year – the Christmas holidays – being prepared with some ideas for things to

■ REVIEW: Explore New Zealand
Must-do list a surefire holiday boredom-buster Read Post »

■ REVIEW: The Happiness Trap Pocketbook
Is happiness all that it’s cracked up to be?

Advice, guides & self-help

A few years back, Dr Russ Harris came up with the novel concept of the happiness trap and told us all how to avoid it. This little book is a pretty much the same concept but all compacted and now cutely illustrated to make it all easier to follow. If you missed the buzz around

■ REVIEW: The Happiness Trap Pocketbook
Is happiness all that it’s cracked up to be? Read Post »

■ REVIEW: The Night The Rat Stepped OutSouthern connection in highly recommended poetry collection

■ REVIEW: Chocolate Cake For BreakfastBridget Joes with a Kiwi feel … and chocolate

■ REVIEW: The Chronicles of NarmoColumnist’s early life a fun read

■ REVIEW: BrokenExcellent teen fiction from NZ author

■ REVIEW: The Winter SeaPredictable and by the numbers

■ REVIEW: Explore New ZealandMust-do list a surefire holiday boredom-buster

■ REVIEW: The Happiness Trap PocketbookIs happiness all that it’s cracked up to be?