Everyone knows about Virginia: about her stellar reputation as a gynaecologist; about her commitment to her women patients. But does anyone know about the knives? Everyone knows about Faisal too: about his gentle charm and his delight in his family; about his brilliance in the operating theatre. But does anyone know he’s a traitor? And […]
In the world of motorsport, Bruce McLaren did it all: he was a driver, creator, designer, engineer, constructor and even a team owner. On top of all that, when he took top honours in the 1959 United States Grand Prix he became the youngest driver to ever win a Formula 1 race, at the tender
McLaren proved Kiwis can fly Read Post »
This latest little offering in the Stickmen series focuses on that most Kiwi of games that had (most of) the nation glued to the telly at the business end of the Rugby World Cup. For anyone not familiar with the Stickmen books, they really do feature drawings of stickmen. However, they usually come with a
Good value and lots of fun Read Post »
Writing poetry probably is not a common pastime for blokes working on the chain at the meatworks – but Terry Lynch is not most blokes. In an interview in The Press in 1995, the meatworker said he was almost scared to go back to work after coming out as a poet. However, his workmates were
Not your typical poet Read Post »
A stunning collection of photographs of Central Otago from artist Grahame Sydney provides a new perspective on the beautiful and varied landscape of the region. Over the last decade, since shifting to live in the heart Central Otago, Sydney has captured the unique beauty, austerity and seasonal extremes of the region known to the first
Artist’s book simply stunning Read Post »
New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker, with Dean Brettschneider (Penguin, RRP $35): Baking is one of those retro things that has suddenly become cool again and television has jumped on the bandwagon with New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker, which isn’t quite as dodgy as the name might suggest. No, this show doesn’t involve scantily clad busty
Baking: so hot it’s cool Read Post »
I hate to be the bearer of bad news folks, but Christmas is just around the corner. Really, it truly must officially be the festive season because a certain large coffee-selling corporation broke out their special Christmas cups last week. Christmas is a busy old time of the year, so anything that saves some of
Quick and Christmassy Read Post »
This massive 624-page beast of a book looks a little daunting at first glance but don’t let the size of the thing put you off. New Zealand has a diverse range of very talented people who have produced some amazing poetry, both in the past and right now. This diverse talent is celebrated in 99
Size doesn’t matter … even in poetry Read Post »
All the emailing and texting going on these days must make it hard for the budding stamp collectors out there, which is really a shame. When I was a kid, bills arrived with stamps on the envelopes, as did birthday cards and Christmas cards, letters from pen pals. Now, bills have prepaid numbers and the
The stories behind our stamps Read Post »
Quirky British comedian Simon Pegg has tried his hand at writing and the result is an autobiography that feels like the perfect mix of professional overview and personal emotion. Pegg is one of those actors who seems to have the knack of being effortlessly funny. He showed this with his performances in comedy cult classics
Pegg’s humour shines through Read Post »
