Jez is 17, bored in a downtrodden Canberra suburb, and coming to realise she’s in love with her best friend, Lukey. It’s summertime and Jez has little to do but hang out, get high and argue with her mum. She takes it for granted that she and Lukey will be hanging out together, but then […]
■ REVIEW: Snake Bite
Not-so-gentle coming-of-age story Read Post »
Southland’s all-aged army of hunters and fishermen will prosper from a wealth of useful information in this commendable textbook on recreational pursuits in the great outdoors. A former Wairarapa school principal, author Paul Adamson has gone to considerable lengths in focusing on clarity and simplicity for newcomers but also refreshing the knowledge of seasoned hunters
There was a popular ad campaign a year or three back that proudly proclaimed you’d never be a Kiwi until you loved a particular brand of sauce, but I reckon a love of rugby is probably of greater importance. It’s our national pastime and while I hear the odd anti-rugby piker complaining about the amount
■ REVIEW: The Beginner’s Guide to Rugby
Understanding our national game Read Post »
Jo Seagar has done a good job of finding 130 recipes that help inspire tasty dishes. You do not have to flick far to find recipes – balsamic roasties, slow-roasted pork belly with lemon and fennel seed crackling, easy strawberry cheesecake in a glass – to set the tastebuds tingling. She has designed the book
■ REVIEW: A Bit of What You Fancy
Recipes to set the tastebuds tingling Read Post »
British author Bill Bryson has come up with an interesting concept for this fact-packed trip back in time, telling the story of one summer in the history of America that changed the world forever. In 1927, the world between the two world wars, the United States was half-way through Prohibition and facing a time of
■ REVIEW: One Summer: America, 1927
The summer that changed the world Read Post »
New releases coming in August. FICTION I’m Travelling Alone, by Samuel Bjork: Published by Doubleday on August 1, with an RRP of $38. A six-year-old girl is found hanging from a tree. Around her neck is an airline tag which says ‘I’m travelling alone’. A special homicide unit in Oslo is re-opened and the race is
On the bookshelves: August 2015 Read Post »
This book was published to mark the 50th anniversary of a shocking crime that drew a line in New Zealand’s criminal history and heralded a more sinister era. Set against a backdrop of six o’clock closings, a Chicago-style underworld, bent cops, prostitution and the lure of a quick buck or two, the book helpfully provides
■ REVIEW: The Bassett Road Machine-Gun Murders
Gangland killings a shock Read Post »
My brother, an avid reader, introduced me to Wilbur Smith when I was still in my teens and I’ve enjoyed his novels ever since. Smith is easily my favorite author and I love his books more now than ever. He is the master of the epic adventure and once started his novels are hard to
■ REVIEW: Vicious Circle
Huge disappointment for dedicated fan Read Post »
Former special investigator Louis Kehlweiler has to find new ways to fill in his days now that he no longer works for the Parisian police force. Kehlweiler gathers information, takes care of his toad (yes, he has a pet toad), and patiently digs away at crime and corruption. He’s keeping watch on the flat of
■ REVIEW: Dog Will Have His Day
Quirky thriller is a little off-balance Read Post »
It’s so easy to feel a disconnect between the vacuum packed offerings in the meat aisle at your local supermarket and the origins of that product on the farm, but it is important that we know – and care about – where our meat comes from. As the world’s population grows, the need to produce
■ REVIEW: Farmageddon The True Cost of Cheap Meat
Will we pay the price? Read Post »
