As often as I stop to think, then forget to start again, I am also plagued by bouts of my mind wandering off unattended and delivering all sorts of random thoughts that I then share with the world. This is generally not a good thing: it is important to have some sort of filter system […]
■ REVIEW: The Wandering Mind
What do rats dream about? Read Post »
Much has been written about New Zealand’s attempts to find its place in the world as a fledgling nation and the role of rugby and war in creating a sense of nationalism in and around World War I. But a more important portion of our nation’s history has occurred post-World War II, and it’s this
■ REVIEW: Changing Times
Ordinary Kiwis tell our country’s story Read Post »
This massive tome will likely be the biggest book you’ll buy this year and if you are going to spend $75 on a book, what could be better than an anthology of all that New Zealand literature has to offer? And at first glance, this nearly 1200 page monster looks to be good value, with
There’s no denying the global economy is in pretty bad shape and the forecasts for where it’s heading go from one extreme to the other. However, there are few people as well qualified to comment on the New Zealand economy as Dr Alan Bollard, governor of the Reserve Bank on New Zealand for a decade
■ REVIEW: Crisis
Bollard gives fascinating insight to financial crisis Read Post »
This latest book by Glyn Harper is one that brings home the trauma, hardship, heartache and horror of living through, and with, a war. Glyn Harper is the Professor of War Studies at Massey University and has already written and edited a comprehensive collection of books on New Zealand’s military history. This time he has
■ REVIEW: Letters From Gallipoli
Soldiers’ letters bring home horror Read Post »
It may come as a surprise to some who know me when I say I like poetry. Not the flowery stuff of Shakespeare (no, that’s not an invitation for Shakespeare geeks to inundate me with reasons his poetry isn’t flowery) and not the new-age stuff that I can’t make head nor tail of. My favourite
■ REVIEW: The Black River
C K Stead’s latest offering a real gem Read Post »
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 »
Taking a look at an almost forgotten chapter in New Zealand’s history, The Bookmen’s Dominion focuses on the activities and networks of historians and literary critics during the 1920s and 1930s. Author Chris Hilliard — who studied New Zealand history at the University of Auckland — was the recipient of one of Harvard’s most prestigious
■ REVIEW: The Bookmen’s Dominion
Interesting look at not-so-well-known NZ history Read Post »
