Over nearly four decades, the late Joanna Paul accumulated a body of work brimming with graphic invention and poetic observation. An artist, film-maker, poet and writer, she died in 2003 in tragic circumstances that most will remember from the news. During a visit to Rotorua she collapsed while bathing in a thermal pool and died […]
■ REVIEW: Joanna Margaret Paul Drawing
A treat for fans Read Post »
Aussie author Barbara Biggs continues to recount the story of her life in this latest book. While she had a truly awful start to life, being sold to a paedophile at the age of 14 and being admitted to a psychiatric hospital two years later, Biggs overcame her early challenges to become a happy, successful
■ REVIEW: The Accidental Renovator
Unexpectedly fun read Read Post »
Told she was ugly and subjected to unimaginable abuse at the hands of her mother, Constance Briscoe survived an awful childhood to become a barrister and one of the first black women to sit as a judge in the United Kingdom. Reading the story of her childhood is hard work but also compelling. The story
■ REVIEW: Ugly
Inspirational author rises above awful childhood Read Post »
Proving that the rules are sometimes made to be broken, and that sometimes it isn’t always best to begin at the beginning, this book tells the life story of Stuart Shorter backwards. Shorter was a homeless man who had a tough life as the illegitimate son of gypsy and a barmaid who he inherited his
■ REVIEW: Stuart: A Life Backwards
Looking back to the beginning Read Post »
In 1994, Kathy Torpie’s world changed forever. Driving home she had the misfortune to meet up with a drunk-driver and in an instant, her body was broken and the face she had seen every time she looked in the mirror was gone. The broken limbs and shattered facial bones eventually healed but the scars left
■ REVIEW: Losing Face
Broken but not beaten Read Post »
New Zealand motorsport legend Chris Amon once described Ron Roycroft leading the New Zealand Grand Prix in 1957 as one of the five most significant events that helped shape motor racing in this country. The Depression, World War 2, lack of money and an equal lack of suitable cars were all obstacles that presented themselves
■ REVIEW: Up to Speed: The Roycroft Years in New Zealand Racing
Spotlight on Ron Roycroft Read Post »
Genuine, true blue adventurers aren’t exactly a dime dozen but here in New Zealand we seem to have more than our fair share. There was Sir Ed with his mountaineering and tractor-driving escapades, Charles Upham’s bravery and grit. And, of course, Peter Blake — a good Kiwi bloke who much like Sir Ed before him, took
■ REVIEW: The Last Great Adventure of Sir Peter Blake
Sir Peter Blake’s message lives on Read Post »
