There are plenty of books out there with photographs of our beautiful country but photographer Barney Brewster wants to highlight the often overlooked beauty of moonlight rather than sunlight. Night Visions offers a fresh and rarely seen perspective on the New Zealand landscape, with a gorgeous collection of night photos. I’ve seen many images of […]
■ REVIEW: Night Visions
Beauty of moonlight Read Post »
Joe Bennett is one of those columnists who always manages to improve my mood: if I’m having a rough morning, I always feel better having read his latest offering in the paper on a Wednesday morning. And if I’m already having a pretty splendiferous morning, his weekly column makes it even better. No matter what
■ REVIEW: Fish Like a Drink
Waking up to Joe Bennett Read Post »
We have all had our moments where we have thought “this could be the life”. You may have stood in a paddock or an orchard, the sun streaming down, looking at a view that people pay to see and thought, “yes, I could do this”. In reality, few take that idyllic lifestyle plunge . .
■ REVIEW: Moon Over Martinborough
How an American city boy became a Kiwi farmer Read Post »
More than two years after the devastating September 2010 and February 2011 earthquakes that left Christchurch in ruins, this book takes a look at the recovery and reorganisation of our garden city. We all watched in shock after the quakes, particularly the deadly 2011 aftershock, as the city tried to pick up the pieces: we
■ REVIEW: A City Recovers
Christchurch returning to its vibrant best Read Post »
Alan Duff has produced another powerful novel in Frederick’s Coat, a story of crime, violence and family. Duff is know for his compelling and gritty writing, and this book is as moving as the critically acclaimed Once Were Warriors. On his release from prison, Johno Ryan vows that he will never go back there again
■ REVIEW: Frederick's Coat
Violence and redemption in recommended read Read Post »
For a small nation, New Zealand has had more than its fair share of headline-grabbing murders, but there are few that would rival the 1954 murder of Christchurch woman Honorah Parker. The name of the victim may not be as familiar as that of the two teenage girls who committed the awful crime: Juliet Hulme
■ REVIEW: So Brilliantly Clever
Probing sensational murder Read Post »
The weather is one of those things we all talk about: we care if it’s good, we are even more interested if it’s bad. Anglers, gardeners, sportspeople and parents, no matter who we are, we are interested in what the weather is doing now and even more interested in what it will be doing in
There has been something of a resurgence of interest in the military history of our proud little nation in recent years, often highlighted by the increasing numbers of Kiwis young and old who turn up at Anzac Day services around the country. From small beginnings as a light horse troop of volunteers in 1864, the
■ REVIEW: The Troopers' Tale
Proud spirit of the Otago Mounted Rifles Read Post »
Like so many of the best Kiwi projects, this book started out as a friendly chat at the pub. Patearoa locals Beryl and Alan Reid told author Jim Sullivan they had a box of letters written by soldiers to Alan’s aunts during World War I. The next day, Sullivan began putting them together in a
■ REVIEW: Patearoa at War
Box of letters leads to story of town’s war experience Read Post »
The description on the back cover of this book says “New Zealand’s high country farmers are a special breed” and I reckon you would be hard- pressed to find one as special as Iris Scott. In 1992, life was turned upside down for Iris when her husband died: she was left a widow with three
■ REVIEW: High Country Woman
Inspiring high country battler Read Post »
