Quotable New Zealand Quotes, compiled by Jim Weir (New Holland Publishers, RRP $28): Us Kiwis always have something to say and there’s no denying that some of us manage to say things that are worth repeating. Not all of us,…
Category: NZ books
Take a trip through some of NZ’s literary history
Anthology of New Zealand Literature, edited by Jane Stafford and Mark Williams (Auckland University Press, RRP $75): This massive tome will likely be the biggest book you’ll buy this year and if you are going to spend $75 on a…
Humour, heartbreak of war
An Awfully Big Adventure: NZ WWI veterans tell their stories, by Jane Tolerton (Penguin, RRP $45): Journalist Jane Tolerton helped set up the World War I Oral History Archive back in 1987, and using those interviews, she has compiled a…
Four-legged survival stories celebrated
Quake Dogs, text by Laura Sessions, photography by Craig Bullock (Random House, RRP $35): This sweetly addictive book features the heart-warming stories of Christchurch dogs. After the devastating Canterbury quakes, we heard the many stories of survival and loss that…
Hair keeps myth, legend ticking
Ghosts of Parihaka, by David Hair (HarperCollins, RRP $25): Ghosts of Parihaka is the fifth book in the six-book Aotearoa series and keeps the story of myth and legend ticking along at a great pace. Matiu Douglas is able to…
European take on young NZ
An Indescribable Beauty: Letters home to German From Wellington, NZ (1859-1862), by Friedrich August Krull (Awa Press, RRP $38): A century and a half ago, a young German man set sail on a four-month journey on the Swedish ship the…
50 shades of political humour
50 Shades of Key: The Unofficial John Key Joke Book, by Paul Little (Paul Little Books, RRP $15): Whatever your politics, you’ll find it hard not to have a giggle at a few of the offerings in this little book.…
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…
Trio of quick Kiwi reference books
Wild Flowers of New Zealand, photography by Rob Suisted (New Holland Publishers, RRP $20): Wellington-based photographer and conservationist Rob Suisted has produced a book packed with shining and colourful examples of the wildflowers of New Zealand. Early botanists were amazed…
Braunias explores heartland and margins
Civilisation: Twenty Places on the Edge of the World, by Steve Braunias (Awa Press, RRP $36): Steve Braunias is a master of biting satire, so if you are looking for a friendly little travelogue highlighting the awesomeness of various locale,…