Our summers here in the south might sometimes be a wee bit dodgy but when we do get a good weekend, there’s nothing better than cracking open a nice cold beer and cranking up the barbecue. If you’re sick of the same old charred sausages and scorched chops, New Zealand’s first family of food have […]
■ REVIEW: New Zealand Barbecue Cookbook
Easy barbecue ideas for summer Read Post »
Did you spot the error in the title? If not, the tagline beneath the heading on the book’s cover might give you a hint: “including how to know the difference between your and you’re”. This brilliant wee gem of a book is a handy guide to all those tricky spelling and grammar traps that trip
■ REVIEW: Your Joking
Wordy help at hand Read Post »
If, like me, you’re not particularly good at identifying plants, this is the book for you. Artist-writer Dave Gunson has a nice touch with the illustrations, giving enough detail to make it easy for the reader to pinpoint what they are looking at but not so much detail that it gets confusing. Great for a
■ REVIEW: All About New Zealand Plants
Planting a seed of knowledge Read Post »
Now here’s something to get even the most reluctant cook into the kitchen: a book full of recipes involving beer. There’s everything from soups and salsa to chocolate brownies and even good old Kiwi afghans with beer icing. Chef and beer enthusiast Sam Cook (no, not the singing Sam Cook, this is the cooking version)
■ REVIEW: The Kiwi Beer Lover’s Cookbook
Beer recipes a pleasant surprise Read Post »
If you’re a regular reader of The Southland Times, I’m sure you’re also a regular reader of the columns of the very talented Joe Bennett. Young Mr Bennett is, without doubt, one of the funniest to grace our pages and he never fails to entertain with his weekly offerings. In fact, I’m always amazed that
■ REVIEW: The World’s Your Lobster
Joe Bennett as good as ever Read Post »
Scrapbooking is one of those pastimes that has taken off and now it seems every second person is a scrapbooker, collecting interesting papers and embellishments to help record their family history, their child’s life, wedding, family holidays and more. I suppose it’s only logical that it should now go a step further and, like just
■ REVIEW: Digital Scrapbooking
Inspiration for scrapbookers Read Post »
What Martin Hawes doesn’t know about handling your finances isn’t worth knowing. This time around, in Save Money on Your Mortgage, he’s tackling what is most likely our biggest financial outlay, and our biggest debt: our mortgage. More specifically, he shows how we can save money on our mortgage. This is the updated version of
■ REVIEW: Save Money on your Mortgage
Expert shares his knowledge Read Post »
My gardening talents (or lack of them) are legendary but I think I’ve found the perfect book to give any plant that has the misfortune of meeting me a fighting chance. I’m the only person I know who has managed to kill a fake plant. Yes, a fake plant. I left it in the sun
■ REVIEW: New Zealand Plant Doctor
Good advice for gardeners Read Post »
My somewhat warped sense of humour perked up when I spotted this book: for some reason the title struck me as a very good name for a stripper. And the “Book of Temptation” subtitle didn’t help. However, it is in fact a beautifully illustrated book of cupcake recipes that shows they are much more than
■ REVIEW: Divine Cupcakes
Artistic baking for all abilities Read Post »
This is the latest in the series of thrillers written by Karen Rose and featuring the immensely screwed up family of District Attorney Susannah Vartanian. If you haven’t read the earlier books, don’t let that put you off. I was a newbie to the series but didn’t have a problem getting into the story. Susannah
■ REVIEW: Kill for Me
Not great but good enough Read Post »
