This is a Call: the life and times of Dave Grohl, by Paul Brannigan (HarperCollins, RRP $40): Back in 1990, when Dave Grohl joined a little-known band as the new drummer, few people would have expected the band was about…
Category: People
Hard rocker plays it straight now
No Regrets: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir, by Ace Frehley, with Joe Layden and John Ostrosky (Simon & Schuster, RRP $40): You probably know the name better than you know the face. In fact, it’s safe to say that at…
Author pronounces on happiness and stuff
Seriously . . . I’m Kidding, by Ellen Degeneres (HarperCollins, RRP $40): I missed all the Ellen excitement when she first hit our screens back in the 1990s, because I worked nights and didn’t really watch a lot of television…
The early stories of a very clever man
The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography, by Stephen Fry (Penguin, RRP $37): Stephen Fry is one of those horribly intelligent people who manages to make it very clear that he knows a lot about a lot without coming across as a…
A personal look at a great Kiwi adventurer
Pippa Blake: Journey by Pippa Blake (Penguin, RRP $50): December 5 marked the the anniversary of the death of one of New Zealand’s true adventurers, Sir Peter Blake, and I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who remembers…
Amusing study of gossip writer’s life
Memoirs of a Gossip Columnist, by David Hartnell (Penguin, RRP $45): There’s no doubt that most of us enjoy a good spot of gossip but David Hartnell is one of those very few people in the world who has managed…
■ REVIEW
The Bruce McLaren Scrapbook
McLaren proved Kiwis can fly: The Bruce McLaren Scrapbook, by Jan McLaren & Richard Becht (HarperCollins, RRP $60): In the world of motorsport, Bruce McLaren did it all: he was a driver, creator, designer, engineer, constructor and even a team…
Pegg’s humour shines through
Nerd Do Well, by Simon Pegg (Century, RRP $39.99): 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…
Bush’s story, warts and all
Decision Points, by George W Bush (Virgin, RRP $75): I tried to go into reading the autobiography of America’s 43rd president with an open mind. Sure, George W Bush is no rocket scientist but he did serve two terms as…
New insights but no juicy gossip
What Was I Thinking: A Memoir, by Paul Henry (Random House, RRP $40): There’s no denying personality Paul Henry has a knack for grabbing headlines and stirring controversy, but he also has a knack for being interesting. And funny –…